Principals of Meat Processing
Food Science
Mrs. Knight
Definition
•Processed Meats
–Can be defined as products in which the properties of __________ ____________ have
been ___________________ by the use of one or more procedures.
•____________________
•Chopping
•Addition of Seasoning
•Alteration of _____________
•_______________ ___________________
Processed Meats
•Typical Processed Meats
–________________
–Bacon
–Corned Beef
–All Varieties of _____________________
Classification of Products
•______________________ or Noncominuted
–All Processed meats can be put into one of these categories.
•Noncominuted
–Typically Refered to as _________________ meats
»Prepared from _____________ intact cuts (sometimes boneless)
»Cured, seasoned, and Heat processed
•Comminuted
–Involves ____________________ the raw materials, _____________, strips or pieces
»Sausages
»___________________
History of Meat Processing
•Originated in prehistoric times
–1st type was _______ ____________ meat
–Then meat smoked over a _____________
–___________________ and smoking has been common for thousands of years.
•People had to find ways to ___________________ meat for a later time.
–They found that salt and drying helped preserve meat products.
»Sausage and Bacon Date back to the early ______________________.
Basic Processing Procedures
•Curing
–Is the application of ______________, color fixing ingredients, and seasonings.
•Salt inhibits ____________________ by reducing the ____________ ____________,
thus reducing microbial growth.
•However meat that has a high salt concentration promotes the oxidation of
__________________ (The red pigment) making it turn an unattractive gray color.
•Potassium Nitrate can be used to “__________” color in cured meats and was likely
discovered by accident.
•Curing Cont…
–___________________ meat ______________ is done to not only preserve meats but
to bring about changes in _______________, color, and flavors.
–Main Curing Ingredients:
•_______________
•_______________
•Curing Cont…
–SALT (Sodium Chloride) ___________
•Not used in high enough concentrations for preservation so mainly used for
_________________.
•Curing Cont…
–_________________
•Used to develop cured meat _______________
–Bright _____________ _____________
–Highly ______________ but amounts in meat are so low they can not harm you.
–Helps reduce spore formation from clostridium __________________.
–Reductants
•Are compounds capable of donating ___________________
•These will ________________ a substance and speed up the redox chemical reaction.
– ___________________ Acid (Vitamin C)
– ___________________ Acid
»The addition of these can ______________ up the oxidation of the nitrite.
•Curing Cont…
–Alkaline __________________
•Often incorporated in curing mixtures
•Increases ____________ binding capacity
–Helps reduce shrinkage of product
–Helps improve __________________
–Reduces oxidatative rancidity
–Seasonings
•Do not affect the curing process but help develop ______________ ____________.
•Curing Cont…
–Application of Curing Agents
•Dry Rub
•Dissolved in liquid (___________)
•___________________
•Mixed in
– _________________ mixing is very important to ensure even color development, and
even spoilage.
Basic Processing Procedures
•Comminution, Blending, and Emulsification.
–Comminution
•Practice of __________________ ________________ __________
–___________________
–Chopping
–Blending
•To evenly mix ingredients
Basic Processing Procedures
•___________________________
–A mixture of two immiscible (incapable of mixing) _______________. Where one is
dispersed in the form of small ______________ inside the other to the point they will not
separate.
•Ex: Oil & Water
–Common Emulsions
»_______________________
»Homogenized Milk
•Used in ________________ and hot dogs to keep the fat from separating from the meat.
–“_________ _________”
Basic Processing Procedures
•_____________________
–Many different ingredients are incorporated into processed meats.
•It can be a challenge to determine the best ____________ for a product that will
produce the best product while following all meat ___________________.
Basic Processing Procedures
•Meat Ingredients
–To create uniform meat products selection of meat ______________ are important.
•Animal ___________________ vary in the following properties:
–Moisture
–Fat
–___________________
–Pigmentation
–And Ability to _____________ fat and water (stick to water and itself)
•Meat Ingredients
–High Binding Meats
•Bull Meat
•____________ Meat
•Beef Chucks
•Boneless Pork ________________
•Lean Pork Trimmings
•Poultry Meat
–These meats are ______________ to emulsify
Basic Processing Procedures
•Moisture
–Moisture accounts for ______-60% of the finished weight of processed meats.
•Most comes from the lean meat
•The processor also can add water
–Why add water?
»Reduce _______________
»Improves _____________________
»Helps keep ________________ down during processing
»Helps evenly ____________________ ingredients
»Improves finished product yield
»Keeps cost down
Basic Processing Procedures
•Moisture Regulations
–Meat Inspection agencies have levels set for _____________________ moisture content
in processed meats.
•Cooked Sausage cant have more than ______ times as much moisture plus 10% of the
original meat product content.
•_____________ _______________ can only have ________% added moisture.
•Finished weights can also not exceeded the original _____________________ products.
