EP0999758A1

EP0999758A1 - Method for manufacturing smoke/cooked sausage

Info

Publication number: EP0999758A1
Application number: EP99953268A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Mart Kobussen; Jos Kobussen; Jaap Kobussen
Original assignee: Marel Meat Processing Inc
Current assignee: Marel Meat Processing Inc
Priority date: 1998-05-26
Filing date: 1999-05-24
Publication date: 2000-05-17
Also published as: CA2294957A1; AU4311499A; KR100346814B1; AR018377A1; AU752972B2; JP2002516074A; WO1999060870A1; KR20010052055A; BR9906507A

Abstract

The present invention discloses a production method for smoke/cooked sausage, characterized by shorter processing times and higher yield. A meat composition containing a smoke flavoring, is co-extruded with a casing forming material. The casing forming material is hardened, whereafter the sausage strand is crimp/cut and thesausages are heat treated within 15 minutes on a horizontally conveying belt. The heat treatment consists of a 'dry heat' phase prior to a finishing phase.

Description

TITLE: METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING

SMOKE/COOKED SAUSAGE

THIS APPLICATION IS BASED UPON THE APPLICANT'S PROVISIONAL APPLICATION SERIAL NO. 60/086,672 FILED MAY 26, 1998.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the industrial manufacturing of smoke/cooked sausage. Smoke/cooked sausage herein means sausage types which are produced by heat treating encased fresh (uncooked) sausage meat, for a period of time to impart coagulation of all meat protein within said sausage, and are smoke treated to impart flavor and taste. Said set cooking time can be up to 3 hours depending on cooking method and sausage diameter. The sausages are produced in a diameter range of 6-45 millimeters.

These smoke/cooked sausage types are to be distinguished from cured sausage types, which are longer thermally treated at lower temperatures. Examples of cured sausage types are dried and semi dried sausage such as summer sausage, cervelat, chorizos, pepperoni and beef salami. The sausage of this invention is also to be distinguished from fresh sausage types, not cooked and cured, such as country style pork sausage, pork breakfast sausage and chorizos.

Typical smoke/cooked sausage to which this invention pertains are frankfurters (wieners), hot-dogs, and Vienna sausage, hereafter referred to as "smoke/cooked sausage".

Fresh meat compositions used for smoke/cooked sausage may be stuffed into natural or prefabricated edible casing. Alternatively the fresh meat may be stuffed into an in-edible casing which is removed after heat and smoke treatment. These "peeled" sausage types are referred to as skinless sausage. Often cellulose casing is used. Another method of production may involve the co-extrusion of the fresh meat emulsion with a casing forming material. In this method a strand of sausage material is produced which has an inner core of meat emulsion having an outer surface material that can be coagulated to provide an encasement for the strand. The outer surface material may consist of a gel with a collagen protein. The coagulation normally includes subjecting the extruded strand to a brine (salt) solution. The term "coagulation" as used herein refers to the step of hardening and stabilization of the casing. This is principally done in two ways; first, by removal of water from the collagen gel, and second by crosslinking the collagen fibers. Recently coextruded sausage production has become more popular over pre-formed casing production as it is found more cost-effective.

After the fresh sausage meat is encased by stuffing or co-extrusion, the smoke/cooked sausages undergo a thermal and a smoke treatment. The further treatment of the encased still fresh sausage may be

"horizontal" or "vertical". Vertical processing involves the hanging of the sausage onto sticks. Smaller sausages are often processed as a string and looped onto a stick. Those sticks are then placed onto smoke trolleys or into continuous (heat-) processing chambers. Horizontal processing involves the sausages laying flat during the heat/smoke treatment. For instance on racks or a conveyor-system. Most often horizontally processed sausages are cut into individuals before undergoing heat/smoke treatment. A typical; treatment time for smoking and cooking a frankfurter sausage (with diameter 19 millimeter) is between 50-75 minutes. It has always been a desire of sausage producers to limit the processing times. Shorter processing times relate directly to lower processing equipment and production storage costs. However there are limitations in shortening the processing times. Essential for all smoke/cooked sausage types is that the inner core of the sausage reaches a certain temperature to make the sausage shelflife stable and safe to eat. This temperature is above 120°F, normally towards 150-155°F. The amount of energy required to do this, must be imparted to the sausage gradually, in order not to destroy the sausage shape or appearance (f.i. casing breakage can occur.) Often therefore sausage heating starts at relatively low temperatures and relatively low humidity to coagulate the meat proteins on the surface of the sausage. Whereafter the cooking temperatures are increased and often higher humidities f.i. steam is used to prevent excess weight loss.

