Publication of an application for registration of a name pursuant to Article 50(2)(b) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2022/C 341/07)

This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) within three months from the date of this publication.

PRODUCT SPECIFICATION OF A TRADITIONAL SPECIALITY GUARANTEED

‘ЛУКАНКА ТРОЯНСКА / LUKANKA TROYANSKA / ТРОЯНСКА ЛУКАНКА / TROYANSKA LUKANKA’

EU No: TSG-BG-02797 – 16.8.2021

Member State or third country: Bulgaria

1.   Name to be registered

2.   Type of product

Class 1.2. Meat products (cooked, salted, smoked, etc.)

3.   Grounds for the registration

3.1.   Whether the product:

☒	results from a mode of production, processing or composition corresponding to traditional practice for that product or foodstuff;

☐

is produced from raw materials or ingredients that are those traditionally used. The production of ‘Lukanka Troyanska / Troyanska lukanka’ is linked to the traditional production method, during which the microbiological, physico-chemical and biochemical processes taking place in the meat ingredients form the stable colour, good structure, pleasant aroma and taste of the finished product. The process of microbiological maturation, which begins when the sausage (lukanka) is dried and continues throughout the production cycle and especially during the initial curing stages, plays a key role in the quality of the product. The specific organoleptic qualities, i.e. the flavour bouquet and consistency, of ‘Lukanka Troyanska / Troyanska lukanka’ are mainly thanks to these microbiological, biochemical and physical processes that take place during maturation. The specific flavour and aroma are also due, to some extent, to the ‘cold smoking’ process.

3.2.   Whether the name:

☒	has been traditionally used to refer to the specific product;

☐

identifies the traditional character or specific character of the product. Due to the popularity of ‘Lukanka Troyanska / Troyanska lukanka’, the name has spread widely across all regions of the country and production has become industrialised, while adhering to the recipe and production technique. Drying has started taking place in air-conditioned drying chambers, enabling year-round production that does not depend on seasons or regions. The name ‘Lukanka Troyanska / Troyanska lukanka’ has thus entered into common use without the geographical area influencing the quality and characteristics of the product. The name ‘Troyanska’ itself originates in the name of the city of Troyan, where the product was first produced and made popular by Ilia Taslakov. He was one of the first sausage producers in Bulgaria. In 1883 he imported the first meat grinding machines into Bulgaria. (Hristo Tsachev, Sofia Yoncheva and Magdalena Mladenova. From the cusp of the 21st century: Past, present and future of the meat processing industry in Bulgaria. Sofia, HVP Cooperative Publishing House, 1999, p. 65).

4.   Description

4.1.   Description of the product to which the name under point 1 applies, including its main physical, chemical, microbiological or organoleptic characteristics showing the product’s specific character (Article 7(2) of this Regulation)

‘Lukanka Troyanska / Troyanska lukanka’ is a pressed, raw-cured and raw-smoked meat product prepared from ground beef or buffalo meat (chilled or frozen) and pork (chilled or frozen), auxiliary ingredients and natural seasoning stuffed into natural or artificial casings adhering tightly to the filling. The product is suitable for direct consumption after removal of the casing.

Physical properties – shape and dimensions

Straight or slightly curved, pressed pieces of (φ) 50-80 mm; tied with twine or closed with clips at both ends; between 20 and 60 cm in length, or up to 90 cm if it is intended for slicing.

Chemical properties

—	water content: ≤ 40 % of the total weight;

—	total protein: ≥ 16,8 %;

—	salt: ≤ 5 %;

—	pH: not less than 5,2.

Organoleptic properties

External appearance and colour:

—	Casing: clean, smooth, free of blemishes, defects or undue roughness, no fatty condensate or indentations and no cavities under it; dark red to brownish red in colour, with dry white mould not penetrating inside; the casing adheres tightly to the filling.

Cut surface: evenly structured and homogeneous in the interior of the cross-section.

Consistency: dense and elastic.

Flavour and smell: distinctive, pleasant, moderately salty; a distinct aroma of the seasoning used and a characteristic smoky aroma, free from flavours and odours different to the seasoning used.

‘Lukanka Troyanska / Troyanska lukanka’ may be marketed whole or cut, vacuum-packed, in cellophane or in modified-atmosphere packaging.

4.2.   Description of the production method of the product to which the name under point 1 applies that the producers must follow including, where appropriate, the nature and characteristics of the raw materials or ingredients used, and the method by which the product is prepared (Article 7(2) of this Regulation)

The following raw materials and auxiliary ingredients are used to produce ‘Lukanka Troyanska / Troyanska lukanka’:

Meat per 100 kg of raw material (sausage mixture):

—	beef/buffalo meat (chilled or frozen) with up to 15 % fat content: 60 kg;

—	pork (chilled or frozen) with up to 10 % fat content: 20 kg;

—	pork (chilled or frozen) with up to 50 % fat content: 20 kg.

The beef/buffalo and pork meat is taken from the whole carcass except the loin and tenderloin, i.e. pure meat.

Seasoning (for 100 kg of meat):

—	natural black or white pepper: 300 g;

—	sugar: 300 g.

Other:

—	salt: 2,3 kg

—	potassium nitrate (E252): 100 g or sodium nitrate (E251): 85 g;

—	antioxidant – ascorbic acid (E300): 50 g.

The use of starter cultures is allowed in a proportion of 20 to 50 g per 100 kg of sausage meat.

