Meat products with high levels of extenders and fillers 195

MEAT PRODUCTS WITH HIGH LEVELS OF

EXTENDERS AND FILLERS

Introduction

Meat extenders are non-meat substances with substantial protein

content, whereas fillers are high in carbohydrates (see page 60). Meat
extenders and fillers are primarily used with the objective of making
meat products lower-cost. In the upmarket sector there was
traditionally less demand for highly extended products as their sensory
properties could not fully match “full-meat” products. However, much
progress has been made in recent years in improving the sensory
qualities of extended meat products by using better balanced spice
mixtures or other suitable additives of plant origin such as flavouring
herbs (parsley, oregano, rosemary, leeks) or bulbs, roots and tubers
(onions, garlic, ginger, raddish). These facts make the low-cost market
more attractive and may contribute to its further development.

Interestingly, in recent years also in the upmarket sector some new

developments regarding increased utilization of non-meat additives can
be noted. In this case it is not based on price considerations but on
health-consciousness of consumers. New additives (coming from dairy,
bakery and other food industries) have recently been introduced into the
meat sector, with the
intention of promoting the
production of “healthy”
food. Some of these
additives are advertised
with the potential to
increase the fibre1
content (dietary fibre
fortification) of meat
products (e.g. wheat,
bamboo, cotton seed, red
beet, chicory). Also
functional properties are
attributed to the fibre
additives (see page 60),
Fig. 251: Addition of non-meat ingredients
in particular binding of (example: starches)
water and creating a
creamy product texture.

__________
1)
see footnote page 196
196 Meat products with high levels of extenders and fillers

Other additives are recommended to increase the level of certain

minerals1 in meat products (fortified iron, magnesium enriched, calcium
improved). Some of these additives are by no means cheap “fillers” and
may even increase the costs of the products. Specific target groups of
consumers are prepared to pay for these relatively high-priced “wellness-
products”, which are gaining increased market share.

In countries with low purchasing power, some meat processors intend to

reduce their production costs by adding disproportionately high
amounts of cheap extenders and fillers (e.g. flours, starches,
breadcrumbs, soy concentrate, MDM, also water) to meat products.

More transparency is needed in this part of the meat sector,

particularly in developing countries, where relevant food regulations are
often incomplete or poorly applied. Such transparency can be best
achieved by greater public access to information on the safe use of non-
meat extenders and fillers. Proper labelling is therefore a key area to be
addressed by national food control authorities.

In addition to extenders and fillers of non-meat origin, mechanically

separated cheaper materials from animal carcasses also known as
mechanically deboned meats (MDM) are widely used in meat
processing. This refers in particular to poultry meat2 (chicken, turkey).
The use of such materials, separated as the remaining meat on bones,
certainly contributes to the integration of all edible parts from carcasses
into the food chain without wastage of valuable animal proteins. However,
MDM must be hygienically generated and processed and its incorporation
as raw material for meat products should be well balanced.

__________
1)
Additives containing fibre, minerals etc. have prebiotic properties, which assist the
organism in creating favourable conditions for good health. It must not be confused with
additives with probiotic properties, where living bacteria (mostly Lactobacillus strains) are
added, e.g. to yoghurt and more recently also to fermented meat products such as dry
fermented sausages. It is believed that the microorganisms have a direct positive impact
on the human digestive system.
2)
Mechanically separated meat from cattle, sheep and goat is not currently produced because
of possible BSE-risk.
Meat products with high levels of extenders and fillers 197

Traditional extended meat products

Various flours are

primarily used in
extended traditional meat
products from Asia. One
well known example is
‘Moo-Yoh’ (Fig. 252).

This is the Thai name for

a product popular in
Thailand and some other
South-East Asian
countries. The roduct is
manufactured using raw-
cooked technology (see
page 127) by finely Fig. 252: Moo-yoh
chopping all ingredients
with ice. It is composed
of pork (85-90%), sugar (1.5%), fish sauce, common salt and pepper
(each 1%), and flour (5-10%) is used as a filler. Due to the high flour
content air bubbles are produced during the cooking, which are
characteristic for Moo-Yoh. Moo-Yoh has a grey to whitish colour (Fig.
252).

