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2008 TECH JOURNAL SERIES

BACON101

BACON101

A supplement to The National Provisioner BACON

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acon has given birth to the development ofsophisticated technology featuring suchinnovations as high-speed, high-volume

slicing equipment, curing and injection systems,smokehouses, chilling and packaging improvements.

Current capabilities concerning slicing equipment,for example, include advanced computer and visiontechnology enabling the bacon industry to view andmeasure a cross section of a slab of bacon to producea more accurate and efficient slice. An additionalbenefit is the machine’s ability to produce greatervolumes of more accurate slices to a closer tolerancewith consistent thicknesses. Such systems also ensurea reduction in front-end trim waste, less butt-endwaste and the elimination of poorly produced thickand thin slices.

To be sure, technology is a key driver behindefficiency and growth in the food-production realm.

The National Provisioner is producing a series oftechnology journals covering various aspects of theprocessing side of the industry. These in-depthreports delve into the science and technology thatsupport the business foundation of meat- andpoultry-processing programs.

This Bacon Journal is the first in the series. It is astudy of the science behind bacon production along

with the invaluable tools that have evolved over theyears. As a source guide, the bacon technologyjournal is designed to assist bacon processorsmaximize their production potential, especially withtips concerning best practices from their industrycounterparts.

Bacon primerHuman consumption of pork including cured

meat, meaning primarily a salted product, reportedlybegan centuries ago in England, France and Germanywith bacon as the favorite, especially among theworking classes of those early days. Bacon’shistorical connection as a staple food isunderstandable since pigs were cheap and easy tobreed, given that their diets included virtuallyanything.

Broadly defined, bacon refers to a category ofcured and processed pork bellies that end up in stripsor else formed into circular patterns. Bacon varietiesinclude middle bacon or rashers in the familiar shapeof a thin strip of belly pork with a lean round piece ofloin at one end. Streaky bacon is the same cut, minusthe round loin end. Pork pressed into a pseudo-baconshape is known as picnic or café bacon. Gammon is aspecialty of the United Kingdom that is a joint of

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THE AUTHORITY ON THE BUSINESS OF MEAT AND POULTRY PROCESSING

A NATIONAL PROVISIONER RESEARCH PROJECTBY BARBARA YOUNG, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

LISA WHITE, RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Creating bacon from pork bellies is an old story that has evolvedinto a modern rendition, thanks to the evolution of food science

and equipment automation.

BACON TECHNOLOGY 101

PART ONE: OVERVIEW


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pork, not the belly, and is cured andprepared in the same manner asregular bacon. Bacon grease, the fatrendered from cooked bacon, is auseful byproduct as a cooking oil,particularly in the southern UnitedStates. Cracklings, also popular inthe South, is produced from dicedand fried bits of bacon rind. Cannedbacon is precooked, needs norefrigeration and is popular withcampers. Bacon bits are crisp piecesof bacon that are preserved anddried, and must be refrigerated.Vegetable-based imitation“bacon-flavored” bits, may be storedat room temperature.

Roger Mandigo, professor ofmeat science at the University ofNebraska in Lincoln, identifies twokinds of systems for producingbacon in the United States — drycure or pickle cure. A mixture of cur-ing ingredients is rubbed on all sur-faces of the green bellies to producethe dry-cure effect. Most commercial-ly processed bacon is pickle-cured,which involves injected bellies with abrine solution made up of salt andwater.

“These two systems go backhundreds of years,” Mandigoconfirms.

USDA generally defines bacon asthe cured belly of a swine carcass.Certain cuts and characteristics aremore narrowly defined, however,such as smoked pork loin bacon.USDA-certified bacon means that ithas been treated for Trichinellaspiralis, a zoonotic agent. Zoonosis is a diseasepassed from animals to humans. Trichinella spiralisis an intestinal worm producing larvae that migrateto and encyst in muscles of a number of animals,particularly swine. Humans sicken from consuminginfected pork that is undercooked. The culprit cyststhen live in the muscles of the human hosts.Tapeworms and roundworms generally are readilydestroyed at cooking temperature and timecombinations less rigorous than the combinations

necessary to destroy pathogenicbacteria.

Bacon weight and yields are alsogoverned by federal regulations.Weight of cured pork bellies labeledas “uncooked” must not exceed theweight of uncured pork bellies. Forlabeling purposes, cooked orprecooked bacon produced fromcured pork bellies must show a yieldfactor of not more than 40 percentthe weight of uncured pork bellies.Translated this means a requirementof 60-percent shrinkage from thegreen weight or the initial pork bellyweight.

Ed Woods, owner and operator ofWoods’ Smoked Meats Inc., BowlingGreen, Mo., discusses the uses oflightweight and heavyweight baconin the following dialogue.

During 55 years as a smokedmeats processor, Woods’ companyhas won numerous national andinternational awards for its brandedSweet Betsy from Pike productsincluding its line of smoked curedbacon. Before owning his business,Woods headed the bacondepartment of the defunct OklahomaCity, Okla.-based Wilson FoodsCorp. In those days lightweightbacon slabs were used for lean,premium-grade bacon, and cheapergrades were produced from heavierslabs, he reports. Pork processorsoperated with three grades of baconin 1970: 10-14 pound-slabscomprised the top grade, 14-20pounds represented the middle

grade and 20 pounds and above indicated the cheapgrade.

“Hogs have changed over the years and are leanerthan in the past, so standards have changed,” saysWoods, noting that slabs can now be purchasedderinded or with skins attached (see “Breedingquality pigs”).

