Meat Science

Effect of Smoke on Nutritive Value

EFFECT OF SMOKING ON NUTRITIVE VALUE

• Federal Regulations specify a final internal temperature of at least 58°C for smoked ham.
• Many processors maintain single temperature schedule of 38 -82°C from the beginning to the end of the cooking schedule.
• Frankfurters, bologna and loaf items are cooked to an internal temperature of about 68°C and fully cooked hams at 66 – 68°C.

Action of smoke on nutritive value

• The phenols and polyphenols tend to react with the sulphydryl groups of the proteins, whereas the carbonyl group from the smoke reacts with the amino groups.
• Both of these reactions can decrease the nutritive value of the proteins by causing a loss in the available amino acids, especially of lysine.
• Smoking can also cause some destruction of thiamine.
• The antioxidant properties of wood smoke should help to stabilize the fat-soluble vitamins and would also be expected to prevent surface oxidation of smoked meat products.
• Thus, smoking has some advantages.

Nature of smoke

• Smoke has a vapour and particulate phase.
• The vapour phase contains the more volatile components and is largely responsible for the characteristic flavour and aroma of smoke.
• Furthermore, removal of the particulate phase by precipitation also greatly reduces the components of tars and polycyclic hydrocarbons, all of which are undesirable in smoke.