Buzz
Blood is an unavoidable byproduct of animal slaughter. Over the course of thousands of years of consuming meat, humanity has discovered a myriad of ways to make use of it. However, modern society tends to be more squeamish than ancient civilizations, limiting the utilization of blood. Overcoming this aversion could unlock blood’s potential to solve various global issues. Perhaps those vampires were onto something after all.
10. Blood as an Egg Replacement
In earlier times, animals were killed only on rare occasions, and every part was put to use. Even blood served as a thickening agent in soups and sauces, a role typically filled by eggs. This is due to the chemical similarities between eggs and blood, notably their shared presence of albumin.
Even today, blood is still utilized as an alternative to eggs. During World War II, Germans substituted blood plasma for eggs in many recipes. A classic dish like coq au vin, which Julia Child frequently showcased on her cooking show, traditionally incorporated rooster blood as a thickening agent.
Eggs can be one of the most expensive ingredients in baked goods. Spray-dried plasma protein concentrates, however, cost only a third of spray-dried egg whites. Depending on the specific cake recipe and the animal used, blood plasma can either completely or partially replace the egg components.
Blood albumin coagulates at a lower temperature than eggs, requiring less heat and thus less cooking time. While blood does have the downside of its distinct coppery taste, this can be masked by pairing it with bold flavors from herbs and spices.
9. Blood as a Replacement for Blood
Blood used for transfusion faces several challenges, such as its limited shelf life and the necessity to match blood types. For over a century, scientists have been searching for a substitute that can overcome the limitations of natural blood.
Luckily, there is an easily accessible and potentially more affordable raw material for blood substitutes: cow blood. The hemoglobin found in cow blood is used to create blood substitutes like HemoTech and Hemopure, which offer several benefits compared to whole blood.
While whole blood can be stored for up to 42 days, HemoTech has a shelf life of 180 days, and Hemopure can last for three years at room temperature. As these substitutes are made of pure hemoglobin, they do not require matching by blood type.
Since these substitutes are derived from cows, they carry no risk of human viruses like HIV. Although mad cow disease is a potential concern, hemoglobin is typically sourced from countries that have no cases of the disease. Additionally, the substitutes undergo extensive purification to eliminate any viruses or bacteria.
The same company that produces Hemopure also manufactures Oxyglobin, a dog equivalent used for treating anemia. Interestingly, Oxyglobin was involved in a doping scandal: Cyclist Jesus Manzano claimed to have been injected with Oxyglobin before Stage 7 of the 2003 Tour de France. The injection was blamed for his collapse, which was initially attributed to heatstroke.
8. Plastic
Bois durci, an early plastic made from animal blood, was patented by Francois Charles Lepage in 1855.
To create this material, blood albumen from Paris slaughterhouses was mixed with sawdust (particularly from poplar trees) and colorings to give it a wood-like appearance. The mixture was then processed under heat and pressure.
The result was a dense, highly polished substance with a wood-like texture that could be shaped similarly to wood. The iron in the blood reacted with tannins in the sawdust, producing a dark color. Bois durci was a valuable imitation of jet, a coal-like mineraloid that was highly prized as a gemstone during the Victorian era. Much like plastic, bois durci was used to make various items, such as picture frames.
In 1877, Dr. W.H. Dibble of Trenton, New Jersey, created 'Hemacite,' an American version of bois durci. Like bois durci, Hemacite was made from cow’s blood, sawdust, and other chemicals, all processed under heat and pressure.
These early plastics were eventually replaced by synthetic alternatives like Bakelite.
7. Fat Replacement
Processed meats tend to be high in fat, which is unhealthy. Therefore, the meat industry is looking for lower-fat alternatives that are equally appealing to customers. Blood ingredients could provide a solution to this issue.
As proteins, blood ingredients have fewer calories than fat, making them an ideal substitute for reducing the overall calorie content. They are also inexpensive and, due to their natural origin, attract customers who prefer natural ingredients.
In a study by Viana et al. (2005), ham pates were made using cow globin, plasma, or a combination of both as a fat substitute. A panel of 25 participants evaluated these pates and compared them to a regular ham pate. Although the control was favored, there were no significant differences in taste, aroma, or texture due to the fat replacement. The study concluded that using plasma or globins could be a viable way to create lower-fat pates.
Consumers prefer ground beef with 20% fat, so a fat replacer called Prime-O-Lean was developed to make lean beef taste as good as 20% fat beef. Prime-O-Lean is made from a variety of ingredients, including cow plasma that has been hydrolyzed, or broken down by enzymes.
6. Immune System Enhancer
In factory farming, piglets are often separated from their mothers and their milk too early. At this point, their immune systems are underdeveloped, leaving them vulnerable to infections that cause diarrhea, a major cause of death among piglets. Using antibiotics is a common solution, but it carries the risk of developing antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Fortunately, there is an alternative to antibiotics: blood-based animal feed.
Made from either cow or pig blood plasma, this feed appears to boost disease resistance in a manner similar to milk, thanks to its antibodies. While it might seem unsettling, using blood for its immune-boosting properties is not so unusual since many of the active compounds in milk are derived from blood. Additionally, plasma-based feed encourages pigs to eat more, likely because they find it palatable.