Bacon historyThe 17th century gave birth to the American pork

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NATURAL BACONFORMULATION

Water 66.38%Sea salt 22.00Cane sugar 10.40Celery power 1.20Starter culture 0.02Source: The American Meat Science Association (AMSAWhite Paper Series, Number 1, March, 2007, p. 10)

NATURAL BACONPROCESS

1. Trim pork bellies.2. Prepare pickle prior to use.3. Dissolve the following in water:sea salt, cane sugar, celery powderand starter culture.4. Pump pork bellies to 115% ofgreen weight.5. Place the pumped pork bellieson bacon hooks and smokehouseprocess.6. Chill and slice.Source: The American Meat Science Association (AMSAWhite Paper Series, Number 1, March, 2007, p. 10)

BACONPROCESS

1. Grade and sort - some grademanually and sort automatically byweight2. Dump and convey bellies toinjector3. Some companies trim bellies4. Mix pickle5. Inject bellies6. Check pump percentage7. Hang on bacon combs important8. Smoke9. Chill10. Slice11. PackageSource: Robert J. Delmore Jr., Ph.D., AssociateProfessor, Animal Science Department, CaliforniaPolytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Calif.



industry thanks to Hernando Cortez’introduction of hogs to New Mexicocoupled with sows Sir WalterRaleigh brought to JamestownColony in 1607. As the 17th centuryclosed, the typical farmer ownedfour or five pigs, supplying salt porkand bacon for his table withsurpluses sold as barreled pork.Frank Preston Johnson of Kewanee,Ill., in Henry County and a staterepresentative in his day, succeededin winning approval for hishometown’s designation as “HogCapital of the World” in 1948. Hisargument included the fact thatbabies were weaned on bacon rind ina neighboring county and the dailybreakfast of athletes in his hometownincluded “Henry County bacon.”

In 1924, Oscar Mayer introducedthe first packaged sliced bacon, forwhich it received a U.S. governmentpatent. That innovation broughtbacon out of the meat case where itwas in the hands of butchers, whosliced and wrapped it for customers.The self-serve bacon packagefeatured shingled slices wrapped incellophane and placed in acardboard frame.

The Romans recognized ham(perna) and shoulder bacon (petaso)as two separate meats, and deviseddifferent recipes for their preparation.Reportedly, both were to be firstboiled with dried figs, but ham wouldthen be baked in a flour paste, whilebacon was to be browned and servedwith a wine and pepper sauce. Baconfat or lard was a particular favoriteamong the Anglo-Saxons who used itfor cooking and also as a dressing forvegetables.

Based on an Oxford UniversityPress account, the word bacon datesback to prehistoric times when theGermanic base of bakkon originated.The English version is derived frombakko, the Old French word

meaning ham. The modern Frenchword for bacon means any cut ofpork, usually salted. The French tooktheir bacon seriously, to be sure.Consider that Repas Baconique wasa French festival at which pork wasthe exclusive menu item.

Notably, the English perfected thetechnique of salt curing and smokingbelly pork. In 12th century England,bacon was used as a synonym for thenative term flitch, meaning side ofcured pig meat. By the 14th century,however, it applied to cured meat.

To be sure, preserved pork,including sides salted to make bacon,was an important source of food inthe diets of early British citizens.British pigs for both fresh and saltedmeat improved significantly in the18th century. The first large-scalebacon curing business was set up inthe 1770s by John Harris in Wiltshire,which continues as the mainbacon-producing area of Britain.

In northern England, thousands offamilies mostly ate bacon as their pri-mary meat. Bacon or “pickled pork”gained favor in southern England.Some flitches of bacon were saltedand then plain-dried. Meanwhile thebest bacon was hung in the chimneybreast to smoke. Sliced bacon collopswere a special English cut of baconthat was fried with eggs. Mosthome-cured bacon was cooked into apease or bean pottage.

Along with the introduction ofthe bacon-curing process,commercial bacon productionreportedly started as early as 1770 inEngland. John Harris of Clane inWiltshire, while watching pigs at restduring a break on their travel fromIreland to London, came up with theidea of curing them on the spot.Huge, fat pigs were bred to be killedat any time of year. The meat wascured quickly, which meant that italso tainted quickly. As the quality


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PRE-COOKED BACONUSDA defines pre-cooked bacon ashaving been cooked to a finishedyield of 40 percent or less. When a1-pound package of raw bacon iscooked to 0.4 pounds or less, itmay be labeled as fully cookedbacon. Most pre-cooked bacon isconsidered shelf stable (may bestored safely at room temperature)because it is vacuum-sealed, has ahigh-brine concentration, and thewater activity is low enough toprevent the outgrowth of pathogenicorganisms.

TROUBLE-SHOOTINGGUIDE

Smoking: Not usually a problem forcompanies with establishedprocesses but over- or under-smok-ing related to color can be anissue.Dirty smoke house: Smokehousemust be cleaned regularly (depend-ing on the plant and the systemseveral times a week to weekly).This is important to avoid soot onthe bacon.Hanging: Bacon must be hung prop-erly to maximize the slice yield.Chilling: Bacon can be under-chilled and therefore very hard toslice and can be over-chilled andthen shatter when sliced.Leakers: Bacon can be a challengeto package due to leakers.Metal from broken bacon combs:Part of the bacon comb can breakoff and, if not found manually orwith metal detection, can causeserious problems with slicing.Source: Robert J. Delmore Jr., Ph.D., AssociateProfessor, Animal Science Department, CaliforniaPolytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Calif.

GLOSSARYBacon: back and sides of a hogsalted and dried or smoked; usuallysliced thinly and friedCut of pork: cut of meat from a hogor pigSide of bacon, flitch: salted andcured abdominal wall of a side ofporkGammon: hind portion of a side ofbaconBacon strip: a slice of baconBacon rind: the rind of baconCanadian bacon: from a boned stripof cured loin


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was poor, this bacon was sold immediately andcheaply in country markets to the impoverishedclass. In spite of this, William Ellis considered bacon a“seviceable, palatable, profitable, and clean meat, forready use in a country house.”

Bacon could also be spiced. An 1864 recipe, in “TheArt and Mystery of Curing, Preserving, and Pottingall kinds of Meats, Game and Fish” suggested takingsome pieces of pork “suitable for your salting tub,”

rubbing them well with warmed treacle, and addingsalt, saltpeter, ground allspice, and pepper. They alsowere to be rubbed and turned every day for a week.The meat was then suspended in a current of air andlater coated with bran or pollard and smoked.

