DE9421173U1 - Slicable meat product - Google Patents

Description

Unilever N.V. Munich

o.Z.: Pat 600/296V-95Ch 30 March 1995

Sliceable meat product

The invention relates to meat products cut into pieces for consumption.

It is desirable to be able to provide sliced meat products that have a reduced fat content. It is also advantageous to be able to provide sliced meat products that have a high nutrient content.

In sausage technology, it is known to incorporate vegetable pieces into the sausage to replace part of the meat content. ZA8103984, for example, discloses a sausage-like foodstuff comprising a flexible skin casing surrounding a cooked, edible cereal and/or vegetable product. The sausage-like content may contain meat, such as beef, pork or chicken, and more than 50% by weight of a cereal or vegetable product.

However, such products require a skin casing to maintain their shape. The sausage composition does not bind together sufficiently to allow these products to be cut.

Until now, it has not been possible to provide a sliceable meat product with a vegetable content of more than about 20 to 25% by weight of the product.

Surprisingly, we were now able to produce a sliceable meat product that contains more than 30% by weight of vegetables. We have found that in order to incorporate high concentrations of vegetables into a meat product, it is necessary that no more than 20 to 30% by weight of the product be vegetables.

81675 Munich* Tel.: +49 89 / 98 07 31 ■ Fax: +49 89 / 98 24 21

as visible, coarsely ground pieces. The remaining vegetables must be in finely chopped form.

Accordingly, the invention provides a sliceable meat sample

product comprising a vegetable content of more than 30% by weight of the product, in which not more than 20" to 30% by weight of the product vegetables are present as coarse ground particles -

Preferably, the invention provides a sliceable meat product comprising:

(a) more than 30 to about 80% by weight, based on the product,

of vegetables,
15

(b) 10 to 60 % by weight of the product of meat

and

{c) up to 20% by weight of functional ingredients, based on the product,

provided that no more than 20 to 30% by weight of the product vegetables are present as coarsely ground vegetable pieces.

The vegetables are preferably in an amount of 40 to 50

Weight-I, based on the product, present, and the meat 25

is present in an amount of 45 to 50 wt.% of the product.

Particularly preferred compositions contain

45 to 50 % meat,
30

15 to 20 % finely chopped vegetables and

25 to 30% coarsely ground vegetables.

Any vegetable is suitable for use. The vegetables can

e.g. from peas, sweet corn, peppers, broccoli, carrots

Cabbage, carrots, celery, celeriac, leeks,

Peppers, beetroot, chicory, fennel, eggplant, beans, zucchini, onions, tomatoes, spinach. Preferably ' the vegetables are sweetcorn, peas, carrots, b

Celery, celeriac, leeks, peppers, potatoes and mixtures of these selected.

The coarsely ground vegetables can be, for example, whole peas or sweetcorn kernels or vegetable pieces with a particle size of preferably 2 to 10 mm.

The vegetables can be incorporated into the product as fresh vegetables, frozen vegetables, dried vegetables or mixtures thereof

become.
15

Any meat is suitable for use; it can be selected from fish, beef, pork, chicken, lamb, turkey, and mixtures thereof. Lean meat is preferably used to keep the fat content in the product as low as possible. 20

to be reduced to a large extent.

Functional ingredients include vegetable proteins, cereals and gums (e.g. guar gum, locust bean gum).
25

The meat product may also contain additional ingredients such as salt, nitrite, ascorbic acid, phosphate, spices (e.g. pepper, nutmeg, chili, ginger, cayenne pepper, mustard and 'clove', 'pepper' - Thai).

The product may also contain ingredients with a high content of nutritional fibre, such as nuts, cereals and rice.

The products manufactured according to the invention have 35

their lower meat content compared to conventional meat products of this type, a reduced fat content. Fat contents of only 5 to 10% can be achieved

If desired, part of the fat content can be replaced by vegetable oil.

The actual composition of the product may

can be varied according to the required diet. For example, products with a high fiber content, low calorie content and low fat content can be provided.

The meat product may be a cooked meat product sold, for example, as ready-to-eat, sliced, cooked meat or as a whole sausage that the consumer/retailer can slice as desired.

Alternatively, the meat product can be a ferrated, salami-15

like product; such products can also be sold either as whole salami for slicing by the retailer or consumer or pre-sliced. In these salami-like products, the fat content is reduced,

and the visible pieces of bacon that are usually used for these 20

Products characteristic are replaced by pieces of vegetables, especially potatoes.

Other alternative product types include canned meat products, such as breakfast pork, which is also available before 25

should be cut before consumption.

