I am a big fan of sausages!
Sausages are very easy to cook and incredibly versatile and my favorite dinner time dish.
I always prefer to make it at home. My personal experience with sausage making is that homemade sausages taste way better than store-bought.
Making sausages at home is very inexpensive in the long run too.
While making sausages at home, I always experiment with different seasonings and adjust flavour.
But one day while making sausage, I didn’t have the milk powder.
So, I was searching for a substitute for milk powder in sausage making.
You can’t believe, my granny who is skilled in sausage making, told me a lot of milk powder substitute and it won’t change the flavor of my sausage.
Here I will tell you about that milk substitutes which can make your sausage taste good without using milk powder.
Why Put Milk Powder in Sausages?
Non-fat dried milk powder is used in various types of sausages. It helps to bind the sausages and getting a good texture.
Nobody would like to have very dry sausages. The milk powder also helps in retaining moisture.
The milk powder helps to enhance the flavor of the sausage as it helps in forming irreversible gels upon heating that retain the water and fat.
Dry milk powder enhances the taste of the low-fat sausages.
So, adding milk powder works as a wonder for sausage making. But keep in mind don’t add instant non-fat milk in sausages.
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Substitute for Milk Powder in Sausages
You can use the following ingredients as a substitute for milk powder in sausages.
Whey protein isolate
Whey protein isolate is also acting as one of the binders for sausages like milk powder.
It entraps the water in sausages and provides a smooth texture to the sausages. So, it increases slice -ability.
It also helps to provide structure to the sausages as whey forms stable, fat emulsion. If you want to enhance the non-enzymatic browning it works perfectly.
Overall whey protein isolate has fat binding, moisture, emulsifying, and emulsion stabilizing properties which enhance the texture and structure of the sausages.
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Rice flour
Rice flour has a great binding ability. You can use rice flour for making sausages. It works perfectly as a sausage binder.
Rice flour can provide suitable texture for a variety of foods allowing high natural stability.
Using rice flour in emulsified sausages leads to considerably lower cooking loss and better emulsion stability.
Adding rice flour 2%, 4% and 6% improves the moisture content of sausages.
Rice flour is an effective ingredient to improve the quality and sensory of sausages with reduced fat content.
So, the addition of rice flour in sausages leads to a reduction in water separation, retention of moisture, and fat that helps to enhance storage stability.
Corn Syrup solids
Corn syrup solid is commonly used in sausage making. If you don’t have milk powder for sausage making, you can use corn syrup solids as a substitute for milk powder.It comes in powdered form. It can be easily measured and stored.
The corn syrup solid increases the binding quality of the meat. It gives mild sweetness to the sausages.
It helps to hold the color of the cured meat. The corn syrup provides the carbohydrate source for lactic bacteria for the fermentation process in dry-cured products.
You can use the corn syrup solid 2% or less meat block weight.
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Beef or pork fat trim
If you want a substitute for milk powder and looking for real fat to use in sausage, you can use beef and pork fat trim.
You need to cut the skin off if it is not done already.
When you are making fresh sausages, appearance doesn’t matter so much. But with using pork fat the slices of dry sausages look much better.
Pork fat is more popular than beef fat for sausage making. Pork fat is common fat for making sausages as it has more favorable qualities for sausage recipes.
You can use beef fat for making pork and venison sausage. Beef fat is slightly tougher than pork. You can use beef fat too but keep in mind it has a stronger flavor and higher melting point.
Soy protein concentrate
Soy protein concentrate is made from soybeans. It is generally used in cooking and baking needs.
Soy protein concentrate is used in smoked and cooked sausages too. It works like milk powder in sausage making as soy protein concentrate binds the meat and fat in a smooth consistency.
The soy protein concentrate minimizes the shrinkage by increasing moisture retention.
It contains around 60% protein and retains most of the soybean’s dietary fiber. Soy protein contains seven times more protein than in meat. So, it is enhancing the nutritional quality of sausages.
Gelatin
Gelatin is a great binding agent. So, they are great binders for sausages too.
You can use 0.035 lbs of gelatin per 1 lb of ground meat. It means You can use gelatin powder 3.5% of the weight of sausages.
It has no taste. You should use the gelatin in optimum quantity as under or overuse affects the texture of sausages.
Gelatin should be stored above room temperature. Store it in a cool and dry place near 65F.
Wrapping Up
So, these are the substitute for milk powder for sausage making. You can use any of the above-mentioned substitutes for making sausages.
You can use soy protein concentrate, gelatin, rice flour, or whey protein isolate in sausages as a substitute for milk powder. Corn syrup solid is commonly used as a binder in sausages.
If you want to use real fat you can add beef or pork fat trim in sausage making. But make sure the skin is cut off if not done already.
Now if you don’t have milk powder for adding in sausages, don’t worry.
You can add theses substitutes and enjoy your sausages at home!
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