The two large categories of bacon currentlymarketed in America, include minimally processedbacon stocked in stores primarily in 1-poundpackages, and microwave bacon with a moreextensive ingredient legend.

Noting that bacon now is a center-of-the-plateitem, Mandigo traces its transformation from anaccompaniment to eggs to an entrée.

“There is a significant shift in the way bacon isused,” he says. “It has changed from breakfast meatentrée to a condiment for almost anything — fromtoppings to an ingredient in casseroles and forsandwiches. Bacon is very different and we makedifferent kinds of bacon for different applications,such as Arby’s pepper-coated bacon.” NP


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NATURAL BACONSMOKEHOUSE SCHEDULE

Dry Bulb (ºF) Wet bulb (ºF) RH (%) Time (minutes)

110 (42ºC) 92 (35ºC) 70 75145 (63ºC) — — 60145 (63ºC) — — 15134 (57º) — — 90140 (60ºC) 120 (49ºC) 55 Core temperature

128ºF (53ºC)Estimated 180 minutes

Source: The American Meat Science Association (AMSA White Paper Series, Number 1, March,2007, p. 10)


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acon is derived from hog flesh — especiallythe animal’s sides, belly, or back. Meat fromother animal species may also be cured or

otherwise prepared to resemble bacon, such as chickenand turkey bacon. Beef bacon is also marketed,although to a lesser extent.

Notably, most cured-meat products are notnecessarily also smoked and/or cooked, and moreaccurately should be included in a precise category ofcured/and or smoked meats. Cured and smoked meatproducts are primarily made from the primal cuts ofpork consisting mainly of ham and bacon.

Bacon refers to different cuts in different countries.In the United States it usually means the side betweenthe fifth rib and the hipbone. In Europe, the wordbacon generally refers to one half of a fattened pig.Bacon has one of the highest fat contents of any cut ofmeat. Fat gives bacon its sweet flavor and tendercrispness, thus its proportion ideally should be 1⁄2 to 2⁄3 ofthe total weight. Sliced bacon generally has beentrimmed of rind, sliced and packaged. It comes in thinslices (about 35 strips per pound), regular slices (16 to20 per pound) or thick slices (12 to 16 per pound). Slabbacon comes in a chunk to be sliced and is less costlythan pre-sliced bacon. Rinds usually remain intact onslabs, but are generally removed prior to slicing.

Chemistry of cured meatAlthough bacon continues to be home cured in

some rural communities, the bulk of its manufacture isin large industrial meat-processing plants equipped toslaughter, dress, cure, smoke, and sell on a large scale.

It is essential to note that differences exist betweenthe way large and small bacon operations cure and

smoke hog bellies. Small processors rank amongculinary artisans who prefer the dry-cure method thatinvolves rubbing bacon slabs with a dry mixture ofseasoning ingredients including salt and sugar.

Larger bacon manufacturers instead usually employthe injection technique involving penetrating slabswith a liquid brine mixture of salt, sugar and, perhapsliquid smoke for flavor. The ingredient recipe likelyincludes sodium phosphate for moisture retentionduring processing and cooking. Sodium ascorbate orsodium erythorbate is used to accelerate the curingprocess while also facilitating color retention. Curingsalt, including sodium nitrite, inhibits bacteria, assistsin setting flavor and acts as a color-enhancing agent.

Preserving meat using salt or curing techniques isthe oldest known processing application. However, itshistorical origin is uncertain. History indicates thatnitrate was determined a naturally occurringcontaminant in salt, prompting chemists to isolate thatcompound and intentionally add it in the form ofsaltpeter (potassium nitrate). Chemists eventuallyrecognized that nitrite (NO2) and not nitrate (NO3)was responsible for the beneficial color and flavorproperties that enhance pork.

Nitrite When nitrite (NO2) is combined with meat, it

eventually is reduced to nitric oxide (NO). Suchreduction is often accelerated by the use of ascorbate orerythorbate. Nitrite is responsible for cured meat flavorcharacteristics. Flavor difference in part may be due tothe suppression of lipid oxidation by nitrite. Otherantioxidants, meanwhile, produce no cured meatflavor.

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USDA, which initially authorized the use of sodiumnitrite in cured meat in 1925, continues to allow therestricted use of nitrite and sodium ascorbate orsodium erythorbate (isoascorbate) in bacon.Addressing pumped bacon, meaning bacon injectedwith curing ingredients and massaged or tumbled, theregulation specifies the use of sodium nitrite at 120parts per million (ppm) ingoing or an equivalentamount of potassium nitrite used at 148 ppm ingoing.Sodium ascorbate or sodium erythorbate (isoascorbate)“shall” be used at 550 ppm. The regulation notes thatsodium ascorbate or sodium erythorbate carries amolecular weight of approximately 198. Hydratedforms of these substances should be adjusted to attainthe equivalent of 550 ppm of sodium ascorbate orsodium erythorbate.

Since under certain conditions nitrite in cured meatproduct contribute to the formation of nitrosamines, aknown carcinogenic, the USDA in-plant inspectionsystem calls for pulling samples of pumped bacon.Such samples are analyzed to determine the level ofnitrosamines using a Thermal Energy Analyzer (TEA).If TEA confirms a positive level of nitrosamines,additional samples are collected and subjected toanalysis using gas chromatography. Presumptivepositive must be confirmed by mass spectrometrybefore actually deemed positive. If any one of theoriginal samples collected by USDA for confirmation isfound to contain confirmable levels of nitrosamines, allpumped bacon in the producing establishment and allfuture production will be retained. USDA will thensample and analyze such retained pumped bacon fornitrosamines on a lot-by-lot basis.

According to the American Meat ScienceAssociation, even though nitrite is recognized as apotentially toxic compound, its controlled use inprocessed meats does not represent a toxicity riskunder normal circumstances.

Processing methodsBacon processors continuously seek ways to help

improve product yield, which is accomplished throughautomation. New and innovative technology is a keydriver in this regard. Today’s systems not only offerhigh efficiencies but also come in stand-alone machinesor fully-integrated programs.