In Africa the main traditional meat processing methods are meat salting,
drying and smoking. In the past these three methods allowed semi-
nomadic or nomadic herdsmen to preserve meat from livestock or game
in higher temperatures. Such traditional products were later developed
into biltong, kilishi, etc. (see page 237, 241).

The manufacture of mixtures containing cereals, mainly beans, grains

and/or cassava (manioc) with meat, fat, blood, internal organs and even
milk, falls in the category of extended products (see also page 112).
Such products can on the one hand be considered as processed meats,
on the other hand they are related to kitchen style cooking, as these
mixtures are usually consumed as part of the meals immediately after
preparation. In recent years some of these traditional cooking mixes
have been commercially produced in cans and used as food supplies with
extended shelf life for emergency situations, for remote regions and for
refugee camps. These mixed meat/plant products offer a convenient
outlet for otherwise highly perishable animal products and are nutritious,
particularly due to the animal protein. The content of extenders may be
high, in some cases exceeding the content of animal tissues.
198 Meat products with high levels of extenders and fillers

More advanced processing methods were imported into Africa over the
years from other parts of the world. The preparation of meat/plant mixes
as fillings for samozas (dough pouch with filling) and spring rolls
originated in Asia while the preparation of coarse and fine breakfast
sausages (see below)and meat rolls were introduced from Europe.

In Europe there are a number of extended traditional meat products,

mostly based on adding cereals to mixes of meat, fat, blood, pork skin or
other carcass parts with high connective tissue content. Typical examples
are the French “pate de champagne” and “boudin de bretagne”; the
Scandinavian “blodpolse” and “blodkorv”; the Irish “black pudding”; the
German “gruetzwurst” and “pfaelzer saumagen”; the Spanish “morcilla
de calabaza” and “morcilla sencilla de arroz”, the Polish “kiszka kaszana
wyborowa” and “kiszka kaszana gryczana”. All these belong to the group
of pre-cooked-cooked meat products (see page 149).

The breakfast sausage is another highly extended meat product. These

sausages can be categorized as raw-cooked sausages, but are sold in
fresh or frozen form and heat treated in restaurants or by the consumer
directly at home. One common composition is approx. 60% animal tissue
(meat, fats), 15% water, 25% extenders and fillers (wheat flour, rusk,
corn starch) (Fig. 253).

Fig. 253: Breakfast sausage

Sequence of adding ingredients to lean meat batter:
(a) salt, phosphate, spices, (b) rusk, (c) flours and starches

The most typical extended European meat product on the market is the
lower quality type Italian Mortadella (Fig. 254). Its fabrication follows
the principles of raw-cooked meat products, with meat, animal fats and
water as basic raw materials and extenders. The meat component does
usually not only include lean meat, but also offals such as spleen,
oesophagus and sometimes even udder. Smaller fat dices are also often
embedded in the batter in combination with green peas, pistaccio nuts or
black peppers. The fillers used are usually starches and flours. The
cohesiveness of the mortadella is achieved partly by the network of
muscle proteins (see page 129), but to a certain extend also through the
stickiness of the fillers. Mortadella is stuffed in large calibre casings (up
to 200 mm). In order not to expose the outer zone of the sausage too
long time to excessive temperatures, a special heat treatment (delta-t
Meat products with high levels of extenders and fillers 199

cooking) is required. In the delta-t method, the heat treatment usually

starts with water temperatures of +60°C. This temperature is maintained
until the core temperature in the sausage has reached +35°C. From then
on the water temperature is raised continuously, always maintaining a
certain difference with the core temperature (usually 25°C) until the final
water (“cooking”) temperature (in this example +78°C) is reached. The
heat treatment is continued at this water temperature until a core
temperature of +68°C is reached in the product (see page 444).

