7 1. A processor of cured meats uses a static soaking method to achieve a 20% pump (solution pick up) in a boneless cured meat product. The process involves soaking the meat for 3 weeks to achieve the desired level of pump and ingredient in the finished product. The formulation for the cure solution is as concentrations follows: 1191 Kg water 14.1 Kg ingredients 1205.1 Kg total At the end of the soaking period the product is removed from the cure solution, packaged into plastic pails and topped up with fresh cure solution. The shelf life is approximately 6 months. To increase production, the company has purchased a vacuum tumbler. The new process will require 150 Kg of meat to vacuum tumbled for 45 minutes, packaged directly into plastic pails and topped up with fresh cure solution. This new process will reduce the production time by 3 weeks and increase yield by making more solution pick up possible! The same 6-month shelf life is anticipated. Problem: with the new vacuum tumbler the processor can now achieve a 30% pump instead of 20%, a very significant increase in yield. Picking up 30% instead of 20% means however that the concentration of ingredients (sodium nitrite) in the finished product will now be greater than the 200ppm allowed by law. The cure formulation will have to be changed to allow for the increase in pump while keeping the finished product ingredient concentrations the same as those in the 20% pumped product. Further, this must be done without any change in the weight of the cure unit received from the cure ingredient supplier (I.e., it must stay at 14.1 Kg) as the processor still uses the static soaking method for other products. a. Calculate the new cure solution formulation assuming the processor does the 150Kg batches and achieves a 30% pump. The finished product ingredient concentrations must be the same as those achieved with a 20% pump using the static soak method. (7 Marks) b. List and explain the rationale for the steps you would take to ensure the new formulation/process is effective (3 Marks total; 2 Marks for the explanation)