EN Official Journal of the European Union C 94/18

Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 8(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 509/2006 on agricultural products and foodstuffs as traditional specialities guaranteed

2010/C 94/12

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 9 of Council Regulation (EC) No 509/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months from the date of this publication.

TSG REGISTRATION APPLICATION

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 509/2006

‘ŠPEKÁČKY’ OR ‘ŠPEKAČKY’

EC No: SK-TSG-0007-0055-21.05.2007

1. Name and address of the applicant company:

Name: Český svaz zpracovatelů masa Address: Libušská 319 142 00 Praha 4 – Písnice ČESKÁ REPUBLIKA Tel. +420 244092404 Fax +420 244092405 E-mail: reditel@cszm.cz

Name: Slovenský zväz spracovateľov mäsa Address: Kukučínova 22 831 03 Bratislava SLOVENSKO/SLOVAKIA Tel. +421 255565162 Fax +421 255565162 E-mail: slovmaso@slovmaso.sk

2. Member State or third country:

Czech Republic

Slovak Republic

3. Product specification:

3.1. Name(s) to be registered:

‘Špekáčky’ (Czech)

‘Špekačky’ (Slovak)

3.2. Whether the name:

 is specific in itself expresses the specific character of the agricultural product or foodstuff

The name Špekáčky/Špekačky expresses the specific character of the agricultural product or foodstuff, which derives from the unevenly distributed pieces of bacon (špek) in a coarse mixture with a smallish proportion of collagen particles.

3.3. Is reservation of the name sought under Article 13(2) of Regulation (EC) No 509/2006?:

 registration with name reservation registration without name reservation

3.4. Type of product:

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

3.5. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff to which the name under point 3.1 applies:

Špekáčky/Špekačky are a heat-processed meat product made from a continuous strand several metres long stuffed into casing made of pork small intestine or beef rounds, and are golden-brown in colour.

Physical properties

Continuous strand, divided off with string into individual segments weighing 65 to 85 g, about 4,0 to 4,6 cm in diameter and 8 to 9 cm in length.

Chemical properties

Net muscle protein content : min. 6 % by weight Fat content : max. 45 % by weight Salt content : max. 2,5 % by weight

Organoleptic properties

External appearance and colour: the product is made from a mixture of beef and pork meat in natural intestine casing divided off with string. The product is golden-brown in colour — a darker or lighter shade is permitted, without any marked smoke-mottling. On the surface of the product dried drops of juice and lighter areas at the contact points of the individual pieces are permitted. The surface is smooth or slightly wrinkled. Bulking out the product with fat or aspic is not permitted.

Appearance and colour in section: the slice section is pale to dark red, with unevenly distributed pieces of bacon. Small, soft collagen particles and air cavities are permitted.

Taste and aroma: mild when freshly smoked, moderately salty from the seasoning; juicy when cooked.

Consistency: firm, tender, compact.

3.6. Description of the production method for the agricultural product or foodstuff to which the name under 3.1 applies:

The ingredients of Špekáčky/Špekačky are as follows: beef with fat content of up to 30 %, pork meat with fat content of up to 50 %, bacon, drinking water (in the form of scaly ice), potato starch, nitrate salting mix, ground black pepper, sweet paprika (100 ASTA), garlic (in the form of flakes, concentrate or powder in amounts corresponding to the standard amount of fresh garlic), ground nutmeg, polyphosphates E450 and E451 (3 g/kg as P2O5), ascorbic acid E300 (0,5 g/kg), casing of beef rounds or pork small intestine; tied with string.

100 kg of Špekáčky/Špekačky as finished product contains:

— Beef with fat content of up to 30 % 38,5 kg — Pork with fat content of up to 50 % 17,5 kg — Bacon 27,0 kg — Water (ice) 23,0 kg — Potato starch 2,5 kg — Nitrate salting mix 2,0 kg — Ground sweet paprika (100 ASTA) 0,22 kg — Ground black pepper 0,16 kg — Garlic (flakes, concentrate, powder) 0,09 kg — Ground nutmeg 0,03 kg — Polyphosphates E450 and E451 0,3 kg — Ascorbic acid E300 0,05 kg — Casing: beef rounds or pork small intestine — Divided by tying with string

Those ingredients (apart from the bacon), additives and seasoning are used to produce a mixture with particles of between 0,1 mm and 2,5 mm. Bacon, chopped into pieces up to approximately 8 mm, is then added to the mixture, which is stuffed into beef rounds or pork small intestine casing with a maximum diameter of 4,0 to 4,6 cm.

The mixture is then divided off into individual segments with string. The strands of the product are tied to a smoking stick, then taken to a smokehouse, where they are dried and smoked in order to achieve their distinctive colour and smell. The smoked product is then heat-processed at 75 to 78 °C until the middle of the product reaches 70 °C for at least 10 minutes. After heat-processing, the product is sprayed with cold water and left to cool. The Špekáčky/Špekačky are then stored in a cool, dark room.

3.7. Specificity of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

Špekáčky/Špekačky differ from other heat-processed meat products in the uneven distribution of the pieces of bacon (špek) in a coarse mixture with a smallish proportion of collagen particles, which gives rise to the distinctive appearance of the product when sliced. A further distinctive feature of the product is the continuous strand in the natural intestine casing, in which the individual Špekáčky/Špekačky are divided off with string. A further significant distinguishing feature is the balance of seasoning, which, along with the beef and bacon, gives rise to the inimitable flavour and smell of the product when heated.

