Soujouk is one of the ancient types of sausage that has its own unique taste. So if you are a big fan of meat, let take a closer look at what soujouk is and what makes it so special among all the sausages.
Dried soujouk
What is soujouk?
Soujouk is a traditionally fermented sausage which is popular in Turkey, Middle Asia, Middle East, Caucasus, Balkans, Southeastern and North Europe. It was first invented by Turkish for at least several thousand years ago and widely spread throughout the other country with each culture adding its own unique flavour and taste. It is also known as sucuk, sujuk, sudzhuk, sudjuk and even soutzouki as they pronounced soujouk differently in different countries. In Divan-i Lugat- I Turk (The Great Dictionary of Turkish), soujouk is described as the intestines of a lamb stuffed with mince, meat, and spices. Soujouk is traditionally produced from a mixture of meat (beef, sheep and/or buffalo), fat, sugar, salt, nitrite, starter culture, cumin, garlic, sumac, red pepper and other seasonings before being stuffed into a natural casing (sheep or goat intestines) or artificial casing where fermentation is carried out. Soujouk is hung up to ferment at 220C-230C, by either microorganism naturally present or by added starter cultures and allowed to dry for several weeks at ambient temperature and humidity until a dry or semi-dry sausage is obtained. The rate of drying of soujouk must be carefully controlled to prevent the outside of soujouk from drying out too rapidly, creating a case-hardened surface that would inhibit the drying of the center and, hence, cause spoilage. People are often consumed soujouk by cut it into slices and cooked without additional oil because its own fat being sufficient to fry it in the pan.
Fried soujouk
Do you know what are physical and chemical changes that occur during ripening and storage of soujouk?
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) especially lactobacillus species such as L. plantarum, L. pentosus, L. curvatus, L. fermentum and L. brevis have a great importance in acid formation process during fermentation and ripening stages of soujouk. Acid formation from LAB during fermentation and ripening depends on the amount and kind of the sugar added, the species of LAB, the rate of drying and the temperature. The rate and extent of acid formation must be adjusted carefully to achieve both favorable sensory quality and prevent the multiplication of undesired microorganisms (pathogens) in soujouk. Therefore, the decrease of the pH (<5) of the soujouk by the LAB, which is obtained by the decrease of the humidity of the meat mass (dehydration) somehow will suppress the growth of the pathogens such as pseudomonadaceae and entetobacteriaceae, which are pathogenic to humans.
Other than that, lipid oxidation is one of the most important quality deteriorations that affect fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids in soujouk. Lipid oxidation may have significant problems with the quality, for example, color, flavor, texture, and nutritional value changed due to the lipid oxidation in soujouk. Malonaldehyde, which is a degradation product of lipid oxidation, has been criticized as a carcinogenic factor in food. Therefore, the amount of malonaldehyde limit is important in terms of human health because it has been linked to cancer and mutation.
The unique brownish color of soujouk is produced by the interaction between the meat pigments (myoglobin) and the added nitrite and nitrate. Nitrosomyoglobin, from the terms of myoglobin and nitrite, is the main component in the color formation of meat products as a stable color substance. The red cured color is formed when the muscle pigment myoglobin reacts with the nitric oxide produced from nitrite in the acidic medium. Micrococcaceae are responsible for the reduction of nitrates and nitrites to nitric oxide, and this nitric oxide is used for the production of nitrosomyoglobin during the fermentation period. The color formation in meat products has a close relationship with the pH. The development of color is optimum between pH 5.4 and 5.7.
Dark brownish color of dried soujouk
Source: http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Sujuk
Formation of biogenic amines such as histamine, putrescine, and tyramine are one of the chemical changes that occur in soujouk due to the decarboxylase activity of microorganisms during the storage. The formation of biogenic amines depends on the ripening and storage conditions of soujouk, the presence of amine-positive microorganisms, free amino acids required for amine formation, quality of raw materials or soujouk and hygienic conditions of the processing environment. These chemical substances are toxic to human because they can cause nausea, respiratory distress, hot flushes, sweating, gastric and intestinal problems. Biogenic amine formation can be observed at higher levels in soujouk stored at room temperature compared to those stored at refrigerated temperatures. It is important to prevent the formation of biogenic amines in soujouk by controlling the temperature, percentage of relative humidity, use of high quality of meat (low microbial load), shortening the ripening time and use of amine-negative cultures.
The acceptability of soujouk by the consumer is strongly influenced by the final flavor. The typical flavor and odor of soujouk cannot be attributed to volatile substances alone, but to a large number of volatile and non-volatile compounds present in the product in suitable proportions. The enzymatic and chemical reactions involved in flavor generation include carbohydrate fermentation, lipolysis, proteolysis, lipid oxidation and amino acid catabolism. Addition of starter culture in soujouk can also contribute to sensory improvement, influence by endogenous and microbial enzyme activity.
Many people make the mistake of confusing soujouk with regular sausage. Unlike all those regular sausages, soujouk is a savory meat that can be the centerpiece of a meal. Its savory taste with some addition of cumic and the other spices will grab your attention and you will fall in love with its flavor and unique taste. Check the youtube video below if you want to make your own soujouk at home. Good luck!
A simple way to make your own soujouk
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