What are cured meats?
The term "cured meats" refers to a set of meat-based preparations (and, at times, fat, offal and blood), suitably processed in order to modulate their organoleptic characteristics and increase their shelf life.
Based on the raw materials and the treatments adopted, there are numerous types of cured meats: bagged and non-bagged cured meats, raw and cooked cured meats, fermented and unfermented cured meats, smoked and non-smoked cured meats (see in this regard the "image" Classification of Salami "in the next paragraph).
In-depth articles on the most famous cured meats:
Bresaola
Culatello
Mortadella
Bacon
Baked ham
Raw ham
Salami
Sausage
Speck
Frankfurters
Salami nutritional tables
CURED MEATS CONTENT IN CHOLESTEROL
Chemical and Nutritional Characteristics of Salami
When it comes to the nutritional characteristics of cured meats, being a particularly large food group, any generalization becomes inappropriate; the only exception that can be made concerns the sodium content (or better, sodium chloride).
This mineral, which as we will see in the next paragraph has preservative and dehydrating properties, could be defined the second main ingredient in the formulation of cured meats. Being preserved meats, to avoid any possibility of contamination, cured meats must NECESSARILY contain high quantities; on the other hand, this implies a significant reduction in food QUALITY.
Organoleptic and gustatory characteristics aside, perhaps many do not know (or are unaware) that, thanks to today's conservative technologies (refrigeration, freezing, modification and control of the atmosphere, vacuum packing, freeze-drying, etc.), the production of salty foods is no longer necessary. On the contrary, it would be desirable that it be abandoned! This is a "difficult statement to" digest ", as it is opposed to a very long gastronomic tradition. However, it is good to keep in mind that the sodium contained NATURALLY in foods (except in athletes) is more than enough to satisfy the nutritional needs of an average adult. On the contrary, the excess of this macro-element seems to considerably predispose to the onset of arterial hypertension, a decidedly important cardio-vascular risk factor; considering that, according to certain research sources, the average consumption of sodium is much higher than the metabolic needs, I would say that cured meats (and not only those) represent a group of foods to be used with some care.
To complete the profile of unhealthy foods, there are further chemical characteristics that are anything but positive; this is the case of the intake of cholesterol and saturated fats. These two elements of the lipid type, if in excess, favor the increase of total cholesterolemia, in particular of the LDL fraction (bad cholesterol), another cardio-vascular risk factor.
Furthermore, it should be remembered that the excess of triglycerides also translates into an excess of calories; as many will know, obesity in itself represents a cardio-vascular risk factor, as it predisposes the body to the onset of various diseases metabolism (hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, etc.).
The presence of nitrates and nitrites in cured meats (antioxidants and preservatives) is also an unfavorable element for human health; these molecules, in fact, are attributable to the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines and, together with excess sodium (an additional risk factor ), increase the chances of neoplastic formations of the stomach and intestines.
Obviously, not all cured meats are the same. Sausages certainly represent the category of worst nutritional quality, while "lean salted" (raw ham, bresaola, etc.) are distinguished by their greater wholesomeness.
In general, all cured meats are a fair source of proteins with a high biological value, of certain mineral salts (iron, potassium) and vitamins (group B), even if following dehydration and aging many of these elements are greatly reduced. .
The consumption of raw cured meats is not recommended during pregnancy (for hygiene reasons) and, in general, they would ALL be avoided in the baby's diet (due to the useless presence of sodium chloride). consumption of cured meats should be limited to 1-2 times a week and in portions of less than 100g (depending on the total sodium content in the diet).
Production methods
As with cheeses with milk, starting from the same raw material, meat, many types of cured meats are obtained; the final result will depend on the type of processing adopted and the type of microorganisms added (when making salami at home, microbial starters were not used, but a spontaneous or "wild" microbial flora developed; in the industrial field, to standardize the characteristics organoleptic characteristics of the food and ensure its healthiness, it is instead necessary to use selected microbial strains).
Classification of cured meats - click on the image to enlarge it
To produce a salami sausage, such as a salami, it is necessary to first prepare the meat, cleaning it from the tendinous parts, grinding them and possibly adding fat (the typical holes of the salami are obtained by adding pork fat to the meat).
During the kneading, a whole series of ingredients is added, such as salt (2.5-3.5%, as a flavor enhancer and as a preservative) and spices, which also have a dual function (in addition to the aroma , the essential oils they contain have antiseptic properties.) A small percentage of sugars (1.5%) can also be added, which acts as an initial substrate for microbial starters. Milk powder and caseinates (2-4%) ) instead give consistency and homogeneity to the product (they are added, for example, to sausages or mortadella).
As for the additives, nitrites and nitrates of sodium and potassium can be added; the former transform l "oxyhemoglobin in nitrosohemoglobin, giving meats and in particular cured meats a lively color that lasts longer; nitrates are a sort of "reserve" of nitrites, as they become scarce, new ones are obtained from them. It has been proven that the transformation of nitrites into nitrosamines has a potential carcinogenic effect for the human organism; however, these additives continue to be used, both because without them the meat would brown, but also because in their absence the very dangerous could develop Clostridium botulinum (bacterium that produces deadly neurotoxins).
Antioxidants, such as ascorbic acid and ascorbates (that is, vitamin C), can also be added to the sausage, which keep iron in a reduced state and limit lipid peroxidation; in raw and cooked sausages, polyphosphates, and tocopherols or vit. AND; in cooked ham, polyphosphates make it possible to keep the flesh mass more compact, which otherwise would tend to flake off with cooking.
The next step is packaging: the meat is stuffed into casings that can be of natural or synthetic origin. The drying and / or cooking and / or smoking of the product follows, according to the characteristics that you want to impart to the food.
The last step is the seasoning, which is carried out in cells at controlled temperature and humidity; during this phase, the following takes place in the food:
- A decrease in humidity;
- An increase in the concentration of the ingredients, in particular of the salt which, being in greater proportions, counteracts microbial proliferation;
- Change in pH;
- Increase of soluble nitrogen and free fatty acids, due to the proteolytic and lipolytic enzymatic action of the enzymes present in the microbial flora;
- Stable red color due to the presence of nitrites which catalyze the formation of nitro-hemoglobin (if you compare a commercial salami with a home-made salami you can see a distinctly different color due to the use or not of these additives).
Classification of cured meats - click on the image to enlarge it
Preparation of non sausages - click on the image to enlarge it
For the production of non-sausage cured meats (such as ham, loin, capocollo, pancetta, etc.) we start with the preparation of the meats (pork legs, loin, belly, etc.), which undergo salting for a period variable according to the type (for ham, which is the biggest piece, about 25 days). During this period, the operation is repeated every 4-5 days, rubbing coarse salt on the surface of the meat in order to facilitate its penetration into the outermost layers.
A "drying is then carried out, possibly combined with cooking (as in cooked ham), and proceeds with the curing that varies from 10 to 14 months (for branded products, such as Parma ham, there are regulations that establish the duration of the various stages of production).
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