Wright. — Chemistry of Flesh Foods. 



571 



Ash. — The percentage of ash or mineral salts varied from 0-89 per cent, 

 in the leg cut of the lamb to 049 per cent, in the loin cut of the same carcase. 

 The ash is chiefly composed of the chlorides and phosphates of potash, soda, 

 lime, and magnesia, which contribute largely towards the structure of the 

 bone and other tissues. They also aid the digestive functions, and increase 

 the palatability of the cooked meats. There is no evident relation between 

 market prices and the palatability of the different cuts as indicated by the 

 amounts of mineral salts, the cheaper cuts showing as much ash as the 

 more expensive. 



Fat. — This varies from 48-38 per cent, in the lamb loin cut to 22-60 per 

 cent, in the mutton leg cut. As indicated above, it is noted that in general 

 the higher the fat the lower will be found the moisture-content. The 

 amounts of fat bear no relation to the market price of the meats. 



Protein. — Protein is the most important food constituent of meat, and 

 varies in the cuts from 16-75 per cent, in the lamb leg to 9-56 per cent, in 

 the lamb loin. The market prices charged for the cuts are not in proportion 

 to the protein-contents. 



Meat Bases. — These, while possessing but slight food-value, are of im- 

 portance because of their influence on the palatability of the meat. They 

 aid in giving cooked meat its flavour, and serve in part as stimuli to the 

 digestive glands. No relation between the market price and the amount 

 of meat bases seems to exist ; indeed, one of the highest-priced joints, the 

 lamb loin, contains 0-52 per cent., while the lowest-priced meat, the neck 

 and breast of mutton, contains the same amount. 



The results of the chemical analyses of the bone, less meat of the various 

 retail cuts, are shown in Table III. 



Table III.- — Chemical Composition of the Boneless Meat of the Retail Cuts. 



Moisture 



Ash 



Fat 



Total nitrogen 



Cold-water extract — ■ 



Total solids 



Ash . . 



Organic extractives 



Nitrogen 



Coagulable proteids 



Non-coaguiable proteids 



Total soluble proteids 



Meat bases 

 Insoluble protein . . 

 Total protein 

 Crude protein 



Mutton. 



Lamb. 



Leg. 



Loin. 



Shoulder. 



Xtck and 



Breast. 



Leg. 



Loin. 



Fore 

 Quarter. 



Per 



Cent. 

 49-08 



0-87 

 22-60 



2-956 



4-75 



0-75 



400 



0-596 



1-72 



0-18 



1-90 



0-92 



14-74 



16-64 



18-48 



Per 

 Cent. 



46-64 

 0-67 



37-48 

 2-394; 



3-49 



0-52 



2-97 



0-430 



1-31 



0-12 



1-43 



0-62 



12-24 



13-67 



14-94 



Per 



Cent. 

 55-94 



0-76 

 27-66 



2-495 



3-65 



0-56 



3-09 



0-485 



1-36 



0-23 



1-59 



0-72 



12-55 



14-14 



15-56 



Per 

 Cent. 

 43-35 



0-55 

 42-56 



2-112 



3-06 



0-44 



2-62 



0-375 



1-18 



0-11 



1-29 



0-52 



10-79 



12-08 



1318 



Per 



Cent. 

 57-92 



0-89 

 24-08 



2-742 



4-39 



0-71 



3-68 



0-566 



1-66 



0-22 



1-88 



0-78 



14-87 



16-75 



1711 



Per 

 Cent. 

 40-12 



0-49 

 48-38 



1-688 



2-47 

 0-43 

 204 

 0-311 

 0-86 

 011 

 0-97 

 0-52 

 8-59 

 9-56 

 10-56 



Per 



Cent. 



44-42 



0-64 



40-54 



2-283 



3-31 



0-51 



2-80 



0-421 



1-21 



0-16 



1-37 



0-63 



11-62 



12-99 



14-27 



• Conclusion. 



While some of the cuts are less tender and are therefore more difficult 



to prepare for use than others, yet the constituents (mineral salts and meat 



bases) which give flavour to cooked meats show little difference in the 



various cuts, and since the digestibility of the protein is independent of 



