FR2655517A1 - Low calorie meat prod. - Google Patents

Abstract

A low calorie meat prod. comprises: (a) a mixt. comprising (1) comminuted lean meat substantially free from visible fat in an amt. of 20-95 wt.% of the mixt.; (2) a vegetable fat replacement ingredient comprising dietary fibre and starch in a wt. ratio of 1:32 to 1:1. The dietary fibre is at least 5 wt.% of the fat replacement ingredient dry matter when determined as non-starch polysaccharide (NSP) and the proportion of starch is at least 50 wt.% of the fat replacement ingredient. The ft rDlCmrt inrdirt is Cale Df hVin Or in hrOuhl into homogenous consistency essentially without sensory recognisable particles in the mixt. The proportion of vegetable fat replacement ingredient is 5-80 wt.% of the mixt.; (b) opt. added salt in an amt. of 0.1-4 wt.% of the mixt.; (c) opt. added water in an amt. of 5-50 wt.% of the mixt.; and (d) opt. one or more further ingredient.

Description

 The present invention relates to a low calorie meat product comprising a vegetable fat replacement ingredient. According to a particular aspect of the invention, the meat product with a low calorie content is a pet food or a prepared dish ready to cook or ready to eat or part of it. In addition, there is provided a process for preparing a low calorie meat product.

 There is a growing consumer demand for low calorie meat products. This demand is supported by the evidence which accumulates in the published scientific literature that a high consumption of animal fat, especially fat containing a high proportion of saturated fatty acids, represents a significant risk for health, especially in relation to the development of cardiovascular disease.Other health problems associated with meat products with a high fat content are their high cholesterol content and the addition of relatively large amounts of salt which are added in order to '' improve fixation characteristics, because salt helps to extract myosin, the natural constituent fixing water, from meat. In addition, consumers, in a large proportion, find less acceptable meat products containing chemical additives such as water-binding agents including phosphates, emulsifying additives and antioxidants.

 However, the presence of fat in traditional meat products has a considerable beneficial influence on their texture and taste. Thus, meat products with a significantly reduced fat content tend to become dry, leathery and less succulent, and the consumer will consider these products to be less palatable than similar products with a higher fat content. fats. In some countries, breakfast sausages with a fat content of less than 35%, for example, are considered to be less palatable due to their dryness and the chewing required. In a recent publication by Wirth (Fleischwirtschaft , 1988, 68, 1153-1156), it was concluded that a certain fat content is essential for the consistency of the products and that the preparation of meat products having a reduced fat content requires special operating technology. By applying such technology, it is, according to Wirth, perfectly possible to prepare, for example, Frankfurt sausages having a fat content as low as 10% or liver sausages ~ d-Fune tënear maximum fat 15 % without deteriorating the texture and taste of the products. Wirth indicated that the preferred methods to compensate for the technological role of non-present fat would be an improved activation of myosin in order to increase the binding capacity of water and l addition of substances containing collagen and water.

 There have been many attempts to reduce the fat content in meat products.

The above publication is an example of a method which consists in simply reducing or "diluting" a high proportion of fat by adding water and agents which improve the fixing of water to a mixture of products of a high fat content. Other examples are found in British Patent No. 1,423,608, which describes the addition of a dry gelling agent comprising a cellulose ether and a digestible carbohydrate, which agent is added in concentrations up to 15% at the same time. as water added and in European patent NO 0 319 987 which describes a process for the production of processed minced meat food comprising the addition of an alkaline gel comprising up to 11 parts by weight of material gel formers including konjak mannan, up to 0.04 parts by weight of an alkaline substance and 15 to 50 parts by weight of water in minced meat. The use of an alkaline konjak mannan gel as a calorie-reducing agent in meat products has also been described in British Patent No. 2,224,629.

 Another method of obtaining low calorie meat products is to reduce the amount of fat by including non-meat ingredients in the meat products while trying to maintain these products. a taste, flavor, texture and appearance comparable to that of traditional high-fat meat products. Thus, the U.S. patent NO 3,748,148 describes a method of producing sausages with a reduced cholesterol content in which 20-30% of Brazil nuts are mixed with lean meats in place of animal fat. The purpose of this method is to provide sausages with a reduced content of animal fats (including cholesterol). The relatively high proportion of nuts containing oil, however, does not give a meat product of a really low fat content. The U.S. Patent NO 4 504 515 describes a process for the preparation of meat products with a low fat content comprising admixing a mixture containing 13-40% by weight of skimmed milk or frozen whole milk and 55-80% by weight of lean meat in the presence of less than 5% by weight of condiments and / or preservatives.

 In the U.S. patent NO 4,735,819 are described sausages with a reduced calorie content comprising 40-90% lean meat and 2-35% cooked rice and having a fat content of between 4 and 35% by weight.

Sausage samples were judged by a jury based on texture, flavor and appearance. However, the scores assigned were relatively poor for products with a high rice content and a low fat content. Consequently, the preferred rice content was 10% by weight and the preferred range of fat contents was 10-25% by weight, the particularly preferred value being 20%. It is therefore obvious that these inventors did not solve the problem of being able to obtain meat products with a fat content of less than 20% by weight while at the same time retaining the taste, the texture and the appearance of meat products with a high fat content.

 In a number of cases, inexpensive meat products have been produced in which the fat content is moderately reduced by the addition of various diluents other than meat. The main purposes of using these diluents are to assist in the absorption of fat and the absorption of water added to the resulting meat product mixture, so that products are obtained. made from meat with high yields during finishing cooking; add protein to products; or to improve the stability of the emulsion in products having a low meat content. As examples of such diluents other than meat, there may be mentioned breadcrumbs, cereals, potato starch, powdered milk and vegetable protein.

 The addition of dietary plant ingredients containing fiber and starch, for example in the form of cooked vegetables, to meat products is known. It is not uncommon to add relatively small amounts of boiled potatoes to some traditional home-made products with a relatively high fat content, such as liver pate, sausages or minced meat mixes for meatballs. The purpose of this addition is to obtain improved absorption of the added fat and water and to reduce the contraction during cooking.

In addition, this addition of boiled potatoes contributes to obtaining a larger volume of the finished product, so that the necessary quantity of the expensive ingredient that is meat can be reduced.

In British Patent No. 1,310,348 there is described a process for the production of dehydrated meat products such as meatballs in which a dried, pre-cooked vegetable material which has retained the cellular structure of the plant, preferably dehydrated potatoes is added to ground meat containing fat in amounts ranging from 5 to 15% by weight. The main purpose of adding the plant material is to improve the rehydration characteristics of the dried end products. It is said that it may be necessary to increase the inherent fat content of the products which comes from the fat-containing ingredient, namely meat, and which is typically 8-13%, to bring it up to example 20-30%, adding fat to reduce rehydration time.

A similar use of carbohydrate-containing materials such as cooked mashed potatoes in the preparation of cooked, instantly dehydrated and reconstituted meat products has been described in British Patent No. 1,022,170.

 The U.S.S.R. patent No. 1,266,503 describes a process for the preparation of cooked sausages, in which a "structuring agent" comprising a 1: 1 mixture of mashed potatoes with milk and oatmeal waste is added to meat chopped.

The object of the invention is to reduce the meat content by 35-40%. In the patent of U.S.S. NO 1,296,083, describes a process for the preparation of sausages in which an emulsion comprising 8-10% by weight of a rehydratable dried vegetable matter such as potatoes and other edible roots and hot fat in a proportion of between 1: 1 and 1:05 with respect to the vegetable ingredient is added to ground meat in order to form a mixture for sausages.

