A method includes combining ground beef with liquid that contains carbon
dioxide. The ground beef and liquid are added to a vessel. The ground
beef contains relative light and heavy components. The components that
are predominantly lean beef will settle to the bottom of the liquid, and
components that are predominantly fat will rise to the surface of the
liquid. The separated components having predominantly lean beef can be
removed from the liquid as a reduced fat ground beef product. The method
can be practiced with any material containing fat, including plants and
animals.