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.”
There is a lot of controversy, myths and speculation about how sausage is made. It should be noted that there is very strict legislation on the composition, procedures and facilities of factories – or slaughterhouses – that produce products of animal origin, such as sausages. The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, known as MAPA, is responsible for regulation and inspection. Inspection can also be carried out by state or municipal bodies depending on the location and sales location of the slaughterhouse.
Within the world of sausages there are several varieties, all classified and regulated by MAPA. Therefore, every product sold must follow the basic guidelines, which include the types of meat and all additives, including their minimum and maximum quantities.
All myths and speculations about sausages can be discarded since their composition is clear and in the public domain. There is no secret, just misinformation. But not everything is rosy, as among the regulated ingredients, some are quite questionable.
Below I will list and explain the main ingredients of sausages.
Mechanically Separated Meat or CMS
Usually pork, chicken or turkey. This is an ingredient that should not be present in any product. It is nothing more than remains of meat that are trapped in the bones of animal carcasses and which are “separated” using pressure using specific equipment for this purpose. The carcass is thrown into the machine and the result is a whitish mass that has more bone than meat, so much so that sausages with a lot of CMS have a grainy texture. If you consume a sausage with a grainy texture, which sticks in your teeth like small grains of sand, my suggestion is that you never buy that product again.
Unfortunately, MAPA regulates it like this:
Sausage: "Meat from different species of butcher animals, mechanically separated meat up to the maximum limit of 60%”
Vienna sausage: “Beef and/or pork and mechanically separated meat up to the maximum limit of 40%”
Frankfurt Sausage: “Beef and/or pork and mechanically separated meat up to the limit of 40%”
Poultry Meat Sausage: “Poultry meat and mechanically separated poultry meat, maximum 40%”
Frankfut sausage (not to be confused with Frankfurt TYPE): it does not have mechanically separated meat.
Vienna Sausage (not to be confused with the Vienna TYPE): it does not have mechanically separated meat.
Meat
Pieces of meat can be of pork, beef or poultry origin. Many recipes use a combination of different types of meat. In most sausages, prime cuts are used. Are there internal organs in the sausage? Yes, according to MAPA, sausage can have “the use of edible offal and offal (heart, tongue, kidneys, stomachs, skin, tendons, marrow and brains) is limited in the percentage of 10%, used alone or in combination, except in Vienna and Frankfurt Sausages“.
Ascorbic Acid / Sodium Ascorbate
It is the famous vitamin C, which in the case of sausage is used to accelerate the curing process of sodium nitrite with protein, improving microbiological safety. It also helps prevent rancidity, or oxidation of sausage fat. Vitamin C also prevents the formation of nitrosamines from the action of nitrite, which is a possibly carcinogenic substance. Ascorbic acid has been falling into disuse and being replaced by sodium erythorbate, which has the same function and acts more slowly than sodium nitrite, ensuring even more safety and control during the curing process.
Celery powder
Natural concentrate in celery powder, rich in sodium nitrite and is a substitute for isolated sodium nitrite. It is not common, or almost non-existent in Brazil, but it is already widely used abroad as a “natural healing agent”.
Citric acid
A natural acid extracted from citrus fruits that is used to standardize the acidity level of products, generally linked to conservation factors.
INS 330 – Citric acid: there is no limit, recommending use as “qs” (as much as possible).
Tripe
Some premium sausages, such as Vienna and Frankfurt, generally use edible collagen casing, which comes with the product for consumption. Most low-cost sausages use cellulose casing during the manufacturing process, which is removed within the production line after cooking. This is why most sausages come without casing, as it is removed after cooking, before being packaged.
Dextrose
A sugar that generally originates from the fermentation of starch. It is used to add flavor and color through caramelization.
Flavorings
Aromas that can originate from herb and spice extracts.
Vegetable protein
Usually soy protein. According to MAPA in the sausage “the addition of non-meat proteins of 4.0% (max.) is allowed as aggregated protein. The addition of non-meat proteins to Vienna and Frankfurt sausages will not be permitted, except dairy proteins“. Vegetable protein serves to bind, yield through the accumulation of water and stabilize the emulsion.
