NZ506309A

NZ506309A - A cooked sausage with non-yogurt fermented milk

Info

Publication number: NZ506309A
Application number: NZ506309A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: Bernard Trevor Matthews; David John Joll; Werner Koppers; Friedrich Buse
Original assignee: Matthews Bernard Plc
Priority date: 1999-08-13
Filing date: 2000-08-11
Publication date: 2002-02-01
Also published as: AU780447B2; AU5196200A; DE19938434A1; NZ506310A; ZA200004116B; DE20013976U1; AU781325B2; ZA200004115B; DE20013974U1; AU5197600A

Abstract

A composition for a cooked sausage and method for making the same thereof. The cooked sausage is comprises meat and a non-yoghurt fermented milk product further characterised by having a low calorie content and good organoleptic properties. One aspect describes a cooked sausage comprising a mixture of a meat emulsion and a non-yoghurt fermented milk product having a pH of 4.6 or more, wherein the non-yoghurt fermented milk product is selected from buttermilk, soured cream milk, soured milk, fresh cheese, fermented whey and kefir, wherein the non-yoghurt fermented milk product is substantially, homogeneously dispersed through the meat emulsion when the mixture has a pH of about 5.5. or more.

Description

<div class="application article clearfix" id="description"> 1 A NOVEL COOKED SAUSAGE AND A METHOD FOR MAKING THE SAME The present invention relates to a novel cooked sausage and to a method for making the same. In particular, the invention relates to a cooked sausage comprising meat and a non-yoghurt fermented milk product. At the time of writing, there is a general consumer demand for meat and sausage products that are easier to digest and contain fewer calories than traditional meat sausages. WO-A-99/21438 discloses a cooked sausage comprising a mixture of a meat emulsion and a mild yoghurt, wherein the yoghurt is substantially homogeneously dispersed through the meat emulsion and said mixture has a pH of about 5.5 or more. The water retaining capacity of the meat is thus retained, providing a sausage having desirable organoleptic qualities. Said mild yoghurt may be prepared from milk mixtures by inoculation with slow working yoghurt starter cultures. Yoghurt, however, is a relatively expensive ingredient which has to be prepared 2 specially for the manufacture of products according to WO-A-99/21438. Accordingly, there remains an outstanding need for a cooked sausage product having a low calorie content that is less expensive to produce than products that contain yoghurt. 5 An object of the present invention is to provide a novel meat product. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide novel, cooked sausage products having low calorie content and good organoleptic qualities 10 that are less expensive to produce than sausage products containing yoghurt. According to one aspect of the present invention therefore there is provided a cooked sausage comprising a mixture of a meat emulsion and a non-yoghurt fermented milk product having a pH of 4.6 or more, wherein said non-15 yoghurt fermented milk product is one or more selected from buttermilk, soured cream milk, soured milk, fresh cheese, fermented whey and kefir, wherein said non-yoghurt fermented milk product is substantially, homogeneously dispersed through the meat emulsion and said mixture has a pH of about 5.5 or more 20 In a different aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of making a cooked sausage which comprises forming a mixture of a meat intellectual property office of n.z. 0 2 JUL 2001 received So ■-' 3 emulsion and a non-yoghurt fermented milk product having a pH of 4.6 or more, wherein said non-yoghurt fermented milk product is one or more selected from buttermilk, soured cream milk, soured milk, fresh cheese, fermented whey and kefir, wherein said non-yoghurt fermented milk product is substantially homogeneously dispersed through the emulsion; forming the mixture into a sausage, and thereafter cooking the sausage; wherein the pH and proportion of the non-yoghurt fermented milk product in the mixture is such that the pH of the mixture is 5 5 or more. The term "soured cream milk" as used herein includes soured cream, sauerrahm, schmand and creme fraiche. The terra "soured milk" includes sauermilch and dickmilch The term "fresh cheese" includes