Unit 14 - 25 Parramatta Rd,
Underwood ... Qld ... 4119

• The meat is chopped in cubes of approx. 5 x 5 cm and frozen for >24 hours at -18°C until solid.
• Add the frozen cubes of meat to the bowl chopper and start at slow speed until the required size is reached.
• Add dextrose/glucose, spices, Na-ascorbate, eventually other ingredients (e.g. starch, proteins) and Lyocarni starter culture (not salt) by sprinkling across the meat mixture.
• Add the cubes of frozen back fat and continue chopping at slow speed until the required texture has reached.
• Add the salt and nitrite salt and increase the speed of the bowl chopper. Continue chopping (a few rounds) until the final required texture is reached.

  Important: The meat temperature must not exceed 0°C; otherwise the meat mixture may start to smear during stuffing.

• Fill immediately (temperature of meat mixture -2 to 0°C) into well-soaked collagen casings.
• Place the filled sausages in a (drying) room at approx. 15-20°C without air circulation for acclimatisation (to avoid condensation on the sausages when moved to the climate chamber).
• Transfer the sausages to the climate chamber. Include a smoking stage, if required. The drying time depends on the weight loss desired and the diameter of the casing; the larger the diameter of the casings the longer the fermentation, drying and maturing process. Normally, a weight loss of about 20% combined with pH below 5.2 (depending on e.g. the meat content) is sufficient to produce a stable and safe product. The required weight loss is product/legislation dependent

Important: To avoid dry rim, which can make the drying out difficult or impossible, the humidity in the climate chamber must be high (>90%) during the fermentation process (until pH is <5.3).

When a new production procedure is introduced, the acidification should be followed in the first couple of productions by measuring with a pH-meter until pH 5.3 is obtained and the drying out can be initiated.

Summary of some of the most important points to consider in the processing of fermented sausages:

* The raw materials should not contain a high number of indigenous bacteria which may result in fermentation faults, off-flavour and discoloration etc.
* During fermentation the temperature should be 22-40°C which allows the bacteria to acidify as desired.
*The humidity at the beginning of the fermentation must be rather high. It must be at least over 90% r.h. and the best results are obtained when it is approx 95% r.h.