These cultures are an optimal combination of individual selected strains of Lactobacillus and Micrococcus bacteria, and non-pathogenic coagulase-negative strains of Staphylococcus and Pediococcus, in various proportions. The starter cultures influence the maturation and drying processes, as they play a role in acidification, and in the formation of the colour, flavour and aroma. They also prevent the development of undesirable microflora.

Casing: natural (made from salted bovine large intestine or ovine caecum) or artificial, diameter (φ): 50-80 mm.

Twine permitted for food use or clips and suspension hooks.

Production method

‘Lukanka Troyanska / Troyanska lukanka’ is produced from beef (buffalo meat) and pork, as specified above. After the bones and sinews have been removed and the meat has been sorted, it is chopped by hand or machine. The chopped meat is weighed according to the recipe and the sausage mixture is then prepared in one of the following three ways:

—	by grinding in a meat grinder (mincer) and blending in a cutter machine;

—	by grinding in a meat grinder (mincer) and blending in a mixer;

—	by grinding and blending in a cutter machine.

During the grinding and blending process, all the seasoning and salting ingredients and the starter culture are added in the amounts called for by the recipe. The resulting sausage mixture is then stuffed by machine into a casing made of bovine large intestine or ovine caecum or into an artificial casing. The casing is tied with twine or closed with clips at both ends. Once stuffed, the ‘Lukanka Troyanska / Troyanska lukanka’ sausages are suspended from wooden or metal frames (rods) arranged on sausage trolleys. For 2 to 3 days the sausages are dried and drained at an air temperature of between 8 oC (without using starter cultures) and 24 oC (when starter cultures are used), and 65 to 90 % relative humidity, after which they are moved to the drying room.

Once dried and drained, the ‘Lukanka Troyanska / Troyanska lukanka’ sausages are cold smoked. This technical operation is carried out in specialised cold-smoking chambers at a smoke and air temperature of 14 to 25 oС for 2 to 24 hours, depending on the smoking chambers present in the plant, after which the sausages are taken to be dried. They are dried at an air temperature of no more than 17 oС and relative humidity of no more than 85 %, in natural or air-conditioned chambers. During drying and maturation, the sausages are pressed two to three times using flat wooden, plastic or metal presses. The production supervisor determines by sight when the sausages are ready for pressing. The sausages are first placed in the press when the lower end and the surface are fully dry to the touch and fat particles are bulging slightly under the casing. Subsequent pressing takes place as the production supervisor sees fit. The sausages remain in the press for 12 to 24 hours at each pressing. Various types of mechanical or hydraulic press are used for pressing. The pressure exerted by the various types of press depends on the degree of dryness, as assessed by the production supervisor. At the start of the drying process, the pressure is lighter, and it is increased towards the end of the drying process. During the pressing process, the mechanical pressure slightly raises the temperature of the product. Combined with the condensed moisture, this enables a layer of white noble mould to form on the surface.

The production process for ‘Lukanka Troyanska / Troyanska lukanka’ takes at least 20 days and is complete when the product has taken on its characteristic structure and consistency.

4.3.   Description of the key elements establishing the product’s traditional character (Article 7(2) of this Regulation)

‘Lukanka Troyanska / Troyanska lukanka’ is produced using traditional production techniques and is linked to the history and identity of the Bulgarian people. It is part of the diverse range of raw-cured and raw-smoked meat products that have been produced for decades in Bulgaria.

The artisanal production method of ‘Lukanka Troyanska / Troyanska lukanka’ was practised in the 19th and early 20th century. It was traditionally carried out seasonally in natural drying chambers in mountainous regions where the weather conditions were suitable, such as the city of Troyan.

The traditional production method, characterised by the drying and smoking process, is what has made the product a Bulgarian speciality. During the drying process, certain parameters (temperature and humidity) are controlled. Due to its popularity and the advent of air-conditioned drying chambers, which maintain the natural environment drying parameters, the production of ‘Lukanka Troyanska / Troyanska lukanka’ has spread to all regions in the country and become industrialised, while the quality characteristics and the recipe of the product have been preserved intact right up to the present day. Long-standing practice has shown that using the traditional method with a well-established recipe and technique produces a raw-cured and smoked ‘Lukanka Troyanska / Troyanska lukanka’ meat product with a particular shape and original flavour.

The production of ‘Lukanka Troyanska / Troyanska lukanka’ dates from the mid-19th century. The first master producer was Ilia Taslakov (1846-1942), from Troyan.

Later, according to the International Trade and Industry Almanac published in 1909, there were 58 producers of pastarma and sujuk sausages and 56 producers of lukanka sausages, including ‘Lukanka Troyanska / Troyanska lukanka’, officially registered in Bulgaria. (Tsachev, H. et al. From the cusp of the 20st century: Past, present and future of the meat processing industry in Bulgaria. p. 66).

The composition and quality requirements of ‘Lukanka Troyanska / Troyanska lukanka’ were first officially standardised in 1958 in Bulgarian State Standard 2589-58 on lukanka sausages. The principle rules and standards for the technique behind this high-quality product have been established.

The production technique for ‘Lukanka Troyanska / Troyanska lukanka’ is also described in the publication Proizvodstvo i plasment na mesni produkti (Production and distribution of meat products), 1963, and in Sbornik tehnologichni instruktsii za proizvodstvo ma mesni proizvedeniya (Manufacturing Instructions for Meat Products), 1980, as well as in Technical Standard 34-83 ‘Lukanka Troyanska’, National Agro-Industrial Union (NAPS), Sofia, 1983, in which the composition underwent a minor change that had no impact on the organoleptic qualities of the product. The preparation method has remained unchanged over time.

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(1)  OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.