Emu Product Studies & Testimonials
Members of WIEA & AEA

Emu Oil & Meat Research & Product Testimonials

• Emu Oil & Meat Research
• Emu Product Testimonials

Below are a synopsis of recent emu oil and meat research studies. The full text of most of these studies is available on the American Emu Society web site: http://www.aea-emu.org

Wisconsin study says emu meat lower in fat, higher in protein and other nutritional needs:

Two Year Study Completed:

• Wisconsin study says emu meat lower in fat, higher in protein and other nutritional needs.
• Some say emu meat is a nutritional gold mine. Others call it the "superfood" of the New Millennium.
• Recent results from a study of alternative red meats by The University of Wisconsin-Madison confirm early reports, finding emu lower in fat and higher in protein and other nutrients -- when compared with bison, venison, elk and ostrich. Additional comparisons found emu meat lower in fat than chicken, turkey, pork and beef.
• Neil Williams, president of the American Emu Association, said the project's results went beyond all expectations of the American emu farming community.
• Begun in 1998, the two-year research project was funded by the United States Dept. of Agriculture's state marketing improvement program and the Wisconsin Dept. of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Along with other research goals accomplished, the study also provided important data to the USDA's respected Nutrient Database for Standard References the primary database used by dieticians, the medical community, food professionals and consumers to understand the composition of various foods.

Fatty Acid Analysis of Emu Oil.

(AEA funded study, 1994) By: Dr. Paul Smith, Dr. Margaret Craig-Schmidt, Amanda Brown at Auburn University. (Reprinted from AEA News, September 1994 Issue).
SUMMARY: Analysis of fatty acids in emu oil reveals that it contains approximately 70 % unsaturated fatty acids. The major fatty acid found in emu oil is oleic acid, which is mono- unsaturated and which comprises over 40 % of the total fatty acid content. Emu oil also contains both of the two essential fatty acids (EFA's) which are important to human health: 20 % linoleic, and 1 - 2 % alpha-linolenic acid.

Experimental Study to Determine the Anti-Arthritic Activity of a New Emu Oil Formulation (EMMP)

(1993) By: Dr. Peter Ghosh at Royal North Shore Hospital of Sydney, Australia and Dr. Michael Whitehouse at University of Adelaide, Australia.
SUMMARY: A combination of emu oil with a suitable transdermal transporter is found to show anti-inflammatory (anti-rheumatic) activity in various rat models.

Emu Oil: A Source of Non-Toxic Transdermal Anti-Inflammatory Agents in Aboriginal Medicine

(1997) By: Dr. Michael Whitehouse and Athol Turner, Dept. of Medicine, University of Queensland, Australia. (Source: Inflammopharmacology, San Francisco, March 1997 conference proceedings. Reprinted from AEA News, Summer 1997 issue).
SUMMARY: Ongoing studies on the anti-inflammatory activity of emu oils, as tested using the arthritis-induced rat model, indicate that different emu oils vary in their ability to suppress arthritic symptoms and that a chemical test for biological activity is needed rather than continuing to use the rat model.

Emu Oil: Burn Study Results

(AEA Funded, 1995-1998) Report By: Margaret Pounder, AEA President . (Reprinted from AEA EMUpdate, Summer 1998 issue).
SUMMARY: A Long term study was initiated by Dr. John Griswold, Director of the Timothy J.Harnar Burn Center (affiliated with Texas Tech University Medical Center, Lubbock Texas) in 1995 to analyze the potential effects of emu oil in the healing of re-epithelialized burn wounds. The study found that patients "almost unanimously favored emu oil as an end result and during application", and that there was a statistically significant difference in scar reduction and inflammation of the emu oil tended wounds.

Emu Oil Processing and Properties 1998

Emu Oil Processing and Properties 1998 by Dr. Ernesto Hernandez. An eleven page report.

Fatty Acid Composition

Comparative analysis of emu, ostrich and rhea oil. (1996) By: Dr. Margaret Craig-Schmidt and K.R. Willian at Auburn University. (Abstracts: 88th AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo, Seattle WA, May 1997).
SUMMARY: A comparison between oil rendered from the fat of the emu, the ostrich and the rhea reveals that the predominant fatty acid in ostrich and rhea oils is palmitic acid, and of emu oil is oleic acid.