“To make high-quality retail bacon you need a bellyinjector, a smoke house, bacon press, slicer and apackaging machine,” summarizes Robert Delmore Jr.,Ph.D. Delmore is an associate professor in the animalscience department at California Polytechnic State

BACON TECHNOLOGY 1012008 TECH JOURNAL SERIES

Beef baconGenerally classified as breakfast bacon, beef

bacon is made from boneless beef short plates,which are cured and processed much like porkbellies. Current beef bacon processors include thefollowing:

Local Harvest, a CSA (Community SupportedAgriculture) organization in Santa Cruz, Calif., offershickory smoked grass-fed beef bacon, marketed as“smoked the old fashioned way in a real hickorysmokehouse.” Ingredients include grass fed beefbrisket, water, salt, honey and spices.

Monticello, Mo.-based U.S. Wellness Meats,markets beef bacon processed without adding sodiumnitrite.

Porcino Foods Company, City of Industry, Calif.,produces beef bacon “from trimmed domestic steerbeef plates, cured and hickory smoked to produce aregular bacon flavor profile with 45-percent less fatthan pork bacon.”

Canadian baconThe boneless loin from large sows of a live weight

of more than 360 pound is often cured and used asCanadian bacon. It is manufactured from the largemuscle of pork loins, the strip or sirloin muscle. Theextremely lean characteristic is accomplished bytrimming most of the external fat and introducingminimum amounts of intramuscular fat. Stitch-pumped boneless loins spend two- to five-days incover pickle to be washed in cold water afterremoval. The product next is stuffed into cellulosiccasings or stockinettes. It is hung in a smokehouseand processed to an internal temperature of between150ºF and 155ºF. Smokehouse schedules forCanadian bacon are similar to requirements for hamprocessing. Graduated or single-temperatureschedules in either case are acceptable.

Jowl bacon Considered a substitute of sorts for regular bacon,

jowl bacon is fashioned from fresh, trimmed hogjowls using the same curing, cooking and smokingprocedures for bacon made from bellies. Cuts rangefrom 5-inch to 8-inch squares. Jowl bacon generallycarries more fat.

OTHER BACONCATEGORIES





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University in San Luis Obispo. Although he offers thissimple and direct answer to the questionconcerning what equipment isabsolutelynecessary toproduce qualitybacon, he knowsthat baconequipmentmanufacturers mustmeet processors’demands forinnovation andautomation.

Consider visiontechnology that employs ahigh-speed camera to scanthe face of the product beforeslicing. It not only measures thearea to determine fat-to-leanratio, but also makes adjustmentsto ensure the ideal thickness. Avision slicer can be integrated into automated lineshandling fixed-weight retail and bulk packaging.

Natural and organic cured bacon:scientific and regulatorycomponents

Bacon qualifying as natural and organic mustconform to USDA regulations prohibiting the additionof nitrite or nitrate as ingredients.

“Natural and organic must carry the claim assuringno added nitrites, but in looks this bacon has the samecolor as [regular] cured bacon,” offers Roger Mandigo,professor animal science, University of Nebraska. “Inmost cases, other ingredients are added to help it cure,such as vegetable powder, turbonado sugar and seasalt with small amounts of nitrite. The result is thecured color and eating texture [expected] of bacon.”

Although “natural” and “organic” are separate anddistinct categories, neither is allowed to bemanufactured with added sodium (or potassium)nitrite or nitrate. Moreover, the definitions of naturaland organic require that “Uncured” be included forproducts labeled with a standardized cured productname, such as bacon. Not all products labeled“Uncured” are natural or organic, however.

“Extensive new regulations are being workedthrough USDA now, so the whole discussion of naturaland organic is best left alone until these newregulations are in place,” Mandigo advises.

Smoking technology:from the smokehouse to the plant

Wood smoke has been used to preserve food whilealso providing flavor, aroma, and color, no doubt sincethe discovery of fire. For centuries, moreover, woodsmoke has been used as an agent to treat products intraditional smokehouses. In the late 1800s, E. H.Wright, a Kansas City pharmacist, developed andpatented a crude method for distilling vaporoussmoke. He sold the “liquid smoke” to farmers throughhis apothecary and small brokers as a product for thehome curing of hams and bacon, as well as a flavoringredient for other food products. Smoked meatflavor comes from phenolic compounds in the vaporphase. The bactericidal benefit in smoking meat is dueto the combined effects of heating, drying and thechemical components in smoke. Such smokecomponents as acetic acid, formaldehyde and creosoteprevent microbial growth when present on the surfaceof the meat.

Smokehouse types include those with natural aircirculation, air-conditioned or forced air andcontinuous. Cooking often is a simultaneous processwhen smoking meat. For best results, cooking requirescareful control of the smoking and heating process toachieve high yields.

Liquid smoke is preferred by some processors dueto some benefits not offered by wood smoke. Thecommon preparation of liquid smoke involves usingheat to break down complex chemical substances into



BibliographyAn A-Z of Food and Drink, John Ayto [Oxford University Press: Oxford] 2002 (p. 14-5)

Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press: Oxford] 1999 (p. 47)

Columbia University Press, Columbia encyclopedia

Food and Drink in Britain: From the Stone Age to the 19th Century, C. Anne Wilson [Academy Chicago: Chicago] 1991 (p. 74, 77 & 88)

Food Dictionary Copyright Barron’s Educational Services Inc. 1995 based on The Food Lover’s Companion, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst

The Meat We Eat, 12th Edition, John R. Romans, Kevin W. Jones, William J. Costello, C. Wendell Carlson and the late P. Thomas Ziegler, South Dakota State University (p. 430)

Meat Buyers Guide, 2007, 184 IMPS #408 Pork Belly, The North American Meat Processors Association, (p. 148)

Natural and Organic Cured Meat Products, Regulatory, Manufacturing, Marketing, Quality and Safety Issues, by Joseph Sebranek, Iowa State University and James Bacus, Technical Ingredient Solutions LLC (American Meat Science Association White Paper Series, Number 1, March, 2007)

Pickled, Potted and Canned: How the Art and Science of Food Preserving Changed the World, Sue Shephard [Simon and Schuster:New York] 2000 (p. 68-9)

Processed Meats, Second Edition, A.M. Pearson, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, and F.W. Tauber, Marketing Department, Films PackagingDivision, Union Carbide Corp., Chicago (pp 69-86; 270-284)

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simpler substances. The process begins as sawdust, isfurther dried and then burned in specifically designedrotary or multiple-hearth furnaces to control oxygen,moisture, time and temperature.

