The major advantage of the co-extrusion process is that it continuous
as opposed to a batch process, and thus is capable of large
production volumes (Smits, 1985). Additionally, the risk of microbial
contamination of fresh sausage is decreased with this process as
fewer people handle the product during processing (Marel, 2012).
Overall, the amount of waste (i.e., when using preformed casings
the ends of casings and casings that break cannot be used for stuffing)
and re-work is also significantly reduced by using a co-extrusion
system (Marel, 2012). While some companies in North America
have adopted this new co-extrusion technology, little is known
about these co-extruded casings.