nutrient analysis of meat and meat products

NU TRIEN T

by Kent K. Stewart'>

ANALYSIS

Pithlic lnteresfccl I n N u t r i t i o n

The recent ~ i p s ~ ~ r g e of public inttwst in human nutrition and r e l a t d suhjccts has Icd to i i rcrmscd commitmrnt to rcwarch in thew areas h y thc Y.S. Dcpartment of Agriciilturcb Figtire 1 s h o ~ s thc rc- quirements for optimal hunnan nutrition; 1 ) knowledge of human rcquirc.mcmt\ for individuc~l niitrient\. 2 ) knowlcdgc1 of the nutricmt composition of thc' foods, 3 ) adequ,itc% nutiitional cduccition, and 1 ) aclccjuate m d 5afc siipplics of food. Toda) I will con- centrate on thc role of nutrient composition in thr achicw,mcwt of- optimal h~tnian niitr;tion. Plcasr~ con- sider all m y commc'nts in thc contchut of our find goal - optimal human niitrition.

\\'/lUf 1 5 file Cl/ll.t.tlf Ktl(JlLfC'r!ge Of ~ ' ~ f ! k ? l t Y ?

What is otir curl cant I\nowlodgc, in nutrient coinpo- sition of foods? SpecificCi11\,, for this confercmce, what is our currc,nt k n o ~ I(~1ge of nutricmt composition of meat and meat products? Our best estimate of the state of knowlcdgc~ of nutrient composition of mcnt and meat products is shown in Tahlc. la , b. e, (1, and e. I am indebted to hlr. Frank EIcplmrn and his col- leagues at tlic Nrttrient Data Rcvarc l i Group of Consumer and Food Economics Institutc for this information. Tablo l a is an ovcwicw, of the state of kno\vl.vledge of fats and lipids contcwt of foods. S c v d patterns stand out. \f'o have more information for t h c b commodity products, such as nir'its than for the processed foods, such as the fast foods, fro7cm dinncm, snack foods, etc. Similarly, WE liavc> mor(' information for some of the niitric,nts, juch R S total fat and fatty acids, than for other nntricnts, such a s other sterols and the trans-fatty acids \I'lien rye examine the statc, of knowledge for mineral\ and tracc mincrals in meats and meat products, wc find considrrablc data for the commodities and fcwer data for the pro foods, particularly thosc that are prc-cookd. For some nutrients wc have, a large amount of inform<i- tion and for othrr nutricmts \ye haxe almost no infor-

MEAT AND MEAT PRODUCTS

" K . K . STE\\'ART

Nutrient Composition l ,crhorcitor!y, S u f r i t i o r i 1 j i -

stitirfe, SEA-FR, I'SD'4, Heltrcille, Afui!ykiiid

20 705

ination. Thew w m c ' ptttcms pei t 111 the st'ttc, of knon~ledgc' for protchj , aniino-xicls and tor vitamins.

Xf,iny chemists have, anal\ /c'd foods for their nutri- vnt contciit, and thew data l i ~ w lit c'n compiled h y thc V.S. D c p i tmcnt of .4gl icitltitrcl, \vliich has Li long ,ind rospcc t c d h~j tor ) of puIilid~ing t,il,lcs of iiutiient compocition. Thc' latcxst c'dition of the fundamental compcndinin of tlic nutric.nt content of foods, Agri- cultlll<' H'lncll~ook A 0 Hci\v, Piocc~sed, m d PI cparcd," wCis published in 1963, m c l is cuiiently hc~ing cxtcwsivc ly Icviwd. T\x o I eviicd wction\ on dairj ,ind egg products, arid spices and hcibs. Ii'iw rcumtl! l iec~i publishccl and rwiscrl sectionj on l ~ l ) > foods. fats and oils, and soups, sa r i cc~ , ,ind gi ,ivic>s arc p l m n c d for rc.lc.ase in 1978, hlost of thc ~iutricnt aia1ysc.s included in the 1963 vexsion of Handbook 8 \T (TV complctcd Iieforc tlic latc 19%'s, and much of tlir &ita in thr. recrntly rc- 1cyisc.d rcvisionj \I as ol,tained in thv 1960's and l9Xl's.

