Meat Glossary of Terms
Achilles tendon
The tendon that is found in the hind limb of the beef animal that is used to suspend the beef carcass from the rail.
Adjusted Backfat Thickness
The measure of subcutaneous fat thickness adjusted by the grader to take into account the fat deposition on the rest of the carcass.
Adductor
A muscle located in the hind limb of an animal which makes up part of the top round.
Aging
A process by which meat is held under controlled temperatures for a period of time. This allows enzymatic activity to degrade complex proteins, changing flavor and tenderness.
Aitch Bone
The portion of the pelvic bone that is exposed when a carcass is divided at the medial line.
Anterior
Sometimes known as “cranial”, meaning toward the head.
Appendicular Skeleton
The bones associated with the limbs of the animal.
Atlas Joint
The joint between the head and the first cervical vertebrae, which is severed to remove the head.
Axial Skeleton
The bones in the carcass associated with the vertebrae.
Axis Joint
The joint between the first and second cervical vertebrae.
Backfat Thickness
Measurement of the amount of the subcutaneous fat on a carcass.
Bell Scraper
A bell-shaped device used to remove the hair from a hog carcass.
Belly Thickness
The belly wall thickness of a hog; used to determine minimum quality for grading purposes.
Belly
A wholesale cut of a hog carcass which composes approximately 13 percent of the carcass. The belly is generally cured and sold as bacon.
Biceps Femoris
A muscle found in hind limb of the animal and composes the bottom round or outside round.
Biceps Brachii
A muscle located in the arm roast or chop. Approximately the same diameter as the humerus bone in which it is next to.
Binders and Extenders
Non-meat ingredients that are added to sausage products for one or more of the following reasons: (1) improve cooking yields, (2) improve slicing, (3) improve flavor, (4) reduce formulation costs, (5) increase protein content, (6) improve emulsion stability, (7) improve fat binding, (8) increase water binding.
Binder Meats
Meats used for sausage products that have the ability to bind water and emulsify fat in a sausage product. Meats with high binding ability have a lot of lean skeletal tissues whereas meats with a low binding ability are high in connective tissue and fat.
Blast Freezing
The most used commercial method for freezing meat products. Air is cooled to between -10C to -40C, then by blowers increased to an air velocity of 760 mph which causes the product to be frozen at a rapid rate. The meat products must be wrapped to protect from freezer burn.
Boston Shoulder
A wholesale cut made by making a perpendicular cut through the thoracic vertebrae at the second and third rib, then cutting at right angles approximately 3/4 inch ventrally from the exposed surface of the scapula. This cut comprises about nine percent of the pork carcass.
Bound Water
Water that is in close association with the charged groups on a protein molecule, thereby being held tightly to the protein.
Bowl Chopper (silent cutter)
A piece of equipment used in sausage making that consists of a round bowl in which meat is placed that rotates so the meat is passed through a series of blades rotating at about 5000 rpm and is chopped into fine particles.
Boxed Beef
Fabrication of the beef carcass into wholesale, primal and sub primal cuts at the plant. These cuts are trimmed of excess fat and possibly bones, then vacuum packaged and boxed by similar cut and shipped to retailers directly.
Braise
To brown meat in a small amount of fat then cook slowly in a covered pan with a small amount of liquid.
Breaker
A worker in the a processing plant who separates the carcass into wholesale, primal and sub primal cuts.
Breast
A retail cut of chicken which is composed primarily of the pectoralis muscle; also, the wholesale cut of lamb that includes the sternum and the pectoralis muscle.
Brine
The solution which contains the cure and water that is pumped into meat for curing.
Broil
To cook by direct heat. Grill
Broiler or Fryer
A young chicken (usually 6-8 weeks of age) , either sex that is tender-meat with soft, pliable, smooth-textured skin and flexible breast-bone cartilage. The weight range for a broiler and fryer carcass is 3 – 4.5 pounds.
Browning
The process of the cooking the meat so the myoglobin pigment is converted to hemochrome, which can be characterized by the cooked meat color.
