Sometimes abbreviated WHC, this is a measurement of how much moisture, inherent or otherwise, that the meat in question can retain at a given moment. There is a direct correlation between this measurement and the a meat’s juiciness and tenderness.

Despite its relative importance, there is not a single, standardized way to measure WHC. That is not to say that there is no way of measuring WHC but that there are a bunch of ways that people could use; those methods have not been standardized. According to Barbut’s 2024 study, “Factors affecting the water holding capacity of red meat products: a review of recent research advances”, there are a variety of factors that can affect meat WHC, both pre and post slaughter. This can include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Cooking method
• Method of stunning
• Potential fasting on the part of the animal
• Rate of chilling or rate of heating
• Chemical additives and pH
• Ageing and more

There are a lot of studies on meat WHC. A lot of them, though, examine the concept as it relates to a specific subcategory of meat. For example, according to this study from 2022, the type of chicken to have the highest WHC is meat from the Korat chicken. In part due to the variety of factors that can affect WHC and variety of methods for measuring WHC, I imagine that it is difficult to make a comparison among WHC values for meats as a category.

Aside from culinary concerns, WHC can also affect the size and type of meat absorbent that is required when packaging and shipping meat. If you don’t know what a meat absorbent pad is, aka a meat diaper, it is that pad that is place beneath a cut of meat in a package.

Barbut, Shai. “Measuring water holding capacity in poultry meat.” Poultry

science vol. 103,5 (2024): 103577. doi:10.1016/j.psj.2024.103577

Katemala, Sasikan, et al. “A comparative study of meat quality and vibrational

spectroscopic properties of different chicken breeds.” Poultry Science 101.6

(2022): 101829.