Offal can be healthier than meat in terms of vitamins and amino acids

The liver, kidneys and tongue may be healthier than regular meat , Rosselkhoznadzor experts say . The benefits of by-products depend on the category to which they belong, the report says, and accordingly, they can be included in the diet for a more healthy diet.

Category I by-products are the tongue, liver, kidneys, brains of pigs and cattle and some other parts, including the trimmings of these animals. The nutritional value of these by-products is high, they contain complete proteins, which means a high percentage of amino acids, and even more vitamins than meat. For example, the kidneys and liver are high in vitamin B3, and besides that, the liver is also high in vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Less nutritional value in category II offal. As explained in the department, this category includes pork and beef heads without tongue, lungs, spleen, legs and some other pieces, as well as a whole lamb head, including tongue and brains. There are fewer complete proteins in these by-products, the content of vitamins is lower. However, these offal are well suited for some dishes, such as jelly and brawn.

According to TK Solutions analysts, in 2022, Russian meat producers produced 22.8 tons of frozen bovine offal. Since 2017, offal production has grown by an average of 14% per year.