It’s no coincidence that ostrich meat is red, which has something to do with their muscle type.
Up to 2.7 meters tall and possessing long legs, a large body and eyes as big as a child’s fist – these are the distinguishing features of an adult ostrich. They are the largest bird on the planet and can even kill a lion with a single kick.
Ostriches have one difference from their bird cousins that they can’t fly. However, that cannot make it difficult for ostriches to run away from predators because they can sprint at speeds up to 70km/h and run long distances at about 50km/h. That’s why the ostrich is known as the fastest bipedal animal in the world.
Adult ostriches can grow up to 2.7m tall.
Their speed becomes even more impressive considering that they weigh over 180kg. Although unable to fly, the ostrich’s wings are not useless. They help the ostrich keep balance while running and act as rudders to be able to change direction quickly at the fastest speed. In addition, male ostriches use large wings to attract mates during the breeding season.
According to How Stuff Works, ostriches live mainly in desolate deserts, so they are often very flexible in their diet. They can eat almost anything: plants, lizards, nuts, grasshoppers, and gravel (because gravel makes it easier for them to crush food during digestion).
For farm-raised ostriches, their easy-going nature makes them a relatively high-return investment. They grow fast, consume less feed, and breed more often than some other livestock. In the United States, ostrich meat is considered a high-value specialty that is loved by many people.
In the United States, ostrich meat is considered a high-value specialty that is loved by many people.
Why is ostrich meat special? The first thing to mention is that although ostriches are poultry, their meat is red, not white like most other birds . Furthermore, this red meat of ostrich, although quite similar in color and taste, contains less fat, calories and cholesterol than beef and even other white poultry such as chicken and chicken. Turkey.
In fact, there is a close relationship between muscle type and color types of animal meat. “Red meat” is meat that is red before cooking, such as beef, venison, and ostrich. “White meat” is usually very pale in color before cooking and includes chicken and pork. “Black meat” is often associated with darker and higher fat meat in white meat animals (such as chicken wings and thighs). Rabbit meat is also considered “black meat”.
The main factor that determines whether animal meat is white or red meat is whether their muscles are fast-twitch or slow-twitch. Slow-twitch muscles are often used during prolonged activities such as walking, standing, or flying. It contains a lot of myoglobin – a protein that stores a large amount of oxygen to support long-term activities. Like cows, ostriches spend most of their time standing and walking. Even their wings operate relatively frequently, acting as “rudders”. Ostrich muscles are mainly slow-twitch muscles, so their flesh is red.
Chickens and turkeys don’t use muscles as much as ostriches.
On the other hand, chickens and turkeys don’t use muscles as much as ostriches. Most of their muscle mass is the fast-twitch muscle used for activities like jumping. Rapid muscle contraction does not contain much myoglobin, but mainly uses pale glycogen. So animals with fast-twitch muscles have pale white flesh.
Even so, an interesting exception is “black meat” in poultry . Parts of the body that work a lot like the legs (due to the frequent movement of chickens) contain more myoglobin than their breasts. Therefore, the meat in chicken legs is classified as black meat, not white meat like other parts.
In fact, they don’t really hide their heads in the sand when in danger and this is just a misunderstanding that makes ostriches suffer injustice! With a relatively fast running speed, they can escape from predators instead of just standing still. In the event that they cannot escape, they will close their necks to the ground and curl up in a mass to take advantage of their dark fur color to disguise themselves as rocks or bushes.