Ground turkey, or

minced Mincing is a food preparation technique in which food ingredients are finely divided into uniform pieces. Minced food is in smaller pieces than diced or chopped foods, and is often prepared with a chef's knife or food processor, or in the case ...

turkey, is a mixture of dark and

light Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 te ...

turkey meat with remaining skin and visible

fat In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple est ...

processed together until a "ground" form emerges.Wong, Michael K., Wong, Michael K., Joseph Sampugna, and Lynn E. Dickey. “Moisture, Total Lipid, Fatty Acids, and Cholesterol in Raw Ground Turkey.” ''Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry''. 41.8 (1993): 1229-1231. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.United States. Department of Agriculture. "Poultry Preparation: Ground Poultry and Food Safety." ''United States Department of Agriculture: Safety and Inspection Service''. GPO. 25 Aug. 2008. Web. 26 Sept. 2011. The turkey meat, skin, and fat is taken off the bone and processed with

additives Additive may refer to: Mathematics * Additive function, a function in number theory * Additive map, a function that preserves the addition operation * Additive set-functionn see Sigma additivity * Additive category, a preadditive category with fi ...

.Feoning, G. W., Gary Hargus and T.E. Hartung. Color and Texture of Ground Turkey Meat Products as Affected by Dried Egg White Solids. Vol. 47. Poultry Science Assn. Inc., 1968. BYU Harold B. Lee Library. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. The final product has specific characteristics that appeal to customers, including a non pink color and non crumbly texture. The composition of ground turkey is driven by market demand, availability, and meat prices. The majority of ground turkey is made from excess

thighs In human anatomy, the thigh is the area between the hip ( pelvis) and the knee. Anatomically, it is part of the lower limb. The single bone in the thigh is called the femur. This bone is very thick and strong (due to the high proportion of b ...

and drumsticks rather than the more costly

breast meat Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, their meat or their feathers. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (which includes chickens, quails, ...

. Ground turkey is a common low-fat alternative for

ground beef Ground beef, minced beef or beef mince is beef that has been finely chopped with a knife, meat grinder (American English), mincer or mincing machine (British English). It is used in many recipes including hamburgers, bolognese sauce, meatloaf, ...

Regulations

According to

National Turkey Federation The National Turkey Federation (NTF) is the non-profit national trade association based in Washington, D.C., United States, representing the turkey industry and its allies and affiliates. NTF advocates for all segments of the turkey industry, pr ...

(NTF), anything under the label ''ground turkey'' is “manufactured from whole muscle material such as drumstick, thighs, neck, etc., with all components, e.g. skin and adhering fat, in natural proportions." Ground turkey producers are not permitted to exceed these limits. The

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

(USDA) does not regulate the amount of fat contained in ground turkey. However, fat content must stay at or below natural levels, which average between 10% and 15%.

Labeling

The USDA does not require retailers to put a nutrition label on ground turkey products. It is suggested to provide a nutrition label anyway, for the benefit of customers. There are two sets of circumstances under which some labeling is mandatory. First, the packaging must inform of any skin contained in the product. Second, the

Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) (Public Law 101-535) is a 1990 United States Federal law. It was signed into law on November 8, 1990 by President George H. W. Bush. The law gives the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority t ...

states that if the product is labeled “lean” or “extra lean,” it needs a nutrition label for evidence.

Nutrition

The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry published a study on random ground turkey samples taken from eight different states and a variety of retailers in the United States. Analyzing moisture,

lipid Lipids are a broad group of naturally-occurring molecules which includes fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, D, E and K), monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others. The functions of lipids includ ...

, and

cholesterol Cholesterol is any of a class of certain organic molecules called lipids. It is a sterol (or modified steroid), a type of lipid. Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural component of animal cell mem ...

content, scientists found the means per 100g of raw product. There is 72g of moisture, 8.5g of lipids, and 81 mg of cholesterol. Also analyzing the different turkey parts - dark meat, light meat, skin, and visible fat - they found lipid and cholesterol contents to vary based on the ratios of those parts in the product.

Fatty acids

The composition of

fatty acid In chemistry, particularly in biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with an aliphatic chain, which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have an unbranched chain of an even number of carbon atoms, ...

s found in the ground turkey samples include cis-octadecenoates, linoleate, palmitate, stearate, cis-hexadecenoates, and trans-octadecenoates. Scientists found trans fatty acids in every sample due to the diets of turkeys. Ground turkey and ground beef have similar percentages of fatty acid content.

Visible fat

The average overall fat content per 100g of ground turkey is 8.5 grams compared to 5.9 grams of total fat found in extra lean ground beef.

Cholesterol

In retail raw ground turkey samples, the mean cholesterol content is 81 mg per 100g; similar to the mean of 78 mg per 100g of raw ground beef product.

Food safety

According to the

American Meat Institute The American Meat Institute (AMI) was the oldest and largest trade association representing the U.S. meat and poultry industry. In 2015, it was merged into the North American Meat Institute (NAMI). Overview Founded in 1906 in Chicago as the Amer ...

