AU681218B2 - Sausage casing coated in annatto and a method for coating the inner surface of the casing - Google Patents

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

.e TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT S. Name of Applicant: VISCOFAN, Industria Navarra de Envolturas Celulosicas, S.A.

Actual Inventor(s): GATO PECINA, Juan Jos6; and LONGO ARESO, Carlos Address for Service: CALLINAN LAWRIE, 278 High Street, Kew, 3101, Victoria, Australia Invention Title: "SAUSAGE CASING COATED IN ANNATTO AND A METHOD FOR COATING THE INNER SURFACE OF THE CASING" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- 1 217/95GSB092.F10,1 I I 1A- SAUSAGE CASING COATED IN ANNATTO AND A METHOD FOR COATING THE INNER SURFACE OF THE CASING OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to cellulose casings with an added colouring that are used for making skinless sausages and that transfer colour to the sausage stuffed within such casing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Sausages are made stuffing a casing with a meat emulsion and then cooking and processing and sometimes smoking the same to obtain the sausage.

o• a *a 25 ooeoc Some types of sausages are inserted in regenerated cellulose casings and processed inside the casings. After the emulsion process, the casing is generally peeled off and the sausages are packaged to be sold to consumers.

Sausage manufacturers need to provide sausages with an appearance that is appealing to consumers. Colour is an important feature in this overall appearance. The colour of sausages depends upon the emulsion and the kind of meat used. It also depends on processing conditions, for instance whether or not an additional smoking treatment is provided.

Sausages having a substantially uniform surface colour are much to be desired. This is why a solution sausage manufacturers sometimes provide comprises colouring the outside of sausages in colouring reservoirs containing edible colouring, inter alia annatto.

-L Is ~~-~b~bEP~s~l -2- And yet this alternative of colouring sausages in colouring baths poses manifold disadvantages for food manufacturers. One such problem lies in the need of having suitable colouring equipment including reservoirs, conveyor belts and solutions for colouring and washing, inter alia.

Furthermore, gradual consumption of the colouring contained in the bath leads to an uneven colouring of sausages and to overcome this problem it is therefore necessary to gradually replace the colouring used up.

In addition, after colouring the sausages some kind of fixing or washing generally follows. Colouring losses in such washing baths mean that additional colouring is used up, and furthermore, the waste from such colouring baths also poses an environmental pollution problem.

S"Moreover, the increased time of exposure of the 20 peeled sausages to the external environment leads to an increased risk of microbiological contamination of the o sausages.

ooeo Cellulose casings used in manufacturing sausages are 25 made extruding a viscous solution through an annular opening. The resulting tube is coagulated and washed in various reservoirs and is finally soaked in a plasticizing agent and dried. Cellulose casings can also be prepared with a fibrous net embedded into the wall.

This fibrous net is usually made of rope paper in ordr for the casing to be stronger. Such casings are known as fibrous casings.

Cellulose casings have also been made soaked in various edible colourings in order for the colouring to I JI a -3be transferred while the sausage is being processed to its surface and thus the colour will stay on the surface of the sausage when the casing is removed. Food colourings, F.D. C. Red number 40 and F.D. C. Yellow number 6, are artificial colourings used to make casings that transfer colour to the sausages stuffed therein.

The casing can be coloured in a colouring bath or otherwise providing an inner coating upon the inner casing surface.

The casing can be coloured in a bath by passing the casing through a colouring bath, usually whilst it is in a gel state, in order to soak the casing with the colouring. US patent number 2,521,101 to Thor et al.

describes an example of this method.

Otherwise, various methods are known to apply coatings on the inner casing surface to which various 20 substances can be added for various objectives. Among i: such methods there is a method of spraying or soaking the inside of the casing during the folding operation described in US patent number 3,451,827 to Bridgeford and the bubble coating method described in US patent numbers 25 3,378,379 to Shiner et al. and 3,106,471 to Firth.

According to this bubble coating method, a quantity of liquid is placed inside the casing and held there by action of rollers that press the casing to prevent the liquid from passing whilst the casing moves forward. By i acting upon the rollers a desired quantity of the internal liquid is allowed to pass, thereby coating the i-tner casing surface.

The coating is usually provided on the inside of the casing, though it may be so provided on the outside if L ~r~bC-- 4 the inside of the casing is turned inside out before stuffing the meat.

