Casing either natural or artificial is used to put the food called sausage made of ground meat, herbs, salts, and spices. The food can be eaten with the case after warming and heating; or the sausage is cooked to remove the case before eating. The process of making sausage consists of preparing meat, herb, salt, and spices into dough, shape the dough to the desired shape and size, and then putting it into the casing.

            Casings of The Sausage

                          Natural

Pig, cow, and sheep intestines are processed to make natural casings of sausage. Submucosa is a layer dense irregular connective tissue or loose connective tissue consists of collagen. Submucosa is used to make the casing called natural sausage casing and the casing snaps when bitten, ruptures if cooked rapidly and can be hardened to make less permeable.   

Protein of pig or beef skin is used to make Collagen casing of sausage and the process of making collagen making is less costly. Consumers prefer collagen casing and collagen casing is getting more market share. A dough is made from the protein of pig or beef hides and then a stick up to 41 cm is made by extruding through a die. In the latest development the dough is co-extruded with the meat blend to make stick; a coating is formed and set when treated with vinegar or liquid smoke The most of the collagen casing is edible; but some coating are thick and cooked and removed to remove the skin. Collagen is smoke and moisture permeable and tender.

            Artificial

            Cellulose made from cotton linters are made into dough and extruded through a die to make casings for wieners and frank sausages. Dyes are used to make a desired red-hot color. Cellulose fiber and wood pulp are combined to make casings of bologna, salami. 

                        Using common plastic extruding process makes plastic sausage casing. It is not permeable.

            Sausage Casings Where To Buy

            There are numerous manufacturers of natural as well as artificial sausage casings in USA and worldwide. Also local stores and web pages sell sausage casings. International Casing Group (ICG) with head office in Chicago USA is one of the largest manufacturers of natural sausage casings. The retail and wholesale shop The Meat man is another big store of sausage casings in USA.

            ICG

            Headquarter – ICG, 4420 S. Wolcott Chicago IL 60609 USA 1 800 825 5151

            Other – ICG, 1131 Senoa Road Suite B Tyrone GA 30390 1800 241 0193

             ICG, 1207 Los Nietos Road Unit F Santa Fe Springs CA 90670 800 635 9518

            Canada – ICG, 620 Rue Wright Street Montreal Quebec H4N 1M6 800 361 4931

            Sausage Casings Where To Buy

            The Meat Man USA

            Web page: askthemeatman.com, e-mail: askthemeatman@sbcglobal.net