Salami, strasburg and other delicious processed meats will be back on the menu for health-conscious consumers thanks to a revolutionary low-fat process devised by CSIRO food scientists.

The new technology replaces fat in processed meats with proteins made from whey, a by-product of dairying which, in former times, was either fed to pigs or discarded.

The result is a manufactured meat containing about 75 per cent less fat than normal, but which has all the juicy palate qualities and flavour of the original product, according to its developer, Dr John Pearce of the Division of Food Science & Technology.

Dr Pearce has achieved a world-first with a new method for separating whey proteins in bulk to make a gel which looks and feels like fat, but is really 90 per cent water -- and which is as tasty and nutritious as lean meat.

The process has been patented internationally by CSIRO and licensed to food ingredients firm Applied Technology Products (ATP) Pty Ltd. It is being introduced to Australian consumers this week in a range of products made by Hans Continental Smallgoods.

"Manufacturers can include a range of herbs, colours, flavours and spices in the fat-replacer, offering us a tremendous opportunity to develop a range of products which meet modern health and nutrition requirements for smallgoods -- without any compromise to flavour, texture or appearance," ATP managing director Mr Gordon Trethowan says.

The new products will have major export potential, and could become healthy foods for Australian school canteens, he predicts.

More information: Dr John Pearce, CSIRO, 03 9252 6484
Gordon Trethowan, ATP, 03 9801 0199
Mike Adams, Hans Continental Smallgoods, 07 3399 2233