The Effect of Tumbling and Marinating on Meat Products

Tumbling

1. Principle of Tumbling

Tumbling is a way to speed up the speed of curing. It is the physical process of energy conversion in meat. The mechanical treatment of the meat through the tumbling promotes the distribution of the liquid medium (saltwater) and improves the tenderness of the meat. The extraction of salt-soluble protein and the movement to the surface of the meat block is improved, so that the product yield and product quality have been greatly improved.

2. Function and Purpose of Tumbling

2.1. Accelerate the penetration and color development of the pickling liquid:

The horizontal tumbler uses the principle of physical impact to drop the cured meat, rub the meat tissue, and destroy the tissue structure of the meat. The meat is loosened and the fiber is broken to greatly increase the penetration rate. It can also make the injected pickling liquid in The meat is evenly distributed to absorb a large amount of saltwater, which not only shortens the curing period, but also improves the yield and the tenderness of the product.

2.2. Extract Protein:

During tumbling, due to the friction, impact, and squeezing between the meat pieces, the salt-soluble protein is precipitated from the cells. They absorb water, starch, and other components to form a sticky substance, so that different pieces of meat can be glued together. To improve the binding effect.

Marinating

1. Marinating Conception

Since ancient times, marinating has been a preservative storage method for meat, but today’s marinating purpose has evolved from purely preservative to the main purpose of improving the flavor and color to improve the quality of meat. The process of using table salt or table salt as the main ingredient and adding salting materials such as sodium nitrate (or potassium), sucrose, and spices is marinating. Salt or sugar infiltrates into meat tissues through pickling, reduces their water activity, and increases their osmotic pressure, thereby selectively controlling the activities of microorganisms and inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria, thereby preventing the meat from spoiling and spoiling.

2. Marinating Purpose

Antiseptic preservation; stable meat color; improve meat water retention; improve meat flavor; promote taste, elasticity, and consistency of slices.

3. Marinating Methods

3.1. Dry Curing:

This method is to rub table salt or mixed salt on the surface of the meat, and then pile them on the pickling rack or in the pickling container, relying on the exuded juice to form a salt solution for pickling. Under the action of the osmotic pressure and hygroscopicity of salt, the tissue fluid of the meat oozes water and dissolves in it, forming a salt solution, but the saltwater is formed slowly, the salt penetrates into the meat slowly, and the curing time is longer, so this is A slow curing method. But pickled products have a unique flavor and texture.

The weight of the product after the dry-curing method is reduced, and a certain amount of nutrients (15%-20%) is lost. The weight loss depends on the degree of dehydration, the size of the meat pieces, etc. The lean the raw meat, the higher the temperature, the greater the weight loss. Due to the long curing time, especially for bone-in hams, microorganisms contaminated on the surface can easily enter the deep muscles along with the bones, and the salt enters the deep layers slowly, which can easily cause internal deterioration of the meat.

The advantage of using the dry pickling method is that it is simple, easy to use, and durable. The disadvantage is that the saltiness is uneven, labor-intensive, and the weight and nutrients of the product are greatly reduced.

3.2. Wet Curing Method:

Soak the meat in the pre-prepared marinating solution, and through diffusion and water transfer, the marinating agent can penetrate into the meat and obtain a more even distribution. It is often used for marinating split meat and ribs. Department of meat and so on. The salt concentration is very high during wet curing. When meat is cured, the salt solution penetrates into the meat and the water diffuses outward. The diffusion rate depends on the temperature and concentration of the salt solution. The diffusion rate of high-concentration hot salt solution is greater than that of low-concentration cold salt solution. Nitrate also diffuses into the meat, but at a slower rate than table salt. The soluble substances in lean meat gradually diffuse into the salt solution. These substances include soluble proteins and various inorganic salts.

In order to reduce the loss of nutrients and flavor, old brine can be used for pickling. That is, the old brine is mixed with salt and nitrate, and the concentration is adjusted and then used to marinate fresh meat. Each time the meat is cured, protein and other substances are always diffused, and finally the concentration in the old brine increases, so repeat the application again. At this time, the loss of protein and other substances in cured meat is much less than when using a new salt solution. The brine is getting older and older, and there will be various changes, and there will be microbial growth. Sugar liquid and water provide a suitable environment for the growth of yeast, which can cause the brine to thicken and produce a unique flavor.

The disadvantage of wet pickling is that the color and flavor of its products are not as good as dry pickled products, the pickling time is long, the protein loss (0.8%~0.9%), and the moisture content is not suitable for preservation.

3.3. Salt Water Injection Method:

In order to speed up the penetration of salt and prevent the spoilage of cured meat, the saltwater injection method is widely used at present. This is because mechanical injection not only increases the yield, but also disperses the saline evenly. After rolling, the muscle tissue becomes soft and a large amount of salt-soluble protein oozes out, which improves the tenderness of the product and increases water retention. The color, gradation, texture, and yield have been greatly improved. At the same time, the pickling cycle is greatly shortened.

The advantage of saline injection is that:

• The amount of various additives can be calculated in advance.
• It is possible to manufacture products with more evenly distributed additives.
• A variety of additives can be used.
• It can improve the yield of products.
• Saving manpower.

The current saline injection is done through dozens(72pcs) or even hundreds(100-300pcs) of regularly arranged injection needles, and the pressure of the injection machine is adjustable (0.4-1.18Mpa). High-end products with low yields generally use low-pressure injection (0.4-0.6Mpa), High yield products use high-pressure injection(0.6-1Mpa).

3.4. Mixed Curing:

This is a curing method that uses dry curing and wet curing to complement each other. For meat marinating, it can be dry-cured first and then marinated in brine in a container. Injection curing is also often combined with dry curing or wet curing, which is also a mixed curing method. That is after the salt solution is injected into the fresh meat, the salt is rubbed in layers, and then stacked, or put into a container for wet curing. But the saltwater concentration should be lower than the saltwater concentration for injection, so that the meat can absorb water.

The combination of dry pickling and wet pickling can prevent the wet pickling method from reducing the concentration of the pickling liquid due to the leakage of food water. At the same time, it does not promote dehydration on the food surface like dry pickling. In addition, internal fermentation or corruption can also be effectively prevented.

Regardless of the method of pickling, it takes a certain amount of time. For this reason, first, a clean and hygienic environment is required. Second, it is necessary to maintain a low temperature (2~4°C), and the ambient temperature should not be lower than 2°C, as this will significantly slow down the pickling speed. These two conditions cannot be ignored under any circumstances. Stainless steel containers are generally used for salting, and synthetic resins can also be used as salting containers.