Course:FNH200/2014w Team15 Sausages

Brätwurst Sausage

Bratwurst

Introduction

Bratwurst most often refers to a type of sausage made from pork in a natural casing and is grilled or fried in a pan. It orignally comes from Germany and is a favorite there, while each region has its own specialty. The name of bratwurst is derived from Old High German bratwurst, from brat-, which is finely chopped meat and Wurst, or sausage. “Over 50 kinds are available in Germany, differing in size, seasonings, and texture .” Some most well-known ones include, Coburger Bratwurst, Fränkische Bratwurst, Kulmbacher Bratwurst, Nordhessische Bratwurst, Rote Wurst, and etc. This research focuses on fresh raw bratwurst, because it is more challenging to be properly preserved than ready-to-eat sausages.

Since bratwurst sausages are made from raw emulsified meat, a kind of liquefied meat, it is very important to follow safe food handling and storage practices so as to prevent them from being taken advantage by pathogenic microorganisms, such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 (Shiga toxin). As consumers exposed to this type of food borne intoxication risk suffering from “bloody diarrhea, kidney failure and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in sever cases (12-72 hrs)”. Therefore, the food industry has placed many concerns on ensuring the safety of consumption in relation to the growth of undesirable microorganisms. In the following sections, the ways in which the food industry produces and handles bratwurst from meat processing to the packaging and labelling of the finished products will be introduced. In addition, while consumers can preserve bratwurst in various ways, freezing, pickling and dry-curing will be our focus.

History

The daily consumption of fresh meat began to decline by 1550 after the European population was fully recovered from the Black Death Plague two centuries earlier. Following this, “more land was devoted to the more labor-intensive agriculture rather than stock rearing”. “As fresh meat consumption declined, the salting of meat grew to supply the men of many ships and to form a part of the meager diet of the poor”.It is unsure to identify when meat processing began but it is assumed it was likely when salt was discovered to serve as an effective preservative. The making of sausages “evolved as an effort to economize and preserve meat that could not be consumed fresh at slaughter”.

When making a sausage we can maintain “quality standards” while using most of the “animal carcass”. The main ingredients in sausages used to be “animal carcasses that could not be used in other ways” however now many primal parts are used in production. “The less tender cuts . . . organ meats and even blood can be made delicious when ground spiced and cased”.The procedures for casing have remained the same until today, however the recipes have been greatly refined and sausage making has become a highly respected culinary art.

In the modern day there are more than 250 varieties sold of which many can be traced back to the town and country of origin. Sausages serve as appetizers as well as main courses in quick-and-easy meals. They are also safe to consume because of the added effects of salt, ph, cure, drying and cooking to preserve the product and eliminate bacteria (Garden-Robinson & Marchello 2012).The first historical data recorded of Bratwurst is from 1313 in the city of Nuremberg. Bratwurst dates back to east Germany. Farmers would make fat filled sausages in the morning and later consume them as they spoiled fast. That tradition continues in German cities, as many brats are consumed for breakfast." The earliest recipe of Bratwurst was "discovered in 2000". A "handwritten parchment from 1432 that laid down the law . . . decreed that bratwurst from this corner of Thuringia, today a central German state, be made only from “pure, fresh” pork. Forbidden were beef, internal organs, parasites and anything rancid…"

The Industrial Production of Bratwurst

The production of bratwurst includes meat processing, casing and preservation. To ensure safety, the processing of bratwurst must meet the requirements for processed meat product governed by the Meat Inspectation Regulations, 1990 (MIR) and the Food and Drug Regulations (FDR) Those requirements are mentioned in major processing procedures described below:

Meat Processing

Types of Meats

Meat used in the bratwurst is usually veal, pork or beef in high quality. As for pork, pork shoulder is the best choice because it contains fat and lean meat, lean meat is used to absorb water without water retention agents. As for beef, skirt steak is traditionally used.

Emulsification

Meat in bratwurst is often made from emulsified meat, which is a liquefied meat containing fats, color and myoglobin. They appear as fine particles, and are not visually distinguishable on the smooth product surface.

