Submitted by BertyBert1 t3_10a9gfo in todayilearned
CapedBaldyman t1_j44qve1 wrote
Reply to comment by stevenmoreso in TIL Duck is considered a red meat by culinary standards. by BertyBert1
let's talk about muscles. this will be a vastly oversimplification but muscles are either "red" or "white" and that has to do with how much myoglobin (oxygen carrying molecule stored in muscles) they have. Red muscles are great for low impact but high endurance use - think marathoning at a steady pace whereas white muscle are fast twitch, very explosive, but piss poor endurance. A perfect example of this is a crocodile. If you look at a picture of a croc you'll generally see some big bulbous muscles at the base of the lower jaw - these are HUGE white muscles that bring the top of the croc's jaw crashing down with tremendous force and speed. HOWEVER, the strength of the bite reduces dramatically dropping as much as 50% within the 1st few seconds. If you compare it to the muscles that hold a croc's top jaw up, they are these two tiny muscle bands that can stay open for a very long time and that's because they're almost purple they're so oxygenated.
This is why the other folks are talking about oxygen for turkeys and chickens.
hitheringthithering t1_j45dlys wrote
Came for the recipe discussion, stayed for the crocodile muscle explanation.
stevenmoreso t1_j44vepm wrote
Very enlightening, thank you!
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