Main Ingredients for Different Meat Curing
- Sea Salt This gets its own section since it really does the work for most meat curing. ...
- Pink Curing Salt No. 1 This is basically salt with the little tiny bit of sodium nitrite. ...
- Pink Curing Salt No. 2 No. 2 is used for long-term over 30 days dry curing projects which also includes salami. ...
- Pepper & Lard/Fat ...
Full Answer
What is the trend with the most significant impact on food?
The trend with the most significant impact on food is currently clean labeling, and meat products are not exempt from it. This trend promotes the elimination of additives of inorganic origin and their replacement by natural ingredients in the formulation of products. In the present work, the effects of the total substitution of polyphosphate and vegetable protein for citric fiber and hydrolyzed pork collagen in chopped pork York ham, with an extension of 52.9% at the end of cooking, were evaluated to achieve clean labeling. Two treatments were performed with two types of brine, which had a citrus fiber A and a citrus fiber B as phosphate replacements. Additionally, as a vegetable protein replacement, the same hydrolyzed pork collagen was used for both treatments. Tumbler massaging was made to allow correcting protein extraction, then it was subjected to heat treatment by immersion in hot water at 80 °C. It was concluded that the ham made with citric fiber B and hydrolyzed pork collagen obtained better results in texture, syneresis, sensory analysis and cooking losses, with no significant differences with the standard.
What is APP treatment in meat?
This study investigated the influence of direct atmospheric pressure plasma (APP) treatment on nitrite levels and physiochemical quality of meat batter during the mixing process. A compact APP system was developed for installation on top of a food mixer. Meat batter composed of pork, water and sodium chloride (80:20:1, w/w/w) was treated with APP during mixing. Plasma treatment gradually increased the temperature of meat batter over 60 min from 0.2 °C to 20 °C. Total aerobic bacterial count of meat batter was not influenced by plasma treatment for 30 min (p > 0.05). The nitrite level in meat batter increased steadily with increasing plasma treatment duration (p < 0.05), reaching 65.96 ppm at 30 min. Consequently, the CIE a*- and b*-values of cooked meat batter gradually increased and decreased, respectively, as the time of plasma treatment increased. According to the results, direct APP treatment can replace nitrite addition in cured meat processing.
What are nitrates used for?
Nitrite and nitrates are utilized to form cured meat colour, to enhance flavour and to provide antimicrobial and antioxidant effect in meat and meat products. It is a well-known fact that nitrite reacts with seconder amines and other nitrogenous compounds, causing the formation of carcinogenic N-nitrosamines. Considering the health risks of nitrite and nitrates, today the investigation of alternatives that have a potential of meeting the functions of these compounds is coming into prominence. For this purpose, some applications have been used like utilization of some natural compounds, antioxidants, colourings and microorganisms and modification of processing stages. Within this review, general functions of nitrite and nitrates, impacts on health, legislations and reduction or substitution opportunities in meat and meat products are discussed in the light of recent literature data.
What is a DBD-CP?
The application of dielectric barrier discharge cold plasma (DBD-CP)-treated water as a novel curing process for manufacturing Chinese dried pork loin was investigated. The treatment time of DBD-CP was optimized based on the pH and nitrite level of the plasma-treated water (PTW). PTW treated for 3 min had an alkaline environment and a higher nitrite content than that at the other lengths of treatment time. Pork loins were marinated in control or PTW brine at 4 °C for 24 h and then dry-ripened for 15 days. PTW with a higher treatment voltage significantly decreased lipid oxidation of the products and led to an increased a* value (redness) and an increased residual nitrite content in products that was still within the range of use (all P < 0.05). The contents of each free amino acid increased with increasing treatment intensity (P < 0.05). There were 22 new volatile compounds generated in PTW-cured products, such as 3-methyl-butanol, hexanal and 2,3-octanedione, while six substances were lost, such as 2-pentylfuran, compared with those in the control. This study indicates that using PTW as a curing method can be a potential and effective way of producing dried pork meat products.
What is the best calcium for pork?
