It is not difficult to check the quality of meat before buying. Organoleptic properties (color, texture and smell) are assessed without special devices, but other criteria are needed to study semi-finished products.
How to test the quality of meat empirically
Quality meat can be recognized by one glance: the surface is even, with a slight sheen, the colors are rich and bright. The smell is pleasant, the consistency is elastic. However, the attractiveness of the outer layer does not always guarantee the freshness of the entire meat section. In this case, a test cooking helps out.
If the meat is fresh, then the broth is of high quality. Appetizing aroma, large greasy sparkles on a transparent surface are reliable indicators of a good-quality dish. A cloudy slurry with small fatty particles and a nasty smell is obtained only from old, stale pieces.
If cooking is not available for some reason, a simple cutting of a meat piece with a heated knife can also be used for an express method. The main criterion here will be smell.
Checking meat for freshness in semi-finished products
The meat sold in stores is presented in a rich assortment. By the type of processing, it can be frozen, chilled or cooled. The most popular varieties are beef, lamb and pork.
Meat is considered chilled if its temperature is between 0 and 4 ° C. The cooled meat is simply kept at room temperature. Their quality signs are similar.
Well cooled meat is covered with a thin pinkish or reddish crust. The color of the cut depends on the variety: veal will be whitish pink, pork will be pinkish red, beef will be bright red, and lamb will be brownish. The juice is necessarily clear, the joints are white, the bone marrow is yellow. The consistency of the meat is dense, without smearing or crumbling, the bone marrow fills the entire tubular space, the tendons are elastic. Any uncharacteristic pigmentation or abnormalities in consistency are signs of deterioration. A damp or slimy surface indicates a proliferation of bacteria. Unfortunately, a full-fledged test of meat for trichinosis outside the laboratory is impossible, therefore the best prevention of infection will be that the seller has the necessary veterinary certificates.
Frozen meat has a subzero temperature of no more than -6oC. It will be possible to evaluate the freshness of such a semi-finished product only after thawing, although the quality of the freezing is immediately visible. If a piece of meat is absolutely hard, and a clear sound is heard when it is tapped or tapped, this indicates compliance with technological standards. At the same time, the surface color is red with a slight grayish tint due to ice crystals, but even with a simple application of a finger it becomes bright. Secondary frozen meat has a darker color that does not change when heated.
