BE1030931B1 - METHOD FOR COOKING MEAT PRODUCTS - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention concerns a method for industrially cooking meat products, wherein the method comprises the steps of: (i) feeding meat products into a cooking chamber; (ii) cooking these meat products in the cooking chamber, wherein the cooking chamber has a cooking temperature between 70 and 74°C; and (iii) the delta-T cooking of the meat products with a delta-T value until a core temperature of between 68 and 72°C is reached in these meat products, and where the delta-T value is between 9 and 11°C, and wherein the ratio of the time of the yarn in step (ii) and the time of the delta-T yarn in step (iii) is between 1 and 3.

Description

1 BE2022/5787

METHOD FOR COOKING MEAT PRODUCTS

TECHNICAL DOMAIN

The invention relates to a method for cooking meat products.

STATE OF THE TECHNOLOGY

Meat can be contaminated with a number of disease-causing bacteria such as Salmonella,

Campylobacter, Listeria monocytogenes and toxin-producing E. coli. These bacteria can be partly killed if the meat is heated sufficiently. The longer the heat process, the more bacteria are killed. For ground meat, this means well done, so heat it right down to the core, because bacteria can also be present there.

The rule “at least 2 minutes at 70°C” is considered standard for cooking techniques. Cooking meat products where the core temperature reaches 70°C for 2 minutes would be enough to ensure the killing of pathogens.

However, it has been found that this rule is sometimes not sufficient for meat products and that Listeria monocytogenes cells can still be detected after cooking.

The safe harbor “70°C for 2 minutes” could be revised by possibly raising it to a higher temperature. However, a higher temperature is associated with the denaturing of muscle fibers present in the meat, resulting in cooking losses and structural losses. Longer cooking times at lower temperatures mean that microbiological killing cannot be guaranteed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention concerns a method for cooking meat products according to claim 1. Preferred shapes are shown in the subsequent claims. As well as the method of obtaining the cooked meat product and the use of the method for cooking pork products,

It is an aim of the invention to provide an industrial cooking technique for meat products.

2 BE2022/5787

An aim of the invention is to provide a cooking technique that results in less moisture loss compared to current techniques, and more specifically techniques at higher temperatures.

It is also an object of the invention to reduce or even avoid cooking losses. Furthermore, the aim is to reduce or even avoid structural losses in the meat, which is important, for example, in stew meat.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a cooking technique that results in a product that is both sufficiently cooked and has sufficient juiciness.

The invention also aims to achieve a sufficiently high pasteurization value (F-value or p-value) both on the surface and in the core of the meat product.

The invention aims to provide a solution to the problems associated with cooking relatively large pieces of meat, whereby both the microbiological stability (high p-value) and the juiciness/tenderness of the meat are optimized.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used in the description of the invention, including technical and scientific terms, have the meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art of the invention.

For a better appreciation of the description of the invention, the following terms are explicitly explained. “A”, “the” and “the” in this document refer to both the singular and the plural unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, “a segment” means one or more than one segment.

When “approximately” is used in this document for a measurable quantity, a parameter, a period of time or moment, etc., variations of +/-20% or less, preferably +/-10% or less, more if preferably +/-5% or less, even more preferably +/-1% or less, and even more preferably +/-0.1% or less than and of the quoted value, to the extent that such variations apply in the described invention. However, this must be understood to mean that the

3 BE2022/5787 value of the quantity using the term “approximately” or “around” is itself specifically disclosed.

The terms “comprise”, “comprising”, “providing”, “involving”, “involving”, “containing”, “containing” are synonyms and are inclusive or open terms that indicate the presence of what follows, and that the presence does not exclude or preclude other components, features, elements, members, steps known or described in the prior art.

The terms “consist of”, “consisting of”, “containing”, “containing” are synonyms and are exclusive or open terms which indicate the absence of what follows and which exclude or preclude the presence of other components, features, elements, members, steps, known from or described in the prior art,

Quoting numerical intervals through the endpoints includes all integers, fractions, and/or real numbers between the endpoints, including these endpoints.

In a first aspect, the invention concerns a method for cooking meat products.

In a preferred embodiment, the method comprises the steps of: . feeding meat products into a cooking room; ii, cooking these meat products in the cooking chamber; and iii, the delta-T cooking of these meat products,

In one embodiment, the meat products are provided with a core thermometer when supplied to the cooking chamber in step (i), wherein the core thermometer is suitable for measuring the core temperature of the meat products, preferably the core thermometer is suitable for continuously measuring the core temperature. of the meat products.