Bacon processing primerBacon slabs are cured using a salting or pickling

mixture, and then dried with or without wood smoke.Traditionally, the process consisted of soaking the porkin brine or rubbing it in a salt mixture by hand, thensmoking the sides in smoke from an open chimney —sometimes for three or four months. The smokehousetimetable is based on belly size, smokehouse airvelocity, facility temperature and internal temperature.Ideal temperatures for smokehouses range between115ºF and 125ºF. Smokehouse dampers are open duringthe drying process, which could last up to two hours.Dampers are closed in the second phase, of about twohours, and the temperature increased by 5ºF-10ºF.

The belly is prepared from the side after removal ofthe leg, shoulder, loin, fat back, and spareribs. Allbones and cartilages should be excluded, as well aspractically all leaf fat. The fat back should also beexcluded by a straight cut not more than 1.5 inches (3.8cm) from the outermost dorsal curvature of scribe line.The anterior (shoulder) and posterior (leg) ends of thebelly must be reasonably straight and parallel. No sideof the belly should be more than 2.0 inches (5.0 cm)longer than its opposing side. The width of the flankmuscle (rectus abdominis) ideally should be at least 25percent of the width of the belly on the leg end. The faton the ventral side of the belly and adjacent to the flankshould be trimmed to within 0.75 inches (19 mm) fromthe lean. The area ventral to the scribe line must be free

of scores and “snowballs” (exposed areas of fat) thatmeasure 3.0 square inches.

Grading and preparationIn the absence of standardized regulatory quality

grades for bacon, grading generally is done in-plant onthe basis of green-belly weights. Heavier cured belliesresult in fatter, less tender and darker colored bacon.

Bellies must be correctly graded by weight,” advisesRobert J. Delmore Jr., Ph.D., an associate professor inthe Animal Science Department of CaliforniaPolytechnic State University. “We pump bellies at afixed percentage and if the bellies are not sortedproperly the pump percentage will be wrong.”

The belly comprises 9 percent of live weight andapproximately 13 percent of the carcass weight. Theinitial preparation phase for bellies involves removingspareribs, a function of separation from the loin. Theflank end is squared by cutting through the center ofthe length of the flank pocket. The flank side can be cut1 inch longer than the loin side, due to differentialshrinkage that impacts the smoking process in therectus abdominus muscle — a long, flat muscle in theflank side of the belly. The loin side is trimmed. Theteat line removal ensures that no rudimentarymammary glands remain in the bacon slab. Lessexpensive bacon, which is not trimmed as closely,contain “mammary seeds,” resulting in seedy bacon.

Breeding quality pigsToday’s pigs are bred and fed for leaner meat than

in past years. Consider that pigs averaged 2.86 inchesof backfat compared with less than 0.75 inchescurrently. More than 70 percent of the pigs produced in




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the United States now are sold on a“carcass merit” pricing systems,whereby a portion of the price isdetermined by certain characteristicsof the animal. Current systems paypremiums for pigs with low amountsof fat and high amounts of muscle.Producers and processors are currentlyengaged in research seeking advancedmeasurements systems that will allowpremium payments for carcasses withbetter-flavored, juicier andmore-tender meat.

One such research project by TheNational Pork Board (NPB) inconjunction with Iowa State Universityresulted in the availability of geneticmarkers significantly associated withgrowth, leanness and meat quality. Inline with this breakthrough, the IowaState University Research Foundationsigned a licensing agreement withGeneSeek Inc. of Lincoln, Neb., whichpermits the use of DNA markers in fourgenes. The markers were tested andcommercially validated by a large pigbreeding company. Based on reports,the first gene marker controls growthand leanness, allowing producers andbreeders to choose from a “fast” growthform of the gene or a “lean/efficient”growth form of the gene. Basically, thetechnology allows breeders andproducers to develop the bestmulti-gene combination for their lines.

Final processing phase Once bacon is cooked and smoked,

it is chilled and the rind is removed ifnecessary. Slabs are held in temperingcoolers to reduce the internaltemperature of the bacon to 26ºF-28ºFprior to slicing. Benefits of this stepallow bacon to retain its shape in abacon press and to facilitate slicing.Chilled bacon slabs are pressed orblocked by placing them in a largeforming machine that compresses thebacon to a relatively uniform width andthickness — an essential step to achieveworthwhile slicing yields.

Finally, bacon slabs are sliced onhigh-speed machines to be automati-cally shingled into select weightunits. Thin-sliced bacon, also knownas hotel or restaurant sliced, is

approximately 1⁄32 inches, regular 1⁄16

and thick about 1⁄8 inch. Shingledbacon is either vacuum packed ornot, but vacuum packagingassures a longer shelf life. NP


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he top three bacon plants in the U.S.process 35 percent of bellies in the nation,with Smithfield, Va.-based Smithfield

Foods claiming the highest share of market at 17percent. Its branded lines of pork products includenaturally hickory smoked uncured bacon andmicrowave bacon, among a large quantity of othertypes. Smithfield companies that specialize inbacon production use a variety of ingredientformulations. Category leader Oscar Mayer hascontributed to revolutionizing the bacon industrybeginning with its introduction of packaged, slicedbacon in 1924. Another category leader, HormelFoods began curing bacon in the early 1900s.Today its bacon featuring natural hardwood smokeis a consumer favorite. Hormel added bacon piecesto its bacon portfolio in 1978.

