Brines, cures, and marinades are used to preserve foods, enhance flavor, and protect shelf life. Curing involves dehydrating meat through dry curing or brine curing to preserve it. The main ingredient in curing is salt, which inhibits bacteria growth and adds flavor. Sugar, herbs, and spices can be added to counteract harsh saltiness and modify flavor. Dry cures involve mixing ingredients and coating foods, while brines moisturize and tenderize by soaking foods in saltwater solutions. Marinades soak foods in seasoned liquids to flavor, tenderize using acid, and add moisture for preservation. They contain oils, acids, aromatics, and seasonings.

1. Brines, Cures and Marinades
works to preserve foods, enhance
flavor and its protect its shell live of
the product

2. Curing
• Curing is a method of preservation and the
process dehydrates the meat and thereby
preserves it.
curing
Dry cures
Brine cures

3. Ingredients for Curing Foods
The salt is the most important part of the composition.
• Inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeast and molds.
• Add flavor.
Other ingredients
• Nitrates and Nitrites of sodium and potassium. These control
the growth of botulism.
• Salt petre which is a nitrite and reacts with the pigment in
meat and gives it pink color.
• MSG is a flavor enhancer.

4. Sugar
• sugar, including corn syrup,
honey, and maple syrup, are
used in some cures.
• modify the flavor
• Counteract the harsh flavor
of the highly concentrated
salt
• Salt extracts so much
moisture, sugar adds to the
perception of moistness
HERBS, SPICES, AND OTHER
FLAVORINGS
• Nearly any spice or flavoring
that can be used in cooking
can be used in curing.
• Most of our most familiar
cured sausages, for
example, are of European
origin and use such
seasonings as garlic, pepper,
coriander, caraway, nutmeg,
and dry mustard.

5. DRY CURES
• ingredients (salt, plus seasonings and, in many cases, sugar
and Prague Powder)
• mixed together and packed or rubbed and coated over the
food product
• length of time depends on their thickness.
• In long cure, the food is repeatedly turned and rubbed with
the cure mixture in order to maintain uniform contact

6. BRINES
• A wet cure is also called a brine, although brine literally
means a salt solution.
• Brines moisturize and tenderize.
• consists primarily of salt dissolved in water.
• Sugar, herbs and aromatics may be added to the brinerine to
counteract the strong salt flavor.
• The simplest way to use a brine is to immerse the meat in the
brine and let it soak until the cure is complete.
• length of time for brining depends on the size and thickness
of the item.
• Do not reuse brines

7. Marinating
• A marinade is a seasoned liquid with various aromatics in
which meat, poultry, game and even vegetables are steeped.
• To marinate means to soak a food product in a seasoned
liquid in order to:
» Flavor the product.
» Tenderize the product.
•to add flavour and taste to the food.
•to act as a tenderizer and break down the connective tissue (this
is done by the acid in the marinade.
•To act as a preservative.
function of a marinade

8. Components of marinade
• Oil –olive, peanut, salad or plain refined oil. Flavored oils such
as garlic oil, and herb flavored oil can also be used.
• Helps to prevent moisture loss.
• Acid –Citrus fruits, vinegars (plain and flavored), lemon juice,
yogurt, red and white wine are generally used.
• It carries flavors.
• It helps in tenderize the protein food.
• Aromatics – such as herbs, spices, proprietary sauces.
Seasoning – primarily salt, sea salt, black salt, garlic salt, rock
salt and grain salt.
• Suitable for long marinating

9. Kinds of marinade
Marinade
Cooked Raw Instant Dry