Meat: where physiology meets flavor

Science & Food
By Mai Nguyen
Sep 23, 2015 7:00 PMNov 19, 2019 9:59 PM

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
 

A charcuterie board is the perfect accompaniment to any gathering and rivals a cheese plate as a crowd-pleaser. It’s low maintenance, delicious, and will almost certainly have a taste or texture to appeal to the pickiest of palates. Meat comes in an array of textures, fat content, and flavors, which vary species to species and even within the same animal. Flavor profiles of meat can vary wildly and subtleties between different cuts of meat can all be largely explained by chemistry.

Photo credit: willmacdonald18 (Flickr) What is meat exactly? Meat can loosely mean any type of edible tissue originating from an animal – including everything from chicken feet to cow tongue. The majority of meat we consume, however, is skeletal muscle tissue, comprising roughly 75% water, 20% protein, and 3% fat. While the function of muscle tissue—which is to generate movement—is simple, muscle tissue is a complex system of biochemical machinery. Muscle tissue consists white and red fibers, which each generate contrasting types of movement. The major differences between the two types of muscle fibers are summarized in the table below.

0 free articles left
Want More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/month

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

0 free articlesSubscribe
Discover Magazine Logo
Want more?

Keep reading for as low as $1.99!

Subscribe

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

Stay Curious

Sign up for our weekly newsletter and unlock one more article for free.

 

View our Privacy Policy


Want more?
Keep reading for as low as $1.99!


Log In or Register

Already a subscriber?
Find my Subscription

More From Discover
Stay Curious
Join
Our List

Sign up for our weekly science updates.

 
Subscribe
To The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Copyright © 2025 LabX Media Group