Question

Imagine you are a first year graduate student at an institution in the US. You have decided to hold a "friendsgiving" feast the weekend before Thanksgiving, including some of your classmates and friends from other departments. One of your guests, who is studying physics, asks you what the biological differences between "dark" meat and "white" meat are. Identify three differences between dark and white meat, and explain the biological significance or implication of each in 1 sentence.

Answer 1

Difference between the dark meat and white meat.

	Dark meat	White meat
1.	The dark meat is found in the thighs, drumsticks, and the wings and containing more oxygen.	The white meat found in the breast mainly and containing less oxygen.
2.	The fuel for the muscles involved in the dark meat primarily comes from fat.	The fuel for the muscles involved in the white meat primarily comes from glycogen (a carbohydrate).
3.	The calorie content is high in the dark meat.	The calorie content is low in the white meat.

Biological significance:

1. The legs of the chicken and turkey are more active. The muscles of the leg need more energy to move. The myoglobin, a dark colored compound helps in transporting the oxygen into the muscles. The more oxygen help in making the meat iron rich.

2. The fat content in the dark meat provide the long lasting energy than the bursting response given by the glycogen in the white meat.

3. The high fat content in the dark meat than the white meat help in providing the more calories. The dark meat is also rich in iron, zinc, and vitamin B12.