To replace natural casing with synthetic not just have the advantage that the synthetic casings are not required to be stored in freezer while they have the disadvantage that fibrous casing cannot be consumed. Veterinary Public Health Sausages are available in two-types of casing, one natural and one synthetic. Natural casings are of the intestine of sheep, hog or cattle. Synthetic casings consist of Collagen casing and Fibrous casing. (FAO; n. d. ). The collagen casings are edible and are made from collagen (protein) and are of same size as natural casing.
While the large synthetic casings which are used for cutting summer sausages, bologna, etc. These are made from paper and cellulose and are not edible. (UGA; n. d. ) Advantages of Natural Casing • They are edible and have a good texture you get to feel when you eat. (Ehow; n. d. ) • They are permeable and allow a deep and thorough cooking of sausages. (Fortis-casings; n. d. ) • They can stay for up to two years in the freezer if they are properly and carefully stored. • These provide superior taste to the sausages and are juicy, tender and healthy as they are natural.
(Almol; n. d. ) Disadvantages of Natural Casing • If not properly stored, they tend to smell bad due to gas being collected in them and are not rotten to be thrown away. • They have a very high tendency of breaking as compared to the artificial casings and care should be taken while handling them. • Making a sausage out of natural casing leads to a lot of waste due to breakage and a slight wastage reduces profitability. (OSDIR; n. d. ) Advantages of Collagen Casing • They are edible.
• These casings are very strong and due to this reason they take in flavoring easily and can be cooked evenly well. • They are uniform in size as they are man-made and can make as many numbers of sausages as they do not have the length limit. • They are not as fragile as the natural casings. • They fit to encase the meat. (Midwesternsearch; n. d. ) • Collagen is made from safe and natural material and is free from any health related risks. (Collagencasings; n. d. ) Disadvantages of Collagen Casing • Toughness of the collagen will not give you the texture and feel you desire.
• They cannot be twisted and will retain their shape unless heat is applied to the shape required. Advantages of Fibrous Casing • They are also man-made and of uniform size. • They allow heating and flavoring to spread evenly in the sausages. • They encase the meat very well, even when the meat is shrinking. • They come in various colors and can have the logo of the companies on them. • A variety of product can be produced just by changing the casing type that is from apple-flavored to caramel to smoked. (; n. d. )
Disadvantages of Fibrous Casing • They are not edible and hence cannot be consumed. They need to be peeled off before the sausages are eaten. (Wisegeek; n. d. ) Conclusion Natural casing is the best option as it does not risk the health of the individual, and provide a good texture and taste to the spicy they only drawback is that it is easily breakable and can be a source of bad odor if not stored properly. While the artificial casings do not require to be stored in refrigerators while only fibrous cannot be consumed.
References
Allbusiness. “Casings: a sausage’s best friend; Today’s sausage casings aren’t just a means to enclose a product; they do a lot more! ” [Internet], <http://www. allbusiness. com/manufacturing/food-manufacturing/383801-1. html>, [Accessed on May 4, 2010] Almol. “Natural Sausage Casings from Almol” [Internet], <http://www. almol. com/Natural-Casings. aspx>, [Accessed on May 4, 2010] Collagencasings. “Benefits of Collagen” [Internet], <http://www. collagencasings. org/Collagen/Default. aspx? pid=12>, [Accessed on May 4, 2010] Ehow.
“Sausage Casings: Natural Vs. Artificial” [Internet], <http://www. ehow. com/about_5385311_sausage-casings-natural-vs-artificial. html>, [Accessed on May 4, 2010] FAO. “SAUSAGE CASINGS” [Internet], <http://www. fao. org/docrep/003/x6556e/X6556E03. htm>, [Accessed on May 4, 2010] Fortis-casings. “Natural Sausage Casings” [Internet], <http://www. fortis-casings. com/onderwerpen/faq/index. asp? navid=3&subnav=5>, [Accessed on May 4, 2010] Midwesternsearch. “Collagen Sausage Casings” [Internet], <http://www. midwesternresearch. com/CASINGS_COLLAGEN.
htm>, [Accessed on May 4, 2010] OSDIR. “Method and means for stuffing natural casings with sausage emulsion” [Internet], <http://osdir. com/patents/Butchering/Method-means-stuffing-natural-casings-sausage-emulsion-07066803. html>, [Accessed on May 4, 2010] UGA. “Curing & Smoking – Sausage Ingredients” [Internet], <http://www. uga. edu/nchfp/how/cure_smoke/sausage_ingredients. html>, [Accessed on May 4, 2010] Wisegeek. “What is a Sausage Casing? ” [Internet], <http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-a-sausage-casing. htm>, [Accessed on May 4, 2010]