Meat+Poultry - March 2022 - 73

Consumers perceive quality
based on the appearance of meat
and poultry, and appearance
is a top purchase driver.
(Source: FMI, the Food Industry Association, " The Power of Meat " study)
provides pathogen protection equivalent to the chemical
alternative sodium erythorbate and sodium nitrite when
used at appropriate levels, (King, et. 2015)
To produce a cured product with the desired color, it's
paramount to start with the meat. Certain qualities of raw
meat make a difference for the best uptake of nitrite for
cured color, such as freshness, pH and the amount of red
blood cells still in the meat, among other factors.
" The most important fi gures in terms of curing are
the amount of ingoing sodium nitrite and the amount of
myoglobin, or oxymyoglobin, in the meat. The more active
an animal is the more myoglobin is in the muscle, " explains
Philipp Martin, Director of R&D for Wenda Ingredients.
" Thus, the higher the amount of myoglobin in sausages or
hams, the better the curing color. "
More than 2 in 3 adult consumers
(64%) say they try to choose
foods made with
clean ingredients.
(Source: International Food Information Council)
The choice of ingredients during the curing process
is crucial. For example, acerola cherry powder (ACP) is a
natural form of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) that when coupled
with a high quality nitrite source that dissolves well in brine,
helps prevent oxidation and ultimately provide the best
cure color for consumer appeal.
According to Martin, " An optimal natural curing
process always includes using cherry powder in
conjunction with plant-based nitrite, to accelerate
the process of NO2
meat from oxidation, " he says. " While oxidation
will happen, as it does with all meats, cherry
powder stabilizes it from premature oxidation.
The goal is to prevent oxidation before spoilage. "
A Clean and Clear Advantage
Plant-based ingredients like cherry powder, beet
powder and celery powder offer several benefi ts for
cured meat products. In addition to preventing oxidation
and ensuring appealing color, plant-based ingredients are
considered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to
be an approved antimicrobial and a natural source for use in
meat and poultry when FSIS usage guidelines are followed.
According to USDA/FSIS, natural sources of nitrite
and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) as an antimicrobial can be
to NO, but also to stabilize the
used as a component in product formulation at a rate of
a minimum 75 ppm of nitrite from natural sources and
minimum 500 ppm of ascorbic acid from natural sources,
or at a rate of a minimum 100 ppm of nitrite from natural
sources and minimum 250 ppm of ascorbic acid from
natural sources by weight of the fi nished food product.
Even if or when USDA's regulations regarding
" uncured " labeling change, these plant-based ingredients
will still be deemed acceptable and very much needed
considering their effectiveness for cost, taste, eye-appeal,
shelf-life, pathogen protection, and more.
The Wenda Ingredients Difference
Wenda's plant-based ingredients are functionally and
aesthetically high performing in cured meat applications.
Because Wenda's powders are free-fl owing and have
a smaller mesh size, they are easier to use in production
settings. These ingredients will not clog injector needles,
and they will not oxidize. Through a proprietary patentpending
fi ltration process, the products have virtually
limited-to-no fl avors, smells or colors, allowing for
ultimate cure color intensity and stability.
* SafePlate®
Celery Powders are
* SafePlate®
superior to those on the
market, thanks to Wenda's
natural fi ltration
process that reduces
the sensory attributes
of the celery powder by
removing the insoluble plant materials. This
means less vegetable fl avor, smell and color getting in
the way of what consumers want to see and taste.
Beet Powder is a naturally cultured beet juice
powder, high in nitrite, that is water-soluble and
spray-dried with an ultra-low
amount of insoluble plant
fi bers. A " Beet powder "
label is modern and on
trend with other healthy
consumer supplements
and foods.
* SafePlate®
Acerola Cherry
Powder works with natural sources of nitrite
to accelerate curing, improve cured-color
throughout the shelf-life, and meets USDA
antimicrobial guidelines when used in
conjunction with Wenda Ingredients'
SafePlate®
Powders.
Beet Powder and Celery
To learn more and request research papers
on cured color stability, visit
www.WendaIngredients.com
Sales@WendaIngredients.com
http://www.WendaIngredients.com
Meat+Poultry - March 2022

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