Also for many smoke/cooked sausage types a very tender casing type is required. For instance, the popular American hot-dog, is most often made in cellulose (inedible) casing, which is peeled off after cooking to provide a very tender bite. Edible casing types need to have a certain thickness to withstand their manufacturing processes and the stuffing with sausage meat. The wanted casing tenderness cannot be reached for most smoke/cooked types sausage.

Some methods of co-extruding sausage (f.i. U.S. 3,622,252 assigned to Bradshaw et al) propose the making of smoke/cooked sausage. However, the smoking and heating times are comparable to stuffed sausage types. Also the coextruded casing needs further stabilization of the casing after brine- coagulation. This is done by air drying the casing which adds to the heat/smoke treatment time. Alternative methods to stuffing casing or coextruding casing, are proposed to decrease the product treatment time of smoke/cured sausages. For instance there are processes that the sausage is cooked within its packaging. Most often the sausages are vacuum-packed which then is put under high temperatures or put in hot or boiling water. Alternatively encased sausage may be put in boiled water or fried. Another method is disclosed in GB

2,156,727. This method uses an acid liquid to coagulate the outer surface of a sausage to form a casing, before heat treating. However, these methods result in different sausage appearance, as opposed to encased sausages, and are therefore only scarcely used in sausage production processes. Newly developed methods of co-extruding sausage, as described in co- pending application U.S. patent Application serial No. 08/990,619 filed December 15, 1997, can be applied in a novel manner to provide a method for manufacturing smoke/cooked sausage with unprecedented short processing times in combination with high processing yield. Also this method of manufacturing smoke/cooked sausage may provide a similar tender casing as is done in often used wasteful methods of manufacturing skinless sausage. The newly developed co-extrusion method provides a much better moisture barrier than until hereto known coextrusion methods or pre-formed casings. Probable cause of this is that the improved coagulation method involves the process of crosslinking the co-extruded casing to meat proteins in the sausage batter. This adheres the casing to the meat, providing thereby a moisture barrier which enables heating at higher temperatures than before. Also as opposed to other sausage co-extrusion methods, such as disclosed in GB 1,232,801, the coating on the sausage does not require air (-heat) drying. In GB 1,232,801 the sausage needs to undergo air-drying to stabilize after coagulation with a brine solution. This of course adds to the heat/smoke processing times.

However, the above method does not disclose a method of application for smoke/cooked sausage, within shorter heat/smoke-processing times.

Normal application methods of this smoke flavor is made during heat treatment in smoke-chambers. The sausages, usually hanging on sticks, are placed in a relatively long smoking and cooking cycle to get the desired smoke flavor and color. Liquid smoke, which is a condensate of regular smoke, may be used to give a faster and more effective smoke flavoring. This is then usually sprayed on the sausage surface after co-extrusion or stuffing. Liquid smoke may also be applied in other manners, f.i. as a coating on the inner wall of prefabricated casings. (See for instance U.S. Patent 5,238,442.)

These methods of applying smoke to the sausage do not suffice for the production of smoke/cooked sausage in a timely manner which is the object of this invention. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a new method for manufacturing smoke/cooked sausage wherein above cited disadvantages are substantially reduced.

It is a further object of this invention to reduce smoking an cooking times of these sausages.

It is still a further object of this invention to increase yield (reduce weight loss) during production of smoke/cooked sausage.

It is even a further object of this invention to provide an industrial method of manufacturing smoke/cooked sausage with substantially reduced processing equipment costs.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a smoke/cooked with a tender casing, without the use of a temporary casing.

It is a further object of this invention to eliminate the offal and waste problems related to the production of skinless sausage. An even further object of this invention is to provide a method of manufacturing smoke/cooked sausage with reduced energy and capital costs.

