Traditionally, sausage skins were made from the small intestine of meat animals, especially pigs, but also sheep, cattle and goats. These so-called natural casings have been utilized for centuries, but in recent decades artificial casings have become popular in many markets. Artificial casings include collagen (often derived from animal skin), cellulose (from plant materials), plastic, and more recently alginate (from seaweed).
The growth in artificial casings has been prompted by a number of factors, including the high costs that result from the number of processes necessary to create the natural casing product. Also, natural casings tend to be variable in length, diameter and thickness, so it is more difficult to streamline sausage production, and the process incurs a heavier labour requirement. In contrast, continuous accurate monitoring of the artificial casing process removes the requirement for manual sampling and testing, and enhances both process efficiency and product uniformity.
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Alginate casing
Alginate is found in the cell walls of brown algae which is a large group of multicellular algae, including many seaweeds located in colder Northern Hemisphere waters. An important feature of alginate is its ability to hold many times its own weight in water, making it a naturally gelling substance.
As a film-forming natural polymer, alginate can be used as a casing for sausages through its gel formation with calcium ions. During the production process, meat mixture is extruded to form the sausage, and a layer of sodium alginate is simultaneously applied (co-extruded) to the outer surface, before a calcium chloride brine solution is used to for dehydration and to induce gel formation. This creates a layer of calcium alginate film on the sausage, which provides the strength and flexibility required in a sausage casing.
The salt content in the brine solution is very important and needs to be closely monitored because it affects the color, texture and overall quality of the sausage.
The main advantages of co-extrusion over natural casings are:
&#; Lower purchase cost
&#; Ideal for automation
&#; Low labour requirement
&#; Product consistency
&#; Flexibility &#; can be used for many different types and size of sausages
&#; Stored as alginate powder, so no refrigerated storage necessary
&#; Speed and throughput
&#; Suitable for vegetarian, vegan and Halal (if alginate)
Monitoring alginate brine with in-line refractometers
The brine solution is stored in a brine tank, and spent brine is recycled to this same tank. Consequently, the brine is constantly diluted by the moisture that is removed from the casing gel. It is therefore necessary to monitor the salt solution so that the correct amounts of salt can be added to the brine solution. This function is performed by the Vaisala refractometer which monitors the salt content in real-time.
There are two possible locations for the refractometers; directly in the brine tank itself, and a second refractometer can be installed in the salt supply tank.
The Vaisala refractometer measures the refractive index (RI) of the liquid, which correlates directly with the salt concentration of the brine solution. In-line RI monitoring with automatic feedback control enables process operators to ensure consistent and reliable operations; thereby protecting product quality and reducing downtime. In contrast with many other liquid concentration methods, the Vaisala refractometer is extremely accurate and reliable and needs no regular maintenance. Importantly, these refractometers are not affected by particles, bubbles, crystals or color, so they can be employed in a wide variety of solutions for measuring liquid concentration. The Vaisala K-PATENTS refractometers are also 3-A Sanitary Standards and EHEDG certified, which is essential for food processing equipment.
The refractometers produce mA and Ethernet output signals that allow automatic operation of the process. Moreover, the refractometers can be calibrated to read the concentration of NaOH in g/L, wt-% or any other engineering unit preferred by the factory.
Co-extrusion with collagen gel
In addition to alginate gel, it is also possible to use collagen gels in sausage manufacture. Collagen casing is largely derived from beef and pig hides, but it offers most of the speed and efficiency advantages presented by alginate gels.
After co-extrusion with collagen gel, sausages are passed through a brine solution in a similar manner to the alginate gel process. Vaisala refractometers are able to continuously monitor the process as outlined above, to ensure that the correct salt concentration is maintained and product quality is protected.
Emphasizing the importance of the brine measurement, a sausage manufacturer in the USA said: &#;We treat co-extruded sausage casing with dipotassium phosphate to control the moisture, which directly affects the color and texture of the final product. Too much moisture in the casing makes the sausage too dark and the texture too chewy, while too little means the sausage will be too light and the texture too soft. The Vaisala K-PATENTS® refractometer helps to keep the moisture at the specified level, ensuring a standardized end product.&#;
Cellulose sausage casing
Vaisala refractometers are also used in cellulose sausage casing processes. In this application a cellulose fiber cloth is used to create the sausage casing, but first the cloth is desulfurized by passing it through a Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) bath. Also known as caustic soda, this solution is supplied from a tank, and spent caustic is returned to this tank. Consequently, the NaOH concentration needs to be replenished because caustic is lost in the cloth during the impregnation process. A Vaisala refractometer is therefore employed, in a similar manner to the alginate and collagen applications above, to continuously monitor (in this case) the NaOH concentration and ensure accurate replenishment.
