The Pellicle

Air-drying cured products gives them a translucent, tacky skin called a pellicle. The pellicle has four functions:

1. It forms a protective coating that keeps microorganisms and physical contaminants from contacting the meat during storage or further processing.
2. It prevents the meat from excessive drying during storage or further processing.
3. It prevents wrapping materials from sticking to the meat during storage.
4. In cured meats to be smoked, the pellicle captures the smoke’s flavors and passes them into the meat’s interior. The pellicle also captures and holds the pigments present in the smoke, giving the smoked product an attractive burnished color.