The reasons to use this kind of meat are:
• Reduce Waste
• Maximize Yields
• Replace Meat
• Improve Texture
• Aid Processing
• Reduce Formulation Costs
• Obtaining Protein

Emulsification will be successful if the following criteria are met: 1. Enough lean meat has been selected. The lean meat is the main source of myosin. The more myosin extracted, the thicker and stronger protein coat develops around particles of fat. 2. Enough myosin has been extracted. This depends on how vigorous the cutting process was and how much salt (and phosphates) were added.

Additives

How is "nitrite" used in the processing of the bratwurst? From FNH200, we have learned various methods of preservation. Adding nitrite is one of the most important ways to sterilize sausage meat. In Canada, the use of nitrite is regulated by Health Canada, which set the maximum use as 200 parts per million. In order to keep the colour of the meat and eliminate Clostridium botulinum, the added nitrite is then converted into nitric oxide, after which a series of reactions will occur. However, the nitrite eventually becomes nitrosamine, a kind of carcinogen harmful to human health.

Nevertheless, there are several ways to reduce the change from nitrite to nitrate:

• keep pH below 5.5. This convention is accelerated by the addition of delta gluconolactone which forms gluconic acid thus lowering the sausage pH;
• keep mitochondrial enzymes under anaerobic conditions, so the formation of colour mainly follows non enzymatic pathways;
• add reductants, corbic acid or its sodium salts, all of which greatly accelerate nitric oxide formation.

Seasoning

Seasoning should be added before casing the meat.

Bratwurst needs seasons to add flavors before they are cased.

Traditional seasoning used in the bratwurst: Black pepper, Nutmeg, Dry mustard, Cayenne pepper, Ground sage, Sugar, Salt, Onion powder

Casing

After the meat stuff is finely prepared, the next step of bratwurst processing is to fill the stuff into casings. Here, the definition, functions, materials and usage of bratwurst casing are briefly introduced. As the casing for bratwurst typically has no difference with that for general meat sausage, we would mainly use sausage casing to represent both in the following. Casing, or sausage skin is a thin layer of elastic membrane that encloses the filling of sausages. To some degree, casing is the essential material that distinguishes sausage from other meat products. It has many functions, such as keeping the filling juicy during cooking, creating a good texture, as well as making the sausage easier for packaging and preservation. However, the materials used for making casings remain quite mysterious and are hardly mentioned in the ingredients list of the sausage labeling.

Natural vs. Artificial Casings

There are two categories which the casings are divided into: natural and artificial.

Natural sausage casings are made from sub-mucosa, a layer of the intestine that consists mainly naturally occurring collagen, while the outer fat and inner mucosa lining are removed during processing (figure 316.). In other words, the natural casing is only part of intestine that resembles only the shape but eliminates the odor producing organic matters. The most commonly used natural casings are small and large intestines of pigs, sheep, and goats, sometimes horses and cattle. The processing of natural casings (flushing, scraping and cleaning) must start as soon as possible as bacterial spoilage of the intestine tissues is rapid. Today, most natural casings are still produced by hand, while large scale production is minimal and hardly known. After initial processing, the natural casings are usually dry-salted for storage and soaked in cold water prior to use.

The artificial sausage casings are further divided by casings made of natural (cellulose and collagen) and synthetic (polymer and plastic) materials. Due to the fact that almost no cellulose or synthetic materials (requires peeling during sausage processing) are used in producing bratwurst, only collagen casings are discussed here. This type of casing is obtained from the corium layer of selected split cattle hides. The collagen-rich tissue is homogenized under high pressure, ring-extruded and hardened and results in a mechanically strong casing. As collagen is derived from animal tissue, thin artificial collagen casings are exempted from peeling and thus can be used in bratwurst processing (figure.331).

Even though both categories of casings are edible and permeable to allow smoking and cooking flavors to infuse the meat, natural casings are considered to have better effects and therefore are preferred by most people. Besides, natural casings have unique natural curves resulting in non-uniform appearance, which is visually more appealing. However, as artificial collagen casing has advantages such as cheap, uniform shape, easy for large scale production and storage, it is preferred by manufactures with flow lines to produce sausages in large scale. To ensure safety, It is generally required that when using or preparing casings, the manufactures must remove all mesentery, fat, luminal content and mucosa before rinsing and cleaning the casings, which will later be sorted for defects.

