Homemade Sausage Making

Looking for a reliable aW meter and having the worst time trying to source one. If you are familiar with one would you please provide a link to the site for purchase?\

Thanks a million
Eric

Here is a link to Pawkit's page

http://www.labcell.com/food-pharmaceuti ... ity/pawkit

Awesome,

You wouldn't know how much they costs do you. I'm trying to figure out how they work. Would I just cut a piece of salami off and stick it in the cup?
Eric

Yes, you just stick some meat in the cup and place it the kit over it and it will read the aW within a couple minutes. Somewhere there is a thread on the board where I did a comparison showing the change in the aW compared to the shrink of salami and the recommendation of a loss of 30% to be shelf stable is pretty dead on with what the water loss would be. Actually, I believe the 30% is more than plenty to be shelf stable so unless you just HAVE to know its not really necessary to use anything other than what has been done for eons when making charcuterie products.

I don't remember what they cost but it will hurt your feelings bad.

That's what I thought. I heard they were expensive. Thanks for the help. I think 35 % should be good enough

Eric

cajuneric wrote:That's what I thought. I heard they were expensive. Thanks for the help. I think 35 % should be good enough

Eric

Eric, FWIW, I haven't tested any recipes posted on this forum or in Marianski's books where the Aw wasn't at an acceptable level when the recipe was followed. In fact, many times they became shelf stable sooner than the recommended weight loss suggested.

Thank you. I am reading that many prefer the longer cures like 40 or 45% loss. I know that many recipes call for at least 30% loss. What is your preference. Does a 40-45 mean a firmer more developed (Flavor) salami/salumi?

It just depends. The flavors and aromas seem to change some as it dries. Personally I don't like things too dry and enjoy things more "moist". Usually when I find what's appealing to me I will stop the drying and cryovac to try and save that texture and flavor.

cajuneric wrote:You wouldn't know how much they costs do you.

A while ago I got a quote for the pawkit aW meters - the basic battery powered handheld unit was £1600! The tabletop unit was £4000.

I can't justify that - but I don't know of a cheap way to measure aW.

- reddal

I inquired about them last year. They started at 2000.00 USD. I'm glad I didn't buy one. If the safe level is 30-35%, I haven't found anything that I made that I would want to eat at 35%.

OH MY!!!!

That is wild. I sent them an email to find out for myself and in case someone is curious about obtaining one here is what they sent me..

You would have to contact metergroup.com

Good afternoon Eric,

Thanks for requesting information about our Pawkit water activity meter. I'll be happy to send you a formalized quote and help guide you to the best options for accessories with a few quick questions. Can you tell me more about your samples and the type of measurements you're looking to make? Do your samples contain volatiles like acetic acid, alcohol, or PG? Also, what is the water activity range you will be testing in?

The AQUALAB Pawkit ($2,400) is a portable device originally designed for food safety inspectors needing a quick water activity reading on the go. The Pawkit is low maintenance, easy to use, and has an accuracy of ±0.02 aw.

The accessories you will need for the Pawkit are the sample cups ($203) and 2 different verification standards ($100 each) that bracket the range you are working in and are used to verify the calibration of your Pawkit.

I`ve also linked Fundamentals of Water Activity a helpful introduction to water activity testing.

I look forward to working with you in the future.

Thanks again Eric for your interest in our instrumentation - have a nice rest of your day!

There ya go. Over 2 grand.

Just bought a ticket for tomorrow's 649. As soon as I collect the jackpot, I will be getting one! (and the white Porsche sportscar)

Wasn't to many years ago these were selling for $600 and there was another company making them also. The bureacracy won against reasonable objections of some of the meat scientists who argued against the need for this and the other company is now gone and prices have skyrocketed. Monopolies are a beautiful thing are they not? (If you are the monopoly and you have government regulatiors on your sales staff.)

On a bright note I saw some desktop models yesterday on Amozon selling for $1200. Chinese models I think but they looked pretty nice with measurements in the thousandths.

Butterbean wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 02, 2018 04:21

It just depends. The flavors and aromas seem to change some as it dries. Personally I don't like things too dry and enjoy things more "moist". Usually when I find what's appealing to me I will stop the drying and cryovac to try and save that texture and flavor.

when you mean cryovac do you mean freezeing it or keeping it at fridge temp?