Animal Byproducts - Boon to Human Health: A Review

Abstract

Around 165 million livestock and 2300 million poultry were slaughtered in 2016-17 in India. Besides meat, a large quantity of by-products are produced as a result of slaughtering process. Byproduct includes every part of a slaughtered animal except dressed carcass. The yield of animal by-products ranges between 50-60% of the live weight. Edible meat by-products contain many essential nutrients. Some are used as medicines because they contain special nutrients such as amino acids, hormones, minerals, vitamins and fatty acids. Slaughtered animals are the source of general medical and health care products which include antibodies (immunoglobins), beef insulin, bovine collagen, bovine fibrinolysin, bovine super oxide dismutase, bovine thrombin, hyaluronidase, PTH, gelatin pills/capsules, whole serum (vaccine manufacturing) etc. Although the development of synthetic substitutes in the middle of the 20^th century decreased the value of many animal byproducts, but their importance in the food industry and the medical/veterinary field are increasing in recent years.