Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-03-05
THE MEAT WE EAT.

The Illinois state board OF health
has issued a bulletin entitled "Rela-
tive Economy. Composition and NJ
tritive Value Of the Various Cuts of
Beef" The bulletin describes the
three steers used in the experiment
at the University Of Illinois. the meth.
"a Of fattening them. how they were
'auRhtered. and finally their value 20
the housewife as beef Every cut made
by the butcher is shown and its value
as compared 70 the other cuts on the
-Ircass is explained in a scientific
manner
In the preface the authors quote Or.
Gilman Thompson on the value OF
meat as a food He says. 1T lncreas-
es the mineral salts. particularly the
phosphates, 1t both repairs the old
and forms new tissue, il improves the
condition OF the muscles. which are
made iirmer, Il has a more stimulat-
ng effect upon the system and is more
strengthening than vegetable food
which requires man TO live on his own
tissues. 1t gives rises 20 sensations
oc energy and activity. IL satisfies the
cravings Of hunger 20 a greater eX-
tent and for a longer time than vege-
table food, and occupies less space in
he stomach and is more portable than
vegetable food In addition 70 this,
IL is pointed out that man cannot be
compared with the lower animals in
an argument in favor Of vegetable
food
While everybody wants meat. few
people know how 10 buy IT, AS a re-
suit the loins and ribs forming only
about ouefourth OF the entire weight
Of the carcass represent nearly one
half OF its retail cost. Nobody wants
the rest. BY educating the public to
he value Of the other three-fourths
~ the carcass. the consumer will save
money, while the market will be more
stable The matter is one OF import.
aRce, as It has strong bearing on the
future OF beef production in this coun
try as we'll as on our foreign market
Among the many tables. which IL is
impossible 20 review here, is one
which shows the total protein in the
homeless meat OF the wholesale cuts
To quote: The term protein as used
here refers 20 the percentage OF pro
tein nitrogen multiplied by the factor
COS. AS already stated. protein Is the
essential constituent OF lean meat Il
consists largely of albumin compounds
which serve as muscle building ma
terial in the human body. Since beet
5 used chiefly for the lean meat Il
contains. the economic significance Of
the data given is readily apparent
The table shows that the percentage o.
protein is lowest In flank and highes
in fore shank. being double the for
mer in the latter. In value, the vari
Gus cuts range in the following order
Flank. plate. rib rump. loin. chuck
neck. hind shank. round, clod and for,
shank
In organic eKtractiveness. rount
and olod lead with % per cent nitro
genous, chuck is next with rs. hint
shank. rs; fore shank. "a: neck. 20
luin, so: rump. SO: rib. so: plate
as, and flank. "a. The ratio is praC
tically the same on ash and phosphor
GUS
When IL comes 20 the cost, the cheap
er cuts are shown TO be by far the mos
economical. Since meat is bough
chiefly for the protein it contains. tn,
cuts that give the most protein for n,
least money are 10 he preferred. Tn,
findings OF the eNperimenters are a.
fo-iosr.
Thu cheapest cuts for protein
are tic neck, sAanks and clod.