Filling the casings

Perhaps the most exciting part of bratwurst processing is filling the meat stuff inside the casings. In general, avoiding air in the meat stuff is necessary to keep the good texture as well as to help with preservation (i.e: avoid oxidation and bacteria growth). In addition, controlling the speed of filling is important to avoid breaking the casing and also to make the diameter of bratwurst more uniform for even cooking. When the filling reaches an end, the casing is closed by tying and clipping.

Preservation

The last step of bratwurst processing is preservation, which is also considered as one of the most important steps for maintaining safety of the bratwurst processing. Preservation generally contains the process of packaging and several procedures before and after it. In the following paragraphs, some technical details and safety controlling strategies during the preservation of bratwurst are presented. Meanwhile, some preservation methods for home-made bratwursts are also introduced.

Pre-packaging Procedures

Right after the bratwursts are primarily produced, treatments such as refrigeration, which will slow down or stop the further growth of microorganisms, or heating/sterilization, which will reduce or completely eliminate contaminating microorganisms are used for preservation prior to packaging. However, when fresh bratwurst is considered as the final product, previously described treatment of heating/sterilization does not apply. In this case, refrigeration and quick packaging right after primary production are the typical treatments applied to control outgrowth of pathogens and spoilage bacteria. In the Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990 (MIR) "refrigerate" means to lower the temperature of a meat product to, and to maintain the temperature at, 4°C or lower, but does not include freezing.

Using this method, the processing time is massively decreased to limit growth of microorganisms and introduction of new contaminants. Additionally, since the short preservation time helps to reduce the cost of manufacturing, short-time refrigeration is proved to be a very practical pre-packaging procedure.

Packaging

Packaging is one essential step that is valued by most manufactures, because the appearance of packages can somehow determine the sales of the product. More importantly, packaging protects bratwursts during storage from moisture variation, exposure to oxygen as well as contamination by dirt, parasites, chemicals and microorganisms.

Materials:
To fulfill the above functions, the materials used for bratwurst packaging should contain the following properties :

Fig.342

•flexible
•mechanical strength
•light weight
•odorless
•hygienic (clean and toxicological harmless)
•easy recycling
•resistance to hot and cold temperatures
•resistance to oil and fats
•good barrier properties against gases
•sealing capability
•low-cost
The range of synthetic materials suitable for bratwurst packaging are available mainly in the form of plastic films or foils. Practically all films used for meat packaging derive from synthetic “plastic” materials, which are be easily produced in large scale while maintaining the desired properties. A very efficient combination for packaging of processed meat, including bratwurst is PA (Polyamide)/PE (Polyethylene). PA is used as the outside layer for example for films for vacuum bags. PA is relatively oxygen proof but permeable to water vapor to a certain extent. PE has the opposite properties, it is water vapor proof but permeable to oxygen. The combination of both renders such a multi-layer film very tight against oxygen and water vapor evaporation. Moreover, the PE used as the inside layer has good thermoplastic properties and is therefore well suited for heat sealing. The PA/PE combination is the most simple structure for a multi-layer film (Fig. 342).

Methods:

Fig.350

There are two types of packaging methods that are widely used in the industry: vacuumed packaging and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP).

Vacuum packaging is one of the earliest effective method used in bratwurst production. By using multi-layer packaging films on machines like manual vacuum packaging machine (Fig350), bratwursts are stored in a vacuum to ensure a gas or moisture proof environment. Recently, new methods such as skin packaging, by which a flexible film drapes itself from above around the product, resembling a tight “skin” on the product surface avoiding wrinkles and purges; and “form-shrink” packaging technology, by which two shrinkable films are molded without wrinkles around the goods and sealing seams can be kept extremely small, are derived from traditional vacuum packaging for improvement. However, since these new technologies tend to be cost-effective and also require high-tech equipment, they are only of relevance for large-scale industries.

Modified air packaging (MAP), on the other hand, is also popularized in recent years. The packaging materials used are gas-proof multi-layer films composed of PE/PA described previously. MAP packaging can also be done for ordinary plastic bags/pouches. MAP packages are firstly subjected to a vacuum, then mixtures of gases, which commonly composed of 20%-30% CO2 and 70%-80% N2, is introduced into the air-free space before sealing.

