ABSTRACT
While most traditional Chinese-style sausages are made using distinctly visible coarse meat and fat particles, some new varieties of Chinese sausages are made from emulsified batters. These products are similar in texture and ap pearance to frankfurters and bologna produced in Europe and the United States. The processing technology is introduced largely from Western coun tries. However, the flavor characteristics of Chinese-style emulsion products differ greatly from those of their Western-style counterparts because of the dif ferent spice ingredients used. For example, the so-called ham sausages (which are emulsion-type products) typically contain five-spice powder, white pepper, and starch and do not contain paprika and several other seasonings commonly added to frankfurters in the United States (Table 7.5). Ham sausages are stuffed either in a beef small intestine or in cellulose casings. Different cooking conditions are utilized. Traditional ham sausages are cooked in hot water (80-85°C) for 70 min. When smoking is desired, cooked sausages will be smoked for up to 6 h. In recent years, many ham sausages, stuffed in plastic or cellulose casings as 12-to 15-cm links, are sterilized (>121°C). Because of sterility, the cooked products do not require refrigeration for storage and, hence, can be sold in various grocery stores or supermarkets that are not equipped with refrigeration systems.
