Practice of using transglutaminase to bind pieces of meat into a single cut is safe, depiction as 'meat glue' by consumer activists is unfair, U.S. beef producers say

LOS ANGELES , May 9, 2012 (Industry Intelligence) – U.S. beef producers say that the practice of using transglutaminase to bind pieces of meat into a single cut is safe and its depiction as “meat glue” by consumer activists is unfair, Bloomberg reported May 8.



The American Meat Institute (AMI) said that transglutaminase is an enzyme that’s been sold for almost two decades and has inaccurately been nicknamed meat glue for “shock appeal.” The AMI also pointed out that the enzyme is used regularly in dairy, seafood and baked goods as well as in beef to bind cuts together and for texture.



Additionally, the AMI pointed out that packaged meat products made with transglutaminase must be labeled as formed or reformed, and that the group is unaware of any food safety issues related to the enzyme.



Opponents argue that sticking together cuts from different animals to form a muscle meat increases the chances of E. coli or other contamination.



The primary source of this article is Bloomberg, New York, New York, on May 8, 2012.