In one embodiment, the method in step (ii) comprises cooking the meat products in the cooking chamber. Cooking continues in the cooking chamber at a cooking temperature, preferably a fixed cooking temperature. “Cooking room temperature” refers to the air temperature in the cooking chamber.

In a preferred form, cooking continues in the cooking chamber in step (ii) at a cooking temperature of at least 50°C, preferably a cooking room temperature

4 BE2022/5787 of at least 55°C, more preferably a cooking room temperature of at least 60°C, even more preferably a cooking room temperature of at least 65°C, even more preferably a cooking room temperature of at least 66°C, even more preferably a cooking temperature of at least 67°C, even more preferably a cooking temperature of at least 68°C, even more preferably a cooking temperature of at least 69°C, even more preferably a cooking temperature of at least 70°C, even more more preferably a cooking temperature of at least 71°C.

In a preferred form, cooking in the cooking chamber continues in step (ii) at a cooking temperature of maximum 90°C, preferably a cooking temperature of maximum 85°C, more preferably a cooking temperature of maximum 80°C, even more preferably a cooking temperature of maximum 79°C, even more preferably a cooking temperature of maximum 78°C, even more preferably a cooking temperature of maximum 77°C, even more preferably a cooking temperature of maximum 76°C, even more preferably a cooking temperature of maximum 75°C, even more preferably a cooking temperature of maximum 74°C, even more preferably a cooking temperature of maximum 73°C.

In a preferred form, cooking in the cooking chamber continues in step (ii) at a cooking temperature between 50 and 90°C, preferably a cooking temperature between 55 and 85°C, more preferably a cooking temperature between 60 and 80°C , even more preferably a cooking temperature between 65 and 79°C, even more preferably a cooking temperature between 66 and 78°C, even more preferably a cooking temperature between 67 and 77°C, even more preferably a cooking temperature between 68 and 76°C, even more preferably a cooking temperature between 69 and 75°C, even more preferably a cooking temperature between 70 and 74°C, most preferably a cooking temperature between 71 and 73 °C.

In a preferred form, cooking continues in step (ii) for a period of at least 0.5 hours, preferably at least 1 hour, more preferably at least 1.5 hours, more preferably at least 2 hours, even more preferably at least 2.5 hours. It has been found that 2.5 hours are required to achieve minimum cooking in the meat products at the cooking temperature.

In a preferred form, the cooking continues in step (ii) for a period of between 0.5 and 4.5 hours, preferably between 1 and 4 hours, more preferably between 1.5 and 3.5 hours, more preferably preferably between 2 and 3 hours, even more preferably between 2.5 and 3.5 hours, 5

In a preferred form, the cooking in step (ii) continues by steaming.

In one embodiment, the meat products are cooked in a next step (iii) using a delta-T cooking process. The term "delta-T cooking" refers to a cooking technique in which the cooking temperature in the cooking chamber increases as a function of a measured core temperature of the meat products, whereby during delta-T cooking the difference between the cooking temperature and the measured core temperature is always approximately the same. to a delta-T value,

In a preferred form, the delta T value is between 5°C and 15°C, more preferably between 6°C and 14°C, even more preferably between 7°C and 13°C, even more preferably between 8 °C and 12°C, even more preferably between 9°C and 11°C, most preferably about 10°C.

To this end, the meat products are provided with a core thermometer when they are introduced into the cooking chamber, whereby the core thermometer is suitable for measuring the core temperature of the meat products, and during delta-T cooking the core temperature of the meat products is continuously measured with the core thermometer. Preferably, the cooking temperature is then increased based on the measured core temperature,

Preferably, the delta-T cooking continues in step (iii) until the meat products reach a core temperature of at least 60°C, more preferably at least 65°C, even more preferably at least 66°C, even more preferably at least 67°C, even more preferably at least 68°C, even more preferably at least 69°C. In another or further preferred form, the delta-T cooking continues until a core temperature is reached in the meat products of a maximum of 80°C, more preferably a maximum of 75°C, even more preferably a maximum of 74°C, even more preferably a maximum 73°C, even more preferably maximum 72°C, even more preferably maximum 71°C.