Bullock
An intact male beef animal that is less mature than a bull. Skeletal maturity distinguishes the difference between the two. Bullock carcasses have slight red and slightly soft chine bones, and the cartilage on the ends of the thoracic vertebrae have some evidence of ossification; the sacral vertebrae are completely fused; the cartilage on the ends of the lumbar vertebrae is nearly completely ossified; and the rib bones are slightly wide and slightly flat.
Butchers Dollar
A round silver-dollar-sized piece of the femur that is cut when the loin and round wholesale cuts are separated.
Butterfly
To split steaks, chops, cutlets and roasts in half leaving halves hinged on one side.
Calf Skin
The classification for hide from immature beef animals.
Cape
The hide that is removed from the head of a beef animal.
Cervical Vertebrae
The seven vertebrae located in the neck of an animal.
Chitterlings
The small intestines of the hog.
Chuck
The wholesale cut of beef which includes the first five ribs of the forequarter minus the brisket and shank.
Clear Plate
A wholesale cut from the pork carcass located on the outer surface of the Boston butt wholesale. It is primarily fat and is used in making pork and beans.
Coccygeal Vertebrae
Vertebrae found in the tail of an animal.
Cock or Rooster
A mature male chicken with coarse skin, toughened and darkened meat, and hardened breastbone tip.
Cod Fat
Fat that has been deposited in the remaining portion of the scrotum of a steer.
Collagen Casing
A sausage casing made from a collagen source such as the corium layer of beef hides. These casing have many of the physical properties of natural casings and the uniformity and cleanliness of cellulose casings.
Color Score
A subjective measure of the lean meat color in pork. On a scale of 1-5, 1 indicates a pale pinkish color and 5 indicates a dark purplish color.
Comitrol, Flaking Equipment
A machine that slices or flakes meat into a desired size which then can be formed into a restructured meat product.
Conformation
The proportionate development of carcass parts or wholesale cuts, and the ratio of muscle to bone.
Cooler Shrink
The weight that is lost during the initial chilling of the carcass. This is generally moisture loss.
Cornish Game Hen
A young immature chicken, usually five to seven weeks of age, weighing not more than two pounds ready-to-cook weight. These birds are a cross between a Cornish chicken and another breed of chicken.
Cure
A mixture of the ingredients used in meat curing which may include salt, sugar, sodium nitrite, sodium erythorbate, phosphate, spices and water
Curing
Adding salt to meat for the purpose of preservation.
Cutting Test
Cutting of the wholesale cut into retail cuts to determine the retail yield and value for the purpose of maintaining operating margins.
Dark Cutter
Beef with lean tissue that is dark in color. It is the result of long-term stress that has reduced the glycogen content in muscle prior to slaughter, The muscle pH of a dark cutter is generally high (approx. 6.5) which results in higher water-holding capacity and more light absorbency than normal thus causing a dark lean color.
Dehairing Machine
A machine with rotating rubber paddles that removes the hair from a scalded hog carcass.
Dehydration
Removal of water.
Depilating
The process of removing hair from a hog carcass during slaughter.
Dew Claw Remover
A hook shaped device that is used to remove the dew claws from a hog at the time of slaughter.
Diaphragm
A muscle and connective structure that separates the abdominal and thoracic cavity.
Dorsal – Superior
Away from the plane of support. “Top side”.
Dry Heat Cookery
The cooking of meat without presence of additional moisture. Examples of the such methods are roasting, broiling, grilling, pan-broiling, panfrying, stir-fry and deep fat frying.
Dry Cure
The application of a curing mixture of salt, sugar, sodium nitrite, erythorbate and spices by rubbing them on the product to be cured. Generally only used on thin meat cuts.
Edible Bi-Products
Portions of the animal other than the carcass that are suitable for human consumption.
Emulsion Mill
A piece of the machinery used in sausage production in which the chopped meat batter is passed through a plate containing small holes to create a stable meat batter for products such as frankfurters and bologna.
Farmers Joint
The rough joint found in the front leg of a beef animal from which the front hoof can be removed. This is not the ideal place of removal.
Fat Thickness
Refers to the thickness of subcutaneous fat.
Feathering
The amount fat streaks through the intercostal muscle. Is another estimate of the intramuscular fat deposition, i.e. marbling.
