Physiology and chemistry of edible muscle tissues

Gale M. Strasburg, Youling L. Xiong

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

Archaeological evidence indicates that humans have consumed animal products, including meat, as sources of food for thousands of years. This fact was dramatically illustrated following the discovery by mountain hikers in 1991 of Eis Mann (iceman), the frozen remains of a man found in a glacier high in the Italian Alps [1]. Ötzi, as he affectionately came to be known by the area residents, had apparently died approximately 5100-5300 years ago. It appears that he was a hunter who may have died of arrow wounds as a result of a rivalry with another hunter or hunting group. His body was so well preserved by the glacial ice that it was possible for scientists to use recombinant DNA techniques to analyze the contents of his gastrointestinal tract in order to determine what he had eaten in his last two meals. The penultimate meal prior to his death consisted of meat from an ibex (a type of wild goat once found in the Alps) as well as cereal grains and other types of plant food. His final meal included red deer meat and possibly cereal grains.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationFennema's Food Chemistry
Pages955-1015
Number of pages61
ISBN (Electronic)9781482208139
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2017

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine
  • General Engineering
  • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Physiology and chemistry of edible muscle tissues'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this