muscle fibers, which become tougher with
cooking, the connective tissue becomes softer.
An animal starts out life with a large amount
of collagen that’s easily dissolved into
gelatin. As it grows and its muscles work, its
total collagen supply declines, but the
filaments that remain are more highly
crosslinked and less soluble in hot water. This
is why cooked veal seems gelatinous and
tender, mature beef less gelatinous and
tougher.
Fat Tissue Fat tissue is a special form of
connective tissue, one in which some of the
cells take on the role of storing energy.
Animals form fat tissue in three different
parts of the body: just under the skin, where it
can provide insulation as well as energy; in
well-defined deposits in the body cavity, often
around the kidneys, intestine, and heart; and
in the connective tissue separating muscles
and the bundles within muscles. The term