meat, the flesh or other edible parts of animals (usually domesticated cattle, swine, and sheep) used for food, including not only the muscles and fat but also the tendons and ligaments.
Meat is valued as a complete protein food containing all the amino acids necessary for the human body. The fat of meat, which varies widely with the species, quality, and cut, is a valuable source of energy and also influences the flavour, juiciness, and tenderness of the lean. Parts such as livers, kidneys, hearts, and other portions are excellent sources of vitamins and of essential minerals, easily assimilated by the human system.
Meat digests somewhat slowly, but 95 percent of meat protein and 96 percent of the fat are digested. Fats tend to retard the digestion of other foods; thus, meat with a reasonable proportion of fat remains longer in the stomach, delaying hunger and giving “staying power.” Extractives in meat cause a flow of saliva and gastric juices, creating the desire to eat and ensuring ease of digestion.
The most widely consumed meat is beef, the flesh of mature cattle that normally weigh from 450 to 540 kg (1,000 to 1,200 pounds) and yield between 55 and 60 percent of their weight in meat. Veal, the flesh of calves of cattle, is much less fatty than beef.
The pig is the world’s second largest provider of meat. When taken to slaughter, pigs generally weigh between 90 and 135 kg (200 and 300 pounds) and provide about 70 to 74 percent of that weight in meat.
Meat from lambs and sheep is produced on a much smaller scale than either beef or pork (less than one-tenth of that provided by cattle, for example). They ordinarily weigh between 45 and 70 kg (100 and 150 pounds), although the most select lambs may weigh no more than 14 to 18 kg (30 to 40 pounds) and yield about 48 to 50 percent of their weight in meat.
The meat-products industry, though called meat packing, includes the slaughtering of animals. The steps in this process generally include stunning, bleeding, eviscerating, and skinning. Carcasses are then inspected and graded according to government-set standards of quality.
The usual methods of preserving meat from bacteria and decay are refrigerating, freezing, curing, freeze-drying, and canning.
Meats are marketed as fresh or processed goods or become ingredients of various meat products, including many types of sausages and luncheon meats. They also yield a number of important by-products.