Liquid smoke is manufactured by transforming fresh wood smoke into purified smoke concentrate. Compared to smoking procedures traditionally used to smoke meats and sausages, the use of smoke made from liquid smoke concentrate has a number of advantages. These include cost efficiency, environmental protection and manufacturing safety.
A smoky taste counts
Smoked meats and sausages are the result of a handling process with a long tradition, which primarily originated in the desire to prolong the life of perishable products. Today, it is the taste of smoked products which stands in the foreground and which consumers often associate with high quality meat products. But consumers are not as interested in the smoking procedure used – whether it is the traditional method using fresh wood smoke or the method using purified smoke concentrate (liquid smoke) and smoke flavoring. In the end, it is the taste of the end-product that counts: a smoky taste and typical aroma.
If the taste is right, however, it is of great significance to manufacturers which procedure is used. The technological advantages and disadvantages of the available procedures must be carefully weighed and considered. These include, for example, cost, economy, standardization of product quality (reproducibility) and last but not least, the product’s carbon footprint. Using liquid smoke can be the better alternative for many manufacturers.
Controlled smoking
Red Arrow has further developed liquid smoke, thus expanding the assortment of modern smoke products that are made from purified smoke condensate for various smoking processes and individual smoking requirements. The company focuses its research and development efforts on examining the traditional character of the smoky aroma profile well as on optimizing application technology, especially for new smoke products. Red Arrow’s smoking technology enables control of all parameters in the smoking process, making smoking calculable in every respect. This applies especially to procedures for cold, warm, hot and steam smoking, both in batch smoking as well as continual smoking facilities.
The outcome: greater flexibility for meat product manufacturers. Safe, sparing use of energy and smoking materials as well as uniform smoking results also make the smoking process more economical.
For the sake of the environment
In addition to ensuring healthy nutrition for the consumer, Red Arrow smoking technology also helps minimize the carbon footprint of the end product. The EU standard 96/91/EG on integrated avoidance and reduction of environmental pollution (IVU regulation) requires all manufacturers to use technologies that protect the air, water and ground to the greatest possible degree. Red Arrow takes great effort to burden the environment as little as possible right from the start. Both its production of liquid smoke and aroma from freshly developed wood smoke as well as their use in smoked meats and sausages are designed to have as little environmental impact as possible. In the justification for EU ordinance 2065/2003, which governs the use of smoke aroma in or on foods, European lawmakers also endorse the use of smoke flavor because it poses fewer health risks than traditional smoking processes due to its fractionation and purification.
The technical instructions for maintaining air purity (TA-Luft) concretize the general requirements in the (German) Federal Emission Protection Law for protecting against and preventing air pollution during the setup or operation of equipment, especially smoking facilities. Use of Red Arrow smoking technology with the Tarber Smoke Master smoke generator enables complete compliance with the emission thresholds for nitrogen oxide (NOx; threshold for nitrogen dioxide 0.10 g/m³) and carbon monoxide (CO; threshold 0.10 g/m³) as well as all carbons (C; threshold 20 mg/m³) at no additional expense because products are smoked in a closed system. No NOx or CO develops because no combustion takes place. Practical measurements have also proven that the overall carbon content (C) in cold or hot smoking equipment that uses liquid smoke remains under 5 mg/m³. Furthermore, calculations made by the DIL (German Institute for Food Technology) show that Red Arrow liquid smoke reduces CO2 emissions by up to 80 percent.
Sparing, precisely dosed smoke application reduces contamination of smoking equipment, one result of this being that smoke generators must no longer be cleaned. This minimizes the consumption of water and cleaning agents.
Due to the positive ecological balance of liquid smoke, TA-Luft considers this technology to be a primary means of reducing emissions when operating smoking equipment. Thus, smoking facilities that use liquid smoke are not subject to the Federal Emissions Protection Law.
Better working conditions
In addition to advantages for consumers and the environment, the use of liquid smoke and smoke aromas also contributes to safer and healthier working conditions. Not only do employees have less contact with carbon dioxide and carcinogenic substances such as wood dust, the smoking material is simpler to handle. A built-in central filling system, for example, enables liquid smoke to be introduced to the respective storage tanks of the Tarber Smoke Master via pipeline.
EU regulation 94/9/EG governs the safe use of devices and protective measures in explosive areas. Implementation of this regulation in the 11th ordinance on device and product safety (explosion protection ordinance) gives operators of smoking facilities more responsibility than before. Because smoking processes with purified smoke condensate – in contrast to other smoking procedures – take place without thermal combustion, no combustion gas develops: gas which presents a high risk for employees in the vicinity of the smoking equipment.
Due to national and international competition, companies must ensure that they manufacture their products in a cost-oriented manner. The use of liquid smoke and smoke aroma for smoked meats and sausages is a proven procedure that ensures good cost-benefit results, minimal environmental pollution, and work and production safety.
If current trends are any indication, legal requirements on manufacturing processes in regard to economy and ecology will only increase in the future. Lawmakers will demand greater compliance with ecological and health measures and obligate manufacturers even more. Tarber Smoke Master technology is tested and certified for emission-free smoking. Combined with proven smoking products from Red Arrow, it makes smoking calculable and enables environmentally friendly, economically sound and safety-oriented production.
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