www.humiditysolutions.co.uk Charcuterie Recent years have seen a growing number of British producers entering the charcuterie and cured meats market, and the quality and variety of products is expanding rapidly. Many producers are existing farmers or butchers who have diversified, but the market has also attracted people with quite different prior experience. Humidity Solutions has had the pleasure of being involved in a number of projects. David Richards started Capreolus Fine Foods in Dorset when his wife suggested that there was an opportunity to turn his hobby and passion into a business. He now produces delicious charcuterie for a wide variety of restaurants and lovers of fine food, with unique products such as Rampisham Tingler Salami and lightly smoked Mutton. The manufacturing facility includes a smoker and production rooms with tightly controlled conditions to achieve consistent, top quality results. David uses a combination of temperature and humidity control with the humidity levels desired being generated by either a humidifier or dehumidifier to overcome the vagaries of the British weather. The dehumidifier is generally a desiccant unit due to the low temperatures that the product is being kept at - typically 10-12C - with humidity of 70-80%rh. Wet meat gives off moisture, so the rooms are required to be dried with the dehumidifier so as not to let mould develop on the outer surfaces. The Cotes 300 m³/hr Desiccant dehumidifier was the unit of choice based on the moisture to be extracted and the airflow required in the space. The photograph shows the unit in this instance being floor mounted at the far end, with the wet exhaust air being ducted out of the cold store. Where humidification is required, Vapac’s LE range of electrode boiler humidifiers are typical for this type of application, as they can provide controlled moisture delivery in relatively small volumes into the production areas. These units are commonly installed outside the space with the steam piped into the cold rooms, with distribution being provided by the air conditioning fans.