Natural casing:The best choice for sausage makers!

 

As one of the biggest country in the world,China play a leading role in the production of natural casing products.In 2004,China exported over 500 million USD natural casings worldwide.

Natural casings:

• are a natural product;
• are edible and easy to digest;
• respond in the same way as meat to drying, smoking and cooking;
• are porous;
• absorb enough moisture;
• absorb smoke flavours;
• adopt attractive colours when smoked;
• are flexible;
• are environmentally friendly;
• have an attractive home-style appearance.

Natural casings dimensions
The diameter of natural casings is expressed in terms of calibre.
The calibre shows the number of mm of the diameter when the casing is stuffed.
Example: 20/22 calibre means between 20 and 22 mm.
The colour of the binding ring often indicates the calibre.

 

Quality issues
Sheep casings are assessed mainly in terms of the presence of holes.
A-quality casings are free of holes.
B-quality casings have few holes, of medium size (3 mm in diameter).
The casings are filled with water or air to determine the quality.
At the same time the diameter is calibrated.
Casings are classified in stages of 2 and 3 mm.
Hog casings from 26 mm to 45 mm or more.
Sheep casings from 14 mm to 28 mm or more.
Sometimes, the casings exceed the maximum diameter. They are then categorised as 'extra wide'.

Fringe on the casing ('whiskers')
Casings may have a small fringe of connective tissue. These are the remains of blood vessels in the caul, and show that the caul was not cut away cleanly from the small intestine. Heating removes these 'whiskers'.

Visible fat around veins (veiny tissue)
The veins are the remains of blood vessels. The fat around the veins is clearly visible. This fat disappears when the casings are heated.

Light (thin) spots in the intestinal wall (worm holes)
The light spots arise during cleaning. The show the sites of lymph glands, the 'Peyer plates'. These plates are removed, together wit the mucous membrane. As a result, the tissue is thinner at these points.

Supply units for natural casings
Supplied in hanks or bundles
Lengths vary.
Lengths are measured by machine or manually, when the casings are wet.

 

Packing of natural casings

In dry salt or brine pack in barrels

Pre-flushed pack in barrels

Soft or hard tubed pack in barrels

 

Storage of natural casings
Casings should be stored in a controlled, cool environment. Special care should be taken to avoid excessive heat. A neutral temperature of 4-10°C is ideal.

(source from HBS and CNSCA)