Turkey introduces new rules for preparing doner
New standards for the production of meat products have taken effect in Turkey, tightening the requirements for the composition of doner, sausage, and ground meat. The country's Ministry of Agriculture's notice on their introduction was published in the latest issue of the official gazette Resmi Gazete.
The new document prohibits the use of fillers in a number of popular products, including doner, sucuk, cutlets, burgers, ground meat, pastirma, and kavurma. A transition period until March 31, 2027, has been established for manufacturers and businesses.
Under the new rules, doner is divided into three categories depending on the meat used in its preparation. In all categories, the proportion of chopped red meat and ground meat is regulated.
Restrictions on fat and salt have also been introduced: the total proportion of fat in doner cannot exceed 25%, salt — 2%, and meat protein must be at least 12%.
When preparing doner, it is prohibited to use nuts and cheese, protein powders, and protein hydrolysates as ingredients, with the exception of milk, yogurt, and egg proteins. Fillers such as starch and soy products are also banned, and the share of starch and vegetable protein from spices must not exceed 1%.
For cutlets and burgers, a minimum meat protein level of 10% has been set, along with limits on fat (25%) and salt (2%). Soy products and protein additives are prohibited, and the share of starch and vegetable protein from bread, breadcrumbs, and spices is limited to 5%.
In sucuk, total meat protein must be at least 15%, the share of collagen connective tissue no more than 20% of the total meat protein, and the pH no higher than 5.4. For heat-treated sucuk, these figures are different: protein no lower than 13%, collagen no more than 25%.
Ground poultry meat and mixtures based on it can now only be produced in frozen form. In poultry cutlets and burgers, protein must be at least 10% and fat no more than 15%. In poultry doner, fat is limited to 15%, salt to 2%, and protein must be at least 14%.
Separate requirements concern labels: in particular, the composition of products must now indicate the origin of the animal fat used in preparing the product.
