When animals are slaughtered to produce meat for human
consumption, approximately 50% of the animal is turned into animal
byproducts. The by-products are further processed and used for variety
of applications, thus, adding value to the animals. Traditional uses
for the protein rich solids include use in foods, pet foods, livestock
feeds, and fertilizers. Fats have been transformed into soaps and oleochemicals
(fatty acid derivatives) in addition to being used in food,
pet foods and feed applications. The need for new outlets of products
has also been realized due to commonly encountered zoonotic
diseases. The new outlets include using protein meals and animal fats
as energy sources in combustion units for the generation of steam or
renewable electricity. Nonetheless, animal by-products contain high
levels of water and have a very suitable biological and microbiological
composition which, if not stabilized, can lead to decomposition and
environmental pollution. The most conventional way of stabilizing raw
material is to process the raw material with heat. This serves to both
evaporate the water content and sterilize at the same time: this process
is known as “Rendering”.