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.