•Products whose weight is greater than the original materials weight must be labeled as
“____________ _____________” and only 10% over is allowed.
Basic Processing Procedures
•Extenders, Binders, and Fillers.
–Non __________ products incorporated into meat products.
•Purpose of these agents:
–Improve emulsion _________________
–_____________________ water binding capacity
–Enhance Flavor
–Reduce ____________________ during cooking
–Improve slicing characteristics
– __________________ formulation costs
Basic Processing Procedures
•Binders
–Increase water binding ability
•High __________________ content
–Dried Milk
–___________ Products
»Soy Flour
»Soy Protein Isolates
–Manufactured Vegetable Protein (MVP)
Basic Processing Procedures
•Fillers
–Able to Bind _________________ Amounts of ______________ but have poor
emulsification ability.
•Cereal Flours
•Starch
•____________ ___________
Basic Processing Procedures
•Extenders
–Used to describe any non meat ingredient, except for salt, water, and seasoning added
in sufficient quantities to increase the _________ or change the composition of sausages.
•__________________
•Soy Products
–Sausages that contain more than the allowable limits for extenders must be labeled as
“____________________”.
Basic Processing Procedures
•Seasonings
–A general term applied to any ingredient that is added to improve or modify the
_________________ of processed meats.
•Helps create distinctive flavors
•Helps allow for creation of new products
•A great amount of ___________________ is needed to understand the way flavors
work together.
–Spices can also increase the _______________ __________ of the product, thus
decreasing the shelf life.
Basic Processing Procedures
•Spices and Herbs
–Spices
•___________________ substances of ____________________ origin
–Allspice, Anise, cinnamon, Clove, Coriander, Cumin, ______________, Ginger, Mace,
Mustard, Nutmeg, Onion, _________________, Pepper, Pimento
–Herbs
•Dried __________________ of Plants
–Sage, Savory, Thyme, ________________, Bay Leaf, Marjoram
Basic Processing Procedures
•________________ Processed Meat Products
–Gives the processed meat a _______________ ___________ and holds them together.
•The shapes can be based on the traditional way of preparing that product.
•Products that are cooked may “Set” their shapes and then the casings can be
_______________.
Basic Processing Procedures
•Casings
–Putting meat products into casings is known as “______________”.
•_________________ Casings
–Made from the ____________________ of swine, cattle, or sheep.
–Very _____________________ to moisture and smoke.
–They are highly digestible and can be _____________.
–They also can shrink along with the product keeping a tight fit against the meat.
•Casings Cont…
–Manufactured Casings
•There are ______ classes of manufactured casings
–______________________
»Made from Cotton Linters, Easy to use, Very Strong.
–Inedible Collagen
–Edible _______________
»Made from collagen extracted from skin and ___________, ______________ than
natural casings.
–Plastic
»Are ____ ______________ to smoke or water so used primarily in non cooked products.
Basic Processing Procedures
•Smoking & Heat Processing
–Many products are both smoked and cooked and these processes can both occur
simultaneously.
–Heat Processing
•Cooking to an internal temperature of ________ to 160 degrees.
– ____________________ the product and kills microorganisms
–Kills _____________________ that could be present in pork or natural casings.
•Heat Processing Cont…
–Other important changes that result from heat processing are:
•The ____________ set structure that develops
•Textural changes increase ____________________
•____________________ can help improve or give desired color.
•Fixes the cured meat pigment
Basic Processing Procedures
•Smoking
–Process of exposing a product to _____________ smoke at some point during its
manufacture.
•Purpose is to develop special ________________ or colors.
•Smoke itself contains over __________ individual compounds some which provide a
preservative effect.
•Smoking meats develops a _____________ surface on the meat inside the casing
•Smoking Cont…
– Methods of Smoking
•The Modern Smokehouse
–Meat is hung in a _____________ ______________, smoke, ________________, and
temperature are all controlled. Heat processing can also take place at the same time.
•__________________ Smoke
–Concentrated wood smoke mixed in liquid and added to a product.
Basic Processing Procedures
•Dehydration
–Few meat processors use dehydration
–Dehydration removes significant _____________________ from the product to a level
where the water activity is so low it may be shelf stable.
•EX: _____________ _____________
Basic Processing Procedures
•Aging
–Involves keeping the product for ______________ time periods under controlled
temperature and humidity.
–There are several purposes for _____________
•__________________ Development
•Textural Changes
•Completion of Various _____________ ______________
•The drying and Hardening of the Product
•Aging Cont…
–The development of distinct flavor often results from microbial
_____________________ in the product.
•The microbes are usually _____________ ____________ producing bacteria added by
the producer as a _______________ ____________.
–Aging times vary depending on the product or desired result.
»Country Cured Hams age 3-6 months.
»Genoa Salami is aged for _________ days.