Most mortadella products are to a

certain extend shelf stable at
moderate ambient temperatures due
to the long heat treatment and the
low aw achieved by the high share of
extenders. They are often stored
without refrigeration. Although
mortadella is considered a low cost
product, it has an attractive
appearance and taste and is now
considered a delicacy. Fig. 254: Mortadella

Extended Western style meat products (A, B, C, D below)

The groups of fresh (page 103), raw-cooked (page 127) and precooked-
cooked meat products (page 149) of comminuted Western style meat
products are well suited for replacing part of the expensive meat by
cheaper meat extenders and fillers. These practices, dictated by the need
to produce lower cost products, are much more common in developing
regions because of the lower purchasing power. In the past few decades
Western style meat products have been introduced in the meat sector of
most developing regions. Western style products such as frankfurters,
cooked ham, luncheon meat etc. often rapidly overtake the production
and sales the traditional indigenous meat products.

Inevitably, there is the risk of exaggerated and unprofessional

application of extenders and fillers. The basic rule should be that meat
products with elevated amounts of extenders and fillers should be
marketed as low-cost, but must still be recognizable as typical meat
preparations and clearly labelled as to composition and nutrient content.
Within the existing framework of experience, guidelines are given
hereunder on extender and filler utilization. The cost of the individual
extenders, which may widely vary from country to country, plays an
important role in the economics of producing extended meat products.
Extender and filler utilization can reduce the cost of full meat products by
10-30%. These figures refer to moderately extended products, which
200 Meat products with high levels of extenders and fillers

still maintain the characteristics of processed meat. Where consumers

are used to extended products, it is the experience of meat processors
that the majority of consumers prefer slight to medium extended meat
products over full-meat products. The situation is different in countries
where high quality standards prevail. Here consumers usually even
dislike relatively small amounts of extenders.

Apart from the overall quantity of extenders and fillers to be added, the
right proportion of substances has to be used that give products a
more granular texture (e.g. breadcrumbs, coarse TVP, page 64, 80) and
those that provide a more soft texture (starches, flours, fibre products,
page 79, 80, 81). Also the proportion of substances with higher water
absorption capacity (“fillers” such as starches, flours or fibres) and lower
water absorption capacity (“extenders” such as soy products or other
legumes) has to be established. There are a number of product formulas
available taking the above aspects into account, but they normally have
to be tailored to local consumer tastes and needs.

Hereunder, selected groups of Western style meat products and their

suitable extenders and fillers are discussed (see also chapter: NON-MEAT
INGREDIENTS, page 59). For comparison, the common formulas of such
not extended products are listed in Annex I “Recipes”.

Extenders, fillers and binders suitable for heavily extended meat

products:

Extenders (definition see page 61):

Soy concentrate (70% protein) is available as a flour-like product. In

coarse granular form it is called TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein). It can
be added re-hydrated for meat product manufacture at a re-hydration
ratio of 1:3.

Fillers (definition see page 62):

Cereal flours from wheat, rice and corn

Added dry

Starches from potato, corn, wheat, rice

Added dry

Whole grains of rice

Added cooked
Meat products with high levels of extenders and fillers 201

Breadcrumbs, rusk
Added dry, in isolated cases also re-hydrated

Cellulose fibres derived from bamboo and other plants

Added re-hydrated, re-hydration rate 1:9

Other fillers (e.g. vegetable) are dealt with in chapter: Non-meat

ingredients (page 59).

Binders (definition see page 62):

Most binders (e.g. isolated soy protein, milk protein) used in non-
extended and extended raw-cooked sausages do not serve for volume
increase.

The binding substance carrageenan (page 71) can provide significant

volume increase as it is highly water absorbent. Its positive role is mainly
in the manufacture of coarse products such as burgers or coarse skinless
sausage products and in cooked hams. It may also be of use for
improved cohesiveness in the case of high extender utilization in raw-
cooked products.

