Here are 5 relevant techniques explaining how you can make bacon even more delicious for consumers and more convenient and cost-effective for you as a bacon producer.
1. Improved sliceability means reduced waste
Injection of a high-functional pork protein like ScanPro™ HI Premium into slab bacon will help deliver the desired texture and provide the perfect cohesion for optimizing sliceability.
Not only are thin slices perceived as more appealing by many consumers, the improved sliceability also translates into reduced waste as you can create more perfect strips from each slab.
Adding ScanPro™ HI Premium will ultimately help you create thinner and more uniform slices, while getting the most out of your raw materials.
2. Yield increase by 30-50 %
ScanPro™ HI Premium can help you achieve extension rates in a quality that you did not think possible.
You can extend regular slab bacon by 30-50% through brine injection with ScanPro™ HI Premium. Higher extension rates are obtainable if you work with reformed bacon where you can reach extension rates from 40-150 % - depending on how much water/fat you want to add.
ScanPro™ HI Premium brings superior gelling properties and the best water-binding capacity in the range. For you this is important as it can help you achieve higher yields without compromising on taste and texture.
3. Apply natural meat pigment and shorten the processing time
The first impression consumers have of any meat commodity is its color. The quality and the perception of the freshness of a product is often judged by color alone.
As color has such a significant influence on the purchasing decision, we want to show you how AProRed™ - our renowned pigment solution can easily help you achieve the desired color for your bacon.
AProRed™ is a natural micro-granulated meat pigment derived from pork blood. It is ideal for color stabilization of bacon as it only colors the meat and never the fat.
Using AProRed™ will deliver a rapid color development, thus allowing you to shorten the smoking time. Shortened smoking time means faster throughput and thereby improved capacity and essentially better economy for you.
Watch the video to see how AProRed™ can help you enhance the look of bacon.
4. Reduce cooking loss by 10 %
ScanPro™ HI Premium is basically collagen, and collagen retains water chemically through a protein matrix. Due to the physical form of the protein matrix, it swells on contact with water and blocks the exit of moisture (and fat) from the system contributing to a reduction in cooking loss.
ScanPro™ HI Premium can reduce cooking loss by as much as 10 % or more, depending on the meat quality, the extension level, and the processing parameters.
5. Improved cohesion and less purge
In essence proteins are used in bacon due to their excellent functional properties. The water-holding capacity of proteins allows you to reduce purge in the packaging.
In bacon ScanPro™ HI Premium ensures improved cohesion between fat and meat layers while preventing syneresis. Retaining the liquid inside the meat ensures an appealing appearance when your bacon is presented on the meat counter.
Similar results can be achieved using ScanPro™ HI 95 – another high-functional pork protein from Essentia.
We have you covered
Functional solutions like proteins and hydrocolloids work well for manufacturers who are looking to reformulate with 100 % natural healthier alternatives. There are many benefits to using animal-based ingredients that most regulations regard as adding real meat to meat products.
Essentia manufactures a unique selection of meat, skin, bone, blood, and insect raw materials that are used to bring the best of nature directly into your formulation. To find out more about our various solutions, or to make enquiries about co-creating with our experts, kindly reach out to a representative near you.
