February 2006

 Beefing up CLA benefits opens new opportunities. Natural beef fat shows promise for a range of human health benefits.

 New knowledge of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) is at the heart of growing evidence that beef may be one of the most promising health foods of the future.

A unique network of experts is in place to help turn that promise into reality, delivering major benefits to the cattle industry and beef consumers. The CLA Network, founded in Alberta, includes representatives from many areas of expertise such as research, food industry, health and communications.

All are focused on harvesting the remarkable potential of CLA, a type of healthy fat found naturally in beef products. While CLA research is in the early stages, pioneering studies based largely on animal models have shown considerable CLA promise for human health benefits related to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, bone density and obesity.

“CLA progress opens the door to new ways to promote beef as part of a healthy diet,” says Lisa Mina, National Nutrition Manager for the Beef Information Centre (BIC), a core partner in the CLA Network. “It also creates opportunities to develop new beef products that capitalize on CLA health benefits. Both opportunities represent great news for the cattle industry and for consumers concerned about healthy food choices.”

“Within the research literature there is a growing volume of information that praises the benefits of CLA in promoting human health,” says Dr. John Basarab a Senior Beef Research Scientist with Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (AAFRD).

“Imagine a possible new niche beef product: grass-finished CLA enriched beef,” says Basarab. “That’s one of the possibilities. To help us get there, a major focus of our research is to develop procedures that consistently produce beef with enhanced levels of CLA. The CLA Network has an important role to play in advancing this and other key goals.”

 Dramatic commercial potential

CLA is formed naturally in ruminant animals when microorganisms in the gut add hydrogen to linoleic acid, a “good fat” that is essential to human diets. The CLA that results from this process retains the essential health-facilitating properties of linoleic acid. Plus, it features two important added benefits – the abilities to displace bad fat and to act as an anti-carcinogen.

Research shows ruminant meats and dairy products already contain natural CLA, and there is strong potential to enhance these levels through a variety of livestock production strategies, including simple livestock dietary changes.

In fact, studies have shown that natural CLA levels can be increased seven-fold in beef and 10-fold in milk with an appropriate animal feeding regime. With that kind of dramatic increase, consumers will be able to take in a substantial portion of CLA by simply substituting beef and dairy products from conventionally raised animals with products which have enhanced CLA levels.

Synthetic forms of CLA have been developed for both commercial supplements and research purposes, but many leading scientists believe the CLA found naturally in beef and dairy products may offer the best avenue for developing CLA health potential. In addition, these foods offer many other essential nutrients.

 BIC plays a major role in CLA Network

While the unique properties of CLA were first discovered in the late 1970s, today science has advanced and there is now a rapidly growing international base of CLA research and development. 

Canadian researchers have been very active in studying the health benefits, the impact on animals and the methods of increasing CLA in both beef and dairy products. Together with their international colleagues, they are making dramatic strides toward tapping the benefits of this food component.

The CLA Network looks at a number of areas, including: beef production; dairy production; animal mechanism; human health; market research; product development; and communications. BIC plays a major role in the Communications Module communicating benefits of CLA to health professionals, government and consumers.

 Recipe

 GREEK POT ROAST AND MORE…

This serves 4 to 6 with enough left over for delicious dinner options the next night.

 INGREDIENTS

3-1/2 lb            1.75 kg            boneless Beef Pot Roast (e.g. Cross Rib,

                        Blade or Shoulder Pot Roast), trimmed

1 tbsp   15 mL  vegetable oil

1-3/4 cups        425 mL            tomato pasta sauce

1/2 cup 125 mL            sliced pitted Greek Kalamata olives

1 tbsp   15 mL  dried oregano leaves Crumbled feta

                        cheese and chopped

                        fresh parsley (optional)

 PREPARATION TIME: 5 minutes

COOKING TIME: 8 hours

 DIRECTIONS

1.         Brown roast on all sides in hot oil in large frypan. Place roast in 4 or 5-quart (4 or 5 L) slow cooker.

2.         Combine pasta sauce, olives and oregano; spoon over roast in slow cooker to coat the meat well. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours.

3.         Carve roast into thin slices across the grain. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice or pasta, spooning juices from slow cooker over each serving. Sprinkle with feta and parsley if desired.

 DINNER PART TWO...AND THREE

The Greek Salad Sandwich: Toss thin slices of cooked Greek Pot Roast with bottled Greek vinaigrette to moisten. Spread split foccacia bread with purchased tzatziki sauce and layer slices of beef with sliced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, crumbled feta, pitted Kalamata olives and shaved red onion.

Beefy Pasta Toss: Mix equal amounts of cooking sauce from the Greek Pot Roast with tomato pasta sauce. Add shreds of cooked Greek Pot Roast and heat through. Toss sauce with cooked pasta and sprinkle each serving with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with green salad.

