Argentinean scientists make low-fat, low-sodium hamburger

Washington, July 15 : Here's some good news for hamburger lovers who are forced stay away from their favourite food: Researchers in Argentina have come up with a low-fat, low-sodium hamburger. The only drawback however, is that it doesn't taste very good.

Researchers from th eCenter for Research and Development of Food Cryotechnology have the past two years developing the burger.

The boffins have taken the beef fat out of the meat and replaced it with a combination of substitutes less likely to clog arteries, reports thewashingtonpost.com.

Those substitutes include high oleic sunflower oil and fats from seafood rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which many studies suggest benefit cardiovascular health.

They also added phytosterols to the mix -- a byproduct of soybeans that can lower the body's cholesterol absorption.

Those who have tasted the burger however, say that it's not very good.

"The taste is very similar to a regular hamburger because the oils and fats we've added -- even the seafood oils -- are neutral in taste and smell," said Alicia Califano, another chemist who developed the burger recipe.

"But if you tried to make a hamburger this lean at home, it would be really hard and dry."

ANI