Edible offal meats especially liver and kidney are excellent sources of vitamin A and iron. They are low in fat, and although high in cholesterol, they can be eaten in moderate amounts as part of a low fat diet,
Other offal meats include tongue, heart, tail, brains, sweetbread and tripe.
Offal meats such as lungs, spinal cord and tendons are used in pet foods.
Australia is a major exporter of cattle hides and sheepskins, exporting around 80 per cent of cattle hides produced.
There are two basic types of tanned hides: chrome tanned, used for shoe uppers and suede production, and vegetable tanned, used for harnesses and shoe soles.
Australia also supplies a large part of the total world exports of woolled sheepskins.
Within Australia, sheepskins are also used to produce leather and chamois.
At various stages along the meat production chain, trimmings of fat are recovered, and rendered down to edible and inedible tallows. Edible tailors are used as frying fats, as shortening for use in baking, as aleo oil for use in bakery products, confectionery and industrial margarine.
Inedible tallows are used to make soap, lubricants, animal feed, leather dressings, candles, and tallow for tanning. Blood can be used in its whole form to make traditional smallgoods such as black puddings, or dried for use in stock feed and fertiliser. In addition, the various components of blood such as albumin, fibrinogen and blood cells are used separately, mainly in laboratory procedures.
Bone is used to produce bone meal for stock feed, production of fertiliser, glue, bone china and bone charcoal.
Horns and hooves are used to make glue, and to extract neatsfoot oil which is used as a fine lubricant and leather softener.
Intestines can be used as casings for smallgoods, as surgical sutures and as strings for musical instruments and tennis racquets.
Hair is used for artists' brushes, and as a
binder in asphalt paving, and plaster.
The pharmaceutical industry manufactures a range of potential life-saving drugs and chemicals from animal by-products. While manufacture of this kind remains fairly limited in Australia, a number of products are worth mentioning. Insulin and Clucagon are used in the control of human diabetes.
AdTenatin is widely used in the treatment of shock in severe asthma attacks.
Vasopressin is used to help regulate blood pressure and affects water absorption through the kidney.
Oxytocin is used to induce uterine contractions (labour) in pregnant women.
Heparin is used to stop blood coagulating when collected for testing or transfusion.
Cholesterol and Bite Acids are used to produce sex hormones, oral contraceptives, and steroids for the treatment of conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and cancer.
Rennet is used in cheese manufacture.