International Emu Oil Guidelines

(AEA funded, May 1997) By: The AEA Oil Standards Team, Lee D. Smith (Team Leader). (Reprinted from AEA News, Summer 1997 issue)
SUMMARY: The text part of the Guidelines consists of the Executive Summary, the Introduction, and Background, and gives the requirements for the handling of emu fat to ensure optimum quality of the finished oil, from bird handling and proc essing to fat handling and cold storage. All farmers, slaughter facilities and processors should have a copy of this text.

International Emu Oil Guideline Testing Criteria

(AEA funded, May 1997) By: The AEA Oil Standards Team, Lee D. Smith (Team Leader). (Reprinted from AEA News, Summer 1997 issue)
SUMMARY: Actual oil testing criteria are summarized on the Emu Oil Guidelines page. This page is all that would be required by laboratories testing samples of emu oil to make sure the oil satisfies the guidelines for safety and consistency. All oil testing laboratories and oil rendering facilities should have a copy of the Emu Oil Guidelines page.

Emu Oil Processing and Properties

(1995) By: Dr. Ernesto Hernandez at Texas A & M University, Food Protein Research & Development Center. (Reprinted from AEA News, November 1995 issue).
SUMMARY: An outline of the actual processes involved in rendering emu oil from fat, and refining this oil by the RBD process (refining, bleaching and deodorizing).

Processing of Oils for Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Uses: Applications to Ratite Oil

(1997) By: Dr. Ernesto Hernandez at Texas A & M University, Food Protein Research & Development Center. (Presented at 88th American Oil Chemist's Society annual meeting, May 1997. Reprinted from AEA News, Summer 1997).
SUMMARY: Two different methods for refining oil are outlined: RBD processing, and physical refining. Physical refining uses clay adsorbents rather than chemicals, and may therefore help preserve any biologically active factors in the oil. Th e method chosen will usually depend on what the oil is going to be used for.

Emu Oil: Comedogenicity Testing

(Study done for E.R.I., 1993) By: Department of Dermatology, at University of Texas Medical School, Houston.
SUMMARY: Testing using the rabbit ear histological assay, with emu oil in concentrations of 25 %, 75 % and 100 % shows that emu oil in concentrations of up to 100 % is non-comedogenic, i.e. it does not clog the pores of the skin.

Moisturizing and Cosmetic Properties of Emu Oil: A Double Blind Study

(1994). By: Dr. Alexander Zemtsov, Indiana University School of Medicine: Dr. Monica Gaddis, Ball Memorial Hospital; and Dr. Victor Montalvo-Lugo, Ball Memorial Hospital. (Reprinted from AEA News, October/November 1994 issue)
SUMMARY: Eleven human subjects took part in a double-blind clinical study which compared emu oil with mineral oil in texture, skin permeability and moisturizing properties, as well as comedogenicity and irritability to the skin. No irritation to the skin was observed with either oil. However, comedogenicity of emu oil was significantly lower than that of mineral oil, and all subjects stated a unanimous preference for emu oil.

Composition of Emu Oil: The Micro View

(1997) By: Dr. Leigh Hopkins, AEA Oil Standards Team (Research Leader). (Reprinted from AEA News, Spring 1997 issue).
SUMMARY: When compared with human skin oil, the fatty acid composition of emu oil is found to be quite similar. In both types of oil, mono-unsaturated oleic acid is the most prevalent fatty acid, followed by palmitic acid, then linoleic acid, which is an EFA (essential fatty acid). This similarity may be one of the factors enabling emu oil to have such a positive action on human skin.

