A third of the samples fell due to problems with the used meat. Differences are also between salami of the same brands marketed in the whole slices and in the sliced variant.
The fermented durable hercules salami was developed in the then Czechoslovakia and the requirements for its quality are still defined by the decree. It has a specific soft, sour taste and long stamina. This is achieved by bacteria that ferment the salami by fermentation and subsequent drying. At 20 ° C, herkules will last for at least 21 days. DTest allowed the lab to verify the meat content of the salami and its quality, fatness and sensory evaluation during the tasting.
"Hercules did not do well, in a third of the tested sausages, we found problems in meeting the promised meat content or in poor muscle protein content, indicating lower quality meats. The good news is that all the hercules tested in accordance with the Decree contained beef, and neither was found in any of them, nor poultry or soy protein, " summarizes Hana Hoffmann, editor-in-chief of dTest.
In terms of meat, producers have a free hand, but have to achieve at least 14% of pure muscle protein content. This cut-off limit ensures that the meat is properly lean and in sufficient quantity. "We found the most meat - over 145 g / 100 g - at the Hercules 1985 stick salami, marketed under the Macro Horeca Select brand. He also became the overall winner of the test. He most conserved Tesco Herkules, where only 113.2 g of meat was found in the laboratory. His label, however, promised a total of 134 g, " says Hana Hoffmann, and continues: " Unfortunately, he was not alone. We also found a similar misdemeanor in the Globus Corrects Hercules and in the Kaucland K-Classic Slices. For misleading declarations of meat content, we evaluated them with an inadequate mark. "
The highest percentage of muscle proteins, over 16%, hid the Krahulik salami. For six products, however, the quantity found was below the 14% limit. The Tesco, Schneider, Globus / Correkt and Hercules Hercules Slices did not save even the uncertainty of measurement and the failure to comply with the legislative requirements also resulted in an overall lack of evaluation. Salami Tesco and Globus / Corrett have dropped twice.
By measuring the fat and salt content, the sausages passed without any harm. Hercules' toughness may be at most 50%, with no sausage. The salt content also corresponded to what declared nutrition tables. The differences of the individual samples showed in the tasting, when the appearance, flavor, smell, consistency and feeling of the herkules left in the bite was judged. Generally worse, sausages led to taste and consistency. Frequent problems with excessive acidity and lubricity.
"We also encountered interesting differences between sliced and uncut salami of the same brands, namely Godfather and K-Classic. Salami does not differ only by slicing, but also by eating meat or using dyes, " says Hoffmann.
Source: tz, dTest.cz