Author: Eduardo Artisanal Charcuterie

Types of natural and artificial casings or casings

tripas variadas

Natural casings / natural casings

Natural casings, commonly called natural casings, are products that have been used in the production of sausages for centuries. its function remained practically unchanged in terms of its appearance and artisanal composition.

Natural casings, which are made from parts of the animal's digestive tract, such as the small intestine, large intestine, bladder and esophagus, are treated to remove external fat and the internal mucosal lining. The natural casings are resistant and withstand the pressure to enclose the meat mass; are permeable to water vapor, gases and smoke; They are elastic and adhere easily when filling sausages, as well as when closing these products later. Natural casings can be dried and salted, and are suitable for filling artisanal, fermented, organic or low production demand sausages. This type of casing is mainly used on fresh sausages and bratwurst, Frankfurter and Viennese sausages.

See this other post for a comparative table between the types of casings for sausages.

Artificial casings/artificial casings

Artificial casings, also known as artificial casings, emerged in the 20th century, when, in some countries, the production capacity for natural casings was exceeded. Over time, filling machines were developed that adapted to the requirements of these systems, especially with regard to obtaining uniformity in the casings. Artificial casings are classified according to their structure and composition and can be made from natural or artificial raw materials, made from synthetic material such as cellulose, edible collagen, non-edible collagen and plastic or synthetic material.

Artificial cellulose casings or artificial cellulose casings They are of plant origin and can be obtained from wood or cotton. This type of casing requires it to be submerged in hot water for thirty minutes before being used. Due to its high mechanical resistance and the adaptability of its volume (it expands when immersed in water; and, when drying the surface of the sausages, it does not create creases), it is very suitable for large diameter sausages. Artificial casings have important properties for certain products, such as impermeability to gases, smoke and water vapor. They are widely used in the manufacture of large-scale hot dog sausages.

Collagen wraps or artificial collagen casings emerged around 50 years ago, and their presence has been increasing. These casings are of animal origin and are derived from connective tissue, mainly from the skin, bones and tendons of cattle, pigs and, in some cases, chickens. Collagen casings are permeable to smoke and water vapor. Casings with small, thin diameters are made of edible collagen, and those with larger, thick diameters of 40 mm or more are made of inedible collagen. Collagen casings are typically most commonly used on fresh, raw sausages.

You plastic wraps or plastic artificial casings They are extracted from synthetic products and can be flat or wrinkled. They are made from polymers, such as polyamides, polypropylene or polyethylene. Nylon or Saran wrappers (trade name for polymers made with vinylidene chloride, together with other monomers) are the most common in the processing of cooked sausages such as mortadella and ham. They can be made with oriented or non-oriented polyamides. Oriented polyamides are shells that can wrinkle during the baking treatment, therefore a reduction in volume occurs due to water loss. Non-oriented ones maintain the same diameter during processing because they allow the meat to expand during cooking; They are highly impermeable to gases and water vapor and cannot be used in sausages that require drying, maturation or fermentation processes.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL CASINGS

Natural casings or natural casings

Some of benefits of natural casings or casings are:

  • sufficient strength to withstand high pressures during embedding;
  • high permeability to water vapor, gases and smoke;
  • elasticity and firm adherence to the mixture;
  • more pleasant texture, better bite;
  • ease of embedding and manipulation;
  • lack of uniformity in diameter can bring a different artisanal appearance;
  • They are edible, have good digestion and are soft in the mouth.

Some of disadvantages of natural casings or casings are:

  • They are not resistant to breakage;
  • have lower yields as they are comparatively more expensive.
  • Depending on the product, the low uniformity of natural casings can be a disadvantage.
  • They require removal of layers of intestinal lining increasing impermeability and flexibility, but reducing chemical resistance.
  • They need to be processed immediately after slaughter to avoid microbial decomposition.
  • Natural casings or casings cannot be frozen as they lose their elasticity and consistency.
  • Because they are wrappers of animal origin, they already come with a certain microbial load, including pathogens such as Salmonella spp, Steprococci, Enterobacteriaceae, viruses, coliform bacteria and Clostridia, and are likely to be Listeria repositories during processing.
  • High fat content present on its outer surface, making it easily rancid if the fat is not completely removed during salting.

Storage time depends on temperature:

  • above 15°C it lasts up to 3 months;
  • between 6°C and 8°C it lasts up to 3 years.

The storage period may be affected if intestinal fat is present.

Collagen casings or artificial collagen casings

Some of benefits of artificial collagen casings or casings are:

  • Artificial collagen casings require less labor and processing
  • are more economical;
  • provide better weights, more size control;
  • easier to handle, in terms of production, than natural ones;
  • Uniform diameter and mechanical strength;
  • can be used without being previously moistened with water.

Some of disadvantages of artificial collagen casings or casings are:

  • they lose in texture to the natural casing;
  • are very sensitive to humidity, especially during cooking and smoking; wet collagen becomes soft and prone to breakage, while dry collagen becomes rigid and impermeable; This is why collagen casings must be processed in a dry environment to make them strong.
  • Regenerative collagen casings shrink easily, become fragile and are dry packed (without salt or brine solutions) and can be stored for a long period of time.

