Today, flake ice makers are indispensable for modern meat processing. In this article, you can read more about the role of flake ice in sausage production and the technical solutions there are for it.
Sausages are among the most popular meat products and make up a large share of global meat consumption. In Germany alone, more than 1,500 different types of sausage are made. Water or flake ice are used when producing cooked or boiled sausage. This means that the salt water-soluble protein sources swell and lend the stored water of the boiled sausages a certain juicy taste, as Maja, (Kehl-Goldscheuer, Germany) describes on its homepage, in regard to the advantages of flake ice. Furthermore, flake ice regulates the temperature. Depending on the recipe, 10 to 15 percent ice is added. Flake ice prevents the denaturing of the meat proteins by the cutting process. This is why flake ice is added to the muscle meat when this process starts. It breaks up more easily and can thus be ground more easily than coarser pieces of ice. It also protects the cutter blades. The fine flakes of ice are distributed more evenly in the sausage emulsion than large ice pieces. This cools the sausage mixture homogeneously.
Cooling energy can best be delivered to the medium to be cooled via a large surface area. The large surface area of the thin ice flakes releases the cooling energy to the environment within the shortest possible time and provides the best cooling characteristics, according to Maja.
Flake ice has a temperature of –6 °C to –8 °C. Since it is dry and doesn’t clump, it can be more easily processed and remains looser and easy to pour for longer periods, if well isolated. In flake ice generation, it is not only the technical performance of the machines that plays a major role; hygiene is also very important. This is why all parts of the machine that come into contact with the ice must be easily accessible and easy to clean. Those who wish to play it safe can select a flake ice maker with automatic cleaning function. This issue of Die Fleischerei provides information on flake ice makers made by various manufacturers as well as their features.