gh HAM A LA SHATURA

The fact that milk is produced at the plant from a mixture of natural and powdered milk (this being done to ensure stable chemical composition) does not provoke any serious objections. However, few people like the meat products made of meat and soybeans. This is clear as soybeans often make the most part of the product in such meat. However, if the problem is approached reasonably, one can get a product that will be pleasant to everybody – both consumers and manufacturers: the former will obtain a delicious meal, which is enriched in useful substances, and the latter – get the ability to use the animal carcass to a fuller extent.

Precisely this technology was developed by Valerian Basov, Ph.D. (Engineering Sciences), from the Moscow State University of Applied Biotechnology. He suggests the following way to produce the meat that is indistinguishable at all in outward appearance and taste from the so-called “whole muscle lumpy” meat.

First, the meat is cut very small – this method enables to involve in production the pieces of the carcass, which can be used to a limited extent under traditional processing manner. After all, the ham (as defined by Broghaus and Efron in their dictionary) is “meat canned goods, most often pork gammon, first salted and then smoked”. It is not possible to produce ham by a traditional method from the peritoneum, not to mention ham made of chicken or turkey.

Then the obtained minced meat is mixed with pieces of meat and structure-forming components. Their role is played by carrageenans (educed from laver (Porphyra gen.), which promote gel formation), soya protein, and enzymes. All these components are needed to create links between pieces of meat. As experiments and investigations performed via electron microscopy have proved, muscle fiber fragments, particles of carrageenans and soya proteins densely fill in the space between meat pieces, and the transglutaminase enzyme joins everything into a single monolith due to covalent bonds formation between protein molecules. Moreover, under the action of enzymes, muscle fibers in the spaces between pieces of meat form ordered structure inherent to the natural product. This particular recipe underlies technology for producing the meat product called “Shatura ham”, which has a homogeneous structure and size when is being cut into pieces.

“Contemporary meat processing technology enables not only to involve more meat stuff into production, but also to impact the product’s chemical composition by enriching it by vitamins and other useful substances, which will contribute to the population’s health”, says Valerian Basov.

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