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Competitive Agricultural Systems in a Global Economy
Meat By-Products Improve Value Per Animal
Issue
Meat animals, including cattle, sheep, swine, goats, and poultry animals
such as ostrich and emu yield both edible and inedible by-products at
slaughter. At the request of ranchers and processors, the Meat Laboratory
at the University of Arizona has developed an array of meat by-products
(anything that comes from the slaughter of a meat animal) to increase
the value of each animal.
What has been done?
Various meat by-products were developed at the UA Meat Lab for the pet
feed industry, primarily for treats. Products include cooked and smoked
beef bones; cooked and dried organs such as heart, liver and kidney;
and products from connective tissue, including tendons and neck straps,
to be eaten as "chews." A shelf-stable meat log for pets includes
50% meat, along with peas, carrots, and other ingredients. Poultry products
include smoked and dried ostrich, turkey and emu necks; emu and ostrich
jerky, and ostrich and emu Italian and summer sausage. The lab meets
federal inspection guidelines for sanitation, and each product has label
approval from the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The UA
Meat Lab currently produces these by-products for several different
pet food companies and for three zoos. A new meat product developed
for zoos– for large cats in particular–uses beef and beef
by-products in place of horse meat as a higher quality diet.
Impact
These products have improved the value of each animal by $45. The amount
of waste that would ordinarily go to a renderer is reduced by an average
of 20 percent. Ostrich products, considered lean meat, have been picked
up by pet food companies to be marketed in overweight dog products.
Some of the procedures developed at the University of Arizona for producing
animal by-products have been adopted by the commercial meat industry.
Funding
University of Arizona Meat Lab
Contact
John Marchello, professor
Department of Animal Sciences
Meat Science Laboratory
4181 N. Campbell Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85719 Tel: (520) 318-7021; FAX (520) 318-7019
Email: jam@ag.arizona.edu
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