First, the technological process of ham sausage
Selection of raw materials → trimming → curing → adding auxiliary materials, chopping (stirring or rolling) → filling → cooking → cooling → inspection → packaging → finished products → sales.
Second, the factors affecting the quality of ham sausage
First of all, the processing conditions of ham sausage will have a great influence on the quality of ham sausage, mainly as follows:
1) curing. Salting is to add salt, phosphate, nitrite and other substances to meat, which plays a role in hair color, water retention and taste improvement of meat products. Pickling mainly controls two factors, temperature and time. In general, the curing temperature should be controlled at 4℃-6℃ for 24-36Hr.
2) Chop and mix. Chopping is to chop meat, auxiliary materials and ice water with a chopper at high speed and mix them evenly. The muscle fibers of raw meat are cut and crushed to extract salt-soluble proteins from meat, thus forming a powerful water-retaining function. In addition, the emulsification of fat is also achieved by cutting and mixing protein in meat and added emulsifier such as vegetable protein with fat.
3) cooking. The cooking temperature of ham sausage is generally 12 1℃, and the heat preservation pressure is 0.25-0.3 MPa. The influence of cooking on the product is mainly in the heating stage, and the heating time should not be too long. In addition, the temperature and cooling pressure should also be controlled during cooking, otherwise the ham sausage will burst.
Secondly, the ingredients of ham sausage will have a great influence on the quality, mainly as follows:
1) raw meat. The quality of raw meat directly affects the quality of ham sausage. Different indexes such as freshness, moisture content, hygiene and PH value will produce different products, which requires high-quality raw meat and reasonable formula.
2) starch. The function of starch in ham sausage is to absorb water, improve product structure and reduce cost. The quality, type and amount of starch will affect the quality of ham sausage. Generally speaking, corn starch, modified starch, mung bean starch and potato starch are often used. The addition amount is 6%- 10% of the total product according to the product quality.
3) Soybean protein. The function of soybean protein in ham sausage is to absorb water and oil, enhance the elasticity of the product, improve the structure of the product and increase the protein content of the product. The gel property of isolated protein is the best, the emulsifying property of functional protein is good, and the cost of deodorized soybean powder is the lowest. At present, soy protein isolate is commonly used in ham sausage, and the addition amount of soy protein should not exceed 4%.
4) salt and phosphate. The addition of salt and phosphate in ham sausage is very small, but it has a great effect, which mainly affects the elastic structure of ham sausage.
The quality of ham sausage is influenced by many factors, and the above are just a few important ones. In practical research and production, it is often necessary to comprehensively consider various factors and determine the best production process and formula according to specific needs.