To achieve this, 0.5% eggshell calcium (ESC), oyster shell calcium (OSC), marine algae calcium (MAC), or milk calcium (MC) was added to ground pork meat products. The effect of this substitution was studied by comparing the substituted products with products containing 0.3% phosphate blend (control). ESC was considered an ideal phosphate replacer for minimizing the cooking loss, which likely resulted from the increase in the pH of the product. Among the other natural calcium types, OSC treatment did not cause a significant increase in pH, but it lowered the cooking loss. CIE L* values were higher (p<0.05) in products treated with OSC or MC than the control, and lowest (p<0.05) in the products with ESC. However, products with ESC had higher (p<0.05) CIE a* and CIE b* values than the control and products treated with other powders. Compared to the control, products treated with ESC and OSC had similar substitution effects on the textural properties of the products. Therefore, the results of this study suggested that the combined use of ESC and OSC could be a potentially effective method for replacing synthetic phosphate in ground pork products.
What is salt in meat?
... Salt (NaCl) is one of the oldest food ingredients and the most important and fundamental one in various meat products. The major functions of NaCl are flavor enhancement, shelf-life extension through microbial growth control, increasing water holding capacity, and texture improvement (Sebranek and Fox, 1991; Sebranek, 2009 ). ...
What is phosphate replacer in pork sausage?
The phosphate replacer consisted of 0.2% oyster shell calcium powder , 0.3% egg shell calcium powder, and 0.25% whey protein concentrate. Depending on the presence or absence of synthetic phosphate and the addition level of phosphate replacer, the following products were processed: control (+) (0.3% phosphate), control (–) (non-phosphate), 20AL (20% replacer), 40AL (40% replacer), 60AL (60% replacer), 80AL (80% replacer), and 100AL (100% replacer). The pH values of pork sausages increased (p<0.05) with increasing addition level of the phosphate replacer. When more than 40% of the phosphate replacer was added to pork samples (40AL, 60AL, 80AL, and 100AL), cooking loss was significantly reduced compared to both the control (+) and control (–). However, no significant differences were observed in the moisture content and CIE L* values between the controls and the treatments with a phosphate replacer. The control (+) and 100AL treatment had the highest (p<0.05) hardness, but the samples with the phosphate replacer were not significantly different in cohesiveness and springiness from the control (+). As addition level increased, the gumminess and chewiness of the products with the phosphate replacer increased, which were lower than those of the control (+). Therefore, more than 40% of a phosphate replacer may possibly substitute synthetic phosphate to improve product yields in ground pork sausages, although further studies may be needed for improving the textural properties of the final products.
Introduction
Meat curing is an ancient process that was developed from the necessity to preserve a highly perishable food product. It is generally believed the cured meat processes were derived from preservation treatments first developed with salt. There is evidence of meat preservation with salt as early as 3,000 B.C.
Keywords
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What is the best way to cure meat?
Today, potassium nitrate and sodium nitrite (in conjunction with salt) are the most common agents in curing meat, because they bond to the myoglobin and act as a substitute for the oxygen, thus turning myoglobin red. More recent evidence shows that these chemicals also inhibit the growth of the bacteria that cause the disease botulism. Yet, a 2018 study by the British Meat Producers Association determined that legally permitted levels of nitrite have no effect on the growth of the Clostridium botulinum bacteria which causes botulism, which in line with the UK’s Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food opinion that nitrites are not required to prevent C. botulinum growth and extend shelf life.
Why is curing important?
Because curing increases the solute concentration in the food and hence decreases its water potential, the food becomes inhospitable for the microbe growth that causes food spoilage. Curing can be traced back to antiquity, and was the primary method of preserving meat and fish until the late-19th century.
How much nitrite is in meat?
Because of the relatively high toxicity of nitrite (the lethal dose in humans is about 22 mg/kg of body weight), the maximum allowed nitrite concentration in US meat products is 200 ppm. Plasma nitrite is reduced in persons with endothelial dysfunction.
What is the color of salt in meat?
Curing salt, also known as "Prague powder" or "pink salt", is typically a combination of sodium chloride and sodium nitrite that is dyed pink to distinguish it from table salt.
How does curing meat affect the length of time it is edible?
Curing significantly increases the length of time meat remains edible, by making it inhospitable to the growth of microbes.
Why is meat preservation important?
While meat-preservation processes like curing were mainly developed in order to prevent disease and to increase food security, the advent of modern preservation methods mean that in most developed countries today.
What is the earliest form of curing?
Dehydration was the earliest form of food curing. Many curing processes also involve smoking, spicing, cooking, or the addition of combinations of sugar, nitrate, and nitrite. Meat preservation in general (of meat from livestock, game, and poultry) comprises the set of all treatment processes for preserving the properties, taste, texture, ...
