EN Official Journal of the European Union C 101/15

Publication of an application pursuant to Article 50(2)(b) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2014/C 101/09)

This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Council Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1)

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF A TRADITIONAL SPECIALTY GUARANTEED (TSG)

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 509/2006

on agricultural products and foodstuffs as traditional specialities guaranteed (2)

‘РОЛЕ ТРАПЕЗИЦА’ (ROLE TRAPEZITSA)

EC No: BG-TSG-0007-01020 — 23.07.2012

1. Name and address of the applicant group

Name of group or organisation (if relevant): Sdruzhenie Traditsionni surovo-susheni mesni produkti (Traditional Raw Dry-Cured Meat Products Association) (STSSMP)

Address: bul. Shipchenski prohod bl. 240, vh. А, ap. 6., et. 3 1111 Sofia BULGARIA Tel. +359 29712671 Fax +359 29733069 E-mail: office@amb-bg.com

2. Member state or Third Country

Bulgaria

3. Product specification

3.1. Name(s) to be registered (Article 2 of Regulation (ЕC) No 1216/2007)

‘Роле Трапезица’ (Role Trapezitsa)

3.2. Whether the name

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

The name ‘Role Trapezitsa’ is derived from ‘Trapezitsa’, the name of a historically significant hill in Veliko Tarnovo, the old imperial capital of Bulgaria. This name has entered into common use without the geographical region influencing the production process. The name is specific in itself because it is used and known throughout Bulgaria and its history and reputation date back over many years. The product continues to be produced and to be popular throughout the country under this name.

3.3. Whether reservation of the name is sought under Article 13(2) of Regulation (ЕC) No 509/2006

☒ Registration with reservation of the name ☐ Registration without reservation of the name

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 (Article 3(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1216/2007)

‘Role Trapezitsa’ is a pressed, raw dry-cured meat product prepared from chilled or frozen pork collar and a mixture of salt and natural seasonings (black or white pepper and garlic) stuffed into a casing made of bovine blind gut or collagen and netting and bound with twine. ‘Role Trapezitsa’ is suitable for direct consumption after removal of the casing.

Physical properties — shape and dimensions

Cylindrical, flattened, elongated, each piece being at least 3 cm thick.

Chemical properties

— water content: not more than 38,0 % of the total weight;

— cooking salt: not more than 4,5 % of the total weight;

— residual nitrites in the finished product: not more than 50,0 mg/kg;

— рН: not less than 5,4.

Organoleptic properties

External appearance and colour: clean surface covered with a thin layer of white noble mould.

Cut surface: smooth and clean, the meat being pinkish red and the pieces of fat being white to pale cream.

Consistency: dense and elastic.

Taste and smell: distinctive, pleasant, moderately salty, with a distinct aroma of the garlic and black pepper seasonings.

‘Role Trapezitsa’ may be marketed whole, in pieces or sliced, vacuum-packed, in cellophane or in modified-atmosphere packaging.

3.6. Description of the production method of the agricultural product or foodstuff to which the name under point (3.1) applies (Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1216/2007)

Composition per 100 kg of ingredients

Pork collar, chilled or frozen

— Seasonings: — natural black or white pepper – 400 g, — garlic – 100 g;

— Salting mixture: 4,50 kg of cooking salt; 40 g of ascorbic acid (E300) as an antioxidant; 100 g of potassium nitrate (E252) or 85 g of sodium nitrate (E251) as a preservative; 500 g of refined granulated sugar;

— Bovine blind gut, collagen film, netting, twine permitted for use with food.

Production method

‘Role Trapezitsa’ is prepared from chilled or frozen pork collar with a pH of 5,6 to 6,2. The pork collars are rolled into shape and placed in clean containers for salting. To ensure a better distribution of the components of the salting mixture, the nitrates and cooking salt are mixed together first, before the other ingredients are added. The meat is salted by hand or mechanically. The salted collars are packed tightly into plastic or stainless steel containers to mature in a cold store with an air temperature of between 0 and 4 °C. After 4 to 5 days, the pieces are rearranged (the pieces at the top changing places with those at the bottom) and they are left to rest for at least 10 to 12 days under the same conditions until they are fully and evenly salted. After completion of the salting stage, the meat is stuffed into casings made of bovine blind gut or collagen film. Each piece is bound spirally with twine or tightly encased in netting and hung on wooden and/or metal frames or rods arranged on stainless steel sausage trolleys. The pieces are not allowed to come into contact with one another. They are left hanging on trolleys to drain for up to 24 hours at an air temperature not exceeding 12 °С. After draining, they remain on the trolleys, which are moved to natural or air-conditioned drying chambers where the temperature and humidity can be regulated. An air temperature of 12-17 °С and a relative humidity of 70-85 % are maintained during drying. After 3 to 5 days of drying, the ‘Role Trapezitsa’ is pressed for 12-24 hours. Initial pressing takes place when the pieces of ‘Role Trapezitsa’ have dried slightly and a slight crust can be felt on their surface. Before they are pressed they must be sorted according to thickness. Pressing is usually conducted twice or three times. The drying process continues until a dense elastic consistency is achieved.

