Number 50      February 1995

MAFF UK - NUTRIENT ANALYSIS OF BACON

Index to MAFF UK Food Surveillance Information Sheets, 1995

Background

This small survey is part of the Ministry's ongoing surveillance of nutrient levels in food. It was commissioned in order to provide up to date nutritional information on a range of raw and cooked bacon. The new data were needed in order to quantify changes in composition resulting from changes in breeds of animal, husbandry and butchering practices (including trimming), curing and cooking procedures.

A range of cuts was analysed both in the raw state and cooked by one or more different methods. As well as the conventional cuts, lower fat/salt varieties, dry-cure, sweet-cure, steaks and joints were included, making a total of 25 composite samples. Each composite sample comprised about 10 sub-samples purchased from a range of retail outlets in the South East, which were prepared and cooked (as appropriate) by the contractor, and then bulked for analysis. Analyses were carried out for proximates, inorganics, vitamins, fatty acids and sterols.

The results will be used in MAFF's dietary surveys and will therefore help to establish the nutrient intake of the population. In addition they will be incorporated into a future supplement to McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods.

The report of the survey is held in the MAFF Library at Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR (Tel: + 44 (0) 171 238 6573).

Further enquiries should be addressed to:

Mrs Susan Church
MAFF, Food Safety and Science Group
Consumers & Nutrition Policy Division
Room 350 Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London SW1P 3JR

Tel: +44 (0) 171 238 5764
Fax: +44 (0) 171 238 5778

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