What is sugar used for in sausage?
Sugar - A variety of sugars including molasses and other sweeteners are commonly used in the production of processed meat and sausage. Sugars used range from sucrose (cane or beet sugar) to dextrose (corn sugar). The dextrose group includes corn syrup, corn syrup solids and sorbitol. Primarily, sugar is added to cured or processed meat to counteract intense saltiness of cured meat and as a medium (food) for the microbial fermentation process used to reduce the pH of dry and semi-dry sausages. The lactic acid, produced by fermentation of the sugar, reduces the pH and gives these sausages their tangy flavor. With the exception of sorbitol, the addition of sugars or sweeteners to a product increases browning of meat during cooking. Because sorbitol has the opposite effect, it is used in frankfurters to reduce charring when the meat is grilled .
What are phosphates in sausage?
Phosphates - Phosphates are used in production of some sausages to retain moisture, solubilize proteins and inhibit rancidity, which often results in improved texture, juiciness and flavor. The legal limit for phosphates in finished sausages is 0.5 percent by weight, but most manufacturers use less than that because of reduced palatability.
Why is sorbitol used in grilled meat?
Because sorbitol has the opposite effect , it is used in frankfurters to reduce charring when the meat is grilled . Spices - Many different spices are used to give processed meat products their distinctive flavors. Certain spices also act to inhibit bacterial growth and oxidation.
Why is nitrite used in meat?
Nitrite is used for curing meat to inhibit the growth of a number of food poisoning and spoilage microorganisms, including Clostridium botulinum; to retard the development of rancidity; to stabilize the color of the lean tissue; and to contribute to the characteristic flavor of cured meat.
What is the moisture/protein ratio of meat?
In most meat products the moisture:protein ratio approximates 4.0, (i.e., the meat product contains four times as much moisture as protein) . When a label reads "water added;' a regulated amount of water, specific for each of many products, has been added to enhance the tenderness, juiciness and overall palatability of the product.
What percentage of meat is used in sausage?
The common level of usage for mechanically separated meat (MSM) in sausage is from 5 to 10 percent of the weight of the product. However, USDA regulations permit use-levels up to 20 percent MSM from beef, pork or lamb if MSM is listed in the ingredient statement on the label.
What is nitrate used for?
Nitrate is only used in the production of dry sausages, and dry-cured hams, shoulders and bellies, which require a long cure, and thus need nitrate to continually produce nitrite during the curing process. Modern meat processors now add nitrite directly to meat or meat mixtures in very closely controlled amounts.
How many pages are there in Make Sausages Great Again?
Make Sausages Great Again packs an incredible amount of sausage making knowledge into just 160 pages. Rules, tips, standards, sausage types, smoking methods, and many other topics are covered in detail. It also contains 65 popular recipes. Official standards and professional processing techniques are used to explain how to create custom new recipes, and produce any type of quality sausage at home.
How long does it take for smoked sausage to cure?
Traditional Curing Method. Depending on particle size, meat needs usually 2-3 days curing time. Ground meat may be cured in 1-2 days. For regular (cooked) smoked sausages meat was usually cut into 1-2 inch long cubes, mixed with salt and Cure #1 and then cured in refrigerator for 3 days. After that it would be ground,mixed with spices, stuffed and processed.
What is the cure for smoking sausage?
Cure #1 is a mixture of 1 oz of sodium nitrite (6.25%) to 1 lb of salt. It must be used to cure all meats that will require smoking at low temperatures. It may be used to cure meats for fresh sausages (optional).
Is sodium nitrite dangerous?
Sodium nitrite comes in form of clear crystals which are dangerous as 1 g can kill a person. As they may be mistaken for common salt, they are not sold to public in pure form. Sodium nitrite is mixed with salt, and to distinguish the cure from salt, a pink coloring is added. It is sold in the US as Cure #1 or Cure #2.
How does cure accelerator work?
Cure accelerators tend to speed up chemical conversion of nitric acid to nitric oxide. They also serve as oxygen scavengers, which slow the fading of the cured meat color in the presence of sunlight and oxygen. Some studies have indicated that cure accelerators have antimicrobial properties, especially for the newly emerging pathogens like E. coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes ( Doyle 1999 ). Since cure accelerators are rarely used in home curing, this information needs further review or research to determine what benefits home curing would have by using certain cure accelerators.
