Method for producing short-term seasoned raw cured meat without bone and skin, sausage products produced using the method, and related plants

Abstract

A method for producing raw boneless and skinless cured meat with short maturation is described, comprising the steps of receiving fresh raw materials on a production line, a dry-salting step, vacuum-packing the salted product, resting the vacuum-packed product in a salting cell, placing the anatomical pieces in natural or artificial casings after removing the vacuum bag, resting the bagged and tied product in the cold, a drying step, seasoning the product, cleaning the product from seasoning molds, stripping it and placing it in a vacuum bag, and an optional maturation step; a bagged product bresaola made by this method and a plant for the same are also described.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing raw sausage without bones and skins with a short aging (up to 16 months) without the use of nitrites, nitrates, other preservatives and antioxidants.

[0002] In particular, the present invention relates to a method for producing raw cured meat without bones and skins with a short aging (for a period of 16 months or less), a bagged product produced using the method, and a related production plant.

Background Art

[0003] The current production of raw cured meat of Italian tradition without bones and skins with a short aging (up to 16 months) involves the use of two main preservatives, nitrites (E249 - E250) and nitrates (E251 - E252), and often their use together with other preservatives and antioxidants. The use of the above chemical additives maintains the red color of the meat similar to that of fresh meat. In particular, during the salting stage, since the meat is easily attacked by bacteria, thanks to the bacteriostatic action of the additives, the amount of bacteria in the final product is controlled.

[0004] However, these additives (especially sodium nitrite) pose problems considered by the medical world as the basis for the intestinal formation process of nitrosoamines that can cause tumor formation later (the first cause of colorectal tumors).

[0005] In recent years, European laws on the obligation to disclose preservatives on labels have been circumvented by some producers who use vegetable variants of these preservatives (nitrites and nitrates obtained from vegetables such as spinach at dosage settings defined in the laboratory). Soon, European countries will have to oblige producers to indicate these preservatives on the label even if they are of plant origin, and there are many misleading practices directed at consumers that the European Community has expressed negatively.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing boneless and skinless raw cured meat with a short aging (up to 16 months) that guarantees a truly natural final product which is safe from a hygienic point of view, has high-quality aroma, taste, and softness, and has a natural bright red color without dyeing or brownish coloring, without the need for the use of preservatives and antioxidants, or those of chemical or plant origin.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved by a method for producing boneless and skinless raw sausage with a short aging (up to 16 months) without nitrites, nitrates, other preservatives, and antioxidants, as will become apparent from the following description. Preferred embodiments and important variants of the present invention are compiled in the invention particulars of the dependent claims.

[0008] It should be understood that all the appended claims form an essential part of this specification.

[0009] It will immediately become apparent that numerous changes and modifications (e.g., regarding shape, dimensions, arrangement, and parts having equivalent functionality) can be made to what is described without departing from the scope of the present invention as apparent from the appended claims.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] The present invention is better described by preferred embodiments given as non-limiting examples.

