Tallow

{{short description|Rendered form of beef or mutton fat}} {{other uses}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026|cs1-dates=ly}}

[[File:Tallow-beef suet after rendering.jpg|thumb|240px|Tallow made by [[Rendering (animal products)|rendering]] calf [[suet]]]]

'''Tallow''' is a [[rendering (industrial)|rendered]] form of [[beef]], [[pork]], [[mutton]] [[suet]], primarily made up of [[triglyceride]]s.

In industry, tallow is not strictly defined as beef or mutton suet. In this context, tallow is [[animal fat]] that conforms to certain technical criteria, including its [[melting point]]. [[File:TriglycerideTallow.svg|thumb|300px|Tallow consists mainly of triglycerides (fat), whose major constituents are derived from [[stearic acid|stearic]] and [[oleic acid]]s.]]

The solid material remaining after rendering is called [[cracklings]], greaves, or graves.<ref name=tyson>{{Cite web |url=https://www.tysonanimalnutrition.com/premium-products/all-about-rendering |title=Greaves: a high-protein solid which is left following the extraction of tallow from animal by-products during the rendering process. |access-date=2018-10-28 |archive-date=2019-06-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622222019/https://www.tysoningredientsolutions.com/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> It has been used mostly for [[animal feed|animal food]], such as [[dog food#History|dog food]].<ref name=boyard>[https://books.google.com/books?id=ODpFAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA2-PA552&num=100&q=intitle%3A%22animaux%20domestiques%22%20chat Nicolas Jean Baptiste Boyard,'' Manuel du bouvier et zoophile: ou l'art d'élever de soigner les animaux'' 1844, 327]</ref><ref name=sports>{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x-oDAAAAYAAJ&pg=PT158 |title=The Sportsman's Dictionary; Or, The Gentleman's Companion: for Town and Country |date=December 6, 1785 |publisher=G. G. J. and J. Robinson |via=Google Books}}</ref>

In the soap industry and among soap-making [[hobby]]ists, the name '''tallowate''' is used informally to refer to soaps made from tallow. This name comes from the chemical suffix "-ate" which signifies a negatively charged ion. [[soap|Sodium tallowate]], for example, is obtained by reacting tallow with [[sodium hydroxide]] (lye, caustic soda) or [[sodium carbonate]] (washing soda). It consists chiefly of a variable mixture of sodium [[salt (chemistry)|salts]] of [[fatty acid]]s, such as [[oleic acid|oleic]] and [[palmitic acid|palmitic]].<ref name=wint2007>Ruth Winter (2007): ''A Consumerýs Dictionary of Household, Yard and Office Chemicals: Complete Information About Harmful and Desirable Chemicals Found in Everyday Home Products, Yard Poisons, and Office Polluters''. 364 pages. {{isbn|9781462065783}}</ref>

Dripping is the British term for [[beef fat]] that has been [[rendering (animal products)|rendered]];<ref name="2020-01-23 Green Pasture Farms" /> it can be used to make [[Cornish Pasty|Cornish Pasties]].<ref name="2023-06-12 Leite's Culinaria" />

==Composition== {{nutritionalvalue | name=Beef tallow | kcal=902 |water=0 g| protein=0 g | fat=100 g | carbs=0 g | satfat=50 g | monofat=42 g | polyfat=4 g | opt1n=[[Cholesterol]] | opt1v=109 mg|note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/171400/nutrients Link to USDA FoodData Central entry]}}

Beef tallow is 100% [[fat]], 50% of which is [[saturated fat]], 42% as [[monounsaturated fat]], and 4% as [[polyunsaturated fat]] (table). It contains no water, [[protein (nutrient)|protein]] or [[carbohydrate]]s. In a reference amount of {{cvt|100|g}}, it supplies 902 [[calorie]]s of [[food energy]] and 109 mg of [[cholesterol]] (table).

Palmitic acid and stearic acid are the main saturated fatty acids, while oleic acid is the principal monounsaturated fatty acid; it has a low content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (4% of total; details below and in table source).

