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Weight and composition of the foie gras

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WEIGHT AND COMPOSITION OF THE FOIE GRAS

GREUTATEA ŞI COMPOZIŢIA FICATULUI GRAS

GH. NISTOR*, ELEONORA NISTOR*, V. BAMPIDIS**, VL. CHRISTODOULOU**

*U.S.A.M.V.B.-TIMIŞOARA
**NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION (N.A.G.R.E.F.), ANIMAL
RESEARCH INSTITUTE, GIANNITSA, GREECE

Abstract
By controlled induction of hepatic steatosis by
overfeeding in waterfowls can be obtained the
fatty liver (foie gras). This skill is ancient (3000
years B.C.) is influenced by species, breed and
food. The liver composition does not depend on the
length of the force-feeding period, but only on its
weight. The heavier the liver the higher the lipid
content, triglycerides reaches a maximum level of
50-60%. Comparatively the water, proteins,
minerals and phospholipids content are
proportionally reduced, but their quantity is three
or four higher than in a normal liver. With all this
transformations, hepatic steatosis is a reversible
process, after a long fasting period birds recovered
their initial weight and liver characteristics
(composition, histological structure).
Key words: fatty liver, geese, ducks, force-feeding
Rezumat
Prin inducţia controlată a steatozei hepatice prin
supraalimentare la palmipede (gâşte, raţe) se poate
obţine ficatul gras (foie gras). Această practică
foarte veche, datând din timpuri străvechi (3000
î.Ch), este influenţată printre altele de specie, rasă
şi hrana folosită la îndopare. Compoziţia ficatului
nu depinde de perioada de îndopare ci de greutatea
sa. Cu cât ficatul este mai mare cu atât conţinutul
în grăsimi este mai ridicat, trigliceridele ajungând
la 50-60%. Comparativ, conţinutul în apă,
proteine, minerale şi fosfolipide deşi proporţional
în cantitate mai mică, se găsesc în cantitate de trei
sau patru ori mai mare decât într-un ficat normal.
Cu toate aceste transformări, steatoza hepatică este
reversibilă, după o perioadă de post păsările
putând reveni la greutatea şi caracteristicile
iniţiale ale ficatului (compoziţie, structură
histologică).
Cuvinte cheie: ficat gras, gâşte, raţe, îndopare

INTRODUCTION
Archaeological excavations in ancient Egypt (Saqqarah necropolis) have proved that
goose husbandry was common as early as the third millennium BC. Foie gras would have been
discovered by the Egyptians who appreciate the tasty flesh of geese come to spend the winter
on the edges and delta marshes of the Nile. They have understood that the animals naturally
created their fattened liver by overfeeding in order to accomplish long migratory flights.
Amazed by the size and taste of these geese livers, Egyptians would have one only had to
reproduce this operation to discover Foie Gras. There are Egyptian tomb paintings dating back
to 4th and 5th dynasties of men feeding geese large balls of grain.
Romans dedicated geese to Juno, their highest goddess. There is reference to this
practice in the satires by Horace (Book ii, Chapter pIII) and in the statuette of a fattened goose
more than 4500 years old from the Ancient Egyptian Empire exhibited at the Louvre. Other
authors such as Herodotus and Homer have also described practices corresponding to force
feeding in their works. The feeding of geese according to the method carried out in Gascogne,
south-west of France was described as early as 1619 by Olivier de Serres, "et jecur anseris
albae pastum ficis pinguibus" the translation of which is "and the liver of a white goose
fattened with oily figs". The foie gras, put of king at the table of Louis XV, reached the
celebrity with Louis XVI, thanks to a meat pie receipt. It inspires then the great writers, such
George Sand and Alexandre Dumas, and even the musicians, like Rossini.
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Foie gras was traditionally obtained in the past mainly from geese, but in the recent
years are used ducks for this production because is cheaper even the foie gras from ducks had a
tendency to lose fat by melting.
The hybrid used for force-feeding obtained by crossing a male muscovy and a female
domestic duck (usually Peking duck), is called mulard (also known as the mollard). This
hybrid is sterile due to the difference in chromosome sizes between the two parents and shows
a number of anatomical features from each species. For example, sexual dimorphism in size
and coloration is almost absent, eggs hatch after an intermediate time of incubation (32 days in
hybrids, 28 in domestic ducks and 35 in muscovies), the birds have claws like muscovies, but
very rarely go into trees, like domestic ducks. Only the male’s hybrids are used for foie gras
production and the females are raised for meat consumption.
Goose foie gras is the oldest type. Foie gras has a silky consistency and a rich buttery
flavour. It is said to have a "more delicate, elegant, aristocratic" taste. The colour ranges from
beige to dark yellow. It is generally considered to have more delicate, silky taste even is
considered by others rather bland compared to duck foie gras. Duck foie gras has a more
characteristic taste. However, its taste is strong and not as refined as goose. The goose foie gras
is quite symmetrically shaped and on average a weight between 600gr and 800gr and can reach
up to 1200 gr.
Duck foie gras it is a bit less delicate than the goose foie gras but it is more
characteristic. It has also its supporters who prefer the frankness of its musk flavours, mixed
with a touch of lasting bitterness. The colour of the duck liver is light yellow tending towards
pink. The duck foie gras is distinguished by the fact that one lobe is much bigger than the
other. A duck fatty liver can weight 350gr to 600gr on average.
Foie gras can be of different types: the whole or in blocks is more appreciated. It can
also be made into médaillons, pâtés, mousses, and galantines or canned. It can even be stuffed
with truffles. Today, foie gras is not only a dish of great quality; it is also an art of living in its
own right. That means more than two thousand years, of gastronomic history. Pre-eminent
chefs and restaurateurs from all five continents use their products.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