Fell Membrane
The inner layer of skin left on a lamb carcass after the pelt has been removed.
Fiery Carcass
A condition in which an animal has been excited shortly before slaughter so when the animal is bled, blood is trapped in the capillaries of the subcutaneous fat, resulting in a pink tinged carcass.
Filler Meats
Meats that contain connective tissue which does not contribute to the fat stabilizing ability and overall structure of the cooked sausage. Examples of the these meats are tripe, lips, stomachs, and snouts.
Finish
The amount of subcutaneous fat on an animal.
Fisting
Removing the pelt from a lamb carcass by using a fist to separate the pelt from the fell membrane.
Flank
The abdominal wall of an animal or carcass; is a wholesale cut of a beef carcass.
Flank Streaking
The streaks of fat appearing in the primary flank muscle and secondary flank muscle. Used to determine lamb carcass grading.
Flat Joint
A joint in the front leg of cattle that is flat and is served to remove the front hoof.
Fleshing
The thickness of the muscling covering over the back, breast, drumstick, and thigh of a chicken carcass. Considered in poultry grading.
Fore Shank
The portion of the front leg of the animal containing the radius and ulna.
Fore–Saddle
The portion of the lamb carcass anterior to the 12th rib.
Formulation
Determination of the specific ingredients and their respective amounts that will be included in a sausage product.
Free Water
Water held in meat by weak surface forces and membrane. Constitutes about 80 percent of the meat.
Freeze Drying
The process of freezing meat and then lowering the atmospheric pressure so the water is removed by sublimation.
Fry
To cook in fat or oil. Applied especially (1) to cooking in a small amount of fat, also called panfrying; and (2) to cooking in a deep layer of fat also called deep-fat frying.
Fully Cooked
A meat product cooked to an internal temperature of 165F.
Gambrel
A metal bar placed between the hind legs of a hog carcass to separate the legs and suspend the carcass.
Gelatin
The substance formed when collagen is heated in the presence of moisture.
Gracilis
A muscle that is on the outside surface of the inside top round, commonly referred to as the cap muscle.
Green and Drying Room
A room in which the humidity and temperature are controlled for the fermentation process.
Grinder
A machine that reduces particle size of meat by passing it through a plate with holes of a specific diameter.
Ham
The wholesale cut of a pork carcass that includes the posterior portion from 1 inch anterior to the aitch bone.
Hanging Tender
The portion of the diaphragm muscle that is attached to the back region of the last rib.
Hardwoods
Woods containing a limited amount of resin such as hickory, oak, cherry , apple, beech, and maple, that are burned to produce smoke for flavoring smoked meat products.
Heat Ring
The cold shortening of the outside edges of rib-eye muscle which causes a darkened and sunken appearance.
Hide
The outside covering of a beef animal.
High Temperature Aging
Maintaining the pre-rigor carcass at a temperature above 38F so cold-shortening does not occur.
Hind-Saddle
The portion of the lamb carcass posterior to the 13th rib.
Hot Carcass Weight
The weight of the carcass immediately after slaughter.
Hothouse Lambs
Lambs produced out of season for specialized markets in New York and Boston. The lambs are born in the fall or early winter months and are ready for market in 6 -12 weeks . They are housed in a confinement building to protect them from the weather.
Humerus
The long bone in the shoulder that articulates with the scapula on one end and the radius and ulna on the other end. It is found in arm bone roasts and chops.
Inedible Bi-Products
Components of the animal that can not be consumed by humans.
Inoculation
The introduction of a microorganism into a meat product.
Inspection Legend
The ink stamp placed on the carcass after it has passed inspection.
Intercostal Muscle
The muscle located between the ribs.
Irradiation
A method of preservation in which the product is exposed to either x-ray or gamma radiation to kill microorganisms and preserve the product.
Jowl
A wholesale cut of the pork carcass which includes the cheek muscle and fat skin surrounding it .
Kidney Heart and Pelvic Fat (KHP)
The internal fat surrounding the heart and kidneys and in the pelvic area.
Kosher
Meat from animals slaughtered under Rabbinical supervision
Lamb
A male or female ovine younger that 14 months. A lamb carcass has two break joints.
Lard
Rendered fat from a hog.