 The present inventors have now found that low calorie meat products can be prepared in an industrially economical manner using meat from which almost all of the attached fat has been removed mechanically and replacing the fat thus removed by an ingredient containing dietary fiber and starch and which are still obtained from meat products which have a taste, consistency, texture and appearance essentially the same as those of products similar meat products prepared from meat with a high fat content. Using this new process, it has now been found possible to obtain meat products very interesting for nutrition having a fat content. less than 15%, the fat content even being as low as 2-3% by weight, and at the same time maintaining the same meat protein content.

 The present invention provides a low calorie meat product comprising a mixture which comprises minced lean meat substantially free of visible fat, its proportion being between 20 and 95% by weight, relative to the mixture, a vegetable ingredient for replacing fats comprising dietary fiber and starch in a weight ratio of between 1:32 and 1 :: 1, the proportion of the dietary fiber being at least 5% by weight relative to to the dry matter of the fat replacement ingredient when determining polysaccharides other than starch, and the proportion of starch being at least 50% of the dry matter of the fat replacement ingredient fats, the fat replacement ingredient in the mixture being or can be brought to a homogeneous consistency with practically no sensibly recognizable particles, the proportion of the ingredient being between 5 and 20% by weight, relative to the mixture, optionally added salt, its proportion when added being between 0.1 and 4% by weight, relative to the mixture, and optionally water added, the proportion of which when added is between 5 and 50% by weight, relative to the mixture, and optionally one or more other ingredients, the proportion of which when added is between 1 and 15% by weight, the low calorie meat product having a fat content which is not more than 15% by weight when the product is a product of the so-called "hamburger" type, the fat content being not more than 10% by weight when the product is not of the "hamburger" type, with the conditions that (1) the fat when the product in which the lean meat is fish meat does not include hardened fat and (2) the fiber diet is not.

konjak mannan.

 The products according to the invention have a taste, texture, appearance and water-binding capacity which are essentially the same as those of similar meat products with a high fat content prepared in a conventional manner.

 The total proportion of fats in the product with a low calorie content is preferably less than 12% by weight, in particular less than 10% by weight, especially less than 7% by weight, more especially less than 5% by weight. , and more particularly less than 3% by weight. Lean ground meat can come from any kind of edible animal, including mammals, birds and fish.

 In another aspect, low calorie meat products can be or are part of ready meals, ready to cook or ready to eat. In yet another aspect, the low calorie meat product can be food for house animals.

 The present invention also relates to a process for the preparation of a low calorie meat product, a process in which essentially a mixture is prepared by mixing minced lean meat substantially free of visible fat with a vegetable ingredient replacement fat comprising a dietary fiber and starch in a weight ratio of 1:32 to 1: 1, the proportion of the dietary fiber in the dry matter of the fat replacement ingredient being at least 5% and the proportion of starch being at least 50% of the dry matter of the fat replacement ingredient, the fat replacement ingredient in the mixture being or can be brought to a homogeneous consistency with practically no sensory-recognizable particles, this ingredient being miscible with the other ingredients; optionally added salt; and optionally added water, the proportion in the mixture of lean meat substantially free of visible fat being between 20 and 95% by weight, the proportion of the fat replacement ingredient being between 5 and 80% by weight, the proportion of water added, when added, being between 10 and 50% by weight and the proportion of salt added, when added, being between 0.1 and 4% by weight. resulting mixture, optionally one or more other ingredients are added so as to obtain a mixture for meat product in which the proportion of the other ingredients is between 1 and 15% by weight, after which the mixture for product based is distributed of meat thus obtained in suitable packaging, and optionally the mixture for meat product is subjected to a preservation and / or cooking treatment before or after its distribution in the packaging of e so as to obtain a low calorie meat product having a fat content which is at most 15% by weight, when the product is of the hamburger type, the fat content being at most 10 % by weight when the product is not of the hamburger type, with the conditions that (1) the fat, when the product is a product in which the lean meat is fish meat, does not include hardened fat and ( 2) the dietary fiber is not konjak mannan.

 According to yet another aspect, the present invention relates to a process for the preparation of a low calorie spreadable meat product, which process comprises as a first step the formation of an emulsion comprising an edible oil, water at a temperature of at least 500C and a protein powder, and then the operation of mixing the resulting emulsion with the ingredients defined above, the emulsion from the first step constituting at most 5% by weight of the resulting mixture.

In one aspect, the present invention provides a low calorie meat product comprising
a) a mixture comprising
(1) lean meat reduced to particles substantially free from fat, its proportion being in the range of 20-95% by weight, calculated with respect to the mixture,
(2) a vegetable ingredient for replacing fats comprising dietary fiber and starch in a weight ratio of between 1:32 and 1 :: 1, the proportion of the dietary fiber being at least 5% by weight of the dry matter of the fat replacement ingredient when the determination is made of polysaccharides other than starch (NSP), and the proportion of starch being at least 50% of the dry matter of the fat replacement ingredient, the fat replacement ingredient being or can be brought to a homogeneous consistency with practically no sensory recognizable particles in the mixture, the proportion of the vegetable fat replacement ingredient being between 5 and 80 % by weight, calculated relative to the mixture,
b) optionally added salt, its proportion when added is between 0.1 and 4% by weight, calculated relative to the mixture,
c) optionally added water, its proportion when added is between 5 and 50% by weight, calculated relative to the mixture, and
d) optionally one or more other ingredients, the proportion of which is between 1 and 15% by weight in the meat product, the product having a fat content which is at most 15% by weight when the product is hamburger type, the fat content being at most 10% by weight when the product is not of the hamburger type, with the conditions that (1) the fat, when the product is a product in which the lean meat is fish flesh, does not include hardened fat, and (2) the dietary fiber is not konjak mannan.

 It is preferred that the low calorie meat product includes almost all of the natural water from the ingredients defined above of the product. However, one or more of the ingredients may, prior to mixing, have been subjected to treatments which result in partial removal of the water naturally present in the ingredients, such as cooking or freezing, so that '' a proportion of 1 to 20% by weight of natural water can be lost, for example by evaporation or leaching. In the context of the present invention, it is considered advantageous that the meat product of a low content in calories includes almost all of the natural water in the ingredients, the proportion of natural water in the ingredients in the product being at least 60% by weight, preferably at least 70% by weight, in particular at least 80% by weight and especially at least 90% by weight.

 In one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a low calorie hamburger type product. In the present context, the expression "hamburger-type product", or simply hamburger below, denotes a meat product comprising, as an essential ingredient, minced meat having a particle size which makes it possible to form portions of minced meat having cohesion, this particle size typically being in the range of 2-10 mm, as well as 3-5 mm. When preparing a mixture for hamburger-type products, the ingredients are mixed essentially without further reduction of the particle size of the meat for a sufficient period of time to obtain a uniform distribution of the ingredients in the coherent hamburger mixture. resulting.

 Traditional industrially prepared burgers may include ground beef as the sole ingredient, the fat content of the beef typically being between 20 and 30% by weight. However, these burgers tend to contract considerably during cooking, due in part to the flow of melted fat, and, in addition, the remaining fat will contribute to a high calorie content of the products. In other types of traditionally prepared burgers, a mixture is prepared which, in addition to ground meat containing fat, includes meat thinners such as vegetable proteins, for example soy protein, water added, added salt and seasoning ingredients. By the incorporation of such ingredients other than meat, the proportion of meat can be significantly reduced, this proportion typically being between 60 and 80% by weight, relative to the product.

The resulting fat contents of these hamburger type products are typically between 18 and 25% by weight.