3.7. Specific character of the agricultural product or foodstuff (Article 3(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1216/2007)

The specific character of ‘Role Trapezitsa’ is imparted by the following distinctive properties of the product:

— Tenderness and succulence — the pork collar from which ‘Role Trapezitsa’ is made is high-quality marbled meat. The use of this ingredient and adherence to the traditional production method (in particular during drying and pressing) give the finished product its distinctive succulence and tenderness.

— Taste and smell — the distinctive taste and smell of ‘Role Trapezitsa’ are also due to the seasonings, especially the garlic, which are carefully selected and measured out, in combination with the pork collar meat. The product’s specific aroma and taste are also due to the lengthy process of drying in its casing.

— Shape — the product has a characteristic flattened shape, which it acquires after pressing. Another specific distinguishing feature of ‘Role Trapezitsa’ is that the meat is stuffed into casing made of bovine blind gut or collagen film bound by netting, and that it acquires its specific flattened shape after being pressed several times, which makes it easy to distinguish from other raw dry-cured uncomminuted meat specialities of the same group.

3.8. Traditional character of the agricultural product or foodstuff (Article 3(4) of Regulation (EC) No 1216/2007)

Raw dry-cured meat specialities made from uncomminuted pork are traditional and specific forms of Bulgarian meat products. They are made from pork tenderloin or pork collar. ‘Role Trapezitsa’, which has been made in Bulgaria using traditional techniques for over 30 years, is one of these products.

The recipe was first standardised in Bulgarian State Standard BDS 2984-75 — ‘Pork roulade’, State Standardisation Commission, Sofia, 1975, followed by BDS 2984-84 — ‘Role Trapezitsa’. The production technique for ‘Role Trapezitsa’ is described in Sbornik tehnologichni instruktsii za proizvodstvo ma mesni proizvedeniya (Manufacturing Instructions for Meat Products), published in 1981 by DSO Rodopa and the Meat Industry Institute. This technique and the recipe are followed to this day.

The main reason for introducing these standards was a desire to safeguard the traditional recipe and harmonise the production technique by means of a common set of rules to ensure proper maturation at the drying stage, which is a fundamental and traditional aspect of the production of this type of product. This process brings about microbiological, biochemical and physico-chemical changes in the raw meat that make it suitable for direct consumption and give it its specific organoleptic, nutritional and biological properties. The available microflora plays a key role in this process. An important condition for the natural selection of the specific microflora is the use of traditional presses comprising wooden panels used for pressing during drying. The product is pressed not only to obtain its flattened shape, but also because pressing influences maturation and drying as well as certain characteristics that determine the quality of the finished product, avoiding uneven drying owing to intensive mass transfer in the surface layers and retardation thereof in the centre, as these would give rise to defects.

3.9. Minimum requirements and procedures to check the specific character (Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1216/2007)

The following are checked during and after completion of processing:

— conformity of the meat ingredients with the requirements specified in point 3.6;

— adherence to the proportions of meat ingredients and salting mixture specified in the recipe: checks are carried out when the salting mixture is measured out and when it is mixed with the meat ingredients, and the quantities of ingredients and additives are compared with the recipe;

— adherence to the production process described in point 3.6 during the salting of the collar meat after it has been rolled into shape;

— adherence to the production process described in point 3.6 when the salted meat is stuffed into its casing;

— temperature and humidity during draining and drying, including a visual inspection of the product;

— compliance with requirements relating to external appearance and colour, by means of a visual inspection of the product after completion of the drying process;

— compliance with the requirements relating to the cut surface, consistency, aroma and taste, as specified in point 3.5, by means of a sensory analysis of the finished product;

— compliance with the required physico-chemical parameters of the finished product, as specified in point 3.5, using approved laboratory methods.

The above parameters must be checked once a year. If infringements are detected at a particular stage, the frequency of the checks is increased to once every six months.

4. Authorities or bodies verifying compliance with the product specification

4.1. Name and address

Name: Q Certificazioni S.r.l. Address: Villa Parigini, loc. Basciano 53035 Monteriggioni ITALIA ul. Leonardo da Vinci 42a 4000 Plovdiv BULGARIA Tel./Fax +359 32649228 Mobile phone +359 897901680 E-mail: office@qci.bg

☐ Public ☒ Private

4.2. Specific tasks of the authorities or bodies

The inspection body specified in point 4.1 carries out checks to verify compliance with all the criteria set out in the specification.

(1) OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.

(2) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 1. Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.