There were used geese, muscovy ducks and mulard ducks force-feeding in smallholders
farms from Beius town, and two villages from Bihor county, for personal research. Products
were use for own consumption. The birds were fed with a typically mixture of ground corn, oil,
water and salt, four times per day. Birds had free access to water at all times. Feathers were
removed by placing the carcasses in hot water and feathers were removed easily. The water
temperature was about 60°C and the birds immersed for up to 2 minutes while the operator
holds on to their legs until the feathers could be easily removed by rubbing, when it was the
time to take the carcass out of the water. After slaughtering, the livers were removed, weighed
and a sample of 10 g was taken from the ventromedial portion of the main lob (right lobe) of
each liver and frozen at –20C for subsequent analyses. Water content was determined by
weighing a 1 g sample before and after heating at 105 C for 12 hours. The ash content was
determined from sample after mineralization at 600C for 12 hours. Proteins were analysed in
another liver sample (about 500 mg) by a normalised procedures adapted from that of Kjeldahl.
Total lipids were estimated from a sample of about 4 g and than quantified by thin layer
chromatography. Researches were made during two years and no bird die from injuries of
force-feeding in this period.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

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The liver is one of the largest organs in mammals and is the largest gland by a
considerable margin. It’s a remarkable machine with numerous functions. The liver structure
and anatomical placement reflect its function as the site for removal of impurities and for
conditioning of the blood. It is a filter through which the blood must pass before being released
to the general circulation.
Hepatic steatosis of the force-fed ducks or geese results from the accumulation of lipids
in hepatocytes. Among these lipids, storage cytoplasmatic lipids and especially tryglicerides
predominate (95% of all lipids). When the production of triglycerides does not matched by
their secretion, as very low-density lipoproteins or their degradation by beta-oxidation, fatty
liver occurs. The origin of hepatic steatosis in the waterfowl is nutritional.
During force feeding over production of triglycerides is facilitated due to the de novo
lipogenesis in avian species. In the case of overproduction not all triglycerides can enter the
secretion pathway and a large proportion remains stored in the liver. Since force-feeding does
not allow the birds to be fasted, the liver continues to accumulate triglycerides until the last
day, which indicates that the storage and secretion functions can still continue in birds.
At the beginning only geese were used to obtain foie gras (even today is more
appreciated), but because is more expansive the ducks and mulard ducks took the place of the
geese in this type of production. After force feeding the liver swollen between six and ten times
or even more (Table 1).

Table 1.
Average weight of foie gras from three species (average of 10 individuals)
Species Liver not force fed (g) Liver weight after force-feeding (g)
Goose 73 582
Muscovy duck 42 327
Mulard duck 65 419

Force-feeding brings about considerable modifications in the chemical composition of

the liver, increasing the percentage fat content, the protein content and reducing the water
content. Before force-feeding the liver has relatively little fat content. The type of fat contained
in the non-fed liver is manly the sort called phospholipids which represents more than 80% of
the lipids and their main component are phosphatidylcholine (70%) and
phosphatidylethanolamine (25%). After force-feeding there is a significant increase in fats, in
replace the proteins and water. Foie gras does not contain many minerals (table 2).

Table 2.
Composition of the three types of liver (goose, muscovy and mulard ducks)
Species Lipids Water Proteins Minerals
Goose 48,5 32,7 6,9 0,61
Muscovy duck 54,7 26,1 5,1 0,46
Mulard duck 51,3 27,2 5,8 0,50

The lipids accumulation is made in replace of protein and water that represent less than
10% of fatty liver weight. Rich in calories and cholesterol, and poor in proteins and essential
fatty acids foie gras is a unbalanced food.
In common with all foods of animal origin, foie gras contains a high proportion of
saturated fats (about 40%) and about 56% monounsaturated fatty acids. So, foie gras provides a
 504

large amount of monounsaturated acids, nearly as much as olive oil, and does not therefore
have a harmful effect on the arteries.
On the other hand, foie gras is a concentrated source of B group vitamins, which
contribute to the maintenance of a low homocysteine (a sulphur containing amino acid that is
formed when the proteins in food are used concentration in those who consume it.
In the end it must mentioned the great content of foie gras in cholesterol (often more
than 1g in 100g).

CONCLUSIONS
1. Even is banned in several former country producers, foie gras production has
considerably evolved during the last years. Force-feeding techniques are fully evolving.
France is the only country processing foie gras, with raw material produced in France
(75% of world production) or imported from a few other countries. France remain the
largest market, with 90% of the production sold in France and also from this country is
exported towards almost 100 countries.
2. There are evidences that liver structure and function that would be classifies as normal is
severely altered and compromised in force fed geese, ducks and mulards.
3. Continue force-feeding would almost certainly result in an earlier death.
4. Force-feeding is a reversible and birds can reach their normal weight and liver
composition after a few fasting days.

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