 The present invention provides products of the low calorie hamburger type according to the invention, these products comprising only minced meat substantially free of visible fat and the fat replacement ingredient defined above, as well as products of the above type. hamburger type which, in addition to minced meat and the fat replacement ingredient, includes one or more ingredients chosen from the group consisting of added salts, added water and other ingredients as defined above above. Although the preferred source of meat for burgers is beef, other edible meat species from other animal species can be used in burgers, such as veal, pork and lamb.

 In another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a low calorie meat product in which the mixture is a mixture of finely ground meat having cohesion.

In the present context, the expression "a mixture of finely minced meat having cohesion" is used to indicate a meat product of low calorie content which forms a mass integrated in a homogeneous and stable manner. in which the minced meat which is substantially free of visible fat and the vegetable fat replacement ingredient added during the mixing operation are subjected to mechanical forces so that the particle size of the ingredients is reduced to levels where these ingredients are no longer visually recognizable and where they form, with the added salts, the added water and possibly the other ingredients defined above, the integrated mass defined above having a coherent homogeneous consistency practically free of visually recognizable particles. It should also be understood that this coherent structure of the mixture is preserved during cooking and storage of the final products. Typical examples of such cohesive finely ground meat mixes are mixes for preparing sausages, sliceable meat products and spreadable meat products.

 When sausage products, sliceable meat products and spreadable meat products comprising a large proportion of fat are produced in a conventional manner, the operation of mixing the ingredients results in the formation of a minced meat mixture with cohesion in the form of a stable fat-water-protein emulsion. It has now surprisingly been found that a minced meat product with cohesion as defined above above can be obtained if almost all of the fat is replaced by a vegetable fat replacement ingredient according to the invention. It should be understood that the physical nature of the mixture of minced meat with a low calorie content resulting according to the invention differs fundamentally from the fat-water-protein emulsion of traditional meat products.

Thus, in one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a meat product of a low calorie content, the product comprising
a) a mixture of finely ground meat having cohesion comprising
(1) lean meat reduced to particles substantially free of visible fat, its proportion being between 20 and 90% by weight, calculated relative to the mixture,
(2) a vegetable ingredient for replacing fats comprising dietary fiber and starch in a weight ratio of between 1:32 and 1 :: 1, the proportion of the dietary fiber being at least 5% by weight in the dry matter of the fat replacement ingredient when the determination of polysaccharides other than starch (NPS) is carried out, and the proportion of starch being at least 50% by weight of the dry matter of the fat replacement ingredient, the fat replacement ingredient possibly having a homogeneous consistency or being at such a consistency with practically no sensually recognizable particles in the mixture having cohesion, the proportion of the vegetable ingredient of replacement of greases being between 5 and 80% by weight, relative to the mixture,
(3) of the added salt, its proportion being between 0.1 and 4% by weight, relative to the mixture,
(4) added water, its proportion being between 10 and 50% by weight, relative to the mixture, and
(b) optionally one or more other ingredients.

 It is preferred that the total proportion of fat in the products comprising a mixture of minced meat having the resulting cohesion is less than 8% by weight, this proportion being preferably less than 7% by weight, moreover preferable less than 6% by weight, in particular less than 5% by weight, especially less than 4% by weight and very especially less than 3% by weight.

 As indicated above, the low calorie meat products according to the invention comprise a vegetable ingredient as a fat replacement ingredient, the proportion of which, relative to the mixture, is between 5 and 80%. . It should be understood that the proportion of the vegetable ingredient desired in a particular product can depend in particular on the proportions of the dietary fiber and the starch of the vegetable ingredient chosen.

 In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the total amount of dietary fiber and starch present in the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats is at least 5% by weight, calculated relative to the product. It is further contemplated that for the preparation of certain types of low calorie meat products an even greater total minimum amount of dietary fiber and starch may be desirable, such as at least 7 % by weight or, even better, at least 10% by weight.

 According to the invention, it is possible to obtain meat products of a low calorie content in which almost all of the fat is replaced by a vegetable ingredient for fat replacement as defined above, d in such a way that the resulting products have the desired sensory and physical characteristics associated with similar types of high fat meat products prepared in a conventional manner. In addition, it can be envisaged that, because of their notably reduced fat, cholesterol and calorie content and their possibly reduced salt content, the meat products according to the invention are dietetically more advantageous, especially for consumers who tend to develop cardiovascular disease or who want to maintain or reduce their body weight. In addition, it can be considered advantageous by many consumers that the products described here can be prepared with a reduced content of chemical additives such as phosphates or antioxidants which are commonly used in meat products from a classic high calorie content having a high fat content.

 The low-calorie meat products according to the invention have the desired characteristics relating to texture, taste, flavor, cooking yields, freezing and thawing stability and the associated appearance. to similar types of conventional meat products with a high fat content.

 In the present context, the expression "low calorie content" should be understood as indicating that the total amount of metabolizable energy contained in the meat products according to the invention is significantly reduced compared to the energy content of traditionally prepared meat products. Generally speaking, the energy content of a food product derives mainly from its protein, carbohydrate and fat content. However, the contribution of the fat part of a food product to the total energy content compared to the other ingredients is, per unit of weight, more than double. Consequently, the proportion of fats for example in products based on meat is quite decisive for the energy content of the products, which energy content is generally indicated in calories or joules per unit of weight. In western industrialized countries like the U.S., fats in the average diet contribute about 40% of the total energy ingested. It is recommended by dietitians that this contribution be reduced to at least 30%.

 In low calorie meat products as defined above, the fat content is reduced to an extent that the total energy content can be reduced to less than half, preferably to about one third of the energy content of conventionally prepared meat products having a fat content which typically ranges from 25 to 50 | in weight. The low calorie meat products according to the present invention have a total energy content of less than 700 kJ / 100 g, preferably less than 600 kJ / 100 g, in particular less than 500 kJ / 100 g and especially less than 400 kJ / 100 g. The contribution of the fat content of low-calorie meat products according to the invention to their total energy content is less than 50%, preferably less than 40 %, in particular less than 30% and especially less than 20%.

 Examples of the compositions of ingredients giving meat products having the desired low calorie contents are presented below. It will be understood that the actual energy contribution from fat will depend on the amounts and types of other ingredients in a given meat product. In the present context, the term "low calorie" is used specifically to describe meat products having a total fat content (w / w) less than 15%, preferably less than 10%, in especially less than 7%, especially less than 5% and especially less than 3%.

Features of the vegetable fat replacement ingredient
In order to obtain a low calorie meat product comprising a mixture as defined above, it is essential to choose an appropriate vegetable fat replacement ingredient which gives physical and sensory characteristics to the Final meat products with a low calorie content essentially of the same nature as those of similar traditional meat products with a high fat content. The vegetable fat replacement ingredient according to the invention can be a single ingredient or mixture of ingredients comprising a dietary fiber in a proportion of at least 5% by weight of the dry matter of the fat and starch replacement ingredient, the proportion of which is at least 50 % by weight of the dry matter of the fat replacement ingredient. In the vegetable ingredient, the weight ratio of dietary fiber to starch is between 1:32 and 1: 1, a preferred range being between 1:20 and 1: 2, a particularly preferred range being between 1:15 and 1: 3 and a specially preferred range being from 1:10 to 1: 4.

 The plant ingredient according to the invention has a homogeneous consistency without sensory recognizable particles or can be set to such a consistency, it is substantially free of grease and has a neutral taste and color, so that it does not alter the desired sensory characteristics of the resulting meat products. In the present context, a neutral taste means that the taste of the fat replacement ingredient even when it is present in the meat product in the highest defined proportion above does not alter the taste resulting from the low calorie meat products according to the invention, so that these low calorie meat products, when evaluated by a jury regarding their sensory qualities, cannot between recognized as having a less acceptable taste than similar meat products with a high content of gr aisses.

