14.07.2013

Brine preparations - "Meat business", December 2013

It is not a secret, that imported meat, which according to engineer technologist's opinion is better for specialities production, had sufficiently increased in price in 2013 (from 10 to 20% and more). In connection to this manufacturers notice the sufficient sales reduction of the speciality group, and only those who managed to keep the finished product price on the initial level succeeded to save sales to certain extent.  Engineer technologists wonder, which preparations may help them in current situation?  We'll try to sort out, how to classify the brine preparations presented on the market, what are their main functions regarding the content, for which goods they are most suitable, which certain additives are mostly up to date for usage in modern conditions saving the prior price of the speciality meat?

 Conditionally, specialists divide pumping means into three main groups. First one - it is simple brine preparations, presenting the complex mixtures of phosphates, sugar, taste and colour stabilizers for goods with the minimal output (brisket meat, baked ham etc.)

The second group includes the means for pumping enhanced by hydrocolloids and is used for production of medium-output goods.
Finally, the third group of the preparations has more complex composition, contains soya and animal proteins and is designated for meat products with minimal output percent, as well as for evening defects of the initial raw material.

 Specialists of the "Vianoks" company tell that the most simple brines for production of speciality group consist of salt, phosphates, sodium nitrite and taste-and-flavour part. Herewith, it is not possible to get big outputs with them, as the "working" ingredients of this brine (salt and phosphates) can "make" the meat protein to take in only a limited amount of moisture.  That is why it is recommended to include to brines ingredients the components, which not only work with meat protein, but are able to lock in by themselves some amount of moisture in meat .  Among the most popular such ingredients there are gums, starches, vegetable and animal proteins, carrageenans and dietary fibres.

 "The main task of gums in brines is to give them a certain viscosity. The thicker is the brine, the more of it stays in a piece of meat after the pumping, but the more difficult it is to inject it therein. That is why we should keep some balance in their usage, - says Serhii Kostiuk, the Engineer Technologist of "Vianoks" compamy. - Starch in brines influence the cold processes very poorly, as a rule, it just doesn't distribute itself in brine and gradually gravitates to the bottom.  That's why the starch brines should be stirred from time to time in order to distribute it in brine more uniformly. Herewith the main part of this brine impact is in binding of free moisture during the heat treating. Nevertheless, in order to get the beneficial effect with the starch, it's necessary to choose the low-mashed starch, which gelatinizates below  72°С. As for vegetable proteins for pumping, there are usually used the ones which intensively bind moisture during the heat treating.  They are very good in drying the finished product and removing of the weeping".

 Quite a long time ago carrageenan became one of the core ingredient of brines for whole muscle products. Its main task is to stabilize the free moisture after the heat treatment of the speciality, which makes it dense.  This is precisely why the technologists should chose this ingredient with the grave responsibility.  "High-quality carrageenan binds the extra moisture after some components produced it during the heat treatment, "insuring" in that way the quality of the finished product, - clarifies Serhii Kostiuk. Moreover, recently we added a novelty to our offers - carrageenan for brines, which behaves as a classical carrageenan in cold processes, but while heating up to 50°С and more it starts to gain density intensively.  This issue is of a great topicality regarding the issue, that mostly all the ingredients while heated give moisture that provokes big losses.  Using such carrageenans, the output of finished products increases, the problem of weeping (exudation of moisture in product during the storage) reduces or disappears at all.

 Technologists tell, that dietary fibres were firstly used relatively recently.  Working with them, the manufacturers have some inconvenience connected to insoluble nature of the fibre (cellulose), because of what it gradually gravitates to the bottom of containers with brine, so for good results it is needed to stir such brines occasionally. When pumped, the fibres, which get into the muscle, entrap some brine around and do not allow it to migrate during heating processed, increasing the output of finished goods.

 If it goes about the product with a rather big output, it is better in this case to use brine preparations determined for big outputs, for example the preparations for smoked-cooked specialities of pork, - considers Nikita Pokazannikov, the chief technologist of "Krist-Ukraine" company. - If the supposed output of finished product is about 40%, it is better to use the well-balanced functional additive with a strong carrageenan group.  The main recommendation for choosing of the additive - it should be well balanced regarding flavouring and phosphate components. Most often, for example, issues concerning excessive dosage of phosphates may occur if it is used a poorly-balanced in composition taste-and-flavour additive with phosphates".
According to opinion of specialists, the brine preparations containing both phosphates, carrageenans and proteins of different origin will help to make the specialities more available for the consumer, as these ingredients increase the output of ready product.
In general, the components of the brine and their dosage depends on the type of product and the output planned by the manufacturer.

Specialists' comments

Andrii Mykhailenko, technologist manager of "TANTAL" company

"Additives for the pumped specialities products may be divided in three groups:

For pumping up to 30% and for filling and massing up to 20%. These additives as a rule contain a combination of phosphates, stabilizers of colour - ascorbic acid or its salts, and/or sodium nitrite, taste-and-flavour components. "MILORD" company recommends "LAKSA-GEL 200" and "ElaiT-PF 310".

For pumping form 30% to 70% brines, except of mentioned in the first item, contain hydrocolloids - mainly these are carrageenans, functioning as gelling agent, and xantham gum, which stabilizes the components of brine and prohibits the leak of brine out of pumped material in the process of massing and heat treatment.  In this case "MILORD" company offers "LAKSA-gel 200 premium" and "LAKSA-pro 150D".

For pumping above 70% the soya proteins are additionally needed (isolates or concentrates), animal proteins (collagen ones or plasma protein), dairy proteins (caseinates or whey proteins concentrate), as well as dietary fibre or starch. These components may be a constituent part of brine additive both individually and in different combinations depending of designation.  "MILORD" company offers for that purpose preparations "LAKSA-pro 200D" and "LAKSA-pro 200D-SB".

The problem concerning usage of meat by-products and waste with PSE fault for production of specialities may be solved with help of special phosphate mixtures, which provide the evening of рН of the pumped meat.  Unlike phosphates for pumping of normal meat by-products and waste ("Mifos 80"), phosphates for pumping the PSE meat have higher pH level and buffer capacity (i.e. with the equal dosage with the "normal phosphates" they increase the pH of meat more) -  ("Mifos 822").  These phosphates are included to complex food additives "LAKSA-gel 200 pse", "LAKSA-gel premium pse", "LAKSA-pro 150D pse", "LAKSA-pro 200D pse".

 Alexander Glushchenko, Commercial Director of "Technology Trade":

"On Ukrainian ingredient market the brine preparations may be divided into two groups:

first group - preparations for pumping from 180% to 200% with finished goods output more than 160%;
the second group - for pumping from 130% to 150% with output for 115-130%.

Trade House "Technology Trade" for producers of specialities proposes you the following preparations:

"PLAZstabil Unibac PP"("Hydrosol", Germany). Intended for pumping of baked ham, carbonate above 180% and provides the finished product output above 150%;

"PLAZstabil Unibac ST"("Hydrosol", Germany). For pumping of fat material (brisket meat, cheek meat) from 140% to 160% with finished product output from 150% to 135%.The distinctive feature of these preparations is absence of proteins among the components (both vegetable - soya, and animal ones). For production of specialities with the low percentage of pumping we offer the brine preparatory "Aro-mix 65" ("Aromadon", Russia). This preparation has a range of peculiarities: no proteins and a very special taste in the contents of the preparation. These products had taken a rightful place on the Ukrainian market of smoked goods production".