Foods processing hams

Reversibly insolubilized soybean protein products possess various functional properties, such as binding, emulsification effect, etc. These functionalities may appear when the native protein molecules are unfolded during heating in food processing. Therefore these products, such as soybean protein isolate, are useful as binders or emulsifiers for sausage, hams, etc. 

Another variable is the type of food in contact with the active or intelligent packaging. Here there may be liquid contact (e.g. for an oxygen-scavenging crown cork for beer), dry contact (e.g. a preservative releaser for buns) or semi-solid contact (e.g. an oxygen scavenger for processed ham). 

Products and Uses An ingredient in bakery products, baby foods, confections, ham (chopped or processed), hamburger, ice cream, luncheon meat, meat loaf, poultry, and sausage. Used in brewing and wine making and as a formulation aid, humectant (moisturizer), sweetener (nutritive), texturizing agent (improves feel or texture). 

Orsat, V., Bai, L., Raghavan, G.S.V. and Smith, J.P. (2004) Radio-frequency heating of ham to enhance shelf-life in vacuum packaging. Journal of Food Process Engineering, 27, 267-283. 

With the advent of irradiation processing of frozen foods to maintain acceptable quality in beef, ham, pork, and chicken, questions were posed... 

Foods such as meat, fish, and some vegetables contain sulfur-bearing amino acids that form volatile sulfur compounds during processing and storage. When these compounds react with iron, a black precipitate forms on the container and in most instances darkens the food. A small piece of aluminum welded to the tinplate can has been used to prevent container corrosion and sulfide staining in commercially canned hams. In this case, the aluminum acts as a sacrificial anode and stops the reaction with tin and iron that otherwise could occur at the small exposed tinplate areas (14). 

Low-molecular-weight peptides play an important role in the flavor intensity of meat and beef broth (27b). A beefy meat peptide isolated of beef imparts desirable sensory properties and has potential as a flavor enhancer in heat-processed foods (27c,d). Peptides released in dry-cured ham during processing were evaluated by HPLC and related to the ham flavor formation (27e,f). 

Aristoy, M.-C., and Toldra, F. (1995). Isolation of flavor peptides from raw pork meat and dry-cured ham. In G. Charalambous, (ed), Food Flavors Generation, Analysis and Process Influence, Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 1323-1344. 

Hinrichsen, L.L. and Pedersen, S.B. (1995) Relationship among flavor, volatile compounds, chemical changes, and microflora in Italian-type dry-cured ham during processing,/. Agric. Food Chem., 43(11), 2932-2940. 

Geomaras, I., Belk, K.E., Scanga, J.A., Kendall, RA., Smith, G.C., and Sofos, J.N. 2005. Post-processing antimicrobial treatments to control Listeria monocytogenes in commercial vacuum-packaged bologna and ham stored at 10 degrees C. Journal of Food Protection 68 991-998. 

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is responsible for the safety of meat and poultry. Under federal law, animals must be examined before and after they are slaughtered to make sure they are not diseased. The FSIS also makes sure that only approved ingredients are used in processed meat products by examining the labels. By processed meat products, we mean canned foods that are ready to eat when the package is opened, like Spam and devilled ham. 

Koseki, S., Mizuno, Y, and Yamamoto, K. 2007. Predictive modeling of the recovery of Listeria monocytogenes on sliced cooked ham after high pressure processing. International Journal of Food Microbiology 119 300-307. 

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