Preparation of Casing for production of melted cheeses
During preparation of casing for production process, when a reel of casing is unwinding and being cut into pieces, it is necessary to monitor side parts of the reel and surface of the casing sleeve to prevent them from rubbing against various types of uneven or rough surfaces. It is recommended to unwind the reel of casing in the vertical position.
Before using Pentaflex-Universal® casing should be cut into pieces of required length, soaked in water at the temperature +18+25°C and kept there for 30 minutes. It is completely forbidden to soak the casing in hot water. For the purposes of evenness of soaking process, it is obligatory that during submerging in the water one end of each casing piece should be open to secure soaking of an internal surface of casing as well. During soaking casings have to be under the water. With that purpose it should be covered (pressed) by frame and kept during 30 minutes. It will considerably increase its elasticity, facilitate process of stuffing and ensure uniformity of filling forcemeat over the full length of a sausage stick.
In case of using the shirred casings, it is necessary that shirred sticks be submerged completely into the water at a temperature of 18-25C and kept there for at least 40 minutes.
Consumption of the casing should be calculated for the volume of melted cheesese production. In case there is some casing left after production, it should be left in cold water and used within 24 hours.
Stuffing of casings
Forming and clipping of sausage is an important process, during which the casing most frequently touches upon details of the equipment. In order to avoid damages of the casing, make sure the equipment is operating well, there are no damages to it, burrs on its surface.
The filling of casings is recommended to perform with overstuffing by caliber within the limits of recommended staffing diameter (RSD) of 10-11 %. Percentage of the overstuffing is determined by experienced method and depends on conditions of production and type of equipment. Chosen percentage of overstuffing has to be unchanged during entire stuffing process, the stuffing must be compact along the whole length of a sausage stick. For instance, when the 65 mm caliber of casing is used and chosen overstuffing percentage is equal to 11%, it is recommended that stuffed sausage stick reach up to 72 mm in diameter.
By choosing the percentage of the overstuffing it is important to take into account all factors: casing characteristics, equipment, number of clip, and also structure of the forcemeat, especially if it contains protein additions. So with a view to exclude the break of casing during thermal processing it is recommended to control the process of filling of casings to nominal caliber, and perhaps to diminish it. Control of overstuffing diameter realize by the force of measuring stick diameter by caliber-roll.
In this case is ensured the presentable appearance of sausages, increased forcemeat capacity, excluded possibility of fat formation and increased output of finished products.
By clients request it is possible to produce casing with necessary caliber.
Clipping of casings
Pentaflex-Universal® casing can be used in production process involving usage of both automatic ("ALPINA", "POLI-CLIP", "TEHNO-PACK") and semi-automatic types of equipment, as well as for clipping manually.
When clipping, it is necessary to pay attention to regulating of clipper, the right choice of clips that corresponds to the type of the casing and diameter. Clips should ensure firm clipping of the ends of the casing, so that clips do not move and damage the casing. The internal diameter of sausage sticks’ rings amounts to 160-180 mm.
Thermal processing
Thermal processing of sausages should be performed according to the current technological instructions by scheme:
Heating - Cooking - Showering – Cooling in the chamber.
Due to gas impermeability of the casing, the process of frying is excluded during thermal treatment. It should be taken into account that by excluding the process of frying, it is absolutely necessary to use by-stage boiling, to begin the increase of temperature starting from +55+60°C, which will ensure the process of colour formation. For example for casing O65 mm thermal treatment is next:
- 55C in heat-chambers at 100% humidity-15min;
- 65C in heat-chambers at 100% humidity -20min;
- 75C in heat-chambers at 100% humidity -30min;
- 80C in heat-chambers at 100% humidity to temperature inside the stick 72C;
Last stage of thermal treatment is a process of boiling, driving the product to preparedness (72C in the centre of stick during 10-15minutes).
Number of stages of rising temperature will depend on diameter of the sticks, the bigger diameter - the more stages.
Duration of stages of heating are chosen by the company, depending on technological demand and equipment abilities. It is forbidden to cool sausages with cold air after cooking, it may lead to formation of wrinkles. It is necessary to exclude draughts until sausages don’t cool off.
Packing and storing of the sausages
After the cooling sausage sticks are transferred to the storage facilities for storing and selling. Temperature in the storage area should be set according to the requirements specified in the technological instruction for production of the given type of product.
Sausage sticks with the clean and dry surface are packed in the sanitized containers not exceeding their weight capacity and shipped for sale. During the storing, sharp changes in temperature are unacceptable to exclude possibility of appearance of condensation moisture on the sausage sticks’ surface.
In the retail the sausage sticks should be taken out of shipping containers and stored into the refrigerators, showcases and so on.
- a classic high-quality polyamide casing with overstuffng of 10-11%.
