In-line brine concentration measurement in co-extruded synthetic sausage production

Sausages are produced by grinding or mincing meat and mixing it with protein, water and various other ingredients. The mixture is then stuffed into a casing providing the sausage with its distinctive shape. 
 
Casings can be of two types, i.e. natural or synthetic. The synthetic casing is made of synthetic material such as alginate, collagen or hybrid gel which have good processing characteristics and enable continuous sausage production in large volumes at lower cost. 

Monitoring salt concentration in brine coagulation bath for high-quality co-extruded synthetic sausage casings  

Sausages with synthetic casing is often produced by co-extrusion. This means that the casing is applied on the sausage along the process of sausage creation as the meat  and  the  casing  gel  are  passed  simultaneously  through  an  extruder.  

The gel has a high water content and needs to be coagulated by dehydration with a brine solution such  as  sodium  chloride,  dipotassium  phosphate  or  calcium chloride to increase its mechanical properties. After the co-extruder, the sausage is passed through a brine solution for removal of water by osmosis. 

The brine is a salt solution that becomes diluted with water from the sausage passing through the brine. To ensure the optimal sausage quality, the salt is added to the brine and kept at the required concentration level. Next, the sausage is forwarded for packing and curing. 

Download the application note to learn the details on how Vaisala Polaris Sanitary Refractometer helps to monitor and control continuously the salt in brine. The measurement brings the following benefits: 

• real-time information for required salt adjustments to maintain optimal brine concentration 
• continuous in-line brine concentration monitoring  
• automatic replenishment of the brine    

Download our application note in PDF by filling in the form.
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