Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02363913 2001-07-11
TITLE OF THE INVENTION
METHOD FOR PRODUCING A FOOD PRODUCT ON THE BASIS OF MEAT
This invention relates to a method for the manufacture of a meat-based
food product and a meat-based product.
s As the non-statutory guidelines of the German Food Book state all animal
parts adapted to be eaten by man are defined as meat. This also encompasses
organs,
blood, bones, and skin in addition to muscular and adipose tissues. Also
included are
the preparations and processing types thereof.
"Meat products" is a general merchandise technological term which is laid
~o down in the non-statutory guidelines of the German Food Book (Meat and Meat
Products). Accordingly, meat products are products which exclusively or
predominantly
(at least at 50 %) are composed of meat. Meat includes all parts of butchered
or shot-
dead animals which are destined for consumption by man.
A meat product (in contrast to meat) is spoken of whenever meat is
~s prepared, which involves a treatment having an effect on its preservability
in most cases.
Above all, this includes heating (e.g. cooked escalopes, boiling sausage),
souring (e.g.
spiced vinegar marinaded beef), curing and salting (e.g. raw ham), and drying
(e.g.
fermented sausage), but does not include any cold treatment (refrigerating,
freezing)
because this will act solely as long as it is directly applied.
zo A distinction is made between piece goods and mingled goods in meat
products. Piece goods include raw cured goods (e.g. rolled bacon joint) and
boiled cure
goods (e.g. boiled ham). Mingled goods include sausages, piece-cut meat (e.g.
goulash), and minced meat (burger meat).
As is stated in the non-statutory guidelines of the German Food Book (Meat
z5 and Meat Products) restructured-meat products which are made from meat
pieces after
a mechanical pre-treatment to release muscle protein on the surfaces while
opening up
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the structure at the same time (e.g. by shaking or tumbling) are also made
using cooking
salt or nitrite curing salt. They are assembled to form a larger unit (piece
goods); they will
maintain their new shape due to heating orfreezing treatment. The tissue
compound of
the meat pieces used substantially is maintained. Whatever their required salt
content
s might possibly be during manufacture, restructured-meat products will be of
the same
composition as are grown-meat products after which they have been modelled.
The
muscularabrasion occurring during manufacture (a sausage meat-like substance
forming
from released muscle protein), unless otherwise stated in the guidelines, does
not
exceed the rate of 5 % by volume (10 % by volume for poultry meat products) in
the
assembled, ready-to-eat meat proportion. No minced, chopped or similarly
comminuted
meat is used in manufacture.
In orderto avoid a confusion of restructued-meat products with comparable
products made from grown meat the word "restructured meat" is put in front in
the
marketing term and, moreover, a notice is made in a direct connection with the
marketed
is brand and in letters of the same letter, stating that meat pieces are
assembled (e.g.
restructured-meat ham assembled from meat pieces, restructured-meat rolls
assembled
from meat pieces, restructured-meat goulash assembled from meat pieces).
Grown meat or on-the-piece meat is such as is grown on the animal body,
particularly with regard to its appearance, composition, structure, and taste.
A
zo disadvantage is that it is available only in an anatomically predetermined
shape, e.g. as
a fillet, steak, chop, brisket, leg portions, brisket fillet or another cut
piece of meat.
Restructured meat, in contrast, may be brought into virtually any shape, but
differs from
grown meat or pieced meat with regard to its constitution.
FR-A-2 707 460, WO-A-96123416, US-A-3 537 864 disclose methods for
zs the manufacture of food products wherein cut-up meat is frozen in a mould
after
marinading. The frozen meat may be sliced for consumption.
WO-A-97/10717 relates to the squeezing of individual meat products
between two refrigerated contact surfaces in orderto achieve a food product of
a uniform
thickness profile.
so US-A-3 924 295 relates to a method for forming meat products by
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generating a sticky exudate on the surface and freezing and expanding meat
pieces in
a mould. The resultant food product may be sliced for packaging, distribution,
and
consumption.
EP-A-0181024 relates to a method for processing poultrywherein poultry
s meat pieces are marinaded and provided with a coating. The resultant food
products are
meant for consumption directly after they are heated.
