by Dr. Adam Seigers Medical Health Contributor
Meat glue or tissue transglutaminase is a substance originally harvested from animal blood that is now produced from bacterial fermentation.
This substance, produced as a powder, is added to small pieces of meat.
And as its name implies, these pieces of meat are then glued via a chemical bond to make a larger piece of meat.
The problems therein are twofold. First, since tissue transglutaminase is not technically a food but rather a food additive, it is generally regarded as safe by the FDA despite an obvious lack of testing.
In the human body, tissue transglutaminase is genetically located on chromosome 20 and plays a role both in celiac disease and in certain cancers.
High levels are suspected to play a role in the development of both Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease.Second, from a health standpoint this technology allows the outer aspects of potentially contaminated meat to be brought inward where they escape the heat of cooking.
In addition, when a point source outbreak occurs, this technology makes tracking the source very difficult.
Since meat processed with meat glue is indistinguishable from traditional meat, always order meat well done when eating out.
This minimizes the potential for infection. Ask your chosen restaurant, hotel, or cafeteria if they use meat glue.
As for cooking at home… don’t expect to see it on food labels any time soon.
Instead, look for words like formed or reformed meat which may indicate the presence of tissue transglutaminase.
For more information please contact your primary care provider.
-Dr. Adam Seigers is a physician with Faxton St. Luke’s Adirondack Community Physicians (ACP) Boonville Medical Offices on Rt. 12.
