Curing, drying and smoking are the oldest methods of food preservation. Even though these methods can still generally be used for the production of raw cured products, nowadays the majority of chemical and physical processes involved have been identified. Equipped with this knowledge, one is now able to control these processes. Reproducible qualities and targeted process control have become possible and have replaced the principle of coincidence. MEAT CRACKS has extensive experience with the technology of raw cured products and has delved into the topic of reaching an even and complete reddening of raw cured products which are made of bigger muscle pieces. Based on this and other research projects, several compounds and starter cultures for different applications have been developed.