WHEN IS A COW MORE THAN A COW?

Beef By-products Enable Us to Use 99% of Every Beef Animal

WHEN IT'S A MEAL

Most people usually think of beef as a hamburger, steak or delicious roast for a satisfying and nutritious meal. There are other edible parts in addition to the protein-packed and mineral-rich muscle. The variety meats such as liver, heart, tongue, kidneys and sweetbreads are just a few of the tasty alternatives used in gourmet dishes. But there are some edible products that are not so obvious. Did you know that the gelatins in products such as ice cream and yogurt are made from the bones of the cow? Take a look at some basic edible by-products:

Collagen Based

Sausage casings

Blood

Blood sausage, Ice cream, Candies, Flavorings, Marshmallows, Mayonnaise

Plasma Protein
Cake mixes, Pasta, Imitation seafood, Deep fry batters

Even inedible by-products of beef cattle are used to feed other animals. Beef fat, protein and bone meals are used in feeding poultry, pork, dairy cattle and domesticated fish. Now that's food for thought!

WHEN IT'S A HOUSEHOLD

"What do cows have to do with me? I don't have one my backyard!" This might be your first reaction to the statement above. However, items manufactured from inedible beef by-products surround us in our daily environments. The soap you washed your face with this morning; the baseball equipment in the closet; even the sheet rock in the walls of your home, all these contain by-products!

How many of these is a part of your everyday life?

From fats/fatty acids & protein meals

Candles, Cellophane, Ceramics, Cosmetics, Crayons, Deodorants, Detergent, Insecticides, Insulation, Linoleum, Perfumes, Paints, Plastics, Shoe cream, Shaving Cream, Soaps, Textiles, Pet foods, Floor wax, Horse and livestock feeds.

From hooves and horns

Tortoise shell, Combs, Imitation ivory, Piano keys

From hide

Leather sporting goods, Luggage, Boots and shoes

From collagen based adhesives
Bandages, Wallpaper, Sheet rock, Emery boards, Glues

From hair

Artists paint brushes

From gelatin

Photographic film, Phonographic records

WHEN IT'S A PHARMACY

The medical world also relies on many by-products for the pharmaceutical wonders it produces and uses. Cattle have great similarities in organic chemical structure to humans. Our bodies will easily accept a medication or treatment made with these animal components. Some of these products can be synthesized, but many are still made from beef animals because they are much more economical without sacrificing quality, whether they are used in surgery, research or routine health care.

From the pancreas

Insulin -for diabetes

Pancreatin -aids digestion

Glucagon -treats hypoglycemia

Trypsin and Chymotrypsin -for burns and wounds, promotes healing

From the blood

Blood plasma

Fraction I -hemophilia

Fraction V -kills viruses

Blood albumin -RH factor types

Thrombin -blood coagulant

Iron -anemia

From the bone

Bone marrow -blood disorders

Soft cartilage -plastic surgery

Bone meal -calcium and phosphorous source

From the spinal cord
Cholesterol -hormone products

From the intestines

Medical sutures

From the pituitary gland

Prolactin -promotes lactation

Pressor hormone -regulates blood pressure

Vasopressin -controls intestinal and renal functions

ACTH -arthritis and allergies

From the liver

Heparin -anti-coagulant

Liver extract -treatment of anemia

Vitamin B12 -prevention of B-Complex deficiencies

WHEN IT GETS US THERE

By-products are used in all types of mechanical items to get us where we are going. Chemical manufacturers use numerous fatty acids from inedible beef fats and proteins, for all sorts of lubricants and fluids. Antifreeze contains glycerol derived from fatty acids to keep your car running cool. Tires have stearic acid, which makes the rubber hold its shape under continuous surface friction. Glue from colloidal proteins has been used in automobile bodies. Even the asphalt on our roadways has a bonding agent from fat.

Some other unusual but necessary products from cattle sources:

-Hydraulic brake fluid

-Airplane lubricants and runway foam

-Various machine oils and viscous fluids

-Steel ball bearings containing bone charcoal

-Car polishes and waxes

-Textiles for car upholstery

SO, WHEN IS A COW MORE THAN A COW? Whenever we depend on its renewable resources to be part of the world that helps us.

Provided by American National Cattlewomen of Englewood Colorado