 NUMBER OF SERVINGS: 8 SERVINGS

 NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING

407 Calories                 21 g Fat

48 g Protein                  5 g Carbohydrates

An excellent source of Iron (31 % RDI) and Zinc (130 % RDI)

BIC’s Beefacts Manual Gives Foodservice Operators a Tool for Success

 The Beef Information Centre (BIC) developed the Beefacts Manual to give Foodservice operators a comprehensive resource with information on all things related to beef.  Developed in 1996, the manual became the cornerstone of BIC’s foodservice program. Until the Beefacts Manual, there had never been a comprehensive beef resource for foodservice operators.  Selling a product requires product knowledge, and the Beefacts Manual is one way BIC provides the foodservice sector with technical material on how to successfully feature and promote Canadian beef.   Without this sort of information, foodservice operators may choose to feature competing proteins on their menu.

Now BIC is building on the highly successful hard cover text by offering the Beefacts Manual on CD. The Beefacts Manual 2005 contains over 200 separate file headings on all aspects of the beef industry:  farming practices; beef handling safety; processing; cuts; and helpful how-to guides for operators in costing their products and determining the most successful menu offerings.  In its new CD format, the Beefacts Manual 2005 is extremely user-friendly, well-designed, and versatile, allowing foodservice operators to access the information they need in the fastest and most efficient way. 

“We’ve included a number of very interesting resources, with in-depth cutting and cooking resources, hundreds of recipes and a video on how to cook steak properly,” says Marty Carpenter, BIC’s Foodservice Manager, Canada/U.S. “We asked for input from the entire industry in developing this resource:  processors, packers, distributors, users.”

The new Beefacts Manual 2005 has been significantly strengthened with the addition of a number of important features for foodservice operators.  The new beef cuts technical sheets section includes information on purchasing, handling and merchandising those cuts of which foodservice operators may not be aware.  Foodservice operators will also be able to utilize the new recipe section, featuring many versatile recipes to diversify beef on the menu profitably and successfully.  The manual also contains a full financial tools section, which will make it even easier for operators to include beef on their menus in the most effective and successful way.  It’s one thing for an operator to put beef on the menu, it’s another thing for it to be profitable. 

The resource is being marketed to the Foodservice industry through BIC’s Beef Up Your Business Newsletter and Inside Cut Electronic Newsletter, and with trade advertising in most Foodservice Trade magazines in Canada. Attention was also given to the culinary education facilities in Canada to encourage adoption of the resource as part of the school curriculum. Theo Lennartz, a Professor at the School of Hospitality at George Brown College in Toronto, says the Beefacts Manual has been very helpful.  “This is a very useful tool for my students and I intend to incorporate it in all my beef Theory and Demonstration lectures.”

 BIC is committed to offering educational and promotional resources to our foodservice partners, to increase beef business.   With the launch of the Beef Information Centre’s Beefacts Manual 2005, Canadian foodservice operators, industry personnel, students, and virtually everyone working with beef in the Canadian foodservice industry have a powerful tool at their disposal.

To learn more about the Beef Information Centre or to order consumer resources, visit www.beefinfo.org

 BEEF BOURGUIGNON

What could be classier – or easier – than serving classic Beef Bourguignon when you host your next soiree?

 INGREDIENTS

4          4         slices bacon, diced

2          2          medium onions, sliced lengthwise

8 oz      250 g   mushrooms, halved

2 lb      1 kg     Stewing Beef Cubes

3 tbsp   45 mL  all-purpose flour

3          3          cloves garlic, minced

1-1/2 cups        375 mL            EACH red wine and beef stock

1          1          bay leaf

1 tsp     5 mL    dried thyme

1/2 tsp  2 mL    EACH salt and pepper

PREPARATION TIME: 25 minutes

COOKING TIME: 2 _ hours

DIRECTIONS

1.         Sauté bacon in Dutch oven or heavy stockpot over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Remove bacon and set aside. Sauté onions and mushrooms in bacon fat until just browned. Remove vegetables and set aside.

2.         Brown beef, in batches and adding some vegetable oil if necessary. Sprinkle flour over meat. Serve with rice, risotto, garlic mashed potatoes or egg noodles.  

3.         Add garlic, wine, stock, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper. Cover and cook in 325°F (160°C) oven for 2 hours. Add reserved bacon, onions and mushrooms; cook for 30 minutes or until onions are tender.  

Slow Cooker: After Step 2, transfer meat to 24-cup (6 L) slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, adding reserved bacon, onions and mushrooms in final hour.

 NUMBER OF SERVINGS: 6 SERVINGS

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING

357 Calories                 18 g Fat

38 g Protein                  9 g Carbohydrates

An excellent source of Iron (31 % RDI) and Zinc (100 % RDI)

TIP:  With this dish, you’re free to enjoy the company as dinner slowly simmers in the kitchen. In fact, you can even make the stew the day before and simply reheat it in the slow cooker, oven or microwave. And here’s the big bonus – stew actually tastes better when made the day ahead.

Return To Top