What term describes the result of breakdown of fatty and muscular tissues and loss of the water-holding capacity of the muscle tissues?

• A. Rigor mortis
• B. Weight loss
• C. Moisture loss
• D. Dehydration

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is that after death or during storage, fats and muscles break down and the tissue loses its ability to hold water. This combination causes a reduction in the product’s weight. Weight loss best captures the overall impact because it reflects both the breakdown of tissue mass and the loss of water content.

Rigor mortis is about the temporary stiffening of muscles, not a loss of mass. Moisture loss describes the water that escapes, but not the broader tissue breakdown that also reduces weight. Dehydration is a general term for water loss from the body or product, not specifically the result of tissue breakdown and reduced water-holding capacity in muscle.