Salting and Smoking

Salting and Smoking Principle

Rendering the environment undesirable for microbial propagation by reducing water availability to microorganisms through the ionization of salt.

NaCl

forms an ionic bond.

H2O

forms a covalent bond.

Moisture Content

The amount of water present in a substance, denoted as MC, measured on wet or dry basis.

0.80

water activity that most bacteria are known to grow

Osmosis

The mass transfer mechanism in salting

Gaspé

Method of salting named after a canadian landform

Water Activity

Denoted as aw, it relates to the availability of water for microbes to use in their growth and reproduction.

Salting Objective

To lower water activity in food by achieving a saline equilibrium between the muscle and surrounding salt solutions.

Brine solution

A solution that has least concentration and used mainly for flavoring

Ionic bond

Type of chemical bond existing between metal and non-metal

0.7

A product with a water activity below ??? could be stored in room temperature

Water

Major component of food that is removed during drying

Salting Process

The process can be 'Dry', 'Wet', or a combination of both methods.

Brining

A salting method where the concentration of salt is sufficient for flavoring purposes only. (Pretreatment)

Pickling

Involves immersion in concentrated brines for longer-term preservation, mainly used for fatty fish.

Kench Curing

A dry salting method where fish are split, flattened, and layered with salt to produce a long shelf-life product.

Gaspe Curing

A combination of dry and wet salting where fish are salted in tubs with weights to keep them immersed before drying.

Surface drying

Provides a physical barrier to the passage of microorganisms and it prevents aerobic microbial proliferation

Salting

Reduces aw and inhibits the growth of many spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms

Below 0.95

aw reduction ???? is required for antimicrobial effect

Superoxide

Hyper reactive oxygen species that is very unstable due to presence of unpaired electron free radical

Smoking Principle

Smoking preserves food through surface drying, salting, deposition of antioxidants, and antimicrobial substances.

Smoke Production

Involves using wood or sawdust as a smoke source, affecting the flavor and preservation of the food.

Smoke Components

Smoke contains nitrogen oxides, PAHs, phenolic compounds, furans, carbonylic compounds, aliphatic carboxylic acids, and tar compounds.

Steps in Smoking

The process involves pre-smoking treatment such as splitting, cleaning, salting, and drying/hanging the product.

Dry Process

Salt is directly applied to food

Wet Process

Food is immersed into a brine or pickling solution

Sawdust

Source of smoke that is preferably used as it burn slowly creating smoke without flame creating a more smoked flavored product

Post-smoking handling methods

Packaging, Freezing, and Chilling

Lower temperature and less oxygen

Gives a smoke with more flavoring and preserving substance

Higher temperature and more oxygen

Waste flavor substances through oxidation to produce carbon dioxide and water