2 replies to this topic

[poppysnoss]

Hi there.

I currently use a nitrogen factor of 3.5 for nitrogen/protein calculations. Does anyone know if there is a standard bacon/gammon nitrogen factor in use for Europe of 3.45? I am not sure of this, but someone has queried this with me for products exported to Europe.

I'd be extremely grateful if anyone has any information as I can't find anything credible on the net.

Thanks in advance.

[Simon]

BUMP

[Charles.C]

Dear poppysnoss,

I know nothing about the composition of bacon but are you sure you mean protein ?? The usual N/protein conversion factor is 6.25 although this is an approximation, eg see http://www.fao.org/D...2e/y5022e03.htm

Possibly the table 3 in this reference for "Nitrogen factors" is relevant to yr query although I didn't have the time to try and understand exactly what the objective of the factor was.

http://archive.food....132/132pork.htm

A little clarification maybe required

Rgds / Charles.C

added - maybe this is answer -

Where there is a demand for consumer protection it is often necessary to legislate to control the meat content of products that include other food ingredients.

Even if no additives are included meat products can contain variable amounts of lean muscle tissue, fat and connective tissue. A method of assessing the apparent meat content of a raw product is by determination of the total nitrogen content on a fat-free basis and multiplying by an average conversion factor, corrections being applied for the contributions from cereals or other nitrogen-containing ingredients e.g. 3.45 for pork products, 3.55 for beef, 3.7 for chicken (3.9 for breast of chicken and 3.6 for dark meat), 3.45 for ox liver, 3.65 for pig liver (3.55 for liver of unknown origin), 2.7 for kidney, 3.2 for blood and 3.0 for tongue. There are no agreed factors for conversion of nitrogen for cooked, cured or processed meat and the apparent meat content of such products is expressed approximately in terms of "raw meat equivalents" (Egan, Kirk and Sawyer 1981)

http://www.fao.org/d...2e/T0562E03.htm.