Emu Cream Assists Lidocaine: Local Anesthetic Absorption through Human Skin

(1997) By: Dr. William Code. (Presented at the 88th American Oil Chemists Society annual meeting, May 1997. Reprinted from AEA News, Summer 1997 issue).
SUMMARY: In his initial work with an emu oil based cream combined with spearmint oil and lidocaine, Dr. Code has found that this mixture appears to produce a reduced sensation in the skin as compared with another mixture of local anesthetics without emu oil. The goal is to reduce sensitivity to the skin in a safe, fast and effective way for procedures such as suturing or giving injections.

Emu Meat

Carcass Characteristics, Composition, Palatability, Micro-Biological Quality and Consumer Acceptance of Emu Meat. By L.D. Thompson, L.C. Hoover, H.C. Brittin, W.R. Lan, M.F. Miller, C.K. Wu, C.R. Adams, D.R. Daniel, E. Behrends, M. Butler, M.A. Carr, K. Crockett, J.D. Petrosky, C. Tisdale, C.E. Yarbrough. Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas. September, 1995. 111 page bound booklet.

The Emu: Carcass Characteristics, Composition, Meat Quality, and Sensory Evaluation of Emu Meat

By S.D.M. Jones and W.M. Robertson, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lacombe Research Centre, Alberta, Canada. Report prepared for the Alberta Emu Association. Reprinted from Fall '97 AEA News.

Emu Meat Focus Groups Report

By Business Insights, Inc., Dallas, Texas. Reprinted from April 1996 EMUpdate.

Real Fats and Real Foods: The Emu

By Dr. Cynthia Weber, Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Texas Christian University. Reprinted from Summer 1996 AEA News.

Influence of type of dietary fat on composition of emu oil and meat.

Investigators:

• Donald C. Beitz
• Jerry L. Sell
• Dong U. Ahn
• Frederick C. Parrish
• Shelley L. Oren
• Lois M. Beckerbauer

Objective:
The goal of this research was to characterize the effect of a highly unsaturated dietary fat (soy oil) and a highly saturated dietary fat (beef tallow) on the composition of emu oil and emu meat and eating quality of emu meat.
SUMMARY: Male and female emus were fed a diet rich in saturated fat (beef tallow) or a diet rich in unsaturated fat (soybean oil) until they weighed about 34 kilograms. Samples of external (back fat) and internal (retroperitoneal) adipose tissues and samples of six major meat cuts were taken for determinations of composition. Emus fed the two different diets grew at similar rates, but the male emus had a higher percentage of carcass fat. The adipose tissue cells from males were larger than those from females. All six meat cuts averaged 2.2% fat, with the regular filet having the greatest (3.6%) and the inside and outside drums the least (1.7%). Cholesterol concentration of all size meat cuts averaged 32.2 milligrams per 100 grams of meat. Diet did not influence cholesterol content of the oil. Fan filet had the greatest concentration of cholesterol (43.5 mg/100g), and the inside and outside drums had the least (28.2mg/100g). Source of dietary fat had no effect on fat and cholesterol content of the meats. Meat from emus fed beef tallow was more tender and juicy. Fan filets were the most tender meat, had the least intense flavor, and was the most flavorful. By using the triangle test, untrained panelists were able to discriminate between emu meat and beef. Source of dietary fat did not influence fatty acid composition of the meats. As expected, the soy oil-fed emus produced a more polyunsaturated oil than did the tallow-fed emus.

Emu Processing and Meat Cuts - A Guide for Commercial Processors

By Maria Minnaar. Text excerpts and illustration from The Emu Farmer's Handbook Vol. 2: Commercial Farming Methods for Emus, Ostriches, and Rheas. 16 pages in a bound booklet. Includes plastic overlay pages to show the locations of each meat cut.

Top Of Page

by Myra Charleston of http://www.emuzine.com (This article is reprinted from EmuZine with permission.)

We didn't even know anything was wrong, till she walked in the house then screamed, says Mary Chidester. She says it just didn't hurt till then. We all did that headlong rush you do when you hear that hurt cry your child does when you know it is a serious problem. Mary went on to tell us that her daughter, Cheryl had gone to throw some trash in the yard burner, a 55 gallon barrel used on their farm. As she got close to the barrel, she tripped on her shoelace, fell forward and hit the side of the hot barrel. The barrel tipped, then came back up and hit her on her upraised hand. Her arm looked like a horror movie picture of a zombie, said Mary, The right arm was burned from wrist to elbow about 4 inches wide. The skin had already ruptured, and was just hanging there. The palm of her left hand was bright red, but not ruptured.