A comparable product has been developed to enhance the immune systems of humans. Proliant Inc., a slaughterhouse blood processor, produces an immune-boosting supplement marketed as ImmunoLin, specifically for the sports nutrition sector. While it may not be obvious from the packaging, the supplement is made from cow blood plasma.
5. Iron Supplement
Blood serves as a carrier for iron via hemoglobin. The iron-rich compound in hemoglobin, known as heme, offers a cost-effective, efficient, and easily absorbable source of iron. Unlike conventional iron supplements, it is rarely hindered by other dietary chemicals during digestion. The use of blood-based ingredients from slaughterhouse blood appeared to be a viable solution for preventing anemia.
In a study conducted in Chile, milk was enriched with cow hemoglobin. At 15 milligrams of iron per liter, the milk remained flavor-neutral and acquired a café-au-lait hue. However, the iron in the heme caused oxidation, resulting in rapid rancidity. As a result, fortifying milk was deemed impractical, and cookies, which contained less fat, became the alternative choice.
Children were given three to four chocolate-flavored cookies alongside milk. While this effectively increased the iron content in their diets, the levels of anemia in the population were much lower than what had been predicted based on a previous national survey.
Similar 'blood cookie' trials were carried out in Brazil and Mexico. In Brazil, 16 preschool-aged children with low iron levels were given cookies enriched with bovine hemoglobin. Meanwhile, in Mexico, pig hemoglobin was incorporated into the chocolate filling of cookies. Both studies successfully increased iron levels in the children within a few months.
4. Blood In Concrete
The durability of ancient Roman architecture, such as their iconic aqueducts, is well-known. This could be attributed to an unusual ingredient used in their construction: animal blood. Mixing animal blood into the concrete mixture created tiny air bubbles, making the concrete more malleable and robust. These air pockets made the concrete lighter, stronger, and more resistant to frost and water damage.
In 1805, Scottish civil engineer Thomas Telford completed the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, using a mortar recipe similar to that of Roman concrete: a blend of water, lime, and cow blood.
More than a century later, the French company Innobat developed Airlith, a new form of concrete made from powdered animal blood and two cellulose-based chemicals. Airlith forms a uniform network of air bubbles, evenly spaced throughout the concrete. The company claims this air bubble structure enhances the concrete’s strength and lightness by at least 40 percent.
Nowadays, instead of using blood, specialized chemicals known as 'air-entraining agents' are used.
3. High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is a prevalent health issue among older individuals. One way to reduce high blood pressure is through the use of ACE inhibitors, a class of drugs. These medications slow the activity of an enzyme called ACE, which converts angiotensin I into angiotensin II.
Angiotensin II plays a role in high blood pressure, in part by constricting blood vessels. ACE inhibitors, which can be taken orally, typically lower blood pressure within hours of consumption.
At present, ACE inhibitors come with various side effects, such as skin rashes. Natural alternatives are enticing because they are milder but still effective. ACE inhibitors can be derived from numerous types of food.
Slaughterhouse blood may be an inexpensive source of ACE inhibitors, as it is often discarded as a waste product. So far, ACE inhibitors have been extracted from pig, chicken, and cow blood. While plasma is generally considered the most valuable part of the blood, both plasma and hemoglobin appear to be promising materials for ACE inhibitors.
2. Surimi
Surimi is a fish-based paste most commonly known in the United States for its use in imitation crab meat.
In the United States, a large portion of the Pacific whiting catch is turned into surimi. Pacific whiting is often plagued by parasites from the genus Kudoa, which are distant relatives of sea anemones. These parasites form cysts in the fish's flesh. While these cysts are harmless to humans, they cause the fish to deteriorate rapidly. As a result, the fish was previously of low value with minimal market demand in the U.S. and Canada.
This situation changed when cow blood began to be used. Of all the enzyme inhibitors tested, cow blood was the most effective. It also helped enhance the gel strength, which was crucial for giving the surimi its desired texture. However, after the mad cow disease scare in 2003, the use of cow plasma in surimi was banned in several countries.
Egg white, used as a substitute, proved less effective than cow plasma. This led to the search for better alternatives, prompting studies on the use of other blood-based additives like pig, chicken, and trout plasma.
1. Glue/Adhesive
Animal blood-based glues have a long history and were developed independently in several countries. These glues can be made from the blood of various animals, such as chickens, cows, and pigs. In the U.S., the primary sources of blood glues are cows and pigs.
Although not waterproof, blood-based glues mixed with aldehyde were once the most water-resistant adhesives available. This made them particularly valuable during World War II, when water-resistant glues were needed for aircraft construction.
During World War II, phenol was in short supply, so dried animal blood was used as a filler in phenol-based plywood adhesives. As the supply of phenol dwindled, more blood was incorporated. However, it was later found that the blood-phenol mixture deteriorated quickly when exposed to the elements.
Blood-based glue is sometimes blended with soybean glue, its protein-based counterpart. This combination allows the two to complement each other's strengths and weaknesses. However, such protein-based glues have become less common over time.
After World War II, synthetic resins were developed, offering even better water resistance than blood glue. Their affordability and superior properties contributed to their widespread use, gradually replacing blood-based glues in many applications.
