Certificate in Meat Science

The Department of Animal Science began offering a Certificate in Meat Science for undergraduates in the Spring, 2005.

Graduate Certificate in Meat Science

The Department of Animal Science began offering a Graduate Certificate in Meat Science for graduate students in the Fall, 2006.

Graduate Certificate in Food Safety

The Department of Animal Science began offering a Graduate Certificate in Food Safety for graduate students in the Fall, 2010.

Undergraduate Courses

ANSC 307: Meats*
Integrated studies of the meat animal processing sequence regarding the production of meat-type animals and the science and technology of their conversion to human food. Taught by Savell. Honors section taught yearly in the spring semester.

ANSC 317: Meat Selection, Evaluation and Grading
Selection and grading of carcasses and wholesale cuts of beef, pork and lamb. Principles of evaluation included in carcass contests and progeny testing. Taught by graduate lecturer and coach of meat judging team.

ANSC 337: Meat Merchandising
Steps of meat processing and merchandising of retail and foodservice; merchandising practices such as selection, identification, fabrication, pricing, packaging and distribution. Prerequisites: ANSC 307; junior or senior classification. Taught by Riley.

ANSC 437: Marketing and Grading of Livestock and Meat
Study of USDA livestock and carcass grades; understanding current market trends for beef, pork, lamb and goat; review of branded and certified programs; principles applied in contracting, breakeven determination, hedging, and grid or formula pricing. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification.

ANSC 447: Advanced Meat Science and Technology
Advanced basic and applied studies of meat science and/or technology utilizing the underlying physiological and structural components for conversion to human food; understanding the influence of pre- and post-harvest factors on meat quality, composition, color, packaging, sensory and preparation factors; applying scientific and business principles to manufacturing and process flow of commercial meat food products and demonstrating knowledge of these principles through development of meat products. Prerequisites: ANSC 307; CHEM 222 or approval of instructor; junior or senior classification. Taught by Miller and Kerth.

ANSC 457: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System*
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles specifically related to meat and poultry; microbiological and process overviews; good manufacturing practices and standard operating procedures development. Team taught by Harris and Savell.

UGST 181: First Year Seminar: Texas Barbecue
Survey, demonstration, and participation class celebrating the rich heritage of Texas Barbecue; preparation techniques include types of meats, seasonings, and cooking methods with emphasis on food safety, costs, and availability; regional (e.g., Carolinas, Kansas City, Memphis, Cajun) and international (e.g., Brazilian, Argentine, Cuban, Asian) methods to be explored and compared. Prerequisites: First-year student. Team taught by Savell and Riley

Graduate Courses

ANSC 607: Physiology and Biochemistry of Muscle as a Food* **
Biochemical, histological, anatomical and physical factors associated with transformation of muscle into meat. Taught by Smith.

ANSC 617: Experimental Techniques in Meat Science**
Methods used in separating and identifying muscle proteins and fats; techniques for determining postmortem changes of muscle tissue as a result of antemortem treatments. Taught by Smith.

ANSC 618: Lipids and Lipid Metabolism**
Chemical nature of various classes of lipids and lipid-derived hormones; absorption and metabolism of fatty-acids and lipids; regulation of lipid biosynthesis and obesity; relationship between lipid metabolism and cholesterol homeostasis; lipids as hormones. Taught by Smith.

ANSC 627: Carcass Composition and Quality
Survey of scientific literature regarding carcass composition; quality and palatability of meat animals; factors that affect differences among animals of the same specie; the impact on value and usefulness. Taught by Savell. Syllabus for Summer 2010.

ANSC 637: Food Safety: Policy, Regulations and Issues
Designed to explore the complexities of the regulations governing the production of foods of animal origin in the United States; requirements for countries importing products into the United States; federal, state and local requirement will be addressed. Prerequisites: ANSC/FSTC 457/657 or instructor approval. Taught by Harris

ANSC 647: Technology of Meat Processing and Distribution*
Quantitative and qualitative characteristics of meat and meat products as related to food technology processing operations; manufacturing, preservation, packaging and merchandising. Taught by Miller.

ANSC 657: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System*
Examination of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles specifically related to meat and poultry; microbiological and process overviews; good manufacturing practices (GMP) and standard operating procedures (SOP) development; team-building and implementation into industry operations. This class is designed for the production of food and fulfills the training requirements of USDA's HACCP regulation for meat and poultry (9 CFR Part 417), and FDA's HACCP regulations for fish and fishery products (21 CFR Part 123 and 1240) and for juice (21 CFR Part 120). Taught by Harris.

ANSC 667: Industrial Processed Meat Operations
Application of scientific principles and business practices to manufactured meat products; interrelationships among marketing, manufacturing, product development, regulatory compliance and quality assurance in commercial processed meat operations. Taught by Osburn.

ANSC 677: Instrumental Methods and Food Analysis: Theory and Practice*
Advanced course in chemistry/analytical instrumentation theory and practice for non-chemistry majors; understand the operational principles of current instrumentation; "hands-on" experience with a variety of sample preparation techniques and modern laboratory instruments. Prerequisites: CHEM 316/318 or approval of instructor.

ANSC 687: Sensory Evaluation of Foods*
Application of sensory science principles and practices to food systems including an understanding of discriminative, descriptive and consumer sensory techniques. Prequisite: CHEM 222 or 228.

ANSC 697: Applied Microbiology for Foods of Animal Origin: Processing, Sanitation & Sanitary Design*
Application of basic food microbiology knowledge and principles to food production processes and products: sources of microbiological contamination and their impact on food safety and spoilage; application of sanitary design and validation; testing and auditing to monitor and trouble-shoot the process. Prerequisites: DASC/FSTC 326 or FSTC 606 or equivalent.

 * Cross-listed with Food Science and Technology.

** Cross-listed with Nutrition.

Other Information

Meat Science Overview. This is a PDF PDF icon that covers our section.

Rosenthal Lecture Series. Held each fall on campus.

Zerle L. Carpenter Outstanding Graduate Student Award. Presented each fall.

Dr. Gary C. Smith Scholarship Fund. Scholarships presented each spring.


Meat Science at Texas A&M University

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