Meats Composition, structures and basic quality factors Composition Muscle tissue consists of three major components: water, protein, and fat Water Water is about 75 percent of muscle tissue. With such a high percentage of water, you can see why shrinkage can be a big problem in cooking meat. Too much moisture loss means dry meat, loss of weight, and loss of profit. Proteins Protein is an important nutrient and the most abundant solid material in meat. About 20 percent of muscle tissue is protein. As we learned in Chapter 4, protein coagulates when it is heated. This means it becomes firmer and loses moisture. Coagulation is related to doneness. When protein has coagulated to the desired degree, the meat is said to be “done.” Doneness is discussed later in this chapter. After protein has coagulated, applying higher heat toughens i Fat Fat accounts for up to 5 percent of muscle tissue. Of course, more fat may surround the muscles. A beef carcass can b