Handbook of Meat Processing

Quality Assurance 555

Table 31.6. Examples for critical values for the manufacture of heat - processed sausages (modifi ed
from L ü cke and Troeger 2007 ; Lautenschl ä ger and Troeger 2007 ; Fischer and Hilmes 2007 )

Process step Critical values for

Br ü hwurst^1 Kochwurst^2

Selection of raw material (lean

meat)

pH value between 5.6 and 6.2; temperature below 7 ° C

Selection of liver, blood, rinds

and blood (if applicable)

Temperature below 2 ° C

Pre - heating of lean meat and fat Not applicable Temperature above 65 ° C

Comminution Final temperature below 15 ° C Final temperature 35 – 40 ° C

Filling Adjustment of fi lling equipment device to avoid air inclusion

Heat treatment Core temperature above 70 ° C;

F 70 (z = 10 ° ) above 30

Core temperature above 75 ° C;

F 70 (z = 10 ° ) above 40

Chilling To below 7 ° C within 12 hours

Storage below 5 ° C

1 Bologna - or frankfurter - type sausages.
2 Liver sausages and p â t é s; sausages containing blood and/or rinds (blood sausages, brawns etc.).

Table 31.7. Examples for critical values for the manufacture of a typical German semi - dry fermented
sausage (modifi ed from L ü cke, 2007 ; Stiebing 2007 )

Process step Critical values

Selection of lean meat pH value between 5.6 and 6.2; temperature below 2 ° C

Selection of fat frozen, white, fi rm, less than 15% polyunsaturated fatty acids

Weighing of ingredients – Curing salt 2.5 – 3%, equivalent to 100 – 150 mg sodium nitrite/kg

• fermentable sugar 0.5 – 1%


• active starter cultures (lactic acid bacteria, catalase - positive cocci)


• ascorbate 0.05%


• spices
  Comminution and mixing (in cutter) Final temperature below 0 ° C
  Filling Adjustment of fi lling equipment device to avoid air inclusion
  Fermentation 20 – 25 ° C, 2 – 3 days, until pH below 5.3
  Smoking charring temperature below 700 ° C
  Drying 12 – 15 ° C, 70 – 80% relative humidity, until water activity below 0.93
  Storage below 15 ° C

Particular attention should be paid to the
quality and pretreatment of the raw material
(lean meat and fat), because a high load of
undesirable microorganisms, polyunsatu-
rated fatty acids, and derived peroxides
markedly affect the safety and quality of the
fi nal product. Extended chill storage results
in poor microbiological quality, and extended
frozen storage results in fat deterioration. To
inhibit fat deterioration and to favor drying
of the sausages, it is also important that tem-
peratures during comminution are kept low

(below 0 ° C in the cutter, below 5 ° C in the

meat grinder).

The exact dosage of nonmeat ingredients,

such as salt, nitrite, ascorbate, sugars, starter

cultures, and spices, is also critical for the

quality and safety of the fi nal product, and

must be strictly controlled and recorded. The

same applies for the casings. These must

comply with specifi cations on microbiologi-

cal quality, permeability to moisture,

mechanical behavior (stability, shrinkage

during drying), and adherence to the sausage