SALTING, CURING, AND FERMENTATION

• Curing
- Curing when applied to the preservation of meat or fish means
preserving with salt followed by drying and or smoking. Salt was used for
preserving fish probably as far back as 20, 000 years ago as evidenced by
archeological studies of marine fish bones found in cave dwellings.
• Preservation of Fish by Salting
- Salt is an effective osmotic agent that can draw water from food
materials, such as fish, thus lowering its water activity and affecting
preservation. However, longer product shelf life can only be achieved when the
salt concentration approaches the saturation concentration of over 25% salt.
• The Salting Process
- The salting method applied depends on the size and composition of the
fish. The common methods are dry salting, brine salting, and a combination or
hybrid method.
Dry Salting Brine Salting

Various methods of salting are applied depending on the objective of the salting
process:
1. In products like Tinapa the objective of salting is mainly for flavoring
with preservation being achieved by smoking and chilling on freezing.
2. Immersion in concentrated brine is also called pickling. This is done foe
longer-term preservation and is advantageous for fatty fishes because
oxygen from the atmosphere is restricted by immersion thus retarding
rancidity.
3. Some fish, usually bigger non-fatty fishes, are split, opened out flat, and
salted. The salted split fishes are layered and the brine that forms are
allowed to drain off.
The other method is a modification of the kench curing, where the brine that
forms is allowed to collect and the fish is immersed in the brine.
• Salt and Salt Impurities
- Various places in the Philippines produce solar salt which is prepared by
evaporating seawater from salt beds where seawater collects. As the water
evaporates and saturation concentrations are achieved coarse sodium chloride
crystal form.
Nitrate/nitrite, now used as preservatives and an essential in meat curing were
first discovered as an impurity in salt. Such impurity was in abundance in the
salt deposits of Prague in the Czech Republic. This is the origin of the name
Prague power for nitrate salt.
Salt impurities of solar and minced salt may be as high as 20%. It is necessary
to be cognizant of impurities when using salt in food preservation.
• Spoilage of Salted Fish
- The most significant spoilage microorganisms are halophiles which require
10% salt for growth and exhibit pink discoloration in the fish.
• Meat Curing Ingredients
- The basic curing ingredients are salt, sugar (or another sweetener), and
nitrite.
• Salt
- Salt is the basis for all curing mixtures. Its preservative action is due to its
effect of lowering water activity and inhibiting microbial growth. It is a
flavoring material and also increases the gel strength of sausage mixtures.
• Sugar
- Sugar is added to the curing mixtures to balance the flavor. It is also has a
softening effect on the cured product by preventing the removal of some
moisture on the surface.

• Nitrate and/or nitrite

- Nitrite is an effective curing agent and nitrate is a source of nitrite. Nitrite
functions as follows:
 1. stabilize the color of the lean tissue,
2. contribute to the characteristics and flavor of cured meat,
3. inhibit bacteria responsible for spoilage and food poisoning, particularly
Clostridium botulinum
4. retards the development of rancidity.

• Cured Meat Color

The active agent in curing is nitrate oxide (NO) and generated as follows:
  NaNO3 --------> NaNO2 ----------> HONO  --------> NO
Note that the sodium nitrate (NaNO3) is first reduced to Sodium nitrite
(NaNO2), then to nitric oxide before it can be useful in the curing reaction.
1. Sodium nitrate is reduced to sodium nitrite by microorganisms present in
meats.
2. Sodium nitrite is reduced to nitrous acid in the presence of an acidic
environment (e. g by fermentation)
3. Nitrous acid forms nitric oxide. Nitric oxide reacts with myoglobin (meat
pigments) to form a red color.
Cured Meat Color Formation
The maximum levels of nitrate and nitrite allowed in cured meat products are
strictly regulated. In a pickle cure at a 10% pump level, the concentration of
nitrite should not exceed 2.27 g per liter, while for direct addition or dry cure
the maximum level is 1.63 g per kilo of meat.
• Nitrosamines
- There has been concern over potential health risks from nitrosamines in
cured meat products. Nitrosamines are compounds that can form when nitrites
combine with amines, a natural component resulting from the breakdown of
proteins.
• Saltire/Potassium
- Nitrate has been disallowed by BFAD to be used in any cured meat
products. The rationale for the prohibition is that it is very easy to overuse.
Instead, curing salts such as Prague Powder which contain more ordinary salt
than nitrite is recommended.
Other Optional Ingredients in Cured Meats
• Phosphate
- Phosphate has wide applications in the meat processing industry.
Phosphate is added to increase water-binding capacity and consequently the
yield of the finished product. Their water retention property is due to 2 actions,
the raising of the pH and the unfolding of the muscle proteins to accommodate
more water binding sites.
• Sodium Ascorbic and Erythorbate
- These reductants react with nitrite to give nitric oxide, thus fastening the
development of the pink-red color in cured sausages. Only sodium ascorbate
and erythorbate (isoascorbate) are used in practice since ascorbate and
isoascobate acids react directly with the nitrite.
• Potassium Sorbate
- Potassium sorbate is an antimicrobial agent, particularly effective in
inhibiting mold growth.
• Monosodium Glutamate
- Monosodium glutamate is used to enhance the flavor of meat products and
although its effect on cured meat flavor is not widely recognized
• Hydrolyzed Vegetable protein
- Hydrolyzed vegetable protein is added to many cured meat products and
sausages both emulsion and non-emulsion types to increase protein content and
yield.
• Carrageenan
- Carrageenan is a naturally-occurring carbohydrate extracted from red
seaweed. There are three basic types of carrageenan: kappa carrageenan, iota
carrageenan, and lambda carrageenan.
 • Sodium and Potassium Lactate
- These additives are used to extend shelf life: enhance intrinsic product
safety by controlling food-borne pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli, C.
botulinum, L. monocytogenes, and protect meat flavor.
• Spices
- Spices include a wide assemblage of true spices, herbs the vegetable
bulbs. The term “ true spices” usually refers to genuine natural spices that
include dried rhizomes, flowers, or their parts of fruits or seeds of different
plants, principally grown in tropical and subtropical regions, containing
aromatic and pungent substances and used for seasoning meat products.
Meat Curing Methods
Curing is carried out at refrigeration temperatures (2.2 degrees C/36 degrees
F to 4 degrees C/40 degrees F). At colder temperatures, the meat will not cure
properly. Warmer temperatures encourage the growth of spoilage in the
container.
• Dry Curing
- Dry curing involves applying the cure mix directly on the meat. Once the
blend of curing salt, cure aids and seasonings (optional) is prepared according to
a recipe, it is rubbed on and into the meat at the correct usage rate.
• Brine Curing
- Brine curing is also popular for curing meat. This method is also called a
sweet pickle cure. Brine curing involves mixing the curing salt with water to
make a sweet pickle solution. The meat is cured with this brine by injecting the
brine using a meat pump or by soaking them for a specific time.
• Combination cure
- This method combines the dry rub cure with the injection of brine solution.
A combination cure is used for curing hams. This methods shorten the curing
time required and reduce the chance of spoilage because the curing process
takes place inside and outside of the ham.
• Sausage Cure Method
- The method for making cured sausage is different from the curing
methods described above. Curing salt and spices are mixed with ground meat.
 • Smoking
- Three traditionally recognized reasons for smoking meat; for preservatives,
appearance, and flavor. Smoked meat is less likely to spoil than unsmoked
meat. Smoking improves the flavor and appearance, aids to reducing mold
growth, as well as retards rancid flavors.

JESSECA U. FRANCISCO BTVTED FSM-2