Maltodextrose
It is a carbohydrate with a function similar to that of Dextrose.
Modified starch
Usually made from corn, but can also be made from wheat or potatoes. It is a functional ingredient that helps with weight gain, retaining water and stabilizing it in the emulsion.
Monosodium glutamate
It is responsible for the sensation of one of the flavors, umami, and can also be used to reduce the sodium content of the product, as it contains only a third of the sodium of table salt.
Phosphates
Increases fibrillar extraction of protein from muscle (chemical extraction). Improves the density and viscosity of meat emulsions. Fastener and stabilizer. Reacts and inactivates polyvalent metals, preventing oxidation of fats, consequently causing rancidity. A stabilizer and emulsifier that helps maintain product moisture, improving palatability. It is an element derived from phosphorus that is found in abundance in nature.
There is a limit to the use of regulated phosphates at 0.5% of the total weight of the product.
Pork fat
Generally subcutaneous hard fat or fat from the jowls (cheek) of pigs. Fats are generally around 30% of the sausage composition.
salt
Salt is one of the fundamental ingredients of any sausage as it has a powerful preservative action in addition to being the most important flavor-adding element.
Smoke aroma
Generally obtained through liquid smoke, which is obtained by condensing smoke from burning wood. The sausage is dipped in this liquid and then steamed in ovens. Another way to use liquid smoke is to generate smoke using an atomizer. Liquid smoke simulates the taste of smoking or grilling.
Sodium benzoate
It is a bactericidal and fungicidal preservative, used in the food industry. Effective only in acidic media.
Sodium Erythorbate
Sodium Erythorbate
It has almost the same composition as Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), but with slower and more efficient action, this food additive is used to reduce oxidation and consequently help maintain color and avoid the rancid flavor resulting from lipid oxidation. It also accelerates the curing process by interacting with sodium nitrite, which in turn reacts with myoglobin in muscle tissue generating the reddish color and flavor typical of cured products. Its usage is generally 0.01% for meat weight.
INS 316 – Sodium erythorbate: ANVISA does not provide for a limit, recommending use as “qs” (as much as possible)
Nitrite and Sodium Nitrate
The main functions are:
1) anti-oxidant, prevents rancidity;
2) fixes the pink color and gives the cured products a unique flavor;
3) inhibits the proliferation of harmful bacteria, mainly that responsible for botulism.
See the specific post about curing salt to better understand the action, risks and amounts of use of sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate.
Herbs and spices
A wide range of natural herbs and spices are used to flavor the sausages, the main ones being black pepper, garlic, paprika, cinnamon and cumin.
Water
It may seem strange to appear on the list, but water is one of the components added in considerable volume, mainly in the form of ice, as it helps with the binding, gives weight gain and keeps the meat cold, preventing the emulsion from breaking (separation of fat, protein and water).
Sources:
http://www.hot-dog.org/resources/Hot-Dog-Ingredients-Guide
http://www.defesa.agricultura.sp.gov.br/www/legislacoes/popup.php?action=view&idleg=662
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Português do Brasil
Is it true that they use animal blood to make sausages?
Hi Wesley. The law does not allow the additional use of blood, beyond what is already naturally present in meat, in the production of sausages.
So, is there blood in sausages?
Most of the blood is drained, but there is still blood present throughout the muscular and vascular structure. There is no way to remove everything.
So, my question is, aren't the meats washed and the blood that remains on them removed after the animals have been killed and the meat separated?
Where can we find sausages ready to be cooked on the barbecue.
What is the ingredient that makes all sausages have a similar flavor, “sausage flavor”, different from the flavor or taste of any seasoning or meat?
Most slaughterhouses purchase ready-made seasonings from the same manufacturers. Furthermore, the amounts of additives and proportions of types of meat (beef, pork, poultry and CMS) must follow the identity standards of each product. Furthermore, the consumer himself “learned” to expect a specific flavor. Just like chocolate milk that has a “vanilla flavor”, it is already a flavor expected by consumers who are not looking for something different. There are special sausages that deviate from this standard, but have a limited market due to cost and low demand for quality from the general consumer.