Cutter, first stage
Lean meat + salt + phosphate + one third of the ice. Chop to 4 – 6 °C. This is where the protein is extracted: the step that decides everything.
Scalded
Mortadella and scalded products
The meat emulsion is the trade’s technical exam. Either the protein encapsulates the fat, or the fat separates and the whole product is lost. And it is all decided in the degrees the cutter shows.
Formulation per 100 kg of batter
| Component | Amount | Why it is there |
|---|---|---|
| Lean beef | 35 – 40 kg | Beef protein emulsifies better than pork: it is the backbone of the product. |
| Pork | 15 – 20 kg | Flavour and lighter colour. |
| Back fat | 18 – 22 kg | Back fat is firm and emulsifies; soft jowl breaks down sooner. |
| Flake ice | 15 – 20 kg | It is an ingredient, not a trick: it provides the water of the emulsion and controls temperature. |
| Common salt | 1.8 – 2.0 kg | Solubilises myosin. Without salt there is no possible emulsion. |
| Curing salt (6.25 % nitrite) | 0.25 kg | Equivalent to ~156 ppm ingoing nitrite. See the dosage sheet. |
| Phosphates | 0.3 – 0.5 kg | Raise pH and water-holding capacity. Almost every country caps this at 5 g/kg. |
| Sodium erythorbate or ascorbate | 0.05 kg | Speeds up curing and protects colour. 500 ppm is the working dose. |
| Soy protein or caseinate | 1 – 3 kg | Stabilises the emulsion and adjusts cost. |
| Starch | 2 – 4 kg | Holds water during scalding. Too much gives a rubbery texture. |
| Seasoning and pepper | 0.4 – 0.6 kg |
Process
Step by step, with the temperatures.
Cutter, second stage
Add fat and the rest of the ice. Chop at high speed until the batter is glossy and homogeneous.
Temperature ceiling
Do not exceed 12 °C in a fine batter, 14 °C as absolute limit. Above that the fat melts and the emulsion breaks with no way back.
Stuff
Large calibre casing, fibrous or plastic. No air.
Scald
Water or steam at 75 – 80 °C until the geometric centre reaches 70 – 72 °C. Measured with a probe, not with a clock.
Thermal shock
Immediate cold shower down below 30 °C, then into the chiller. Stops cooking and prevents wrinkling.
| Control point | Value |
|---|---|
| Cutter temperature ceiling | 12 °C (14 °C absolute) |
| Scalding temperature (water) | 75 – 80 °C |
| Target core temperature | 70 – 72 °C |
| Yield | 100 – 105 % with added water |
| Vacuum-packed shelf life (0 – 4 °C) | 30 – 45 days depending on room hygiene |
Troubleshooting
What went wrong, and why.
Half the craft is reading the defect. These are the ones that keep coming back.
| What you see | What caused it |
|---|---|
| Fat ring under the casing | The emulsion broke: batter above 14 °C, or fat added before the protein was extracted. |
| Rubbery product | Too much starch, or too much water for the protein available. |
| Gelatin pockets | Scalding too aggressive, or badly chopped collagen that melted out. |
| Grey on the cut face | Insufficient or badly distributed nitrite, or no erythorbate. Oxygen in the pack does it too. |
Frequently asked
What people ask before they start.
What do phosphates actually do?
They raise the pH of the meat away from the proteins’ isoelectric point, and with that the meat holds more water. That is what lets you add ice without the product releasing it during scalding. Most regulations cap them at 5 g/kg expressed as P₂O₅ on the finished product.
Why 72 °C and not higher?
At 70 – 72 °C in the core you achieve the required lethality for vegetative pathogens and the protein is fully coagulated. Going beyond adds no safety and costs yield: the product releases water and shrinks.
Can it be made without a cutter?
At small scale you substitute a fine-plate grinder plus a mixer, accepting a grainier texture. What cannot be substituted is temperature control.
Contact
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