Natural curing with plant extracts

Processors looking for natural ways to achieve the benefits and distinctive characteristics of cured meats in uncured proteins applications can turn to Corbion. Our plant-based solutions deliver the same kind of flavor, color, and preservative power that sodium nitrite has provided the industry for years. With our solutions, your customers can have everything they love about bacon, ham, sausages, hot dogs, and other cured meats ... and an ingredient label they’re more comfortable with.

Curing has been used in meat preparation for centuries; traditional methods include various brines, injections, and rubs. For years, the modern meat industry has depended on sodium nitrite for creating cured meat products cost-efficiently; the additive has proven itself as a preservative and color fixative, and has provided a sure-fire way to deliver the defining characteristics meat lovers expect. 

Corbion's natural curing solutions help you meet those expectations with products that also offer more consumer-friendly labeling. They ensure you get the critical aspects of performance you need from a curing solution, including:

• Color enhancement and stabilization

• Delayed oxidation

• Pathogen control (e.g., Clostridium botulinum and Listeria monocytogenes)

• Inhibition of spoilage organisms (shelf life extension)

• Flavor enhancement

Natural and unique

Our Verdad® Avanta portfolio includes relatively low levels of nitrite-rich celery powder, which can be highly effective in creating the distinctive and all-important color, texture, and flavor consumers want and expect in uncured meats. These ingredients are processed to include an unusually small amount of organic matter, so they are less prone to creating discoloration problems. This allows you greater flexibility in the injection process, specifically the option of using higher injection pressure without the need for duplicative processing.

Our Origin® Powder AC34 is a potent antioxidant and effective cure accelerator high in natural vitamin C. By delaying oxidation and color loss, it helps processors extend the shelf life of their cured meat products. Offering high active content and science-backed shelf stability, its clean taste won't detract from the flavor of your product. And our carbon dating certification and sustainable sourcing practices provide you certainty that, on top of Corbion's technical expertise, you're getting authentic, natural acerola that's ethically produced.

Authenticity matters

One might assume that plant extracts used for cured and uncured applications would be largely commoditized, but the science behind, and practical application of, today's best natural preservation solutions tells a different story. Looking closely at the differences between what may seem at a glance to be equivalent solutions can reveal opportunities to realize cost, quality, and efficiency gains, and give you an advantage in a highly competitive industry.