For decades, sausage and deli processors have relied on friction smoke or wood chip systems to achieve the golden-brown finish and smoky flavor consumers expect. While effective, these methods come with familiar drawbacks: long cycle times, high cook loss, and inconsistencies in colour and yield. A new technology, Steam Triple Optimisation (STO), is changing that equation.
FSL-Flavourstream’s STO is a next-generation smoke application system that integrates seamlessly with existing smokehouses. Instead of relying on wood chip combustion or extended smoking phases, STO generates and applies smoke in a controlled, three-step process using steam. The result is faster throughput, lower losses, and a level of colour consistency that traditional methods can’t match. The “triple optimisation” in STO refers to key improvements and benefits in the smoking stage:
Key Benefits:
- Cycle Efficiency: Reduces process time by up to 50%, maximising throughput and energy savings.
- Lower Cook Loss: By controlling moisture and smoke penetration with precision, STO reduces weight loss during processing, directly improving yield.
- Consistent Colour: The system delivers a uniform browning effect across products, eliminating the uneven staining that often occurs with chip or friction smoking.
- Cost Optimisation: Reduces labour, raw material and energy consumption.
- Sustainability: Significantly cuts emissions, supporting corporate decarbonisation commitments.
- Adaptability: STO systems are designed to retrofit into most modern smokehouses with minimal disruption. This makes it a practical upgrade for manufacturers running high-volume sausage lines or large-scale deli operations.
Sausages, hams, bacon (chicken, beef & turkey) and deli meats are processed through atomising, drenching, injection, tumbling, or brine systems.