Lateral
Away from the center of the animal.
Leaf Fat
The abdominal and kidney fat in a hog carcass that is removed at the time of slaughter.
Leather
A hide that has been cured and tanned.
Leg
A wholesale cut of the lamb carcass which includes the hind and sirloin regions.
Loin
A wholesale cut of a beef , pork or lamb carcass. Generally is the retail cut of most value.
Longissimus Muscle
A muscle on the dorsal side of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. Is commonly referred to as the loin-eye or rib-eye muscle.
Marbling
Intramuscular fat of the rib-eye; used in determining yield grade.
Maturity
A measure of the age of the animal.
Meat Packers
A company that slaughters animals for meat. The name is derived from the fact that originally this process involved “packing” meat in barrels with salt for shipment.
Meat
The flesh of animals used as food.
Medial
Closest to the center of the animal.
Medium
Meat cooked to an internal temperature of 160° (70°C)
Moist Heat Cookery
Cooking meat with additional moisture. Example of moist heat cookery are stewing, braising, cooking in liquid (i.e soups), pressure cooking and crock pot cooking
Mutton
A ovine carcass generally older than 15 months and has two spool joints instead of break joints.
Natural casing
Sausage casings that come from the intestinal tract of the slaughter animals.
Neatsfoot Oil
A pale yellow oil extracted from bones of cattle and used as a leather dressing
Nitrate
The compound NO3; the sodium salt is used in the dry curing of some meat products.
Nitrite
The compound N02; the sodium salt is added to curing mixture to form the cured pink color and to inhibit C botulinum growth.
Panbroil
To cook uncovered in a frying pan. The fat is poured off as it accumulates.
Panfry
To cook in a small amount of fat
Pastern Joint
The joint which is severed to removed the hind hoof of a lamb during slaughter.
Peeler
A machine that is used to removed the edible cellulose casing from hotdogs.
Pelt
The outside cover of a lamb that removed at the time of slaughter.
Pelvis
The flat bone found in the hind limb of the animal composed of the three bones, ilium ischium and pubis that have been fused. It primarily found in the meat cuts from the sirloin area.
Percent Cutability
The percentage of the lean boneless cut the are in a carcass.
Picking
The process of removing feather from poultry during slaughter
Picnic
A wholesale cut in the pork carcass that includes the front leg, sternum and surrounding muscles.
Pinfeathers
A feather not fully developed that is either protruding or non-protruding, that is not removed will result in a lower quality grade.
Plate
A wholesale cut of the beef carcass that include ribs 6 through 12. The retail cuts of the short rib and skirt originate from this wholesale cut.
Plate freezing
A method of freezing were the meat product is placed directly on metal plates that have been cooled to 14F to -22F. This method works best with thin cuts
Pluck
The organs of the thoracic cavity which include the heart, lungs and trachea.
Posterior
Sometimes known as the “caudal” meaning away from the head.
Pre-Blending
The addition of salt and nitrite to ground meat serval hour or day prior to sausage manufacture to help extract protein help in managing inventory
Pre-Cooked
Meat cuts which have been fully cooked and require only reheating to serve.
Preliminary Yield Grade
A yield initially assigned to a beef carcass as determined by the estimated by the adjusted backfat thickness over the rib-eye area.
Primal Cut
A wholesale cut that has been trimmed to a specific dimensions and fat thickness.
Processor
A person or company that adds value to the product by altering it mechanically, chemically or adding other ingredient to it.
Proximal
Nearest the point of reference.
Psoas Major
The muscle located along the ventral side of the lumbar vertebrae, commonly referred to and the tenderloin.
Purge
The juices exuded from fresh, cooked and cured meats after they are packaged and remain in the package at the time of opening
Purveyor
An individual or company that sales meat to the restaurants, hotel and institutions.
Quadriceps
The muscles, vastus lateralis. vastus intermedius, vastus medialis and rectus femoris. These muscle compose the sirloin tip.
Quality Grades
Each grade denotes a specific level of quality as determined by the UADA
Radius
The small long bone in the foreshank of the an animal.
Rare
Meat cooked to an internal temperature of 140F (60C).