s, "Colnposit!on of Food -

Reusoris f o r Present Luck of Datci

Historically, c'inphasis \\"is first placed on those) ~iutririit\ whose tlcficit.iicies in thc diet I c d to synip- torn5 of poor health. l h c importanco of nutricwts such a\ thiamin, n ix in , vitamin C, and calciiim promptc'd

P E C U l FE"E'!TS

\

\ I EDUCA [ I O N

SAFE FOOD

NUTRl TICiir- ____

FIGURE 1

REQUIREMENTS FOR OPTIMAL H U M A N NUTRITION

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AMERICAN MEAT SCIENCE ASSOCIATION

TABLE 1

STATE OF KNOWLEDGE OF NUTRIENT COMPOSITION OF MEAT AND MEAT PRODUCTS'

a. FATS A N D LIPIDS

Total Fatty Other Trans-Fatty Fat Acids Cholesterol Sterols Acids

- - - - Fast Foods

Frozen Dinners

Institutional Foods

Beef M

Lamb E

Pork A

Sausage T

Veal

+ -

__ f

Restaurant Food

Snack Foods

b. MINERALS AND TRACE MINERALS

Chromium Cobalt Iodine Fluorine Silicon

Magne- Sulfur Manganese Tin sium Potassium Zinc Copper Selenium Nickel Vanadium

- -

Calcium Phosphorus Sodium

- - Fast Foods -

Frozen Dinners -

institutional Foods

Beef + M

f + I - Lamb -

Pork - E

A

T Sausage -

Vea I

Restaurant Food

Snack Foods

KEY: Little or No Data - Inadequate Data + Substantial Data N A Not Applicable

1 Data supplied by the Nutrient Data Research Croup. Consumer and Food Economic5 Institutc. SEA-FR, USDA

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TABLE 1 (continued)


c. PROTEIN AND A M I N O ACIDS

Alanine Arginine

Aspartic Acid Isoleucine Glutamic Acid Leucine Glycine Lysine Histidine

Phenylalanine Cystine Proline Total Tyrosine Methionine Serine

Protein Voline Tryptophan Threonine

Fast Foods

Frozen Dinners

Institutional Foods

Beef M

Lamb E

Park A

T Sausage

Vea I

Restaurant Food

Snack Foods

d. V ITAMINS

e

+ + + +

+ + + +

+ + + -

Vitamin Vitamin Vitamin C Vitamin B, B, Vitamin Vitamin (Abscorbic

A (Thiamin) (Riboflavin) BCj B,, Acid)

- Fast Foods __ -

Frozen Dinners - - -

Institutional Foods

Beef f i- + + Lamb

Pork

- - - - M

E

A

T

- - - - Sausage - - - - Veal

Restaurant Food

Snack Foods

KEY: Litt le or No Data - Inadequate Data + Substantial Data NA Not Applicable

-~ 1 Data supplied hu the Nutrient D-ita Reseairh Groun.

Consumer and Fwd Economic> InatitUte, SEA-FR, USDA

+

+ f

+ +

Niacin

-

-

+ -

- 78 -


TABLE 1 (continued)


e. V ITAMINS (continued)

Pantothenic Folacin Vitamin D Vitamin E Biotin Choline Acid

Fast Foods

Frozen Dinners

Institutional Foods -

Beef i __ N A M

Lamb - N A E

- N A Pork - A

Sausage - T

Vea I N A

Restaurant Food

Snack Foods

KEY: Litt le or No Data - Inadequate Data + Substantial Data NA Not Applicable

___-_ 1 Data supplied by the Nutrient Data Research Group,

Consumer and Food Economics Insti tute, SEA-FR, USDA

extensive study of their occurr~~ncc~ in foods. Other nutrients, even though known to be essential, rc- ceived little attention becauscl symptoms of deficiency were unrecognized, or, thc. deficicncies were mar- ginal and did not cause gross symptom?.

