A food product on the basis of fish flesh and a process for the preparation thereof.
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a food product on the basis of fish flesh and intended for. cooking before consumption. The invention also relates to a process for the preparation of such a food product in a shape suitable for cooking, and a process for the preparation of such a shaped food product in a cooked condition.
BACKGROUND OF ART
Various food products on the basis of fish flesh are known, these often being formed into a suitable shape for cooking by frying, broiling or boiling. It may be a question of slices of pure fish flesh, e.g. cod flesh, or fillets of fish shaped into rolls and usually provided with a breadcrumb or similar coating, which products may be cooked by grilling, frying on a pan or deep-fat frying. Furthermore, products based on comminuted fish flesh are known, such as balls or rolls of cream of fish, which in addition to the fish flesh contain the usual ingredients of cream of fish, such as flour, milk and eggs.
Besides fish flesh proper a special kind of crustacean flesh or meat has aroused great interest in recent years, viz. flesh from the so-called krill (Meganyctiphanes norvegica, Thysandoessa inermis, Euphausia superba), which are crustaceans belonging to macroplankton that exist in enormous quantities in the sea. The euphasiid krill (Euphausia superba) which is a red shrimp-like crustacean of about 2.5 cm in size, exist in enormous quantities in the sea around the Antarctic where they constitute the main food for baleen whales. Since they are found near the surface of the sea they are relatively easily caught, and due to the problems,
inter alia, of overfishing of finfish and the precautions thereagainst, an extensive catching of these euphausiid krill takes place in the course of time. They are in particular used for the production of "fishmeal". They have also been used for the preparation of human food. Reference may be made, e.g., to the following literature: V.P. Bykov, "Biological value of Antarctic krill and possibility of their utilization for human consumption" in Oceanology International 75, 16/21, March 1975, Brighton, England, pp. 361-353, and L.L. Lagunov,
"Utilization of krill for human consumption in fishery products" edited by R. Kreuzer, West Byfleet, Surrey, Fishing News (Books) Ldt. for FAO, pp. 247-250. The recovering of the krill flesh takes place mechanically and can take place,, e.g., on the fishing boat immediately after the catching. Thereby the krill flesh is obtained in a comminuted or disintegrated condition as a paste which can be frozen down. Without much success it has been attempted to use this paste for human food, for example in the form of a coagulate or as an addition to salads or sausages.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It has now been found that the above-mentioned comminuted or disintegrated krill flesh by being mixed with disintegrated whitefish flesh and certain structurizing or texturizing agents can provide an excellent food product which after cooking, e.g. by frying or broiling has an excellent taste more or less resembling the taste of shrimp according to the proportion of krill flesh, and an excellent more or less meat-like texture. Moreover, the product has a great nutritional value. While on one hand the krill flesh becomes utilized for human food through the above-mentioned food product, on the other hand a similarly excellent food product is obtain
able if another kind of crustacean flesh is substituted for the krill flesh in the above-mentioned product.
Accordingly the invention relates to a food product on the basis of fish flesh and intended for cooking be- fore consumption, which food product is characterized by comprising in a mixture a first main component consisting of disintegrated whitefish flesh and a second main component consisting of disintegrated crustacean flesh, and also texturizing and binding agents comprising texture- imparting extruded protein fibres and, if necessary, separately added water and, if desired, flavouring agents, colouring agents, preservatives and similar additives.
The term "disintegrated" in connection with white- fish flesh is generally to be understood herein as covering fish flesh which has been minced in conventional apparatus therefor , usually into a comminuted condition, and the said term in connection with crustacean flesh has a similar meaning or covers crustacean flesh which in connection with a separating process for removing shells and the like has obtained a comminuted consistency, the latter usually being the case regarding to krill.