frischkase, quark and cottage cbeese. Preferably the non-yoghurt fermented milk product has a pH of about 4.8 or more, more preferably about 5.2 or more. Said meat emulsion may comprise red meat such, for example, as beef, lamb or pork, or poultry such, for example, as turkey or chicken Such meat has a pH of about 6.0 to 6.2 and an isoelectric point of about pH 5.0 to about 5 2. In intellectual property office of nz. 0 2 JUL 2001 received order to provide a boiled sausage that is juicy and has a desirable texture, it has been found that it is essential to keep the pH of the mixture of meat emulsion and fermented milk product at about pH 5.5 or more. If the pH of the mixture falls below pH 5.5 towards the isoelectric point of the meat, the water-retaining capacity of the meat is reduced, with the result that the juiciness and texture of the final product is impaired. Said fermented milk product may be prepared by inoculating a milk product with a starter culture, monitoring the pH of the fermented milk product, and quenching fermentation of the fermented milk product when the pH reaches a desired value. Said fermentation of the milk product may be quenched by cooling the fermented milk product to a temperature in the range -2 to 6°C. Said starter culture may comprise a slow working starter culture. Buttermilk may be made from the residual milk that remains after conventional butter-churning, that is separation of the milk-fat (butter) from the remaining milk substances. Said residual milk may be soured using suitable starter cultures such as Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris. Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis. Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris and/or Lactococcus lactis subsp. diacetvlactis until a pH of about 4.8 or more is reached. Alternatively said buttermilk may be made by first souring whole milk or cream to a desired 5 pH with suitable starter cultures, and then quenching fermentation and churning to separate the buttermilk from the milk-fat (butter). Said soured creamed milk may be made by souring whole milk with a high fat content using suitable starter cultures such as Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris. Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and/or Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris to a desired pH of 4.8 or more. Soured milk, including curd milk, may be made by fermenting whole milk 10 having a normal fat content using starter cultures such, for example as Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris. Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and/or Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris. Said fresh cheese may be made in the conventional manner by fermenting whole milk using suitable cheese starter cultures such as Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris. Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and/or Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris in the presence of a curdling enzyme such, for example, as rennet. Once the mass has set, the cheese may be crushed mechanically and the solid cheese component extracted from the remaining liquid whey. The consistency of the cheese may be adjusted as desired by the addition of milk solids or by centrifugation, straining and/or the addition of cream. For quark, starter cultures such as Lactobacillus acidophilus. Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris. Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris and bifidobacter may be used. The remaining whey may also be used when it has a pH of 4.8 or more. Where the fermented milk product of the present invention comprises two or more different components, it is not necessary that each component has an individual pH of 4.6 or more, only that the overall pH of the fermented milk product is 4.6 or more, preferably 4.8 or more, and in some embodiments 5.1 or more. In some embodiments, said fermented milk product may comprise an edible, alkaline additive to neutralize the acidity of the product. Said alkaline additive may comprise, for example, carbonated soda and/or ammonium carbonate. Alkaline phosphates and/or citrates could also be used to stabilize the mixture. In some embodiments, the fermented milk product may be used in dried or freeze-dried form. Said mixture may comprise 50 to 90% by weight meat. Said meat emulsion 7 may comprise up to about 10% wt water. Said mixture may comprise 10 to 40% by weight of the fermented milk product, preferably 15 to 35% by weight. Typically, the mixture may comprise about 24 to 26% by weight of fermented milk product, e.g. 25% wt. Said mixture may further comprise 0-10% by weight of various spices or other additives. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, said mixture may comprise up to 10% of a pre-biotic additive such as a non-digestible carbohydrate. An example of a pre-biotic carbohydrate is inulin. Said mixture may comprise 2-7% wt inulin, which selectively promotes the activity of some health-promoting bacteria in the colon. Said mixture of meat and fermented milk product may be formed into sausages in any suitable maimer to those skilled in the art, including moulding and extrusion. Preferably, the meat/milk mixture is extruded through a stuffing horn into a flexible sausage casing of the kind well known to those skilled in the art. However, it is also envisaged that the boiled sausage in accordance with the present invention may be formed by moulding and then forming a skin in situ by treating the surface of the sausage with a suitable acid so as to cause coagulation of the surface layer of meat. Said meat emulsion preferably comprises an emulsion of finely comminuted meat. Said meat emulsion may be formed by comminuting whole muscle, ground, minced or mechanically separated meat. The meat may be used fresh or frozen. Said meat is preferably finely comminuted in the presence of said yogurt to form an emulsion having a soft, homogeneous consistency. In some embodiments the emulsion may further comprise coarsely ground meat, which may be substantially uniformly dispersed through the emulsion. Preferably, the fermented milk product is added to the meat during comminution in small portions or continuously, for example, with the aid of pumping equipment. It is preferable to ensure that the pH of the milk/meat mixture does not fall below about pH 5.5, even transiently, during mixing of the fermented milk with the meat. At the same time, it is preferable to ensure that the pH of the fermented milk product is not increased too much by the meat, such that the characteristic aroma of the fermented milk is lost. An advantage of the present invention is that by adding a cooled, fermented milk product at a temperature of 0 to 6°C to the meat emulsion, the normal addition of cooled water to meat emulsions for sausage manufacture can be reduced or dispensed with altogether. Such cooled water is normally added to maintain the temperature of the emulsion below about 12°C during comminution and subsequent extrusion, and also to bind with the meat emulsion to cause the product to swell. Of course, some fermented milk products contain a substantial proportion of water, and in accordance with the present invention, this water can be used to replace the additional water that is normally added during sausage manufacture. Preferably the meat is chilled prior to admixture of the fermented milk product to a temperature in the range 0 to 8°C. Finally, the sausage is cooked. Said sausage may be boiled. By "boiled" here is meant heating the sausage in any suitable, edible fluid, preferably water, at a temperature and for a time sufficient to cook the meat. In some embodiments the sausage may be steamed. Preferably the sausage is boiled at a temperature in the range 60 to 80°C, more preferably in the range of 70 to 75°C, eg 72°C. Alternatively, the sausage may be cooked in hot air and/or hot smoke. Preferably, the sausage is cooked at a sufficient temperature to kill the fermentation cultures, so as to prevent further fermentation of the milk in the finished product. Thus, the present invention provides a novel cooked sausage containing meat and a fermented milk product and also a method for manufacturing this product. 