A reconstituted meat, meat slurry, or emulsified meat is a liquefied
meat
Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...
product that contains fewer fats, pigments and less
myoglobin
Myoglobin (symbol Mb or MB) is an iron- and oxygen-binding protein found in the cardiac and skeletal muscle, skeletal Muscle, muscle tissue of vertebrates in general and in almost all mammals. Myoglobin is distantly related to hemoglobin. Compar ...
than unprocessed
dark meats. Meat
slurry is more malleable than dark meats and eases the process of meat distribution as
pipelines may be used.
Meat slurry is not designed to sell for general consumption; rather, it is used as a meat supplement in food products for humans, such as
chicken nuggets, and food for domestic animals.
Poultry
Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of harvesting animal products such as meat, Eggs as food, eggs or feathers. The practice of animal husbandry, raising poultry is known as poultry farming. These birds are most typ ...
is a common meat slurry.
Beef and
pork
Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE.
Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...
are also used.
Properties and production
The characteristics of dark meat from poultry; such as its color, low plasticity, and high fat content; are caused by
myoglobin
Myoglobin (symbol Mb or MB) is an iron- and oxygen-binding protein found in the cardiac and skeletal muscle, skeletal Muscle, muscle tissue of vertebrates in general and in almost all mammals. Myoglobin is distantly related to hemoglobin. Compar ...
, a pigmented chemical compound found in muscle tissue that undergoes frequent use. Because domestic
poultry
Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of harvesting animal products such as meat, Eggs as food, eggs or feathers. The practice of animal husbandry, raising poultry is known as poultry farming. These birds are most typ ...
rarely fly, the flight muscles in the breast contain little myoglobin and appear white. Dark meat which is high in myoglobin is less useful in industry, especially
fast food
Fast food is a type of Mass production, mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. ''Fast food'' is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheat ...
, because it is difficult to mold into shapes. Processing dark meat into a slurry makes it more like white meat, easier to prepare.
The meat is first finely ground and mixed with water. The mixture is then used in a
centrifuge or with an
emulsifier
An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible (unmixable or unblendable) owing to liquid-liquid phase separation. Emulsions are part of a more general class of two-phase systems of matter called colloids. Althou ...
to separate the fats and myoglobin from the muscle. The product is then allowed to settle into three layers: meat, excess water, and fat. The remaining liquefied meat is then
flash-frozen and packaged.
See also
*
Meat emulsion
*
Mechanically separated meat
*
Offal
*
Pink slime
*
Surimi
References
{{Reflist
External links
UGA scientist takes dark out of chicken meatBBC News: Junk Food to be Banned in Schools
Meat
Fast food
Meat industry