How to Store Sausage Casings
Every sausage manufacturer knows that selecting the right type of casing is just the beginning. Correctly storing sausage casings is what ensures safety standards, increases casing longevity, and contributes to high-quality products.
In fact, the right casing—when handled and stored with care—can take your sausages to the next level. Whether processed with a natural or artificial casing, your sausages will achieve the shape and flavor you're looking for—not to mention, a snappy bite.
The ideal storage strategies and handling regimen will depend on the type of casing you're working with. Let’s unfold how to store sausage casings properly to keep yours in prime condition.
General Storage Guidelines for All Casings
Regardless of the type of casings you’re using for your manufacturing process, you can store them all the same, more or less. The key is finding and maintaining the right environment and conditions in which to store the casings.
Ideal Storage Conditions
As a general rule of thumb, it’s best to keep your sausage casings in a cool, dry place, preferably an industrial refrigerator. Any direct heat or sunlight could compromise the casings’ physical integrity.
Check the label on your specific casings, but you’ll typically want to maintain a temperature of around 40°F–60°F (5°C–15°C).
Additionally, avoid freezing any type of sausage casing at all costs. Casings can undergo these physical effects when frozen, which make the manufacturing process more complicated:
- Cracking
- Rigidity
- Loss of structural integrity
If frozen, casings will lose their elasticity and ability to bind your premium sausage emulsions.
Handling Opened Packages
Once a package is opened, it’s best to store the casings in the same container if it’s sealable. If you’re unable to do so, opt for another sealable container or airtight bags.
Again, avoid storing any containers (open or not) in your commercial freezer.
Specific Storage Instructions by Casing Type
The guidelines above are general and apply to all casings. However, since sausage casings are manufactured from a variety of different products, they each also come with their own care instructions. In addition to taking our advice, follow those instructions closely.
Natural Casings: Hog, Sheep, and Beef
Preferred by many sausage manufacturers due to their outstanding texture and taste, natural casings are derived from either porcine (hog), ovine (sheep), or bovine (beef) products. These types of casings are known for their natural look, classic curvature, and tasty bite.
They also offer a high level of permeability, flexibility, and flavor absorption. This is due to the collagen-rich submucosa of animal casings.
However, to maintain these qualities, natural casings must be properly stored and handled. Here are a few pro tips:,
- Maintain the right temperature — Aim to store your natural casings in a cooler at a temperature of 40°F (4.4°C) or less.
- Use a surplus of salt — Your casings will arrive in either a dry salt mixture or brine. When storing them, you’ll want to cover them again with an excess of salt.
- Rinse and refresh — Aside from the rinsing you’ll do in your manufacturing process, natural casings should be periodically rinsed, and their fresh salt or brine should be replaced. (We’ll provide more information on this later.)
When stored properly, your natural sausage casings can maintain their superior texture, strength, and taste for at least 12 months.
Fibrous Casings
A type of non-edible, cellulose-based casing, fibrous casings are fortified with natural plant fibers. Their makeup allows them to “breathe” in a way, maintaining their structure even with very tightly-stuffed sausages.
To get the most out of your fibrous casings—which last the longest of all casing types— take note of the following strategies:
- Use a higher temperature — While still storing fibrous casings in a cool, dry, and dark place, you’ll want to keep the temperature higher than you would with natural casings, around 40–75°F (4°C–24°C).
- Stick with salt — Fibrous casings will also be delivered with a generous coating of salt, whether in dry or brine form. In the event you rinse them for stuffing and need to store extra casings, re-coat them in salt before storing them.
- Prioritize from oldest to newest — Since fibrous casings have a long shelf life, prioritize utilizing your oldest stock first (if they haven’t spoiled). Ensure this information is accessible by storing the casings in their original containers (with shipping labels) and organizing your inventory based on date.
In preparing your fibrous casings for sausage production, remember that they also require soaking. Give them a bath in 80-100°F water for a minimum of a half hour.
Collagen Casings
Collagen casings are an edible and naturally sourced alternative to artificial casings. Produced from animal hides, bones, and connective tissue, these casings are known for being uniform, strong, flexible, and hygienic.
Of all the casings, collagen casings require the least maintenance in storage and handling. However, you’ll need the following tips in order to take full advantage of their peak sausage production qualities and long shelf life (i.e. 1-2 years).,
- Ensure an environment with the right temperature and humidity — Collagen casings don’t require refrigeration, as long as you find a dry place to store them away from direct heat. However, it’s important to make sure the environment can maintain a temperature of 40°F–60°F (5°C–15°C). Changes in humidity can also have negative effects on their structural stability.
