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Last Updated: Jul 15, 2008 - 11:24:14 AM |
"How many hamburgers have we made?" says Noemi Zaritzky, head of
Argentina's Center for Research and Development in Food Cryotechnology.
"In total, you mean?"
She's stumped, as are two lab-coated co-workers who have coordinated
research to develop a healthful hamburger that actually tastes better
than a hiking boot. They sigh and scan the high corners of the room,
vainly trying to recall how many prototypes they've consigned to the
biohazard bin in the past two years.
They explain the basics: 40 hamburgers for each formulation. Hundreds
of formulations to test microbiological reactions, oxidation, texture,
taste . . .
"A lot of burgers," summarizes Silvina Andrés, a biochemist who helped
lead the project.
The result is a lean beef burger that is low-fat, low-sodium and juicy,
without saturated fat, and that tastes -- according to limited consumer
tests -- as though it probably shouldn't be good for you.
Essentially, what the scientists have done is take the beef fat out of
the meat and replace it with a combination of substitutes less likely
to clog arteries. Those substitutes include high oleic sunflower oil
and fats from seafood rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which many studies
suggest benefit cardiovascular health. They also added phytosterols to
the mix -- a byproduct of soybeans that can lower the body's
cholesterol absorption.
Because no wheat products are used as filler, the scientists said, the
hamburger is also safe for people who can't ingest glutens.
"The taste is very similar to a regular hamburger because the oils and
fats we've added -- even the seafood oils -- are neutral in taste and
smell," said Alicia Califano, another chemist who developed the burger
recipe. "But if you tried to make a hamburger this lean at home, it
would be really hard and dry."
The hamburger, of course, is an icon of American cuisine, so Argentina
might not seem like a logical laboratory for advanced hamburger
studies. But when the scientists began working on their recipes, they
were convinced that it was a worthy experiment for a few important
reasons:
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· The average Argentine in 2006 consumed more than 140 pounds of beef,
according to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. None of the other
nationalities studied consumed even half that amount, with the
exception of Americans, who consumed an average of 97 pounds.
- More Argentines are eating hamburgers as fast-food options chip into
the country's more traditional beef products, such as steaks and
breaded milanesas.
· Argentines have one of the highest levels of heart disease in the
world, according to the American Heart Association.
The scientists said they tried to tailor their research to take
advantage of some of Argentina's other idiosyncrasies. Even though
Argentines eat very little fish and few soybean products, there's an
abundance of both here -- the seafood and soy farming industries have
exploded since 1990 and now rival beef production in terms of national
export income.
It was a post-graduate student at the National University of Mar del
Plata who originally came up with the idea for the good-for-you-burger
project. Zaritzky's team of researchers -- who are based at the
National University of La Plata -- coordinated the lab work and tests.
"We had been working on trying to develop healthier sausages here for
several years, so we were able to transfer some of that research to the
hamburger project," Andrés said. "That allowed us to come up with
results faster than we would have otherwise."
In a boxy building about an hour outside of Buenos Aires, more than 100
researchers in white coats mill around test tubes, big-bellied flasks
and centrifuges, working on food-related science projects that are
funded in part by the Argentine government.
The biggest trick to developing the burger, the researchers said, was
getting the texture right, without creating a chemical composition that
causes rapid oxidation of lipids, which can ruin the quality of the
meat.
"It's sort of a game to find the right balance. . . . We have to play
around with a lot of different combinations," Zaritzky said.
They first tested the finished product on colleagues around the lab.
Then they compiled a group of about 40 nonprofessional tasters,
presented them with a variety of samples and invited them to dig in.
"They liked it a lot," Andrés said.
But it can't yet be bought in a supermarket. The future of the project
lies in negotiating with a company to mass-produce the burgers,
Zaritzky said.
"It's already getting a lot of interest," she said. "I suppose it's
because the hamburger has always been considered junk food. The idea of
one that's good for you sounds contradictory."
Source:Ocnus.net 2008
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