EP-A-0 565 222 relates to a frozen and coated fish product which has a
multiplicity of alternating layers of fish material and layers of eatable
material and at least
one non-coated side, and to a method forthe manufacture of such a product. The
product
uniformly is of the shape of a rectangular slab.
Therefore, it is the object of the invention to provide a method for the
manufacture of a novel meat-based food product and a novel meat-based food
product.
The object is achieved by the features of claim 1 and by a food product
having the features of claim 24.
~s In the inventive method forthe manufactureofa meat-based food product,
- whole grown meat is tumbled in a liquid marinade,
the tumbled meat is formed into at least one restructu red body comprising
several
pieces of whole grown meat,
- the restructured body is frozen, and
zo - the restructured body, a portioned body obtained by sawing up the
restructured
body or another portion piece of the restructured body, when frozen or deep-
frozen, are gently pressed into a mold in order to assume a form corresponding
to that of the mould.
Advantageous aspects of the method are given in the sub-claims 2 to
z5 23.
The inventive meat-based food product is manufactured according to
the method of any one of claims 1 to 23.
The inventive technology, unlike the technology for the manufacture of
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restructured meat, does not rely on comminuted or cut-up meat pieces. Rather,
it
employs whole grown meat, i.e. anatomically grown meat bodies which are such
as are
grown on the body ofthe butchered animal, i.e. in which the natural run and
cohesion of
muscles is maintained. The meat concerned may be so-called "meat portion
pieces",
s specifically fillet, sirloin, ham, brisket, leg portions or brisket fillet
which are clearly
defined and assigned anatomically in the food technology and law.
In tumbling, liquid marinade is fed to the meat and is worked into it. As a
rule, tumbling is done in a drum with built-in devices which gently act on the
goods being
treated while the drum rotates.
The restructured body, for example, may be a cylinder, a ball, a block or a
plate. The meat may be shaped and frozen in succession or simultaneously or
the
processes may overlap in time. Preferably, the restructured body may be deep-
frozen
with the temperatures being in the range from -15 °C to -18 °C.
Surprisingly, the restructured body stays together with no need to add
thickeners, stabilizers or the like. The marinading and shaping of the meat
into a
restructured body can be done very gently and allows to season the food
product in an
advantageous manner. As a result, the structure, particularly the cellular,
muscularand
fibrous structure of the grown meat, is completely maintained in the meat
forming the
restructured body. The food product has a better appearance, a better texture,
can be
zo bitten into betterthan can restructured-meat products, and has a taste
corresponding to
that of a naturally grown meat in the "eating event". Hence, the food product
has the
sensory characteristics of grown meat, but has the advantages of restructured
meat in
regard of its shape without meeting the definition of restructured meat. As a
consequence, calibration may be performed more precisely than in one-piece
grown
zs meat. In addition, it helps achieve restructured-meat bodies with
dimensions significantly
exceeding the sizes of grown meat, which facilitates further processing. On
the other
hand, the inventive product does not have the value-reducing sausage meat mass
proportion of restructured-meat products because of its gentle manufacture.
The meat types used are poultry, pork, beef, veal, mutton, Iamb, horse, goat
30 orgame or combinations of several different meat types. The poultry meat,
in particular,
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may be young chicken, hen, turkey, duck or goose. The piece portions used are,
in
particular, fillet orinnerfillet. Young chicken breast filletandloryoung
chicken innerfillet
are particularly advantageous because when tumbled in a liquid marinade it
will have a
particularly strong stickiness and, moreover, is particularlytenderand tasty.
It is preferred
to use a boneless meat forthe reason that it is easily processable and is a
high-quality
product.
In the food technology, marinades are used as sour, spice-containing
infusion to pickle food therein. It is preferred that a liquid marinade is
used which
contains spices and/or alt andlorwaterandloran oil-in-wateremulsion and/ora
water-in-
oil emulsion and/or vinegar andlor wine.