In a preferred form, the delta-T cooking continues in step (iii) until a core temperature is reached in the meat products between 60 and 80°C, more preferably

6 BE2022/5787 between 65 and 75°C, even more preferably between 66 and 74°C, even more preferably between 67 and 73°C, even more preferably between 68 and 72°C, even more preferably between 69 and 71°C,

In a preferred form, during delta-T cooking in step (iii), the difference between the cooking temperature and the core temperature is always approximately equal to the delta-T value. This means that during delta-T cooking in a preferred form the difference between the cooking temperature and the core temperature is always between 5°C and 15°C, more preferably between 6°C and 14°C, even more preferably between 7°C and 13°C, even more preferably between 8°C and 12°C, even more preferably between 9°C and 11°C, most preferably about 10°C,

In a preferred form, the delta-T cooking continues in step (iii) for a period of at least 15 minutes, preferably 30 minutes, more preferably at least 45 minutes, even more preferably at least 60 minutes, even more preferably at least 80 minutes. minutes, It has been found that 2.5 hours are needed to achieve minimum doneness in the meat products at the cooking temperature,

In a preferred form, the delta-T yarn continues in step (iii) for a duration of between 15 and 165 minutes, preferably between 30 and 150 minutes, more preferably between 45 and 135 minutes, even more preferably between 60 and 120 minutes. minutes, even more preferably between 80 and 100 minutes.

In a preferred form, the core temperature of the meat products is continuously measured during delta-T cooking in step (iii), such as by means of the core thermometer. In a further preferred form, the cooking temperature of the cooking chamber is then continuously adjusted based on the measured core temperature, preferably the cooking temperature of the cooking chamber is then continuously adjusted based on the measured core temperature, so that the difference between the cooking temperature and the core temperature is always approximately the same. is at the delta-T value.

In a preferred form, the total duration of steps (ii) and (iii) is at least 1 hour, preferably at least 2 hours, more preferably at least 3.5 hours, even more preferably at least 4 hours. It has been found that 4 hours are required to achieve minimum cooking in the meat products at the cooking temperature.

In a preferred form, the total duration of steps (ii) and (iii) is between 1 and 8 hours, more preferably between 1.5 and 7.5 hours, even more preferably between 2 and 7 hours, even more

7 BE2022/5787 more preferably between 2.5 and 6.5 hours, even more preferably between 3 and 6 hours, even more preferably between 3.5 and 5.5 hours, even more preferably between 4 and 5 hours.

In a preferred form, the ratio of the time of the yarn in step (ii) and the time of the delta-T yarn in step (iii) is between 1 and 3, preferably between 1.25 and 2.75, more preferably preferably between 1.5 and 2.5, even more preferably between 1.75 and 2.25.

In a specific preferred embodiment, the method comprises the steps of: . feeding meat products into a cooking room; ii, cooking these meat products in the cooking chamber, where the cooking temperature is between 70 and 74°C; and ii. the delta-T cooking of these meat products with a delta-T value until the products reach a core temperature between 68 and 72°C, where the delta-T value is between 9 and 11°C, and where the ratio of the cooking time in step (ii) and the delta-T cooking time in step (iii) are between 1 and 3.

The method according to the present invention has the advantage that the combination of cooking at a low temperature and subsequent delta-T cooking has a synergistic effect on the quality of the meat product. The inventors unexpectedly discovered that adjusting the duration of the cooking steps resulted in a juicy product with less moisture loss,

The method results in a juicy product with less moisture loss compared to cooking techniques at shorter, higher temperatures, because denaturing of the muscle fibers is avoided. At the same time, a good pasteurization value (F-value or p-value) is obtained.

The terms “pasteurization value”, “F-value”, and “p-value” are synonyms and refer to the time (in minutes) of the pasteurization process at a certain temperature. The term “P70” refers to the p-value at a temperature of 70°C, determined on the basis of the measured temperature profile during heating of meat products, using equation (1): ft T(-70°C

P70 =| 10 75 dt

8 BE2022/5787

With t: the time (minutes) and T(t): the temperature at time t (°C).

In a preferred form, a P70 value of at least 35 is achieved during the method, preferably at least 40,

The meat product in the present invention can be any animal meat. For example, it may include chicken meat, turkey meat, duck meat, pork, beef, veal, fish, mutton, lamb, ostrich meat, horse meat or mixtures thereof.

Preferably the meat product is a pork product. The pork products are preferably selected from the list of: pork roast, pork tenderloin, pork center, or a combination thereof. For example, a pork roast can be a Kasseler roast, a devil's roast, an Ardennes roast, an Orloff roast, a

Be a Breton roast, a western roast, a mustard roast, a spring roast, a hunter roast, a Viennese roast or a Neapolitan roast.

