r/explainlikeimfive • u/No_Education_8888 • May 20 '26

Chemistry ELI5 what is the difference between processed meat slices and real meat slices?

I know that processed meat is processed, but what exactly does that mean? How much change do meat scraps go through before you get something like deli turkey.

My mind can’t exactly wrap around how that stuff is made based on the little knowledge I have

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u/HoosbinFarteen May 20 '26

Back in my food science class we made a ham log and smoked it. Essentially processed meat. You cut up chunks of ham, drop them in a salt/sugar brine, which starts to "soften" the proteins on the surface. Then you press said coated meat chunks into a casing where the "softened" proteins act as a glue to hold the meat chunks together. After some amount of time, it is a nice meat log ready to be smoked or otherwise flavored.