Uniformity for Small-Diameter cooked Sausage

TECHNOLOGY

Standardized products of a constant, high quality with as little fluctuation as possible – this is what manufacturers of small-diameter cooked sausages (e.g. Wiener) strive to achieve. In addition to optimal settings such as the distribution of supply and return air, process control is also key.

If systems are configured in the best possible way, the distribution of smoke is usually relatively uniform. If the smoke colors are different within one smoking trolley, this usually points to process control errors. A key requirement for achieving uniform smoke condensation and adsorption is uniform drying of surface moisture. Warming plays an important role in this regard, since uniform drying can only be achieved in the subsequent drying stage when the goods have similar surface temperatures throughout the entire smoking trolley. Warming the goods is the first step, and the end of the step is usually defined through “#reddening” with an appropriate target for relative humidity (more than 90%) or “#cooking.” The higher the relative humidity, the better the transfer of heat between the product and the ambient air.

Av oiding Temperature Jumps

Rapid increases in temperature of more than 5 degrees Celsius should be avoided whenever possible. This is because large temperature jumps during the steps of the process in classically designed smokehouses result in a higher product temperature and drying in the lower levels of the trolley – after all, the process air first hits the lower and outer products. This effect prevents the necessary temperature uniformity, since the process air not only loses speed and temperature as it makes it way through the smoking trolley through the transfer of heat (the relative humidity increases), but it also absorbs additional moisture from the lower products. This can result in, for example, increased drying in the lower area of the trolley and significant temperature and humidity differences between the lower and upper areas. During the smoking process, these differences in moisture result in different levels of condensation and absorption of the components of the smoke, often causing the products in the upper third of the smoking trolley to appear lighter.

See customer report of a French meat product company LINK

Conclusion

In order to achieve uniform results when processing small-diameter cooked sausage, it is important to have both the optimal system technology as well as the best-possible process control.

Uniform heating with a high relative humidity plays a critical role. When it comes to #sausages with a diameter of up to 24 millimeters, the best results have been achieved with approximately 10 to 15 minutes (24 to 30 millimeters: add an additional 5 minutes) at a relative humidity of over 90 percent in the “cooking” or “reddening” stage, as well as a high air circulation speed (over 50 percent). In the subsequent drying stage, the temperature should not be increased by more than 5 degrees Celsius. If a temperature increase is still necessary, it should be carried out gradually and not abruptly.

See customer report of a Swedish meat product company LINK

Further information about smoking can be found on our website. If you have any questions, get in touch with our technology team at [email protected].

Source: Meeting Point No. 40 (MP40)