Homogenised processed meats (chopped cooked sausages, and offal deli meats such as liverwurst and liver sausages) are product ranges manufactured on a large scale, and their supply is constantly increasing because of the growing demand for these meat products and the wish to use the less valuable raw materials.
Quality of chopped meat products depends on many factors associated with the variability of technological processes. During the production of chopped processed meats, the choice of a specific technological treatment is dictated mainly by extending shelf-life and making the finished goods as organoleptically desirable as possible. The essence of homogenised deli meats manufacturing consists in ensuring proper comminution and levelling spatial dispersion of all raw materials, as a result of the chopping process using water (ice) or broth.
During chopping, major changes in the processed raw materials take place. An entirely new physical system is formed and it causes structural changes in all the chopped raw materials.
The chopped batter is a two-phase system comprising the dispersing phase (aqueous, colloidal solution of proteins and low-molecular compounds soluble therein) and the dispersed phase (fat particles, protein micelles, with electrolytes bound to them by ions). In this respect, the chopped, homogenous batter is a system of diverse and dynamically balanced spatial structure. Structure of this spatial arrangement of the two phases depends primarily on the capsule formed by soluble proteins around fat particles. Therefore, the place with the worst durability of the batter is the edge between fat particles and the other batter ingredients.
Effectiveness of the chopping process as a technological treatment depends on:
Forming a stable meat batter (emulsion) depends on the presence of a factor reducing surface tension between individual phases, by forming a film surrounding fat particles. Substances called emulsifiers perform such a function. In-depth research conducted on the effect emulsifiers have on the quality of chopped meat products indicate that the role and function of emulsifiers consist mainly in the modelling biophysical and biochemical properties and sensory desirability of finished products. Owing to their peculiar properties, emulsifier found application in nearly all branches of food industry. The currently conducted research is primarily aimed at modification of the selected functional properties of emulsifiers and their adjustment to the constantly changing technological needs resulting from the creation of new ranges of food products.