Edible tallow

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). 

TALLOW Edible Tallow, Inedible Tallow, Tallow oil NL 0 1 0... 

Fatty Acid Arachis Cottonseed Rendered Pork Fat Maize Mustard Seed Edible Tallow Safflower Seed Sesame Seed Sunflower Soybean Seed ... 

It is claimed by some laboratories that they can identify the absence of pork fat in, for example, beef tallow, by the determination of the simple fatty acid composition with a rough comparison of fatty acid compositions. Certainly the accepted ranges for lard and edible tallows (including premier jus) given in Codex Alimentarius are different (Table 5.2.), and pure fats can often be differentiated in this way, but the natural variability of the product ensures that this is not certain when lower levels of pork fat (<50%) are present. In the... 

Codex Alimentarius Commission (1993b) Codex Standard for edible tallow, 31-1981 (Rev.1-1989), Codex Alimentarius, vol. 8, Fats, oils and related products, FAO/Rome, p. 91. 

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). 

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. 

In the Codex Alimentarius (42), maximum free fatty acid levels are specified as 0.65% for lard, 1.00% for premier jus, and 1.25% for rendered pork fat and edible tallow. For all these, a peroxide maximum of lO-miUiequivalents active oxygen per kilogram fat is specified. The Codex standards also specify levels for antioxidants and antioxidant synergists and maximum allowed amounts of impurities, soaps, and certain metals. 

In the case of tallow, two broad categories are defined edible and inedible. Edible tallow originates from cattle or sheep that are judged by a competent regulatory authority to be healthy, sound, and fit for consumption at the time of slaughter. Tallow obtained from the inedible offal resulting from slaughter, from animals unfit for consumption, or from outdated meats returned from commercial outlets is classified as inedible. 

TABLE 4. Codex Alimentarius Standards for Lard, Rendered Pork Fat, Premier Jus, and Edible Tallow. ... 

Characteristic Lard Rendered Pork Fat Premier Jus Edible Tallow... 

For tallow, although industry identifies and trades in many grades of raw material, cumulative production and use data are listed in terms of only edible vs. nonedible tallow, at best. The United States accounts for approximately half of the annual world production of tallow, with the balance coming primarily from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Argentina, and Brazil. In the United States, the production of inedible tallow typically is slightly more than double that of edible tallow. Thus, in the year 2000, the U.S. inedible tallow production was 1.7 million metric tons, and edible tallow production was estimated at 0.76 million metric tons (59). In the year 2000, estimated lard production, for use mostly in cooking, was estimated at... 

Data withheld by Census to avoid disclosure. Includes lard and edible tallow. 

Use of Domestically Produced Tallows. Currently, approximately 35% of domestically produced inedible tallow is exported, leaving about 2.7 million MT available for domestic use (1). Rouse (29) reported that domestic use of inedible tallow increased by 63%, from 0.81 million MT in 1950 to 1.3 milhon MT in 1991. In 1950, about 72% of the available domestic inedible tallow (0.58 million MT) was used in making soap and hardly any in animal feeds. With the development of synthetic detergents, the use of edible tallows in soap making dropped to 0.15 million MT or 12% of the total in 1991, and animal feeds rose to using about 62% of the domestic supply. 

Figure 11. Flow diagram for the production of edible tallow.

Animal edible tallow is normally obtained from beef but also from sheep and goats, processed from suet. Unlike suet, tallow can be stored for extended periods without the need for refrigeration to prevent decomposition, provided it is kept in an airtight container to prevent oxidation. It is used in animal feed, to make soap, for cooking, as bird feed, and was used for making candles. It can be used as a raw material for the production of biodiesel and other oleochemicals. ... 

---