Through Olive & Air: An air-dried salami that is made using natural processes without preservatives or additives.
Prize for Innovation at the competition for innovative eco-friendly foods, Ecotrophelia 2013 (Organisation: Federation of Hellenic Food Industries).
Through Olive & Air: An air-dried salami that uses natural processes without preservatives or additives.
Prize for Innovation at the competition for innovative eco-friendly foods. THROUGH OLIVE AND AIR is a juicy, air-dried salami made using natural processes and has won awards for innovation. It is made without using any chemical preservatives, and more specifically, without using nitrites or sodium nitrate which can be converted to nitrosamines which are carcinogenic substances in our body. This disadvantage of most cold cuts is why, for decades, the scientific community has been searching for healthy substitutes for sodium nitrites (preservative) in cold meats.
This salami does not contain any preservatives or other synthetic additives (ascorbates or erythorbates, flavour enhancers or colorants) or water, only meat (with fat), spices and olive polyphenols which add flavour to the meat but are also beneficial for our health as a natural antioxidant and antimicrobial ingredient. Olive polyphenols are isolated through a completely reliable “green” process using liquid waste from olive mills which, if it is not treated and the polyphenols are not removed, is highly polluting and highly toxicity to aquatic and plant organisms when disposed of in the environment.
However, the addition of polyphenols, along with protective cultures of beneficial bacteria (yeast), to this salami significantly improves the curing process and colour and gives the salami a unique pleasant aroma and taste. The process also ensures a long shelf life and polyphenols themselves strengthen our immune system and protect us from oxidative stress.
The product was developed after many years of research at the Department of Food Technology at the University of Applied Sciences of Thessaly, with the scientific supervisor being Dr Ioannis Giavasis, in collaboration with Dr. Konstantinos Petrotos and with the companies TSIANAVAS SA (cold meat Karditsa) and Polyhealth A.E. (producer of olive polyphenols). It was released on the Greek and European market at the end of 2013.
AWARDS
The salami won the 3rd Innovation Award at the Ecotrophelia 2013 competition which was organized by SEBT (Federation of Hellenic Food Industries) as part of the European Ecotrophelia Competition which is held to promote innovative ecological foods developed in European universities and research centres. The product has received numerous additional awards and distinctions at food fairs, including the Gold Taste Award at Meatdays 2013, and was included in the 10 best new food products at the “Athinorama 2014” show as well as in the 50 best products of the year as featured in “Food and Beverages” (Τρόφιμα και Ποτά) magazine in 2014.
It has also been recognised as one of the best “Success stories” of European Innovation in a special leaflet that was published at the 2014 SIAL World Food Fair in Paris. In the summer of 2015, it was exhibited and won an award in a special honorary event as one of the 5 best cases of applied innovation in the field of food in Europe. The event was held at the European Ecotrophelia competition in Milan (FoodDrinkEurope 2015) in the world exhibition Milan FoodExpo 2015.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION FOR USE IN CURED MEATS:
Olive polyphenols are added to the product encapsulated in a water-soluble maltodextrin carrier. The encapsulated polyphenol powder is added either directly to the meat (in the cutter, or after being dissolved in 10 times the volume of water so it can be dispersed more evenly if the meat is not going to be thoroughly mixed in the cutter). The recommended concentration for cured cold meats is 1300-1500ppm (1.3-1.5g / Kg of meat), depending on the desired colour (higher concentrations give a darker red colour to the meat).
This concentration acts as a natural antioxidant and prevents the fat from becoming rancid at the same time as stimulating the natural culture or added starting culture as it grows, producing more lactic acid and bacteriocins, which help preserve the meat.
The meat is cured for 3-4 weeks and after this the air-dried salami has a pH of 5.2 and a weight loss of 35% (relative to the original fresh product)
“Through Olive & Air” chosen as one of the best “Success stories” in European food innovation, as presented in print at the international exhibition SIAL Food Expo Paris 2014.
Presentation of the Product “Through Olive & Air” as one of the 5 best instances of applied innovation in the food sector at in a special honorary event at the FoodDrink Europe Congress, Milan FoodExpo 2015.
