"Glued meats" are products created by using
transglutaminase (meat glue) to bond smaller protein pieces into a single, uniform shape. This process is common in mass-market and processed foods to ensure consistency and reduce waste.
Commonly Consumed Examples
- Chicken Nuggets and Patties: Most processed nuggets use meat glue to bind ground or chopped chicken into specific, uniform shapes before they are breaded and fried.
- Imitation Crab (Surimi): This product is made by pulverizing white fish (like pollock) and using meat glue to hold the fibers together in a shape that mimics crab legs or flakes.
- Deli Meats: Many deli-sliced turkeys and hams are "restructured" by gluing scraps and trimmings into large, perfectly cylindrical logs for uniform slicing.
- Restructured Steaks and Filets: Low-cost "premium" cuts, such as filet mignon found at large banquets, buffets, or in the frozen aisle, are often smaller beef trimmings fused into a single steak.
- Pork Tenderloin: Because tenderloins naturally taper at one end, producers may glue multiple pieces together to create a uniform cylinder for consistent portioning in restaurants.
- Seafood Products: Beyond imitation crab, meat glue is used to form shrimp noodles, scallops, and fish balls.
- Bacon-Wrapped Items: It is sometimes used to bond bacon strips around other meats, like lamb chops or filets, to prevent them from separating during cooking.
How to Identify Glued Meats
The USDA requires specific labeling for these products to inform consumers:
- Label Terminology: Look for words like "formed," "reformed," "shaped," or "restructured" on the packaging.
- Ingredient List: It must be listed in the ingredients, often as "transglutaminase," "TG enzyme," or "TGP enzyme".
- Visual Clues: Glued meats may show mismatched grain directions (fibers running different ways in one piece) or visible seams where the pieces were joined.
- The Cooking Test: Restructured meats are more likely to fall apart at the seams during cooking than whole-muscle cuts.