Electric shock
used on steak
BELTSVILLE, Md. - Beef
carcasses that have been
given a shock treatment
produce more tender meat
than traditionally chilled
carcasses, says Dr. H.
Russell Cross, of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s
Science and Education
Administration.
Meat that has been
electrically shocked can also
be removed from the car
cass in less than four hours,
versus 16 to 24 hours for
carcasses that are chilled in
the traditional manner. This
can mean huge savings in
labor, chilling costs, and
storage space, and fresher
meat for consumers. Meat
that has received a shock
treatment also has a
brighter, more uniform
color, says Cross, a research
food technologist with SEA’s
Meat Science Research
Laboratory here.
At the Beltsville
Agricultural Research
Center in Maryland, Cross
applies the shock treatment
to carcasses by passing
electricity between probes in
each end of the carcass. A
two to three minute shock
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applied shortly after
slaughter accelerates the on
set of muscle stiffening and
prevents the excessive
shortening of muscle fibers
that results in tougher meat.
However, if cattle are
frightened or stressed in
some other way before
slaughter, electric shock has
no effect on meat ten
derness.
Water Weight
About 59 per cent of a
child’s body weight is water
and an adult’s can range
between 45 and 69 per cent
depending on the age of the
person Water is inside and
outside every cell in the
body The blood that carries
nutrients and waste products
away from those cells is
composed largely of water
Every food contains some
water Tomatoes, for exam
ple, are 93 per cent water
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 16,1971
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