ASRB NET and ARS / SMS / STO Meat Science, Abattoir Practice & Animal By-products Technology: practice questions

1 · Conversion of muscle to meat · medium

Brown discoloration of retail meat is due to oxidation of the haem iron of myoglobin to:

1. Ferric iron, forming carboxymyoglobin
2. Ferrous iron, forming oxymyoglobin
3. Ferrous iron, forming deoxymyoglobin
4. Ferric iron, forming metmyoglobin

2 · Abattoir design · medium

In abattoir effluent treatment, dissolved air flotation is used mainly to:

1. Kill pathogens before discharge
2. Remove fat and suspended solids during primary treatment
3. Convert organic matter to biogas
4. Remove nitrate by denitrification

3 · Stunning · easy

In electrical stunning, the variable that decides whether an effective stun is achieved is primarily the:

1. Colour of the electrode insulation
2. Current in amperes passing through the brain
3. Duration of the preceding lairage rest
4. Voltage alone, regardless of contact resistance

4 · Slaughter methods, including religious slaughter · hard

The main welfare argument raised against slaughter without stunning is:

1. That the meat always has a higher ultimate pH
2. The time between the neck cut and loss of consciousness, together with the restraint required
3. That bleeding is always less complete than after any stun, leaving more residual blood in the meat
4. That the knife cannot sever the carotid arteries

5 · Carcass fabrication · hard

Hot boning of beef before chilling saves refrigeration space but carries which main quality risk if not controlled?

1. Cold shortening of excised pre-rigor muscles
2. PSE development
3. Thaw rigor in all cases, even without freezing
4. Higher ultimate pH

6 · Meat packaging · medium

Freezer burn on frozen meat is caused by:

1. Sublimation of ice from the surface of poorly packaged meat
2. Oxidation of myoglobin to nitrosylmyoglobin
3. Growth of psychrotrophic moulds
4. Too rapid freezing, which forms small crystals that rupture the surface

7 · Meat products · hard

A cooked ham contains 3.0 percent salt and 60.0 percent water. What is the salt concentration in its aqueous phase (brine strength in the product)?

1. 4.76 percent
2. 5.0 percent
3. 95.2 percent
4. 3.0 percent

8 · Meat products · easy

The stable pink colour of cooked cured meat such as ham is due to:

1. Carboxymyoglobin
2. Oxymyoglobin
3. Metmyoglobin
4. Nitrosyl haemochrome

9 · Utilisation of by-products · easy

Rennet containing chymosin is traditionally extracted from the:

1. Pig stomach
2. Chicken gizzard
3. Rumen of adult cattle
4. Abomasum of milk-fed calves

10 · Wool, mohair and fur · medium

The main characteristic determining the price of apparel wool is:

1. Natural fleece colour alone
2. Mean fibre diameter
3. Grease and suint content
4. Number of kemp fibres per staple