Curing raw meat products .1. How salts are diffused

The salting and curing of raw meat are two of the oldest methods of food preservation and have hitherto been an important part of the technology of meat processing. Raw cured pieces of meat are valuable meat products which should have a strong and lasting red colour, a typical ripe aroma and should be tender with a mild salty taste. The degree to which these properties develop is influenced by the speed of penetration and the even distribution of common salt and curing substances in the product and by their physical and chemical interaction with the meat components. The quantities of the two curing substances, nitrite and nitrate, that may be used are controlled by appropriate regulations and the amount of common salt added is limited by the sensory results. Product faults occurring sporadically and which can often not be understood or explained illustrate the fact that raw ham production is based largely on empirically won experience, as the multiplicity of interactions between the meat and the curing products and curing aids produces a situation that is too complex to be understood easily and is even to some extent still unknown. The present paper is a contribution to a wider understanding of the technology of raw ham manufacture.