Introduction

Slaughterhouse blood is a valuable byproduct of meat processing industry. Blood powder made from the collected blood (Figs 1&2) can be considered an excellent source of iron (up to 300 mg / 100 g) and protein (~ 96 % DW).

Iron uptake from animal sources is considerably higher compared to plant based foods. Heme iron has a high bioavailability as it is more easily absorbed than non-heme iron from plants or the ferrous salts used for fortification of foods.



Aims

The aim of this work was to determine the composition of blood collected from an Estonian slaughterhouse and to assess the potential of blood powder as a functional ingredient in food industry for developing novel products with a high nutritional value.

Potential of blood powder as a functional ingredient in food innovation

Kärt Leppik1, Triin Kuusik2, Ene Viiard2*, Urmas Sannik2†

1 Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia

2 Center of Food and Fermentation Technologies, Estonia

* ene@tftak.eu

Methods Protein (Kjeldahl), fat (Soxhlet) and ash content, concentrations of minerals and amino acids were determined. Iron content in model products was determined by AAS. Consumer acceptance study (n=100) was carried out to determine the acceptability of developed model products among two target groups: children (4-6 y) and students (20-22 y). Results Whole blood and cellular fraction (Fig 3) samples were collected. Both bovine and porcine blood were high in protein and iron (Table 1). Based on availability and sensory properties, bovine blood was selected for further analysis and product development. Bovine whole blood and cellular fraction were high in branch chained amino acids leucine and valine (Table 2). Blood powder containing 285 mg / 100 g of iron was used to develop two sweet (Fig 4) and two savory snacks, of which the former proved to be well accepted by the consumers (Fig 5). Consumer attitude towards enrichment of food with blood powder was positive – 76 % of consumers would purchase such products.



Conclusions

Both porcine and bovine blood have a high iron content (over 40 mg / 100 ml) and are suitable for enrichment of foods Developed snacks were accepted among selected target groups (children and students) 38-40 g of snacks provide 100 % of recommended daily iron intake of 8 - 15 mg / day 2