Frequently asked questions and facts on
natural sausage casings

          What are natural casings ?
          Natural casings are made from the submucosa, a largely collagen layer
          of the intestine. The fat and the inner mucosa lining are removed. Since
          small intestines are collagen in nature, the have, among others, the
          unique characteristic of variable permeability.

          What type of natural casing is suited for my needs ?
          Before studying the numerous kind of natural casing, it's important to
          understand that casings can vary in quality. Fortis natural casings and
          the sausage manufacturer can determine together the specifications
          required based on the sausage manufacturer's purposes.
          These variables include :

• Equipment used for filling the natural casings
• Type of sausage being manufactured
• Type (coarseness) of the grind

          Together we can determine the criteria to be used when selecting the
          best natural casing for your products.

          What about the quality and advantages of natural casings ?

• Natural casings permit uniform high smoke penetration
• Natural casings have the unique characteristic of variable permeability
• Natural casings have excellent characteristics of elasticity and tensile strength, to allow high efficiency production
  and expansion during filling
• Natural casings protect the fine flavor of the sausage, without
  contributing any conflicting flavorings of their own
• Natural casings have a tender bite like no other "casing"
• The osmotic quality of natural casings permits superb cooking
• Only natural casings give the natural look to the sausage

          HACCP
          Natural sausage casings companies must comply with Hazard Analysis
          Critical Control Points (HACCP) requirements. The HACCP system
          ensures food safety.

          Natural casings companies have developed an HACCP manual for
          processing of natural sausage casings, in close association with
          international organisations.
          The manual was originally published by European Natural Sausage
          Casing Association (ENSCA). It was compiled by Dutch and German
          scientists, and lists, in separate chapters, the critical points for each
          type of company.
         
          The company types are:

• Casing processing companies, which process fresh casings in slaughterhouses, also called cleaning companies.
• Sorting companies, which sort casings on the basis of quality,
  calibre and length.
• Distribution companies, which trade natural casings without further processing.
  
  The critical points for natural casings include the salt content and the quality of processing and packaging.
  
  The HACCP manual promotes the uniformity of processing world-wide which is an important point for customers and inspectorates.
  In the Netherlands, the Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (VWA) assesses Dutch companies to ensure that the HACCP system is correctly applied.
  
  
  Chemical composition
  Most of the protein in the intestine is collagen. The rest is elastine. The elastine is found in the blood vessels of the intestine. The fat content of salted casings is very low on average. With hog casings, for example, it is less than 2%. Consequently, the potential volumes of fat-soluble residues in natural sausage casings are zero, and cannot be analysed.

  
  Do you have more questions ?
  We are more than happy to assist you !

Source and special thanks : HBS / INSCA