using heat to dismantle the collagen fibers.
For the muscles of land animals, it takes a
temperature of around 140ºF/60ºC to agitate
the muscle molecules enough to break the
weak bonds of the triple helix. The orderly
structure of the collagen fibers then collapses
and the fibers shrink, thus squeezing juices
from the muscle fibers. Some of the juices
bathe the fibers, and single gelatin molecules
or small aggregates may disperse into the
juice. The higher the meat temperature goes,
the more gelatin becomes dispersed. However,
many of the collagen fibers remain intact
thanks to the strong cross-linking bonds. The
older the animal and the more work its
muscles do, the more strongly cross-linked its
collagen fibers are.
Extracting Gelatin
and Flavor from Meats
The muscles that make up meat are mainly