[0011] The method for producing raw boneless and skinless cured meat with a short aging (up to 16 months) of the present invention is as follows: - The stage of receiving raw materials in a fresh state of the core temperature of the product from 0°C to +8°C on the production line, where the raw materials have not been frozen hitherto, under optimal conditions for the pH of the meat (from 5.2 to 5.9), and with a residual oxygen value in the vacuum bag of ≤0.5%, and a bacterial count controlled by the cfu / g limit according to regulations, are transported fresh, i.e., without being frozen, and are hung or protected by a vacuum package; in addition, the raw materials received on the production line must follow the exact aging process in an aging cell at a temperature from 0°C to +8°C and a relative humidity from 65% to 90% at the maximum core temperature of the product at +8°C, stage; - Preferably manually, using a chain, or manually massaging a single anatomical fragment to evenly distribute a gentle tanning (e.g., including rock salt or sea salt mixed with aromatic plants, spices, and natural or artificial flavors) on the outer surface of the anatomical fragment, where the tanning weight is from 1.5% to 4.5% of the weight of the meat to be processed, dry salting stage; - The stage of vacuum-packing the product containing salt so that the tanning always remains in contact with the meat, no volatile aroma is lost, and the product is protected from any bacterial attack; - The stage of allowing the product to rest under vacuum in a salting cell at a temperature below +10°C for at least 7 days; - The stage of placing the anatomical fragment into a natural casing or an artificial casing after removing the vacuum bag; - The stage of cold-resting the bagged and tied product in a rest cell at a temperature from 0°C to +7°C and a relative humidity from 65% to 90% for at least 20 days; - The drying stage that must enable rapid dehydration of the product in the first few days, including a first drying sub-stage where the product stays in a drying chamber from the 1st day to the 3rd day at a temperature from +15°C to +25°C and a relative humidity from 50% to 80%, and a second drying sub-stage where the product stays in a drying chamber from the 4th day to the 7th day at a temperature from +14°C to +17°C and a relative humidity from 80% to 95%; - Optimal for stopping the growth of unwanted bacteria, at a free water value (Aw) of <0.940, and at a temperature of +12°C to +18°C and a relative humidity of 80% to 95% so that the humidity of the product decreases slowly and gradually, for 1 month for meat with more redness to 16 months for meat with more intense marbling, in the stage of seasoning the product in a seasoning chamber with guaranteed air exchange and temperature and humidity control, especially an air-conditioned chamber, where the above conditions enable having a hygienically safe food without using chemical preservatives (nitrites and nitrates) or plant products with the same function; - The stage of washing the aging molds, removing the casing of the product, and further packaging the product in a vacuum bag; - Optionally, at a temperature of +6°C to +18°C for at least 7 days, a refining stage where the product remains in the cell to promote the occurrence of proteolytic and lipolytic enzymatic actions that impart to the finished product the aroma and softness characteristic of the product aged over time; including.

[0012] Thanks to the activity of zinc porphyrin, a pigment formed from the binding of zinc and hemoglobin, at the end of the refining stage, the deep true red color detected by a tristimulus colorimeter measuring the amount of red on the surface of the cut product is well fixed and homogeneous in anatomical sections. By repeating the measurement of the amount of red at a predetermined distance from the first reading, an indicator of color stability is given. Generally, a high red value detected at the time of cutting is associated with excellent color stability, but in some cases, the product has a dark color in the first reading and then immediately fades due to an incomplete formation index of the final zinc porphyrin.

[0013] In a second embodiment of the method according to the invention, in the dry salting stage, sodium nitrate is added to the brine to give a darker red color to the final product, and in the seasoning stage, the product remains in the seasoning chamber for at least 3 weeks and there is no refining stage.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the drying and salting step, the step of vacuum-packing the salt-containing product, and the step of stuffing the anatomical fragments into natural or artificial casings of the method of the present invention are carried out in a controlled atmospheric environment of at least ISO class 8, particularly in a clean room, as will be described in more detail later.

[0015] Preferably, the method of the present invention is used for the production of bresaola, traditional Italian sausages or salami, which are produced only from lean and iron-rich beef. This is a cured meat produced from a single whole muscle, and its traditional aging process classifies it as a short-aged (up to 16 months) boneless and skinless cured meat.

[0016] The mass of bovine muscle from which the bone and tendon parts have been removed and which is used for the production of bresaola generally consists of the following: - The rump, corresponding to the posterior medial part of the thigh muscle tissue and including the rectus medialis, adductor, and semimembranosus muscles; - The hip tip, corresponding to the part of the rump from which the adductor has been removed, - The subofesa, corresponding to the posterior lateral part of the thigh muscle, precisely the longissimus muscle; - The joyce, corresponding to the posterior lateral part of the thigh muscle, precisely the semitendinosus muscle; - The part under the bone corresponding to the anterior fascia of the thigh and composed of the rectus femoris, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius muscles; That's it.

[0017] To ensure that the bagged product obtained using the method complies with current laws and achieves all the objectives envisaged at the design stage, the method of the present invention was subjected to experimental tests for all microbiological characteristics.

[0018] The first checks related to the suitability of the bagged product for sale, i.e., compliance with regulatory and legal parameters, as well as sensory and qualitative objectives.