 Another feature of the fat replacement ingredient is that it is miscible with the other ingredients so that a consistent mixture can be obtained. The term miscible is used to indicate that when the fat replacement ingredient is mixed with the other ingredients of the coherent mixture, a smooth homogeneously integrated mass is formed and, in the coherent mixture, all of the added water has been absorbed stably.

 The vegetable fat replacement ingredient containing fiber and starch which, when used for the preparation of low calorie meat products, gives the products the desired characteristics indicated above, is chosen mainly based on the quantity and the physical and chemical characteristics of the dietary fiber and the starch it contains.

Characteristics of the starch component of the fat replacement ingredient
Starch is a naturally occurring high-polymer carbohydrate that is the carbohydrate reserve for plants. Starch is present in plant matter in the form of white granules, usually consisting of both a linear polymer (amylose) and a branched polymer (amylopectin). Starches with different botanical origins show differences in their physical characteristics and in their chemical composition. Starch granules from cereals such as rice and corn vary between 3 and 20 Am in terms of the average size of their largest diameter, and those from roots and tubers such as tapioca, llarrow-root or potatoes between 10 and 100 Am. So, for example, rice starch has an average granule size of approximately 4 ssm, corn starch of approximately 14 ssm and potato starch d 'about 100 Am. The starch granules gradually swell in water when the temperature is brought to a level of 60-700C. This swelling phenomenon is an indication of the water binding to the starch. Above this temperature level, the granules undergo gelatinization, so that a paste or soil is formed. In general, small granules swell and gelatinize more slowly and at a higher temperature than large granules. The structure of the individual granules can be broken by mechanical means. After rupture, the granules tend to swell and gelatinize even in cold water. Large granules, such as those of potato starch, are more fragile than small granules such as, for example, those of rice starch. Starches which have been pre-gelatinized by heat treatments and then dried like commercial starch products swell and gelatinize easily at temperature levels below those indicated above for untreated starches.

 In addition, starches with different botanical origins may vary in their chemical composition.

Thus, the distribution between amylose and amylopectin may vary and the lipid content may be different.

From this latter point of view, there is a characteristic difference between cereal starches and starches derived from tubers and roots. In cereal starches, amylose is in the form of a lipid-amylose complex, while in tuber and root starches the amounts of lipids are insignificant. Wheat starch contains 0.23% of ether extractable constituents while potato starch contains only 0.12%. The relatively high lipid content of cereal starches can have an effect on their technological properties, for example with regard to their use as water-fixing ingredients in meat products, since it has been reported that defatting such starches increases their water-fixing capacities and their powers swelling (Lorenz et al., 1983, Starch / Starke, 35, 123-129).

 On the basis of these physical and chemical characteristics of botanical forms different from natural starch, it is envisaged that a vegetable ingredient for fat replacement particularly usable for the preparation of meat products of a low calorie content according to the The invention contains starch which in its natural form comprises granules having an average size in the range of about 10200 ssm, preferably in the range of about 50-150 ssm, and which is substantially free of fat . The term "substantially free of fat" in this context indicates that the total amount of ether extractable starch constituents is less than about 0.15% by weight.

 The starch or the starch fractions, amylose and llamylopectin, can be modified by heating with or without the addition of chemical reagents. This treatment can give starch products having properties useful in the present invention. For example, the treatment of a starch with acids like sulfuric acid causes a partial hydrolysis of the starch, by which one obtains soluble starches.

Starches can also be oxidized, for example by treatment with a hypochlorite, and chlorinated starches are thus obtained.

 In addition, starch derivatives can be useful constituents of a fat replacement ingredient according to the invention. These derivatives can be starch esters such as starch acetates and carbamates or their fractions or starch ethers such as hydroxyalkyl starch. In the context of the present invention, the term "starch" should be understood to include modified starches or modified starch fractions as defined above as well as the starch derivatives defined above.

 When subjected to physical or chemical treatment, starch can be broken down into smaller molecules of various sizes, for example as a result of hydrolysis. Starch can be hydrolyzed by chemical treatment with organic or inorganic acids or bases. In addition, starch hydrolysis can be the result of treatment with starch hydrolyzing enzymes such as amylases or glucanases. An example of a chemical or enzymatic starch hydrolysis product which is useful in the food industry is maltodextrin. This term is used to denote a product comprising a mixture of oligosaccharides and polysaccharides resulting from a chemical or enzymatic hydrolysis of starches. A typical maltodextrin product contains less than 5% by weight of disaccharides and trisaccharides and approximately 95% by weight of higher saccharides. In the context of the present invention, the term starch should be understood to include maltodextrins as defined above.

 During their experimentation, the present inventors found that attempts to replace fat in meat products with only maltodextrins were not effective, since such products do not have the same sensory characteristics acceptable to consumers. consumers than meat products with a high fat content. However, when a mixture of maltodextrins and dietary fiber in the same weight ratios as those defined above for useful mixtures of starch and dietary fiber is used to replace fats, low calorie products results have essentially the same taste, texture and appearance as similar types of meat products with a high fat content, so a mixture of maltodextrins and dietary fiber is an interesting vegetable fat replacement ingredient in low-calorie meat products according to the invention.

 Vegetable materials comprising at least 50% by weight of starch in the dry matter can be used as a fat replacement ingredient according to the invention. However, in meat products of a particular low calorie content, it may be preferred that the proportion of starch is at least 60%, and even more preferably that it is at least 70%. It should be understood, however, that the addition of vegetable matter comprising a proportion of starch in the dry matter which is below 50% can also give meat products of a low calorie content. which have acceptable sensory and physical characteristics according to the definitions given above.

 Potato starch has several characteristics which make it particularly useful in the preparation of low calorie meat products which involves the preparation of a meat product mixture having cohesion. In such mixtures, the water-binding capacity is an essential factor. To form a smooth coherent mixture which strongly fixes the natural water and the added water, sufficient quantities of substances or ingredients with fixing activity must be present. The meat itself contains a constituent fixing natural water, namely myosin. Myosin is extracted during the mixing operation when salt is present.In several types of compositions of meat products, this natural water fixing system is not sufficiently effective, and for this reason agents additional water fixing is added to the mixture. These water fixing agents can for example be chosen from hydrocolloids, egg albumin, gelatin, cereal flours, starch or collagen.

 Potato starch has the highest water-binding capacity of all starches, because it has the lowest degree of association between starch molecules. For this reason, potato starch has been used in conventional meat products with a high fat content to help fix water, in fairly small amounts, normally between 1 and 5%. weight of the meat product. It will be understood that this use of potato starch as a water-fixing ingredient in the preparation of meat products is in no way comparable to its use in the context of the present invention. When it is used in meat products with a high fat content, potato starch is not intended to replace fat, although it is understood that any addition of ingredients in addition to meat of a high Fat content in the base mixture of a high fat content will lead to an indirect reduction in the final fat content, in proportion to the amount of any additional ingredient added.

Characteristics of the dietary fibrous component of fat replacement ingredients
During their experimentation, the present inventors found that the replacement of fats by a vegetable ingredient essentially comprising starch or maltodextrins did not regularly give meat products of a low calorie content having sensory and physical characteristics. above indicated. However, these characteristics were constantly obtained when using a vegetable fat replacement ingredient which, in addition to starch in a proportion of 50% or more of the dry matter, included at least 5% dietary fiber in its dry matter. A weight ratio of dietary fiber: starch which is particularly useful in the fat replacement ingredient is between 1:20 and 1: 2, preferably between 1:15 and 1: 3 and in particular between 1:10 and l: 4 .

