Few Ingredients
Few Ingredients
Good meat is needed to create good cured meats
For Franchi this is not enough!
The CERTIFIED SUPPLY CHAIN guarantees us an excellent quality meat,
but it is the recipes and the wisdom of our master butchers that make the difference.
This is why, today as in the past, our traditional cured meats
they embellish the tables of Italians and satisfy the palate of connoisseurs.
OUR SECRET INGREDIENT? SIMPLICITY, AS IT ONCE WAS.
For Franchi “LESS ingredients and MORE certainties” has always meant producing cured meats
using only the strictly necessary ingredients, without adding anything else.
That’s why our cured meats are
GLUTEN FREE, WITHOUT LACTOSE, WITHOUT MILK and MILK PROTEINS, WITHOUT added GLUTAMATES
and POLYPHOSPHATES, and for many recipes even WITHOUT added SUGAR.
Our cured meats are good, tasty, and suitable for everyone, particularly for those looking for authenticity and for those suffering from intolerances.
For Franchi “the secret ingredient” is simplicity, indispensable for making tasty and genuine cured meats, GOOD FOR EVERYONE.
But for us this is not enough!
Our products are included in the handbook of the AIC – Italian Celiac Association
and we are proud to have been the first in Italy to obtain the AIC “spiga barrata” (gluten free) certification for many of our cured meats.
AS GENUINE AS IT WAS IN THE PAST
We add only the absolutely necessary ingredients to our cured meats to maintain their fragrance and natural goodness.
Our choice improves both taste and palatability.
Gluten-free
all our products are gluten-free, making them perfect for those with celiac disease and intolerances.
Lactose-free and
milk proteins-free
all our products are lactose-free and milk proteins-free, making them ideal for those with allergies and intolerances.
No added sugar
some of our products are without added sugar.
No added glutamates
all of our cooked products do not contain added glutamates and are made with very few genuine ingredients.
No added polyphosphates
all our cooked products do not contain added polyphosphates making for a more natural product.
Certified products of excellence
DOP certification
IGP Certification
IGP Piedmont salami
Consorzio Italiano Tutela Mortadella Bologna
Consorzio di Tutela Cacciatore Italiano DOP
Our quality is certified
Salumi Franchi: Less is more
When a product’s excellence is the result of a few quality ingredients, respect for traditions, and regard and care for the health of its consumers.
TEXTS EDITED BY DR. NADIA GULLUNI
Biologist Nutritionist expert in integrative medicine
Did you know that the quality of a product can be inversely determined by the length of its ingredient list?
Indeed! The shorter the list, the better the quality.. If we talk about artisan products, and in particular cured meats, we should expect ingredients to include: pork, salt, spices, antioxidants and preservatives, such as nitrites and nitrates, and in some cases dextrose, but nothing more! And yes … among the preservatives are the much-feared nitrates and nitrites,, which have nearly caused cured meats to disappear from our tables, as we will explain later. But when used in the right quantities, they are an essential element. What makes the difference is the quantity. The Franchi Company knows this well, and even in its slogan, “Fewer Ingredients and More Certainties,” it makes a point based on quality.
SIMPLICITY IS OUR SECRET INGREDIENT…
Thanks to a long family tradition in the production of cured meats, the Franchi Company understands that for quality cured meats, drawing from the traditions of the local products of its territory, the Valsesia is also key.
The selection of quality raw materials, certified 100% Italian, respect for correct aging methods and its constant control, and correct and balanced choice of quantity and quality of spices and herbs are those conditions that make it possible to reduce the possibility of developing bacterial contamination, and in turn, reduce the amounts of nitrites and nitrates and salt.
These choices align perfectly with what are now WHO’s guidelines for a healthy and balanced diet,
namely:
• NOT TO EXCEED 5 G OF SALT PER DAY
• REDUCE NITRATE INTAKE
To achieve these goals, however, sticking to tradition isn’t enough. And so the past meets the present, and the future, in the evolution of production methods and the maintenance of an impeccable level of hygiene in the working environment, a formula that has resulted in cured meats with a very short list of ingredients and a long list of “without,” as well as several certifications, most notably the IFS (international food standard) and the BRC global standard.
But what do we mean by “without”?
All Franchi products – prepared with 100% Italian meats from certified supply chains – are gluten-free (recognized by the AIC / Associazione Italiana Celiachia and listed in their guidelines), lactose-free, and milk protein-free, and our cooked hams don’t have added glutamates and polyphosphates. Many products are also sugar-free and are suitable for those with diabetes as well.
It’s worth noting that the absence of these substances in cured meats is not only suitable for those with intolerances or allergies but also stands as a sign of the superior quality of the cured meats themselves. Gluten, lactose, and milk protein, in fact, are generally added when there is an aim to speed up the aging process or when meat with a high water content is used, which causes the aging process to be longer and more complex, resulting in the possibility of developing bacterial contamination. Meat with high water content is also a sign of the poor quality of the meat itself. Typically, this means meat from intensive livestock farming or meat treated with antibiotics or cortisone, which means that the proportion of fat mass, lean mass, and water content is completely unbalanced.
Now let’s take a closer look at nitrites, nitrates and polyphosphates, the leading contenders on the “without” list, and lack thereof means better protection for our health.
POLYPHOSPHATES
Polyphosphates are additives generally used as thickeners in cooked meat designed to boost its firm texture. They also help the meat retain more water, making it softer. By using atop-quality meat, on the other hand, this problem does not exist, which means they are unnecessary. Also, according to recent studies, they can reduce calcium absorption, which interferes with bone calcification. Women in menopause, children, and elderly are in the categories of people who should limit foods containing polyphosphates.
