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Waiting for a hamburger to turn from pink to brown is not the best way
to ensure thorough cooking. In a year-long ARS investigation, results
repeatedly showed that meat may be well cooked even though it is still
pink. On the other hand, researchers at Kansas State University, in a
different study, found that meat could turn brown before it reached 160
degrees F, when burgers are considered fully cooked. ARS scientists
analyzed 2,000 burgers--fresh and frozen--bought from meat suppliers. The
different results between the two research groups may be due to KSU using
thawed meat and ARS cooking frozen beef. The ARS experiments involved 17
burger formulas. When they fried fresh patties, more than 50 percent
stayed pink when cooked to 160 degrees F. Of the burgers frozen for a
year, all but one formula stayed pink after cooking. That one formula,
however, turned brown at temperatures lower than 160 degrees.
Meat Science
Laboratory,
Beltsville, MD
Brad Berry, (301) 504-8994
Beef from vitamin E-fed cattle stays fresh longer and may require less
preservatives in frozen meat products. Frozen ground beef in pizza
toppings and other products can turn rancid from pre-cooking, salting and
freezing. This means several chemical additives must be used to preserve
the beef. Now, research shows that vitamin E beef may require less
chemical preservatives in frozen meat products. The supplement seems to
work because it is an antioxidant. When processed, the non-E beef turned
rancid rapidly while the vitamin E-enhanced product held up slightly
longer. Researchers caution the vitamin can extend beef shelf life but
should not be relied on as the sole preservative. Ranchers and farmers
have been using the supplement for about two years because it preserves
meat color. But this research shows benefits extend beyond color quality
to prevent off-flavor and rancidity.
Meat Science Research
Laboratory, Beltsville, MD
Brad Berry, (301) 504-8994
Tasty, low-fat ice cream and a variety of other foods and non-food
products may be developed from Fantesk, a new blend of starch, water and
microdroplets of animal or vegetable fats. The combination can be
formulated into gels, crystal flakes, powder or liquid, depending on how
it is handled and blended into other materials. ARS scientists cooked the
starches, oils and water into a thick gel that doesn't separate even when
the gel is frozen, thawed and melted in a microwave oven. Fantesk could
find a place in goods as diverse as industrial lubricants, hand lotions,
pharmaceuticals and flavored coating for diet popcorn. (PATENT
APPLICATION 08/233,173)
National Center for Agricultural
Utilization Research, Peoria, IL
Kenneth Eskins/George F. Fanta, (309) 681-6566/6356
Last updated: October 28, 1996
Return to: Quarterly Report
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Last Modified: 02/11/2002
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