The fatty acid components of beef tallow are:

*Saturated fatty acids: **[[Palmitic acid]] (C16:0): 25% **[[Stearic acid]] (C18:0): 19% **[[Myristic acid]] (C14:0): 4% **[[Lauric acid]] (C12:0): 1% *Monounsaturated fatty acids: **[[Oleic acid]] (C18-1, ω-9): 36% **[[Palmitoleic acid]] (C16:1): 4% **[[Eicosenoic acid]] (C20:1): 1% *Polyunsaturated fatty acids: **[[Linoleic acid]]: 3% **[[α-Linolenic acid|Linolenic acid]]: 1%

==Uses== [[File:Tallow Ad.jpg|right|thumb|An 1883 ad soliciting tallow from butchers and graziers for soap production in the [[Kingdom of Hawaii|Hawaii]] newspaper ''The Daily Bulletin'']] Tallow is used mainly in producing [[soap]] and animal feed.<ref name=Ullmann>{{cite encyclopedia |author=Alfred Thomas |encyclopedia=Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry |publisher=Wiley-VCH |place=Weinheim |year=2002 |doi=10.1002/14356007.a10_173 |chapter=Fats and Fatty Oils |isbn=3527306730}}</ref>

===Food=== A significant use of tallow is for the production of [[shortening]]. It is also one of the main ingredients of the [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] food [[pemmican]]. With a [[smoke point]] of {{convert|480|F}}, tallow is traditionally used in [[deep frying]] and was preferred for this use until the rise in popularity of plant oils for frying. Before switching to vegetable oil with beef flavoring in 1990,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1990/07/24/mcdonalds-turns-to-vegetable-oil-for-french-fries/ |title=Mcdonald's Turns To Vegetable Oil For French Fries |website=chicagotribune.com |date=July 24, 1990}}</ref> [[McDonald's]] cooked its [[McDonald's french fries|French fries]] in a mixture of 93% beef tallow and 7% [[cottonseed oil]].<ref>Schlosser, Eric (2001). ''Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of All-American Meal''. Houghton Mifflin. {{ISBN|0-395-97789-4}}</ref> According to a 1985 article in ''[[The New York Times]]'', tallow was also used for frying at [[Burger King]], [[Wendy's]], [[Hardee's]], [[Arby's]], [[Dairy Queen]], [[Popeyes]], and [[Bob's Big Boy]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/11/15/style/risk-seen-in-saturated-fats-used-in-fast-foods.html |title=Risk Seen in Saturated Fats Used in Fast Foods |author=Irvin Molotsky |date=November 15, 1985 |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

In the 2020s, influencers and [[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]]—leader of the [[Make America Healthy Again]] (MAHA) movement—began to make unscientific claims<ref>{{cite web |date=June 22, 2022 |title=Scientists debunk claims of seed oil health risks |url=https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/scientists-debunk-seed-oil-health-risks/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240516041351/https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/scientists-debunk-seed-oil-health-risks/ |archive-date=2024-05-16 |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=In the News |publisher=Harvard University School of Public Health |language=en |publication-place=Boston, Massachusetts |ref={{harvid|Harvard University|2022}}}}</ref> about the [[Seed oil misinformation|negative health effects of seed oils]] and presumed health benefits of tallow over these oils.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Aleccia |first=Jonel |date=March 7, 2025 |title=Kennedy and influencers bash seed oils, baffling nutrition scientists |url=https://apnews.com/article/seed-oil-beef-tallow-kennedy-4fdf0f30134277fd6dd20b4ede789295 |access-date=2026-01-11 |website=AP News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hopkins Legaspi |first=Caroline |date=March 20, 2025 |title=Is Beef Tallow Good for You? Kennedy Thinks So, but Experts Disagree |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/well/eat/beef-tallow-oil-health.html |access-date=2026-01-11 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> Kennedy has called upon Americans to "Make Frying Oil Tallow Again".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Blumberg |first=Perri Ormont |title=Is Beef Tallow Actually Good for You? |url=https://time.com/7268368/is-beef-tallow-healthy/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250607215549/https://time.com/7268368/is-beef-tallow-healthy/ |archive-date=2025-06-07 |access-date=2026-01-11 |work=TIME |language=en}}</ref>

