ENCAPSULATED CURED-MEAT PIGMENT AND ITS APPLICATION IN NITRITE-FREE HAM

The preformed cured-meat pigment dinitrosyl ferrohemochrome (DNFH) is an essential element of our nitrite-free meat-curing system. It undergoes rapid oxidation in the presence of air and light and must therefore be stabilized. DNFH was microencapsulated by a spray-drying technique. Suitable encapsulating materials were combinations of beta-cyclodextrin and the modified starches N-Lok or maltodextrin. Beta-cyclodextrin was an essential constituent of the coating. The encapsulated pigment remained stable for more than 1 yr. It was applied to ham muscle to produce a nitrite-free ham indistinguishable from its nitrite-cured counterpart. The pigment was sparingly soluble. The problem of DNFH dispersion was, for the most part, overcome with a judicious selection of processing steps.