Meat Science

MODERN PROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES IN CURING OF MEAT

• The various technologies involved in hastening the curing of meat by brine cure application is massaging, tumbling and mixing.

Massaging

• Massaging involves frictional energy resulting from meat pieces rubbing together.
• Meat massagers are vats that contain a mechanism for the slow stirring of meat pieces.
• The stirring arms or paddles are made to set at various configurations.
• This process is a gentler form of mechanical energy output and is very suitable for the production of whole muscled cured products.

Tumbling

• Tumbling is a more severe type of physical treatment
• Tumbling involves the use of impact energy resulting from meat pieces falling and striking baffles or paddles contained in a rotating drum.
• Tumbling aids the extraction of proteins as in massaging, and thus enhances tenderness and juiciness.

Tumbler	Baffles in tumbler drum

Mixing

• Mixing imparts a rather vigorous mechanical energy to the product.\
• Mixers possess some type of paddles or ribbons that rotate around a metal shaft.
• Short mixing times are usually the rule as they tend to tear up whole muscle products.
• It is most suitable to manufacture sausage type products