'Meat glue' enzyme used in many restaurants Most consumers
wouldn’t know if they’re eating it Before ABC News exposed the
phenomenon of ‘pink slime’ earlier this year, few knew it
existed. Now most are hearing about something called ‘meat glue’
for the first time, too. It’s a little-known secret, used in the
kitchens of many restaurants. Meat glue is the nickname for the
white powder called transglutaminase enzyme. It allows people to
take small bits of meat – the size that would normally be used
for stew - and bond them together in a way that makes the
smaller pieces appear to be a solid steak. "That looks like a
normal piece of steak, doesn't it?," said Pennsylvania chef Doug
Shirey. "Looks like a piece of filet mignon." Shirey does not
use meat glue at his restaurant, but agreed to demonstrate how
it works. First he sprinkled the white powder over the meat,
mixed and wrapped it up, then refrigerated it for 12 hours.
Rancher Nigel Tudor said meat glue is made by "taking the
clotting agents out of pigs’ and