When manufacturing sausage products we essentially do four things; comminute meat (comminute is a fancy word for reduction in particle size i.e. grinding, flaking, dicing or chopping), season the product, manipulate proteins and shape the product.
The term “time-tested” may not properly describe the processes of grinding and stuffing meat, simply because it may not infer enough distance in time. To be certain, grinding protein is an art and skill that dates forever, and stuffing of meat into casings is just as longstanding a tradition as far as protein-processing goes.
According to the recent National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) “2010 National Meat Case Study,” whole-muscle beef products are holding their own in the meat case, representing 40 percent of packages at supermarkets and club stores.
After a year of innovation, food-grade lubricant manufacturers are focusing on achieving more stringent certification after a new batch of food recalls in 2010.
Cargill has completed projects to expand its already extensive food-safety efforts at its Fresno, Calif., beef-production facility, having spent $4.2 million to install a hide-on-carcass wash. The wash closely resembles a “car wash for cattle,” in which the hides of animals are scrubbed with spinning bristles and a mild bromine solution that kills bacteria at the beginning of the harvesting process.