Sausage is a commonly consumed culinary product composed of meat and fat with other seasonings to produce a stable mass that is heat treated. Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made from intestine. In addition to their containment function, they also protect sausage from moisture loss, microbial contamination, and from the external environment, preserving their quality and safety until they are consumed. Due to technological advancements, alternative artificial casings along with modifications to the edible casing characteristics are being explored in order to overcome the limitations associated with the usage of natural casings. The objective of the current review was to describe the development and processing of natural casings as well as alternative casings, and provide an overall framework for the development of new edible casings by incorporating active ingredients in order to increase consumer acceptability and prolong the shelf life of sausage casings

natural casing, collagen, spent cellulose casing, whey protein, chitosan, nisin

Over time, the usage of natural casings has expanded beyond goat intestines. The sub-mucosal layer of the small intestine of sheep, goats, cattle, pigs, and occasionally horses, was the main source of natural casings. Man-made alternatives to natural casings are synthetic sausage casings. Designed to satisfy the increasing demand for sausages, these casings come in a range of materials, including cellulose, collagen, and plastic, and offer a number of benefits over natural ones, including uniqueness in size and shape, availability, and storage properties. Despite advancements to satisfy market demands, consumer preference remained concentrated on natural casings due to the remarkable taste, softness, and texture of natural casings are well known. The use of natural casings to enhance the sausage's taste constitutes one of its most evident features. The meat gets a deeper, more intense flavour as a result of the casings' ability to breathe, which lets the flavours of cooking and smoking penetrate through. Therefore, choosing the right casing, whether it's natural sheep casing or synthetic films requires a thorough comprehension of its mechanical, structural, and consumer preference, as well as the variables influencing these attributes. As a conclusion to this review, we propose that there is a great deal of room to include new edible substitutes for the natural casings. Furthermore, it can open the door to sustainability by utilizing byproducts or discards like whey protein, chitosan, collagen as a source of raw materials

Ancy Thomas and Blossom K.L. (2025). Traditional and Modern Approaches to Sausage Casing: A Review. Biological Forum, 17(7): 168-181