Fermento is a starter culture that is functional in fermenting semi-dry sausages. Fermento is an ingredient that is beneficial since it can increase the speed of the curing process, preserving meat and giving it a traditional tangy flavor. Fermento also works by minimizing the spread of harmful bacteria that, at the same time, works by promoting the growth of lactic acid and providing good bacteria to food.
Fermento is a popular ingredient with several advantages, but the problem comes in when you need it. Therefore, if you fail to get Fermento, choose to use its substitutes: citric acid, Prague powder number 1, dextrose monohydrate, and buttermilk powder.
The guide will explain more of the substitutes and why you need to use them as the ingredients whenever you are in the process of cooking.
Functions of a good Fermento substitute
Before we narrow down to the substitutes of Fermento, it is good to check on the benefits of the ingredients. Below are some of the help:
- Fermento helps increase the speed of the fermentation process that makes the sausages instantly, making them ready for drying and smoking. It is the best option to process food since the process of fermentation takes the shortest time possible.
- It helps produce a tangy flavor and piquant aroma that the Fermento makes sausages safe to consume by reducing the growth and spread of harmful bacteria. It ensures that the problem of harmful bacteria is reduced and that will otherwise lead to food poisoning.
Therefore when choosing the proper Fermento substitute, consider choosing one that gives sausages exact taste like the one with Fermento and that promotes beneficial bacteria that is good for fermentation of meat.
Remember, Fermento is a dairy-based product that means it is an ingredient that results from milk that you can use alternatives that can replace the dairy product.
Fermento substitutes
You can choose four options as substitutes of Fermento for the production and fermentation of sausages: Citric acid, Prague powder number 1, and Dextrose monohydrate and buttermilk powder.
1. Citric acid
Citric acid is found in citrus fruits like lemons, limes, oranges, tangerines, and grapefruits. It’s the most common ingredient responsible for sour or acidic flavor. Citric acid is also available in fruits like strawberries, pineapples, cranberries, and cherries but is lower than the other ones.
Citric acid is a nutritious supplement used as a food additive that can also work with salt. The substitute can increase acidity and improve flavor. The food additive comes with many benefits to the human body which is not limited to the following:
- It metabolizes your energy.
- It improves nutrient absorption.
- It can replace a lot of chemicals.
- It helps to slow down the growth of harmful bacteria.
To use citric acid for sausage fermentation, you need to mix it with water by adding a certain amount. You can replace citric acid with other acid types like fumaric, tartaric, ascorbic, and malic acids. You can choose to use vitamin C powder, alum powder, apple cider vinegar, pepper seasoning, garlic salt, potassium sorbate, and calcium chloride. And the products are much cheaper and available than Fermento.
2. Prague powder number 1
The Prague powder number 1, also known as the Insta Cure 1, is generated or made from 93.75% salt and 6.3% nitrate. The end product of Prague powder one is generally used in the curing process of meat that needs to be cooked. The powder is used and suitable in jerky—Bacon, smoked beef, pastrami, fish, ham, among other appropriate foods.
Prague powder number 1 is another suitable substitute for curing meat cooked. Its variety, such as the pink hue, salty and smoky flavor, is the best for producing sausages. Additionally, the ingredients used in making this powder are the best and excellent alternative to Fermento since they are also used to prevent any form of food poisoning.
Disregarding its use in minimizing all sorts of food poisoning, the same powder can help preserve the meat and enhance its taste. The powder can even change and influence the meat’s color. Therefore to use all the powder ingredients in your products, you must use about one tsp level for every five lbs of the heart in question.
There is also number two of the powder known as the Insta Cure 2. This variety type or variety is made from a mixture of 6.25% Sodium nitrate and approximately 92.75% salt. Therefore its ingredients are best suitable for pepperonis, salamis, and air-dried hams.
3. Dextrose Monohydrate
Alternatively, from the two varieties that can replace the salty ingredients, the dextrose monohydrate can return those two types of Fermento substitute, whereby this substitute comes or is made from corn. Therefore because of its sweet flavor, dextrose monohydrate is the best and excellent food additive, which is not only used in the sweet recipe but can also be used in the preparation of meat.
In addition to its sweet flavor, dextrose monohydrate is a healthier alternative or substitute to sugar since it is less sweet than sugar. Therefore, it is the best alternative to Fermento because it enhances both flavors of fermented food and the quality of food that is processed or preserved.
Dextrose monohydrates can sometimes be replaced with alternatives such as maltodextrin, xylitol, syrup, corn, fructose, among others. It can also be best substituted or replaced with other sugars such as honey powder, golden vanilla, and demerara sugar.
4. Buttermilk Powder
Taking fermento into consideration as an essential product of the dairy-based, where its main product is milk, it can therefore be replaced with buttermilk powder. The buttermilk powder is made from milk products. After all, the fermento itself is also an end product of the milk-based product.
Therefore, replacing the ferment with buttermilk solid or liquid during curing and fermenting sausages and other similar foods can be preserved and fixed using the Fermento. The buttermilk powder is better and sound when used to heal and keep food because it is rich in protein that is useful when consuming or taking the food.
The buttermilk liquid can also be used for the mixture you want to preserve and cure before taking it or consuming the food. The non-fat dried milk, or rather the buttermilk liquid, is the best and suitable substitute for fermento because it produces similar results.
You might be interested to read also our another comprehensive article of: Meat Glue Substitute: 3 Ingredients You Can Use Instead
Conclusion
In summary, whenever you don’t have any fermento at hand, don’t let that challenge stop you from preserving and processing your food. There are many other suitable and best alternatives that are readily available and cheap whereby you can afford them whenever you need such. For example, to have the same tangy flavor as your sausage, the suitable alternative is using Progue Powder 1 or citric acid since they produce the same result. Additionally, you can use dextrose monohydrate to incorporate a healthier and advisable alternative to sugar. Also, to replace some of the dairy end product supplements of fermento, the best option is to use buttermilk powder.
Finally, before using any fermentor, you can experiment with these flavors before using it to see what flavor is the best suitable for you. But the advantage with these flavors is that you cannot go wrong with any of these ingredients for your fermented sausage or food.