(AMI), USDA inspectors oversee turkey plant operations and ensure that federal food safety rules are obeyed. The AMI Vice President James H. Hodges said that the turkey industry's preventative approach, including “a series of food safety hurdles” is key in reducing instances of harmful bacteria in turkey products.''American Meat Institute Says U.S. Turkey Supply Is Safe''. Reuters. Washington: PR Newswire, 3 Aug. 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. Regulations emphasize keeping facilities and equipment sanitary at all times.

Safe handling

*Check expiration dates and follow the safe handling instructions printed on every package *Separate from non-packaged foods like produce *Wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling the product *Cook to 74 °C (165 °F) *Wash all cooking supplies that contact the ground turkey *If there is a

product recall A product recall is a request from a manufacturer to return a product after the discovery of safety issues or product defects that might endanger the consumer or put the maker/seller at risk of legal action. The recall is an effort to limit rui ...

, return it or dispose of it *Refrigerate leftovers right away

Salmonella

Strains of '' salmonella'' have been found in ground turkey products. The Division of Animal and Food Microbiology Office of Research did a study on ''salmonella'' isolates in four retail

ground meat Ground meat, called mince or minced meat outside North America, is meat finely chopped by a meat grinder or a chopping knife. A common type of ground meat is ground beef, but many other types of meats are prepared in a similar fashion, incl ...

s- turkey, chicken, beef, and pork. The ground meats (including 50 samples of turkey) were collected from three retail markets in the Washington D.C. area and were processed and packaged at one of five plants. In the study, they isolated and characterized ''salmonella'' strains. They also found the isolates’

antibiotic resistant Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when microbes evolve mechanisms that protect them from the effects of antimicrobials. All classes of microbes can evolve resistance. Fungi evolve antifungal resistance. Viruses evolve antiviral resistance. ...

phenotype In genetics, the phenotype () is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology or physical form and structure, its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological pr ...

s. One ''salmonella'' isolate, ''s. enterica'' serotype, was found to be more prevalent in ground turkey than other ground meats. 7 out of 10 (70%) of the ground turkey samples contained the isolate. On July 29, 2011 the

Food Safety and Inspection Service The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is the public health regulatory agency responsible for ensuring that United States' commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg pro ...

(FSIS) issued a public health alert, informing the public that ground turkey products may be the cause of illness associated with a strain of salmonella named Salmonella Heidelberg.United States. Department of Agriculture. Arkansas Firm Recalls Ground Turkey Products due to Possible Salmonella Contamination. Washington: GPO, 3 Aug. 2011. Web. 25 Oct. 2011. On August 3, 2011, Cargill Meat Solutions Inc. recalled 36 million pounds of ground turkey due to the possibility of salmonella contamination. The FSIS issued a Class 1 recall under FSIS-RC-060-2011. The USDA classifies a Class 1 Recall as a hazardous health situation where the chance of the product causing serious consequences or death is high. The recalled products have the establishment number “P-963” and were produced between February 20 and August 2, 2011. On September 11, 2011 the FSIS and Cargill Meat Solutions issued a Class 1 recall under FSIS-RC-071-2011. 185,000 pounds of ground turkey products were recalled based on the possibility of the products being contaminated with Salmonella Heidelberg (Xbal PFGE pattern 58/Blnl pattern 76), a strain that is resistant to ampicillin, gentamicin, streptomycin, and tetracycline. The recalled products were produced Aug. 23, 24, 30, and 31 of 2011, and are marked with the establishment number “P-963.”United States. Department of Agriculture. Arkansas Firm Recalls Ground Turkey Products due to Possible Salmonella Contamination. Washington: GPO, 27 Sept. 2011. Web. 25 Oct. 2011.

Factors

A study from Ankara University used a conventional culture technique to isolate ''salmonella'' to determine the seasonal effects on incidence rates in ground turkey. In spring, summer, and autumn, ''salmonella'' rates are highest (48%, 55%, and 63% respectively). During the winter season the frequency of ''salmonella'' significantly lowers to 16%. Due to the complexity of food processing, ''salmonella'' found in processed turkey does not necessarily stem from the product itself. Before customers get the product, it goes through a series of phases including " flock, slaughterhouse,

processing Processing is a free graphical library and integrated development environment (IDE) built for the electronic arts, new media art, and visual design communities with the purpose of teaching non-programmers the fundamentals of computer programming ...

distribution center A distribution center for a set of products is a warehouse or other specialized building, often with refrigeration or air conditioning, which is stocked with products (goods) to be redistributed to retailers, to wholesalers, or directly to co ...

s and retail marketing. The conditions of each of these environments influence whether or not the ground turkey becomes contaminated.

Antibiotic resistance

Certain strains of ''salmonella'' in ground turkey resist

antibiotics An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention o ...

. Ankara University's study found ''salmonella'' in ground turkey resisted 25% of nalidixic acid, 17% of streptomycin, and 15% of tetracycline. Overall, approximately one out of ten of the samples had ''salmonella'' strains that were resistant to four or more antibiotics.

References

{{reflist Poultry products Ground meat