RDA
Recommended Dietary Allowances. Guideline for the amount of nutrients that are required by 97.5 percent of the population.
Refrigeration
The preservation method of the chilling meat to a temperature of 32F – 40F.
Retail Cuts
Cuts of meat that are sold in a retail market
Retail Weight Basis
The amount of the meat that is sold or consumed based on the weight of the retail cuts.
Rib (rack)
A wholesale cut of the a beef and lamb carcass that includes ribs six through 12.
Rib Eye Area (REA)
The area of the longissimus muscle that is exposed when the a beef carcass is ribbed between the 12th and 13th rib.
Riboflavin
A water soluble vitamin (Vit B2) that assist in the metabolism of the carbohydrates and fats. The best source of the riboflavin in the diet is organ meats, milk and green leafy vegetables.
Roaster Chicken
A young chicken (usually 3- 5 months of age) of either sex, that is tender-meat with soft, pliable, smooth-textured skin and breast-bone cartilage that is somewhat less flexible than that of a broiler or fryer.
Round
A wholesale cut of a beef carcass which includes the posterior portion of the carcass from 2 inches anterior to the aitch bone.
Salimeter
A hydrometer for indicating the percentage of the salt in a solution
Salinity
The measure of the amount of the salt in a solution
Salmonella
Consumption of live Salmonella bacteria can result in the foodborne infection, Salmonellosis. Symptoms include stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea, chills, fever and headache that normally appear six to 48 hours after eating a contaminated food. The illness may last three to five days and affects infants, young children, elderly, and immunocompromised individuals (patients on drug therapy, elderly, young) more severely. Salmonella bacteria are normal microflora of many animals and poultry. Unpasteurized milk can also contain this bacteria.
Sarco
Derived from the Greek words Sarx or Sarkos which mean flesh.
Sarcolemma
The thin transparent membrane surrounding the muscle fiber. Analogous to the cell membrane.
Sarcomere
Basic repeating contractile structural unit of the myofibril; in-register laterally and longitudinally and responsible for striated appearance of skeletal muscle.
Sarcoplasm
Cytoplasm of muscle cell; major water depot of muscle cell containing soluble proteins.
Sarcoplasmic Proteins
Proteins that are readily extracted in aqueous solutions. Generally, these proteins are associated with the sarcoplasm.
Sausage Truck
A cart that is used to place sausage, ham or other process meat products on that is rolled into the smokehouse to be heat processed
Saturated Fatty Acids
Fatty acids in which each carbon atom has at least two hydrogen atom bound to it and there are no double bonds between any of the carbon atoms.
Sauté
A method of cooking meat in a skillet or pan while in the presence of a small amount of cooking oil. Meat pieces should be tender and cut very thin because cooking time is short.
Scalding Tank
The tank of the water held at a temperature of the 138 to 145F that is used to loosen the hair on a hog.
Scalding
The process of dripping a hog or chicken in hot water to loosen the hair or feathers respectively.
Scapula
A flat bone that articulating withe the humerus and is found in the forequarter of the animal. Commonly referred to as the blade bone.
Sear
To brown surface of meat by short application of intense heat.
Seedy Belly
A pork belly that has been cured which some of the mammary tissue present. This mammary tissue turns dark when cured and cooked making the bacon unappetizing.
Semimembranosus
The major muscle of the round sub primal cut
Semitendinosus
Muscle which makes up the eye round.
Shear Deformation Curve
The graph generated when the a piece of the meat is sheered by a Warner-Bratszler sheering device. The height the peak is the amount of the force required to sheer through a piece of the meat
Shell Eggs
Egg that are sold in the retail market that are still in the shell.
Shoulder Clod
A sub primal cut that is made up of the large outside muscle system, infraspinatus and a portion of the triceps brachii, which lies posterior to the elbow joint and ventral to the medial ridge of the blade bone.
Shoulder Stick
A condition when the animal is bled the knife is off center and is on the lateral side of the ribcage. This will cause blood to collect in the meat of this area and must be trimmed before the should cuts can be sold.
Shoulder
A wholesale cut in a pork carcass that includes the anterior portion of the carcass when cut perpendicular to the thoracic vertebrae between the second and third rib.
