Cost Optimization in Batch Industrial Salami Ripening through Mathematical Modeling

Within a recent research project (PON Safemeat) devoted to "innovative" fresh and fermented meat-based products, the project partners' chambers were used for salami ripening and a number of experimental tests were carried out under strictly controlled conditions. In addition to both process and product data obtained during ripening, the PON Safemeat has also allowed focusing on production cost data. Therefore, a mathematical model was developed to express costs associated to the industrial batch ripening of salami and an objective function was devised with the goal of optimization. The model considers the cost of raw materials, the operating costs (linearly increasing with time during maturing) and, finally, a cost for the "loss of quality" of an off-specification product, expressed as a "non-revenue" and referred to as "QL factor". The objective function is a nonlinear function of the non-dimensional time t*. Two test cases have been constructed by considering Italian traditional sausage products, i.e., the spicy "Soppressata A" produced by Dodaro SpA and the "Salame of Felino", and the corresponding results have been analyzed and compared. The outcome of this work is interesting at present and promising in the future for further development and validation activities.