As bacon consumption continues to increase,

processors in this category also continue to capitalizeon this marketplace opportunity with innovativeapproaches in style and substance. Productiontechniques are somewhat standard, however, whetherfor retail and foodservice products or cooked andprecooked bacon. Moreover, processing equipmentmay be identical in large measure, but end-productvariations exist in terms of research and development.To remain competitive, bacon manufacturers and theirequipment supplier partners continue to press forwardto bring distinction to products in this category.

To bring an inside view to the matter, sevenprogressive bacon processing manufacturesparticipated in the following discussion concerningtheir “best practices.” They include Oscar Mayer,Coleman Natural Foods, Hatfield Quality Meats,Applegate Farms, Pederson’s Natural Farms,Kunzler & Co. and Leidy’s Inc.


BACON PRODUCTION:BEST PRACTICES


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PART THREE:



Oscar Mayer, Kraft Foods Inc.,Madison, Wis.

BY BETH GOEDDEL, SENIOR BRAND MANAGER

Products: Oscar Mayer is the bacon categoryleader, producing traditional, ready-to-serve, natural,Canadian, turkey and premium-flavored bacons.

Processing: To make bacon, you need thefollowing: a method for curing, a device, such as asmokehouse, for converting the cured belly into asmoked bacon product; a device, such as a chill cell,for making the belly firm

and cold for slicingoperations; and appro-priate equipment toslice and package.

At the plant, wereceive pork belliesthat areskinless andtrimmed to ourexacting purchasespecifications.Once inside our

facility, we cure, smoke,and chill the bellies to meet our stringent

quality and food-safety specifications. After chillingbellies to a very cold temperature, we slice andpackage them to meet our customers’ expectations.

Raw material: We have exacting purchase andproduction specifications that we rigorouslyuphold. Our raw material is held under very coldconditions to maintain quality. Specifics areproprietary. Suppliers must meet very rigidrequirements before we will accept and use them.For example, the bellies must be skinless andtrimmed to specific dimensions, as well as meet anumber of specific quality specifications related tofat and lean prior to use.

Curing: Our curing processes are proprietary.Delivering a particular end productthrough processing is accomplished dur-ing our cure process, specifically with ourformulations. For example, we use a mapleflavoring for producing maple bacon andwe use a mixture of salts for our low-sodiumproduct.

Packaging: The ideal package is easy toopen and close and keeps the last slice ofbacon as fresh as the first. Our new OscarMayer Stay Fresh Reclosable bacon package isan example.

Food safety: We are always diligent about meet-ing the time and temperature requirements in ourprocess as part of ourfood-safety program to deliver a safe product to ourconsumer.

Coleman Natural Foods LLC,Golden, Colo.

BY DEE MCLAUGHLIN, V ICE PRESIDENT, PORK OPERATIONS, ANDDENNIS STIFFLER,

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT,FOOD SAFETY QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Products: All natural hickory bacon (perfectthickness and blend of hickory flavor and spices, withhalf the sodium of leading brands)

Overview: We produce branded premium bacon soit’s important that flavor profiles perform; that wedeliver on a clean label; that uniformity is there, alongwith a quality-management process and auditing offinished product. With our co-packer, we want to takeadvantage of innovative technology and theirprocesses for efficiency, to control costs and ensuredelivery of a high-quality product. It is all about tyingto a “Never Ever” philosophy concerning noantibiotics, no added growth promotants andall-vegetarian fed.

It also means not using artificial preservatives andchemical curing aids with our bacon.

Packaging: From the retail perspective, a 16-ouncepackage is best to give consumers the ability to see theproduct. It also gives us a method to communicate ourstory from a brand perspective. Foodservice requiresdifferent packaging because it is a ready-to-cook andnot a ready-to-eat-product.

Raw material: We’re not about the process butstarting with right type of raw materials. We spend a

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lot of time on the live side so we have the best geneticsbest in terms of matching our production system withgenetics for high-quality uniform products.

Coleman has an exclusive arrangement to market abreed of animals called Hampshire, known formeat-quality characteristics. The old adage is true thatnot all bacon is created equal. Due to genetics, thebacon you get on sandwich at Wendy’s is not samebacon or from the same process involved in a packageof Coleman’s natural bacon. Belly sizes within theindustry are also different. As far as the process todifferentiate ourselves, we go within the breed to pickhighest quality animals. We designate subprimals forour further-processing program along with our “NeverEver” cured protocol for finished product whetherbacon, ham or hot dogs.

Raw material specifications: In a typical plantno matter what size, bellies arrive sorted by size in2-pound weight increments. Each increment may havea different application when it gets to consumer. Largerbellies by weight are used for foodservice or precooked

applications, smaller bellies for retail bacon. Inside theplant, bellies are segregated. Product is pumped andevery brand has its own secret recipe, whether brownsugar or maple flavoring. USDA regulates how muchproducts can be pumped.

Processing: Bellies are hung on a rack, and movedfrom the pumping area to a smokehouse. Bacon is notfully cooked, and only has to be cooked to an internaltemperature of 135°F, that’s where you get mostdifferentiation. Some processors use liquid smoke byspraying the product to give it an atomized smokedflavor. Liquid smoke application is typicallytwo-to-three hours less than the typical smoke cycle.Starting with smoke enables the flavor to set in belliesbefore raising the temperature. Finish with heat. Longsmoke cycle produce darker mahogany color whilelighter smoke delivers a lighter cherry color. Once theheat process ends, bacon bellies are chilled to 26°F-28°F,depending on finished product. Bellies are pressedbecause muscles contort when chilled, and pressingproduces a nice rectangular shape that improves slicing





yield. Bacon is either in bulk or net-weight sizes. Slicedbacon goes into packages of 12 ounces and 24 ouncesor a 34-pound box. Making consistent bacon dependsupon how well individual slices are sorted after slicingbefore packaging.

Food safety: From a shelf life and USDAregulatory standpoint the issues come down towhether your product is free of contamination. Isit in good microbiological condition not too oldor with slime? What is the specification, andwill your raw material allow you to generatethat specification? That’s the key. Center cutand ends of belly go into different products. Soonce you cook and press and slice, within eachbelly there is some sizing and sorting going on.

