Viskase (formerly Visking) is a global
corporation
A corporation or body corporate is an individual or a group of people, such as an association or company, that has been authorized by the State (polity), state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as ...
based out of
Lombard, Illinois, United States that supplies plastic, cellulose, and fibrous film and packaging to the food service industry, including
casings for processed meats such as
hot dogs and
sausage
A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs, may be included as fillers or extenders.
...
s. Viskase has manufacturing facilities in the United States, Mexico,
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
and France, as well as sales offices located around the world.
Viskase is a
publicly traded company, using the
stock symbol .
Company history
Origins
Erwin O. Freund, founder of what would become Viskase, sought a readily available replacement for animal intestine casing. Upon creating a
cellulose
Cellulose is an organic compound with the chemical formula, formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of glycosidic bond, β(1→4) linked glucose, D-glucose units. Cellulose is an important s ...
casing, using the "
viscose" process (also used in
rayon) he realized the product stuffed well, linked, and was able to withstand the smokehouse. Quite by accident, he discovered that when the casing was removed from the product the sausages retained their shape and were firm. This was the beginning of the skinless
frankfurter or
hot dog.
In the 1950s, Visking Corporation became a division of
Union Carbide.
Products
* Fibrous
* LCC
* MEMBRA-CEL
* NOJAX
* POLYJAX
* VISCOAT Smoke Master & Color Master
* VISFLEX
* VISMAX
See also
*
Dialysis tubing
References
External links
Viskase Corporate Website
{{Authority control
Food and drink companies of the United States
Companies traded over-the-counter in the United States
Darien, Illinois
Companies based in DuPage County, Illinois