 Almost all plant materials contain dietary fiber, especially in their cell walls. In the present context, the expression “dietary fiber” is used to denote a plant material which resists digestion by human food enzymes.

 The term dietary fiber is a general term that encompasses a number of specific chemical structures and characteristic physical properties. The main constituents of a dietary fiber are the major structural constituents of the walls of plant cells: cellulose, non-cellulosic polysaccharides, mainly hemicellulose and pectic substances, and lignin. All the constituents of dietary fiber apart from lignin are polysaccharides other than starch (NSP). The sign NSP is frequently used as a practical indication of the dietary fiber content of a plant material. It should be noted, however, that DK does not include lignin; the cell walls of immature plants are made up of about 25% cellulose, 60% non-cellulosic polysaccharides and a trace of lignin, while that the walls of mature cells contain about 38% cellulose, 43% non-cellulosic polysaccharides and 17% lignin.

 In the present context, the term dietary fiber includes natural or synthetic polysaccharides such as pectin, carrageenans, gums (including gum arabic, locust bean gum, guar gum, gum tragacanth, karaya), mucilages, Algal polysaccharides such as alginates and modified celluloses comprising aliphatic cellulose ethers such as methyl and ethyl ethers, hydroxyl ethers such as hydroxypropyl methyl ether, methyl hydroxyethyl ether, carboxymethyl ether, hydroxymethyl ether and mixtures of these ethers.

 A particular type of dietary fiber, namely konjak mannan which has a very high content of glucommanans (more than 80% by weight of the dry matter) has been suggested as a gelling agent in certain food products. However, this fibrous product is not useful in the present invention as a dietary fiber component in a vegetable fat replacement ingredient. When, for example, konjak mannan is mixed with minced meat and subjected to gelling before or after the mixing operation, the consistency of the resulting product is seriously degraded due to a very high viscoelasticity. it is known that the water-binding capacity of konjak mannan deteriorates notably when a gel of this substance or a meat product comprising such a gel is frozen and thawed, the gel then changing into a spongy substance. It has been suggested to solve these problems by adding konjak mannan only or in combination with carbohydrates to compositions for meat products in the form of a strongly alkaline gel or paste having a pH between 9.0 and 10.4. Depending on the amount of the alkali component of konjak added, this addition will cause the pH in the meat product to rise by about 0.5. However, such additions of strongly alkaline substances to products based on meat is not allowed in most countries. Finally, it should be considered that the incorporation of such alkaline ingredients in meat products can lead to aberrant organoleptic characteristics in the meat product. Finally, a process for the preparation of a meat product comprising the preparation of an alkaline konjak gel will be inconvenient and therefore less cost-effective than the process according to the invention.

For the above reasons, the konjak mannan is not part of the present invention.

 Common sources of dietary fiber are grains, especially the parenchymal endosperm and arils; fruits and vegetables, especially parenchymal flesh, partially lignified vascular tissue and cutinized epidermal tissue; and seeds in the parenchymal cotyledons and thickened endosperm walls.

 The proportion of dietary fiber in vegetable matter varies according to the botanical species and the maturity of the plant. As examples, the potatoes contain approximately 2.5% by weight corresponding to approximately 11.6% by weight relative to the dry matter and the carrots approximately 2.1% of DK relative to the fresh material, corresponding to approximately 18.3% by weight based on the dry matter, and dried matter such as soybean meal and dry peas contain about 14% and 19%, respectively, of NSP by dry weight. Among the cereal-derived materials, white wheat flour has a NSP content of about 3.3% while whole wheat flour has a NSP content of about 10.4% and wheat bran has a NSP content of about 41.7%, in each case by dry weight.

The proportion of DK in the dry matter of brown rice is about 2.1% by dry weight.

 Dietary fibers have a number of physical properties which alone or in combination in the presence of a high proportion of starch can contribute to their usefulness as a component of a fat replacement ingredient. From a technological point of view, two major groups of dietary fiber constituents can be distinguished: (1) constituents soluble in water which include gums, pectins, carrageenans, mucilages and alginates; these constituents are widely used in the food industry as thickening agents, gelling agents or stabilizers because of their capacity to form hydrocolloids; and (2) substantially water-insoluble dietary fiber constituents including hemicellulose and cellulose. A common feature of water-insoluble fibers is their ability to swell when mixed with water. This swelling property is also called water holding capacity which indicates the amount of water that can be absorbed by the fiber. An important property in this regard is the hydratability which is a function in particular of a three-dimensional structure of the fibers. Hydratability results in a large water retention capacity. Particularly valuable water insoluble dietary fibers commercially useful in the present invention include pea fibers, potato fibers, tapioca fibers, beet fibers and cereal bran.

 The two groups of dietary fibers defined above are useful as constituents of a vegetable fat replacement ingredient according to the invention.

Examples of the use of the two groups are given below.

 The use of fat replacement ingredients comprising a proportion of dietary fiber of between 8 and 12% by weight of dry matter gives meat products of the desired quality.

However, consumer preferences for texture and consistency of meat products can vary considerably at different places in the market. As the proportion of dietary fiber can influence these product characteristics, an appropriate proportion of dietary fiber in the fat replacement ingredient can vary considerably. We consider that
generally a proportion of 5% DK in the dry matter of the fat replacement ingredient is necessary in order to obtain a meat product with an optimal low calorie content. However, it is not excluded that a lower proportion of NSP in the coherent mixture could lead to a satisfactory quality of certain meat products. It is envisaged that a proportion of dietary fiber lower than 5% of NPS in the ingredient of less than 5% of NSP in the ingredient of particular types of products where food additives belonging to the group of compounds defined above as dietary fiber are used as additional ingredients. It is considered that the dietary fiber additive in such products in addition to its specific effect as a food additive can, when added to the coherent mixture, contribute to obtaining a meat product of a low calorie content having the desired characteristics above. In other types of low calorie meat products, a considerably higher proportion of dietary fiber may be appropriate, such as more than 15% DK.

 The dietary fiber can be in a natural form, which means that it is present in the state in which it is found in nature and that it has not been modified by chemical processes such as the substitution of certain portions by others; treatment with acids, bases or enzymes; or an esterification.

Vegetable fat replacement ingredients useful according to the invention
The vegetable ingredients for replacing fats according to the invention can, between an unfractionated natural vegetable material having a water content of at least 70% by weight, that is to say a fresh material in which the natural relative composition of the constituents has not been changed. Such fresh vegetable materials include vegetable fruits such as pumpkins. Natural plant replacement ingredients for non-fractionated fats preferred according to the invention are chosen from materials derived from tubers such as potatoes and materials derived from roots of plants such as tapioca, cassava or arrowroot. Such a fresh unfractionated plant material can be used as a fat replacement ingredient without any prior treatment. It is considered, however, that a prior cooking of the material is advantageous with regard to obtaining an appropriate coherent mixture. It is envisaged that in particular the swelling of the starch resulting from the heat treatment significantly increases the water-binding capacity of the fat replacement ingredient. The appropriate time / temperature conditions for the pre-cooking vary according to the type of the fat replacement ingredient and the type of meat product being prepared. As an example, peeled potatoes are pre-cooked by boiling in the open air for about 20 minutes or in a pot under pressure for a period of time sufficient to obtain the same tenderness as that obtained by cooking with l air above.

 It may be advantageous to have a pre-cooked, unfractionated plant material crushed before the mixture is prepared. For example, boiled potatoes can be added in the form of crushed or mashed potatoes which can be prepared for example by mixing the boiled potatoes with all or part of the added water. The appropriate temperature of a suitable fresh unfractionated plant material such as a basic ingredient of boiled potatoes when added to the mixture may vary depending on the type of product being prepared.

