Development of a method to manufacture uncured, no-nitrate/nitrite-added whole muscle jerky
Introduction
Natural and organic products continue to represent one of the fastest growing categories of food products in the marketplace. The meat, poultry, and fish category, for example, reported a market growth of over 55% from 2004 to 2005 (Mitchell, 2006). Furthermore, “natural” was the second most common claim on new labels in 2005–2006 (Martinez, 2007). Nearly all major meat and poultry brands have a line of natural, fresh meat products. Increasing numbers and varieties of natural processed products such as ham and hotdogs have also been appearing in the marketplace (Major, 2006). The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires that products labeled “natural” be minimally processed with no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, or sweeteners added (USDA, 2005). These rulings forbid the addition of synthetically manufactured ingredients, such as sodium nitrate or nitrite. Organic standards also prohibit nitrate and nitrite use.
Nitrates/nitrites are added to processed meat products to develop color and flavor characteristics typical of cured products, inhibit oxidation of lipids, and inhibit the growth of bacteria (Aberle et al., 2001, Pearson & Tauber, 1984). Without the use of nitrate/nitrite, many natural and organic processed products result in appearances and flavors appreciably less consumer desirable than those conventionally manufactured with nitrate/nitrite.
Sebranek and Bacus (2007) described a process for curing meat that has been called “natural curing”. This process utilizes natural ingredients containing a relatively high content of naturally occurring nitrate in conjunction with a bacterial starter culture with the ability to reduce nitrate to nitrite. Several vegetables, such as celery, have been shown to possess high levels of naturally occurring nitrate (Fujihara et al., 2001, Walker, 1990). The use of vegetable juices or powders carefully manufactured for their nitrate content combined with a nitrate reducing starter results in the occurrence of normal curing chemistry yielding color development and other properties typical of a nitrite-cured product.
The reduction of nitrate to nitrite by the starter culture is accomplished by an incubation step, at temperatures meeting specific growth requirements of the microorganisms used, held for a period of time prior to normal thermal processing steps. Previous research has recommended a minimum of 2 h incubation for sufficient nitrite generation for subsequent cured meat characteristic development (Sindelar et al., 2007a, Sindelar et al., 2007b).
Whole muscle meats have provided a unique challenge for “natural curing” as the starter cultures utilized are not water soluble and are consequently unable to reach the center of whole muscle cuts if absorption is the method for solution pick-up. Thus, injection is required to physically deposit the starter culture into the interior of the product so it may come in contact and react with the nitrate containing vegetable juices or powders (Sebranek & Bacus, 2007). Since absorption of ingredients by marinating or tumbling (rather than injection) is the typical method for jerky manufacture, an effective means for “naturally cured” whole muscle jerky production does not currently exist.
The objective of the study was to investigate options for a “natural curing” process for whole muscle jerky utilizing vegetable juice powder (VJP) and a lactic acid starter culture containing Staphylococcus carnosus providing cured meat characteristics similar to those of a nitrite-added control.
Section snippets
Experimental design and data analysis
Varying processing procedures for no-nitrite-added (“naturally cured”) jerky containing vegetable juice powder (VJP) and S. carnosus were investigated. Three jerky treatments (TRTs) (TRT1: NO-VAC+40.6C-2HR; TRT2: VAC+40.6C-2HR; TRT3: VAC+5C-48HR) and a sodium nitrite-added control (C) were used for this study.
The experimental design was a randomized complete block design using a mixed effects model. Statistical analysis was performed for all measurements using the Statistical Analysis System
Product processing attributes
Water activity and cook yields were measured during jerky manufacturing to ensure uniformity of data obtained from other measurements, such as pigment analysis, where varying moisture levels of samples can significantly impact the results. Yields of TRTs and C batches ranged from 44.1 to 45.9% and no significant differences (P > 0.05) were found between any TRTs or C for product yields (Table 1) indicating that uniform drying took place. Finished product water activities (data not shown) of the
Conclusions
Three different processing procedures for manufacturing whole muscle, “naturally cured” jerky were investigated to identify a processing procedure resulting in product properties similar to those of a nitrite-added control. Treatment combinations where a vacuum packaging step was included followed by either a 40.6 °C incubation for 2 h or a 5 °C incubation for 48 h to enhance nitrate-to-nitrite reactions were not found effective when evaluating curing characteristics such color, TBARS, cured
Acknowledgement
This work was financially supported by the Wisconsin Beef Council.
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