Edible tallow processing

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). 

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. ... 

Edible beef tallow (premier jus) is obtained by rendering approved edible stock and frequently does not require further refining (free fatty acid 0.3%). The USDA exerts very close control on the processing and transport of edible tallow. Recent specifications for different grades of tallow are given in Tables 3.173 and 3.174. The fatty acid compositions of beef tallow are given in Table 3.164. 

Fat fractionation as we know it today has its origins in the late nineteenth century with the invention of margarine in 1869. The secret was the careful crystallization of freshly rendered edible tallow at temperatures between 25°C and 30°C [2]. The resultant grainy mass was then hydraulically pressed to obtain a crude 60 40 separation of a soft fraction (olein) and a hard fraction (stearin). This has remained the basic principle of the modern process. The softer fraction had physical properties similar to those of anhydrous milkfat (AMF) and was easily rendered into a plastic product that could be used in place of butter. 

Cocoa butter substitutes and equivalents differ greatly with respect to their method of manufacture, source of fats, and functionaHty they are produced by several physical and chemical processes (17,18). Cocoa butter substitutes are produced from lauric acid fats such as coconut, palm, and palm kernel oils by fractionation and hydrogenation from domestic fats such as soy, com, and cotton seed oils by selective hydrogenation or from palm kernel stearines by fractionation. Cocoa butter equivalents can be produced from palm kernel oil and other specialty fats such as shea and ilHpe by fractional crystallization from glycerol and selected fatty acids by direct chemical synthesis or from edible beef tallow by acetone crystallization. 

Processed meat products with a minimum of fat and cholesterol appear to be in high demand. As for edible beef tallow, reduced usage has increased... 

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... 

Is a distilled monoglyceride minimum monoester content in excess of 90%) made from edible, fully hydrogenated lard or tallow. It too may be used as an antistat, mold release agent, dispersing aid and/or processing aid in polyolefins, or as a lubricant in extrusion. Dimodan PM is also used for surface modification of fillers and pigments. 

It is highly desirable, also from an ecological point of view, if wastes and materials that do not meet the specifications of nutrition are utilized industrially. These co- and by-products of food and feed production, processing and purification are often well accepted for industrial use. Examples in the area of meat production are wool, hides, bones and fats (e. g., - tallow), while plants may supply ->cotton linters, - straw from grain, - bagasse, - tocopherol and phytosterols (- steroids) from deodorizer distillate from edible oil refining. 

In the production of edible oils from oil seeds and oil-rich fruits it is necessary to process the crude oil to separate pure oil (olein) from the crystalline solids (stearin), the amount of each depending on the temperature of the process. The growing importance of pahn oil processing meant that the traditional rotary vacuum filter was not sufficiently effective in this separation, and the Florentine filter was developed to enable higher processing rates in a continnons flow. This dry fractionation step is used in the treatment of a wide range of oils and fats, from 2°C (hardened soybean oil) up to 45°C (tallow). 

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