Process for producing dry and semi-dry sausage products

摘要

A process for producing dry and semi-dry sausage products. Ground meat is admixed with an acidulant (e.g., a food grade acid) encapsulated by a material having a melting temperature of at least about 90 DEG F. The resulting admixture is formed into at least one shaped sausage product wherein the product has at least one cross-sectional dimension no greater than 1.0 inch. The shaped sausage product is then heated at a temperature and for a period of time sufficient to (a) melt the encapsulating material and allow the acid to contact the meat and lower the pH of product to a value no greater than 5.3 and (b) dehydrate the product such that the ratio of the weight of moisture in the product to the weight of protein in the product is no greater than 3.7 to 1. The heating step is carried out for a period of time no greater than about one hour (typically for only a few minutes) and in a heating apparatus operating at a dry bulb temperature in the range of from about 90 DEG F. to about 500 DEG F.