Shrink
Refers to the weight loss from animals, meat/meat products which may occur throughout the product’s life.
Shrink Wrap
Using plastic self-adhering wrapping material to tightly conform to the shape of meat
Shroud
A cloth that has been soaked in chlorinated water the wrapped around a carcass to smooth the fat, remove the blood and reduce cooler shrink.
Siding
Removal of the hide from the sides of a beef animal.
Simmer
To cook in liquid at a temperature of approximately 185F. Bubbles form slowly and break below the surface.
Singeing
The process of removing hair on a hog carcass by burning it off.
Sirloin
A wholesale cut that include the pelvic bone and the associated muscles.
Skinning knife
A knife with a large, rounded blade and a dull point that is used in hide removal.
Smoke house
A large oven that is used to heat process meat products in which smoke and can be introduced and humidity can be controlled.
Smooth Muscle
Muscle that is non-striated and has involuntary nervous system control. It is found in walls of arteries and lymph vessels, and in the gastrointestinal tract and reproductive tract.
Soap
The product produced from the saponification of fat with alkali. The reaction occurs when the glycerine is separated from the fatty acids in the triglyceride structure, and the fatty acids combine with the sodium and potassium to form soap.
Soy Flour
Finely ground treated soybean that contain about 50 percent protein and are used to boost the protein content and help bind water.
Spareribs
A wholesale cut of the pork carcass the includes ribs 4-13 and the sternum.
Spent Hen
A laying hen that has been culled from the laying flock.
Spices
Flavoring agents that are added to sausage products. They can be added in the form of whole spices, ground spice or oil.
Splitting Platform
A platform in which the splitting saw operator stands that moves in concert with the carcass so that the splitting can be performed without slowing the movement of the carcass through the slaughter procedure.
Spring Lamb
Lamb marketed in the spring of the year and prior to July 1. Most spring lambs come from the southwestern states were it is possible to begin lambing earlier in the year.
Stag
A male animal that has been castrated after it has developed secondary sex characteristics.
Steamed Bone Meal
Bones that are ground and rendered to remove the fat and moisture, and the largely mineral remainder is reground.
Steer
A castrated male beef animal.
Sterilization
The process of killing all bacteria, spores and viruses in a meat product. If the product is sterilized it is considered to be self-stable.
Sternum
The breastbone, the bone that connected the ribs on the right and left sides together.
Stewing hen
A mature female chicken usually more than 10 months of age which is less tender and has a non-flexible breastbone tip. Sometime referred to as a spent hen.
Stir Fry
A method of cooking small pieces of meat in a small amount of cooking oil over intense heat, usually in a wok. The meat is stirred constantly during cooking and is cooked for a brief time.
Stitch Pump
A method of the introducing cure into a meat product by pumping the brine through a series of needles.
Stockinette
A cheesecloth sack that lots somewhat like a stocking in which a cured bone-in ham is placed to be cooked and smoked.
Stromal Proteins
That insoluble in both aqueous and salt solutions. They are very fibrous in nature and are generally referred to as connective tissue.
Stuffer and/or Linker
A machine used in sausage making to put the sausage batter into the casing then tie or twist it into links of various lengths.
Sub Primal Cut
Subdivisions of the wholesale or primal cuts that are made to facilitate handling or to reduce the variability within a single cut. Sub primal cuts are easier for the packer to vacuum bag and fit into a shipping box for transport to the retail market.
Sweet Pickle Cure
A curing brine that contains sugar.
Sweetbreads
A variety meat that is composed of the thymus from a young beef animal.
Tallow
The rendered fat from a beef animal.
Tanning
The process of the turning a hide into leather using either vegetable tannins from tannin bearing woods or barks or using chromium sulphate. The tanning process toughens the leather by crosslinking the collagen.
Tender Stretch
A procedure of suspending an animal by the aitch bone so that the muscles of the loin and tribe area are physically restrained from contraction.
Terminal Markets
The location in which animals are sold to packers to be slaughter.
Thiamine
A water-soluble vitamin (Vit. B1) which functions as a coenzyme in carbohydrate metabolism. The best source of the thiamin in the diet is bread products and pork.