====Greaves==== {{main|Cracklings}}

Greaves (also ''graves'') are similar to [[cracklings]] but not identical. They are the fibrous matter remaining from rendering of fat tissue, without the skin.<ref name=tyson/> They are used in some dishes, and they are also pressed into cakes and used for [[animal feed]], especially for dogs and pigs, or as [[fishing bait|fish bait]].<ref>''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'', [https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/81128 ''s.v.'']</ref> In the past, the practice has been both favoured and shunned in [[Dog food#History|dog food]].<ref name=boyard/><ref name=sports/>

===Fuel=== ====Biodiesel==== Tallow can be used for the production of [[biodiesel]] in much the same way as oils from plants are currently used.<ref>Thamsiriroj (2011). "The impact of the life cycle analysis methodology on whether biodiesel produced from residues can meet the EU sustainability criteria for biofuel facilities constructed after 2017", Renewable Energy, 36, 50-63.</ref>

====Aviation fuel==== The [[United States Air Force]] has experimented successfully with the use of beef tallow in [[aviation biofuel]]s. During five days of flight testing from August 23 to 27, 2010, at [[Edwards Air Force Base]], [[California]], a U.S. Air Force [[C-17 Globemaster III]] flew using [[JP-8]] conventional [[jet fuel]] in three of its engines and a 50/50 blend of JP-8 and HRJ [[biofuel]] made from beef tallow in one engine on August 23, followed by a flight with the same 50/50 blend in all four engines on August 24. On August 27, it flew using a blend of 50% JP-8, 25% HRJ, and 25% [[coal]]-based fuel made through the [[Fischer–Tropsch process]], becoming the first [[United States Department of Defense]] aircraft to fly on such a blend and the first aircraft to operate from Edwards using a fuel derived from beef tallow.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=41e2d9de-4756-4810-9b82-6a5550dfa9a5 |title=C-17 Conducts Flight Test With Biofuel - Aero-News Network |website=www.aero-news.net}}</ref>

===Printing=== Tallow also has a use in printmaking, where it is combined with [[bitumen]] and applied to metal print plates to resist acid etching.

The use of trace amounts of tallow as an additive to the substrate used in [[polymer banknotes]] came to light in November 2016. Notes issued in 24 countries, including Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, were found to be affected, leading to objections from vegans and members of some religious communities.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/theres-a-minute-amount-of-rendered-animal-fat-in-canadas-banknotes-bank-of-canada-confirms |title=Why there is processed cow in Canada's money. Hint: you can blame it on the polymer |date=November 30, 2016 |website=nationalpost.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://money.cnn.com/2016/11/30/news/animal-fat-money-notes-bills-cash-australia-canada/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201131104/http://money.cnn.com/2016/11/30/news/animal-fat-money-notes-bills-cash-australia-canada/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 1, 2016 |title=It's not just the U.K. These countries also have animal fat in their money |first=Alanna |last=Petroff |website=cnn.com |date=November 30, 2016}}</ref>

===Candles=== [[File:Candles (AM 1966.3-5).jpg|thumb|A tallow candle]] Tallow was once widely used to make molded [[candle]]s before more convenient [[wax]] varieties became available and, for some time, they continued to be a cheaper alternative. For those too poor even to avail themselves of homemade, molded tallow candles, the "tallow dip," a reed that had been dipped in melted tallow or sometimes a strip of burning cloth in a saucer/cresset of tallow grease, was an accessible substitute. Such a candle was often simply called a "dip" or, because of its low cost, a "farthing dip"<ref>{{Cite book |title=Wordsworth Dictionary of Phrase and Fable |author=E. Cobham Brewer |author-link=E. Cobham Brewer |publisher=Wordsworth Editions |year=2001 |page=342 |isbn=9781840223101}}</ref> or "penny dip".<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Nautical Magazine and Naval Chronicle for 1866 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2013 |isbn=9781108054904 |page=153}}</ref>

===Lubrication=== Early in the development of steam-driven piston engines, the hot vapors and liquids washed away most lubricants very quickly. It was soon found that tallow was quite resistant to this washing. Tallow and compounds including tallow were widely used to lubricate locomotive and steamship engines at least until the 1950s. (During World War II, the vast fleets of steam-powered ships exhausted the supply, leading to the large-scale planting of [[rapeseed]] because rapeseed oil also resisted the washing effect.) Tallow is still used in the [[steel]] rolling industry to provide the required lubrication as the sheet steel is compressed through the [[steel rollers]].