Annatto iL an edible colouring that is used in some countries for colouring the surface of sausages because it has a very attractive reddish colour. In the market there are various annatto extracts with different characteristics. There are water-soluble annatto colourings containing norbixin as primary colouring matter and other oil-soluble colourings containing bixin as primary colouring matter. The quantities of colouring of the extracts can vary and their bixin and norbixin contents are spectrophotometrically determined, expressing the same as its equivalent norbixin contents.

Annatto, as aforesaid, can be used for colouring the outer surface of sausages and for colouring sausage casings by passing the same through a bath of annatto, as described for instance in US patent number 2,521,101 to Thor et al.

It is clear therefore that annatto can be used for colouring sausages and casings in baths. And yet attempts at manufacturing cellulose casings incorporating annatto 25 colouring and capable of transferring colour to the sausage have been unsuccessful. Which is why, because of the difficulties production thereof entails, there are :currently no commercial cellulose casings transferring annatto available. These difficulties can be summarised 30 as follows: annatto, soaked in the gel state, is difficult to remove from the casing and only a small quantity is transferred to the sausage; ae ~P I~_U c~tl~e~c~s~rm~psll~i 5 it is difficult to achieve the high concentration desired of annatto in the casing because of the short time period the colouring has to be diffused into the casing, given the relative high speed of travel through the bath; annatto solutions cannot endure the relatively high temperatures, close to 60°C, and persistence of the baths in the normal manufacturing process, without being noticeably impaired; and the high temperatures required to dry casings in the drier are also harmful for the stability of annatto.

In addition to these technical difficulties, the various characteristics of the various annatto extracts (oil- and water-soluble) that are commercially available limit their capability of being used separately, for such S.'colourings, per se, do not provide coatings of suitable 20 characteristics upon the cellulose casing.

In fact, oily annatto solutions do not moisten the cellulose casing, for it is substantially hydrophilic, and remain as drops upon the casing surface, wherefore 25 instead of providing a coating of even colour, sausages are provided having a spotted appearance (spots on the surface).

S.

Furthermore, the used of aqueous annatto solutions 30 provides unevenly coloured casings. These aqueous annatto solutions stick to both sides of the casing and when the casings are opened the colouring stays only on one of the sides, wherefore half the casing is coloured whereas the other side stays without any colour, the sausages being thus unacceptable and unevenly coloured.

~LL I'L~Bl~s9~I1~ 6 Cellulose casings are usually sold folded, shaped as small cylinders (sticks) containing at least 50 metres of folded casing. Oily coatings also reduce the adherence between the casing folds that are produced in the folding process, thereby yielding unacceptable folded cylinders of cellulose casings, that do not retain their own shape after folding.

It would therefore be much to be desired for a cellulose casing to be provided, capable of transferring annatto colouring to the sausage stuffed inside the said casing. A casing of this kind would inter alia offer the following advantages: annatto is a colouring that remains upon the surface of the sausage and does not migrate into the same, as do food colourings that are normally used in this kind of cellulose casings in sausages that may transfer colouring (transferable); colouring is saved, for diffusion of the colouring into the sausage requires a greater quantity of colouring matter to acieve the same colour upon the surface of the sausage; S- a "natural" colouring is used, as compared with "artificial" colourings that are normally used in this kind of transferable cellulose casings, which means a better acceptance among consumers; an additional advantage over colou 'ng of finished sausages in annatto baths is that con-L:.- between the colouring and the surface of the sausage takes place during the hot processing stage which means that the colouring will be fixed better to the surface of the L. I 7 sausage and the risk of microbial contamination will be reduced; and yet another advantage of this casing, for the food manufacturer, lies in :'4at the manufacturer would no longer require sausage colouring equipment.

Now therefore, an object of the present invention is a cellulose casing transferring a red-orange colour to the sausage stuffed into the said casing with a substantially homogenous appearance, and containing an annatto colouring that overcomes the disadvantages aforesaid and provides the advantages listed above.

Another object of the present invention is a coating composition for a cellulose sausage coating.

An additional object of the present invention is a method for coating the inner surface of a cellulose 20 sausage casing with a coating composition.

And yet another object of the present invention is a a process for fixing the colouring to the casing.

o .25 Other additional objects of this invention will follow clearly from the following description and the attached claims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention provides a cellulose casing transferring a substantially uniform red-orange colour to the sausage stuffed inside the said casing.

