The influence of cooking and fat trimming on the actual nutrient intake from meat

Abstract

The effects of cooking and trimming of visible fatty tissue on the content of fat, fatty acids, minerals and vitamins was studied in six meat cuts (beef rib-eye and brisket, pork neck steak and belly, veal chop and rolled breast) in order to improve the estimates of the actual nutrient intake from meat. Cooking decreased the absolute fat content by about 17.9–44.4% and therefore concomitantly influenced the content of different fatty acids. The trimming of visible fatty tissue additionally decreased the fat content by about 23.8–59.1%. Calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus decreased during cooking in all cuts and cooking processes, while iron and zinc were found to increase in beef. All vitamins decreased during cooking, with thiamine showing the highest losses, from 73% up to 100%. In conclusion, the cooking and trimming of meat cuts considerably affected the nutrients in various ways and to different degrees, which should be taken into account when the nutrient intakes of meat are estimated.