What are Sausage Casings Made of?

Many people wondered what was in the sausage, while others were curious about what was actually in it. Because there are so many different types and shapes, there is a lot of confusion about Sausage Casings. For example, the types of casings used for hot dogs, pepperoni and summer sausages are completely different.

Sausage Casings

So what are sausage casings made of? There are four main types of casing. They are:

Natural casings made from animal intestines

Collagen casings made from beef collagen

Fiber casings made of colored filament paper

Cellulose casings made of viscose fibres

Natural casing

The most popular sausage casings are made from cleaned animal intestines, the most famous being pigs, sheep and cattle. These are called "natural casings", the most common being pig casings of 32-34mm. This is the casing used for sausages such as bologna.

Natural casings come in a variety of diameters. Lamb casings are small in diameter and are used for breakfast connections with sausages and snack sticks. Beef casings are large in diameter and are commonly used in sausages such as bologna and salami

Natural casing is the only casing that forms a curved chain.

Collagen casing

Collagen casings are made from beef collagen and are available in a variety of diameters, edible or non-edible. Collagen is a protein found in connective tissue, tendons, etc.

Using Collagen Casings instead of natural casings has advantages and disadvantages.

Collagen casings can be removed directly from the bag, while natural casings must be wrapped and thoroughly rinsed before use. In addition, while natural casings need to be salted and stored in the refrigerator to prevent spoilage, collagen casings are a stable product. Collagen casings should also be used for sausages without casings.

The disadvantage of collagen casings is that the links are completely straight and have to be untied. When I make sausages with collagen casings, I often use twine to hold the links in place. I also think collagen casings don't "pop" as much when you bite into them.

Fiber casing

Fiber casings were invented in the 1930s and are made of coated filament paper. These casings are always inedible and come in clear or mahogany colors.

These casings are larger in diameter and are often used as a substitute for natural beef casings. The main advantage of fibrous casings is that they are very strong, which allows you to pack sausages tightly without worrying about bursting.

Cellulose sleeve

Cellulose, a plant-based, inedible polysaccharide, is the most abundant polymer on Earth. Cellulose casings are easy to remove and are designed for large-scale and automated production.

The most common use of cellulose casings is in the production of skinless hot dogs. This is a great video that shows how to make hot dogs using cellulose casings and high-speed automation.

Cellulose skin is made by treating cellulose fibers with caustic soda and other chemicals to make a material called viscose. The glue is then converted into what's called a cellulose casing.

Please contact Sausage Casing Manufacturers if you need any help.