Meat + Poultry - October 2009 - 108

INGREDIENT ESSENTIALS * ADVERTORIAL

Scaling up for success
New Symrise Technical and Culinary Center for Protein Foods designed for developing
a wide range of contemporary new products
Symrise Flavor & Nutrition Division/
North America's new Technical and
Culinary Center for Protein Foods in
Teterboro, N.J. replicates operations
conducted at many U.S. processing and
packaging facilities to aid its customers in
the new product development process.
Encompassing more than 2,000 square
feet, the center contains equipment
for many protein-based, value-added
products. An injector, tumbler, mixer,
bowl chopper, emulsifier, stuffer and
grinder help to create a wide range of
products. A computer-controlled heat
processing chamber, with both liquid
and wood smoke capabilities, is featured.
A drying chamber is also available for
dried, processed meat products such as
salami and pepperoni.
Test batches from 10 lbs. to more than
100 lbs. can be run with the proven
confidence of scaling up to larger sizes.
"In most cases, our test-batch activities at
the center can make an easy transition to
our customers' production facilities," says
Dr. James Lamkey, applications manager.
Areas of focus
Lamkey identifies the center's five
areas of focus:
* Reducing sodium - The Symsalt
portfolio of flavors is designed to help
reduce sodium while maintaining the
characteristic flavor of the traditional
product.
* Natural ingredients - Symrise's policy
is to fill customer requests with natural
ingredients - when they make sense,
Lamkey says. "Many products we use
can be listed as natural flavors on the
finished-product label," he adds.
* Palatability improvement - In a
struggling economy, consumers tend
to look for less-expensive protein
meals, which can compromise flavor
and texture. Symrise has developed a
marinade that improves the flavor and
helps with tenderness attributes of meat
products. Including this ingredient,
which can be listed as a natural flavor,
gives a beef loin graded Select the same

eating qualities as one from a
comparable cut of the Choice
grade. "We have also found a
beef bottom round roast can give
the same eating qualities as a top
round roast when marinated with
this ingredient," Lamkey says.
* Vegetarian - Symrise
development efforts go beyond
traditional proteins with culinary
flavors and seasonings to
support alternative vegetarian
concepts.
* Liquid seasonings - Benefits
of liquid seasonings include cost
effectiveness, concentrated to deliver full
flavor instantly, with some having strong
antioxidant properties, lower microbial
counts and minimal flavor variation. Most
pepperoni processed in the U.S. is made
with liquid seasoning, which provides
processors with bolder, more robust
flavors.
Liquid seasoning is comprised of
oleoresins extracted from the spices
used in dry seasonings. This gives a
more concentrated flavor without
the high bacterial count that can be
associated with dry seasonings. A more
concentrated seasoning also means
lower use levels with less to store. Where
dry seasonings may require use levels
as high as 3 percent to 5 percent, liquid
seasonings are more likely to be used at
0.25 percent. Although liquid seasonings
are more expensive on a weight basis,
their low-use levels make them more
cost effective. Adding a liquid spice or
flavor to a dry seasoning can also add
boldness and uniformity to the flavor.
Delivering cleaner labels
Symrise also focuses on adopting
natural technology to present cleaner
labels to consumers. "Given a choice,
most consumers will select meat and
poultry products containing a minimum
number of ingredients with those
ingredients being easily recognized,"
Lamkey says. "One example is using
natural antioxidant properties of certain

r

herbs and spices to aid in the extension
of shelf-life.
"For cured meat, we utilize technology
originating from the fermentation process
used in the meat industry for centuries,"
he adds. "Certain bacteria have the ability
to reduce naturally occurring nitrate
found in many green leafy vegetables to
nitrite for the natural curing of meat. This
process provides the safety and color of
traditionally cured meat without adding
synthetic sodium nitrite.
Symrise offers a variety of salt
enhancers to assist processors in
reducing sodium. The company
discovered different combinations of
enhancers can be used depending on
the final flavor profile desired. "Some
of our Symsalt enhancers will focus on
spices added to the meat while others
focus on the savory flavors," Lamkey
says. "Our flavor chemists are continually
working on discovering new ways of
delivering umami flavors and bitterness
maskers. In several cases, we were able to
replace MSG by using our salt enhancers."
For more information, contact James
W. Lamkey, applications manager,
phone: (201) 462-5568, cell phone: (201)
962-0761, e-mail: james.lamkey@symrise.
com, www.symrise.com.

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Meat + Poultry - October 2009

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