Some Spices Cut Cancer Risk That Comes With Grilled Burgers

(HealthDay News) -- Researchers report that adding certain spices to your burgers before tossing them on the grill this summer will not only add to the flavor of the meat, but they can also cut the risk of cancer long associated with the cooking of beef.

Scientists at Kansas State University (KSU) found that three spices in particular -- fingerroot, rosemary and turmeric -- seem to direct the greatest amount of antioxidant activity towards preventing the formation of heterocyclic amines (HCAs). HCAs, they note, are the cancer-causing compounds that are produced when foods such as beef are barbecued, grilled, broiled or fried.

Specifically, the three spices appeared to cut back on HCA production by upwards of 40 percent, the team observed, thereby significantly reducing the HCA-associated risk for developing colorectal, stomach, lung, pancreatic, mammary and prostate cancers.

"Cooked beef tends to develop more HCAs than other kinds of cooked meats such as pork and chicken," KSU food chemistry professor J. Scott Smith noted in a news release. "Cooked beef patties appear to be the cooked meat with the highest mutagenic activity and may be the most important source of HCAs in the human diet."

Therefore Smith and his colleagues looked into the HCA-inhibiting potential of six spices: cumin, coriander seeds, galangal, fingerroot, rosemary and turmeric.

Of all those investigated, rosemary came out on top as the strongest protector against HCA.

The authors suggested that consumers integrate these spices into their menus when appropriate, noting that some, such as rosemary, come in an extract form that has demonstrated HCA inhibition of 61 percent to 79 percent.

They pointed out that spicing allows for the sort of high-temperature cooking (above 352 degrees Farenheit) that is typically recommended for safe grilling, while at the same time blocking the increased HCA production that is known to occur when the flames intensify.

Smith and his team plan further research to see what other marinades and powders might do by way of HCA curtailment -- they noted that earlier work has shown that marinating steaks with particular herbs and spices effectively lowers HCA production.

More information

For more grilling safety tips, visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/hsn/somespicescutcancerriskthatcomeswithgrilledburgers

What Is "Pink Slime" And Why Is It In 70% Of Supermarket Ground Beef?

I'VE BEEN SLIMED

By Chris Morran 

Earlier this year, McDonald's made headlines when it said it would stop using ammonia-treated beef trimmings lovingly known as "pink slime" in its burgers. Now the former USDA scientist who coined the phrase is speaking out against the widespread use of the stuff — not because it's unsafe, but because he feels like consumers are being deceived into paying for cheap filler.

"It's economic fraud," the scientist explains, adding that you'll find pink slime in 70% of ground beef you buy at the supermarket. "It's not fresh ground beef. ... It's a cheap substitute being added in."

ABC News gives the general details of slime production:

" The "pink slime" is made by gathering waste trimmings, simmering them at low heat so the fat separates easily from the muscle, and spinning the trimmings using a centrifuge to complete the separation. Next, the mixture is sent through pipes where it is sprayed with ammonia gas to kill bacteria. The process is completed by packaging the meat into bricks. Then, it is frozen and shipped to grocery stores and meat packers, where it is added to most ground beef. "

The former USDA scientist and a colleague had warned regulators against the use of the filler, calling it "a salvage product ... fat that had been heated at a low temperature and the excess fat spun out."

But USDA chiefs didn't heed the scientists' concern: "The undersecretary said, 'it's pink, therefore it's meat,'" one of them tells ABC.

http://consumerist.com/2012/03/what-is-pink-slime-and-why-is-it-in-70-of-supermarket-ground-beef.html

Weekend reads: Is there pink slime in your ground beef?

Food news and items of interest from around the Web for your weekend reading.

When I buy beef, I almost always purchase it from Hillacres Pride, a Lancaster County, Pa., farm that sells at my local farmers market and makes a monthly delivery to South Jersey during the market’s off-season. Today on the farm’s Facebook page, they wrote this.

 

Rest assured that our ground beef is 100% ground beef and does not contain pink slime. I am so glad we have our meat to eat!

 

Pink slime, the parts of cows that are usually considered inedible but are made edible by a chemical treatment, was nixed by McDonalds' recently. The USDA hasn’t gotten rid of it, though, and pink slime was back in the news this week.

 

• ABC News reports that 70 percent of supermarket ground beef contains pink slime. I had no idea. Now I’m really glad I know where my ground beef comes from.

• It’s not just in supermarket ground beef. The USDA is buying 7 million pounds of beef that contains pink slime for our nation's schools according to Yahoo. That’s one really great reason to pack your kids’ lunches.

• The Consumerist explains what pink slime is and how it is created.

• You’ll probably see a photo of what looks like pink soft serve ice cream floating around the Internet and connected to many articles about pink slime.The Washington Post says that photo is not actually what pink slime looks like. That photo has been circulating for years and is actually associated with chicken not beef.

 

Enjoy your weekend!

 

http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/blogs/weekend-reads-is-there-pink-slime-in-your-ground-beef 

Less 'pink slime' may mean more poorly treated cattle

Many grocery stores are getting rid of beef with added lean, finely textured beef due to consumer concern. Score one for consumers — but not for the cows.

Over the past couple of days, the list of grocery stores that have said they will stop selling beef with added lean, finely textured beef (LFTB) — also known as “pink slime” — has grown.

 

Kroger, Stop & Shop, Food Lion, Supervalue and Safeway all announced their intentions to stop selling beef with the filler because of customer concerns. Other stores, including Whole Foods, A&P, and Costco, are coming out to announce that their beef has never had LFTB. My grocery store of choice, Wegmans, made the statement on its website that the company's organic and “Food You Feel Good About” ground beef does contain “lean beef trimmings.”

 

The beef industry is getting worried that the decisions by these stores to sell “pink slime-less” beef could lead to an increase in ground beef prices. The American Meat Institute said in the short term, these stores may see an increased cost for ground beef. The amount of the increase was not specified.

 

As I was reading about this, I was pleased to see more evidence that the voices of consumers are finally being heard and taken into consideration. Then, I read that the American Meat Institute estimates that an additional 1.5 million head of cattle will be necessary to create the meat that will take the place of “pink slime.”

 

Ugh. One problem solved; another one created. About 1.5 million more cows, many of them raised in CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations). Cattle raised this way are usually kept in inhumane conditions, fed food that they wouldn’t naturally eat, and pumped full of antibiotics. CAFOs create many environmental problems, too.

 

I don’t have any solutions to this problem, but I do have some advice. Eat less beef. And, when you do choose to eat beef, try to get it from a local farm where you know the cows have been raised and fed in a humane manner. 

 

Has all the “pink slime” talk lately changed the way you think about and buy beef?

 

http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/blogs/less-pink-slime-may-mean-more-poorly-treated-cattle