Ingredients that preserve meat products

With the increasing population and distances between production and consumption centres, it has become necessary to apply different techniques for preserving meat.

The quality and safety of meat products depends to a large extent on the proper use and selection of the raw materials required for their production. We highlight two important inputs:

• Nitrites and Nitrates of sodium and potassium act i n the curing of meats in order to develop color, modify taste and prevent the growth of microorganisms harmful to the health of consumers. They improve the taste of the product and prevent the development of bacterial intoxications, such as botulism. Sodium and potassium nitrite salts inhibit the development of bacteria.

Nitrites and nitrates play an important role in the development of essential characteristics in sausages, as they are involved in the appearance of the characteristic pink colour of the sausages and give the product a special taste and aroma.  These are used in very small quantities and care should be taken not to exceed the recommended amount of 0.2 grams per kilogram of meat.

• Phosphates are applied to limit syneresis or purge in products, and increase th e water retention capacity of meat. In addition, they have an impact on the quality of the meat by altering its texture, delaying oxidation, preventing undesirable flavors, stabilizing color and solubilizing proteins. The recommended amount is 3 grams per kilogram of meat.

It is recalled that several factors within production depend on the process of each company.

In general, IMBAREX manufactures quality products with international certification in this industry. For more information about our services, please contact our sales force here.