The food product of the invention will generally comprise about 20 to 45% by weight of whitefish flesh, about 15 to 45% by weight of crustacean flesh and up to about 30% by weight of texture-imparting protein fibres. Moreover, it will generally comprise up to about 15% by weight of added water, about 10 to 18% by weight of a farinaceous binding agent, about 7 to 8% by weight of breadcrumbs, and up to about 1.5% by weight of flavour- ing agents and similar additives.
While the relative proportions of whitefish flesh and crustacean flesh determine the intensity of the taste of the crustacean concerned, the texture of the cooked ready-to-eat product would be capable of being varied by means of the proportion of texture-imparting protein
fibres, for example such that said product has almost the same texture as a boiled or fried shrimp, and corresponding thereto, as will appear from the foregoing, the product may be given shrimp taste by means of krill flesh. By varying the proportion of protein fibres it is also possible to obtain, e.g., a product which after frying gets almost the same texture as a hamburger, and such a product may desirably contain
% by weight Whitefish flesh about 23
Crustacean flesh about 30.5 Protein fibres about 11.5
Water, added about 15
Farinaceous binder about 10.5 Breadcrumbs about 7.5
Flavouring agents etc. about 1.5
It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the crustacean flesh is desirably flesh from krill (Meganyctiphanes norvegica, Thysandoessa inermis, Euphausia superba), particularly from Euphausia superba.
As whitefish flesh,various types can be used,, for example flesh from cod (e.g. Gadus morhua and/or Gadus callarias, Gadus macrocephalus, Eleginus navaga, Eleginus gracilis, Trisopterus minutus, Boreogadus saida, Gadus ogac), flesh from blue whiting (e.g. Micromesistius poutassou and/or Gadus poutassou), flesh from Alaska pollack (e.g. Theragra Chalcogramma), flesh from haddock (e.g. Melanogrammus aeglefinus), flesh from saithe (e.g. Pollachius virens), or flesh from hake (e.g. Merluccius merluccius, Merluccius hubbsi, Merluccius bilinearis,
Merluccius capensis, Merluccius gayi, Merluccius senegalensis, Merluccius productus, Merluccius mediteraneus, Merluccius polli, Urophycis chuss, Urophycis tenuis). The texture-imparting protein fibres used are generally of the known type which has a meat-like text
ure and which is obtained by extrusion at high temperature and pressure of a proteinaceous mixture, e.g. of vegetable protein, and the protein fibres are desirably soy protein fibres. As farinaceous binding agent in the food product of the invention a combination of cold water soluble starch and hot water soluble starch may desirably be used. As cold water soluble starch, a product known as "Reformed fish" may for example be used, which in decreasing amounts consists of starch, spy protein, salt, sugar, emulsifier, edible oil, wheat flour, monosodium glutamate, colouring agent and citric acid. Thus, through the latter product various additives are added at the same time. As hot water soluble starch, a product may for example be used which is sold under the trade name "Trecomex AET 1" (sold by Lyckeby Starkelsesforadling AB, Lyckeby, Sweden). The combination of cold water soluble starch and hot water soluble starch contributes to a desirable retention of moisture in the food product of the invention, both before and after its preparation by cooking. The breadcrumbs used act like the protein fibres as a structurizing or texturizing constituent and are of a conventional type.
Any desirable flavouring agents may be used which are approved for food and can bring out or modify the predominant taste of the food product, originating from the crustacean flesh. Furthermore, if desired or necessary, conventional additives of various kinds may be used as is usual in the field concerned. The food product of the invention will usually be prepared in a definite shape suitable for cooking and of a suitable size and, therefore, the invention also relates to a process for the preparation thereof, said process being characterized by mixing about 20 to 45% by weight of disintegrated whitefish flesh, about 15 to 45% by weight of
disintegrated crustacean flesh, up to about 30% by weight of texture-imparting extruded protein fibres of a suitable size, and about 10 to 18% by weight of a farinaceous binding agent and, if necessary, up to about 15% by weight of water and, if desired, flavouring agents, colouring agents, preservatives, and similar additives, shaping the mixture in portions to a form suitable for cooking, and optionally freezing and packaging the shaped product. Particularly, a process for the preparation of the food product of the invention in sliced form is characterized by mixing the following ingredients, the first three in a suitable disintegrated condition:
% by weight Whitefish flesh about 23 Crustacean flesh (particularly krill flesh) about 30.5
Protein fibres (particularly soy protein fibres) about 11.5 Water (added) about 15 Farinaceous binder about 10.5 Breadcrumbs about 7.5 Flavouring agents etc. about 1.5 shaping the mixture in portions to sliced form and optionally freezing and packaging the shaped product. Such a sliced product may have the shape of a hamburger and after frying or broiling, particularly grilling, it may be presented in the form of a sandwich with sandwich bread or a sandwich bun.
