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Each family has its own tradition for preparing and consuming meats: some are inspired by foreign influences, while others follow a more original approach. Taste aside, there are techniques that, according to science, ensure cuts are more nutritious.
That’s because how meat is prepared goes beyond flavor: it alters the structure of proteins, water retention and the body’s ability to absorb amino acids. A comprehensive review on beef production and processing factors shows that post-slaughter steps, including cooking, influence the nutritional and technological attributes of the product. Read on.
The tricks of thermal processing in the kitchen
According to a literature review published in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), three major blocks of factors are essential to understand the final quality of meat. The first groups the “on-farm” factors, which include genetics and breed, the animal’s age and sex, type of feed, management and animal welfare. The second encompasses the influence of pre-slaughter on the conversion of muscle into meat, defining attributes such as final pH, water retention, color and tenderness during chilling. The third block concerns processing factors related to texture, digestibility and amino acid availability, a stage in which thermal preparation plays a decisive role.
It is at this stage that cooking gains nutritional relevance. Longer processes and those carried out at very high temperatures intensify protein denaturation, which can reduce the nutritional quality of the food. Conversely, moderate temperatures tend to better preserve protein structure, favor water retention in the meat and, consequently, the absorption of amino acids by the body. Understanding these chemical processes can make a difference in nutritional replenishment, especially for athletes seeking to optimize performance and recovery.
Methods to prepare meat without losing nutrients
Cooking techniques based on precise control of time and temperature can be effective in maintaining the nutritional properties of foods. One example is sous-vide, a French culinary technique meaning “under vacuum,” in which foods are sealed in plastic bags and cooked slowly in a water bath with precisely controlled temperature.
Low-temperature cooking has been widely studied in the scientific literature. Reviews published in indexed journals, including studies compiled by the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and critical analyses available on platforms such as Nature and MDPI, indicate that cooking meats at moderate temperatures can favor moisture retention, tenderness and, in certain experimental contexts, protein digestibility. Comparative trials show, for example, that cooking protocols around 55ºC for short periods result in less protein denaturation and lower water losses compared with prolonged treatments at high temperatures, such as 90°C for more than 30 minutes, provided time and temperature are adjusted to the cut type and thickness.
To achieve greater predictability in preparation, the use of a kitchen thermometer is an ally, as it allows monitoring temperature more precisely during cooking, as do electric ovens equipped with a digital thermostat, which tend to offer greater thermal stability than gas models, although using timers remains a good tool to prevent meat from staying on the heat longer than necessary.
However, it is important to point out that just as excessive exposure time to heat can be harmful, insufficient exposure time can also compromise the nutritional integrity of the food and impair its sensory quality, especially with regard to biological control, as this article shows.
Initial searing, in turn, is not a problem from a nutritional standpoint, provided it is done quickly and followed by finishing at moderate temperature, whether on low heat or in the oven, contributing to the preservation of intramuscular juices that concentrate nutrients and flavor. In addition, it is one of the techniques for that chef-worthy barbecue!
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