10 The cooked sausage of the invention is relatively high in protein, but contains reduced fat as compared with a conventional meat sausage. The fermented milk products, adds a distinctive flavour and aroma to the product. The pH of fermented milk product, when added to the meat emulsion, is sufficiently low that the milk product has the characteristic flavour and aroma of that product but is not so low as to reduce the pH of the meat/milk product mixture below about pH 5.5, so that the emulsion retains its water binding properties to ensure that a sausage is produced that is desirably juicy and has attractive organoleptic quality. Following is a description by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings of methods occurred in the present invention into effect. Figure 1A is a schematic, isometric view of a cooked sausage in accordance with the present invention. Figure IB is a schematic, isometric view of a slice of a cooked sausage in accordance with the present invention. Figure 2 shows a flow diagram for manufacturing a boiled sausage in accordance with the invention. 11 With reference to Figures 1A and IB, a boiled sausage, such as a frankfurter, in accordance with the invention has a normal sausage shape and comprises an edible sausage material 10 that is stuffed into a conventional sausage casing 12. Said sausage material 10 comprises a finely comminuted meat emulsion 14 and a coarse component 16 that is substantially uniformly dispersed through the emulsion 14. Said coarse component comprises coarsely ground pieces of meat and optional seasonings such, for example, as whole or coarsely ground peppercorns. In some embodiments, the coarse portion may be omitted. Said finely comminuted meat emulsion 14 comprises a mixture of meat and a fermented milk product which are substantially homogeneously blended together to form an emulsion. The meat pieces of the coarse component 16 may also be tumbled with a fermented milk product. EXAMPLES Example 1 A frankfurter with cottage cheese and frischkase is made according to the following recipe: Emulsion Pork trimmings 90 VL 40.0% 12 Turkey white trim 10.0% Chicken trim 5.0% Water/ice 8.45% Cottage cheese, pH = 4.7 20.0% Fresh cheese, pH = 4.8 - 4.9 10.0% Spices 6.55% 100% Spice mix for meat emulsion Curing salt 1.5% Sodium citrate 0.8% Lactose 1.2% Ground mustard seed 1.2% Sodium ascorbate 0.05% Matador (Spice mix Raps) 1.1% Hydrolysed vegetable protein 0.3% 13 Liquid onion 0.2% Liquid garlic 0.2% 10 6.55% The cottage cheese and fresh cheese are made by conventional processes comprising fermenting milk using a cheese soured culture in the presence of a curdling enzyme such, for example, as rennet. Milk solids may be added to adjust the consistency of the cheese. As starter cultures may be used Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris. Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and/or Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris. Once the cheese has set, it is mechanically crushed, and the solid cheese component is separated from the whey residue. The consistency of the cheese can also be adjusted by centrifuging, straining and/or the addition of cream. The cheese is then mixed with the other ingredients at a temperature of about 15 0°C and finely comminuted in a bowl chopper to form an emulsion. The emulsion is then stuffed into shirred sausage casings using a stuffing horn, and the resulting frankfurters are boiled in water at a temperature of about 72°C, showered, cooled, packed and labelled. 20 Example 2 A turkey bierschinken with buttermilk is made to the following recipe: Emulsion for Bierschinken Turkey white trim 25.0% Turkey dark trim 30.0% Turkey Skin 15.0% Buttermilk (pH 4.7) 25.0% Spices 5.0% 100% Dry Ingredients for Emulsion Curing salt 1.39% Sodium citric 0.60% Lactose 0.16% Ground Mustard seed 1.45% Super Pok (sodium ascorbate, sugar) 0.25% Matador (spice mix Raps) 0.60% 15 Glutelin (flavour enhancer, Raps) 0.35% Green Pepper (Raps) 0.20% Chunks of thigh meat 5 Turkey thigh meat 70.0% Buttermilk (pH 4.7) 25.0% Spices 5.0% 100% 10 Spices for meat chunks Curing salt 1.40% Sodium citric 0.60% ^ Lactose 0.14% Super Pok (sodium ascorbate, sugar) 0.12% 15 Matador (spice mix Raps) 0.60% Glutelin (flavour enhancer Raps) 0.35% Garlic powder 0.15% Ground mustard seed 16 1.64% Buttermilk is prepared in the known manner from the residual milk that remains after butter churning. Said residual milk is soured using Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris. Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis. Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris and/or Lactococcus lactis subsp. diacetvlactis as starter cultures. When the target pH of 4.8 is reached, the buttermilk is subjected to shock freezing to a temperature of about -1°C. At this temperature, further fermentation of the buttermilk is prevented. For such shock freezing, liquid nitrogen or a plate-heat-exchanger may be used. In view of the need to control accurately the pH of the buttermilk used in the process of the invention, it is desirable that the buttermilk is made at the same site as sausage manufacture takes place, but it is envisaged that alternatively buttermilk supplied from a nearby dairy may be used. As illustrated in Figure 2, the chilled buttermilk is then divided into two separate portions. A first portion is weighed for addition to the turkey thigh meat chunks as a coarse component 16 of the sausage material 10. At the weighing stage, additional spices and/or additives are added to the buttermilk. Said turkey chunks are then tumbled with the buttermilk for about two hours. 17 A second portion of the buttermilk is added in small batches to minced turkey white and dark trim and turkey skin having a temperature of about 0°C. Said minced meat is finely comminuted with the buttermilk to form an emulsion, and the buttermilk assists in maintaining the temperature of the meat emulsion below about 12°C. Additional spices or additives are added to the meat emulsion during comminution. Approximately 56%wt of the coarse component is then mixed with about 44%wt of the comminuted meat emulsion, such that the coarse component is substantially uniformly dispersed throughout the finely comminuted meat emulsion. The mixture is then stuffed into sausage casings using a stuffing hom of the kind well known to those skilled in the art. The resulting sausages are boiled at a temperature of about 72°C in water and then showered, cooled, packed and labelled in the conventional manner. The total amount of buttermilk added to the sausage material is calculated such that the overall pH of the sausage material does not fall below about pH 5.5. In this way, the sausage material retains its ability to the bind water, so that a desirable juicy product is produced. Example 3 A fleischwurst with kefir and whey for use as a cooked, cold-cut sausage is prepared according to the following recipe: Recipe for emulsion Pork trimmings 85 VL 45.0% Pork trimmings 65 VL 24.0% Water / ice 10.0% Kefir (pH 4.8 or more) 5.0% Fermented whey (pH 4.6) 10.0% Spices 6.0% 100% Spice mix for emulsion Curing salt 1.5% Sodium citric 0.8% Phosphate 0.05% Dominator Gold (spice mix Raps) 1.2% 19 Ground mustard seeds 2.1% Sodium ascorbate 0.05% Glutelin (flavour enhancer Raps) 0.3% The fermentation of the kefir is stopped at pH 4.8. The kefir is then weighed, mixed with the meat and spice components and comminuted as described in Example 2. Example 4 Gelbwurst with sour cream is prepared according to the following recipe: Recipe for emulsion Veal trimmings 90 VL 45.0% Pork Trimmings 65 VL 20.0% Water/Ice 5.0% Sour cream (pH 4.8 or more) 25.0% Spices 5.0% 100% 20 Spice mix for Gelbwurst emulsion Salt 1.2% Sodium citric 0.8% Gelbwurstgewurz (spice mix Raps) 1.5% Glutelin (flavour enhancer Raps) 0.3% Fresh parsley 1.2% Said soured cream is made by souring cream using Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris. Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and/or Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris as starter cultures. The fermentation process of the sour cream is stopped at pH 4.8. Parsley is added to the emulsion at the end of the chopping process and chopped to a particle size of 2 to 3 mm. The sausage mix is extruded into casings (preferably yellow casings) cooked and cooled. Example 5 Bratwurst with soured milk suitable for frying or BBQ is made according to the following recipe: 21 Recipe for emulsion Pork trimmings 85 VL 40.0% Pork jowl 20.0% Pork trimmings 90 VL 10.0% Ice/Water 5.0% Soured milk (pH 4.8 or more) 20.0% Spices 5.0% Spice mix for Bratwurst Salt 1.5% Sodium citric 0.8% Thuringer Rostbratwurst (spice mix from Raps) 1.6% Glutelin (flavour enhancer Raps 0.3% Marjoram, dried 0.4% Chives, dried 0.4% The fermentation of the soured milk is stopped at pH 4.8. The marjoram and 22 the chives are added to the emulsion at the end of the chopping process. They should be visible in the final product. 23 </div>