The cellulose casing of this invention contains an 11 91~11 8 internal coating containing at least two components: i) a water-soluble annatto colouring, and ii) one or more oily substances.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention provides a cellulose casing that transmits colour to sausages while they are being processed, containing a macroscopically homogenous internal coating comprising at least two components, one of which is a water-soluble annatto colouring and the other comprises one or more oily substances.

The sausage casings that may preferably be coated with colouring in accordance with the present invention are cellulose casings, sold in the form of folded sticks of variable length, indeed of up to 50 metres or more of casing, each stick being some 30 cm long.

The said casings are used as a mould for making the sausage by stuffing the contents. Once sausage processing is over, at the final cooking and in many cases smoking •stage, the casing is removed from the sausage by peeling.

Cellulose casings to be coated in accordance with this invention can be casings having a fibrous net on their wall or otherwise, and may be manufactured by any of the known methods aforesaid, for instance as described in US patent numbers 2,999,757 to Shiner et al. and 2,983,949 to Matecki.

As set out above, it has now been found that the addition of an internal coating containing at least two components, one of which is a water-soluble annatto i L I~II ~I~uc~rr~s~ 9 colouring and the other comprising one or more oilsoluble substances, onto a cellulose casing, provides casings that are able to add colour onto the sausage surface. The coating obtained for the sausage has optimal features to be used in markets seeking inge-like shade in the sausage coatings.

The market offers various annatto extracts with different characteristics. In fact, there are watersoluble annatto colourings and other oil-soluble colourings, with differing amounts of bixin and norbixin, the main colouring substances. Both forms can be easily interconverted into the other form, and their concentration can be expressed approximately as the equivalent concentration of any of the two colouring forms.

The market currently offers aqueous water-soluble annatto solutions with contents ranging approximately between 0.2% and 5% of colouring matter expressed as norbixin, and water-soluble powder forms containing up to 15% of colouring matter, expressed as norbixin.

Furthermore, oil-soluble annatto forms can also be found containing approximately between 0.1% and 5% of colouring matter expressed as bixin. Though these forms are usually referred to as oily solutions, they can comprise true solutions, suspensions or emulsions. This distinction is not a key factor in using this invention.

As set out above in the Background of the Invention, the water- or oil-soluble annatto colouring is not per se sufficient to obtain coatings on the cellulose casing of suitable characteristics.

F I -L-B BBII-d-I~L~ 10 The oil-soluble annatto colouring does not stick to the essentially hydrophilic and easily removable cellulose casing surface and hence no even wear-resisting colour is provided on the surface of the sausage.

Aqueous annatto solutions stick to both sides of the casing and when the casings are opened the colouring remains on one side only. Therefore, half the casing is coloured whilst the other half has no colour, whence the sausages provided are unacceptable, since unevenly coloured.

It has now surprisingly been found that the mixture of both (water- and oil-soluble) annatto colourings provides a coating that: is not easily removable by surface wear, is essentially even, and prevents the casing faces from sticking.

Without setting down a binding theory, it seems that the mixture of the two improves the evenness of the oilsoluble colouring, that is fr greater than with the oilsoluble colouring on its own, and decreases the excessive adherence of the water-soluble colouring on the cellulose casing.

Now therefore, a cellulose casing is provided that transmits colour to sausages whilst they are being processed, containing an internally macroscopically homogenous coating, comprising at least two components, one of which is a water-soluble annatto and the other comprising one or various oily substances.

The contents of the colouring substance, expressed Ir H I~ Y I m i9R l 11 as norbixin, in the internal coating ranges between 0.2 and 9 mg/dm' of casing surface, preferably between 1 and mg/d 2 of casing surface.

The contents of the oily substance in the internal coating comprises between 1 and 25 mg/dm' of casing surface, preferably between 3 and 15 mg/dm 2 of casing surface. The reference to casing surface should be taken as a reference to the internal casing surface.

It has also been found that the addition of another oily compound, for instance animal oil, vegetable oil, mineral oil, silicone oil, synthetic oils and glycerides, has a similar effect, whence these products can replace the oily annatto solution, as desired. Consequently, the internal coating need not contain an oily annatto solution and may instead contain one such oily compound or a mixture of two or more of such products. This mixture may optionally contain an jily annatto solution.

The quantity of oily component may be provided at a rate of between 0.5% and 25% of the coating weight, preferably between 3% and 15% of the coating weight.