3.8. Traditional character of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

In terms of their consumption, ingredients and production processes, Špekáčky/Špekačky have been known in what is now the Czech Republic for over 100 years. They began to be produced on a large scale in the second half of the 19th century, with the development of the smoked meats industry, and came to be regarded as a high-quality meat product in beef round casing. In 1891, they were exhibited at an agricultural fair in Prague, where a fully equipped smokehouse — the like of which had never been on public display before — was set up. Špekáčky/Špekačky were smoked on site and, when still hot, served on an attractive paper plate with horseradish and a salty bread-roll for eight grajciars (Czech coin of that time). The emergence of Špekáčky/Špekačky as a classic Czech smoked-meat product can be traced back to that period. The exceptional quality of the Špekáčky/Špekačky produced then is evidenced by the ingredients: 50 % of the product was rump beef from young animals, 20 % high-quality skinless pork and 30 % diced bacon. Depending on the consistency of the product, small amounts of sausage meat (binding agent produced from beef) were sometimes added. The product was seasoned with garlic, black pepper and occasionally a little nutmeg too. Another option was to impale the Špekáčky/Špekačky on a stick, and attach them with flax string. Because the product was sold by the piece, the total weight had to correspond to the number of pieces. In order to achieve the high quality, the product also had to be properly smoked. The early part of the 20th century saw the further development of the smoking process and, alongside párky and klobásy (other traditional types of sausage), Špekáčky/Špekačky became a mainstay among soft-meat products. Some companies, especially in large cities, became famous for their Špekáčky/Špekačky. Among the more noted manufacturers were Koula and Macháček in Prague's New Town area, and Šereda in the suburb of Vinohrady, whose Špekáčky/Špekačky became known to the citizens of Prague as ‘Šeredky’. These soft-meat products were supplied to shops still hot after smoking, and, usually in the afternoon, there would be a wonderful smoky smell not only in the shops themselves but also in the whole of the surrounding area. By evening, the streets of old Prague would be aglow with golden gas lighting and filled with the smell, coming from one of the many street food stalls, of Špekáčky/Špekačky baking on charcoal.

The quality of meat products was not, at that time, subject to any rules and regulations. Public inspections focused mainly on flour, which was not allowed to be added to Špekáčky/Špekačky. After World War II, the key ingredient in Špekáčky/Špekačky, besides bacon, was still beef. Later, as pig farming increased, the composition of ingredients was: 40 % beef (front cuts), 30 % production-quality pork and 30 % bacon. At that time, the seasoning was changed with the addition of sweet paprika. After meat-producing and meat-processing businesses were nationalised, the composition of the ingredients, additives, casings and technological processes became subject to technical and economic standards, which continued to improve the quality of this traditional Czech product. Production of Špekáčky/Špekačky was covered by the technical and economic standards for meat products (Part 1 of the rules applicable from 1 January 1977, meat industry directorate-general, Prague) under No ČSN 57 7115. As a result, their manufacture according to those standards spread throughout the former Czechoslovakia. As the production technology gradually changed, and owing to the limited availability of certain ingredients or casings (for example, beef rounds), a set recipe was created, which is given above in the description of Špekáčky/Špekačky production methods — see point 3.6 of this application.

3.9. Minimum requirements and procedures to check the specific character:

Checks are made on the following:

— compliance with the proportions of ingredients, additives and seasoning in accordance with the recipe; the preparation process involves cross-checking against the recipe;

— checking that the bacon pieces (špek) are unevenly distributed in the thicker mixture with a smallish proportion of collagen particles; visual check carried out during the technological production process after the process of stuffing into the natural intestine and dividing the individual pieces with string;

— compliance of the product's shape, surface appearance, colour and consistency; visual check carried out after heat-processing, spraying and cooling of the finished product;

— compliance of the appearance and colour when sliced; visual check carried out after heat-processing, spraying and cooling of the finished product;

— compliance of flavour, smell, consistency and juiciness of the product; sensory check of the finished product carried out after heating;

— compliance of the physical and chemical composition of the product; the finished product is examined by the approved laboratory methods.

Checks must be carried out by the verifying body or company at least once a year on the premises of every manufacturer of the product.

4. Authorities or bodies verifying compliance with the product specification:

4.1. Name and address:

Authorities or bodies verifying compliance with the product specification in the Czech Republic:

Name: Státní zemědělská a potravinářská inspekce Address: Květná 15 603 00 Brno ČESKÁ REPUBLIKA Tel. +420 543540111 E-mail: sekret.oklc@szpi.gov.cz

Public  Private

Name: Státní veterinární správa ČR Address: Slezská 7 120 00 Praha 2 ČESKÁ REPUBLIKA Tel. +420 227010137 E-mail: hygi@svscr.cz

Public  Private

Authorities or bodies verifying compliance with the product specification in the Slovak Republic:

Name: BEL/NOVAMANN International, s r.o. Address: Továrenská 14 815 71 Bratislava P.O. BOX 11 820 04 Bratislava 24 SLOVENSKO/SLOVAKIA Tel. +421 250213376 E-mail: tomas.ducho@ba.bel.sk

Public  Private

Name: Štátna veterinárna a potravinová správa SR Address: Botanická 17 842 13 Bratislava SLOVENSKO/SLOVAKIA Tel. +421 260257427 E-mail: buchlerova@svssr.sk

Public  Private

4.2. Specific tasks of the authority or body:

The inspection bodies referred to in point 4.1 are responsible for checking that all specifications have been met.

(1) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.