Marbling In Meat Science

The pattern created by this marbling resembles marble like on your countertop.

Marbling in meat science.

The fat in lean muscle creates a marble pattern hence the name. Graders evaluate the amount and distribution of marbling in the ribeye muscle at the cut surface after the carcass has been ribbed between the 12th and 13th ribs. Marbling affects meat s juiciness tenderness texture and flavor attributes that determine eating experience in this case more of all the above is better. It is streaks of unsaturated healthy fats within the lean muscle fibers of a cut of meat.

In this article we will discuss what marbling is where to find it and why you want to have marbling in your meat particularly beef. Marbling is a visual meat characteristic defined as white particles visible on the cross section of the muscle albrech et al 1996 garcia et al 1968 essen gustavson et. Marbling represents a single structure rather than being isolated flecks of fat. Marbling is defined as the intermingling intramuscular fat and dispersion of fat within the lean meat von seggern calkins johnson brickler gwartney 2005.

Marbling intramuscular fat is the intermingling or dispersion of fat within the lean. A recent research article addresses the biology and biochemistry of beef marbling and its effects on production systems carcass and fat quality. Meat marbling and the imf content are strongly related. College station beef with reasonable marbling and juicy taste is preferred among consumers and industry leaders continue to monitor how to consistently produce a product with these traits.

The usda grading system rewards marbling above all else so the eight grades that a cut could receive will prize a heavily marbled cut of meat regardless of the history or flavor. Marbling puts the bling in your beef. A high quality steak will have a lot of marbling while a lean cut will have very little or no visible marbling. Marbling simply refers to the fat found within a cut of meat and between the muscle fibers themselves.

Degree of marbling is the primary determination of quality grade. The fat should be pure.