In a preferred embodiment, the oily component of the coating is an oily bixin solution, dispersion or emulsion containing between 0.1% and 5% of colouring matter expressed as bixin on the aggregate. The water-soluble S" annatto colouring used may be any commercially available one, such as for instance A-5000-WS-P (CHR. Hansen's).

The oil-soluble colouring used may be any commercially available one, such as A-4000-OSS (CHR. Hansen's), or commercially available products of similar characteristics.

'I-Y

12 2 0 o a ooo o *i The quantity of colouring can vary according to the extent of colour that is to be obtained on the sausage, though the final colour will also depend to a certain extent on the meat emulsion used and processing thereof.

This quantity of colouring, expressed as norbixin, can vary betweer 0.2 and 9 mg/dm' of casing surface, preferably between 1 and 2.5 mg/dm 2 of casing surface.

Different additives may be optionally added to the colouring coating solution. Thus, for instance, thinners such as water, edible oils; plasticizers such as polyols, for instance glycerine or propylenaglycol; emulsifiers, such as lecithin, ethylene oxide adducts and a partial fatty acid ester and polysorbates, for instance Tween peeling or peeling enhancing substances or mixtures such as cellulose ethers, for instance carboxymethylcellulose and other additives used habitually in making sausages can be added.

This invention also provides a suitable composition for internally coating a cellulose sausage casing, comprising at least two components, one of which is a water-soluble annatto colouring, and the other comprises one or more oily substances, the annatto colouring being provided at a concentration lying between 0.2% and and the oily substance between 0.5% and 25%, preferably between 3% and 15% of the coating liquid.

The water-soluble annatto colouring used can be any commercially available one, such as for instance A-4000- WS-P (CHR. Hansen's).

The second component of this coating composition comprises one or more oily substances. The oily a a .a a I Ir c ,e 13 substances used can be commercially available oily solutions, dispersions and emulsions of an oil-soluble annatto colouring, such as A-4000-OSS (CHR. Hansen's) or commercially available products of like characteristics.

Other oily compounds can also be added, for instance animal oil, vegetable oil, mineral oil, silicone oil, synthetic oils and glycerides, that may replace the oily annatto solution, as appropriate, or a mixture of two or more of such compounds with or without an oily annatto solution can be prepared.

Additionally and optionally, the coating composition can be supplemented with various additives that are used habitually in making sausages, for instance thinners, plasticizers, emulsifiers, peeling or peeling enhancing substances or mixtures and other habitual additives can be added.

The present invention also provides a method of 20 coating the internal surface of a cellulose sausage coating with a coating composition. The said method of coating the inner surface of the cellulose casings comprises a stage at which the inner wall of the said casings is placed in contact with a coating liquid or 25 composition comprising at least two components, one of which is a water-soluble annatto colouring, and the other comprising one or more oily substances, wherein the water-soluble annatto colouring is provided at a concentration lying between 0.2% and 10%, and the oily 30 substance between 0.5% and 25%, preferably between 3% and of the coating liquid.

The water-soluble annatto colouring used can be any commercially available one, for instance A-4000-WS-P (CHR. Hansen's).

ii 14 The second component of the coating liquid comprises one or more oily substances. The oily substances used can be commercially available oily solutions, dispersions and emulsions of an oil-soluble annatto colouring, such as A- 4000-OSS (CHR. Hansen's) or commercially available products of like characteristics. Other oily compounds can also be added, for instance animal oil, vegetable oil, mineral oil, silicone oil, synthetic oils and glycerides, that may replace the oily annatto solution, as appropriate, or a mixture of two or more o. such compounds with or without an oily annatto solution can be prepared.

In a preferred embodiment the oily component of the coating liquid is an oily bixin solution, dispersion or emulsion.

Additionally and optionally the coating liquid can contain various additives that are used habitually in 20 making sausages, for instance thinners, plasticizers (between 5% and 60% of the aggregate weight of the coating liquid), emulsifiers, peeling or peeling enhancing substances or mixtures and other habitual additives.

The various methods for soaking the internal surface of the casings, inter alia as described in US patent numbers 3,106,471 to Firth and 3,451,827 to Bridgeford, can be used, within limits, in putting the present invention into effect.

