Emu

Dromaius novaehollandiae

What emu has been studied for

2 associations assessed — 2 with at least some human evidence behind them. Strongest first.

2 Limited

Iron statusWomen's Health · 3 sourcesLimited— jump to the detail and sources
Muscle protein synthesisMuscle & Physical Performance · 1 sourceLimited— jump to the detail and sources

3 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About emu

A large flightless Australian ratite farmed for meat, leather and oil. Despite being a bird, the meat is deep red, low in fat and handled in the kitchen like beef; the USDA entry named here is the raw ground meat.

Also known as Emu meat, Ratite meat

Women's Health Muscle & Physical Performance

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Limited

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Iron status

Women's Health

Limited evidence

Has been studied as a source of heme iron. Emu is iron-dense for a bird, but the evidence concerns heme iron generally and no trial has fed people ratite meat.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

3 sources

Dietary Adaptation of Non-Heme Iron Absorption in Vegans: A Controlled Trial.(opens in a new tab)
Unclassified · Molecular nutrition & food research · 2025 · PMID 40320969
Iron and cancer risk--a systematic review and meta-analysis of the epidemiological evidence.(opens in a new tab)
Meta-analysis · Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2014 · PMID 24243555
A comparative analysis of heme vs non-heme iron administration: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.(opens in a new tab)
Meta-analysis · European journal of nutrition · 2024 · PMID 39708071

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Muscle protein synthesis

Muscle & Physical Performance

Limited evidence

May support muscle protein synthesis as a very lean complete protein. Nothing specific to emu has been published; the basis is animal protein quality in general.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

1 source

Ingestion of lean meat elevates muscle inositol hexakisphosphate kinase 1 protein content independent of a distinct post-prandial circulating proteome in young adults with obesity.(opens in a new tab)
Unclassified · Metabolism: clinical and experimental · 2020 · PMID 31678069

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Emu

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
Nutrient	Amount	% DV
Macronutrients
Calories	134 kcal	7%
Protein	22.8 g	46%
Total fat	4.03 g	5%
Carbohydrate	0 g	0%
Fibre	0 g	0%
Total sugars	0 g	—
Water	72.9 g	—
Fats
Saturated fat	1.02 g	5%
Monounsaturated fat	1.61 g	—
Polyunsaturated fat	0.557 g	—
Cholesterol	69 mg	23%
Linoleic acid (omega-6)	0.417 g	—
Vitamins
Vitamin A	0 µg	0%
Vitamin C	0 mg	0%
Vitamin E	0.24 mg	2%
Thiamin (B1)	0.27 mg	23%
Riboflavin (B2)	0.457 mg	35%
Niacin (B3)	7.49 mg	47%
Pantothenic acid (B5)	2.74 mg	55%
Vitamin B6	0.642 mg	38%
Folate	13 µg	3%
Vitamin B12	6.75 µg	281%
Minerals
Calcium	7 mg	1%
Iron	4.02 mg	22%
Magnesium	24 mg	6%
Phosphorus	222 mg	18%
Potassium	320 mg	7%
Sodium	56 mg	2%
Zinc	3.48 mg	32%
Copper	0.199 mg	22%
Manganese	0.027 mg	1%
Selenium	30.5 µg	55%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene	0 µg	—
Alpha-carotene	0 µg	—
Lycopene	0 µg	—
Lutein + zeaxanthin	0 µg	—
Caffeine	0 mg	—
Ash	1 g	—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Emu, ground, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 172832).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

Nothing dependable is recorded about how preparation changes this food’s nutritional properties. Rather than guess, this section stays empty.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

Worth knowing
Ground meat and pathogen distribution
Grinding spreads surface bacteria through the whole batch, so ground emu needs to reach a higher internal temperature than a whole muscle cut, exactly as ground beef does. Its leanness also means it goes from rare to dry quickly.
Worth knowing
Red meat classification is ambiguous
Emu is a bird, but its meat is red, iron-rich and used like beef. Dietary guidance on red meat is written around mammalian meat and does not clearly say where ratites sit, so the honest position is that nobody has studied it either way.
Allergy
Poultry meat allergy
Rare and poorly characterised in ratites specifically. People with established bird meat allergy have no reliable basis for assuming emu is safe.

Emu