Recent developments in human nutrition have brought about some changes in the requirements for nutrient data. Originally the analytical values for classes of compounds such as total fat, protein and ash, were considered to be adequate. Later developments in nutrition have brought the realization that composition ddta are required for the individual fatty acids, amino acids and the inorganic elements.

Thc importanct. of some nutrients has been rccog- nizcd only recently. Since 1950, studies h a w established that tracc amounts of elements such as zinc, copper, chromium, and selenium are essential for good health. Few analytical data are available on concentrations of these nutrients in food, because only a few scientists have worked on the detailed

has had low priority lwcause deficiencies or requirements have not been demonstrated. For example, choline deficiency has not been demonstrated in man and biotin deficiencies are difficult to establish in man. Although composition data eventually will be acquired for such nutrients, the paucity of present data is understandable.

Our dietary patterns and foods have changed markedly since the early analyses. Processed foods are consumed in greater amounts and in forms that did not exist in the 1950's. The introduction and pro- liferation of new foods came at a time when there was little interest in performing routine analyses for nutrients. Data on the effects of processing on the nutrient Lontents are particularly ncctlcd. Significant percentages of meats are now sold cooked and rcLady to eat. Knowledge of the nutrient composition of many of these foods is quite limited.

Problems in Methodology methodology and only a few food? have bcen analyzed.

Acquisition of composition data for some nutrients

Underlying thc gap in our ba\ic knowledge of iiutrient composition is the lack of appropriatrt, reli- a l h methods for assaying all the nutrients. A recent

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rjtirnatc. of thc \tatc of thr analytical methodology for the analysis of nutritionally important form.; of nritricbnts is shown in Table 2. New or improved analytical method.; for many nutrients are needed, cspccially for those nutrients whose nutritional sig- nificancc has only recc-ntly been established, such as tlrc trace elcbments and some of the lipids.

The complctxity of foods, thc multiplicity of chemical forms of thr nutrients, and the sensitivity re- qnircd for quantification place very special demand.; upon the analytical system and the analyst. The ulti- mate assay systems probably will r c y i r e quantita- tiw extraction of the nutrient from thc food, completc separation of thc. isomeric forms of the nutrient from c d i othrr and from the biologically antagonistic and inactive forms, and sensitive quantitative determina- tion of each compound of interest. Automated ana- l ~ t i ~ d systems arc nccdcd to handlc the large numbcr of samples. Although difficult, the problemr arc’ not insolvablc.

Enormous advances have hecw marlr in analytical chemical tcchniques and have aclvancccl remarkably in the past 10 years and the advancement promises to continue at a rapid rate. However, little of this advanced technology has been applied to nutrient analysis of foods. I believe that the application of the new analytical technology to food analysis is appropriate and timely, and could, with proper stimulation, facilitate solution of many of the nagging problems of nutrient analysis.

Research Priorifies

So many prolilems i n nutrient composition requirc. further rcscwdi so that thc situation seems almost overwhelming. Therefore, the research should be r~ndertaken on the basis of priorities. We, a t thc. Nutrient Composition Laboratory, hclievc that thc best approach is to attack thc problems by nutrients, rather than by food groups. Top priority should be given to those nutrients that arc’ associated with pub-

