Healthy animals for food production: an European perspective

III IP Course on “Quality Assurance of Meat Products”

Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Lisboa, Portugal

March 26th, 2001

LOW HUMIDITY
PRODUCTS

SOME PORTUGUESE
EXAMPLES

António J. F. Raimundo & José M. Pereira de Moura

 Contents:
1. Introductive Notions

2. Chouriço and Similar Products

3. Presunto

4. Products in the Market

5. Videos -
Salpicão and Chouriço Processing

26 April 2001 2
 1. Introductive
Notions

26 April 2001 3
Why do Low Humidity
Products Exist?

- Preventing Food Spoilage

- Preventing SAFETY Hazards

- Increased Durability of Food Supplies

- Reducing Waste ...

- Dietetic awareness ...

- Sensorial diversification/PLEASURE

26 April 2001 4
 Safety
Risks/Composition

Due to Composition

 Risks  Risks
 aw (<0,95)  aw (>0,95)

Nitrate/Nitrite No curing

 pH (<4,5)  pH value

Intensive smoking No smoking

Preservatives No preservatives

26 April 2001 5
 Safety Risks/Processing
Due to Processing
 Risks
Size reduction+Mixing
 Insufficient heating
No packaging, non hermetic,
dirty
Contamination during
preparation, stuffing or
packaging
Storing too long at to high a
temperature
Storing without refrigeration
after processing
Storing-temperature
fluctuation
Development of pathogen
monoculture without
competitors
26 April 2001
 Risks
Heating or sterilizing after
hermetic closure+imediately
before consuming
Asseptic packaging
Continuous “cold chain”
until immediately before
consumption
Processing in closed circuits;
without contamination
sources and temperature
fluctuation
Existance of microbiological
competitors against
pathogenic monoculture
6
 Stabilization Methods

METHODS
PHYSICAL CHEMICAL

Salting
Thermal Dehydration Irradiation
Curing
Cold Drying Electrons
Acidifying
Heat Freeze-drying UV
Smoking
Roentgen
Preservatives
Gamma

26 April 2001 7
 Effects of Stabilization Methods
(+ positive - negative / no effect)
Slowing Bacterio Bacteri
METHOD enzimatic Anti- and and EFFECT
reactions oxidation fungistatic fungicide

Slow
Refrigeration + + + / speed of
reactions

Freezing + + + / Water
Immobilization

Dehydration by
Freeze- + +/ + /
sublimation
drying

Irradiation +- - / + Sterilization by
ionizing rays

Dehydration by
Drying + +/ + /
evaporation

Appertization + / / + Sterilization by
heating

Smoking + + + +  aw
Fenol

 aw
Salting + + + /+
Salting

Girard (1976); Girard et al. (1986)

26 April 2001 8
 Smoking intensity

COLD WARM HOT

22-28ºC 40-60ºC 60-65ºC*

80ºC

(Tilgner, 1958; Möhler, 1978; Klettner, 1979) cit. Sinell (1981)

Process ºC Duration Products

Cold 18 Days to Raw, raw cured,

Smoking (12-24) weeks scalded long
duration, cooked
Humid* Up to 30 2-3 days Raw fast
Smoking maturation*
Warm Up to 50 1-3 h Scalded, big
Smoking calibre
Hot 60-100 20-60 min Scalded and
Smoking cooked

Fischer, cit. Prändl, Fischer, Schmidhofer, Sinell (1994)

26 April 2001 9
High Intermediate Low
Humidity*
HIGH INTERMEDIATE LOW
(HMF) (IMF) (LMF)*

aw 1,0-0,9 0,9-0,6 > 0,6

0,85-0,701

High
HMF Moisture
Foods

Intermediate
IMF Moisture
Foods

Low
LMF Moisture
*stable Foods

Gauthier et al. (1986); Leistner (1990)

1Mossel e Garcia (1984)
26 April 2001 10
 Storing Conditions
aw + pH
STORING
CATEGORY CRITERIA TEMPERATURE

aw  0,95
and pH  5,2
____________
Stable aw  0,91 No refrigeration
or needed
pH  5,0

aw  0,95
Alterable or  10ºC
pH  5,2

Easily aw > 0,95

alterable and pH > 5,2  5ºC

Leistner & Rödel (1976)

26 April 2001 11
 2. Chouriço
and
Similar Products

26 April 2001 12
Chouriço Appearance

26 April 2001 13
Chouriço Definition
 Horse-shoe shaped, but also rod shaped

 A product cured by smoke based

exclusively on pig lean and fat, fresh or
treated by cold, in the form of small
fragments, to which seasonings and
additives are added

 Meat and fat:

- Lean or lean/fat mix (belly);

cardiac muscle in cheaper types

- Hard fat, without rind, in

fragments not bigger than 1,5 cm

26 April 2001 14
 Chouriço Originality
and Similar Products

The portuguese chouriço (made

out of pig meat), and its related
products (salpicão, chourição,
linguiça ...), are intensively hot-
smoked products