A. Fresh coarsely ground meat products - extended

Hamburgers (Burgers)

Burger products are simple

mixtures of ground meats,
including the traditional
hamburger consisting of pure
beef only without any
extender or binder and with
low fat content. The name
burger is used for all kinds of
simple mixtures of ground
meat and animal fats (beef,
pork, poultry meat, fish, or
mixes of several). Burgers
have always been considered
suitable for using meat Fig. 255: TVP of different granulation and
colour
extenders even in high
quantities, as no stringent
requirements for product cohesiveness or colour exist. In industrial meat
processing of burger patties the most commonly used extender is soy
concentrate in medium to coarse granular shape as TVP (page 80).
When rehydrated it has a meat-like texture. TVP in its dry form should
202 Meat products with high levels of extenders and fillers

be of slightly smaller particle size than the ground lean meat (3-5 mm
disc), as the granules increase in size upon re-hydration.

Moderately extended burger

products are softer and juicier
and have a pleasant but not
too intensive meat flavour.
Full-meat products often have
a tougher texture and in some
cases the meat flavour might
be too dominant. In burgers
relatively large amounts of up
to 15% TVP (re-hydrated) are
tolerated even by quality-
conscious consumers. But
when TVP contents are in the
Fig. 256: Burger patties, cooked, (a) with
range of 30% (re-hydrated),
meat only, (b) with TVP and cassava, (c)
this causes almost complete with TVP. Up to a certain level no sensory
loss of meat flavour and makes differences
products dry.

In some low-cost burger formulations breadcrumbs, cassava, potato,

or rice are used as fillers, often in combination with TVP as extender. In
regions where most consumers are used to extended meat products,
hamburgers with 7.5% TVP, or 7.5% TVP plus up to 10% cassava starch
were still rated equal to full-meat burgers in consumer acceptability tests.
Products with cassava starch also showed reduced cooking losses. Also
the addition of carrageenan in low doses (0.5%) to low-cost burgers
contributes to higher yield and less cooking losses without altering the
sensory attributes.

Cellulose fibre additives, such as bamboo and potato fibres are also
increasingly used for burger type products, mostly in combination with
extenders such as TVP. Moderate quantities up to 2.0% (dry) facilitate a
smoother mouth-feel, as long as enough water for re-hydration is added.
Instead of TVP some regional recipes use fibres (up to 2.0% dry)
together with potato (mix of fresh pieces, flakes and flour) and water as
extenders for burgers. In this case the re-hydration potential of fibres of
1:9 can be helpful in absorbing most of the excess water.

Chicken burgers

Due to recent consumer concerns about red meat, chicken burgers have
become more popular, in particular in the fast-food market. Top quality
products are preferably made of leg meat, which is juicier than breast
meat and without significant quantities of extenders or fillers (Fig. 246).
Meat products with high levels of extenders and fillers 203

For lower-cost products, substantial amounts of extenders and fillers are

common and are basically the same as for red meat burgers described
above. In addition, some manufacturers incorporate certain levels of
mechanically deboned chicken meat (MDM) (page 196) in the mix.
Chicken burgers are of pale colour and food colouring (page 73) may
also be used but is not a general practice.

Extended chicken burgers, like all other burgers, are usually moulded
fresh and stored and distributed frozen. Alternatively, burger mixtures
can be stuffed into artificial casings of a desired diameter (65-90 mm),
frozen and sliced to individual patties of desired thickness (5-10 mm).

Meat balls (coarse)

Coarse meat balls have a similar composition as burgers and are mainly
added to and consumed with soups. The round-shaped mixture (30-40
mm diameter) is stabilized when the meat balls are cooked in water or
steamed. The additional heat treatment differentiates the meat balls
from burgers (sold uncooked) and also limits the amount of extenders.
Meat balls need a more cohesive texture, hence the extender content is
usually kept lower than in burgers, but fillers in particular starches and
flours are used at high levels. Due to the heat treatment
(cooking/steaming) of the meat balls, high amounts of extenders would
result in an atypically pale colour and lead to loss of meat flavour.

