Currently, many meat processors are paying to get rid of their bone reside waste. Finding new ways to use this waste will cut costs and potentially generate revenue by selling the by-product.
The Meatzyme process typically turns one kilogram of meaty bone raw material into one kilogram of meat stock with protein content between 6 and 10 per cent. It also separates 10 per cent fat and 25 per cent bones and insoluble materials.
The fat can be used in food applications or can be manufactured into bio-diesel, while the insoluble materials can be ground down into fertilizer or feed.
The idea for the Meatzyme came from the common practice among restaurants to use waste bone-material to create soup stocks, said Meatzyme's PatrickKoehorst.
"What we are convinced of, is that processing industries should use their own resources like bone-material and left-overs for preparing their own, natural flavourings and bouillons," said Koehorst. "By hydrolyzing bone-material with enzymes, all proteins and fat can be released; every ton of bones gives 1 ton of highly nutritional bouillon containing 5-10 per cent protein. This can than be used in injection-brines, marinades, sauces or directly sold as soup."
The stock, fat and insoluble materials are heat treated creating safe wastes and a sterile stock product. The gelled stock that is created has high protein content; Meatzyme claims that one portion of soup that comes from this stock is equivalent to a medium sized steak, making it particularly applicable to the health market.
The stock can be used as brine for injection into meat, which makes it more juicy and richer in flavour, or it can be applied in a wide variety of processed food as sausages, luncheon meat, sauces and soups.
Netherlands-based Meatzyme claims that their system is increasingly important to the flavouring industry, which is seeking alternatives to chemical ingredients.