Preservatives are widely used in the food industry to add flavor or texture, delay rancidity, and keep the meat fresh. Preservatives commonly used in dried or cured meat to prevent botulism are nitrates and nitrites, which must be measured carefully and used in small amounts before being added to the recipe. As a manufacturer in the food industry, you must keep an idea of food preservatives that will help you in better sourcing of ingredients.
Some of the common preservatives used in meat are:
1. Curing Salt
Curing salt is a preservative primarily used for meat and its side products, consisting of high-grade sugar, salt, and curing agents such as sodium nitrite, and sodium nitrate propylene glycol to keep the mixture intact.
Curing salts are commercial pre-mixes that are recommended for all homemade dried and cured products to prevent meat spoilage. Some may vary from supplier to supplier, whether they are yellow, pink, white, or orange, so ensure that they are labeled clearly to avoid any confusion.
2. Salt
Also known as table salt, cheese salt, sodium chloride, non-iodized salt, pickling salt, or kosher salt, salt is used to add flavor to the food and is used in high volumes to prevent botulism.
3. Prague Powder
It is also known as sodium nitrite, Prague powder, insta-cure #1, pink salt, modern cure, or nitrite, and is the most common curing salt that requires a short cure before smoking or cooking or before being eaten.
Prague powder provides a distinct flavor and prevents product discoloration. It can be used in curing and preserving cooked and semi-dry meats, fish, sausages, bacon, corned beef, and pastrami.
Nitrite is colored to avoid confusion with table salt and gives the meat a cured flavor and pink color.
4. Saltpeter
Saltpeter, also known as potassium nitrate, was the traditional curing salt. It is used to kill bacteria by drawing out the water content, however, it is no longer used due to the development of the Prague powder which gave more consistent results.
These are some of the common preservatives used to preserve the meat and keep it fresh while tasting good.
At Excesa you can find the list of ingredients in one hassle-free place for you to source all the ingredients for your industry. Our food directory has a niche of suppliers ranging from sausages, meats, bakery items, and other varieties of food ingredients.