With certain types of products, it is advantageous to add the replacement ingredient for fat boiled at a temperature between 0 and 250C, while with other types of products such as a paste product, the boiled ingredient is added while it is still hot.

 When the chosen fat replacement ingredient is a natural unfractionated plant material as defined above, a particularly useful proportion of this ingredient in the coherent mixture is in the range of 10-70% by weight, preferably in the range of 15-60% by weight and in particular in the range of 20-50% by weight.

 In one embodiment of the invention, the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats can be a dry vegetable material having a water content of at most 20% by weight. When using such dry matter, the amount of water added to the mixture should be significantly increased compared to the amount needed when using fresh plant material.

In general, the additional amount of water required is the difference between the water content of a fresh plant material and that of the particular dry fat replacement ingredient.

When the vegetable fat replacement ingredient chosen is a dry ingredient as defined above, a preferred useful proportion of this ingredient in the coherent mixture is in the range of 5-15% by weight and preferably in the range of 5-10% by weight.

 A suitable dry vegetable ingredient for replacing fats which can be used according to the invention may be an unfractionated vegetable material chosen from plant tubers, plant roots, cereals and seeds of dicotyledonous plants having in their dry matter a starch content. at least 50% by weight and a dietary fiber content of at least 5% by weight. Examples of such materials include dried potatoes, lentils, wheat seeds, rice seeds, barley oatmeal and whole wheat flour. It will be understood that these dry vegetable materials can be dehydrated, precooked and / or divided into fine particles before use so as to obtain a coherent mixture in which the ingredient for replacing fat is present without sensory-recognizable particles. dry, unfractionated natural plant material chosen from cereal grains and seeds of dicotyledonous plants is used as a fat replacement ingredient according to the invention, it may preferably be in the form of particles having a larger diameter of at least maximum 2 mm. As defined above, the fat replacement ingredient according to the invention is an ingredient which, when present in the mixture, is capable of having a homogeneous consistency or of being brought to such a consistency, without particles sensually recognizable. This characteristic is considered to be an essential condition for obtaining a low calorie meat product having a consistency which cannot be distinguished from that of a similar product having a high fat content. vegetable with a water content of less than 20% by weight and chosen from cereal seeds and dicotyledonous seeds which has a particle size of more than 2 mm, such as oatmeal, may not be placed homogeneous consistency desired when using certain conventional mixing techniques.

 From a manufacturing point of view, it may be particularly advantageous to use a fat replacement ingredient having a water content of at most 20% by weight as defined above which is a mixture of dry separate starch and separate dry dietary fiber. It is possible to prepare such starch / dietary fiber mixtures which, when used as a fat replacement ingredient according to the invention, give low-calorie meat products having defined sensory and physical characteristics. above. Particularly useful starches for such compound fat replacement ingredients are cereal flour starches such as corn starch, potato starch and tapioca starch. In general, commercial starches are have not been subjected to treatment under swelling conditions. However, it may be advantageous to use a starch which before the mixing operation has been pre-boiled and / or then dried.

 In the present context, useful products as dietary fiber are potato fiber, potato pulp, beet fiber, pea fiber, bean fiber and tapioca fiber. As used herein, the term "potato pulp" should be understood to mean the part of a potato that remains when the starch has been partially extracted from raw potatoes in an industrial production process potato starch. A typical composition of an industrially prepared potato pulp is as follows (by weight): starch 30%, cellulose 25-30%, hemicellulose 10-15%, pectic substances 15%, ash 5% and protein 5%.

 In a particular embodiment of the invention, the fat replacement ingredient is obtained by adding to an unfractionated natural vegetable material whose dry matter content of dietary fiber is less than 5% by weight and / or the starch dry matter content of which is less than 50% a sufficient quantity of separate dietary fiber and / or separate starch for a vegetable fat replacement ingredient according to the invention to result.

 For example, to carrots that have a high dietary fiber content but a low starch content, a sufficient amount of a separate starch material can be added. Likewise, polished (white) rice and brown rice which are cereals rich in starch, but with a dietary fiber content of only about 0.8% and about 2.4% by weight, respectively, may be useful as starch constituent of a fat replacement ingredient useful according to the invention when one or more dietary fiber constituents are added to them as defined above. When using a mixture of rice and a dietary fiber component as a fat replacement ingredient, it is preferred that at least the raw rice be boiled before being added to the other ingredients of the coherent blend.

It may be convenient to use pre-cooked or partially cooked rice, as the boiling time in the production facility is significantly reduced.

 When meat products with a traditional high fat content are prepared, it is common to add ingredients containing starch and dietary fiber, for example in the form of cereal and starch flours potatoes as auxiliary ingredients in fairly small amounts, such as 2-3% by weight, based on the product, with the primary purpose of improving the absorption of added water. Such ingredients can also be added to low-calorie meat products according to the invention. It should be understood that when such ingredients are present, they are part of the vegetable fat replacement ingredient as defined above.

 In order to obtain products with a low calorie content according to the invention having an advantageous shelf life, it is essential that the vegetable ingredients for replacing fats have a low content of contaminating spoilage microorganisms.

It may therefore be necessary that the ingredients before being used in production have been subjected to a chemical or physical decontamination treatment giving a desired low level of microorganisms. Examples of useful decontamination treatments are mechanical removal of the attached soil, removal of the outer layers (peeling), washing, heat treatment, treatment with decontaminating gases such as ethylene oxide and irradiation ionizing.

 When used according to the invention, the ingredients containing starch and dietary fiber as defined above meet all the requirements for a very suitable fat replacement ingredient: the taste and fragrance of the ingredients of replacement of the above fats and their color are neutral, which is why they can constitute relatively high proportions of compositions for meat products of a low calorie content without negative influence on the desired taste and flavor associated with meat, condiments and spices. It has even been found that the amounts of condiments and spices can be reduced considerably in meat products prepared according to the process of the invention compared to conventional high fat meat products. It is believed that this surprising effect can be attributed to the reduced fat content which generally decreases the intensity of the taste and odor provided by the added flavor regulating ingredients.

 In addition, the vegetable ingredients for replacing fats have advantageous technological characteristics when they are used according to the invention.

Ingredients bind to meat and other ingredients, including added water, to give a consistent blend for meat product, resulting in texture, appearance, cooking performance and stability freezing in the finished meat product which is at least equivalent to that obtainable for meat products with a high fat content. It has even been found that the water fixing activity of fat replacement ingredients is so pronounced that the addition of conventionally used water fixing agents such as phosphates can be reduced or omitted.

 It has been surprisingly found that an evaluation jury cannot sensually distinguish the fat replacement ingredient present in a low calorie meat product according to the invention from the fatty globules present. in a meat product with a high fat content prepared in a conventional manner. It is believed that one of the main reasons for this is that the fat replacement ingredient has a homogeneous consistency without sensory recognizable particles when it is added to the mixture, or that during the process according to the invention it is easily broken down into particles which are not sensually recognizable.

 The amount of vegetable fat replacement ingredients defined above depends on the particular type of meat product being prepared, the maximum allowable cost, and the amounts and characteristics of the other ingredients, including the additional ingredients defined. below. As explained above, the compositions of the fat replacement ingredients vary considerably, particularly with regard to starch, fiber and dry matter contents. As a result, the necessary amount of vegetable fat replacement ingredients may also vary depending on the composition of the fat replacement ingredient chosen. For example, the same technological characteristics and the same quality for a meat product d 'a particular low calorie content can be obtained with two different fat replacement ingredients used in different proportions.

