Chorizo fermentation temp !!

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Post by Baconologist » Thu Apr 25, 2013 20:37

I post for the benefit of all.
My post wasn't directed at anyone in particular.

The folks at Chr. Hansen are very helpful and they know what they're talking about.

Best of luck to you.
Godspeed!

Bob
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Post by Chuckwagon » Fri Apr 26, 2013 11:22

Anytime you use a bacteriological culture in a meat product, it MUST be given a chance to develop inside a curing chamber of ideal temperature and humidity specifically recommended for the type of culture you are using. Because each culture contains varying amounts of beneficial bacteria, each with its own pre-determined requirements, each will display its own characteristic "persona" or individual traits. Each formula will authorize its own length of fermentation time as well as the ideal gradual reduction in humidity and temperature from the initial prescribed amount. If these conditions are not met, your sausage will not develop the exact characteristic qualities you are looking for. Although two may be closely linked (no pun intended), each will definitely display its own individuality. Each Bactoferm culture is unique. Each has its own specifications and make up. Each has been developed to precisely meet the requirements of a specified end result. There are no shortcuts. There just isn`t an easy way to bypass the prescribed amount of time in a curing chamber.

For instance, where a pronounced sour flavor in a thinner product is desired, LHP may be used with its extra fast acidification (drops under 5.3 in 30 hours or under 5.0 in 48 hours). It differs from other cultures because both pediococcus pentosaceus (optimal growth at 95°F.) and pediococcus acidilactici (optimal growth at 104°F.) are used. Additionally, dextrose is recommended as the nutrient for growth (not table sugar). If you are making pepperoni or sausages less than 1" in diameter, this may be the culture you are looking for. It is ideal for thinner products. This is its "persona" that I mentioned. This is the characteristic quality of LHP. This culture is specifically an "extra-fast" culture targeted for fermentation temperatures 90°F-105°F and is used in products requiring less than 2 weeks to completely develop, including drying.
It is important to note that because of the short curing time involved, Cure #1 is used with this culture. In other words, Bactoferm™ L-HP is so fast, it requires a nitrite cure instead of a nitrate/nitrite cure. It works in far less time than it would take for nitrate (in Cure #2) to break down into nitrite for curing the meat.

It is important to understand that all strains of lactobacillus bacteria (used in cultures) are homo-fermentative. These are the acidifying bacteria. They function best at low oxygen levels with a simple sugar nutrient, in order to produce lactic acid. Conversely, if the hetero-fermentative, endogenous (naturally occurring) lactobacillus bacteria find a nutrient and multiply, other volatile acids, along with carbon dioxide, will result in addition to the lactic acid. Luckily, we have discovered pediococcus - a homo-fermentative bacterium that grows at low oxygen levels. This species will metabolize most any sugar.

Some cultures made with acidifying lactobacilli, also contain any number of the micrococcaceae species of the three staphylococcus bacteria we as sausagemakers are most concerned with. They are staphylococcus xylosus, staphylococcus saprophyticus, and staphylococcus carnosus. These are the color and flavor-forming bacteria. Staphylococci are not added to LHP or faster cultures because they cannot survive the rapid lowering of the pH.

A difference in flavor? A difference in texture? A difference in aromatic quality? Absolutely. With each culture having its own specific makeup of any number of species of acid-forming bacteria as well as flavor-forming bacteria, one may not be substituted for another without having a pronounced effect on the end product.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
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Post by ped » Fri Apr 26, 2013 18:25

Thank you again CW, I tend to be a little slow on the take up of info but once in the grey matter it stays, which means, you have to spell it out for me as I tend to find another question to anything that doesn't exactly answer my original question, (multiple choice tests are a nightmare for me!!) so please could you clarify, (please don't shout !!) am I ok to re-ferment at 70 deg and should I wait until the ph is at 5 or thereabouts or should I leave to ferment for a specific period and then put back into curing chamber and monitor ph as it dries?

Many thanks
Ped
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Post by Chuckwagon » Sat Apr 27, 2013 13:15

Ped, where did you store the meat after you took it out of the fermentation chamber? At this point, I am not as concerned about the temperature as I am with the relative humidity. Be careful to not dry it too quickly or you'll have a dry rim that will hold in moisture unable to escape and the center could possibly spoil due to excessive moisture supplying a spoilage bacterium.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
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Post by ped » Sat Apr 27, 2013 17:26

I put it into the curing chamber @ approx 14/15 degs C, the RH has always been high, 85+. Unless otherwise advised I will leave in curing chamber at similar temps and wait for it to lose weight and ph, is this ok?
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Post by Chuckwagon » Sun Apr 28, 2013 09:50

Sounds alright to me as long as you drop the humidity as the recipes recommends.
Good luck with it. I think you'll be just fine with it.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
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Post by ped » Mon Apr 29, 2013 09:19

Many thanks CW and All
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Post by ped » Sun May 05, 2013 10:28

