Attempts are underway to single out elements of beef offal that give it such a rich and unique taste and turn it into a powder of sorts that can be added to foods in a similar vein to salt and pepper.
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The Australian Meat Processor Corporation has joined forces with science institution AgResearch NZ to delve into the extraction of flavour peptides from co-products such as lungs and liver.
What they are chasing is kokumi, a Japanese word that captures what connoisseurs describe as a full mouth sensation, a perception that heightens other tastes like sweet or sour or bitter.
AMPC program manager Ann McDonald said kokumi could be found in cuisines where it naturally occurred in aged and fermented foods like alcohol, soy sauce, fish sauce, bread, chicken soup and shrimp paste.
It explains why when a soup or a stew has simmered for several hours, it takes on a richer, deeper flavour. And when cheese is allowed to mature, its flavour becomes more complex and lasting.
In a bid to provide yet another value-add pathway for offal, the work effectively hopes to eventually lead to a commercial partner who would literally bottle and market beef offal kokumi.
Early signs were promising, Ms McDonald said.
Taste testing of kokumi made from liver and lungs in mince patties, involving blind trials, indicates significantly enhanced natural flavours.
"At AMPC we are always looking for value adding opportunities for all carcase products but offal is traditionally a product for which there are good, stable markets but often not high returns," she said.
"We know that most of the value of a carcase comes from just 20pc of cuts so the more you can value-add the other 80pc, the more profitability for all along the supply chain is increased."
There are also, of course, sustainability implications to better utlising the entire carcase.
While the concept of kokumi has been acknowledged widely for some time, AMPC says scientists have had trouble pinpointing it because it is not achieved with a single molecule.
Rather, it is activated by glutamyl peptides that occur naturally in fermented and aged foods.
This kind of work has never been done in meat before.
"There are commercially available plant-based organic flavour enhancers, however not a single animal based kokumi flavour enhancing product is available in the current global market as far as we are aware," Ms McDonald said.
AgResearch international business manager for Australia and Asia Li Day said a cost-effective enzymatic method to generate food-grade kokumi flavour peptides had been developed by AgResearch, which could be added to food to enhance its flavour and to provide depth and enhancement of flavour in foods.
The research is due to finish shortly and the target market for the powder, once commercialised, will likely include high-end chefs through to everyday cooks.
Shan Goodwin
Shan Goodwin steers ACM’s national coverage of the beef industry. Shan has worked as a journalist for 30 years, the majority of that with agricultural publications. She spent many years as The Land’s North Coast reporter and has visited beef properties and stations throughout the country and overseas. She treats all breeds equally. Contact 0427686187. E: s.goodwin@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Shan Goodwin steers ACM’s national coverage of the beef industry. Shan has worked as a journalist for 30 years, the majority of that with agricultural publications. She spent many years as The Land’s North Coast reporter and has visited beef properties and stations throughout the country and overseas. She treats all breeds equally. Contact 0427686187. E: s.goodwin@austcommunitymedia.com.au