The moderate use of cellulose fibres as a filler for coarse meat balls
can be useful as these fibres re-hydrate at a ratio 1:9. However,
excessive use of cellulose fibres in meat balls results in dry “sandy”
products, as much of the water absorbed is probably lost during cooking.
Coarse meat balls are sometimes also extended with green and red
vegetables, such as parsley, carrots and bell pepper. Apart from the
slight extending effect, smaller particles of such colourful ingredients can
make the usually grey-coloured meat balls more attractive (Fig. 237).

Meat rolls, ground kebabs

Also meat rolls (meat mixes in a cylindrical shape) and ground kebabs
(see page 106) are made as extended products. Some of them are sold
frozen raw and others are heat treated prior to marketing. Production
processes and the selection of suitable extenders, fillers and binders are
based on the same technologies as ground burgers and ground meat
balls.
204 Meat products with high levels of extenders and fillers

B. Raw–cooked meat products - extended

Raw-cooked meat products made of finely comminuted meat batter (see

page 127) are particularly well suited to incorporate certain amounts of
extenders and fillers for cost reduction and are always used in
combination with binders. The most commonly used binders are isolated
soy protein (ISP) and milk protein (caseinate), both usually added as
water/fat/protein emulsion (see page 69, 80). In typical extended
western-style products, especially in larger calibres used for cold cuts,
only flours and starches are used as fillers and to a rather limited
extent also cellulose fibres. TVP is not used as its light-brown colour
and granules would show in slices of cold cuts. Similarly also small
calibre sausages such as extended hotdogs or frankfurters are mostly
fabricated using this technology and composition.

In less demanding markets, where mainly low-cost hot dogs are the
most common extended products, several other extenders and fillers,
often combined with flours and starches, are used. If available, soy
concentrate (TVP) is the preferred extender, due to its standard quality,
user-friendly properties and relatively high protein addition to the
product. In many places, manufacturers have resorted to other, readily
available and cheaper fillers for low-cost hot dogs such as breadcrumbs,
rusk, gari, cassava and boiled rice (see page 64, 78, 81).

Phosphates (see page 69), are particularly useful common additives for
raw-cooked meat products. They assist in the development of
comprehensive protein network structures. In this respect some fillers
will develop complementary functions, for example some starches (e.g.
potato starch) start absorbing increasing amounts of moisture at the
temperature range of 50-70°C, at which some of the loosely bound water
is expelled from the protein structure networks. Hence, liquid purge can
be decreased or avoided.

Negative effects of extenders and fillers can arise when excessive

doses are applied, particularly in terms of appearance, cohesiveness and
taste. Limitations have been indicated for the individual products
discussed hereunder, but consumer expectations vary widely.

Hot dogs, Vienna sausages

Both sausage types are of a small-calibre, i.e. characterized to be filled

in narrow (18-22mm) casings. Hot dogs usually contain high amounts
of extenders. In contrast, in demanding markets, Vienna sausages are
known as pure meat/fat products. In many places around the world this
quality pattern is not strictly adopted and various extenders and fillers
are used, always in combination with binders.
Meat products with high levels of extenders and fillers 205

Naturally, these products cannot be extended up to such levels possible

for burgers. The addition of up to 3% (re-hydrated) TVP as extender
combined with up to 2.5% starch as filler with binding potential1 will
improve the cohesiveness and results in reasonable products not very
different from full-meat products. Levels of TVP up to 6% (re-hydrated)
result in less “meaty” products and demanding consumers may dislike
them. But even levels of up to 10% (re-hydrated) TVP could be
acceptable to certain consumer groups, in particular when sold at a lower
price and consumed as part of a sandwich or in soups.

Fig. 258: Extended hotdogs (no

colorant). Colour pale, for more
attractive appearance food colouring
Fig. 257: Raw materials for extended is commonly used (see also Fig.
260, 265)

When using cellulose fibres (see page 195) in combination with TVP
and starches/flours/skim milk, only moderate quantities of such fibre
products (not exceeding 2.5%) should be applied. This is due to the fact
that the cellulose fillers are re-hydrated at a ratio of 1:9, which means
that 200 g dry powder (= 2% of a 10 kg batch of sausage mix) result in
a wet mass of 1800 g in the 10 kg sausage mix. During the heat
treatments (reddening, smoking, cooking) of these small-calibre
sausages, part of this water may be released, leading to dry “sandy” final
products. For the same reason, TVP, which is also a re-hydrated
ingredient, should be reduced in quantity, when used in combination with
cellulose fibres.