Such products have many advantages, such as:

(a) the products are more nutritious than conventional cut-30

ten meat products, but have a similar appearance,

(b) the nutritional fibre content can be increased compared to conventional meat products,

(c) the fat content is very low and most of the

Fat has been replaced by carbohydrate, which is a 35

Nutritionally more balanced product,

(d) the product has a low calorie content (e.g. 150 kcal) without loss of sensory properties, such as

•••&Ogr; ···« · (

Taste/texture,

(e) the nitrite content can be reduced because nitrite is added to stabilize the meat colour and the

Meat concentrations have been reduced. &dgr;

The cooked meat products are produced by:

(a) Mixing the meat, the finely chopped vegetables, the salt, the spices, the binding agents, etc. in

a bowl with a chopping device,

{b) Add the coarsely ground vegetable pieces,

(c) filling into the casings,

(d) Cooking.

Alternatively, the product can be smoked before cooking and/or partially dried after cooking.

When a pre-cut product is ready to be launched on the market, it is then cut and vacuum packed.

If dried vegetables are used for the finely chopped vegetable content, water, preferably as ice, must be added in the necessary concentration. However, if fresh or frozen chopped vegetables are used,

little or no water should be added to the mixture.

Preferably, either the chopped vegetable or the meat component or both are added in a frozen state in order to lower the temperature during the mixing process.

This prevents unwanted denaturation of the meat/vegetable proteins.

When dried vegetables are used as the coarsely ground vegetable chunk component of the sausage, the vegetables are rehydrated before use.

The casings used can all be used in the production of

They can be the conventional casings used for sausages and can be used in any suitable diameter, e.g. from 15 to 135 mm. ■■

If a salami product is required, the meat/ b

A starter culture is added to the vegetable mixture and the product is filled into casings that are permeable to water vapor and fermented as in the case of conventional salami products. Advantageously, the sugar content of such products can be reduced or completely omitted compared to normal salami because the carbohydrate content of the vegetables provides sufficient food for the fermentation microorganisms.

The invention is explained in more detail by the following examples

explained, but is not limited to.

Examples Example 1

A cooked vegetable sausage of the following composition was prepared:

49.6% beef/pork mix

17.2% finely chopped vegetables {corn, carrots and celeriac)

26.8 % coarsely ground vegetables (corn, carrots, leeks, peppers)

4.4% binding and coloring agents
2.0% spices.
30

The resulting sausage could be easily cut without falling apart.

Example 2

A cooked vegetable sausage of the following composition was prepared:

48.5% turkey meat

16.7 % finely chopped vegetables (corn and celeriac)

28.3% coarsely ground vegetables (corn, carrots, leeks, peppers, peas)

4.6% binding and coloring agents
5

1.9% spices.

The resulting sausage could be easily cut without falling apart.

Example 3

A salami vegetable sausage with the following composition was produced:

49.4 % pork

19.7 % finely chopped vegetables (corn, carrots, celeriac, peppers, leeks)
24.7% coarsely ground vegetables (potatoes, corn, carrots, leeks, peppers, celeriac)

5.5% binding and coloring agents

0.6% spices

0.1% starter culture.

The salami could be easily cut without falling apart.

Comparison example A

A cooked vegetable sausage with the same composition

as in Example 1 was prepared, but all the vegetables (44%) were added as coarse ground particles.

The sausage could not be cut without falling apart.

Claims (10)

HAGEMANN &j<EHL MÜNCU^fi.ftANf-LQVPR · ..· . · Unilever N.V. Munich u.Z.: Pat 600/296V-95Ch 30 March 1995 CLAIMS 1. Sliceable meat product comprising a vegetable content of more than 30% by weight of the product, in which not more than 20 to 30% by weight of the product vegetables are present as coarsely ground particles. 2. Product according to claim 1, comprising: (a) more than 30 to about 80% by weight of vegetables, based on the product, (b) 10 to 60% by weight of the product of meat and (c) up to 20% by weight, based on the product, of functional components, provided that no more than 20 to 30% by weight of the product vegetables are present as coarsely ground vegetable pieces. 3. Product according to claim 1 or 2, in which the product comprises 40 to 50% by weight, based on the product, of vegetables. 4. A product according to any preceding claim, in which the product comprises 45 to 50% by weight of the product of meat. 5. Product according to claim 1 or 2, comprising: 45 to 50 % meat, 15 to 20 % finely chopped vegetables 25 to 30% coarsely ground vegetables. 6. Product according to claim 5, comprising:
48.5% turkey meat &mdash;s&mdash;r ¹ &mdash;&tgr; 8167S Münch&t■ lsmanift|fet Sirage iäi -Telefoei? 0 89 /98 07 31 ■ Telefax 0 89/ 98 24 21 16.7 % finely chopped vegetables, 28.3% coarsely ground vegetables 4.6% binding and coloring agents 1.9% spices. 7- Product according to claim 5, comprising: 49.6 % beef/pork mix 17.2% chopped vegetables 26.8 % coarse ground vegetables 4.4% binding agents and coloring agents 2.0% spices. 8. A product according to claim 5, comprising: 49.4 % pork 19.7 % chopped vegetables 24.7 % coarsely ground vegetables 5.5 % binding agents and colorants 0.6 % spices 0.1% starter culture. 9. A product according to any preceding claim, in which the product is a cooked sliceable meat product . 10. Product according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the product is a fermented salami-like product.