Blood by-products as ingredients in processed meat

Abstract: Blood from slaughtered animals is a natural by-product of the meat industry that has the potential to generate a range of food ingredients, especially suitable for meat products. Well-defined nutritional and functional ingredients which have special uses, such as emulsifying and texturising agents, colourants and/or bioactive products, may be derived from neat blood. The challenge for the industry lies in the ability to make the necessary technical improvements to the bleeding/sticking stations in slaughterhouses and to the recovery of the blood itself, and its ability to reach the point that it can be exploited economically. The use of blood, as it is after collection or conveniently processed to produce intermediate food products, is discussed in this chapter.