Hatfield Quality Meats Inc.,Hatfield, Pa.

BY DENNIS BOWER

Products: Line includes a wide variety oftraditional hardwood smoked bacon styles (retail

and foodservice applications) and the traditional1-pound package in regular, thick sliced, reducedsodium and Applewood for retail. An 8-ounce unit anda 3-pound package target club stores. Seasoning bacon

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using ends and pieces come in a 1-poundunit. Hatfield’s focus is on branded sales,although private label represents a smallpart of the total business. Several traditionalbacon styles target foodservice. Laid flat isthe most popular and convenient style.Other offerings include hotel style (shin-gles) and sliced slab style. Multiple-slice-count options come in various styles.

Packaging: Hatfield uses thetraditional L-board packaging formatfor retail. A convenient E-Z open featurewith a corner tab opening adds value.

Hatfield’s foodservice bacon packaging is all about fresh, thus it features controlledatmosphere packaging. ExtenServ packaging usesnitrogen to deliver a 120-day fresh shelf life.

Beyond the traditional retail and foodserviceformats, Hatfield offers various bacon styles forbusiness-to-business usage, including diced, strips andground bacon. Consistent quality continues to be theexpectation that many customers expect from Hatfieldbacon. A unique “family recipe” flavor profile lastingfor generations continues to be the preferred tasteamong discriminating consumers.

Processing: First steps involve cure making andthe injection process. It is important to have the correctbalance of ingredients, level, and temperature for ahigh-quality finished product.

Certain undesirable conditions could occur inbacon processing. Time and temperature are importantfactors in bacon processing. It begins with rawmaterial age and temperature. There are alsotime-and-temperature relationships, which include thecure, smokehouse, chilling, and tempering.”

Every piece of equipment is necessary to producehigh-quality bacon. It would be quite difficult toproduce high-quality bacon without all the equipmentoperating properly at each step throughout the system.That includes cure-making equipment, cure injectors,smokehouse, chilling coolers and slicing equipment.

Applegate Farms, Bridgewater, NJ CHRISTOPHER ELY, CO-FOUNDER

Products: Traditional dry-cured pork bacon,Canadian-style bacon, Pancetta (Italian style) andturkey bacon (traditional-style bacon made with wholemuscle thigh meat).

Processing: We start with pre-selected and closelytrimmed bellies that will be either antibiotic free ororganic. A minimal amount of a solution comprised of

water, salt and sugar is injected in thebellies. They rest for a period, then are hung and slow-ly smoked for at least eight hours. After smoking, theslabs again rest and equalize for a period before press-ing and slicing.

Raw material: All incoming raw materialundergoes a quality-control check to make sure theproduct is in spec. We use two types of specs for ourbellies. A multi-point spec is for our regular belliesdesignated for traditional American-style bacons. Amuch tighter set of specs give us an extremely leanbelly for our dry-cured Pancetta. In general, bacon isconsidered a raw product, hence the safe-handlinginstructions on every package of bacon. Regardless, weemploy the same strict HACCP (Hazard Analysis andCritical Control Point) and sanitation standards withour bacons as we would with a ready-to-eat product.

Undesirable conditions to avoid:• Low-quality Raw material: The quality of raw

material is inextricably tied to the way an animal wasraised. Animals reared humanely, with plenty of spaceand the ability to exercise their natural behaviors andinstincts produce better quality meat than animalsraised in stressful environments.

• Incorrectly hung bellies: Hanging bacon from thewrong end and/or not uniformly attaching it to thebacon comb during processing can lead toinconsistencies during processing that ultimately affectflavor.

• Smoking: Batch smokers produce abetter-smoked flavor than the more commonly usedconveyer belt smokers. The proper smoker is the mostimportant piece of equipment in the production ofbacon. However, the method and amount of time usedduring the smoking process is equally important. Our





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bacon is gently smoked for several hours in a batchsmoker to provide a more complex flavor profile.

• Curing: Our bacon-curing ingredients includeonly salt, sugar, celery juice and starter cultures. Thisprocess is more complex than conventional-curingmethods and therefore requires more management anda high-skill level to ensure that a product is correctlycured. Another difference between natural andconventional curing processes is the time it takes toproduce a product like bacon. Bellies arrive in themorning and ship out as bacon in the evening at somecommercial bacon operations. In contrast, our bacontakes more than a week to produce to achieve a fullydeveloped product flavor. Thus, it is not surprising tous when customers describe our bacon as having an“old-fashioned” flavor, since they are describing aflavor that is the result of a more slowed-down process.

Packaging: There is no question that the typical-style bacon board and vacuum packaging are the mostwidely used. They are the highest consumer acceptedpackaging for bacon. When done right, thepresentation on the shelf can be very good. However, Iwould argue that for specialized bacons such ashigh-end, dry-cured smoked bacons and Italian-stylePancetta, a MAP (Modified Atmosphere Packaging)pack not only gives a better presentation, but alsoprovides the consumer with a better-tasting productthan a vacuum pack.

Pederson’s Natural Farms,Hamilton, Texas

BY CHAD ONDRUSEK, PLANT MANAGER

Products: Primarily natural bacon approved forsale at Whole Foods and Wild Oats (uncured pork andturkey bacon) retail food stores. Some Canadian bacon,but 98 percent involves traditional bacon.

Processing: Our process is a little different, asmost places inject the belly and we vacuum tumbleours. We restrict the ingredients we use. We get betterpickup and distribution of solution through thetumbling process. After that, the process is the same.Temperature control is the biggest factor after thecooking process, which means making sure thetemperature is correct. The proper temperature also iscritical concerning preparing product for consistentslicing and consistent yields.

Packaging: The 12-ounce retail packaging on anoutboard (laminated cardboard) is ideal. When baconcomes out of the slicer, it goes on an outboard and wefit that inside a plastic film and package it around that.A machine does the work.

Curing: We use different ingredients, no nitrites orphosphates, sea salts are common with natural bacon.

