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Fundamentals of Meat Science

Factors Affecting Meat Eating Quality & Meat Quality Analysis



Date:
29th and 30th of April

Time: 09:30 AM – 4:30 PM

Venue: Teagasc Food Research Centre, Ashtown, Dublin 15

Course fee: €650 per participant (€430 for those eligible for funding by Rural Food Skillnet)


Registration: Places are limited. Register your interest today.

Why Attend?

This two-day course is designed for those involved in the red meat sector who wish to deepen their understanding of meat science and the laboratory methods associated with meat quality measurement.

Teagasc’s meat research activities, long-standing links with the meat sector, dedicated facilities including a pilot-scale abattoir, meat processing plant, analytical and meat quality laboratories, sensory science suite and highly regarded food industry training programmes at Ashtown have built a technical and practical foundation that serves small producers and large processors alike.

Participants will learn from Teagasc specialist expertise in meat science, meat carcass assessment and the use of traditional and novel meat quality measurements. This will be complemented by input from recently retired Assistant Director of Research at Teagasc and current Secretary of the International Congress of Meat Science and Technology and President of the Institute of Food Science & Technology, Ireland, Declan Troy who brings over 40 years of meat science research knowledge to this event.

Who should attend?

This course is beneficial to anyone in the meat sector who wish to add to their meat science and meat quality assessment. Attendees with a basic background in animal science, food science or meat processing will gain a lot from the practical demonstrations but the course content is structured to be useful for a broad technical and managerial audience including:

  • Abattoir managers/supervisors
  • Meat plant production managers and supervisors
  • Quality, laboratory and technical staff
  • Meat scientists, food technologists and R&D staff
  • Regulatory officials

What will I learn if I attend?

The highly interactive course will be delivered through a mix of presentations and practical laboratory demonstrations using the full range of analytical laboratories and meat processing facilities available in Teagasc.

Topics coved include:

  • Main principles of meat science, with a focus on red meat
  • Meat composition, muscle structure and function
  • The conversion of muscle to meat and associated post-mortem biochemistry.
  • The contribution of relevant pre-and post-slaughter factors to fresh meat quality
  • Overview of the main features of key methods used in meat quality characterisation
  • The relevance of meat quality to grading systems around the world
  • Meat quality measures such as colour, texture and sensory science
  • Assessment of physico-chemical parameters associated with meat quality such as post-mortem pH and water-holding capacity
  • The demonstration of SDS-PAGE and spectroscopy

Skillnet Ireland Eligibility

Skillnet Ireland funding IS available to private businesses including Sole traders based in the Republic of Ireland. Skillnet Ireland funding is NOT available to individuals or employees of public sector bodies or organisations that are publicly funded such as community-based not-for-profit companies or charities.

Data Protection and Data Processing

Skillnet Ireland and the Learning Network will comply with all applicable Data Protection Legislation in the processing of the information and personal data provided by you in this Form. To find out more about your rights, and how your data is processed, please see the Trainee Data Privacy Notice:

Your privacy is of paramount importance to Teagasc, the Agriculture and Food Development Authority. Click below to view  Teagasc Data Protection Policies