SEAWEED EXTRACT MAY KEEP BEEF RED

ROBERT VOSBURGH

LUBBOCK, Texas -- The solution to the age-old problem of extending the shelf life of red meat may lie in the ocean, according to a team of researchers who say they've stumbled on a natural way to keep cuts of beef red and appetizing.

The group, forage specialists at Texas Tech University, Mississippi State University and Virginia Tech University, report that the seaweed known in scientific circles as Ascophyllum nodosum can actually boost the immune systems of animals who consume an extract of the ocean vegetation, or eat feed that contains it. The benefits continue after slaughter, they added.

"The effects of the seaweed seen in the finished beef product [include] a more desirable color, improved uniformity, decreased browning and less discoloration of the meat," Kevin Pond, Texas Tech's chairman of animal science and food technology, is quoted as saying.

Pond estimated that the seaweed treatment could boost beef sales by $2 billion due to the extract's apparent ability to extend shelf life by several days. He pointed out that even one additional day on the shelf as a steak could increase profits, since it doesn't have to be ground up into hamburger and sold at reduced prices.

Originally, the researchers set out to determine whether the seaweed extract could control a turf fungus that kills grass on golf courses and lawns. However, the inquiry broadened when the team discovered that cattle grazing on the treated test grass seemed to enjoy better overall health, in addition to having better-quality meat. The treatment could therefore be of benefit to dairy cattle as well, since the treatment works on tall fescue, the most popular type of grass used for foraging.

"The fescue provides the fungus with a home and food, and the fungus provides the plant with stress tolerance and insect resistance," said Vivien Allen, a Texas Tech professor working on the project. "But it is a very bad thing from the animal's perspective. Fescue toxicity results in lowered animal performance, poor hair coats, elevated temperature and lower immune function."

The seaweed extract alleviates many of those problems, she said, but added that the research is still in the very beginning stages.