The modified air in the packaging work effectively to limit the rate of oxidation and growth of majority microorganisms. However, MAP are often too sophisticated for the small producers, but may be of increasing interest to medium-size meat manufactures.

Post-packaging Procedures

Adequate packaging can prevent the secondary contamination discussed above, but the further growth of microorganisms, which are already present in bratwursts, cannot be interrupted through packaging only. To halt or reduce microbial growth, packaging has to be combined with other treatments. In most cases, freezing followed with refrigeration is applied in the production of raw bratwursts. By using this way, a raw bratwurst can stay fresh for maximum 33 days. Freezing reduces the temperature of a meat stuff below the freezing point, changing the state of free water into ice. The formation of ice concentrates the dissolved solutes and reduces the water activity (aw) of the bratwurst. Freezing prevents the growth of, but does not destroy, microorganisms in food products. Typically, a fast freezing rate is required to better prevent oxidation and microorganisms growth. Operators are required to validate that their processes reduce the core temperature of products preserved by freezing, to a core temperature of -18°C within a time frame allowing for the preservation of organoleptic and microbiological qualities. A steady maintaining temperatures of -18°C or colder is also recommended for better texture of the frozen bratwurst.

Environmental Control

Notably, the environment throughout all steps bratwurst processing must follow certain rules to eliminate the contamination from biological, physical and chemical sources. Historically, to limit enzyme activity and microorganism growth, a room temperature of 10°C has considered sufficient by the CFIA for the preservation of meat products for most processing activities and steps. Meanwhile, manufactures are also required to have procedures to control the physical and chemical contaminants from the environment, including disposition of meat that has fallen on the floor, risk of contamination from condensation and storage equipment, and particles from air and packaging materials.

Canadian Labelling Requirements

According to Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Brätwurst sausages follows many of the same general regulations for processed meat food products. The following section highlight some special requirements for Brätwurst sausages, including basis requirements for meat products and additional requirements for raw meat products as listed below.

Basis Requirements

Common Name:
Bratwurst Sausage

List of Ingredients:
Since there might be more than one type of meat in bratwurst, the correct way to declare the ingredients list is to declare the types of meat in order of their proportion.

Net Quantity:
Prepackaged meat products must be labelled with a net quantity declaration. Bratwurst sausages are required to declare net quantity by weight.

Identity and Principal Place of Business:
The Food and Drug Regulations (FDR) and Consumer Packaging and Labelling Regulations (CPLR) require the labels of prepackaged foods to carry a declaration of the identity and principal place of business of the responsible party.

As per the Meat Hygiene Manual of Procedures, this requirement can be met by declaring either:

• the complete name and address of the firm that prepares the meat product, or;
• the name and address of the firm for whom the meat product is produced, prepared or labelled, preceded by the words "prepared for"

Foreign firms must include the name of the country in the address, while firms in Canada may indicate either the province or Canada. Multi-establishment firms may show the address of the head office instead of the address of the establishment preparing the meat product.

Durable Life and Storage Instructions:
Because the durable life of bratwurst sausage is less than 90 days, the words "Best Before" and "Meilleur avant" followed by the durable life date must appear on the package, as prescribed in B.01.007 of the FDR and in Section 94 of the MIR.
Moreover, it has a short durable life, so storage instructions consisting of one of the following statements must be shown:"Keep refrigerated" or "Keep frozen", whichever is applicable.

Nutrition Labelling:
As a type of processed meat, nutrition fat table is required for bratwurst sausage packaging.

Meat Inspection Legend:
The Meat Inspection Legend is an official registered trade-mark of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Subject to the Meat Inspection Act, it is the exclusive property of the Government of Canada and may only be used as authorized by the MIR, 1990. All labels used in connection with edible meat products produced in a registered establishment must meet all of the requirements of the MIRand include the Meat Inspection Legend, with the exception of labels of bulk containers of fully marked prepackaged meat products.

Production Date and Identification Code of Production Lot:
All meat products must be labelled with the production date or with a code identifying the production lot.

