New omega-3 enhanced pork proves to be good eating

UniSA researchers have been developing novel omega-3 rich pork products to help Australian consumers meet the newly introduced target dietary intakes for the omega-3 fatty acids known as EPA and DHA.

The research into new "functional foods' was supported by an Australian Research Council Linkage grant in partnership with Bartlett Grain Pty Ltd and Australian Pork Ltd.

Project leader and director of UniSA's Nutritional Physiology Research Centre, Professor Peter Howe has been working with the food industry for more than a decade to develop alternative food sources of omega-3.

Together with Bartlett Grain, he has shown that pork, poultry and eggs can be readily enriched with DHA by adding a specially prepared fishmeal component to livestock feeds.

For the first time, the centre's research team has demonstrated that these enriched products have the capacity to improve health outcomes.

Research student at the centre, Stelios Sioutis has conducted sensory evaluations and dietary trials with volunteers eating omega-3 enriched pork products regularly for up to three months, and has found a high level of acceptance of the new foods.