NITRITE AND NITRATE
The use of these preservatives has caused great turmoil andconcern amongst consumers, nd has often also been the source of misinformation,, so much so that cured meats have been singled out as one of the potential causes of some cancers. Nitrites and nitrates are natural substances, many types of vegetables are rich in them (celery, spinach, chard, beet are examples), and they are present in animals that eat grass and grains, and consequently they are naturally present in many of the foods we eat daily.
Both nitrites, indicated by E249, E250, and nitrates, E251 and E252,, are used to preserve and season foods.
These preservatives act by inhibiting the growth of pathogenic bacteria, ensuring or even enhancing ,the red color of meat, depending on the amount used, giving the consumer the idea of a fresh, quality product. This has led to a gradual increase in their use, which has tripled over the years.
But what happens to our bodies when we consume these molecules?
Granted that most nitrates are naturally excreted, some of them, upon contact with saliva, are converted into nitrites, which can turn into nitrosamines when reaching our stomachs.
Nitrosamines areare carcinogens (which are also formed when we over-roast meat), so high or prolonged ingestion of nitrates and nitrites can increase the likelihood of developing digestive system cancers.
This is why the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) has set limits within which nitrate and nitrite content in food does not pose a health risk to consumers.
According to European Directive 95/2/EC of 1995
• nitrite E249 and E250 may be added to cured meats within a limit of 150 mg/Kg of product.
• on the other hand, the content of nitrates E251 and E252 cannot exceed 250 mg/kg of product.
According to the World Health Organization
• no more than 0.1 mg of nitrite per kilogram of body weight per day should be ingested.
The European Scientific Committee on Food recommends
• not exceeding 0.06 mg of nitrite and 3.7 milligrams of nitrate per kilogram of body weight. So just over 4 mg of nitrite for a person weighing 70 kg.
ACCEPTABLE DAILY INTAKE |
NITRITE |
NITRATE |
|---|---|---|
| ADULTS, about 70 kgs | 4,9 mg | 259 mg |
| CHILDREN, about 30 kgs | 1,4 mg | 74 mg |
| ACCEPTABLE DAILY INTAKE INTAKE |
NITRITE | NITRATE |
|---|---|---|
| ADULTS, about 70 kgs | 4,9 mg | 259 mg |
| CHILDREN, about 30 kgs | 1,4 mg | 74 mg |
This means that if in a finished cured meat product, we have 50 mg of nitrite per kilogram, and consuming 100 grams would have already exceeded the recommended daily intake. It is crucial to minimize the use of preservatives. Achieving this requires utilizing superior production techniques and raw materials. In the DOP specifications governing long-cured raw hams such as Parma or San Daniele prosciutto crudo, for example, products that are part of the Franchi catalog, the addition of these preservatives have been excluded.
In Italy
In Italy, the use of nitrates is permissible in salami and cured hams, while nitrites are allowed only in cooked cured meats such as prosciutto cotto and mortadella.
IN ORGANIC CURED MEATS
the nitrite content is one-third of that allowed in conventional cured meats, so 50 mg/kg of product, although in most cases, does not exceed 25 mg/kg of the finished product.
IN Franchi CURED MEATS
the nitrite content is less than 5 mg per kg of the finished product, so well below even organic regulations..
AMOUNT IN A SANDWICH |
NITRATES |
|---|---|
| Sandwich with 50 gr organic cooked ham | 0,47 mg |
|
Sandwich with 50 gr D.O.P. Prosciutto crudo |
<0,1 mg |
|
Sandwich with Franchi cooked ham |
<0,1 mg |
| AMOUNT IN A SANDWICH | NITRATES |
|---|---|
| Sandwich with 50 gr organic cooked ham | 0,47 mg |
|
Sandwich with 50 gr D.O.P. Prosciutto crudo |
<0,1 mg |
|
Sandwich with Franchi cooked ham |
<0,1 mg |
How is this result even possible? What is the Company’s secret?
It’s possible to produce without added nitrites or nitrates, or at any rate with a minimum amount of them, by:
• maintaining correct temperatures during meat handling,
• using continuous monitoring of curing,
• guaranteeing the highest levels of hygiene when processing,
• selecting high-quality meats, and by case-by-case assessment of product characteristics and related production technologies.
And that is what the Franchi family has done. They’ve combined tradition with innovation and research, looking for and finding new solutions to optimize the list of ingredients it started with a list that includes a significant addition, vitamin C in the form of sodium ascorbate E301, meant to fight the harmful effects of nitrosamines, by blocking the transformation of nitrites and nitrates.
The Franchi Family, since it has decided to remain faithful to tradition, has pursued a path that is perhaps less profitable in terms of large production numbers and is undoubtedly more expensive due to the fact it is built around constant controls through laboratory analysis and certifications, to always assure its consumers a product that is healthy, safe and of the highest quality.
DR. NADIA GULLUNI
Biologist Nutritionist expert in integrative medicine
She graduated in Biological Sciences, specialising in Biomolecular Sciences, from the University of Genoa. She holds a first-level master’s degree from the University of Florence. She has taken part in numerous advanced training courses that have enabled her to deepen her knowledge of the issues related to her profession.
She works as a nutritionist biologist formulating specific diets. She collaborates with magazines and blogs providing advice on healthy and correct nutrition.