Thoracic Vertebrae
The thirteen vertebrae (14 or 15 in pigs) that are in the thoracic region. Thoracic vertebrae are characterized by a long spinous process and are posterior to the cervical vertebrae and anterior to the lumbar vertebrae.
TOBEC
Total Body Electrical Conductivity. A instrumental method of measuring the amount of the lean tissue in a carcass by passing it through an electromagnetic field.
Triceps Brachii
The large muscle found in the shoulder which fills the angle between the posterior border of the scapula and humerus. The major muscle found in the arm roast or chop.
Triglycerides
Ester of glycerol that contains three ester groups and either one, two, or three fatty acids attached to the ester group.
Tumbler and Massager
A machine that tumbles or massages meat to extract the myofibrillar proteins to improve their binding capabilities in boneless products.
U. S. Passed for Cooking
Meat products that required to be cooked to a temperature 170F for 30 minutes before they are sold. This is to kill any parasites that may be present.
U. S. Condemned
Meat and poultry that has been inspected by USDA-FSIS and condemned under the regulations described in the Federal Code of Regulations and then marked as such.
U. S. Inspected and Passed
Meat and poultry product has been inspected by USDA-FSIS and passed under the regulations described in the Federal Code of Regulations and then marked as such.
U.S. Retained
Carcass, carcass part, viscera, or other product that has been held for further examination by a USDA-FSIS inspector to determine if it should be passed or condemned.
U.S. Suspect
Live animal that is suspected of having a disease or other condition that may require its condemnation, in whole or in part, and is subject to further examination by a USDA-FSIS inspector to determine it disposal.
Udder Fat
The fat found in the udder region of a heifer. It is smooth in appearance which can indicate the sex of the animal.
UHT (Ultra High Temperature) Milk
Milk that has been sterilized by heating it to a temperature of 130 to 150C for 2 to 87 seconds. After proper packaging this milk is shelf stable at room temperature but has intense cooked flavor.
Ulna
The larger and long bone found in the forearm which is fused to the radius in the cattle and lambs.
Ultrasound
Ultrasonic sound waves that can be used to measure the subcutaneous fat thickness and loin-eye depth in both live animals and carcasses.
Uniform Product Code (UPC)
Computer bar code used to identify product. This would be a universal code for that product.
URMIS
Uniform retail meat identity standard. A systematic method of identifying retail cuts by their species wholesale and retail names.
Variety meats
Organs other than carcass meat that is used for human consumption.
Ventral (inferior)
Toward the plane of support. “Bottom side”
Vertical Suspension Dressing
The slaughter system in which the animal is suspended by its’ hind limbs throughout the slaughter process.
Vitamin B12
The compound cyanocobalamin that can be supplied only from animal products and is important in the prevention of anemia.
Water Holding Capacity
The ability of meat to retain its water during application of external forces such as cutting, heating grinding or pressing.
Wax Picking
A process during poultry slaughter in which the bird is dipped in a wax substance (120F melting point) then chilled and wax is pulled from the birds with feathers, pinfeathers and scale encased in it, producing an attractively dressed product.
Weasand
The German term for the esophagus, the tube leading from the throat to the stomach. Can be used as a sausage casing.
Well Done
Meat cooked to an internal temperature of 170F (75C).
Whey Proteins
Proteins that are extracted from milk during cheese making. The are beta-lactoglobulin and alpha-lactalbumins.
Whole Milk
Fluid milk that has not been modified in composition.
Wholesale Cut
Portion of the carcass that has been subdivided sections (rib, loin, shoulder, round, etc) that can be sold or further subdivided into sub primal cuts.
Yearling Tom/Hen Turkey
A fully mature male or female turkey (usually under 15 months of age) that is reasonably tender-meat and with somewhat smooth textured skin.
Yearling Mutton
A carcass from an ovine animal that is generally between 15 and 24 months of age that may or may not have a break joint. Other factor such as rib maturity and lean texture and color will be used to make the determination.
Yield Grades
A numerical representation of the approximate amount of the lean meat present in a carcass.
Young Tom/Hen Turkey
A young male of female turkey (usually 5-7 months of age) that is tender-meat with soft pliable, smooth textured skin.
