In earlier days, ten days were the minimum needed to ripen salami. With the new “Primal Ferma Quick” raw sausage system, two days are all that is necessary. On November 4, 2010, Van Hees GmbH (Walluf, Germany) applied for a patent for this manufacturing procedure and additive combination.
Salami in two days
Experienced raw sausage experts could hardly believe their eyes when they saw the presentation of the new “Primal Ferma Quick” raw sausage system. Not only the extremely short production time was unimaginable, but also the fact that the salami is wrapped in a sterile casing. But all factors in the system are tightly interknit.
Traditionally, raw sausage is manufactured from raw meat that ripens and dries for several weeks. The long ripening time and weight loss are two major cost factors, especially when making staple goods. Van Hees’s technology, according to the company, enables raw sausage to be produced faster and more economically than comparable wares. The company has discovered methods for starting the drying process before the meat is filled in the sterile casings and has developed special additives and spices they call “Primal Ferma Quick”.
This treatment is based on the hurdle technologies developed in the 1970s by Professor Lothar Leistner, which dealt with the microbial influences on the stability and shelf-life of a product. Among other things, they examined how the aw value can be reduced to such an extent using the Van Hees additives that spoilage is prevented. They also analyzed further parameters such as the pH value, preservatives, storage or bacteria flora. The result was a different raw sausage casing, an unusual drying method and an innovative recipe.
The four components of the system
-The raw sausage is filled in sterile casing so that no moisture can get in from the outside and no undesirable surface coating develops. A further advantage: a fiber casing costs ten times as much.
-Because the salami cannot dry out in the sterile casing, it must be dried beforehand. This is why freeze-dried meat is used, which corresponds to drying of circa nine percent. Addition of “Primal Ferma Quick GW 35” to the raw sausage adds the corresponding amount of dry material; the more dry material, the less moisture remains in the product. And the less moisture, the more stable the product.
-Recipe: At the beginning of sausage production, normal salami has a fat content of 24 to 25 percent. Due to water loss and the increasing concentration, the fat content of the final product is around 34 to 35 percent. With the new raw sausage system, this fat content can be influenced in advance. The fat components are so highly dosed that the analytical values of the end-product are given from the start. When the raw sausage mass goes into the casing, it already has the analysis value of sausage that has ripened for 14 days. Its aw value is 0.94, i.e. the value of staple goods.
-Regulation of the pH value: Normally, raw ripened sausages in this segment have a pH value of 4.9 to 5.1. This pH value can be achieved through fermentation of sugar by starter cultures. The “Primal Ferma Quick” raw sausage system, however, reduces the pH value through the use of the GDL contained in the “Primal rapid”.
“We are not diluting or destroying any salami culture with our new ‘Primal Ferma Quick’ raw sausage system,” emphasizes Rolf Häussler, Head of Product Development at Van Hees. “On the contrary: we want to provide technological solutions that open up additional options of raw sausage manufacture.” According to the company, there are many advantages for producers: production is faster and more economical, casing costs are lower, no surface films develop, the raw sausage can be made without a ripening chamber, money can be saved on equipment and investments, storage is unnecessary and there is no weight loss, supply readiness is significantly greater and there are no ripening errors. Above all, the “Primal Ferma Quick” raw sausage system guarantees safe production. According to the company, first responses from German producers have been very positive. They hope to achieve new production opportunities for exports in order to compete with foreign producers. One of Van Hees’s main target groups is likewise in Eastern European countries that do not have the corresponding ripening facilities.
www.van-hees.com