Smart Functionals

Smart Functionals Solutions for Africa’s Meat Industry

We design cutting-edge meat solutions tailored to Africa’s people, challenges, and palate—developed in partnership with leading meat scientists and traditional experts from Austria.
Our functional spice blends are complete systems that solve specific processing challenges and unlock unprecedented value.
Explore them below:

The Smart Functional's History

For over 15 years, we have been at the forefront of protein research and hydrocolloid modification, developing functional solutions tailored to the unique challenges of the African meat industry. Our journey began in the R&D programs of a bacon company founded by Eben in Cape Town and later extended into West Africa through our pioneering work in Nigeria.

We address key issues such as limited access to fat—or, in some cases, the need to reduce it—and the challenges of working with low-grade meat like PSE pork and DFD beef. Through a deep understanding of protein behavior, we've consistently delivered exceptional products, including hams and pastrami, even from compromised raw materials.

In recent years, we formed a strategic partnership with Almi in Austria. This collaboration has expanded our functional ingredient range, brought cutting-edge production technologies into our operations, and pushed the limits of what's possible in functional meat science.

Fat Injection Solutions

We’ve developed a method to make both vegetable and animal fat injectable—resulting in magnificent taste, superior tenderness, and higher profits. Ideal for enhancing expensive primal cuts or elevating tougher meat portions.

Traditional Fat & Skin Emulsions

Our technology reinvents a time-honoured approach—using modern emulsification to turn skin and fat into stable, functional, and high-performance ingredients for sausages, hams, and emulsified meat products.

Catering Bacon Solutions

Turn meat trim into value-added bacon with great sliceability and flavour. Ideal for large kitchens, schools, and food service. Easy to prepare, cost-effective, and built for high-volume use without sacrificing quality.

Rescuing Inferior Meat

Africa faces real challenges with PSE pork and DFD beef. We’ve developed systems to transform these difficult raw materials into world-class hams, mortadellas, and pastrami—saving costs while maintaining quality.

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In-House MDM Production

Forget expensive imported MDM. We show you how to make it yourself using standard equipment, and we give you the tools to enhance your homemade MDM for use in cooked sausages that impress.