Morning All

Ok, weight loss is now 44% but ph hasn't budged, I've tasted it (ingredients need adjusting but that's another issue!, a bit raw tasting on the smoked paprika front.) and it tastes ok with slight acidity at the back of the palate, so, in food safety terms, with all things being equal, does it seem that I can safely carry on and eat/use it?
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Post by Chuckwagon » Sun May 05, 2013 22:36

Ped ol` bud,

There are two practical and economical methods for killing the bugs in meat during fermentation. In simplest terms, one is to limit the "available water" (Aw) until the humidity level drops below 0.85 on the USDA Aw (simple) Scale. The Aw level indicates how tightly water is "bound" in meat. It is NOT an indication of how much water is inside a product, rather it reveals the amount of available water to support the growth of bacteria.
A second method of destroying bacteria is by introducing an acid. When pediococci or lactobacilli are introduced to a natural sugar in meat, the bacteria produce lactic acid. When the acidity increases to a certain point (drops on the scale) it provides an atmosphere in which bacteria will not thrive and multiply. In chemistry, potentiometric hydrogen ion concentration is abbreviated pH. Roughly, pH is the measurement of acidity or alkalinity in any substance using a scale from zero to fourteen. Pure water is said to be very close to neutral, having a pH measurement of nearly 7.0 at 77° F. Foods with pH less than 7 are said to be acidic, while foods having a pH greater than 7 are said to be alkaline or "base". Note that as we lower the pH factor, we increase acidity. Are microorganisms able to survive inside acidic foods? Not when the acidity is increased in a sausage by a drop below about 4 pH., depending upon the specific microorganism we are referring to. Some are more resilient than others.
For more information about these two methods, please see this link: http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.ph ... 987fce3060

Normally, testing of lactobacillus plantarum, under aerobic or anaerobic conditions, is done using a synthetic lactose medium as a culture. Although the investigation of substrate concentration on cell growth is usually the primary objective, the effects of pH are usually also easily determined using the same test. Optimum pH for cell growth and acid production is between 5 and 6 and it should be noted that anaerobic fermentation produces a higher lactic acid yield of about 2.3 times than for aerobic fermentation. Cell growth rate is about two times higher, but cell yield is only about 80% of that for aerobic fermentation. The high lactic acid yield (0.95∼1.03 (w/w), the complete conversion rate 1.05 (w/w)), tolerance of low pH conditions, and the high cell growth rate, indicate the use of lactobacillus plantarum in lactic acid fermentations for our purposes as well as in those in many huge industrial applications, is ideal. The optimum temperature for the growth of lactobacillus plantarum is 86°F. with a salt limit of 13%. Fermentation studies in batches with no pH control indicate that lactose slightly inhibits cell growth in the exponential growth phase but there are no effects in the stationary and death phases. If you would like to see how commercial producers test pH, click on this link: http://www.eutechinst.com/products/portables/ph56.htm
However, for our purposes, it is more economical to simply use litmus paper. Although we`d be looking for "any" increase in acidity, it may not be the best result for which we are looking. A simple litmus test is surprisingly accurate and would let us know if there is reasonable strength remaining. Be sure to measure the acidity of the medium before you add the lactobacillus.

Home hobbyists, needing a convenient and inexpensive method of testing pH acidity have found a product called "pHydrion Microfine Testing Strips". The product is available from any pet store that sells fish or most sausage equipment suppliers for about $12.99 for a dispenser of 15 feet of litmus paper testing paper strips. The product is available in two ranges, first for testing acidity from 3.9 to 5.7 pH, and second, for testing acidity from 4.9 to 6.9 pH. Testing is done by color comparison and although the results may be less accurate than an electronic PawKit can provide, test strips are a bargain at about 6 cents per test!

To test, tear off an inch of testing paper, dip it into the 86°F. prime test medium, match it to the color chart on the side of the dispenser, and then record the data. Next, add the suspected morbid lactobacilli and stir it slightly. Allow a couple of hours for any indication of growth before testing again. Record and compare. No technical training required, although you should take one more thing into consideration.

Compare a fully-effective Bactoferm culture with a brand-new flashlight battery. As your flashlight lies in a drawer unused, the battery`s power diminishes with time. After several month`s time, the bulb becomes only barely lit by the nearly-dead battery. Live lactobacillus plantarum cannot be expected to remain at its full strength over time, nor will it perform with any satisfactory degree of expectation when the living organism has nearly expired. My advice is to follow the six-month shelf life expectancy closely, vac-sealing, and sub-zero freezing any remainder. If you haven`t used the remainder within half a year, toss it.

U.S. Government FSIS meat inspectors and professional commercial sausage makers use battery powered devices for measuring the acidity (pH) in meat as well as Water Activity (Aw). The PawKit (for testing Aw) is a quality-made product by Decagon Devices Incorporated in Pullman, Washington. (www.decagon.com). It weighs only 4 ounces and is incredibly accurate. However, the last time I checked the price of a PawKit water activity meter, it was over three hundred dollars! To test pH in meat, a Hanna pH test meter is available from Hanna Instruments in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. (www.hannainst.com/usa).

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
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