It is therefore a still further ojbect of this invention to provide by means of co-extruding a substantially uniform layer of a casing forming material around a meat core containing a smoke flavoring agent, and heat treating said co-extruded sausage within 15 minutes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses a production method for smoke/cooked sausage, characterized by shorter processing times and higher yield. A meat composition containing a smoke flavoring, is co-extruded with a casing forming material. Said casing forming material is hardened, whereafter the sausage strand is crimp/cut and the sausages are heat treated within 15 minutes on a horizontally conveying belt. Said heat treatment consists of a "dry heat" phase prior to a finishing phase. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

This invention contemplates that the most effective way to co-extrude a meat mixture containing a smoke agent, is when the meat flavor and color are instantaneously homogeneously established throughout the sausage. In this manner the smoke flavor and color depend less upon migration in the sausage during processing. The smoke agent is preferably a liquid smoke mixed into the meat batter as an ingredient. More preferably the smoke agent is a dry smoke, which is a dry powder derived from dewatering liquid smoke. Even more preferred is the use of a encapsulated dry smoke, whereby the functional properties of the smoke are released only upon heating the meat batter.

The best results are obtained when the smoke flavor is imparted in a combined manner. Firstly, a liquid smoke mixed with the collagen gel prior to co-extruding said gel with the meat batter. The liquid smoke thereby has a double function; to crosslink the collagen fibers (assist coagulation of the casing forming material) and to impart a smoke browning on the sausage surface. Other functional ingredients as colorants may also simultaneously be applied in this manner. Secondly, a liquid or dry smoke is mixed into the meat batter.

It is also an aspect of this invention to horizontally further process these sausages as they are crimp/cut into individual links from the continuous coextruded sausage strand. Currently most smoke/cooked sausages are hung onto sticks for further heat and smoke processing. This is done because for the required processing times this was found the most efficient manner to process these sausages. Horizontal processing methods are often found too expensive. For instance a normal frankfurter sausage casing in a temporary cellulose casing, produced on conventional machines can be produced up to 4000 kg./h. A standard 19 mm Frankfurter sausage has a heat/smoke processing time of between 40 minutes and lhlδ minutes. This means 2700 - 5000 kilogram of sausage are to be heat processed at a time. The costs involved in a horizontal smoke & cooking chamber, outweighs the method of looping the frankfurter sausage as a string of sausages on a stick and hanging these manually onto smoke trolleys or into a continuous cook/smoke chamber.

With the use of the current invention the transportation of the sausages on a (normally a wire mesh) belt through the cooking process, is much more economical. A typical processing time is 6 minutes, so only 400 kg. of sausage, needs to be supported during said processing. In this equation the labor costs and raw material costs (casing and product waste) related to hanging and de- hanging, are higher than the automated option of horizontal processing. Another advantage of processing in a horizontal manner is that the necessary casing thickness or strength for processing is reduced. Normally the mechanical action involved in vertical processing requires very strong (thick) casing. Therefore often a temporary (cellulose) casing is used. Horizontal processing according to this invention, makes it possible to produce skinless alike sausage with a tender bite, eliminating the need for temporary casing. During the "horizontal" heat/smoke processing the sausages are preferably rotated along their longitudinal axis to prevent belt-marks on the sausage surface. This is preferably achieved by simply vibrating (shaking) a part of the transportation belt. The rotational movement of the sausage doesn't have to be continuously, it may be limited to only one or a few movements during the heat treatment. Other methods of achieving this may be, letting the sausage roll a decline in a conveying belt system, or rolling the sausages by means of pressurized air.

The heat treatment may consist of several steps and may consist of dry- treatment (low humidity), steam cooking and/or using hot water (bath). The present invention is characterized by a heat treatment of less than 15 minutes. Frankfurter types of sausage are predominantly in the diameter range of 17 - 24 mm. Normal processing times of a 19 mm. frankfurter sausage until hereto is normally about one hour.

A preferred method of heat treating the smoke/cooked sausage types is to use two short processing phases; first a "dry heat step" followed by a "finishing phase". The dry heat step involves a heating step where the sausages are heated at a wet bulb temperature which is lower than the subsequent, finishing phase. This dry heat step is preferably between 0.5 and 5 minutes in length.