__________
1)
Potato starch is the most common, followed by corn starch, sometimes cassava starch is
used.
206 Meat products with high levels of extenders and fillers

Chicken viennas, Chicken hotdogs

Poultry products in small-calibre casings are recently in highly demand

as snacks or whole meal foods particularly in regions where for cultural
or religious reasons beef and/or pork are not eaten (Fig. 259, 260). In
such products, the fat component also derived from chicken in the form
of the fat-rich chicken skin. Alternatively vegetable oil may be used.
From the socio-cultural point of view filling the sausage mix into
removable cellulose casings does not raise any concerns regarding the
animal tissues involved. Many of the regions with preference for chicken
sausages are in the developing world with low purchasing power. Hence
addition of extenders and fillers is widespread.

For better quality products mainly chicken leg meat is used. In low-cost
formulations the major or entire part of lean meat derives from
mechanically deboned chicken (or turkey) meat (MDM). Mechanically
deboned chicken meat is not entirely lean but contains on average 20%
fat, therefore quantities of fat-rich chicken skin or replacement vegetable
oils need to be adjusted. The binding capacity of chicken meat is only
slightly inferior to beef or pork. Therefore the application of extenders
and fillers is possible in practically the same way as for beef/pork
hotdogs and viennas.

Up to 3% (re-hydrated) TVP as extender combined with 2.5% starch

results in attractive chicken sausages. Vegetable oil as a fat component
produces slightly juicier products than chicken skin added as the fat
component (non-extended formula see Annex I, page 402). More
intensive meat flavour can be achieved by replacing some of the lean
chicken meat with lean beef. However, this option can be considered only
if consumers accept beef and local regulations permit certain amounts of
red meat in food labelled as chicken meat products.

Chicken meat is very pale and higher amounts of extenders will also
have an additional adverse effect on good product colour. In many
countries it is common practice to use food colourings (red or red and
yellow type combined) to give the products a more attractive appearance
(Fig. 260, 265).

In some countries, highly extended chicken hotdogs are produced in

order to cater for consumers with very limited purchasing power.
Formulations with more than 20% of extenders and fillers (mainly TVP,
balanced amounts of breadcrumbs, flours and starches), up to 25%
water and ”lean” chicken meat (MDM) in the range of 30% and fats
(fat-rich chicken skin, vegetable oil) in the range of 20% are common. In
such mixtures, the meat protein network cannot integrate the whole
amount of extenders, fat and water (see page 127). The absorptive
Meat products with high levels of extenders and fillers 207

functions of the fillers play the major role to limit fat and water
separation in these cases. This can usually be managed to a satisfactory
level, but sensory properties (taste, texture) remain atypical in meat
products.

Fig. 259: Raw materials for extended Fig. 260: Extended chicken viennas
chicken vs pork/beef hotdogs. Above left (cellulose casings removed). Left smoked,
chicken skin/chicken meat. Above right centre unsmoked, right unsmoked with food
pork fat/lean beef, centre TVP colouring

In Fig. 261 the different manufacturing stages of such a heavily

extended product are shown. During the first stages the quality of the
semi-fabricated product remains high. At the stage of adding the bulk of
the extenders, which is instrumental for lowering the product price, the
drop in quality occurs. (In order to clearly demonstrate the different
stages of the batter, the batter was filled into wider casings than those
normally used for hotdogs. All samples were heat-treated.)

For reasons of cost reduction, the quality decrease particularly from step
d) to e) (Fig. 261) is unavoidable, but such products can still play a vital
role in basic animal protein supply for low-income population groups,
as long as they are made available at a low and affordable price. The
animal protein content may still be kept in the range of 7-8%. To
improve the sensory quality of such products, parts of their cheapest
ingredient, which are the breadcrumbs (besides the water), can be
replaced by other cheap locally available foods such as cassava (starch,
gari) or rice (flour, boiled). This contributes to softer texture and better
taste.