They stuck Cheryl s arm under cold running water and called the hospital to let them know they were on the way. The hospital personnel suggested wet towels with ice bags in them for the 20-minute trip into town.

After the Chidester's got to the hospital, Cheryl was given painkillers. Then the nurses began cleaning the wound. Nurses scrubbed the raw arm as clean as they could and then began picking out the pieces of rust embedded in Cheryl's arm. Mary watched the nurses flinch as they worked on her daughter's arm, knowing how much this was going to hurt later.

They put silver sulfadiazine cream on her burns and sent her home with a prescription of hydrocodone, says Mary. We had to bring her back the next day, to check how the burns were doing and to make sure if she was getting infection or not. The rust and all the open wounds worried them.

Mary was told to give Cheryl a pain pill every morning, scrub off the old silver sulfadiazine cream and then reapply new cream. It was very hard on both of us. Sighed Mary. I told my egger list family about it, and everyone jumped to tell me about emu oil. Two of her egging friends, Peg Gardiner and D Shea Villoch sent her emu oil products in the form of a 25% emu oil cooling gel as well as the pure emu oil. I am very grateful to both, Cheryl's burns were bad enough and large enough, we have gone through both bottles.

The accident took place on April 14, Cheryl s 13th birthday. It took 4 days to get the emu products so they had to use the silver sulfadiazine cream until then. Aside from the discomfort of cleaning it off and reapplying, Cheryl would itch. When the cream and oil arrived they started using them on the bottom half of her arm because it had the worse burns. After the first day Cheryl wanted it on all of her burns, she felt so much better and no longer itched.

Mary tells us that they put the gel on under Cheryl's bandages when she had to be at school all day because the pure oil wouldn't last all day with just one application and the bandages would begin to stick to the wounds. The pure emu oil kept the wounds moist when she had the bandages off.

The old burnt skin came off in about 2 days, and pretty new skin was under it. We took a picture the day we got the emu oil, and one 5 days later, Mary smiled the old skin was all off, and even the discoloration around the burns was gone. Cheryl loved the smell of the cooling gel and couldn't wait to have her bandages changed in the mornings since it didn't have to be scrubbed off the way the cream did.

Mary was amazed at the difference the emu oil made. "Cheryl's arm seldom hurt after about a week use. The skin was still very tender, and the least bump broke the skin, but the only scars she will have are where she itched through the bandages when all we had was the doctors cream." Mary tells me (as of July) that Cheryl is fine and the scars are not noticeable unless she has been in the sun. After spending some time in the sun, you can see the outline of the burn on her arm, but otherwise would never know it had happened.

Dave and Mary Chidester can be reached via chid@oztech.com

This information is provided for educational purposes only. For medical diagnosis and treatment, see your physician.

Dr. Robert Nicolosi, Director of the Center For Chronic Disease Control with the University of Massachusetts has concluded scientific research that Emu Oil dramatically lowered levels of cholesterol in test animals. "Emu Oil, is similar to olive oil which has been used for years to control cholesterol levels in cooking", according to Dr. Nicolosi. Emu Oil is mysterious medical marvel. "Our research continues to study the many intriguing aspects of this oil and have concluded that its applications can be considered too numerous but, this most recent conclusion is very promising for millions of Americans," said Nicolosi.

The Emu, a domestically raised livestock throughout the U.S. is an identical ancestor of the large flightless bird that has inhabited Australia's infamous Outback for over 5000 years.

Dr. Thomas Wilson, the Laboratory Director for the Center was directly involved in the Emu Oil cholesterol study, added that further research is scheduled with increasing emphasis aimed at specifically determining human digestible quantities in the most common "across the counter form."

Top of Page

| About Us | Emu Oil & Meat Facts | Research & Testimonials | Products | Contact Us | Ordering Information | Home |