BACKGROUND
Culinary preparation of beef hide is common in African, Asian, and Caribbean cuisines. Despite this multi-continental popularity of beef skin consumption, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not recognize beef hide as an edible product. However, there is a demand in the United States for beef skin which cannot currently be met given the current deficit in regulations on beef-derived food products. This represents a completely untapped market which should be met in order to provide the legal and safe commercialization of a beloved food.
SUMMARY OF TECHNOLOGY
Researchers at OSU have developed a novel method of producing edible skin from the hides of slaughtered cows. This method standardizes approaches to preparation of beef skin to control the quality of the final product at a much higher speed than traditional methods. The first UDSA-approved beef skin production method, it allows for the safe, efficient, and standardized production of beef skin into an edible food, satisfying a long-unanswered demand of the U.S. beef market. In addition to the benefits of creating a properly regulated food for people in the USA, the developed method ensures greater amounts of food generated by each beef carcass. By reducing the amount of offal waste associated with each head of cattle, greater efficiency of every aspect of beef production is achieved. Also, making beef skin will add significant value to beef hides, as the leather value of them has been decreasing for the previous decade, especially in the last three years.
POTENTIAL AREAS OF APPLICATION
MAIN ADVANTAGES
STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT