The Science of Animal Growth & Meat Technology

This book was developed to help provide students with an understanding of the principles of meat science and technology starting with prenatal growth of domestic animals through postnatal growth. It was prepared for students with an animal science interest and relates the science of animal production to technologies and meat quality traits that are important in the meat and animal industries. It provides the student with a unique opportunity to associate animal growth traits, production and marketing traits to carcass quality, meat tenderness, meat color and meat processing characteristics. The first chapter provides a short introduction of the history of the industry. The subsequent chapters provide principles of animal growth and development to carcass composition and meat quality traits. Other chapters provide information on the harvest process of animals, muscle structure and meat tenderness, meat quality, and meat safety and microbiology. The concluding chapters discuss meat processing and technology. The authors have used many colorful illustrations to emphasize important relationships between animal growth and carcass traits, meat quality and processing characteristics. A large percentage of the animal science students are interested in pre-veterinary medicine and many are from an urban background. This book will provide students the concepts and principles that will give them a good background for understanding information on animal agriculture presented in advanced animal science courses.