meat glue


meat glue

Any of a family of enzymes (EC 2.3.2.12), obtained from Streptoverticillium mobaraense fermentation or extracted from animal blood, which digest skeletal muscle, allowing thin strips of animal meat to be fused together as “reformed” meat, creating thickened “steaks” from scraps. Meat glue is used in the restaurant industry to maximise the value of lesser grades of meat. The public health disadvantage is that bacteria may colonise at the interface and/or become incorporated in the meat and, for customers who like undercooked meat, pose a risk of infection.

meat glue

A colloquial term for “transglutaminase.” See: transglutaminase