Vegetable proteins in cooked and/or fermented sausages

Man is the only animal cooking meat for food. Various arts and degrees of heat treatment were devised by the early egyptians, Greeks and Romans; this was often combined with a surprisingly high degree of sophisticated fermentation. From initial meat searing in the Iron Age to modern barbecue pits, electronic conveyers, rotomats, the introduction of steam and controlled smoking, development of curing salts, and the controlled production of meat itself, man created new meat processing technology designed to improve flavor, texture, shelflife, availability, acceptability and economy, thus satisfying the crucial demands of both the consumer and processor. During this time man also discovered the disadvantage of heat, namely the inevitable loss of volume, changes in texture, color and palatability. At the same time, he started using various tubers, cereals and salts to minimize cooking losses. These functional comminuted meat product ingredients, today known as binders and fillers, have traditionally been locally available. They include potatoes, cereals, milk derivatives, hydrocolloids and vegetable proteins. It is estimated that 17,000 tons of various soy proteins were used in 1977 in Europe alone in heat-treated and fermented meat products. Since sausages, fermented and hard salamis and similar ready-to-eat comminuted meat products are an important segment of European convenience meat consumption, this paper concentrates on the technological, nutritional and economical impacts of soy proteins on these products. While in heat-treated meats bacteriological growth is not desired, it is a regulation factor in the production of fermented sausages. In both types of products, soy proteins in their present form as isolates, concentrates, textured, various grits and flours, as well as spun or structured, play an important role in providing the consumer with appealing, nutritional products at acceptable prices. Examples of applications of soy proteins are discussed.