Other Required Markings

Most bratwurst sausages contain raw meat, and thus they are not eady-to-eat meat products. But they have the appearance of or could be mistaken for a ready-to-eat meat products, therefore Bratwurst sausages with raw meat shall bear the following information on its label [6(1), MIR]:

• the words "must be cooked", "cook and serve", "raw product", "uncooked" or any equivalent words or word as part of the common name of the product to indicate that the product requires cooking before consumption; and
• comprehensive cooking instructions such as an internal temperature-time relationship that, if followed, will result in a ready-to-eat meat product.

Post-purchase Handling

In the above section, we have learned how the Canadian food industry ensures the safety of bratwurst consumption from meat processing to packaging and labelling of the finished product. However, the mishandling after purchase could also expose bratwurst to undesirable microorganisms. The followings are some instructions and methods for cooking and preserving bratwurst at home.

Cooking

Pan fried brätwurst

The “brat” in the word “bratwurst” is associated by modern Germans with the verb “braten”, which means to pan fry or roast. With that said, bratwurst is usually grilled or pan fried, and sometimes boiled in broth or beer. During cooking, it is usually suggested to heat the bratwurst slowly after quick pan sear for even cooking. As for eating the bratwurst, some people have the habit of peeling the casing off. However, it is very important that during the cooking process, the casing should not be peeled off in order to retain the juice and the shape of the bratwursts. Most importantly, since bratwurst contains raw ground meat, it must be cooked to 155 degrees celsius, to ensure proper destruction of harmful microorganisms. To avoid cross contamination through contaminated equipment, raw bratwurst must be separated from cooked bratwurst. In additions, here are some tips to prevent this: always wash hands, cutting boards, dishes, and utensils with hot and soapy water.

Presevation of Finished Product

Most commercial bratwurst sausages need to be consumed in around 3 days after purchase, however, if you do not want to eat them right away, here are some methods to preserve bratwurst, freezing, pickling, and dry-curing.

Freezing

Separate the sausages into individual portions (may vary depending on appetite). Then, either wrap each sausage in plastic film wrap, or heavy duty freezer bags/vacuum sealed bag. The vacuum sealed bag will last longer, as they inherently take all of the oxygen out. If using heavy duty freezer bags, make sure to squeeze as much oxygen out, as any excess oxygen will cause freezer burn, resulting in a shorter life span, and a nastier looking sausage. Then wrap the sausages again in either aluminum foil, or a second bag/second layer of plastic wrap. If you are the forgetful type, don’t forget to mark the date when you stored them, so you will be able to remind yourself. Then, distribute the packages evenly as opposed to stacking them, as they will freeze quicker. They can be frozen for up to a year, but taste best before the four-six month date.

Pickling

Sterilize the cans you will be storing your sausages in, as well as their lids. An effective form of sterilization is to boil them in a pot of water. Boil your pickling solution (can usually contain white vinegar, salt, various spices and anything else you may use to spice). Both vinegar and salt act as a natural preservative, and will keep the food preserved up to a year, but will also alter the taste and appearance of the food. Once the solution is boiling, stick the sausages in the can, then pour in the solution. The sausages should be submerged completely, as well as already cooked. They are best eaten within three-four months, but as mentioned earlier, can keep for up to a year.

Dry-curing

dry curing

Prepare your sausages as you normally would. The salt and curing mixture you are using to preserve should be exact, otherwise your food might not be edible afterwards. Bacteria can be used for a fermentation process as well. Set up a spare refrigerator, and take out all of the shelves, and replace with horizontal rods. They should be sturdy, they shouldn’t be falling. Get the temperature of the fridge between 35-40 degrees Fahrenheit. Store the links on the rods, with space between them each. Place a flat pan of water, only a shallow amount, so that humidity may be provided. Cure the sausages for 30-90 days (depending on personal preference), and re-fill the pan of water twice each day, with warm water. The casings should never become hard, because the internal moisture in the sausages won’t be able to escape if so. If you allow the casings to become hard, maybe freezing is the option for you. The sausages will be fully cured when they a uniform appearance, and no paleness to be found. At which point, start up the cooker. This method involves precision, and skill, so no messing around, or just freeze them instead.

