Whale meal

To make whale meal on an industrial scale whale meat was heated under steam pressure to release the oil, which was the primary product of the industry, and during the process the tissues were broken down into a slurry. After the oil has been centrifuged off, the solid material that remained was dried, ground and sold as whale meal.

The composition of whale meal varied depending upon the processing method and on the amount of bone and fat that it contained. Whale meal was graded on its crude-protein content:

 

	Source	% crude protein
Grade A	Meat only	80-85
Grade B	Meat and bone	45-65
Grade C	Bones	18-25

Whale meal was used as a protein source in animal food, in the same way that fish meal is used today, and was also a valuable source of B vitamins, including B12.