Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1

Consumption of specialty food, including both locally produced and artisanal products, has surged in the lastdecade. In line with this trend, charcuterie has gained notoriety through public appeal for old world andartisanal meat products, and there is growing interest from independent meat shops and restaurants to produce""house-made"" sausages and charcuterie items. As part of a recent expansion D'Arcy's Meat Market (D'Arcy's)aspires to develop an in-house charcuterie program (specifically, smoked and fermented meats). The purpose ofthis project is to: (i) develop processes for smoking and fermenting that are appropriate to D'Arcy's operatingenvironment; and (ii) research the effect of material inputs, recipe formulation and key processing parameterson end product quality and safety. For the company, this project represents an important opportunity to developnew value-added production capabilities. Results from this project will add to a growing body of knowledge atNAIT, and lead to the development of course material and technical notes.