Meat and Fat Colour

Chiller Assessment was developed to enable AUS-MEAT accredited Enterprises to assess, grade or class carcases using a uniform set of standards under controlled conditions.

The scheme provides a means of describing meat characteristics and of classifying product prior to packaging. These characteristics include the colour of meat and fat, the amount of marbling, eye muscle area, the rib fat and the maturity of the carcase.

Assessments are made by qualified assessors and results are allocated to the carcase and provide a means of (carcase) selection according to individual contract specifications.

The AUS-MEAT Chiller Assessment Language is only available to AUS-MEAT accredited Enterprises, their clients and suppliers.

BEEF and VEAL – MEAT COLOUR
Meat Colour is the predominant colour of the rib eye muscle (M. longissimus dorsi). Meat colour (Beef and/or Veal) is assessed on the chilled carcase at the bloomed rib eye muscle area (M. longissimus dorsi) and is scored against the AUS-MEAT colour reference standards.

BEEF MEAT COLOUR
Colours displayed show the darkest colour of each grading and it is a guide only, not a true representation.

VEAL MEAT COLOUR
Colours displayed show the darkest colour of each grading and it is a guide only, not a true representation.

FAT COLOUR
Fat colour is the intermuscular fat lateral to the rib eye muscle. It is assessed on the chilled carcase and scored against the AUS-MEAT fat colour reference standards. Fat colour is assessed by comparing the intermuscular fat colour lateral to the M. longissimus dorsi and adjacent to the M. iliocostalis and is scored against the AUS-MEAT Fat Colour reference standards.

0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
									Colour darker than the 8 chip

Colours displayed show the darkest colour of each grading and it is a guide only, not a true representation.