The meat ingredient of low calorie meat products
In the mixture for meat products as defined above, the proportion of lean meat reduced to particles substantially free of fat is between 20 and 95% by weight relative to the mixture, preferably between 25 and 70% by weight. weight and in particular between 30 and 50% by weight. In the present context, meat is defined as being animal tissues consisting mainly of muscles and / or edible offal from organs of the group consisting of the liver, kidneys, spleen, brain, tongue or sweetbread, these animal tissues having a water content substantially the same as the water content of the tissues when they are present in the living animal.

The meat can be chosen from any species of animal whose meat is considered edible according to cultural or religious traditions. To be usable according to the invention, the meat must be lean and substantially free of visible fat. When the low calorie meat product is house animal feed intended for feeding carnivorous animals such as dogs and cats, less valuable meat may be used, including includes organ meats that are generally less acceptable as human food products, such as the intestines, stomachs, genitals, or respiratory organs.

 In the meat industry, the term lean "is generally used to describe meat consisting primarily of muscle tissue with attached connective tissue and varying minor proportions of surrounding fat attached. It should be understood that the degree of leanness may vary considerably. However, the term lean meat ", as used herein, should be understood to mean meat consisting primarily of muscle tissue or from - offal with associated connective tissue and from which the surrounding natural fat has been removed mechanically, for example by being cut, to such an extent that almost all of the visible fatty tissue has been removed. It will, however, be understood that meats having a fat content which, when the proportion of the meat is taken into account in a particular product composition, will give a total fat content in the meat product that is included e between the limits defined above, are included in the general framework of the present invention.

However, the muscle tissue of most animals contains fat in the cells (intracellular) and embedded between the muscle cells (intercellular). The content of this internal fat which cannot be removed by mechanical means is typically 1-10% by weight, the level depending on the animal species, the age and the feeding conditions of the animal and of the anatomical position of the particular muscles. It should be understood that internal fat is included in the term "lean meat substantially free of visible fat".

 The meat thus defined can be used in a raw state or, when appropriate in the preparation of a particular type of product, the meat can be cooked before preparation of the mixture for meat product as required, by a proper cooking technique, such as being boiled, fried or cooked under pressure. When used, the meat ingredient can be at any temperature between 0 and 1000C, or it can even be in a frozen state.

 It is essential for obtaining a coherent mixture that the added meat has been reduced to particles having sizes allowing an efficient mixing operation during which a reduction to smaller particles can take place. Particulate reduction is accomplished by cutting with knives or by grinding in a suitable grinder, so that the particle size is reduced to 5 mm or less.

It is considered essential that the meat reduced to particles has not been subjected to any degree of complete or partial dehydration at any stage, since it is well known in the art that dehydrated meat when it is reconstituted does not regain the properties desired physical properties of non-dehydrated meat such as the ability to fix water.

 The proportion of lean meat reduced to particles substantially free of visible fat in the mixture of a low calorie content defined above is between 20 and 95% by weight, the actual proportion depending mainly on the desired type of product based on meat and the maximum admissible cost price. The meat for a particular type of meat product can be chosen from a single animal species, in which case a particular tissue of muscle or offal or different tissues of muscle and / or offal can be used. of the animal species chosen, while in other cases it may be advantageous to use a combination of meats from more than one animal species in a meat product according to the invention.

 The added water in question here can be ordinary tap water, mineral water or water in which meat or vegetables have been cooked, so that flavoring substances of molecular weight low, the minerals and vitamins dissolved therein are introduced into the mixture. As an example, a potato cooking liquid can be used. It may be advantageous to keep the temperature of the mixture low during the mixing operation. The mixture can be cooled by adding all or part of the water in the form of ice, preferably in the form of crushed ice. According to the invention, the proportion of added water used in the process is included between 10 and 50% by weight, preferably between 15 and 40% by weight and in particular between 20 and 35% by weight, the actual proportion depending mainly on the particular type of product and on the maximum admissible cost price.

The salt ingredient in low calorie meat products
In the present context, the expression "added salt" should be understood to denote a food grade composition comprising essentially sodium chloride, a food grade composition comprising sodium chloride and additional salts or a food grade composition comprising one or more alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salts, the compositions comprising salts other than sodium chloride having essentially the same salty taste as sodium chloride. A common expression to designate a salt composition essentially comprising sodium chloride is that of common salt.

 Salt as defined above is added to most meat products for a variety of purposes; it helps in the extraction of meat, so that the binding capacity of water in the product is improved. In addition, the addition gives a salty taste which is preferred by most consumers, and finally the presence of salt in meat products has a preservative effect due to the partial or complete inhibition of microorganisms from alteration. According to the present invention, the coherent mixture comprises salt added in an amount of 0-4% by weight, preferably in an amount of 0.5-3% by weight, and in particular in an amount of 1-2% by weight.

 For certain meat products, it may be advantageous to add salt as defined above supplemented with nitrites and / or nitrates, for example in the form of alkali metal salts such as nitrites and / or nitrates sodium or potassium.

In the meat industry, such salt compositions are called "salt for curing". The added nitrites and / or nitrates exert a preservative effect, in particular against anaerobic undesirable organisms such as Clostridium botulinum. In addition, the presence of nitrites and / or nitrates in red meat products helps maintain the natural red color of these meats. The proportion of nitrites and / or nitrates in the salt for salting is suitably between 0.5 and 2.0% by weight. Thus, the salt for curing used in particular embodiments of the present invention contains 0.6% by weight of sodium nitrite.

 Although it is generally desirable for the reasons given above to incorporate a certain proportion of common salt added in the compositions for meat products, a significant dietary intake of sodium ions in the form of common salt may be a cause of considerable health concern. In industrialized countries, the intake of sodium ions from the daily ration is significantly higher than what is physiologically necessary and desirable and at the same time the proportion of other cations such as potassium is frequently lower than their recommended ration This poorly proportioned cation composition of food is generally attributed to the increasing addition of common salt to food products and to the fact that for example cereal products are more and more refined and thus especially the content of potassium ions in total food is greatly reduced. It is considered that this poorly proportioned cation composition can lead to cardiovascular disorders such as hypertension and degenerative diseases. It is therefore necessary to reduce the sodium intake in the diet and / or to increase the potassium intake.

 One method for this is to reduce the common salt content of meat products. The present inventors have found that it is possible to obtain low-calorie meat products according to the invention in which the proportion of ordinary salt is lower than those typically used in meat products. of a high fat content, practically without degradation of the above desired effects of the ordinary salt added, including the salty taste. In addition, replacing fats with a vegetable ingredient containing dietary fiber and starch can go a long way toward correcting the poorly proportioned cation composition of the diet, i.e. when the fat replacement ingredient is an ingredient with a high proportion of potassium compared to fat. For example, potatoes contain about 400 mg of potassium per 100 g, while pork fat contains only about 25 mg of it per 100 g.

 Another method of satisfying the desire to reduce the sodium content in the present low calorie meat products is to add food grade salt compositions having an acceptable salty taste in which all or at least some of the sodium ions have been replaced by other cations.

Such food grade salt compositions having a reduced sodium content can be called replacement salts. The cations in these compositions can be chosen from alkali metals such as potassium and / or alkaline earth metals comprising magnesium and calcium. The cations are added in the form of organic salts such as lactates or tartrates or in the form of inorganic salts comprising chlorides and sulfates. It should be understood that the exact composition of these saline compositions with a reduced sodium content which can be used according to the invention can vary infinitely, the composition chosen depending on the particular product and on the preference of consumers on the particular market.