The finishing phase, in which the sausages are heated at a higher relative humidity than during the dry heat step, such as with steam for a period of 3-10 minutes.

The rationale behind these two steps is that the first dry-heat step stabilizes the shape of the sausage product, enabling the rapid energy influx during the finishing phase. Combining these two steps gives an unprecedented low heat/smoke processing time and low weight loss, as the examples below will indicate.

EXAMPLE 1.

Production of a 19 mm. frankfurter (hot-dog) sausage.

Meat batter composition: 50% lean pork

30% beef 20% fresh fat pork

Seasoning (slat, cumin, garlic, etc.) 0.2% "dry smoke" (Hickory Specialities, Inc.) Extrusion: Extrusion Speed: 0.5 m/s

Brine: 80% H₂P0₄ at 15°C

Brine contact time: 45 seconds

Gel composition: 3,8% collagen, 0.9% cellulose fiber, .05% lactic acid, .05% hydrochloric acid, balance H₂0.

Gel usage: 4.0% on meat batter by weight.

Liquid Smoke: 5% on gel by weight

The co-extruded sausage strand was crimp/cut into individual sausages after (brine-) coagulation, and were transferred into a horizontal Oven, Manufacturer Stein.

Dry heating: dry bulb: 300°F wet-bulb: 150°F time: 2 minutes

Wet heating (finish cook): Steam 212°F time: 3 minutes

Weight loss was measured by weighing the individual sausages before and after the heat treatment. Weight loss was average 0.2% (weight- before/weight-after x 100%). EXAMPLE 2.

Same meat batter and extrusion settings, for a 22.5 millimeter diameter smoke/cooked sausage.

Heat processing time:

Dry heating: dry bulb: 300°F wet-bulb: 150°F

time: 2 minutes

Wet heating (finish cook): Steam 212°F

time: 5 minutes

Weight loss less than 0.3%.

It is therefore seen that this invention will accomplish at least all of the stated objectives.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A process for manufacturing smoke/cooked sausage comprising the steps of; preparing a meat containing composition; co-extruding said composition through circular die with a casing forming material to create a substantially uniform layer of a casing forming material around an inner strand of meat composition; coagulating said layer of casing forming material to form a composite strand of sausage comprising the inner strand of meat composition and the casing; and heat treating the composite strand within 15 minutes thereafter.

2. A process according to claim 1 wherein the heat treatment starts with a stabilization phase prior to a finishing phase, characterized by that said stabilization phase has a lower average wet bulb temperature than the fmishing stage.

3. A process according to claim 2 characterized by said stabilizing phase lasting between 0.5 and 5 minutes.

4. A process according to claim 2, characterized by said finishing phase involves heating the inner core of the smoke/cooked sausage, above 120┬░F.

5. A process according to claim 4 characterized by said finishing phase lasting 1-14 minutes.

6. A process according to claim 1 characterized by said meat containing composition incorporating a smoke flavoring agent.

7. A process according to claim 6 characterized by the smoke flavoring agent being a liquid smoke, a dry smoke and/or an encapsulated dry smoke.

8. A process according to claim 1 characterized by said casing forming material contains collagen.

9. A process according to claim 1 characterized by said collagen being acidified using an inorganic acid.

10. A process according to any of the preceding claims characterized by said casing forming material having a dry matter content of between 3-25%.

11. A process according to claim 1 characterized by said casing forming material being subjected prior to extrusion with a coagulation agent.

12. A process according to claim 1 characterized by the coagulation taking place by a coagulation agent liquid smoke.

13. A process according to claim 1 whereby the coagulation method involves the use of salts having a minimum solubility of 8 moles per liter at 20┬░C.

14. A process according to claim 1 characterized by the sausage strand being crimped to form links of sausage after coagulation.

15. A process according to claim 1 whereby the sausage strand is heat treated while in a horizontal position.

16. A process according to claim 15 characterized by turning the sausage strand over in order to expose the sausage surface equally to the heat treatment.

17. A process according to claim 1 characterized by the sausage strand being cut to form links of sausage after coagulation.