Meat + Poultry - February 2005 - 92

ELLIS

CORPORA TION

Since 1898

Processing

We manufacture customized
packaged industrial wastewater
treatment equipment and solutions.

Smokehouse
temperatures and
humidity levels
must rise steadily
to ensure sausage
quality. (Source: Koch
Equipment)

DAF (Dissolved Air Flotation)
Removes F.O.G.'s, suspended
solids, BOD's and COD's.
Flow rates from 10 to 1100 gpm
"V" bottom with sludge auger is
standard
Advanced skimmer design
Stainless steel available.

OWS (Oil/Water Separator)
Removes free and emulsified oils
from water.
Flow rates from 15 to 5000 gpm
Integral oil and sludge reservoirs
Easily removable media
No moving parts
Stainless steel available.

IPC (Inclined Plate Clarifier)
Removes metals, turbidity, and
settleable suspended solids.
Flow rates from 10 to 800 gpm
Sludge chamber with thickener
is standard
Easily removable plate packs
Low headroom requirements
Stainless steel available.

Ellis Corporation
Field proven Over the years
Over the competition
1400 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue, Itasca, IL 60143

Phone (630) 250-9222 (800) 453-9222
Fax (630) 250-9241
We are an OEM Manufacturer.

Visit our website:www.elliscorp.com

humidity to a finished temperature of
a minimum of 148°F for fully cooked
sausage. (Note: This was a sufficient
median temperature 30 years ago,
however, today the proper temperature
requirements for a longer shelf life are
between160°F and180°F).
Once the sausage has attained the
proper cooked temperature, it should
be cooled quickly to maintain product quality and safety. The optimum
temperature for packaging and storing
sausage is established through water
showers, brine chillers and coolers.
Choosing ingredients wisely
Proper ingredients fall into three
categories, meats, water and nonmeats ingredients. Sausage meats are
designated as lean and fat. Lean meats
provide the actomyosin proteins that
provide the glue to hold the sausage
together and the color necessary for
eye appeal. Fat meats provide the fat
for tenderness and texture. A balance
of both meats provides a perfect hot
dog.
Water is critical to processed meats.
The heat rise without water as a lubricant and coolant would destroy
the meat structure. A hot dog without
water would simply be jerky. Each is
enjoyed in its own way, but jerky on
a bun with mustard probably wouldn't
be as big a hit at the ballpark.
Non-meat ingredients include salt,
sweeteners such as sugar, dextrose
and corn syrup, flavorings and curing
ingredients. Salt is most important
because it provides flavor, shelf-life
and microbiogical protection, and
solubilizes the actomyosin protein,
which is the glue that holds processed
meats together. It is used at levels of
1.5 to 2.5 percent in most processed
products, which provides the neces-

For more information, see Page 69
50

MEAT&POULTRY

February 2005

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sary level for protein extraction and
desirable flavor.
Sweeteners provide a balance to
salt and aid in the color development
of smoked sausages. Corn syrup and
dextrose are browning sweeteners that
enable sausages to brown at normal
cooking temperatures. In fresh sausages, corn syrup and dextrose will
brown to let the consumer know the
product is cooked properly while in
precooked sausages they provide a
pleasant cooked color.
In smoked sausages the dextrose
and corn syrup combine with smoke
to minimize the sharp acid flavor of
smoke and give a smooth smoky flavor. Corn syrup is hydroscopic, which
helps improve cooked yield and aids
in minimizing package weepage.
When adding non-meat ingredients,
it's critical to be aware of pH levels.
New flavors for meat products include
barbecue, buffalo hot wings and teriyaki. One common denominator these
flavors have in common is acidity,
which lends higher optimum pH levels (between 5.8 - 6.2) for water retention, natural meat color and moist texture. As the pH levels drop below this
point, fresh meat loses its bright color
and its moisture-holding capacity. If
pH levels drop, the resulting finished
product is dull in color, tough textured
and relatively unappealing.
The impact of pH levels on fresh and
uncooked meats is one reason why a
barbecue hot dog or hot-wing bologna
cannot be developed using today's technologies. One way to overcome this is to
add barbecue and hot sauce to meat that
has already been cooked.
The author is R&D manager for
meat and poultry at Kerry Americas,
Waukesha, Wis.
We would like to hear from you- your comments
and questions about this article are welcome.
E-mail the author at: meat&poultry@sosland.com

http://www.MEATPOULTRY.com

Meat + Poultry - February 2005

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