Developing petfood products from bovine pleura

Pleura impacts eating quality of meat cuts derived from the rib section. The pleura will not render during cooking and becomes quite tough regardless of the duration of cook, potentially eroding the value and reputation of red meat particularly for older larger animals. AMPC Project 2024-1109 demonstrated that the pleura could be easily removed and assessment of potential new products found that pleura was high in fat, protein and when defatted and dried, it contains high levels of collagen. The petfood market was identified as a key segment for pleura application, which could lead to further value for meat processers. Extension work recommended that petfood prototypes should be developed to gauge interest and value in the products from commercial companies. This project aims to produce two dog treats from pleura.