[0019] To do so, the following bacteriological analyses were performed, namely: - Colony count at 30 °C, - Count of mesophilic lactic acid bacteria, - Count of Micrococci and Staphylococci, - Count of Enterobacteriaceae, Count of coagulase-positive staphylococci, Count of Brochotrix Thermosfacta, Count of spores of sulfite-reducing Clostridium, Study of Listeria Monocytogenes, Study of Salmonella spp Study of Escherichia Coli, were carried out.

[0020] Table 1 below lists the results of the microbiological characterization performed on the Brezola at the end of ripening.

[0021]

Table 1

[0022]

Table 2

[0023] From these results, it is clear that all bacterial counts have values within the limits set by current regulations, and that pathogens were not always present in 25 g samples.

[0024] It should be noted that microbiological checks were carried out both at the end of the aging stage and at the end of the purification stage.

[0025] In Table 3 below, the chemical parameters of different processed Bresaolas are compared, and it is clear that thanks to the lipolysis of adipocytes and the proteolysis of proteins for the aging of cured meats, a product with high-quality sensory characteristics and a soft bite is obtained. The present invention also relates to a plant for producing boneless and skinless raw cured meats with a short aging (up to 16 months) without using nitrites, nitrates, other preservatives, and antioxidants, in particular for producing sausage products, more specifically Bresaolas.

[0026]

Table 3

[0027] In the ISO standard, the membership class is defined according to a scale from ISO-1 to ISO-9, where ISO-1 indicates the best situation and ISO-9 indicates the worst situation.

[0028] In the European GMP standard, which is used in the pharmaceutical sector and is considered particularly restrictive, the classes to which a clean room belongs are assigned the letters A, B, C, and D, where A indicates the best situation and D indicates the worst situation. For example, when a clean room of class A is in use, the maximum number of particles with a diameter of 0.5 μm or more allowed in that clean room is 3520, and the maximum number of particles with a diameter of 5 μm or more allowed in that clean room is 20.

[0029] The production plant according to the invention includes a plurality of stations made in a clean room, preferably: - A station for receiving fresh raw materials at a temperature between 0 °C and +8 °C where the receiving step of the method according to the invention is carried out, the station including means for receiving and moving the material first received on the production line; - A pickling station in a clean room of at least class ISO8, i.e., a clean room of class ISO8 or higher, where the pickling step of the method according to the invention is carried out, the station including means for administering a certain amount of brine; - A vacuum station in a clean room of at least class ISO8 where the vacuum-packing step of the method according to the invention is carried out, the station including means for vacuum-packing the product containing salt; - A resting station where the resting step of the method according to the invention is carried out, the station comprising a brining cell configured to maintain a predetermined temperature preferably below +10°C; - A bagging station in a cleanroom of at least class ISO8 where the bagging step of the method according to the invention is carried out, the station comprising means for filling and tying an anatomical fragment from which the vacuum bag has been removed into a natural casing or an artificial casing; - A resting station where the step of resting while cold of the method according to the invention is carried out, the station comprising a resting cell configured to maintain a predetermined temperature preferably from 0°C to +7°C and a predetermined relative humidity preferably from 65% to 90%; - A drying station where the drying step of the method according to the invention is carried out, the station comprising a drying chamber configured to maintain a temperature from +15°C to +25°C and a relative humidity from 50% to 95%; - A curing station where the curing step of the method according to the invention is carried out, the station comprising a curing chamber configured to maintain a temperature from +12°C to +18°C and a relative humidity from 80% to 95%; - A mold washing and product peeling station where the steps of washing the aging mold, peeling the casing of the product, and packaging the product in a vacuum bag of the method according to the invention are carried out, the station comprising means for washing, peeling, and vacuum-packing the product; - An optional purification station where the purification step of the method according to the invention is carried out, the station comprising a cell configured to maintain a temperature from +6°C to +18°C; including.

[0030] Advantageously, the method for producing raw cured meat without bones and without skin with a short aging (up to 16 months) according to the invention guarantees a natural final product that does not require the use of preservatives and antioxidants, or those of chemical or plant origin, is safe from a hygienic point of view, has a high quality aroma, taste, and tenderness, and has a natural bright red color without staining or brownish coloring.