Slicing depends upon customer specifications. Wesupply several private-label customers according tocustomized specifications. We have our own spec forour branded line. We often run 12-ounce packages, anda lot of regular commodity bacon in 1-pound packages,or greater.

Kunzler & Co. Inc., Lancaster, Pa.BY RON FINK, V ICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS

Products include traditional hardwood smokedbacons (retail and foodservice); vacuum packages inboth L-Board (12-ounce, 1-pound, 1.25-pound,1.5-pound and 2.5-pound) and tux carton; andsliced-slab-style packages (retail); vacuum andnon-vacuum sliced slab product in 5- and 10-poundpackages (foodservice package); a value-added Quickand Easy™ line of individually sliced product laid-outon bacon paper (foodservice).

We offer our unique traditionally hardwoodsmoked bacon in all of these categories. We alsoproduce low-sodium honey, maple, and five pepperproduct lines.

Processing: Bacon processing begins with asynchronous supply chain schedule developed with aseven-to-10-day operations scope.

Traditionally bacon processing includes a bellyinjector (pump), combs and carts, smokehouses,chilling coolers, a belly press, and slicing/packaginglines.

We feel our bacon processing plant is ideal for eachof these categories, as we have invested in andpositioned capacity appropriately. We have attentivelyinvested in each category over the past several yearscreating a unique line of retail and foodservicepackaging configurations. We’ve always put significantimportance of the entire planning process as the criticalpath to desired results. Establishing an inventory planand delivering predicted service levels, prescribes theentire supply-chain plan by igniting the delivery ofbellies for the throughput process.

This mentality somewhat rigidly allocates allclasses of resources to specifically plannedproduction runs resulting in meeting theend-in-mind inventory position. All of this aside, thefirst step to execute perfectly, upon belly delivery, isestablishing a synchronous flow diagram (or plan)guaranteeing the time/temperature sensitivity ofbacon processing will be met through eachprocessing step.



We procure bellies skinned and trimmed to meetour finished products specification; the delivery ofthe bellies triggers the throughput process basedupon planned finished goods inventory positions.Bellies also are injected with pickle, combed andhung for the cooking phase. We cook/smoke ourbellies with real hardwood smoke in 10,000-poundbatch houses. Smoked bellies chill in batch temperingcells, systemically reducing the belly temperaturesfrom our targeted cooking temperature to our desiredchilled temperature over a time/temperature,stepped-down cycle lasting upwards of 36 hours.Although we can bring the temperature down to ourideal temperature faster, we need the additional timeto allow the bellies to equilibrate™ providing ourmaximum slicing and yield performance. The belliesare pressed according to specifications designed tomeet finished product standards. They remain in acooler and maintained at a specific temperature.

Temperature deviations from specification are amajor concern in our process. We strive to maintainand measure temperature consistency ensuring

desired results.Finally, the prepared bellies go to specific slicing

and packaging lines to build the planned inventory.Ultimately, the throughput process serves as ourfunction of maximizing product yield, while providingmaximum economic utility of the purchased bellies. Wedo change our pressing specifications based uponfinished good specs, but our value stream remainsconsistent.

Packaging: Maintaining specific time andtemperature relationships throughout the productioncycle is critical in building safety into our productsand processes. Further diligent maintenance offlexible packaging lines ensure product integrity andconsumer protection. We are extremely successful inmanaging made-to-order, made-to-stock, andcontract packaging relationships encompassing awide array of slice specifications.

Leidy’s Inc., Souderton, Pa.BY TERRY LEIDY, V ICE PRESIDENT OF PURCHASING

Products: We produce retail and foodservice



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bacon. We only produce traditional bacon. Whenyou get into smaller operations like us, our niche ismore toward making better bacon. Besides the eyes,taste buds and aroma have a lot to do with it. We dothings differently because we seek a different nicheof business.

Products of distinction: We have to cook baconto a finished product. There is precooked bacon on themarket, but we don’t do that. We make natural-curedbacon, which is antibiotic free. No added nitrates, seasalt is used instead to cure bacon. Other than that, theprocess is almost the same. Concerning the slicing,consumers want a number of slices per pound.

Raw materials are not all the same. Its origin isimportant, as pork bellies are different, although anatural part of the hog. The way the hog is reared,fed and its genetic ancestry affect the pork bellyquality. Once slaughtered, the animal goes to aprocessing facility where primal cuts are separated.About 90 percent of bacon produced has the rind orskin removed. After that, the belly is trimmed tospecification in preparation of the curing process.Bellies are hung up or combed (one end of belly ishung from trees that go into smoking process)before heading to the smoking cycle. The chilling orcooling process is next, followed by the forming orpressing done by equipment that squares the belly.The bellies end up on the slicing line, and finallythe packaging section.

Processing: Bacon looks and sounds simple to

make, but it is not as simple as one might think. Forone thing, leanness of belly or fat ratio makes adifference. Some bacon looks leaner than others, thathas to do with the natural composition of bacon, usingup-to-date equipment, the injecting or curing process.It is important that each belly is uniformly cured, thatflavors are uniform and the proper process for cookingor smoking product in an oven is precise. Some don’tuse smoke or else use very little, others use it in thecuring process depending on flavor and type of baconproduced. The first step involves making sure rawmaterial is received at the proper temperature in linewith a HACCP program. Weight classification of belliesneed to be confirmed as well as the trim andtechniques in belly processing. A small amount ofdry-cured bacon is produced in the country — it is veryrare and you don’t see much of it because naturallyabsorbs salt and flavors but is hard to control andtherefore narrowly used.

After [traditional] bacon is injected or cured,there is a dwell time. We like to see it have time toabsorb flavors, almost like aging beef, for about 24hours. Then it goes into the heat-processing stage.Some manufacturers inject it, hang it and smoke itwithin hours. We feel dwell time helps enhanceflavors, like in wine.

Packaging: For household use, ideally it is avacuum pack with a long shelf life. is For foodser-vice, atmosphere packed bacon or bulk pack is best,differences are in the size of the package. NP



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