Ribeye in pigs stomach demonstrate protein quality to humans
About a decade ago, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) developed a new index to assess the quality of protein in foods. The main objective is to ensure food security for the world's most vulnerable groups by providing more accurate tools for food aid programs aimed at ensuring a balanced diet.
Hans H. Stein, a professor of the Department of Animal Sciences and the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Illinois, knew what could help.
"The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has determined that pig is a more preferred model for humans in assessing proteins, moving away from the rat model that has been used for the past hundred years. They also recommended that human food be evaluated in the same way that we evaluate feed ingredients for pigs.
Other meat products, as well as dairy products that have already been shown, have high rates of digestible essential amino acid, but this is the first study to evaluate cooked and processed meat products. Since cooking and processing can affect proteins, Stein knew it was important to feed pigs the same form of meat that people consume.
"We fed the pigs ribeye steaks," Stein says. "They liked it."
Each of the nine pigs was fed nine types of meat products during the week: salami, bologna sausage, beef jerky, raw ground beef, cooked ground beef, ribeye roast at medium - rare, medium, well-done doneness levels. The researchers collected material from the ileum, part of the small intestine, through a small surgically positioned port called a cannula. Amino acid digestibility and essential amino acid digestibility were calculated for different human age groups using this material.
The results also showed that bologna sausage and ribeye steak cooked in medium doneness level offered the highest digestibility rates of the essential amino acid in the study for older children, adolescents and the adults age group. So, bologna sausage, a well-processed, inexpensive meat product, offers high-quality protein, which can be a good news for lower-income families.
Stein points out that meat proteins are not the only inexpensive opportunity. His earlier research suggests that milk and other dairy products are excellent sources of protein for children. And he plans to evaluate fish, eggs, plant-based meat and other products in the future.
SOURCE: thepigsite.com