Periods: Three

1. Planning
2. Processing
3. Evaluation

1. To familiarize the student with the principles of meat processing and evaluation.

2. To familiarize the student with the procedures comminuted meat product manufacture.

Meat products come in a variety of forms. A product's identity is determined by the source of meat, the size of the meat particles, the ingredients that go into it, and the cooking procedure. In addition, many products have a legal standard of identity. Since fat, moisture, and the concentration of ingredients can change during cooking, meat processing companies must experiment with their procedures in order to control the composition and microbial safety of the final product.

Frankfurters are a comminuted sausage. This means that the raw meat is chopped to a paste, mixed with ingredients, stuffed into casings and cooked in a smokehouse. Franks contain salt, spices and a nitrite salt. These are essential to the prevention of microbial growth, and it is the nitrite that imparts the pink color to cured meats. Other ingredients may include ascorbate and/or erythorbate, which enhance the reactivity of nitrite, phosphates, which improve the yield and texture, and various flavoring agents and texture modifiers.

The yield and texture of a meat product depends on its fat content and on the binding capacity of the proteins, which affects the emulsion particle size and stability. When salt is added to fresh meat, the actin and myosin (which contract the muscle in the live animal) are extracted into the solution. Grinding, chopping, and tumbling facilitate this process. These proteins bind separate pieces of meat together, keep fat globules intact in comminuted sausages, and increase firmness and yields of whole muscle products.

Evaluation of any meat product includes analysis of flavor, texture, appearance, yield, and nutrient composition (fat, protein, moisture).

100 lb of meat (25-30% fat):

25 lb. water

3 lb salt

0.5 lb. sugar

0.2 oz. Na or K nitrite

0.87 oz. Na erythorbate or ascorbate

1. oz. cardamon

2 oz. ground celery seed 0.5 oz. garlic powder

4 oz. prepared mustard I oz. onion powder 8 oz. paprika

4 oz. white pepper

Alternative spice mixes can be found in meat processing books or from Dr. Knipe

1. Chop lean meat to 44° F while mixing in dry ingredients.
2. Add fatty meat and chop to 60° F.
3. Stuff into 25mm cellulose casings, link, and hang on truck.
4. Cook to an internal temperature of 155° F.

Moisture content

Yield

Flavor

Color

Texture

Ockerman, W. W. 1989 Sausage and Processed Meat Formulations. Van Nostrand Reinbold, N. Y.

Renker, M. D. 2000 Handbook of Meat Product Technology. Blackwell Science, Malden MA

Waris, P. D. 2000 Meat Science An Introductory Text. CABI Pub, NY