This drastic thermal processing

(hot smoking), by fire with non-
resinous wood-types, is (beyond
its composition and seasoning)
what confers the product its
originality

26 April 2001 15
Chouriço
and Similar Products
 The products which are similar to
Chouriço are:

 Salpicão

 Chourição

 Linguiça ... and others

 They vary in size of meat pieces, calibre,

composition and shape

 Products may get different names in

different parts of the country (regardless
of size of meat pieces, calibre,
composition and shape), and different
recipes
26 April 2001 16
Chouriço 1 Formula
Ingredients kg %

Pork lean 7,934 79,34

Pork backfat 1,160 11,60
Refined salt 0,220 2,20
Red pepper* 0,300 3,00
Sweet paprika* 0,040 0,40
Garlic* 0,150 1,50
Water 1,147 11,47
Nitrifying agent* 0,014 0,14
Polyphosphate 0,035 0,35
mix

total 10,000 100

26 April 2001 17
 Chouriço 2 Formula
Ingredients kg %

Belly +/or trimmings* 5,000 87,458

(70% lean+

30% fat)

Refined salt 0,110 1,924

Red pepper* 0,200 3,498

Sweet paprika 0,020 0,349

Garlic* 0,012 0,210

Water 0,350 6,122

Nitrifying agent 0,007 0,122

Polyphosphate mix 0,018 0,314

total 5,717 100

26 April 2001 18
 Chouriço Processing Diagram
Meat
Tripe* Ingredients processing Packaging

1. Water Selection
a) Natural (pig) 2. Salt (NaCl)
Cutting/
3. Red pepper paste Mincing
b) Synthetic 4. *Nitrifying agents
edible
(collagenic) 5. * Polyphosphates
Mixing +
... Other ... Seasoning

Ripening/
maturation
a) 2-5 days 4-10ºC
b) overnight

Stuffing*

Thermal
processing*
Traditional Type Industrial type
1) Dehydration 1) Dehydration
30-40ºC 40-50ºC Stabilization
2) Reddening 2) Reddening
40-50ºC 50-60ºC
3) Coagulation* 3) Coagulation* Packaging/
50-55ºC 60-70ºC labelling a) Bulk
b) Vacuum
c) MAP
d) Canned*
Expedition
26 April 2001 19
 Treatment e.g.

26 April 2001 20
 Chouriço smoking
 Fire with hard woods
________________________________________
Artisanal

 Kept in mild fire, generating moderate smoke

and temperature

 Smoked in kitchen chimneys or rooms and in

traditional smoking chambers*

 Processing temperature varies according to:

 Fire activity/intensity

 Distance from fire

 Artisanal process - long periods of mild

smoking intensity, rarely rising to 70ºC (6 or
more days)

26 April 2001 21
 Chouriço smoking
Industrial I

 Smoked in:
_________________________________

 1st - smoking and cooking hovens/chambers

- 3-4,5 h/low RH%

- initially 50ºC

- then 63-65ºC/30 min*

 2nd - finishing in traditional (portuguese)

smoking chambers

- mild

- 6-12 h or more*

26 April 2001 22
Chouriço smoking

Industrial II

 Alternatively:

 6 h smoking

 cooling to 35ºC

 cooling and drying in

controlled atmosphere*
(98% RH 18ºC ~~> 60% HR 14ºC)

* Less losses (< 20%) and

condensations
* Better process control

26 April 2001 23
Chouriço smoking
Industrial III

 With fire:

 36-48 h

 At 5 h smoking = 80ºC air temperature

 Drying (40-50ºC) till fire extinguished

*** Temperature inside product will

always rise up to 60ºC, and is
kept for, at least 30 min

26 April 2001 24
 Chouriço
Processing Details
 Diameter 36-40 mm

 Cut meat pieces

max. 2,5 cm (side)
and
max. 5 cm artisanal*
(= “caseiro” = “home-made”)

 Mincer sieve = 25 mm*

 After stuffing the tripe is pricked*

 Losses  max. 30%

26 April 2001 25
 Chouriço
Scientific denominations

 Trees with hard woods used in

smoking of Chouriço and other
products:

- holm oak (Quercus ilex)

- cork oak (Quercus suber)

- olive (Olea europea)

 SWEET/Red pepper ... Red

pimiento (Capsicum annum L.)

