EFFECT OF MEAT PARTICLE SIZE AND CASING DIAMETER ON SUMMER SAUSAGE PROPERTIES DURING DRYING

Abstract

Drying characteristics were evaluated for summer sausages (50% beef, 50% pork) prepared with three meat particle sizes obtained through grinding variations. Increases of chemical components (protein, fat, ash, salt, lactic acid) during 45 days of drying were dependent on the rate of moisture removal from sausages. Summer sausage produced with a 9-mm grinder plate for the pork and a 6-mm plate for beef (9-6 grinding combination) had a 34% shrinkage at 45 days, whereas sausages of a 3–6 and a 6-6 grind combination had shrinkages of 37% and 40%, respectively. The rate of moisture removal for an all beef summer sausage was lower for larger diameter sausage when 52, 62, and 73 mm sizes were compared. Moisture content of the outer one-third radius portion of the sausages was 5 to 7% lower than the moisture content of the inner two-thirds radius portion from 5 days through 45 days of drying. Both types of summer sausages (beef-pork and all beef) having greater than 1.2 kg/cm2 of shearing force were generally of poor eating and slicing quality because of the dried fibrous condition of the meat.