Video Presentation of Brätwurst Sausage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sptpmary7yY&feature=youtu.be

Conclusion

During our research, we witnessed how raw bratwurst is produced. The process includes meat processing, casings, packaging and labelling under industrial conditions. Demonstrating this process also reveals the regulations and requirements published by the industry and the governmental agencies for all bratwurst procedures. We noticed that the main preservation methods applied to raw bratwurst are freezing and refrigeration, which prevent, but do not entirely destroy, the growth of microorganisms. Therefore, using clean or high quality raw materials (meat, casing, packaging films) and maintaining environmental hygiene are also essential for ensuring the safety of the raw bratwurst. We have also learned that the CFIA have strict regulations toward packaging and labeling of bratwurst to ensure its safety as well as inform consumers about the product. Nevertheless, as consumers, it is very important to double-check the condition of the packaging and if the packaging contained all labels required before purchasing. Meanwhile, we noticed that it is also important for consumers to not mishandling the raw bratwurst. Hence, we discussed the ways to safely handle raw bratwurst by either cooking or preserving it properly at home to ensure the last-step safety. Overall, we think that raw bratwurst requires high standard for controlling processes to maintain safety, and that the industry, governmental agencies and the customers ourselves should all contribute to ensure that the bratwursts we eat are safe.

Reflection

We picked bratwurst sausage because it is a very popular type of food in North America and many of us find it very delicious as well. However, since most of us are not from Canada or Germany, we were not quite familiar with bratwurst. So we were very curious about how this delicious sausage is made, what kinds of meat it contains, and more importantly, due to the fact that it contains processed meat, we had some concerns about the safety of consumption. Conducting this project made us more familiar with the food science knowledge from FNH200. For example, vacuum and MAP packaging of bratwurst inhibit external contamination and meanwhile prevent the product from having chemical reactions with the air in the exterior. Moreover, through this case study of bratwurst, we gained a more in depth insight of the ways in which the Canadian food industry operates. We were very glad and somewhat surprised to find that the industry has very strict and intricate rules throughout the production to secure the safety of food. Nevertheless, as consumers, we also need to equip ourselves with knowledge of food safety to make the optimal choice for ourselves. Before doing this project, many of us paid more attention to the flavor of the sausage we purchased. But now, we found that it is more important to worry about the entire food production process, which includes, the processing of the food, the use of additives, the methods of packaging and preservation, the materials of the packaging, and so on. All of these processes are equally essential to food safety and crucial to the our health. However, sadly, it seems that many consumers, like many of us, have not placed enough concern to these aspects when they purchase. But thanks to this project we have learned and we now know better how to make the best choice in the future.

Exam Question

Q1. (___) is a kind of (___). This pathogenic microorganism is one of the biggest concerns in the Brätwurst sausage making industry?
A:Hepatitis A; Virus
B:Clostridium botulinum; foodborne intoxication
C:Escherichia coli O157:H7 (Shiga toxin); foodborne intoxication
D:Salmonella spp; food Infection

Q2. Which of the followings is not a labelling requirement for commercial Brätwurst Sausage?
A:Cooking instructions
B:Meat Inspection Legend
C:Production Date and Identification Code of Production Lot
D:Storage Instructions
E:All of the above are required

Answers: Q1:C; Q2: E

Explanations:
Q1:Escherichia coli O157:H7 (Shiga toxin) and Escherichia coli O157:H7 (Shiga toxin) are food borne intoxications, Salmonella spp is food Infection, and Hepatitis A is Virus. Escherichia coli O157:H7 is commonly found in undercooked ground meat, raw milk, unpasteurized apple juice/cider, lettuce, spinach, alfalfa sprouts.

Q2: All meat products must be labelled with the production date or with a code identifying the production lot and Meat Inspection Legend. Because bratwurst sausage has a very short durable life (usually around 3 days), storage instructions consisting of one of the following statements must be shown:"Keep refrigerated" or "Keep frozen," whichever is applicable. Moreover, since most bratwurst sausages contain raw meat, but they have the appearance of or could be mistaken for a ready-to-eat meat products, they shall bear the following information on its label: "must be cooked", "cook and serve", "raw product", "uncooked" or comprehensive cooking instructions.