The processing technology will also contribute to the improvement of

heavily extended meat products. In particular coarse extender particles
should be further reduced in size. Sharp and efficient bowl cutter knives
are essential (page 304). After chopping all ingredients in the bowl
cutter, passing the mixture through colloid mills (page 30) will further
promote the better integration and binding of all extender and filler
materials.
208 Meat products with high levels of extenders and fillers

Fig. 261: Different stages of production of highly extended chicken raw-

cooked product.
a) Mix of lean meat, phosphate, salt and water. Compact texture, pink colour,
no purge of fat and water.
b) Addition of binders (isolated soy protein, milk protein). Texture remains
compact, colour becomes significantly paler.
c) Addition of fat (chicken skin). Texture becomes slightly softer, colour slightly
paler.
d) Addition of starch and flour, some vegetable oil and artificial colouring.
Colour turns pink but not like typical curing colour, texture softer but still good.
e) Addition of high amounts (15%) TVP and breadcrumbs. Significant change
in colour to brownish-yellowish, water exudation, change in taste towards only
slightly meat-like.

Larger-calibre sausages of the raw-cooked type

There are different product names for larger calibre raw-cooked sausages
depending on their origin, size and sensory properties (appearance,
colour, taste etc.). Products such as Lyonese or Bologna are finely
comminuted and stuffed in casings of 40-80 mm diameter; Polony can
contain some coarse material and is stuffed in casings of 30-40 mm
diameter. Often the name “Salami” is also used around the world for a
more coarse product, but this may be misleading as this definition has
been used for centuries for the European type dry-fermented sausages
(see page 115).

The large-calibre products contain basic sausage mixes (lean meat, fat
and water) manufactured with the same technology and raw materials
used for hot dogs. They share the same characteristic protein network
structure (see page 127) and the typical firm-elastic texture. Similarly to
extended hotdogs, this protein network is often supported by an
emulsion made with isolated soy protein (ISP) or milk protein (caseinate)
(page 69, 80) and has the capability to embed and keep in place not only
fat and water droplets but also particles deriving from non-meat
additives. In these types of products, the addition of extenders (e.g.
soy concentrates) and fillers (e.g. starches, flours, cellulose fibres) must
be carefully balanced and overdoses avoided in order to retain meat
products characteristics as much as possible (Fig. 261, 262, 263, 265).
Meat products with high levels of extenders and fillers 209

Fig. 262: Extended bologna Fig. 263: Highly extended bologna type
sausage Excessive levels of extenders and
Good appearance and cohesiveness
insufficiently comminuted, visible coarse
TVP particles

Moreover, an effective comminuting technology (use of a higher

number of chopper knives, additional use of colloid mill for the fine batter
component of the sausage mix) is crucial for larger calibre extended
products, as for their consumption they are usually cut up into thin slices.
In these slices any deficiencies in colour or cohesiveness become rapidly
apparent and can be easily detected. Lumps of excess extender would be
visible and also result in separation of fat and/or jelly after cooking and
insufficient texture combined with dry and coarse mouth-feel. Therefore
extender and filler quantities in large diameter sausages are usually kept
more moderate than in hotdogs (Fig. 262, 263).

Experience shows that for satisfactory large-calibre raw-cooked sausages

the overall level of extenders and fillers in dry form should not exceed
10% and an adequate proportion of various filler, extender and binder
substances is helpful (see page 204). As some substances with high re-

Fig. 264: Large-calibre raw-cooked Fig. 265: Colouring of heavily extended

sausage with higher (centre) and lower product. Use of food colorant (left)
(right) levels of rice grains and with
rice flour (left)
210 Meat products with high levels of extenders and fillers

hydration ratios (e.g. TVP, cellulose fibres) are used, the dry extender
level should be kept slightly below the 10% mark to avoid excessive
overall extender contents. In Asia, precooked rice (Fig. 264) is used not
only in hotdog type products, but also for medium-calibre raw-cooked
sausages, as rice grains have strong cohesive properties. In order to
make the rice grains less visible in slices of larger calibre sausages,
colloid mills are very useful in the manufacturing process.