In one embodiment, the meat products undergo one or more processing steps prior to step (i). The processing steps are preferably chosen from the list of: deboning, cleaning, marinating, coloring, cooling and packaging.

The term “deboning” refers to the process in which the bones are removed from meat products.

The term “marination” refers to the process in which the meat products are soaked in a seasoned liquid. The liquid in question, the marinade, can be (I) acidic, such as lemon juice, vinegar, wine or tomatoes contribute to the tenderization of the meat. meat by encouraging the denaturing of proteins causing them to unfold, (II) being enzymatic, such as those made with ingredients such as pineapple, papaya, kiwi, fig, or ginger, or (III) containing dairy products such as yogurt or buttermilk. In addition to these ingredients, a marinade can also include oils, herbs and spices to further flavor the food.

The term "colouring" refers to the process in which meat products, with or without a warm fatty substance, are brought into contact with heat to sear the outer pores of the meat products.

The term "packaging" refers to the process in which the meat products are provided in packaging, preferably a vacuum packaging, such as a thermoforming packaging.

9 BE2022/5787

In one embodiment, the meat products are packaged prior to being supplied to the cooking chamber. The meat products are preferably packaged using thermoforming packaging. A thermoforming package consists of a bottom and a top film. The deep drawing can be carried out on a deep drawing device where a bottom foil is fed in a conveyor chain to the forming station. In one embodiment, the bottom film is heated in the forming station and the desired bag/packaging is formed using compressed air and/or vacuum. The resulting bag/packaging is then filled with the product to be packaged. In one embodiment, the filled bag/packaging is then placed in the sealing station together with the top foil. The filled bag/packaging is then evacuated via: the narrow top foil, holes in the side or a cross bar with nozzles. Optionally, a modified atmosphere (MAP) is applied here, after which the packaging can be sealed. The result is a high-quality and airtight packaging. The advantage of thermoforming packaging of the meat product is that the packaging keeps the oxygen out and the gas mixture remains in the packaging. As a result, fresh products have a longer shelf life before use and therefore an increased shelf life is achieved.

In one embodiment, the meat products undergo the sequential processing steps of: deboning, cleaning, marinating, coloring, cooling and packaging prior to step (i).

According to an embodiment, the meat products are cooled following step (iii),

In a preferred form, cooling takes place in two steps, preferably cooling comprises the following sequential steps: a. slow cooling of the meat products, and b. the rapid cooling of the meat products.

In one embodiment, the meat products are removed from the cooking chamber and transferred to a cooling chamber, after which cooling starts.

In one embodiment, the method comprises in a first step (a.) of cooling the slow cooling of the meat products until a core temperature in the meat products of a maximum of 65°C is reached, preferably a maximum of 60°C, more preferably a maximum of 55°C. C, In one embodiment, slow cooling is done by showering. The term “showering” refers to a process in which a mist of water is sprayed onto a surface

10 BE2022/5787 the meat products to cool slowly. In a further embodiment, the meat products are showered during removal of the meat products from the cooking chamber and to the cooling chamber. The mist and/or steam present in the cooling chamber and/or cooking chamber can then be extracted from the cooling chamber and/or cooking chamber.

In one embodiment, the slow cooling continues for a period of time between 5 and 60 minutes, preferably between 10 and 50 minutes, more preferably between 20 and 40 minutes, even more preferably about 30 minutes.

In one embodiment, the method comprises, in a second step (b.) of cooling, rapidly cooling the meat products until a core temperature in the meat products of a maximum of 10°C, preferably a maximum of 7°C, is reached. The term “rapid cooling”, as used in the text, refers to a process in which a food is brought very quickly (less than 10 hours) to a core temperature of a maximum of 10°C, preferably a maximum of 7°C.

In a preferred form, the rapid cooling continues for a period of up to 10 hours, preferably up to 9 hours, more preferably up to 8 hours, even more preferably up to 7 hours, most preferably up to 6 hours.

In another preferred form, the ratio of the time of the rapid cooling to the total time of the yarn (step ii) and the delta-T yarn (step iii) is between 0.5 and 2, preferably between 0.75 and 1 .75, more preferably between 1 and 1.5.

