(a) Define sausage. Describe the processing steps in the preparation of ready-to-cook sausages. (20 marks) (b) Write down the…

(a) Sausage and processing steps of ready-to-cook sausages

A sausage is a comminuted meat product made from chopped or ground meat and fat, salt, spices, water and additives, filled in a natural or artificial casing and linked. Ready-to-cook sausage is raw, or only minimally processed, and is cooked by the consumer.

Processing steps:

1. Selection of fresh, inspected chilled or frozen-thawed meat and firm fat, free of bone, tendon and gristle.
2. Grinding through a 3–6 mm plate, keeping the meat cold.
3. Chopping or emulsifying in a bowl chopper with salt (about 2%), curing salts if used, phosphate, spices and ice or chilled water (to keep the temperature below about 12–15°C), so that salt-soluble proteins form a stable emulsion.
4. Addition of fat, binders and fillers (starch, soy protein) and flavouring, then mixing, sometimes in a vacuum mixer.
5. Stuffing the batter into casings with a stuffer, without air pockets.
6. Linking or twisting to the required length.
7. Chilling or freezing quickly, without cooking.
8. Packing in pouches, preferably under vacuum, and storing at refrigeration or freezing temperature.

The consumer cooks it before eating.

(b) Structure, composition and nutritive value of chicken egg

Structure: shell (about 9–11% of egg weight) with outer cuticle and pores, then two shell membranes enclosing the air cell at the blunt end. Albumen (about 57–60%) has four layers: outer thin, thick, inner thin and chalaziferous layer, with chalazae anchoring the yolk. Yolk (about 30–32%) is enclosed in the vitelline membrane and has the germinal disc on the surface.

Composition: whole egg contains about 74–76% water, 12–13% protein, 10–11% fat, about 1% carbohydrate and about 1% minerals. The yolk has about 50% water, 16% protein and 32% fat (with phospholipids such as lecithin), and the white about 88% water and 11% protein (ovalbumin, ovotransferrin, ovomucoid, lysozyme).

Nutritive value: the protein has a high biological value and all essential amino acids, and is the reference protein. The yolk is rich in vitamins A, D, E, K, B12 and riboflavin, iron, phosphorus and zinc, and choline and lutein, while the white gives protein and riboflavin. Cholesterol is about 200 mg per egg, and eggs are low in carbohydrate; an egg gives about 70–75 kcal.

(c) Duties and functions of veterinarian in wholesome meat production

• Ante-mortem inspection: at lairage, to identify sick, injured or stressed animals, detect notifiable and zoonotic diseases, and check withdrawal periods for drugs.
• Supervision of slaughter: humane handling, stunning and bleeding, and hygienic dressing.
• Post-mortem inspection: examination of head, viscera and carcass, with condemnation of diseased parts or whole carcasses, and disposal.
• Plant hygiene: sanitation of premises, equipment and personnel, water quality, and implementation of HACCP and good hygienic practice.
• Residue and quality monitoring: sampling for drug, pesticide and microbial residues.
• Certification: stamping of fit carcasses, certifying meat for trade and export, and maintaining records.
• Legal and public health role: enforcement of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the 2001 slaughterhouse rules and animal welfare law, and disease reporting and surveillance within One Health.