Technical Paper

entricina production area must be related to communities of High and Middle Vastese.

Pigs must become from the same zones.

Ingredients must be fresh pork, perfectly drained of blood, flayed, boned and cleaned for sinew, aponeurosis and low-melting fat substances.

Cuts of meat used are: shoulder, loin, legs and bacon (without low melting fats). It's allowed the use of high quality minced pork.

The ratio between the several cuts and minced meat must follow these percentages:

70% by lean cuts, 25% of which by ham and loin,
30% by bacon and ham fats.

Use of conserved or frozen flesh is forbidden.

Spices allowed are: minced pepper (sweet or sharp), fennel seeds (and black pepper).

utting meats

Meat cutting must be done only by well sharped knives to evoid fats' fraying. Pieces size must be more than 2 cm.

he mixture

It is made immeditaly after cutting, allowing a perfect mixing of ingredients. But must not be done for a long time to evoid fats' fraying.

acking

Used bowel: pigs' bladder and blind bowels, also allowed are lamb bowels. Before the use, sacks must be washed by running water and left in a mixture of water, vinegar, orange skins, garlic and laurel to get a peculiar smell.

inding

Binding must be done by medium or big section string, binded in double bridle. It's allowed food-net. At the end Ventricina must be riddled by needle near air bubbles.

ipening and seasoning

It takes no less than 90 days, in rooms at 13 degrees or less. In early days of ripening it's allowed to left the product at temperature over 13 deg. (but not over 18!), near a lit up fire-place. It's allowed a light, external, lard smearing to limit weight loss after the 50th day of seasoning.

escription

The Ventricina from Vastese hills is a salted meat with a big section, seasoned for almost 100 days, with coarse texture and ovoidal shape, made by pork.

echnical specifications

Appearance:
- Irregular, ovoidal shape,
- Binding in double bridle, by medium or big section string (4/2),
- External dry surface with white natural coating; it is possible to see minced pepper,
- It's allowed, for a better maintainance, an external lard smearing.
Internal appearance:
- Irregular texture, it is possible to distinguish the several pieces of mixture,
- Colour: red-orange, on the boundaries of fat pieces too,
Nutrition features:
- Gently piquant taste,
- Peculiar and scented smell, deriving from a long seasoning and typical spices,
Size:
- Weight between 1 and 2.5 Kg,
- Diameter size between 90 and 200 mm.
Seasoning:
- Not less than 100 days.

hemical and physical features

When sold to consumer, Ventricina must have following chemical and physical features:

Ventricina made by peasants doesn't contain:
- nitric potassium, nitric sodium,
- potassium nitrate, sodiun nitrate.
Very small nitrate and nitrite quatities may be due to salting processes.
Water Activity max 0.92,
pH between 5.2 and 6 if water activity < 0.91,
pH between 5 and 5.2 if water activity > 0.91,
Cloride not more than 7.5% in the dry product,
Fats max 42% in the dry product,
Humidity not more than 42%.

icrobiological features

Ventricina, when sold to consumer, must have following microbiological features:

	M (per gram)	m (per gram)
Total Coliform Bacteria n=5 c=2	1x10⁴	1x10³
Escherichia Coli n=5 c=2	5x10²	50
Sulfur-reducing anaerobic bacteria n=5 c=1	1x10²	10
Staphilococcus n=5 c=1	5x10²	50
Salmonellae	none in 25g

Key n: number of units in the specimen c: number of units in the specimen with values between m and M, m: lower threshold: every value below is good for us, M: upper threshold: every value over this indicates product has to be rejected, value of M is 10m in solid environment and 30m in liquid environment.

ot allowed imperfections

Anomalous colour of mixture;
Rancidity and taste changes due to wrong ripening and/or seasoning (putrefaction, musty, bad taste and smell, acid taste);
Holes in the mixture, detachings and musty interiors;
Abundant greasiness and viscous coats on external surface.
Lacerations and changes of external surface.