The expert explained why retailers should not be afraid of fibrous casing shortage

“Indeed, manufacturers are faced with the problem of a shortage of one type of artificial sausage casings - fibrous (cellulose viscose-reinforced), supplied from abroad before the imposition of sanctions. There is a replacement for this type of shells. Manufacturers can produce sausages in a natural (intestinal) or cellophane casing, ”says an expert in the field of agro-industrial complex, deputy DIRECTOR of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution of the Federal Scientific Center for Food Systems. V.M. Gorbatov RAS, DOCTOR of Technical Sciences Anastasia Semenova. 

First, there is a significant untapped resource in the industry - this is the intestinal raw material obtained from the slaughter of livestock. it is processed by no means at all slaughter enterprises, and it is just possible to get a natural casing from it. In recent decades, part of the enterprises under construction did not even provide for an intestinal workshop, but immediately planned to send the intestinal kit for disposal.

Secondly, perhaps we need to return to the wider use of cellophane. Boiled sausages made in cellophane have always been distinguished by high organoleptic qualities.

However, the transition to another type of casing, the expert adds, requires re-determining the amount of water added to minced MEAT, setting the yield rates, characteristics and shelf life of the finished product. The viscosity of minced meat may change, the method of fixing the ends of the loaves (clip), etc., may not be suitable, that is, the manufacturer is faced with the fact that his equipment and consumables are not suitable for forming loaves in other types of shells, including on existing automated expensive lines . Reconfiguring production for a different type of casing, including the purchase of new consumables and new equipment, will require time and certain economic costs. And in the matter of replacing the fibrous casing in sausages with other options, retail chains should also meet halfway.

The problem of shortage of imported sausage casings can be solved by expanding the range of meat products. Chain stores have not received such a type of sausage product as sausage bread for a long time - it does not require the use of sausage casings in the manufacture. “This product has been completely undeservedly pushed out of the shops. It must be said that the range of sausages in fibrous has squeezed out other traditional products in retail chains that were always produced without fibrous, for example, fried sausages, liver sausages, blood sausages, ”concludes Anastasia Semenova.

Reference

Fibrous casing is made on the basis of regenerated cellulose. The production of viscose fiber derived from cellulose in RUSSIA ceased in the 2000s. According to open data from Rosstat, the volume of industrial production of wood pulp and pulp from other fibrous materials in Russia for 6 months of 2022 increased by 1.1% and reached 4.4 million tons. The main supplier of pulp is CHINA, which is constantly increasing its production volumes .