and contains 0.7–1.2% acidity (as lactic acid) but will include appreciable
amounts of acetic (ethanoic) acid.
9.8 Fermented Meats
Fermented sausages are sometimes claimed to have originated in the
Mediterranean region, although traditional products in China and
Southeast Asia suggest that they probably developed independently in
several locations. Like cheesemaking, meat fermentation is a method for
improving the keeping qualities of an otherwise highly perishable com-
modity. Key features in this are the combination of lactic fermentation
with salting and drying which, in many cases, produces a product which
is shelf-stable at ambient temperatures.
A further similarity to cheese is the bewildering variety of different
types, 330 produced in Germany alone. In the United States fermented
sausages are divided into two categories: dry, which have a moisture
content of 35% or less, and semi-dry typically containing about 50%
moisture. Spreadable fermented sausages, produced in Germany, such as
Teewurst, and Mettwurst are not dried during production and in this
respect are similar to the Thai productnam.
The ingredients of a European-style fermented sausage may comprise:
lean meat, 55–70%
fat, 25–40%
curing salts, 3%
fermentable carbohydrate, 0.4–2.0%
spices and flavouring, 0.5%
starter, acidulant, ascorbic acid,etc. 0.5%Pork is most commonly used in southern Europe but elsewhere beef,
mutton and turkey meat are also used. The meat should always be of
high quality since the products are usually consumed without cooking
and so are essentially a raw-meat product. Unlike fermented milk
products, it is not possible to heat treat the meat before processing as
this would destroy the sausage’s textural characteristics, but some are
given a final pasteurization to ensure safety.
The curing salts added are a similar mixture of sodium chloride and
sodium nitrate and/or nitrite to that used in the production of cured
meats such as ham and bacon. Here too, they contribute to the taste,
colour, safety, stability and texture of the product.
Spices are added primarily for reasons of flavour but are known to
have potentially important roles in retarding microbial spoilage and
promoting lactic fermentation. The antimicrobial effect of spice compo-
nents, which has already been discussed in Section 3.2.4, could help
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