Claims

<div class="application article clearfix printTableText" id="claims"> Claims

1. A cooked sausage comprising a mixture of a meat emulsion and a non-yoghurt fermented milk product having a pH of 4.6 or more, wherein said non-yoghurt fermented milk product is one or more selected from buttermilk, soured cream milk, soured milk, fresh cheese, fermented whey and kefir, wherein said non-yoghurt fermented milk product is substantially homogeneously dispersed through the meat emulsion and said mixture has a pH of about 5.5 or more.

2 A cooked sausage as claimed in claim I, wherein said non-yoghurt fermented milk product has a pH of 4.8 or more.

3. A cooked sausage as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said non-yoghurt fermented milk product has a pH of 5.2 or more.

4. A cooked sausage as claimed in claim 1, wherein said non-yoghurt fermented milk product comprises an edible alkaline additive to neutralise the acidity of the non-yoghurt fermented milk product.

5. A cooked sausage as claimed m any preceding claim, wherein said mixture comprises 60 to 90% wt of said meat emulsion. intellectual property office of n.z. o 2 JUL 2001 received 24 GV - - i. , '

6. A cooked sausage as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said mixture comprises 10 to 40% by weight of the non-yoghurt fermented milk product.

7. A cooked sausage as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said mixture further comprises up to 10% by weight of various spices or other additives.

8. A cooked sausage as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said mixture comprises up to 10% of a prebiotic additive

9 A cooked sausage as claimed m claim 8, wherein said prebiotic additive is mul in

10. A cooked sausage as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said meat emulsion comprises red meat or poultry. intellectual property office of n.z. 0 2 JUL 2001 Received 25

11 A method of making a cooked sausage which comprises forming a mixture of a meat emulsion and a non-yoghurt fermented milk product having a pH of 4.6 or more, wherein said non-yoghurt fermented milk product is one or more selected from buttermilk, soured cream milk, soured milk, fresh cheese, fermented whey and kefir, wherein said non-yoghurt fermented milk product is substantially homogeneously dispersed through the emulsion; forming the mixture into a sausage, and thereafter cooking the sausage; wherein the pH and proportion of the non-yoghurt fermented milk product in the mixture is such that the pH of the mixture is 5.5 or more.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 wherein said non-yoghurt fermented milk product has a pH of 4.8 or more.

13. A method as claimed in claim 11 or claim 12, wherein said non-yoghurt fermented milk product has a pH of 5.2 or more.

14. A method as claimed in claim 11, claim 12 and claim 13, wherein said non-yoghurt fermented milk product is prepared by inoculating a milk product with a starter culture, monitoring the pH of the non-yoghurt fermented milk product, and quenching fermentation of the non-yoghurt fermented milk product when the pH reaches a desired value. intellectual property office of n.z. 0 2 JUL 2001 received 26

15. A method as claimed m claim 14, wherein fermentation of the milk product is quenched by cooling the non-yoghurt fermented milk product to a temperature m the range -2 to 6°C

16 A method as claimed in any of claims 11 to 15, wherein said starter culture comprises a slow working starter culture.

17 A method as claimed m claim 11, claim 12 and claim 13, wherein said non-yoghurt fermented milk product comprises an edible alkaline additive to neutralise the acidity of the non-yoghurt fermented milk product.

18 A method as claimed in any of claims 11 to 17, wherein the mixture of meat and non-yoghurt fermented milk product is formed into a sausage by extrusion through a stuffing horn into a flexible casing.

19. A method as claimed m any of claims 11 to 18, wherein said meat emulsion comprises an emulsion of finely comminuted meat and is formed by comminuting whole muscle, ground, minced or mechanically separated meat in the presence of said non-yoghurt fermented milk product.

20 A method as claimed m claim 19, wherein said non-yoghurt fermented milk product is added to the meat at a temperature of 0 to 6°C. intellectual property office of n.z. 0 2 JUL 2001 received 27

21 A method as claimed in claim 19 or claim 20, wherein said-meat has a temperature prior to comminution of 0 to 8°C.

22. A method as claimed in any of claims 11 to 21, wherein the sausage is cooked by heating in an edible fluid.

23. A method as claimed in any of claims 11 to 22, wherein the sausage is cooked by boiling m water at a temperature in the range 60 to 80°C

24. A method as claimed in any of claims 11 to 21, wherein said sausage is cooked in hot air, hot steam and/or hot smoke.

25. A cooked sausage according to claim 1 substantially as herein described or exemplified.

26. A method according to claim 11 substantially as herein described or exemplified. END OF CLAIMS intellectual property office of n.z. 0 2 JUL 2001 received BERNARD MATTHEWS PLC By Their Attorneys HENRY HUGHES Per: </div>