Charring

story28 · Post by **story28** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 21:58

Hello all. On the bottom of pg. 359 of Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages it says "...limiting the added sugar to .5-.75% achieves adequate fermentation with no residual carbohydrate present after fermentation. This prevents "charring" of the product due to the reaction of reducing sugars with protein."

Can anyone help me understand this by explaining it further? Thank you.

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 22:57

Hi Jason,
We really should go to Seminole himself for an answer as you've quoted him from his book. Why not send him a PM with your question? Be sure to post the answer back here so others may share the wisdom also. Good question story28.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

story28 · Post by **story28** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 05:18

Hello CW,

That's a good idea

. In fact, I'll send him a message right now and will be sure to relate any information with everyone.

story28 · Post by **story28** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 01:36

Here is the response I received from Seminole on the matter. It looks like heat is the determining factor for products that contain sufficient amounts of sugar.

"Charring" would be a type of Mallard reaction, which is reaction between sugar and amino acids and proteins. This leads to a color change - darkening of the product. This may also lead to some flavor changes - these are big problems for people who brew beer. The Mallard reaction is stimulated by heat, so it would be of no concern for most fermented products. It could however occur if someone added plenty of sugar and cooked the sausage. You can find much more about Mallard reaction on Internet.