An additional application of the present invention allows coloured casings to be obtained, manufactured using a cellulose casing, provided by this invention, transmitting colour to such sausage while it is being 15 processed, and containing a macroscopically homogenous internal coating comprising at least two components, one of which is a water-soluble annatto colouring and the other comprises one or more oily substances.

Yet another application of the present invention provides a method for colouring sausages obtained by stuffing the meat mass into a cellulose casing as provided by this invention, which transmits colour to such sausage while it is being processed, and contains a macroscopically homogenous internal coating comprising at least two components, one of which is a water-soluble annatto colouring and the other comprises one or more oily substances.

EXAMPLES

The following examples are only meant to illustrate this invention and should not be taken to limit the same.

EXAMPLE 1 This example illustrates the treating of a casing with a mixture of annatto colourings that provides a suitable casing to transmit a substantially even redorange colour to the food products with which the said casing is stuffed.

The components listed hereinafter are mixed in the amounts given, using a high-power mixer to disperse the same: Components A-4000-OSS 10 ml AN-14 WP 21.4 g p--p ii II aRII11 16 Propyleneglycol 25 ml Glycerine 20 ml Tween 80 1.62 g Carboxymethylcellulose (sodium salt) (Walocel) 0.64 g Water 45 ml A-4000-OSS is an oil-soluble annatto colouring with a colouring content of approximately and manufactured by the firm CHR. Hansen's.

AN-14 VP is a water-soluble powder annatto with a colouring content of approximately manufactured by the firm Xantoflor.

colouring 14%, and 0c** 20 0*

S.

S

Tween 80 is a sorbitan polyoxyethylene and fatty acid ester.

The mixture is evenly applied to the inner surface of the cellulose casing by the so-called bubble method (comprising applying the coating slowly, constantly and firmly) with a content of 0.04 ml/dm 2 of casing surface, which is equivalent to 1.1 mg/dm 2 of colouring.

S

5.5 5 *4o S. The water content of the casing is adjusted to 14% 25 and after folding the casing is stuffed with meat, and the sausage is then processed and peeled.

The sausages obtained had a substantially even redorange colour.

EXAMPLE 2 This example illustrates the use of a water-soluble form of annatto that yields an uneven sausage colour.

-41 b~ 17 The components listed hereinafter are mixed in the amounts given, using a high-power mixer to disperse the same: Components AN-14 WP 28.6 g Propyleneglycol 15 ml Glycerine 9 ml Carboxymethylcellulose (sodium salt) (Walocel) 0.64 g Water 76 ml The mixture is evenly applied to the inner surface of the cellulose casing by the bubble method, with a content of 0.04 ml/dm 2 of casing surface, which is equivalent to 1.1 mg/dm 2 of colouring.

The water content of the casing is adjusted to 14% and after folding the casing is stuffed with a meat emulsion, and the sausage is then processed and peeled.

20 Folding was poor due to self-adhesion of the casing faces.

The sausages obtained had an irregular appearance covered in spots (mosaic appearance).

EXAMPLE 3 This example illustrates the use of an oil-soluble form of annatto that yields an unsuitable sausage colour.

The components listed hereinafter are mixed in the amounts given, using a high-power mixer to disperse the same: sl~rr~sls~i~ 18 Components A-4000-OSS 10 ml Propyleneglycol 25 ml Glycerine 20 ml Lecithin 1.8 g Carboxymethylcellulose (sodium salt) (Walocel) 0.64 g Water 45 ml The mixture is evenly applied to the inner surface of the cellulose casing by the bubble method, with a content of 0.025 ml/dm 2 of casing surface, which is equivalent to 0.1 mg/dm' of colouring.

The water content of the casing is adjusted to 14% and after folding the casing is stuffed with a meat emulsion, and the sausage is then processed and The sausages obtained had a spotted appearance ,dith '20 a non-homogenous pale reddish colour that was easily removable by surface wear.

EXAMPLE 4 This example illustrates the use of a commercial annatto solution that yields an unsuitable sausage colour.

The components listed hereinafter are mixed in the amounts given, using a high-power mixer to disperse the same: Components A-720-OWS 98 ml Tween 80 2 ml 1P Br-BI II- 19 A-720-OWS is an oil- and water-soluble annatto colouring with a colouring content of approximately of the firm CHR. Hansen's.

The mixture is evenly applied to the inner surface of the cellulose casing by the bubble method, with a content of 0.04 ml/dm 2 of casing surface, which is equivalent to 1.1 mg/dm 2 of colouring.