Claims

1. A method for producing raw cured meat without bones and skin with a short aging period, comprising: - receiving fresh raw materials at a product core temperature of from -0°C to +8°C on a production line; - a dry salting step in which the weight of the brine is from 1.5% to 4.5% of the weight of the meat to be processed; - vacuum-packing the product containing salt; - allowing the product to rest under vacuum in a salting cell for at least 7 days at a temperature below +10°C; - after removing the vacuum bag, placing anatomical fragments in a natural casing or an artificial casing; - allowing the bagged and tied product to rest cold in a resting cell for at least 20 days at a temperature of from 0°C to +7°C and a relative humidity of from 65% to 90%; - a drying step in which the product remains in a drying chamber for at least 7 days at a temperature of from +14°C to +25°C and a relative humidity of from 50% to 95%; - aging the product in an aging chamber for between 1 month and 16 months at a temperature of from +12°C to +18°C and a relative humidity of from 80% to 95% so that the humidity of the product slowly and gradually decreases to a free water value (Aw) of <0.940; - washing the aging mold, removing the casing of the product, and further packaging the product in a vacuum bag; - optionally, a refining step in which the product remains in a cell for at least 7 days at a temperature of from +6°C to +18°C; A method for producing raw cured meat without bones and skin with a short aging period, comprising the above steps.

2. The drying step comprises a first drying sub-step in which the product remains in a drying chamber from the 1st day to the 3rd day at a temperature of from +15°C to +25°C and a relative humidity of from 50% to 80%, and a second drying sub-step in which the product remains in a drying chamber from the 4th day to the 7th day at a temperature of from +14°C to +17°C and a relative humidity of from 80% to 95%. The method for producing raw cured meat without bones and skin with a short aging period according to Claim 1, characterized in that it comprises the above steps.

3. The raw materials received in the production line in advance are vacuum-packed in a fresh state, i.e., not frozen, at the temperature of the meat in the core of the product of from +0°C to +8°C, and the residual oxygen value in the vacuum bag is ≦0.5%. The method for producing raw cured meat without bones and skin with a short aging period according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it has the above features.

4. In the dry-salting step, sodium nitrate is added to the brine, and in the aging step, the product remains in the seasoning salt for at least three weeks and there is no refining step. A method for producing short-aged boneless and skinless raw cured meat according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A method for producing short-aged boneless and skinless raw cured meat according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it is used for the production of bresaola using the following bovine muscle mass from which the bone and tendon parts have been removed, namely topside, hip tip, underside, joint, underside.

6. The dry-salting step, the step of vacuum-packing the salt-containing product, and the step of stuffing anatomical fragments into the natural casing or artificial casing are carried out in at least a controlled atmospheric environment classified as ISO 8. A method for producing short-aged boneless and skinless raw cured meat according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. - A station for receiving fresh raw materials at a temperature of 0 °C to +8 °C where the receiving step is carried out, the station including means for receiving and moving the raw materials received in the production line; - A salting station where the salting step is carried out, the station including means for administering a certain amount of brine; - A vacuum station where the vacuum-packing step is carried out, the station including means for vacuum-packing the salt-containing product; - A resting station where the resting step is carried out, the station including a salting cell configured to maintain a temperature below +10 °C; - A bagging station where the bagging step is carried out, the station including means for bagging and tying the anatomical fragments from which the vacuum bag has been removed; - A station for resting while cold where the step of resting while cold is carried out, the station including a resting cell configured to maintain a temperature of 0 °C to +7 °C and a relative humidity of 65% to 90%; - A drying station where the drying stage is carried out, including a drying chamber configured to maintain a temperature from +14°C to +25°C and a relative humidity from 50% to 95%; - A seasoning station where the seasoning stage is carried out, including a seasoning chamber configured to maintain a temperature from +12°C to +18°C and a relative humidity from 80% to 95% so that the humidity of the product gradually decreases slowly to a free water value (Aw) of <0.940; - A station for washing, peeling the product from mold derived from seasoning, and placing it in a vacuum bag; - An optional purification station where the purification stage is executed, including a cell configured to maintain a temperature from +6°C to +18°C; A plant for producing boneless and skinless raw cured meat with short aging using the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by comprising the above.

8. The station for dry salting, the station for vacuum-packing the product containing the salt, and the station for placing the anatomical fragments are made of at least chamber white of class ISO8, a plant for producing boneless and skinless raw cured meat with short aging according to claim 7.

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