What is the purpose of nitrates and nitrate conversion?
Nitrites and nitrate conversion to nitrite provide the characteristic cured flavor and color ( see below ).
What is Prague powder used for?
Prague Powder #2. This mix is used for dry cured meats that require long (weeks to months) cures. It contains 1 oz. of sodium nitrite and 0.64 oz. of sodium nitrate. It is recommended that this cure be combined with each 1 lb. of salt and for products that do not require cooking, smoking, or refrigeration.
What is the purpose of curing food?
Curing Foods. Curing is the addition to meats of some combination of salt, sugar, nitrite and/or nitrate for the purposes of preservation, flavor and color. Some publications distinguish the use of salt alone as salting, corning or salt curingand reserve the word curing for the use of salt with nitrates/nitrites.
What is the name of the organism that reduces sodium nitrate to sodium nitrite?
Sodium nitrate is reduced to sodium nitrite by microorganisms such as Micrococcus spp. present on meats.
What is the curing mixture of sausage?
Many individual manufacturers and commercial sausage makers produce curing mixtures, often combining sugar and spices with the salt and nitrite/nitrates. It is important that consumers follow manufacturer directions carefully.
Why is salt flavor the most predominant?
Because of the amount of salt used in most curing processes, the salt flavor is the most predominant.
What is Curing salts?
Curing salt was developed as a cure for meat, poultry, game, and fish. Actual ingredients may vary from brand to brand but typically contain a combination of high grade salt, sugar, both sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite, curing agents and propylene glycol to keep the mixture uniform.
Substitute for Curing salts
Always use the correct cure according to your recipe, do not substitute.
Overview
Curing is any of various food preservation and flavoring processes of foods such as meat, fish and vegetables, by the addition of salt, with the aim of drawing moisture out of the food by the process of osmosis. Because curing increases the solute concentration in the food and hence decreases its water potential, the food becomes inhospitable for the microbe growth that causes food spoilage. Curing can be traced back to antiquity, and was the primary method of preserving meat and fish …
Necessity of curing
Meat decomposes rapidly if it is not preserved. The speed of decomposition depends on several factors, including ambient humidity, temperature, and the presence of pathogens. Most types of untreated meat cannot be kept at room temperature for lengthy periods before spoiling.
Spoiled meat changes color and exudes a foul odor. Ingestion can cause serious food poisoning. Salt-curing processes were developed in antiquity in order to ensure food safety without relying …
History
A survival technique since prehistory, the preservation of meat has become, over the centuries, a topic of political, economic, and social importance worldwide.
Food curing dates back to ancient times, both in the form of smoked meat and salt-cured meat.
Several sources describe the salting of meat in the ancient Mediterranean world. Diodore of Sicily in his Bibliotheca historica wrote that the Cosséens in the mountains of Persia salted the flesh of carn…
Chemical actions
Salt (sodium chloride) is the primary ingredient used in meat curing. Removal of water and addition of salt to meat creates a solute-rich environment where osmotic pressure draws water out of microorganisms, slowing down their growth. Doing this requires a concentration of salt of nearly 20%. In addition, salt causes the soluble proteins to come to the surface of the meat that was used to make the sausages. These proteins coagulate when the sausage is heated, helping to ho…
Effect of meat preservation
Since the 20th century, with respect to the relationship between diet and human disease (e.g. cardiovascular, etc.), scientists have conducted studies on the effects of lipolysis on vacuum-packed or frozen meat. In particular, by analyzing entrecôtes of frozen beef during 270 days at −20 °C (−4 °F), scientists found an important phospholipase that accompanies the loss of some unsaturated fat n-3 and n-6, which are already low in the flesh of ruminants.
See also
• Brining – Food processing by treating with brine or salt
• Ceviche – Dish of marinated raw seafood
• Charcuterie – Branch of cooking of prepared meat products, primarily from pork
• Cured fish – Fish subjected to fermentation, pickling or smoking
Bibliography
• This article was partially translated from the French Wikipedia.
• McGee, Harold. On Food and Cooking (revised). New York, NY: Scribner, 2004. ISBN 0-684-80001-2
• Coudray, Guillaume. Who poisoned your bacon. London: Icon Books, 2021. ISBN 9-781-78578612-9, 9-781-78578786-7
External links
• National Center for Home Food Preservation - Curing Foods
• National Center for Home Food Preservation - How Do I? Curing and Smoking