Marbling Red Meat

The fat in lean muscle creates a marble pattern hence the name.

Marbling red meat.

The actual percentage is measured by evaluating the ribeye. Degree of marbling is the primary determination of quality grade. Cattle that are raised on grain will have more marbling than grass fed beef. Marbling intramuscular fat is the intermingling or dispersion of fat within the lean.

Marbling affects meat s juiciness tenderness texture and flavor attributes that determine eating experience. The fat makes the meat softer and easier to chew as there is simply less muscle fibre and collagen per unit volume of meat. Graders evaluate the amount and distribution of marbling in the ribeye muscle at the cut surface after the carcass has been ribbed between the 12th and 13th ribs. This is fairly intuitive since you can imagine how difficult it would be to get fat by eating grass.

Marbling is the white flecks of intramuscular fat in meat most notably red meat. The presence of marbling has an extremely positive effect on the eating quality of beef in terms of tenderness juiciness moisture and flavour. Marbling is fat so it is largely determined by the diet of the animal and to a certain degree the breed of cattle. While every country has their own grading scale which include various factors imf is a top consideration in all methods.