It is preferred that the to mbled meat is formed into at least one slab. A
plate
freezer may be employed to shape and freeze it. Plate freezers have a
multiplicity of
parallel plates in which channels extend for refrigerant. Gaps which are
formed between
the plates to receive the frozen product may be reduced in number by means of
a
hydraulic cylinder. There are plate freezers where the plates are in
horizontal and vertical
positions. They are mainly used to freeze fish fillet, whole fishes in blocks
as well as
flowable substances (dairy cream, egg yolk). If the plates are disposed
vertically the
tumbled meat may be placed on the upper openings of the gap. Upon penetration
into
the gap, these will be reduced in number by actuating the hydraulic cylinders
and the
zo slabs thus formed are deep-frozen.
The frozen slabs are suitable for use, in particular, in large-scale catering
establishments orothersubsequent processing facilities. Preferably, they are
sawn up
into smaller portioned bodies. A band saw may be used here. It is preferred
that the
slabs initially are sawn up in parallel with its main directions of extension
and then are
z5 sawn up vertically to its main directions of extension. The size and weight
of the portioned
slabs are chosen so as to meet the purpose, specifically with regard to their
uses (e.g.
as a side dish, a semi-ready meal or ready meal) and the number of people
(e.g. a
portion for a single person, a family or a large-scale consumer).
The further processing of the at least one restructured body or portioned
so body may consist in that a moisture-containing, eatable mass is applied to
one side as
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a topping and the restructured body or portioned body is frozen along with the
topping.
The topping may cover at least one side of the restructured body or portioned
body more
or less. Freezing causes the eatable mass to get into a connection with the
restructured
body or portioned body, which possibly is promoted by an interaction between
ice
s crystals that form in the eatable mass and exist in the restructured body or
portioned
body.
The topping may serve as a decoration and/or a seasoning for the meat
and/or a taste improver andlor as a side dish andlor a means to improve the
sensation
in biting. In particular, it may comprise vegetables and/or fruits and/or fat
andlor sour
cream and/orwheatflourandlorpanada and/or seasonings. Its ingredients maybe
made
available, weighed and chopped and, then, may be placed on the slab or
portioned slab.
Preferably, the mass is placed on the restructured body or portioned body in a
refrigerated condition in order to restrict any multiplication of
microorganisms. It is
preferred that the temperature of the mass ranges between 10 °C and 0
°C.
According to another aspect, another eatable mass can be placed on the
topping as a furthertopping. The furthertopping may serve, in particular, as a
decoration
or a means to act more on taste and may comprise, for example, cheese and/or
herbs
andlor roast or possibly seasoned bread bits.
It is preferred that the mass and/orfurther mass is deposited onto passing-
zo through restructured bodies and/or passing-through portioned bodies by
means of a
filling mechanism. To this end, the filling mechanism may have a slit die
andlor a spraying
device.
The restructured body, the portioned body, the portioned slab or another
portions piece of the restructured body are gently pressed into a mould in a
frozen
25 condition or preferably a deep-frozen condition in order to make it assume
a shape
corresponding to the mould. For example, this can be done by means of a die.
In this
manner, thefood product may virtually be given any shape, even an
irregularone. Thus,
the food product may be given the shape of a meat portion piece such as the
one of a
young chicken bristlet fillet.
so If work is done with a mould and an associated die there is a danger that
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residues will be formed when the die closes the cross-section of the mould.
This is
avoided, according to an advantageous aspect in which the volume of the
restruct-ured
body or portioned body is adapted to match the volume of the mould so that the
restructured bodyor portioned body fills the mould cavity, atthe earliest, at
a point where
s a die closes the cross-section. Forthis purpose, the restructured body or
portioned body
preferably has a volume which is less than that of the mould.
The product gently formed in the mould or "shaped" has the advantages
already described forthe food product. In particular, the structure of the
grown meat is
maintained. However, the shaped product additionally has a better apprearance
as
~o compared to conventional structured-meat products, a better texture and a
better
sensation in biting, and virtually perfectly corresponds to a natually grown
meat in an
"eating went".
The shaped product may undergo further processing depending on the
restructured body or portioned body and, basically, an eatable mass can be
deposited
is thereon as a topping.
The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the
appended block diagram (Figs. 1 a, b, c), a diagram of slab cutting (Figs. 2a,
b, c) and
an embodiment:
According to Fig. 1 a, a slab of meat is prepared, which especially may
zo contain young chicken innerfillets, in a first process step. In addition, a
mass is prepared,
which can be deposited as a topping, in this process step.
