Process for preparing reduced fat meat

A process for providing reduced fat meat having a fat level of about 10 percent by weight or less and a high functionality, comprising the steps of:

• providing a supply of comminuted meat having a fat content about 60% or less by weight, based on the total weight of the comminuted meat;
• heating said comminuted meat supply on a continuous-flow basis to a temperature of about 115.degree. F. or less and adequate to generally melt fat within the supply of comminuted meat but low enough to avoid any significant denaturation of protein within the comminuted meat supply in order to provide a continuous flow of heated substantially undenatured comminuted meat;
• passing said continuous flow of said heated comminuted meat at said temperature and in the substantial absence of interruption of said continuous flow and in the absence of comminution into a centrifuge to subject said continuous flow of said heated comminuted meat to a gravitational force sufficient to reduce the fat content of the comminuted meat to a target reduced fat percentage, and separating said flow of heated comminuted meat into a generally liquid phase containing substantially all of the fat content of the supply of heated comminuted meat and into a lean meat phase which is substantially undenatured and has a high functionality, said lean meat phase being at said target reduced fat percentage which is about 10 percent by weight or less, based on the total weight of the lean meat phase;
• collecting the lean meat phase as a flow of reduced fat meat from the centrifuge;
• and
• collecting the generally liquid phase as a high fat byproduct.