Summary
In-line refractometry is the ideal technology for controlling the artificial sausage casing process. By providing continuous data, refractometers enable sausage manufacturers to control many of the key product quality features.
Unaffected by particles, bubbles or color, the same technology is used for monitoring liquids in a wide range of other industries including semiconductor, chemical and refining, pulp and paper, textiles, pharmaceutical, brewing, beverages and of course food.
The popularity of cellulose and alginate casings is growing as manufacturers look for ways to lower costs, expand production and improve consistency whilst improving product quality, process efficiency, speed and flexibility. However, in order to take advantage of these benefits it is necessary to be able to continuously measure process liquids with a technology that is accurate, reliable and able to operate in challenging conditions. The Vaisala K-PATENTS refractometers meet that requirement and therefore help to meet the world&#;s growing passion for high quality sausages.
You might also like to read about the in-line refractometer technology and other solutions by Vaisala for food and beverages industry.
A lot goes into the making of a good sausage and it all comes down to using a good sausage casing. Using the right casings gives homemade sausage the correct bite and ensures that the sausage cooks evenly and completely. Today, we will discuss two options for sausage casings: traditional natural casings and artificial collagen casings.
Both products are made from animal parts and both work extremely well for sausages that will be cooked or smoked after stuffing. So before you mix up a batch of ground meat for bratwurst or breakfast sausage, consider your options for casings.
Sausage Casings 101
At the most basic level, a sausage casing has one job. It must contain ground meat, seasonings, and spices while the sausage is handled, cooked, and stored. There is an art to sausage making that requires patience and practice. The meat must be pushed into the casings without air bubbles or tearing the casing. One of the reasons that artificial casings have become popular is that they are often easier to use than natural casings. However, not all casings are the same, and you will need to use different types of casings for different types of sausage.
Choosing the Right Sausage Casings
Making sausage is a skill that developed so far back in time that the origins are lost to knowledge. What we do know is that the process of making sausage developed as a way to preserve meat long before anyone ever thought of refrigeration. Our ancient ancestors learned that by coarsely grinding meat and fat, then stuffing the mixture into tubes and smoking it, they could create a meat product that offered all of the health and nutrition benefits of fresh meat in a portable, shelf-stable package.
Where Do Natural Casings Come From?
Even though tens of thousands of years have passed since the first sausage was made, some of the original principles remain. Natural sausage casings are still among the most popular and are a go-to for many people making fresh sausage at home. These natural sausage casings are derived from portions of the digestive tract of animals. The most common part is the submucous lining of the small intestine.
Making Your Own Natural Casings
Hunters who are interested in finding good uses for as many parts of an animal as possible might want to try their hand at making the casings at home the old-fashioned way. Sausage casings can be made from pigs, sheep, deer, cattle, and likely almost any animal, even bear or elk. The process begins by carefully cleaning the body cavity to locate the stomach and the intestines. The small intestine is a tangled mass of tubes held together with a membrane.
The intestine is severed from the stomach and the large intestine, unraveled, and then manually cleaned and flushed with water. Since the intestine can be very long, cutting it into six to ten-foot sections or wherever a portion of the intestine tears during the rinsing and cleaning process is common.
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The intestine is then flipped inside out to complete the cleaning process. A thin, whitish layer on the inside of the intestine is scrapped off with the back of a knife, and then the intestine is rinsed again. Finally, the cleaned intestine is packed in salt and water to cure before being used. Fresh, natural sausage casings should be used as soon as possible.
Where Do Artificial Collagen Casings Come From?
More modern sausage-making techniques have led to the development of artificial casings made from collagen. Collagen is a naturally-occurring protein found in all living animals. Collagen is found everywhere in the body but is most easily recovered from the hides of animals during the slaughtering process.
The process typically involves exposing the cleaned animal hides to either an acid or an alkaline that causes swelling of the proteins. The swollen proteins are extracted from the remainder of the hide using pressure, dried, flattened, and then formed into tubes.
Making collagen casings at home is not something that anyone should try. The process requires specialized equipment to get it right. The collagen degrades and becomes gelatin when the process doesn't work right.
How Do You Decide Between Natural Casings and Collagen?
Most of the time, natural casings and collagen casings can be used interchangeably. Both collagen and natural casings are used to make similar types of sausage and both work very well when used correctly. Deciding between the two comes down to personal preferences and practical considerations as there are benefits and drawbacks to collagen casing vs natural casings.
