Pretreatments for Meats II (Curing - Smoking)

GRAIVER NATALIA; PINOTTI ADRIANA; CALIFANO ALICIA; ZARITZKY NOEMÍ

Operations in Food Refrigeration

Taylor & Francis Group, LLC,

Año: 2012; p. 136 - 169

Meat curing is a process in which a combination of salt, color fixing ingredients and seasoning are used to achieve unique properties in the final product. Cured meat products are characterized by addition of nitrate and/or nitrite, whereas other ingredients, particularly sodium chloride (salt), are essential parts of typical cured meat formulations. Nitrates and nitrites, either potassium or sodium salts, are used to develop cured meat color. They impart a bright reddish, pink color, which is desirable in a cured product. In addition, nitrates and nitrites have a pronounced effect on flavor; sodium nitrites also prevent the growth of food poisoning microorganisms. Smoking of food has been used for centuries, and its main purpose was originally to preserve the food. At first, smoking of food could be considered a side effect due to preservation by drying in the fireplace. Later on, the process was developed and changed and was combined with other processes such as salted dried, fermented, or preserved by other methods, because smoking alone does not ensure the appropriate shelf life.