Artisanal charcuterie crafted at the NC State Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences won international recognition at the ‘DFV-AAMP Quality Competition for Sausage and Ham’, held Jan. 21-25, 2019 in Madison, Wisc. The results from this competition are held in conjunction with the IFFA, the world’s largest meat industry trade fair.
IFFA is the leading international trade fair for processing, packaging and sales in the meat industry, and hosts an international meat competition every three years in Frankfurt, Germany. The German Butchers’ Association (Deutscher Fleischer-Verband) formed a partnership with the American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP) to host a “satellite contest” in the U.S. In order to make the event identical to the competition held in Frankfurt, organizers sent judges from Germany to conduct the competition in Madison. All entries were graded on appearance, consistency, smell, and taste. The competition received more than 460 entries from 42 companies across the United States. The results from the U.S. competition will be included with those from Germany and acknowledged as being a part of the international fair in May
Juan Ascencio, a graduate student in the Food Bioprocessing and Nutrition Science Department at NC State crafted the artisanal meat products, under the direction of Dr. Dana J. Hanson. Ascencio, a Master’s student at NC State, worked the meat laboratory at Fresno State University before coming to NC State. Dr. Hanson says, “Juan really enjoys developing new products and has done an excellent job highlighting his skill on the world stage.”
NC State University was awarded …
- 5 Gold Medals: Summer Sausage, Leberwurst, Finocchiona Salami, Asturiano Style Chorizo and
Cantimpalos Style Chorizo (all scoring a perfect 50 out of 50 points in class)
- 1 Silver Medal: Knockwurst
- 1 Bronze Medal: Frankfurter
Ascencio and Hanson have now been invited by the German Butchers’ Association to attend the awards ceremony at the IFFA in Frankfurt on May 7, 2019, where they will be presented their certificates and medals. Along with these awards, NC State also will be given the Cup of Honor for Special Achievements, for winning 5 or more gold medals.
AAMP Executive Director Chris Young said, “With an award from the German Butchers’ Association, our members demonstrate the international competitiveness and quality of their products. On behalf of AAMP and our members, we congratulate for their outstanding achievements.”
