Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
8 ~
METHOD FOR SALTING MEAT
This invention relates to the salting tcuring) of
meat, especially of pork to produce bacon. As used herein,
the term ~bacon" is used generically to cover all
pork derived products which are sold after salting, e.g.
gammon, collar, hock and slipper, as well as the various
forms of bacon itself.
It is known to preserve meat by treatment with
salt. For this purpose the salt must penetrate the interior
of the meat and it has been customary to inject brine, i.e.
salt solùtion, into the meat through fine nozzles. The meat
so injected may then be immersed in brine to complete the
process. C~rrent food regulations require that meat which
contains more than 10% of added water must be labelled to
show the amount of water added. It is therefore normal
practice to sell meat containing not more than 10~ of added
water. The shelf life of salted meat depends upon the salt
content. For a shelf life of about four weeks, which is
appropriate for retailers who have a rapid turnover of
stock, a salt conte~t of about 2.5 to about 2.75~ is
adequate, but for a sh~elf life longer than this, e.g. six
weeks, the ~alt content must be increased up to 2.75% to
3.5% by weight.
Such high salt contents cannot be achieved by
injection of brine into meat. However, as described in our
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Application No. 87 07845, high salt concentrations can be
reached by the injection of saturated brine which has
suspended therein so-called "microfine saltn, the salt
particles being capable of passing through a sieve having
apertures of 100 micrometres, and preferably capable of
passing though a sieve having apertures of 50 micrometres.
Such microfine salt is commercially available for
incorporation into butter where the fine particle size is
required to permit homogeneous mixing and prevent any
sensation of grittiness in the butter. Salt of ordinary
particle size cannot be used as it clogs the injection
nozzles and cannot be satisfactorily injected into the meat.
After injection of the salt suspension the injected
meat can be stored inside sealed plastic bags. The meat is
first injected with brine containing microfine salt and the
injected meat is then placed in a ~lastic bag which is
sealed and usually heat shrunk. After the salt has had time
to permeate evenly through the meat the cured meat may be
removed from the bag and sliced and repackaged in the usual
way. This has the advantage of greater cleanliness and
avoids the use of brine baths.
When a suspension of microfine salt in brine is
used for injection it is necessary, in order to ensure
homogeneity of the suspension, to stir the brine
continuously. Such stirring does, however, represent a
.
continuous input of energy and raises the temperature of the
brine which should be kept at about 2 to 3C prior to
injection. Stirring can also lead to the entrainment of air
bubbles and foam formation. It may be difficult, as a
practical matter, to ensure complete homogeneity. If, for
any reason, the injected suspension is not homogeneous there
is a risk that areas of low salt concentration may be
present in the injected meat with a consequential risk of
localised bacterial contamination.
During storage of injected meat in plastic bags
"drip-loss" occ~rs. Aqueous liquid is exuded from the meat
resulting in weight loss and, possibly, spoiling the
appearance of the meat. There may also be a risk of
bacterial contamination of the exudate. Excessive drip-loss
is a particular problem with whole, bone-out hams and
fore-en~s.
The present invention seeks to overcome the
potential difficulties associated with the injection of a
suspension of salt in saturated brine by the use of xanthan
gum in order to stabilise the suspension and to reduce
drip-loss.
According ~Q the present invention meat, especially
pork, is cured by injection of saturated brine which
comprises xanthan gum and which has susperlded there~n salt
particles wl~ich are preferably capable of passing through a
sieve having apertures o~ 100 micrometres, and more
preferably capable o passing through a sieve having
A
apertures of 50 micrometres. The particle size of the salt
used should be such that clogging of injection nozzles does
not occur.
The inclusion of xanthan gum in the suspension
reduces or removes the need for continuous stirring of the
salt suspension to maintain homogeneity and substantially
reduces drip-loss from the injected meat.
The sus~ension is also stabilised an~ can, if
necessary, be stored for several days. The danger, in the
absence of xanthan gum, of recrystallisation of the
microfine salt Particles to produce particles of larger size
is reduced so that it is not necessary to make up the
suspension for injection only shortly before it is required
for use.
Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide which can be
obtained by culturing the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
It is available commercially as a pow~er which dissolves in
water to yield solutions having high viscosity at low
concentrations of gum. The product sold as Satiaxane CX 91
HV (high viscosity) is particularly suitable and is
generally used at a concentration of 0.2 to 45~ by weight
of the final brine sus'pension. Other xanthan gum products
may require different concentrations to produce a suitable
viscosity such that salt particles remain in suspension.
The concentrations necessary can be ~etermined by routine
experimentation.
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The saturated brine may be made up by ~issolving
ordinary coarse salt in water with the addition of the usual
preservatives such as nitrates, nitrates and/or ascorbic
acid in the usual amounts.
In ~reDaring the salt suspension it is preferable
to add to stirred brine a mixture of salt and xanthan gum.
This procedure reduces the likelihood of coagulation during
mixing. The mixture of salt and xanthan gum constitutes a
feature ~f the present invention, preferably co~prising from
2.5~ to lS~ by weight of xanthan gum.
The salt is generally used at a rate dependent upon
the desired salt content of the meat, usually at a rate of
20 to 80 parts by weight, preferably 35 to 70 parts by
weight, of salt per lO00 parts by weight of saturated brine.
The tem~erature Oe the suspension prior to
injection will generally be about 2 to 3C, the temperature
of the meat being 5 to 6C. The meat is usually stored at 3
to 4C while being allowed to cure. Storage at higher
temPeratures can result in increased drip-loss.
The viscosity of the suspension is preferably in
the range of. 34CP to 120CP, corresponding generally to 0.30~ to
0.45~ of xanthan gum ~n the final brine; a viscosity range
from 60CP to 85CP is especially preferred. Viscrsities refer
to values measured on a Prookrield ~ype LV~ viscollllter at 22UC.
Such a viscosity does not give rise to difficulties in
injection into the meat but holds in ~uspension the solid
salt particlcs.
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The present invention is especially advantageous
as a method of curing meat, for example pork, in .~ealed
plastic bags as it facilitates the production of high salt
levels in the meat by injection and reduces drip-loss from
~he meat during storage.
The following Example illustrates the present
invention.
~XAMPLE
The xanthan gum/salt mixtur,es according to the
invention are illustrated by a mixture oF microfine salt
(1û.2kg) and xanthan gum (0.3kg:5atiaxane CX 91 HV).
The mixture contains 2.8o xanthan gum and 97.2D' microfine
salt:percentages are by weight.
A brine according to the invention for injection
into meat may be prepared by adding the mixture described
above, with stirring, to salt brine (B9.5kg, 24aB[I
corresponding to 24.5X salt). This yields 100.0kg of brine
for injection (29BE, corresponding to 32.3Du salt). The
brine thus produced has a viscosity of 34CP.
The quantity of xanthan gum in the brine described
above may be altered with a corresponding change in the
viscosity of the final brine:
0.35Du xanthan gum gi~es a viscosity of 65.0CP; 0.45DX xanthan
gum leads to a viscosity of 120CP~
The foregoing viscosities were measured on a
Brookfield Type L~T viscometer at 22aC. '
.
