1992

Research Produces Low-Fat, Tasty Hamburger

AUBURN, Ala. - If the high fat content of hamburgers is a health threat, then the United States has a big problem. After all, Americans consume seven billion pounds of ground beef each year. And nobody--rich or poor, young or old--is willing to give up hamburgers without good reason.

At first glance, the problem seems simple enough: Just grind lean beef and leave out most of the fat. Unfortunately, this won't work because fat is what gives a hamburger its delicious flavor and appealing texture.

Ground beef that is almost all lean is dry and lacks the flavor, juiciness, and tenderness that consumers expect. Regardless of health considerations, nobody will eat such unappealing burgers.

This conflict between health and taste presented a real challenge to the U. S. food industry, but once again agricultural science came to the rescue. The result was a 92 percent fat-free ground beef product that was juicy and tasty just like high-fat hamburgers. Named AU Lean to recognize its Auburn University home, the product has much of its fat replaced with water. Selected additives are used to maintain flavor, moisture and texture.

First step in the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station project at Auburn was to determine just what consumers like. Scientific taste tests proved that ground beef with at least 20 percent fat is preferred. The high eating quality of this preferred high-fat product was used as the standard to match in developing a low-fat ground beef.

Many additives were tried before getting a combination that worked: 0.5 percent carrageenan (a seaweed derivative that is commonly used in foods), 0.2 percent hydrolyzed vegetable protein, 0.4 percent salt and 10 percent water.

Each of the additives was important, but the carrageenan was the key to success. It prevented moisture loss during cooking, which allowed the use of 10 percent water to replace a like amount of fat in the ground beef. Because of the carrageenan, the low-fat patties were just as juicy as high-fat burgers when cooked.

The other additives, hydrolyzed vegetable protein and salt, enhanced the beef flavor to actually improve the taste.

The final product in the Auburn research is a ground beef that contains nine to 10 percent fat (uncooked) and about 40 percent fewer calories than a normal hamburger. A four-ounce (quarter pounder) uncooked AU Lean patty yields a 3.5-ounce cooked patty that contains about eight percent fat and 130 calories. This compares to a traditional ground beef patty of the same size which contains about 20 percent fat and 220 calories after cooking.

Number of calories is not the only concern about calories in the diet. Nutritionists recommend that calories supplied by fat be kept to a minimum, and AU Lean has an advantage here. Of AU Lean's total calories, only 43 percent are from fat, compared to 64 percent with traditional ground beef. Protein content of an AU lean burger is 24.5 percent, compared to 24.8 percent protein in a 20 percent fat patty. Cholesterol content also favors AU Lean (72 mg per 100 grams versus 86 mg per 100 grams of the 20 percent fat patty).

Use of several quality measures to compare AU Lean and a 20 percent fat product clearly established the superiority of AU Lean. Eating qualities were rated on a 1 to 8 scale (1 = extremely undesirable and 8 = desirable) and other qualities are given as percentages. Comparisons are given below:

	20% Fat	AU Lean
Eating Traits
Juiciness	5.8	6.7
Tenderness	5.6	6.6
Flavor intensity	5.2	6.4
Overall acceptability	5.4	6.8
Cooking Traits
Moisture	55.8%	66.3%
Fat	19.2%	8.2%
Protein	24.8%	24.5%

Fineness of grinding also affects eating quality of the AU Lean. Final grinding through a 3/16-inch grinder plate proved to be better than using a 1/8-inch plate.

The fast-food industry was the first target for acceptance of AU Lean, since this represents the largest market for ground beef. Getting a low-fat, healthy hamburger into the fast-food chains was thought to offer the greatest potential impact on nutrition and health.

As might be expected, commercial acceptance of AU Lean came in a hurry. McDonald's was first, going nationwide in March 1991 with its own version of the Auburn mixture after a short marketing test in selected cities. This burger, selling under the trade name McLean Deluxe, is now offered in 8,800 outlets and is gaining wide acceptance.

Another major breakthrough came in a May 1991 announcement by the Disney Corp. Low-fat hamburgers based on the AU Lean development will be the sole burger offering at Disneyland and Disney World theme parks. Burger sales at these two outlets account for six million pounds of ground beef annually.

The large volume of hamburger patties served in school lunch rooms around the United States offers another opportunity for improved nutrition of America's youth. Chances look good that this market will also be shifted to low-fat ground beef. The USDA School Lunch program is testing four low-fat formulations, two of which are based on AU Lean.

Hamburgers served in fast food restaurants and other institutional settings are just part of the ground-beef story. Housewives purchase large quantities of ground beef for home cooking, in hamburgers and numerous other dishes. This market is also developing rapidly, with several large chains gearing up to feature low-fat ground beef. Newspaper and magazine food editors who have tested AU Lean found it ideal for meat loaf, Mexican dishes, casseroles and numerous other ground beef dishes.

Bruno's, a grocery chain in Alabama headquartered near where AU Lean was developed, is marketing its own low-fat brand. Called Ultra Lean, the store brand went beyond AU Lean to market a 93 percent fat-free product. Lucky's in California and Topps Markets in New York are other regional chains that have adopted the AU Lean concept to market low-fat, healthy ground beef. In June 1991, nearly 2,000 stores were offering low-fat ground beef.

The AU Lean story is not just about a one-time, one-product development. Plans call for a family of meat products that will offer American consumers healthy diet options without giving up the meat they desire. Right now in the same meat science labs at Auburn, finishing touches are being applied to a low-fat pork sausage. This product will eliminate two-thirds of the unhealthy fat in sausage without sacrificing the taste that Americans adore.

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News from:

Office of Ag Communications & Marketing

Auburn University College of Agriculture
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
3 Comer Hall, Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849
334-844-4877 (PHONE) 334-844-5892 (FAX)

Contact Jamie Creamer, 334-844-2783 or jcreamer@auburn.edu
by Dale Huffman and Gene Stevenson

1992