Cargill Launches Ripening Cultures with Unique Flavor and Value-Enhancing Potential for Dried Fermented Meats

The Flavor Start D range of meat ripening cultures complements Cargill's extensive cultures and enzymes offering, which also includes meat surface cultures, as well as direct vat cultures, bulk culture systems, and dairy surface and ripening cultures.

16 Nov 2010 --- Cargill has launched Flavor Start D, an innovative new range of meat ripening cultures with the added benefit of delivering enhanced and distinct flavors for dried fermented meats in less time thereby reducing costs. The new cultures range is available to meat manufacturers in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It will progressively be introduced in other geographies as well.

Meat ripening cultures are starter cultures used in the manufacturing process of dry fermented meat products, such as dry sausages, salamis and chorizos. Starter cultures are associations of lactic bacteria (mainly Lactobacillus and Pediococcus) with Staphylococcus; they are used for acidifying and texturizing, coloring, flavoring and preserving the end products.

Based on a specific combination of Geotrichum candidum, a culture strain traditionally used in dairy applications, and standard meat ripening cultures (Staphylococcus sp.and lactic bacteria), the natural flavor created by Flavor Start D delivers specific green fruity notes that provide Cargill customers with a positive point of differentiation for their dried fermented meats, while benefiting consumers who will enjoy the taste of a new flavor in traditional products. Those specific aromatic notes are expressed whatever the ripening process used: long, average, or short.

Flavor Start D cultures, by accelerating and enhancing flavor formation, can also reduce production time, resulting in significant cost savings for manufacturers. For example, in dried fermented sausages where ripening requires 21 days (approximately 17 production cycles per year), Flavor Start D can reduce the ripening process by up to three days, saving around 10 per cent production capacity (equivalent to two additional production cycles per year).

Marjorie Saubusse, surface and ripening cultures product manager at Cargill Texturizing Solutions, comments: "Although the market for dried fermented meats is fairly traditional, manufacturers across Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa are increasingly looking to speed up the fermentation process, while creating flavorful and well-textured products.

"Flavor Start D is a versatile cultures range that may be used in all types of dried fermented meats, including low-fat and non-pork products, regardless of manufacturing process (e.g. short or long ripening period), diameter, sugar types and concentrations in the recipe. Furthermore, if using Flavor Start D in a shorter ripening process, meats retain the same sensory properties as traditionally dried fermented meats, with exceptional flavor, color and texture."
Committed to cultures

Cargill has many years of experience in biotechnology applied to the production of cultures and enzymes for food manufacturers, who benefit from the strong skills base and innovation capacity of Cargill's dedicated research and production facilities in the United States (Waukesha and Germantown, Wisconsin) and France (La Ferté sous Jouarre, Lannilis). The Flavor Start D range of meat ripening cultures complements Cargill's extensive cultures and enzymes offering, which also includes meat surface cultures, as well as direct vat cultures, bulk culture systems, and dairy surface and ripening cultures. Cargill's enzyme portfolio comprises coagulants and lipases for dairy and other food applications.
Unmatched portfolio for meat

In addition to cultures, Cargill offers meat manufacturers a complete palette of texturizing solutions based on ingredients from its unmatched portfolio, ranging from hydrocolloids, lecithins, starches and soy proteins, to multi-component functional systems. Of further benefit to manufacturers are Cargill's dedicated meat applications centers and pilot plants in Rubi, Spain, and in Beijing, China, coupled with technical service laboratories in Europe and in the United States, from which Cargill provides reliable and cost-effective solutions to the meat industry around the world.