The water content of the casing is adjusted to 14%.

Folding is difficult.

After folding, the casing is stuffed with a meat 15 emulsion, and the sausages are then processed and peeled.

The sausages obtained had a non-homogenous appearance and the surface colour was easily removable by surface wear.

AEXAMPLE This example illustrates the use of a casing with another mixture of annatto colouring that provides a suitable casing to transmit a substantially even redorange colour to the food products stuffed in such casing.

The components listed hereinafter are mixed in the amounts given, using a high-power mixer to disperse the same: Components A-4000-OSS 5 ml A-4000-WS-P 21.4 g ~b ~L~EB 20 Glycerine 45 ml Tween 80 1 g Water 49 ml A-4000-WS-P is a water-soluble powder annatto colouring with a colouring content of approximately 14%, of the firm CHR. Eansen's.

The mixture is evenly applied to the inner surface of the cellulose casing by the bubble method, with a content of 0.03 ml/dm 2 of casing surface, which is equivalent to 0.90 mg/dm 2 of colouring.

The water content of the casing is adjusted to 14% 15 and after folding the casing is stuffed with a meat emulsion, and the sausages are then processed and peeled.

The sausages obtained had a substantially even redorange colour.

."EXAMPLE 6 This example illustrates the treatment of a casing S* with a mixture of an oily substance with a water-soluble annatto colouring that provides a suitable casing for transmitting a substantially even red-orange colour to the food products stuffed in such casing.

The components listed hereinafter are mixed in the amounts given, using a high-power mixer to disperse the same: Components Delios V 20 ml AN-14 WP 25 g ~--P4sr~lPII~s~- 21 Glycerine 45 ml Tween 80 2.5 g Carboxymethylcellulose (sodium salt) (Walocel) 0.64 g Water 35 ml Delios V is a vegetable oil of the firm Henkel.

The mixture is evenly applied to the inner surface of the cellulose casing by the bubble method, with a content of 0.066 ml/dm 2 of casing surface, which is equivalent to 2.3 mg/dm' of colouring.

The water content of the casing is adjusted to 14% and after folding the casing is stuffed with a meat 15 emulsion, and the sausages are then processed and peeled.

The sausages obtained had a substantially even redorange colour.

EXAMPLE 7 Os A number of casing samples were prepared using the processes described in the examples, and sausages were made with such casings.

The colour of the sausages was recorded using a Dr LANGE Micro Colour colorimter. The colour is expressed in L*ab* values. The L* values stand for the clearness of the sample; the a* values stand for the redness or red quality of the sample and the b* values stand for the yellowness or yellow quality of the sample.

The results are shown in the following table: rl i 22 Example 1 2 3 4 6 Control sausage not coloured Commercial coloured sausage

L

45.2 47.5 59.4 49.3 49.9 44.9 a 36.3 29.2 10.4 34.3 31.4 34 b* Remarks 43.9 Correct 45.8 Casing faces stuck 17.6 Little colour 45.3 Uneven. Folding poor 46.6 Correct 46.9 Correct 62.4 6.2 11.6 46.1 34.1 40.5 The colour of the sausages made using the present invention was much like that of commercial sausages coloured using the conventional bath process.

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Claims (26)

1. A cellulose casing transmitting colour to sausages while they are processed, characterised by having a macroscopically homogenous internal coating comprising at least two components, one of which is a water-soluble annatto colouring and the other comprising one or more oily substances.

2. A casing as in claim 1, wherein the oily component of the coating is an oily bixin solution, dispersion or emulsion.

3. A casing as in claim 2, wherein the oily bixin 15 solution has a bixin concentration lying between 0.1% and

4. A casing as in claim 1, wherein the oily component of the coating is an animal oil. S" 5. A casing as in claim 1, wherein the oily component of the coating is a vegetable oil.

6. A casing as in claim 1, wherein the oily component of the coating is a mineral oil.

7. A casing as in claim 1, wherein the oily component of the coating is a silicone oil.

8. A casing as in claim 1, wherein the oily component of the coating is a synthetic oil.

9. A casing as in c aim 1, wherein the oily component of the coating is a mixture or combination of two or more oils as specified in claims 2 to 8. i -I 24 A casing as in any of claims 1, 2 and 4 to 8, characterised in that the internal coating, the colouring substance, expressed as norbixin, is present in a quantity ranging between 0.2 and 9 mg/dm of casing surface anR the oily substance between 1 and 25 mg/dm 2 of casing surface.

