Intramuscular fat is an important quality parameter. Its content in th
e meat is usually determined by extraction (Soxhlet, Weibull-Stoidt an
d with chloroform/methanol). The results of these methods cannot be co
mpared one with another because of variations in the experimental cond
itions. In the present paper we shall consider why the term IMF (intra
muscular fat) is defined chemically as the triglyceride portion of the
muscle. The advantages and disadvantages of the extraction methods me
ntioned above are then discussed in relation to as accurate as possibl
e a determination of IMF. We shall then show by means of extraction ex
periments that none of the methods is able to give the precise IMF con
tent but that extraction by the Soxhlet method gives the most realisti
c value although it underestimates the content a little. The two other
methods however, involving the accompanying extraction of non-fat por
tions (phospholipids, free fatty acids), overestimate the IMF content
considerably. Direct extraction with n-hexane in standardised form, e.
g. in accordance with ISO 1444, is therefore recommended as a referenc
e method for the analysis of IMF.