The addition of small quantities of carcass parts rich in connective tissue,

such as pork skin, tendons or gelatine (product derived from skin or
bones) in the recipe will also facilitate efforts to make products with high
quantities of extenders and fillers appear more acceptable. Connective
tissue proteins swell and take up water and enter a gelatinous phase
upon heating. This helps product components to stick firmly together
after the process of cooking and cooling is completed.

Luncheon meat

Luncheon meat is known worldwide

as a canned product (Fig. 266).
(see page 127). The product mixes
are in principle similar to the ones
used for the above described
extended sausages of the raw-
cooked type. But while those are
usually manufactured from pork
and/or beef, luncheon meat may
also contain other meat types.
Cheap luncheon meat products
often contain mechanically deboned
Fig. 266: Luncheon Meat
meat (MDM), mostly from chicken,
as part of the lean meat
ingredients.

Canned luncheon meat, also in its cheapest versions, should not show
excessive separation of water and/or fat after sterilization. Therefore,
absorbing non-meat ingredients are used such as starches, flours, soy
proteins (concentrate and isolate) and also carrageenan.

C. Cooked ham

In its original manufacture, cooked ham is made of one large piece of

meat or few combined entire muscles (see page 182, 183). It does not
undergo any comminuting process and is traditionally produced without
any extender or filler. No yield is expected from such products as the
curing brine injected will be lost again during cooking.
Meat products with high levels of extenders and fillers 211

In moderately priced industrial cooked hams made of one large piece of

meat or few combined entire muscles, the yield is usually increased
using modified fillers and binders in the curing brine, which allow
retention of some of the injected brine even after cooking. These
products still meet the expectations of quality-conscious consumers but
enable manufacturers to reduce costs and adjust the pricing.

Reconstituted cooked hams (see page 183) are produced in large

quantities. These products are made of muscle meat, which is trimmed,
cut or ground into medium to small chunks and reshaped to resemble an
entire larger piece of meat. In such products modified soluble binders
including isolated soy protein, gelatine, carrageenan and modified
starches (Fig. 225) with a high binding capacity have become popular
production ingredients. Before reconstitution through heat coagulation,
curing salt, spices and substances assisting in water-binding (commonly
phosphates and optionally the mentioned binders, see pages 69-72, 80,
180) are injected or mixed into the lean meat components and the entire
mix is mechanically treated by tumbling (see page 184).

Insoluble extenders or fillers in dry powder form (flours, starches) or re-

hydrated (TVP, cellulose fibres) are not suitable as they would hamper
the reconstitution process which is based on “gluing” together the
individual muscle particles by means of heat-coagulated protein (see
page 184). Hence the main filling substance for cost reduction used for
cooked hams is water. As cooked ham is made of pure muscle meat, the
water binding capacity is relatively high. The water absorption is further
increased by the tumbling process, which releases additional amounts of
myofibrillar protein with strong water binding capacity. The utilization of
phosphates, soy isolates etc. strengthens this process further. Such
products can achieve yields up to 150% and are, with corresponding
pricing, affordable also for low-income consumers.

Maximum water retention can be achieved, if, in addition to the above

treatments, carrageenan is used as a binder. Carrageenan powder (see
page 71) dissolved in hot water, has the potential to absorb and hold
moisture and significantly reduces cooking losses. Tests revealed 4%
cooking loss with 1g carrageenan per kg meat mixture, 1.8% with 2.5
g/kg and very low 0.5% with 5 g/kg. Use of carrageenan up to 5g/kg
ham gives a neutral taste.

The transglutaminase products recently introduced in the food sector

are particularly efficient in cooked ham as their main function is
strengthening the linkages between proteins (see page 72). Small
quantities (0.1%) dissolved in the curing brine injected or added to the
mix in the tumbler are sufficient to significantly improve cohesion
between the meat pieces.