Synthetic casings or synthetic casings

Some of benefits of synthetic casings or casings are:

An advantage of synthetic casings is that they can be used to enclose a huge variety of processed meat products, depending on what you have in mind.

Some of disadvantages of artificial collagen casings or casings are:

Because they are made from PVDC (polyvinylidene chloride), they contain phthalates (used to make the plastic more malleable) and pose risks to the endocrine system, especially in children.

Tripas naturais para linguiças e salsichas
Natural casings for sausages and sausages

Artisan bacon

bacon artesanal frito

It is extremely simple and rewarding to produce bacon by hand, it can be made both at home and in a professional kitchen or small refrigerator. The big advantage is the possibility of changing the seasonings, curing time, amount of salt and smoking or cooking. As bacon is an important ingredient in many dishes, changing its flavor can make a big difference in the final result of a preparation. Continue reading Bacon artesanal

What is sausage made of?

salsicha

Firstly, what is a sausage? The Ministry of Agriculture defines it as follows: “Sausage is understood as an industrialized meat product, obtained from the meat emulsion of one or more species of butcher animals, added ingredients, embedded in a natural or artificial casing or by extrusion process, and subjected to an appropriate thermal process. Note: Sausages may have an alternative process of dyeing, peeling, smoking and the use of fillings and sauces... It is a cooked product.” Continue reading Do que é feita a salsicha?

Salicornia or vegetable salt

Salicórnia

Salicornia, also known as green salt or vegetable salt, is a plant that supports high levels of salinity, and is therefore classified as a halophyte. It is widely used in Europe in salads to replace the addition of salt, but it is also widely consumed cooked. It tastes similar to asparagus. Continue reading Salicórnia o sal vegetal

Handmade sirloin capicola

copa lombo

Loin capicola or lonzino is a product made from pork loin, with or without a layer of fat, generally fermented, dried and cured at controlled temperature and humidity. It is important to highlight that there are several ways to produce capicola and there is no single correct way, but it is very important to follow the basic principles that guarantee a final product without serious defects or high risks of contamination. Remember that it is raw meat that has been kept exposed to air for months, without harsh chemical treatment or extreme temperatures. Continue reading Copa lombo artesanal

ANVISA Ordinance on meat additives

Flor de Sal

Limits on the use of food additives for meat products. Sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate, other preservatives, stabilizers, flavorings, colorings, flavor enhancers, humectants, acidulants, acidity regulators and antioxidants. Function Assignment of Additives, Additives and their Maximum Use Limits for Category 8 – Meat and Meat Products.
Continue reading Portaria ANVISA aditivos cárneos

Avoid washing raw chicken because of campylobacteriosis

Do not wash chicken meat as this procedure can spread the bacteria. Campylobacter spreads easily and a small amount of it is enough to make a person sick. Contamination can come from consuming raw, undercooked chicken meat or through cross-contamination when handling raw food. Campylobacter causes more infections than e.coli, listeria and salmonella combined.

Here is a list of rules to protect your family when preparing food.

Four rules help prevent Campylobacteriosis – contamination by campylobacter bacteria

1) Cover and refrigerate raw chicken meat

Cover and refrigerate raw chicken meat, keep at 5ºC or lower. Keep it at the bottom of the refrigerator, this way there is no risk of meat juices running out and contaminating other foods.

2) Do not wash raw chicken meat

Cooking will kill any bacteria, including campylobacter, that are present in the meat. Washing will only spread bacteria around the place and utensils.

3) Wash used utensils

Wash all utensils well and scrub boards and surfaces used to handle raw chicken. Wash your hands with soap and water after handling raw chicken. This will help prevent campylobacter from continuing to contaminate other foods through cross-contamination.

4) Cook the chicken meat well

Make sure the chicken is fully cooked before serving. Cut into the thickest parts to make sure the inside is perfectly cooked. There must be no pink liquid coming out of the middle of the meat. Ideally, there should be steam coming out of the interior as soon as it is cut.

Symptoms of campylobacteriosis

Campylobacteriosis infection generally causes fever, muscle pain, abdominal pain and diarrhea lasting two to five days.

Occasionally deaths may occur in children, the elderly and individuals with compromised immunity or who lose a lot of fluid due to diarrhea.

What is cross contamination?

Cross-contamination occurs when harmful bacteria, such as campylobacter, is spread on food, hands, packaging and equipment. It can occur when, for example, contaminated chicken meat is cut with a knife and later another food is cut with the same knife without having been sanitized. Avoid cross-contamination by cleaning utensils and keeping cooked foods separate from raw foods.

Handmade salami

Salame artesanal

Salami is one of the simplest and most exuberant forms of meat processing. It's an alchemy that transforms a piece of raw meat into an extremely tasty and durable product. Creating a quality product by exposing a piece of meat to time, without any type of cooking, is something fascinating! Continue reading Salame artesanal