26 April 2001 26
Chouriço Durability
 If adequately processed they may be kept
without the use of refrigeration
________________________________________

 Cooled and at max. 70% RH - 1 month

________________________________________

 In plastic bags - Bulk packaged, for immediate

use, if refrigerated (4-6ºC), will last for
months, but will: lose weight and sensorial
appeal, oxidate and may be attacked by fungi
________________________________________

 Vacuum packed - 3 months; 5 months at 6ºC

________________________________________

 Canned and in vegetable oil -

6 months* to 2 years (with a more intense
drying)

* 10% Salt in aquous fraction of the product

26 April 2001 27
Linguiça Appearance

26 April 2001 28
Linguiça Formula

Ingredients kg %
80% lean+
20% fat 5,000 85,836
Refined salt 0,110 1,888
Red pepper* 0,200 3,433
Sweet paprika 0,020 0,343
Garlic* 0,012 0,206
Water 0,400 6,867
Nitrifying agent 0,005 0,086
Polyphosphate mix 0,018 0,309
Pepper (ground black 0,015 0,258
or white pepper)

total 5,825 100

26 April 2001 29
Linguiça Processing Diagram

 See and follow Chouriço´s

diagram

 Attention weaker heat treatment

due to thinner diameter (calibre)

 Polyphosphates, if added, are

added at stuffing

 Calibre max. 20-24 mm

 Cut meat fragments max. 20 mm

 Mincer sieve = 20 mm

26 April 2001 30
 Salpicão Appearance

26 April 2001 31
Salpicão Formula

Ingredients Qty.

Loin meat 100 kg

Salt 4,5 kg

Garlic* 0,2 kg

Red wine* 7,5 l

Martins (1989)

- May include nitrifying agent,

polyphosphates and antioxidant, and
other natural flavouring agents (i.e. garlic
paste, sweet powdered paprika)

26 April 2001 32
Salpicão Processing Diagram

 See and follow Chouriço´s

diagram

 Attention, longer smoking/drying

treatment due to larger diameter
(calibre)

 Meat pieces:
- Mechanical cutting - 5 cm
- Hand cutting - 7-8 cm

 Calibre: 55-60 mm

26 April 2001 33
 “1 Portion Products”

 Paios ... Paios do Lombo

- Loins

- Meat portions above

transverse processes of
vertebrae, from neck ...

26 April 2001 34
 3. Presunto

- Dried Ham -

26 April 2001 35
 Presunto Appearance

26 April 2001 36
Presunto Processing Diagram
Additives + Meat
seasonings Processing Packaging

1. Refined salt Selection

(Na2+ Cl2-) (5)
2. Nitrifying
Agent*(1)

3. Nitrate* Preparation

4. Sugar*(2)
Pre-salting
5. Coarse salt Salting
(Na2+ Cl2-)

Post-salting

LOSSES Drying/
max 30-40% Dehydration

a) Cleaning Finishing a) Whole leg

b) Vegetable oil - Bulk
c) Lard Deboning* - Wrapped
(compression)

d) Red pepper b) Portions*

e) Smoking Portioning - Vacuum
- MAP

26 April 2001 37
 4. Products
in
the MARKET

26 April 2001 38
 Survey CHOURIÇO
Patarata e Martins (1991)

Sample

Average
Sdev

aw  0,95
and pH  5,2
Stable ____________ No refrigeration
aw  0,91 needed
or
pH  5,0

26 April 2001 39
 Survey SALPICÃO
Patarata e Martins (1991)

Sample

Average
Sdev

aw  0,95
and pH  5,2
Stable ____________ No refrigeration
aw  0,91 needed
or
pH  5,0

26 April 2001 40
 Survey PRESUNTO
Patarata e Martins (1991)

Sample

Average
Sdev

aw  0,95
and pH  5,2
Stable ____________ No refrigeration
aw  0,91 needed
or
pH  5,0

26 April 2001 41
Survey Patarata e Martins (1991)
CONCLUSIONS
 Products were very heterogenous in
presentation and physico-chemical
characteristics

 aw was main factor responsible for

product stability

 97,3% of the products, which were stable at

ambient temperature, had aw values lower
than 0,91, which, alone, assured stability
______________________________________
 Chouriço samples: 75% were stable at
ambient temperature, 70% due to aw value
alone, 5% by the action of aw and pH values

 Chouriço samples: 25% needed refrigeration

26 April 2001 42
Survey Esteves et al. (2000)

26 April 2001 43
 Chouriço
Survey 1993
Consumers’ Association (DECO)

Vgood;Good;Medium;Mediocre;Bad

1 Brand+type 2 Labelling 3 Humidity 4 Protein

5 kcal/100g 6 Fat 7 % Fat 8 Fat evaluation
9 Meat Quality 10 Nitrates/Nitrites 11 Salt
12 Hygiene 13 Palitibility 14 Global appreciation
26 April 2001 44
 Chouriço
Survey 1998
Consumers’ Association (DECO)

+ Vgood; + Good; Medium; - Mediocre; - Bad

1 Brand+type 2 Labelling 3 Composition 4 kcal/100g
5 Salt 6 Nitrates 7 Phosphates 8 Hygiene 9 Total
26 April 2001
10 Palatibility 11 Global appreciation 45
 5. SEE THE VIDEOS

26 April 2001 46
 “SALPICÃO
de
VINHAIS”

The Movie

 by a Group of Students
 Meat Technology Option
 _____________________________
 Agro-food Technology Course
 Polytechnic School of Agrarian Sciences Santarém

26 April 2001 47
 Chouriço
- Processing in Images -

Meat Technology Option

Agro-food Technology Course
Polytechnic School of Agrarian Sciences Santarém

26 April 2001 48