Another industrial use is as a lubricant for certain types of light engineering work, such as cutting threads on electrical conduit. Specialist cutting compounds are available, but tallow is a traditional lubricant that is easily available for cheap and infrequent use.

The use of tallow or lard to lubricate rifles was the spark that started the [[Indian Mutiny of 1857]]. To load the new [[Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle]], the [[sepoy]]s had to bite the cartridge open. It was believed that the paper cartridges that were standard issue with the rifle were greased with lard (pork fat), which was regarded as [[Najis|unclean by Muslims]], or tallow (cow fat), which is incompatible with [[Diet in Hinduism|Hindu dietary laws]]. Tallow, along with [[beeswax]], was also used in the lubricant for American Civil War ammunition used in the [[Springfield musket|Springfield rifled musket]]. A combination of mutton tallow, [[paraffin wax]], and beeswax is still used as a patch or projectile lubricant in present-day black powder arms.

Tallow is used to make a biodegradable motor oil.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/automobiles/08BIO.html |work=The New York Times |first=Jim |last=Motavalli |title=Oil Goes 'Green,' with the Help of Some Cows |date=February 5, 2009}}</ref>

Tallow is also used in traditional [[bell foundry]], as a separation for the false bell when [[casting]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Forschungen |first=Institut für kunst-und musikhistorische |date=2002 |title=Glockenguss |url=https://www.musiklexikon.ac.at/ml/musik_G/Glockenguss.xml |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=ISBN 978-3-7001-3043-7 |language=de}}</ref>

===Industrial=== Tallow can be used as [[flux (metallurgy)|flux]] for [[soldering]] lead.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fantasyinglass.com/fantasyinglass.com/Tech_Help-Flux.html |title=Tech Help-Flux |website=FantasyInGlass.com |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 7, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250807123340/http://www.fantasyinglass.com/fantasyinglass.com/Tech_Help-Flux.html }}</ref>

===Textiles=== Mutton tallow is widely used as a starch, lubricant, and softener in textile manufacturing. Pretreatment processes in textiles include a process called [[sizing]]. In sizing, a chemical is necessary to provide the required strength to yarns mounted on the loom. Mutton tallow provides required strength and lubrication to the yarns.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

== See also == *[[Suet]] *[[Dripping]]

== References == {{reflist |refs=

<ref name="2020-01-23 Green Pasture Farms">{{cite web |author=Simon |date=January 23, 2020 |title=Tallow, Dripping, Suet – What's the difference? Know your Organic Beef Fats! |url=https://greenpasturefarms.co.uk/tallow-dripping-suet-whats-the-difference/ |language=en |publisher=[[Green Pasture Farms]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251110233749/https://greenpasturefarms.co.uk/tallow-dripping-suet-whats-the-difference/ |archive-date=2025-11-10 |access-date=2026-01-15 |quote=Do you know your tallow from your dripping? Your suet from your shortening? Here we explain the differences between all the different types of organic grass-fed beef fat that we have available on the website.}}{{unreliable source?|date=January 2026}}</ref>

<ref name="2023-06-12 Leite's Culinaria">{{cite web |last1=Leite |first1=David |date=June 12, 2023 |title=Cornish Pasties |url=https://leitesculinaria.com/1681/recipes-cornish-pasties.html |website=[[Leite's Culinaria]] |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250807025718/https://leitesculinaria.com/1681/recipes-cornish-pasties.html |archive-date=2025-08-07 |access-date=2026-01-15 |quote=These Cornish pasties are sturdy pastries filled with meat, such as beef, plus lots of vegetables, including potatoes, onions, and carrots. Kids love them.}}{{unreliable source?|date=October 2025}}</ref>

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[[Category:Animal fat products]] [[Category:Cooking fats]] [[Category:Garde manger]] [[Category:Animal fats]]