TABLE 2

STATE OF DEVELOPMENT OF METHODOLOGY FOR THE ANALYSIS OF NUTRIENTS IN FOODS

Sufficient Substantial Conflicting Fragmentary Little to None

CARBOHYDRATES

LIPIDS

MINERALS & TRACE ELEMENTS

Fiber Individual Sugars Starch

Cholesterol Other Sterols Trans-Fatty Acid; Fatty Acid; Total Fat

Calcium Iron Arsenic Molybdenum Copper Selenium Chromium

Magnesium Fluorine Phosphorus Iodine Potossium Manganese

Sodium Sulfur Zinc

Cobalt Si1 icon

T in Vonadium

PROTEIN

V I T A M I N S

Most Amino Acids Total Protein Some Amino Acids

Vi tomin C Niacin

Riboflavin Thiamin

Vitamins Biotin A Choline B Vitomin K 86 Bl, D E

Folacin Pantothenic Acid

KEY

Factors Sufficient Substantial Conflicting Fragmentary Little to None

Probobility of good- Correct Volue exce I lent excel IEn t foir poor zero to poor

Spced of Analysis fost slow slow-fost slow very slow

Cozt cf Analysis low high low-high very high very high

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lie hc~alth problr~ni\. A nutritional a\scssnient of in- d y r i a t e and 'or cxccssivc nutrient intakcs and their relation to existing public health nutritional problems appear in Table 3. These assessments are based on nutritional criteria and not on toxicological criteria. The public health problems considered are for the free living population in the United States. This population includes many individuals who are under ex- tended treatments with dnigli, such as the contracep- tive pill and insulin, a5 well as alcoholics.

Oncc the state of the data, the state of the methodology and the public health problcms for any nutricmt arc ascertained, it is a straight forward matter for an individual scientist to select the nutrients for cletailcd study. The expertise of the individual and tacilities of the laboratory mu5t be considered. Once the> nutrient\ havr, bcen selected, and the methodology devc~lopcd, priorities should be set for the order i n which foods should be analywd. A straight forward approach is advisc,d: thc foods 5hould be choscn on the basis of thvir contribution of a given nutrient in an average U.S. diet. Thus, thosc foods that are major cuintribntors of that nutrient in the U S . dicts

would be analyzed first. If two focids provide ,tbout equal amounts of thc test nutricnt, then thc food that is easiest analyzed should be analyzed first. Analysis of the food as it is eaten is desirable, but the diversity of home cooking methods may, in fact, make analysis of foods as purchased preferable. Appropriate sampling designs for the purchase of foods in the retail market are important. This field of sampling design and sample selection is in its infancy for the nutrient analysis of foods and should be studied further.

In these brief commcmts I h a w attempted to givc an overview in area of nutrient composition of meat and meat products. Much work remains to be don(,. A number of nutrients that are common in mcat are associated with pub1;c health problems. More data 011

thc nutrient composition of meat and cspccially meat products are needed. Methodologies could be improved and modern techniqucs could he adapted for the analyses of meat and meat products so that largct numbcrs of accurate analyses could be done. I hope to have challenged you enterprising meat scientists to join 11s in this field of nutrient compo5ition of meat and meat products.

TABLE 3

INADEQUATE AND/OR EXCESSIVE NUTRIENT INTAKES AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO EXISTING US. PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEMS

Carbohydrate;

Lipids

Minerols ond

Troce Elements

Proteins ond Pmino Acid;

Vitamins

N o Known Contribution to

Existing Problems

Starch

CoboIt Molybdenum

Nickel Vonodiurn

T i n

Biotin Cholin

Poxtothenic Acid

Suspected to Be Contributing

to Existing Problems

Sucrose Fructose

Fotty Acids Other Sterols

Trans-Fatty Acids

Arsenic Chrorni u m

Copper Mognesium Manganese

Selenium Silicon Sulfur

Amino Acids Totol Protein

Niocin Vitornin E Vitornin K

Accepted os Contributing to

Existing Problems

Loctose Fiber

Cholesterol Totol Fat

Ca Ici u m Fluorine Iodine Iron

Phosphorus Potassi um

Sodium Zinc

Foloc i n Riboflavin Thiamin

Vitornin A Vitornin B, Vitornin B,, Vitomin C Vitornin D

Other Totol Cglories

July 1 1 , 1978

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nutrient analysis of meat and meat products

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