11. A casing as in claim 10, wherein the oily substance content lies between 3 and 15 mg/dm 2 of casing surface.

12. A casing as in claims 10 or 11, wherein the colouring content, expressed as norbixin, ranges between 1 and 2.5 mg/dm 2 of casing surface. 15 13. A casing as in any of claims 1 to 12, characterised in that the internal coating, besides a first water- solable annatto colouring component, and a second oily component, contains at least a peeling substance or S mixture.

14. A casing as in claim 13, characterised in that the peeling substance or mixture contains at least a cellulose ether.

15. A casing as'in claim 13, characterised in that the peeling substance or mixture contains at least carboxymethylcellulose.

16. A casing as in any of claims 1 to 12, characterised in that the internal coating, besides a first water- soluble annatto colouring component, and a second oily componert, contains at least an emulsifier.

17. A casing as in any of claims 13 to 15, characterised in that the internal coating, besides a first water- -I 25 soluble annatto colouring component, a second oily component, and a third peeling substance or mixture component, contains at least an emulsifier.

18. A casing as in claims 16 or 17, wherein the emulsifier is lecithin.

19. A cai ng as in claims 16 or 17, wherein the emulsifier is an ethylene oxide adduct and a partial fatty acid ester or a partial fatty acid and sorbite derivative anhydrides ester. A cellulose casing as in claims 1 to 19, characterised in that the said casing has a fibrous net 15 embedded in its wall. 21' A method for coating the internal surface of the regenerated cellulose casings defined in claims 1 to characterised in that the internal wall of such casings is made to contact with a coating liquid comprising at least two components, one of which is a water-soluble annatto colouring and the second component being one or more oily substances, wherein the water-solaile colouring, expressed as norbixin, is found at a concentration ranging between 0.2% and 10%, and the oily substance between 0.5% and

22. A coating method as in claim 21, wherein the oily substance content is found at a concentration ranging between 3% and 15% of the coating liquid.

23. A coating method as in claim 21, wherein the oily component of the coatir, liquid is a bixin solution, dispersion or emulsion. 26

24. A coating method as in claim 21, characterised in that the internal coating liquid, besides a first water- soluble annatto colouring component, and an oily component, contains at least a peeling substance or mixture. A coating method as in claim 24, characterised in that the peeling substance or mixture contains at least a cellulose ether.

26. A coating method as in claim 25, characterised in that the peeling substance or mixture contains at least carboxymethylcellulose. 15 27. A coating method as in claim 21, characterised in that the internal coating, besides a first water-soluble annatto colouring component, and an oily component, contains at least an emulsifier.

28. A coating method as in claim 27, wherein the emulsifier is lecithin.

29. A coating method as in claim 27, wherein the emulsifier is an ethylene oxide adduct and a partial fatty acid ester or a partial fatty acid and sorbite derivative anhydrides ester. A coating method as in claim 21, characterised in that the internal coating liquid, besides a first water- soluble annatto colouring component, and an oily component, contains at least a plasticizer at a rate lying between 5% and 60% of the aggregate weight of the coating liquid.

31. A coating method as in claim 30, wherein the L 27 plasticizer is glycerine.

32. A coating method as in claim 30, wherein the plasticizer is propyleneglycol.

33. A coloured sausage manufactured using a casing as in claims 1 to

34. A method for coating sausages obtained by stuffing the meat mass in a casing as in claims 1 to r D s r r r r r r r a r DATED this 7th day of February 1995. VISCOFAN, Industria Navarra de Envolturas Celulosicas, S.A. By their Patent Attorneys: CALLINAN LAWRIE L\ Iuaidw 28 SAUSAGE CASING COATED IN ANNATTO AND A METHOD FOR COATING THE INNER SURFACE OF THE CASING ABSTRACT A cellulose sausage casing suitable for transmitting a substantially even annatto colour (bixin or norbixin) while a food product is being processed inside such casing. This casing contains an internal coating comprising at least two components, one of which is a water-soluble annatto colouring (norbixin) and the other comprises one or more oily substances (bixin, where it is a second annatto colouring). This casing is useful in the food industry, and is suitable for colouring sausages and like food products. e e. O 6 f o 0* r