In an age of sumptuous technologies that preside over so much of our existence, being tagged “old school” is the pseudo-polite way of saying something is out of step, out of touch or, figuratively, past its sell-by date. “New” trumps yesterday, and innovation’s only link is to tomorrow. Even packaging has an old-school poster child: casings. But, thankfully, here is an occasion where perception and reality diverge. Granted, casings symbolize centuries of artisanal sausage-making heritage and, if we fast-forward, today’s players’ roster is virtually the same as 50 years ago. At its base it is an old industry of fibrous collagen and cellulose, but tradition and quality are also the essence of its value. Words such as innovation, engineering and precision generally are not what leap out at you upon hearing “casings,” yet, subtly, the business has become adaptive and innovative.
As in every other segment of meat processing, automation continues to transform sausage making. Now machinability must be engineered into casings because they must auto-feed, cycle, be stuffed, clipped and on top of that create an appealing shape that is repeatable and predictable. To maintain throughput and reduce downtime, fibrous casings manufacturers constantly work to get more and more meters on a strand. There is a significant amount of science and shirring technology needed behind this because in adding more material to a strand, the casings must still be strong and stiff enough to hold shape when stuffed. According to a source, 20 percent more meters on a fibrous strand is achievable and up to 80 percent of that is doable with cellulose and collagen.