This third edition has been extensively revised with new and updated
information. In addition, two new chapters have been added: Chapter 12,
"Herbs, Spices, and Condiments" covering their uses in processed meat
and poultry products, and Chapter 14, "Low Fat and Reduced Fat Meat
Products," which discusses the demand for such products with emphasis on
the principles involved in production and examples of formulations. The
book, as with the two previous editions, is intended as a text for
advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students interested in
meat processing. It is also expected that it will prove useful as a
reference for industry and for governmental researchers associated with
the meat and poultry industries. A.M. Pearson T.A. Gillett xi 1
Introduction to Meat Processing Meat processing as discussed in this
text includes all processes utilized in altering fresh meat except for
simple grinding, cutting, and mixing. In the broadest sense, this
includes curing, smoking, canning, cooking, freezing, dehydration,
production of intermediate-moisture products, and the use of certain
additives such as chemicals and enzymes. This definition excludes
cutting, grinding, and packaging of fresh meat in retail stores and in
homes. In this way, the definition differentiates between (1) those
processes that enter into the preservation and manufacture of meat
products, and (2) those that alter the form of fresh meat in preparation
for consumption.
