Natural Gut string production is an involved, hands on process. Once the beef serosa has been removed from the animal it is cut into long ribbons. The ribbons then go through a long, wet cleaning process. How the ribbons are cleaned and prepared can vary by manufacturer, but the ribbons are basically subjected to a variety of baths. The goal is to gently remove impurities without harming the collagen. The string may be bleached at this time to remove some of the orange color from the ribbons.
Once the serosa ribbons have been washed, and any impurities removed, they are subjected to another round of quality control. At this time, a manufacturer may also add some color to the string if desired. The ribbons are then bound together on tension racks and the drying process begins. The drying process is carefully controlled, with most manufacturers using a specially designed climate controlled room to insure consistency. The drying process can take several days.
Bound together and at tension the ribbons finally start to look like string. However, at this stage the outer surface of the string is rough and must be polished for smoothness. It is then checked to make sure it meets the correct gauge specifications. At this point in the process most manufacturers will conduct another quality control check and coat the string with a special polyurethane coating to improve abrasion and water resistance. Finally, the string is prepared for packaging.
Once the serosa ribbons have been washed, and any impurities removed, they are subjected to another round of quality control. At this time, a manufacturer may also add some color to the string if desired. The ribbons are then bound together on tension racks and the drying process begins. The drying process is carefully controlled, with most manufacturers using a specially designed climate controlled room to insure consistency. The drying process can take several days.
Bound together and at tension the ribbons finally start to look like string. However, at this stage the outer surface of the string is rough and must be polished for smoothness. It is then checked to make sure it meets the correct gauge specifications. At this point in the process most manufacturers will conduct another quality control check and coat the string with a special polyurethane coating to improve abrasion and water resistance. Finally, the string is prepared for packaging.