The meat is tumbled in a seasoning marinade in a first process step. For
example, batches ranging from abt. 500 to 1,000 kg may be processed in a
commercial
tumbler.
zs The seasoning, liquid marinade is worked into the meat during tumbling.
The marinade, for example, is a mixture of spices and water. However, oil-in-
water or
water-in-oil emulsions may be used as well.
The tumbling time can be about 15 minutes foryoung chicken innerfillets,
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but may be varied for other meat types.
The tumbled meat can be moved to a plate freezer in a special-steel
container adapted to be rolled (e.g. a Vermag truck). It is uniformly inserted
into the plate
freezer and is formed into slabs and freezed in a second process step 2. The
slabs are
s then removed.
The slabs may be kept in an deep-freezing intermediate store.
Then, the frozen slabs are sawn to pieces in a third process step 3, i.e. to
the measure of a cup which forms part of the package for the food product.
Sawing maybe effected according to Figs. 2a, b, c in such a way that the
slab 4 initially is sawn up in its thickness several times and, then, the
thinner slabs 5 are
further sawn up into a multiplicity of portioned slabs 6, depending on the
dimensions of
the package.
Raw goods (e.g. vegetables orfruits, margarine, sour cream, wheat flour,
spices) are provided, weighed, and chopped in a way separate from the
foregoing steps
15 1 to 3 in a process step 7. The temperature of this mass, which may be of a
consistency
similar to that of a sandwich spread, is between 10 and 0 °C. The piece
size of
vegetables andlor fruits in the mass may be chosen depending on its purpose.
The mass may be moved to a filling mechanism by means of a container
adapted to be rolled (e.g. a Vemag truck) and may be filled in there in a step
8.
zo The block diagram provides two versions forthe process steps that follow:
According to suggestion I (Fig. 1 b), the sawn-up slabs are separated out
on a running belt in a step 9, in which step, however, they are disposed on
the belt in a
direct succession. Then, a strand of the eatable mass is deposited as a
topping from the
filling mechanism onto the running slabs, e.g. by means of a slit die, in step
10.
25 Subsequently, the topping may be sprinkled with another eatable mass,
which forms another topping and, for example, consists of cheese cubes, herbs,
small
roast bread pieces, etc., in an additional step 11. This can be done by means
of a
particular proportioner.
Then, the "chain" of successively disposed slabs are separated out, e.g.
so by transferring them to a belt running at a higher speed, are filled into
cups, and the cups
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are closed by lids, in step 12.
Finally, the product thus packaged is deep-frozen in step 13. The deep-
frozen ready product is removed from the freezer and, if desired, is packed
into handling
cartons or is stored.
Suggestion I I (Fig. 1 c) provides that the portioned slabs initially are
individually placed each in a portion cup and the cups are placed on a belt.
Subsequently, the eatable mass is proportioned by portions, as a topping,
onto the portion slab in a cup by means of the filling mechanism in a step 15.
Afterwards, the topping may be coated with another eatable mass as
another topping by means of a special proportioner in an additional step 16.
Then, the "chain" of sucessively running filled cups are closed and deep-
frozen in a step 17. Finally, the ready products may be removed and possibly
be packed
into handling cartons and, if desired, may be stored.
An embodiment provides that young chicken innerfillets are tumbled in a
~s liquid marinade which comprises a mixture of spices and water.
The tumbled young chicken inner fillets are formed into slabs in the plate
freezer and are frozen, e.g. in dimensions of 1.5 by 0.8 by 0.1 m. The slabs
are removed
and are sawn up into portioned slabs weighing abt. 100 to 300 g, for example.
A fresh mass is applied to the deep-frozen portioned slabs and is spread
zo on these. Ingredients of the mass, amongst others, are wheat flour, fats
and different
vegetable types such as broccoli, spinach, tomato or fruits, etc.
The product undergoes refreezing anothertime. This causes the topping
to remain stuck to the surface of the portioned slabs of the young chicken
inner fillets.
The product is placed in an aluminum or plastic tray in which it will also be
25 prepared (in a cooking oven for abt. %2 to 3/4 of an hour, or in a
microwave oven).
