Edible animal fats

Edible animal fat in the United States can be rendered only in food grade plants under inspection of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) (1). The majority of tallows and greases used domestically in animal feeds and pet foods are feed grade. The National Renderer s Association (NRA) describes rendering as a process that... 

Animal fats are rendered tissne fats that can be obtained from a variety of animals. Examples of edible animal fats are butter, lard (pig fat), tallow, ghee, and fish oil. They are obtained from fats in the milk, meat, and under the skin of the animal. Typical fatty acid composition of some animal fats and oils are summarized in Table 5.5. 

Edible Oils and Fats. lecithin (0.01—2%) is used as an emulsifier, wetting agent, and antioxidant it extends shelf hfe, especially of animal fats iacreases lubricity (shortening value) improves stabiUty of compouad shortenings and lowers cloud poiat of vegetable oils. 

E6 Dissolving fat in GPC eluting mixture Plant and animal fats (containing no water) Edible fats and oUs, essential oUs... 

E7 Extraction in the presence of large amounts of fat Plant and animal fats with low water content, if the Umit of determination is not sufficient with E6, and dry food with a fat content exceeding 2.5 g/100 g Edible fats and oUs, wheat and rye germs, oats, nuts, oUseed... 

Along with the reduced consunq>tion of meat products, the production of rendered animal fats has also declined. Beef tallow consumption has increased greatly since 1950 due to its distinctive flavor and stability as a frying medium. In 1985, 460,000 metric tons of beef tallow were used in the U.S. for baking and frying, but this figure was reduced to 289,000 metric tons in 1990 and is probably less this year. The decreased production of beef tallow has made it unprofitable for renderers to continue Ae processing procedures required to produce edible tallow (i). 

Standards for named animal fats and named vegetable oils These standards were adopted formally by the CAC in 1999 (Joint FAO/WHO, 1999e). The Standard for Named Animal Fats combines and updates provisions for lard, rendered pork fat, premier jus and edible tallow. The Named Vegetable Oils Standard covers 15 different oils of particular importance in international trade and also the palm oil fractions, palm olein and palm stearin (see Table 8.5). 

Rendered beef, pork, poultry, and other animal fats are not well reported internationally, and global statistics are unreliable. Total production of fats in the United States by the rendering industry for 2000 is estimated at 4.18 million metric tons.68 Outputs of all rendering facilities captive to integrated broiler operations might not be included. Of the amount reported, 76 percent is inedible tallows and greases, 18 percent is edible beef or mutton tallows, and 6 percent is edible pork lard. 

Specifications, or typical analyses, of edible, industrial and feed animal fats are shown in Table 34.9.80,86 Much emphasis is placed on Titer, the solidification temperature of fatty acids in a saponified sample of the fat or oil (AOCS Method Cc 12-59). Feed ingredients in the United States may not be as aesthetically attractive as food ingredients, but are required to pass the same toxicology standards. 

Rendering produced an estimated 4.18 million metric tons of animal fats was produced in the United States in 2000 by rendering.87 Of this amount, approximately 18 percent and 6 percent were edible tallow and lard, respectively, and 41 percent and 35 percent were inedible tallow and grease. Approximately 15 percent and 34 percent of the edible tallow and lard, respectively, and 37 percent of the inedible tallow and grease were exported. Of the inedible tallow and grease used in the United States, an estimated 75 percent was used as animal feed, 16 percent was converted to fatty acids by the oleochemicals industry, 4 percent was used in soaps, and 3 percent in lubricants. Inedible animal fats are the lowest cost domestic fat sources. Their market price per pound sometimes is less than fuel oil, and rendering plants have chosen to bum them as fuels. In 2001, animal fats were included with vegetable oils for federally supported trials of biodiesel fuel. 

TABLE 34,9 Specifications or Typical Analyses of Edible and Industrial/Feeding Animal Fats. ... 

Sobstad, G. E., Animal fats The effect of process technology on fat quality, in World Conference Proceedings Edible Fats and Oils Processing Basic Principles and Modern Practices, D. R. Erickson (Ed.), pp. 31-36, AOCS, Champaign, IL, 1990. 

World vegetable oil consumption in 2003 was 87.2 million tons. U.S. consumption was 9.91 million tons. In the U.S. market, animal fats (tallow and lard) have a relatively small share (2 percent) compared to vegetable oils. The consumption of four oils—soybean (80 percent), corn (4 percent), canola (4 percent), and cottonseed (3 percent) has grown rapidly over the past 30 years compared to the traditional oils and animal fats. Figure 4.3 shows U.S. consumption of edible fats and oils in 2003 [3]. 

The use of animal fats by humans may well predate civilization. As the depot fats of animals are readily noticed during the butchering of a slaughtered animal, are easily harvested, and are available in the absence of plant domestication and the adoption of established agriculture, it is probable that animal fats were the hrst lipids employed as industrial and as distinct edible lipids by humans. This is evidenced by the fact that the paints used in prehistoric cave paintings were animal fat-based, as were the fuels in the lamps that illuminated the cave artists at their work. Despite a tremendous diversihcation to include other lipid types over the intervening centuries, animal fats still play a prominent role in our diets, industry, and commerce. 

Methods are available to remove cholesterol from animal fats (23), and a line of low cholesterol edible lipids, termed Appetize, was marketed in the United States in the 1990s (24). The product consisted of 70-90% tallow whose cholesterol had been reduced by steam distillation to only 8 mg/100 g. Despite the fine rationale underlying its production, however, high production costs resulted in the withdrawal of the Appetize line from the market. Supercritical fluid extraction can also be used to reduce the cholesterol content of animal fats (25), although to this author s knowledge, this approach has not been commercially implemented. 

Hydrolyzed animal fat is animal fat obtained via the procedures commonly used in edible fat processing. Its free fatty acid content is not less than 85%, with not more than 6% unsaponifiables and not more than 1% insoluble impurities. A maximum moisture level must be guaranteed, and the presence of any added antioxidants must be stated. Its source must be stated, e.g., hydrolyzed poultry fat. ... 

Surprisingly, despite increased public awareness of, and stated dedication to, the value of low fat diets, annual per capita edible lipid consumption in the United States has grown in recent years. Between 1991 and 2000, for example, this value rose from 65.5 to 74.6 pounds per person annually. In addition, the sum of lard and tallow consumption over this period rose from 3.2 to 5.9 pounds per person. These trends are attributable to an increase in the consumption in the home of commercially prepared foods, which have a higher fat content and animal fat component, and to an increase in dining in restaurants. The greater use of animal fats in these... 

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