- Follow sealing and salting best practices – We recommend storing your collagen casings in their original sealed packaging until you’re ready to stuff them. If you have extra casings, store them in the original barrel unless you’ve soaked them. In this case, re-salt, drain, and place them in the barrel.
Keep in mind that most collagen casings don’t need to be soaked; in fact, soaking and moisture in general can damage them.
Now, let’s get into the specifics of caring for your casings long term.
Best Practices for Maintaining Casing Quality
As a top-notch producer, you’ll go above and beyond to ensure that your casings are up to the task of packaging your varieties of sausage emulsions. Here’s a friendly reminder that best practices for maintaining casing quality apply to their constant care—not only upon arrival, but also after rinsing.
Routine Rinsing and Re-salting
In order to prevent the effects of aging or improperly stored casings, consider habitually rinsing and re-salting your casings with dry salt or a brine. Studies have shown that preserving your casings with citric or lactic acid at a temperature of 50°F (10°C) might be a more efficient way to safely store sausage casings for a prolonged period of time.
Proper Storing and Handling Techniques
As is best practice in any food processing, it’s vital to avoid contamination of your sausage casings. Employ the following storing and handling procedures to prevent cross-contamination and, in turn, the need to discard valuable materials:
- Label your casings with dates and other details before storage
- Store casings in their original sealed packaging or an airtight container (plus salt if necessary)
- Store casings in a designated space in your industrial refrigerator or storage space (and confirm that this space is clean)
- Wash hands often and wear sterile gloves while handling the casings
- Clean and sanitize contact areas and equipment often, but especially prior to handling the casings
Additionally, be careful to avoid exposing your sausage casings to moisture or heat, even outside of storage (unless you’re intentionally soaking them in preparation of stuffing).
A Note on Rinsing and Stuffing
While we know you’re an expert at stuffing, we’d be remiss not to remind you to pay close attention to your stuffing direction, temperature, and quantity. This will help prevent any damage or contamination to your casings during the stuffing process.
Additionally, before stuffing, give your casings the following preparation:,
- Flush them with cold water to remove a bulk of the salt.
- Soak them in lukewarm water, adjusting the time to the type of casing.
- Rinse them more thoroughly with cold water to remove any excess salt.
Once your sausages are professionally stuffed and prepped for the remaining production process, refer to our expert storage tips for any empty casings.
Store Your Sausage Casings Safely with Oversea Casing
Here at Oversea Casing, we know the hours of care and preparation that go into your specialty sausages. We’re here to make your job simpler, from providing tips on how to store sausage casings to offering e-commerce accessibility, subscription options, and worldwide shipping of our first-rate and consistent sausage casings.
Plus, there are no large minimum order requirements. Storing and handling our products, no matter the size of your order, is straightforward and simple.
Consult our resources or contact our customer support to learn how our wide variety of sausage casings can be delivered to your business in the snap of a finger to achieve that snappy bite in your sausage.
Sources:
Australian Institute of Food Safety. Perishable Food Spoilage and How to Spot It. https://blog.foodsafety.com.au/perishable-food-spoilage
For Dummies. Charcuterie: A Word about Sausage Casings. https://www.dummies.com/article/charcuterie-a-word-about-sausage-casings-271062
International Food & Safety & Quality Network. Shelf life: Indefinite? https://www.ifsqn.com/forum/index.php/topic/29672-shelf-life-indefinite/#:~:text=Collagen%20Casings%20can%20be%20stored,to%203%20years%20or%20longer.
Meat Science. Casing Technologies for Processed Meat Products.
North Dakota State University. The Art and Practice of Sausage Making. https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/extension/publications/art-and-practice-sausage-making#:~:text=on%20the%20packages.-,Grinding%20and%20mixing,and%20mix%20thoroughly%20by%20hand.
Science Direct. Collagen use for co-extruded sausage casings – A review. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924224420305124
Science Direct. Effect of initial mild curing, with additives, of hog and sheep sausage casings on their microbial quality and mechanical properties after storage at different temperatures. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0309174098001181?via%3Dihub
Science Direct. Sausage Casing. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/food-science/sausage-casing
UGA Extension. Basics of Sausage Making: Formulation, Processing & Safety. https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/b/2712/files/2021/06/Basics-of-Sausage-Making.pdf
