Binders Again - Curious

[dlewi50]

This is mostly a curiosity thing.  I see non fat dry milk (NFDM) used in some recipes as a binder.  In these same recipes additional ice water is added later and mixed in.  The ratio of NFDM to water is about the same as the recipe for reconstituting NFDM to make milk so I gotta ask - Why not just use milk out of the jug in the fridge instead of NFDM and water????

Seems like you'd get the proteins etc from the milk and the needed liquid added all at the same time.  I gotta be missing something here.

Thanks

 

[pern]

What are you trying to make? What ratio is the meat block? Done properly, no binder is needed.

 

[wild west]

The water is added at the end to aid in stuffing the caseings. Adding the binder is going to absorb moisture from the meat.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

NON-FAT DRY MILK - Milk powder has been used for years in sausage making. Acts as a binder by helping to retain the moisture of the meat. Although not highly effective as a binder, it can impart a creamier taste to some sausage products. You can use up to 12% (of the meat weight) without affecting the taste of the sausage. This product is good at hiding salt flavor in most sausage and is used in liver sausage, hot dogs and bologna.BINDERS - Also known as Soy, Soy Protein Concentrate, Soy Flour, Soy Grits, Soy Protein Isolate - All soy products have a high protein value.

This gives soy its binding capability, allowing you to add water (called added water) to your sausage for a moister product. These ingredients are used to prevent weight loss and shrinkage to products being processed in the smokehouse, by helping to retain the natural juices (called bound moisture) in the meat. This product also helps to bind the sausage together and can be used in meat products such as burgers to retain the natural juices from cooking out. Although not generally used in fresh sausages it may be added with good results.

You should use the following ratios: Smoked products Use binder up to 5% of the meat weight. Fresh products Use binder up to 3% of the meat weight. Sausage binder weighs out at about 4 oz. per cup so 4 cups would equal about one lb.

Soy protein concentrate is made from the refining process of soy beans These binders are ineffective for the most part of holding water and the natural juices, which are in the meat (called bound moister) at temperatures in excess of 165°F

WATER - Water is used in sausage making to add moisture to the meat, to add lubrication to the stuffing process and to help distribute the seasonings through out the meat. This water, called added water, will cook out of the meat before the natural moisture, called bound water, cooks out of the meat. Thus, you have a moister product when cooked. Water is also added to lubricate the meat making it easier to stuff into casing. Adding water to the seasoning and ingredients helps carry them into the meat and distributes them evenly during the mixing stage. You can add water up to 10% of the meat weight. Always use ice-cold water.

Water is also used to shower the finished product after smoking. This stops the cooking process and prevents swiveling. Some water supplies have high lime contents that leave white powder spots on sausage after showering. Check for hard water.

 

[dlewi50]

Thanks gang for all your responses.  

I am a chemical engineer (semi retired now) and have spent a lot of time in my career optimizing industrial processes.  The first step is talking to the operators and understanding the lore and traditions they use to try and keep the plant 'between the lines'.  Then this is over layed with an understanding of the chemistry they are trying to run in that process and how the engineering aspects work (heating, mixing, pumping, distilling, reactions, etc).  When the operators start to understand what they are doing and how the chemistry/lore/engineering works together, their life gets a lot easier and the plant runs a lot better.

So - I am just trying to understand the lore and the chemistry here.  It sounds like the chemistry is that the NFDM is not so much a binder as a flavor/feel modifier - though you do get some binding properties from the proteins.

I am beginning to SUSPECT that the use of NFDM in commercial sausage making has less to do with it needing to be added in a dried form, but rather that this is a more CONVENIENT form to handle and store the milk solids.  In a commercial processing plant one less thing to refrigerate, less equipment to clean and sterilize, etc is a good thing.  At least that is the way I would approach it in an industrial setting.  This would push the need for using NFDM plus added water instead of milk towards the lore category as far as the chemistry goes but would still leave it as the preferred route in a commercial process.

Unless there is some actual chemistry occurring when the NFDM is mixed with the meat?  Not just absorbing moisture from the mix (physical and reversible physical change) but an actual chemical reaction.  I am doubtful there is much chemistry going on since things are kept so cold and things aren't allowed to sit for a long while before the water is added, but am certainly open to being educated. 

Thanks for listening to my musings.

 

[pern]

Typically, dry milk and other binders are added to a meat block to:
Extend the mixture and make a cheaper finished product, (big packers making cheap chicken dogs).
Add bind in a cheap meat block when expertise is lacking.
Add bind to meat block containing too little miacin protein, such as an MDC formulation.
Cover up mistakes.
Create bind in a meat block when you dont have the proper equipment to produce a QUALITY sausage.

Quality sausage=A formulation of correct amounts of miacin protein, fat, seasonings that has been properly mechanically processed to extract protein to create bind WITHOUT cheap binders added. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

 

[pugsbrew]

 
This is mostly a curiosity thing.  I see non fat dry milk (NFDM) used in some recipes as a binder.  In these same recipes additional ice water is added later and mixed in.  The ratio of NFDM to water is about the same as the recipe for reconstituting NFDM to make milk so I gotta ask - Why not just use milk out of the jug in the fridge instead of NFDM and water????

Seems like you'd get the proteins etc from the milk and the needed liquid added all at the same time.  I gotta be missing something here.

Thanks

Back to original question.  So whole milk will not do the same?  In Rytek's book, his brauts uses whole milk, not NFDM.  I'm still not seeing the difference.

Can someone enlighten me further?

Thanks

 

[dward51]

Stan Marianski's comments on NFDM.  It's basically a protein based fat replacement:

Non-fat dry milk is produced by removing fat and water from milk. Lactose (milk sugar), milk proteins, and milk minerals are present in the same relative proportions as in fresh milk. Non-fat dry milk powder is an extender that binds water very well and is often used in making sausages. Dry milk powder contains 50% lactose (sugar) and is used in fermented sausages as a source of food for lactic acid producing bacteria.

Dry milk powder greatly improves the taste of low fat sausages. Non-fat dry milk powder is a good natural product and it does not affect the flavor of the product.  It is added at about 3% and effectively binds water and emulsifies fats.  Its action is very similar to that of soy protein concentrate.

Well, phosphates did not come up in the binder discussion here yet, so to quote Stan Marianski on phosphate binders as a meat binder additive.....

 Phosphates - are the most effective water holding agents. Salt forces meat proteins to swell which helps them trap and hold more water. Phosphates are able to open up the structure of the protein which helps them to hold even more water.  This increased water holding capacity of the protein is what prevents water losses when smoking and cooking. Phosphates directly increase the water holding capacity of meat protein by raising the PH (acidity) of the meat. Phosphates are the strongest water binders and protein extractors and ALL COMMERCIAL PRODUCERS USE THEM (emphasis added).  Most countries permit up to 0.5% of phosphates (5g per kilogram of meat).  Today, the whole meat industry operates on this principal, inject

 

[BGKYSmoker]

 
Back to original question.  So whole milk will not do the same?  In Rytek's book, his brauts uses whole milk, not NFDM.  I'm still not seeing the difference.

Can someone enlighten me further?

Thanks

Adding whole milk will also add extra sugar and fat to your sausage, Yes i know not a huge amount. If you use milk you should eliminate any added water.

Milk added to brats is a fresh sausage and it will enhance the flavor. I have used cultured buttermilk in smoked sausage.