The Benefits of Collagen Casings
Many people find that sausage made in collagen casings has a better bite and a more firm texture than sausage in natural casings, and there is some scientific evidence to back this idea up. A study published by the National Library of Medicine demonstrated an improvement in texture using collagen casings for fermented sausage over natural casings.
Collagen casings are made in a bunched-up tube, making them easy to load on a sausage stuffing horn. The casings fill evenly and smoothly without the tube becoming tangled. They also have a uniform shape, thickness, and size.
Collagen casings do not require any prep work, either. There is no need to rinse, soak, or salt them, so when you are ready to stuff sausage, your casings are ready to go.
If you're looking to start making your own sausage at home, check out some of our popular videos before you get started:
Drawbacks of Collagen Casings
Collagen casings can be difficult to twist and may not hold their shape. Some types of collagen casings are too delicate to use for sausage that is hung and smoked, but this is largely dependent on the age and condition of the casing. Collagen casings must be stored carefully to prevent drying out or exposure to air, both of which can cause the collagen tubes to disintegrate.
Advantages of Natural Casings
One big advantage of natural casings is that they are made from a part of the animal that often is discarded. We always believe that every part of a harvested animal that can be used should be used. Many people report that the flavor of natural casings is superior to collagen and that the casings allow a better permeation of smoke flavor. Some natural casings are better for hanging in a smoker than others, but most people have success hanging natural casings.
Drawbacks of Using Natural Casings
Some people are squeamish about eating intestines. We get it &#; sometimes things sound so unappealing that they will never taste good.
Natural casings have an irregular shape that can make stuffing the sausage more difficult. Certain types, like sheep intestine, can be very delicate and difficult to stuff without blowouts and air pockets. The natural shape often means that your sausage will look lumpy rather than smooth.
Natural casings must be stored and handled appropriately. They require rinsing before use to remove excess salt and can only be stored in very salty water.
What's Better for Your Grill: Collagen Casing vs Natural Casing
Both types of sausage casings are appropriate for sausages that will be grilled, but the variety of options available with collagen casings often means that you'll have better sausage for grilling using collagen casings. Collagen casings are available in both an edible and non-edible variants. The non-edible type are thicker collagen casings, frequently called fibrous casings or cellulose casings. They are intended to be peeled off after cooking. Do not use plastic casings on the grill. Plastic casings are for making things like hot dogs that are removed from the casing before cooking.
Natural casings may split more easily on the grill. This is particularly the case for sheep casings and is less common with hog casings and beef casings. A general rule of thumb &#; and a law governing commercial sausage manufacturers &#; is that the source of the natural casing should match the primary meat blend stuffed in the casing. That means pork in pork casings, veal or mutton in sheep casings, and so on. Deer sausage with a natural casing is one of our favorite things to make every season.
Tips for Using Collagen Casings
Collagen casings are the go-to for most people who are just getting into homemade sausage making. The benefits of the casings make them easy to pick up and use, but there are a few tips that can improve your results.
- Do not let the casings get wet when you are stuffing. The water will overhydrate the casings and they will fall apart. You can use them dry, right out of the package.
- Pay close attention to the volume of meat going into the casing. The collagen casing can burst when there is too much sausage being stuffed at once. When twisting off collagen casings, only twist one to two times. More will cause the casing to tear.
- Collagen casings are available in three variants &#;
fresh casings for making brats
and other tender sausages,
smoked
for making sausages that will be smoked, and
Snack Sticks
for making dried sausages.
Tips for Using Natural Casings
Natural casings are the authentic way to make sausage, but they require a little more care and patience (and a lot more cleaning) than collagen casings.
- Natural casings should always be packed in salt and water to ensure bacteria development is held at bay.
- You will want to have a good idea of how much sausage you are planning to make and only prepare enough casings to do the job.
- Soak natural casings for at least 30 minutes in cool water and rinse thoroughly to remove as much salt as possible, then thread the casing onto the tube.
- Use gentle pressure when stuffing sausage into natural casings to prevent blowouts and air pockets. The natural shape of the casing can make this process difficult. Prick air pockets with the tip of a sharp knife.
Final Thoughts
The decision to use collagen casing vs natural casing when making sausage often comes down to a matter of taste and convenience. Around our house, we most frequently use collagen casings for the majority of sausage making we do, but there are times that we also choose to use a natural casing. We usually suggest that people who are just getting into sausage making start with collagen casings to get a feel for the process with a much lower risk of failure before moving on to the more advanced process of using natural casings &#; that's why we include them in most of our DIY kits.
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