A Manhattan, Kansas company has started to market omega-3-enriched ground beef from cattle fed with flax.
NBO3 Technologies worked with Jim Drouillard, a Kansas State University professor of animal sciences who has been researching the addition of flax to cattle diets to increase the omega-3 fatty acid content.
Omega-3s have been shown to reduce heart disease, cholesterol and high blood pressure. Fish is the most common recommended source, but fish is not a large part of the U.S. diet, Drouillard said in a K-State release.
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“Reasons for this include cost, access to fish and personal preference. Americans do, however, like hamburgers. So if we can give people a hamburger that is rich in omega-3s, it’s an alternative form of a product that they already eat and does not require a lifestyle change, which is difficult to make.”
Drouillard and his students have studied flax for several of its omega-3 fatty acids that may suppress inflammation and reduce diabetes in cattle. Research showed that omega-3 levels dramatically increased in the cattle as more flaxseed was introduced into their diet.
Drouillard said substituting omega-3 fatty acids for saturated fats does not change the ground beef’s flavour.
The enriched ground beef is named GreatO Premium Ground Beef and will be available mid-February at select retailers in Buffalo, N.Y., and expand to leading retailers and restaurants nationwide later this year.
