A new method for producing dried meat snacks, such as Jerky, with reduced hardness

Abstract

The key technological process necessary for the production of Jerky-type snacks is drying. Despite its undeniable advantages, a negative consequence of hot air drying is high energy consumption and the rapid drying of the product’s surface, leading to a hard texture that is often unacceptable to some consumers of meat snacks. To eliminate the undesirable hardness resulting from technological processes in the production of dried meat products, ongoing efforts are made to find new solutions that allow for maintaining appropriately low water activity while simultaneously reducing the product’s hardness. The research material included pork tenderloin and the lower part of the beef round. The cleaned and marinated meat was divided into two parts. One part was subjected to traditional drying in an oven with forced air circulation. The other part underwent an experimental production process which included surface roasting, cooling, freezing, and sublimation drying. The change in the jerky production method led to a shift in the proportions of the main ingredients in the dried snacks. Jerky produced using the new experimental method exhibited significantly higher protein content, considerably lower water content and reduced water activity compared to traditionally produced jerky. Based on the obtained sensory evaluation results, beef and pork jerky made using the experimental method received significantly higher ratings in terms of texture and overall palatability, although it had a less intense aroma than jerky produced using traditional methods. An analysis of the hardness of the tested dried meat snacks showed that jerky produced with the experimental method had only about 10% of the hardness value of traditionally made jerky.