When having a suitable composition the food product of the invention may also be shaped as the known rolls made of minced fish flesh or cream of fish, or as a shrimp or similar minor unit, and before consumption products shaped in such a way may be subjected to frying or broiling, if desired after a suitable breading or similar coating, including coating with tempura batter.
MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
In a typical preparation of the food product of the invention the production process, including various preliminary operations, takes place as follows: A) Working up comminuted whitefish mass either by
1. disintegrating whole fish in a flesh separator and subsequently separating any gristle and skin remnants, or by
2. bringing frozen blocks of pre-manufactured comminuted whitefish mass to a temperature of +3ºC.
B) Bringing frozen crustacean flesh to a temperature of +3°C.
C) Mincing or comminuting crustacean flesh into a suitable consistency, unless as in the case of krill it already exists in a suitable comminuted consistency.
D) Dehydrating protein fibres (soy protein fibres).
E) Chopping fibres into a suitable size.
F) Weighing out additives.
G) Weighing out whitefish flesh and crustacean flesh for the individual charges.
H) Mixing in a forced mixer or high-speed mincer. When using a high-speed mincer, the protein fibres are not pretreated. During the mixing process the additives are added. I) Preparing a shaped product, for example a hamburger-shaped product, on an automatic portioning and moulding machine.
J) Freezing and packaging.
For any addition of water during this production process ice water is used, or optionally ice in scale form, in order to keep the temperature suitably low.
Example 1 By the above-mentioned production process a hamburger-shaped product of the following composition is prepared:
% by weight Whitefish flesh about 23
Krill flesh about 30.5
Soy protein fibres about 11.5 Water (added) about 15.3
Cold-soluble starch about 5.3
Hot-soluble starch about 5.3
Breadcrumbs about 7.5
Flavouring agents etc. about 1.5 The product obtained may be fried or broiled, e.g. grilled, and presented as a "fish steak sandwich", it being interposed.between the two halves of a sandwich bun cut in two, with the desired accompaniment. In frying or broiling, such a "fish steak product" only shrinks about 7%. By way of comparison a so-called hamburger on a beef basis shrinks about 37% in frying.
As compared with a hamburger the nutrient content of the krill-steak of the invention is as follows:
Approximate nutrient content per 100 g Krill-steak Hamburger
Protein 24.1 g 16 g
Fat 1.0 g 24 g
Carbohydrates 0.7 g 0.6 g
It is seen that the krill-steak has a considerably lower fat content than the hamburger and a greater content of the nutritionally important protein.
Example 2-4 To obtain food products of the invention with varying taste and texture relative to the product of Example 1 the following compositions (approximate amounts in % by weight) may be used:
Example
2 3 4
Whitefish flesh 20.0 35.0 20.0
Crustacean flesh 20.0 35.0 15.0
Soya fibres 20.0 10.0 30.0
Water (added) 20.0 10.0 15.0
Flavouring agents etc. 1.0 3.0 2.0
Cold-soluble starch
("reformed fish") 4.5 3.5 5.0
Hot-soluble starch (cereal, corn, potato starch) 4.5 1.5 5.0
Breadcrumbs 10.0 2.0 8.0