Meat+Poultry - October 2017 - 58

INGREDIENT ISSUES

Inc., Springdale, Arkansas,
which is known for its
fuller-flavor, thick-cut slices,
often offers limited-edition
flavored products. Currently
there's a naturally hickory
smoked barrel-aged bourbon
variety as well as a five
pepper-infused offering.

ADDING HEAT

A number of bacon
manufacturers are
getting into the flavored
bacon game including
Farmer John, Wright
Brand and Hormel.

MEAT+ POULTRY | 10.17 | www.meatpoultry.com

Farmer John, Wright Brand, Hormel

58

Sweet with heat is trending
in almost all food categories.
Why not bacon?
"Various designer chili
peppers, such as ghost and
hatch, combine well with
the salty, sweet and smoky
flavors of bacon," says Bob
Kaegi, director of meat
applications, Wixon Inc., St.
Francis, Wisconsin. "Sweet
heat is also very popular,
and can be achieved by
adding fruity flavors such as
peach and pineapple to chilies."
Johnson adds, "Combining sweetness
from honey or agave; adding a lemon, lime
or orange flavor; and blending with hot notes
from a variety of peppers, these flavor options
complement today's consumers' desire to be
adventurous, but with a twist of familiarity."
An innovative ingredient gaining traction
among bacon processors is naturally smoked
sugar. It can be added to the brines that flavor
bacon, to the cure or incorporated into rubs.
"Bacon can be injected and rubbed with
flavor," says Christiana Greene, technical
director, Sensient Natural Ingredients, Turlock,
California. "This allows for multiple levels of
flavor addition."
Such layering on of flavors, as well as
offering bacon in convenient forms, presents
growth opportunities for manufacturers.
For example, at the end of 2016, Godshall's
Quality Meats Inc., Telford, Pennsylvania,
turned its turkey bacon into a flavorful
topping. The new Crumblz line is all-natural,
uncured, fully cooked turkey bacon crumbles
with bold flavors, including barbecue, chili
lime and smoky.
Under the Artisan Butcher uncured bacon
brand, Godshall's offers some non-traditional

flavors. These thick slices of bacon come in
apple spice, bourbon molasses, coffee vanilla
and Korean barbecue flavors.
Flavoring bacon does come with some
challenges. These vary by how the flavor is
applied and how the bacon is used.
"With injected whole muscle products,
intended to be sliced later, it's important that
the flavoring ingredients stay soluble in the
brine or marinade," says Poulson Joseph,
principal scientist at Kalsec. "Spice extracts,
as compared to dried spices, work well with
injection systems. In addition to adding flavor,
spice extracts may function as antioxidants.
They assist with limiting oxidative
deterioration in sliced bacon and thereby
ensuring a flavorful product with adequate
shelf life, naturally."
Brine viscosity also influences flavor
absorption and retention, even with injected
products. With cured bacons, the sodium
nitrite may impact the flavoring ingredients.
"Traditional cures and brines impact flavor
delivery, especially the sweet profiles," says
Judson McLester, executive chef, ingredient
sales manager, McIlhenny Co., Avery Island,
Louisiana. "The move toward clean-label
uncured bacon that is derived from more
than just pork affords the opportunity to
truly innovate around taste and has opened
numerous possibilities."
There are often challenges in having
flavors come through desirably in bacon.
This is especially true in microwaveable
bacon products, as well as bacon used as an
ingredient in other prepared foods, as the bacon
gets cooked twice before being consumed.
"Some profiles, such as maple, have a
stronger aroma than flavor in application,"
says Megan McGough, senior research and
development scientist-meat at Kerry. "One way
to overcome this problem is to increase the
flavor usage or use a more concentrated flavor.
Another option is increase the slice thickness
to deliver more flavor."
Cost, as always, must be factored into the
process. This includes muscle size, types of
flavor or rub, and use of smoke.
"If an entire belly is flavored, it can be
difficult to find uses and sales outlets for
portions of the belly that are trimmed during
processing," Johnson says.
So what are some flavor concepts we can
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