In a preferred form, the rapid cooling of the meat products takes place in a rapid cooler, wherein the rapid cooler has a temperature of a maximum of 7°C, preferably a maximum of 6°C, even more preferably a maximum of 5°C, even more preferably a maximum of 4°C. C, even more preferably maximum 3°C, even more preferably maximum 2°C, and most preferably maximum 1°C.

In this embodiment, an air flow can also be provided in the blast cooler, wherein the air flow has an air temperature of a maximum of 7°C, preferably a maximum of 6°C, even more preferably a maximum of 5°C, even more preferably a maximum of 4°C , even more preferably maximum 3°C, even more preferably maximum 2°C, and most preferably maximum 1°C.

In an alternative preferred form, the meat products are rapidly cooled in a blast cooler, wherein the meat products in the blast cooler are sprayed with

11 BE2022/5787 atomized ice water. Ice water means water with a temperature of maximum 7°C, preferably maximum 6°C, even more preferably maximum 5°C, even more preferably maximum 4°C, even more preferably maximum 3°C, even more preferably a maximum of 2°C, and most preferably a maximum of 1°C.

The cooling in two steps is advantageous because the slow cooling above 60°C guarantees a better p-value and less cooking loss.

The advantage is that rapid cooling improves the quality of the end product.

In what follows, the invention is described by means of: non-limiting examples that illustrate the invention and are not intended or should be construed to limit the scope of the invention.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

Example 1 concerns a cooking process carried out on pork centers and Ardennes roasts.

The meat products are steamed in a cooking chamber for a period of 4.5 hours and a cooking temperature set point of 72°C. The meat products are then subjected to a delta-T cooking process with delta-T=10. The core temperature of the meat products is continuously controlled. measured and the room temperature is adjusted so that the difference between the room temperature and the core temperature is always approximately 10°C. The delta-T cooking continues until the meat products have reached a core temperature of 70°C. The meat products are then slowly cooled to a core temperature of 60°C for 30 minutes by showering.

In a second step of the cooling process, the meat products are quickly cooled to a temperature lower than a maximum of 7°C in a maximum period of 6 hours.

The technique appeared to involve 5 to 8% less moisture loss compared to cooking techniques known in the prior art. Moreover, the meat structure of the meat products appeared to remain better intact.

Claims (15)

12 BE2022/5787 CONCLUSIONS 1. A method for industrially cooking meat products, wherein the method comprises the steps of: ii feeding meat products into a cooking chamber; ii, cooking these meat products in the cooking chamber, wherein the cooking chamber has a cooking temperature between 70 and 74°C; and iii. the delta-T cooking of the meat products with a delta-T value until a core temperature of between 68 and 72°C is reached in these meat products, and where the delta-T value is between 9 and 11°C, whereby the ratio of the time duration of the yarn in step (li) and the time duration of the delta-T yarn in step (lii) is between 1 and 3. 2. Method according to claim 1, wherein during delta-T cooking the core temperature of the meat products is continuously measured with a core thermometer, and wherein the cooking temperature is increased based on the measured core temperature. 3. Work according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the difference between the cooking temperature and the core temperature is always approximately equal to the delta-T value. 4. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the yarn continues in step (ii) by means of steaming, 5. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the method further comprises the step of cooling the meat products, and wherein the cooling comprises the following sequential steps: a. the slow cooling of the meat products, and b. the rapid cooling of the meat products. Method according to claim 5, wherein the slow cooling of the meat products continues until a core temperature in the meat products of a maximum of 65°C is reached, preferably a maximum of 60°C, 7. Method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the slow cooling comprises the step of showering the meat products. 13 BE2022/5787 8. Method according to claims 5-7, wherein the rapid cooling of the meat products continues until a core temperature in the meat products of a maximum of 10°C is reached, preferably a maximum of 7°C, 9. Method according to claims 5-8, wherein the rapid cooling takes place in a rapid cooler at a temperature of a maximum of 1°C. 10. Method according to claims 5-8, wherein the rapid cooling takes place in a rapid cooler, wherein the meat products in the rapid cooler are sprayed with atomized ice water, Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a P70 value of at least 35 is achieved, preferably at least 40. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the meat products are packaged, preferably vacuum packed, prior to step (i). Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the meat products are pork products, preferably selected from the list of: pork center, pork tenderloin, pork roast, or a combination thereof. 14. A use of a method according to any one of claims 1-13 for cooking pork products. 15. A meat product cooked using a method according to any of claims 1-13.