BLOOM: Refers to the process of beef changing from a dark purple (as seen in vacuum-packaged meat) to bright cherry-red color when exposed to oxygen.

CONNECTIVE TISSUE: The tissue between and within muscles that helps bind muscles together and attaches muscle to bone for support.

DRY AGED: Fresh meat cuts that have been stored without vacuum packaging for various periods of time under controlled temperatures, humidity and air flow to reduce spoilage and enhance flavor, tenderness and palatability.

FDA: The Food and Drug Administration. Monitors the use of animal drugs by the livestock industry and approves all food ingredients and additives.

FREEZER BURN: Discoloration and dehydration due to loss of moisture and oxidation (resulting from exposure to air) in freezer-stored meats.

FSIS: Food Safety and Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. Inspects livestock, carcasses and processing operations to assure meat safety, wholesomeness and accurate product labeling.

GRADE: USDA designation that indicates quality or yield of meat. See Quality Grading and Yield Grading.

HIGH QUALITY: Each grade of beef represents a level of quality. High quality indicates that the beef has characteristics that indicate maximum palatability for the consumer.

IMPS: Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications. A standardized numerical system and description of subprimal cuts that ensures a cut will be similar every time it is ordered. According to the system, all beef cuts are in the 100 series of numbers, and portion cuts in the 1100 series.

LEAKER: A vacuum-packaged product that has lost its package seal, permitting air to leak into the package. Once the seal is broken whole muscle beef must be used within 3 to 5 days and ground beef within 2 to 3 days.

MARBLING: Intramuscular fat; flecks of fat within the lean. The amount of marbling relates to quality grading greater amounts of marbling result in a higher quality grade. Marbling enhances palatability by increasing juiciness and flavor.

THE MEAT BUYERS GUIDE: A reference book published by the North American Meat Processors Association (NAMP) that presents pictorial and verbal descriptions of beef, veal, pork and lamb cuts and specifications as described by the USDA/IMPS. (The guide may be ordered by contacting the North American Meat Processors Association, 703-758-1900.)

MEAT CONSUMPTION (PER CAPITA): Statistic indicating per capita total consumption of purchased meat in pounds, typically expressed as a boneless equivalent.

MEAT INSPECTION: Required by federal law to provide assurance of wholesomeness of meat to be sold. Meat inspection assures that meat is wholesome, has been handled in a sanitary manner and is properly labeled. Inspection of meat products is conducted by the USDA/FSIS as a public service and is paid from tax funds.

MIDDLE MEATS: Cuts from the rib and loin section of the beef animal.

MYOGLOBIN: A protein in the muscle that binds oxygen in the cells. Meat color is directly impacted by this protein. For example, myoglobin plus oxygen (from air) creates oxymyoglobin, which is responsible for the bright cherry-red color in fresh meat.

NO ROLL: Any carcass that has not been officially graded by the USDA Grading Service.

PALATABILITY: The overall taste appeal (tenderness, juiciness and flavor) of the cooked lean.

PATHOGEN: Any organism capable of causing disease, such as a bacterium or fungus.

PORTION CONTROL CUTS: Items that have been cut, sliced or formed to a specified weight or thickness.

PRIMAL (OR WHOLESALE) CUTS: Basic major cuts that result from cutting carcasses and sides into smaller portions. The wholesale or primal cuts are chuck, rib, brisket/fore shank, short plate, short loin, sirloin, flank and round.

PURGE: "Purge" or "weep" are terms used to identify the purplish-red fluid found in packaged beef cuts (vacuum or others). Purge may be an indicator of temperature abuse, excessive storage time or lack of full vacuum.

QUALITY GRADING: Quality grades help predict the expected palatability of beef. The grade is based primarily on two factors: the amount of marbling in the ribeye muscle and the age of the animal, but can be adjusted for other factors such as the color of the lean. The USDA Quality Grades are: Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter and Canner. Bach grade denotes a specific level of quality that is determined by the USDA Grading Service.

RED MEAT: Beef, veal, lamb and pork.

SEAM (or INTERMUSCULAR) EAT: The fat between muscles.

SEAR: Browning the surface of meat by short application of intense heat.

SUBPRIMAL CUTS: Smaller cuts derived from primal cuts.

URMIS: Uniform Retail Meat Identity Standards. A standardized nomenclature system that provide a uniform method for labeling meat throughout the U.S. The URMIS program, developed in the early 1970s, was updated in 1995.

USDA: United States Department of Agriculture. Administers programs and services concerned with farmers and consumers. These include grading and inspection of meat and other products, and conducting research programs in animal and plant production and human nutrition.

VACUUM AGING: Aging in vacuum packaging. Also referred to as "wet aging."

VACUUM PACKAGED: Refers to the process of encasing meat cuts in bags or pouches fabricated from laminated plastic, evacuating air from the bags and sealing them for extended refrigerated storage.

WET AGING: See Vacuum Aging.

YIELD GRADING: A system of grading that estimates the percentage of boneless and closely trimmed cuts that can be obtained from the round, loin, rib and chuck/shoulder. These grades identify carcasses for differences in curability or yield and are applied by the USDA Grading Service. Yield grades are Y.G.1 (leanest) through Y.G.5 (fattest).