BINDERS, FILLERS AND EXTENDERS

A number of nonmeat ingredients are included in sausage formulations by many manufacturers, especially in lower or medium-grade sausages and loaves. These ingredients are commonly known as binders, fillers and extenders. The use of binders, fillers and extenders is not always justified and many people object to sausages containing them. Many countries have restrictions on type, amount and quality of binders, fillers and extenders used in sausages. Products containing more nonmeat ingredients than allowed by meat inspection standards, must be marked as sausage imitation. Products where the word meat does not appear in the name, or which are labeled as imitation, are not restricted in their content of extenders. Binders are proteinaceous agents enhancing water binding properties and helping in binding together different materials in sausage products; sometimes they also contribute to fat emulsification. The most important protein products are: sodium caseinate (90 percent protein), soy protein isolate (90 percent protein), vital wheat gluten (80 percent protein), soy protein concentrate (70 percent protein) etc. Many of these proteins are used by meat processors for their functional (binding, emulsifying, extending) attributes rather than for their nutritional fortification. Functional properties of these proteins contribute to structural, emulsifying, binding and gelling qualities in sausages as well as to colour and flavour. Solubility and water absorption influence the functional performance of these proteins in sausage systems. Different factors, such as methods of soy protein production, contents of salt, pH, temperature etc., affect solubility and water absorption. Addition of blood plasma proteins (obtained, for example, by centrifugation of beef blood mixed with an equal volume of 0.9 percent NaCl solution, containing 0.5 percent sodium citrate) also improves physical and nutritional properties and yields of some sausage products. Whole blood protein powders also show important emulsifying properties but blood powders impart a dark colour to sausages. Plasma and globin proteins, separated from the blood and decolourized, exhibit excellent functional properties. Fillers are carbohydrate products able to adsorb extensive quantities of water but they are not good emulsifiers. Common fillers, which are used in sausage manufacture, include cereal flours and starches derived from rice, corn, potato, rusk (a cracker meal obtained by baking an unleavened high protein wheat flour), bread etc. Corn syrup and dried corn syrup contribute to the texture of products. These fillers may be added to sausages to increase their water binding capacity and/or to provide protein which can act as an emulsifier. Potatoes can also be processed to provide starch, flour and proteins which can be used in sausage production. Flours often give the sausages a somewhat tight structure. Potato flour binds moisture in cooked and emulsion-type sausages, but in fresh sausages it causes a springy and resilient effect after drying. Cooked rice tends to give a fairly firm texture while corn flour contributes to good slicing characteristics. Pre-soaked rusk contributes to an even moisture distribution in the sausage, and yeastless bread may improve both the texture and flavour of the sausage.

Sausage raw materials characterized by inferior binding properties such as tripe, skin, snouts, pork stomachs, lips etc. are often considered as filler meats. The term extenders usually covers nonmeat materials, added in such an amount that they are able to increase the bulk or modify the quality of a sausage or loaf product. Meat extenders are primarily plant proteins, usually from soybeans. These are first prepared as a flour, a concentrate or an isolate (to a protein level of 90 percent or more). Then, they are further processed to produce the end-product which is often textured to resemble meat fibres. Vegetable proteins are used as extenders for ground beef, for example hamburgers. To an amount of 75 percent of ground beef, 25 percent of a mixture of three parts water and one part vegetable protein, is added. Such a protein extruded meat product has a high water binding capacity.

SALT (SODIUM CHLORIDE)

Salt is the main flavouring agent used in making sausages and it contributes to basic taste characteristics of the final product. The amount of salt added depends on the sausage type and particularly on the fat content but in general it ranges from 1.8 to 2.2 percent of the sausage mix. An acceptable level of salt in dry or semidry sausages is about 3 percent. However, higher and lower salt levels are often used. Although salt is not generally used in concentrations sufficient to effect preservation it exerts some antimicrobial activity. Some bacteria are already inhibited at 2 percent levels of salt. Other microorganisms tolerate a much higher concentration of salt.

Fig.17 EFFECT OF NaCl LEVEL ON WATER BINDING CAPACITY (WBC) OF MEAT Salt also performs other functions in sausage. It dissolves in water and aids in the water binding and emulsifying capacity of meat proteins. Use of salt alone gives a dry salty product which has an unattractive colour. Today, salt is generally used in combination with sugar and nitrite. Salt should be pure and sufficiently finely granulated to dissolve easily in the meat.