When I pick up a packaged meat product at the store, like bacon or sandwich meats or ham steaks, I often see the label says 85% protein or something similar. Are not meat products all protein?
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Proteins are the functional components of cells used to carry out tasks, so protein content is directly proportional to the ratio of cells to extracellular matrix, fatty tissue, and tissue cellularity. Some tissues just have comparatively less cells by mass, and the cells themselves contribute various biomolecules like cholesterol, carbohydrates, etc when broken down as food.
Because muscle tissue isn’t made purely out of protein.
It’s like asking “why aren’t houses 100% brick”. They aren’t because there’s also mortar, steel, wood, glass, plastic.
Animal tissue also contains fat, vitamins, minerals, water, etc.
No. Muscle cells have more dietary protein than other cells, but there’s still a lot of other things in there. Things like vitamins, water, fat, salt, etc.
>I often see the label says 85% protein or something similar.
No, you don’t. 85% protein is insanely high. Chicken breast is one of the most high-protein meats out there and it clocks in at about 30% protein by weight. Meat products that have undergone some dehydration can be higher than that, like 37% for bacon or upwards of 40% for some jerkies, but nowhere near 85%.
Meat is organic tissue so it consist of cells, and cells are mostly water. So water is always going to be the main component of any cut of meat. To get to values like 85% you’d have to take out most of that water and purify the protein. What you’d end up with is protein powder which, of course, you can’t even really consume without adding water back in.
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