Low calorie food products for pets
In one embodiment of the present invention, the low calorie meat product is a low calorie product for the feeding of house animals. There are certain important differences between the compositions of meat products for human consumption and those of food products for house animals. Unlike meat products intended for human consumption, most products for the feed of industrially prepared house animals are products for a complete meal, the composition of which must be balanced in order to satisfy all nutritional needs. of the house animal in question.In addition, typical products for complete meals for house animals have a relatively low fat content. So, for example, a complete meal composition for dogs may include the major nutritional ingredients in the following ranges (% by weight): protein 7.0-13.0%, fat 4.0-6.0%, hydrates carbon 2.0-7.0%, water 71.0-84.5% and ash 2.5-3.0%. A fat content within the indicated ranges, however, contributes significantly to the total energy content of the product, and there is therefore a considerable need for the development of dog food with a reduced fat content compared to the above proportions.

 An important requirement that has to be met by pet food is a high level of acceptance by these animals. In the household pet food industry, the products are therefore normally tested by a number of the subject animals to verify that the product has the desired acceptability. In the context of the present invention, it should therefore be understood that low calorie meat products which are house animal feed, when tested in acceptability tests such as than those normally used in industry, have essentially the same acceptability as products in which the fat has not been replaced by a fat replacement ingredient as defined herein.

 The major contribution to the fat content of pet food is provided by protein-containing ingredients which are waste products from the meat and fish industries such as lungs, throats, livers, carcasses chickens and fish carcasses. The fat content of these raw materials can vary considerably.

Thus, for example, the fat content of chicken carcasses as supplied can vary between 8 and 35% by weight and the fat content of pig lungs between 3 and 9% by weight. It is generally not possible to remove this fat mechanically.

 In the context of the present invention, a low calorie meat product which is a pet food should be understood as a pet food in which the lean meat is substantially free of visible fat consists of ingredients containing proteins which have been chosen so as to have a fat content such that, when the ingredients are added to the mixture in the proportions defined above, this results in a feed for house animals of a low calorie content having a fat content which is at most 10% by weight, preferably at most 7% by weight, in particular at most 5% by weight, especially at most 4% by weight, all especially at most 2% by weight, better still at most 2% by weight and in particular at most 1.5% by weight.

Method for preparing low calorie meat products
According to another aspect, the present invention relates to a process for preparing a low calorie meat product, this process essentially comprising the steps according to which
1) a mixture is prepared by mixing lean meat reduced to particles substantially free of visible fat; a vegetable ingredient for replacing fats comprising dietary fiber and starch in a weight ratio of between 1:32 and 1: 1, the proportion of the dietary fiber being at most 5% by weight of the dry matter of the vegetable fat replacement ingredient when the determination is made of polysaccharides other than starch (NPS), and the proportion of starch being at least 50% of the dry matter of the fat replacement ingredient, l the fat replacement ingredient being capable of having a homogeneous consistency or of being brought to such a consistency with practically no sensorially recognizable particles, this ingredient being miscible with the other ingredients; optionally added salt; and possibly added water, a mixture in which
(a) the proportion of lean meat reduced to particles substantially free of visible fat is between 20 and 95% by weight,
(b) the proportion of the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats is between 5 and 80% by weight,
(c) the proportion of water added when added is between 10 and 50% by weight,
(d) the proportion of salt added when added is between 0.1 and 4% by weight, the mixing operation, when the meat product with a low calorie content to be prepared is a product to spreadable meat base, being carried out according to the following steps
(1) a vegetable oil is mixed, its quantity being between 0.5 and 3%, calculated relative to the coherent mixture, water at a temperature of at least 500C and a protein powder so as to obtain a first premix in the form of an emulsion,
(2) adding to this emulsion lean meat substantially free of visible fat, the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats, the added salt and the added water, the total proportion of the added ingredients being at least 95% by weight of the ingredients from (1) and (2),
(3) the ingredients of (1) and (2) are mixed so as to obtain a second premix, this second premix comprising coarse particles distributed uniformly of meat and of fat replacement ingredient having on average a larger diameter at least 5 mm, and if necessary, the second resulting premix is ground by passing it through a high speed grinder, to obtain the mixture,
2) one or more other ingredients are optionally added to the mixture so that a mixture for meat product results in which the proportion of these other ingredients is between 1 and 35% by weight, preferably between 2 and 15% by weight and in particular between 3 and 10% by weight,
3) the resulting meat product mixture is distributed in packages of appropriate size, and
4) the mixture for meat product is optionally subjected to a preservation and / or cooking treatment before or after its distribution in packages of appropriate dimensions, so as to obtain a meat product of low content in calories having a fat content which is at most 15% by weight, when the product is of the hamburger type, the fat content being at most 10% by weight when the product is not of the hamburger type, with the conditions that () fat when the product is a product in which lean meat is fish meat does not include hardened fat and (2) the dietary fiber is not konjak mannan.

As defined above, the invention, in one aspect, provides a low calorie meat product in which the mixture is a coherent finely ground meat mixture. Accordingly, the invention also provides a method for preparing a coherent finely ground meat mixture, which method comprises the steps of
1) a coherent mixture of finely ground meat is prepared by mixing lean meat reduced to particles substantially free of visible fat; a vegetable ingredient for replacing fats comprising dietary fiber and starch in a weight ratio of between 1:32 and 1: 1, the proportion of the dietary fiber being at least 5% by weight of the material of the plant fat replacement ingredient when the determination is made of polysaccharides other than starch (NPS), and the proportion of starch being at least 50% of the dry matter of the fat replacement ingredient fats, the fat replacement ingredient being capable of having a homogeneous consistency or of being brought to such a consistency with practically no sensory-recognizable particles, this ingredient being miscible with the other ingredients of the added salt; and added water; coherent mixture of finely ground meat in which
(a) the proportion of lean meat reduced to particles substantially free of visible fat is between 20 and 90% by weight,
(b) the proportion of the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats is between 5 and 80% by weight,
(c) the proportion of water added is between 10 and 50% by weight,
(d) the proportion of salt added is between 0.1 and 4% by weight, the mixing operation, when the meat product with a low calorie content to be prepared is a spread meat product , being carried out according to the following steps
(1) a vegetable oil is mixed, its amount being between 0.5 and 3%, by calculating with respect to the coherent mixture, water at a temperature of at least 500C and a protein powder so as to obtain a first premix in the form of an emulsion,
(2) adding to this emulsion the lean meat substantially free of visible fat, the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats, the added salt and the added water, the total proportion of the added ingredients being at least 95% by weight of the ingredients from (1) and (2),
(3) the ingredients of (1) and (2) are mixed so as to obtain a second premix, this second premix comprising coarse particles distributed uniformly of meat and of fat replacement ingredient having on average a larger diameter at least 5 mm, and if necessary, the second ~ prdmélange resulting is ground by passing it through a grinder at high speed, so as to obtain the coherent mixture based on finely minced meat,
2) one or more other ingredients are optionally added to the coherent mixture based on finely ground meat, so that a mixture for meat product results in which the proportion of these other ingredients is between 1 and 15% by weight, preferably between 2 and 12% by weight and in particular between 3 and 10% by weight,
3) the resulting meat product mixture is distributed in packages of appropriate size, and
4) the mixture for meat product is optionally subjected to a preservation treatment and / or to cooking before or after its distribution in packages of appropriate dimensions, so as to obtain a meat product of low calorie content having a fat content which is less than 10% by weight.

 When preparing conventional meat products comprising a large proportion of fat, the operation of mixing the ingredients results in the formation of a fat-water-protein emulsion which is homogeneous and sufficiently stable. The main technological problems to be solved in the production of such conventional high fat meat products are the absorption of water by the meat and other ingredients and the emulsification of the fat in the mixture. Water absorption is obtained by various mechanisms, one of which is the release of myosin, a muscle constituent that fixes natural water, which occurs when the meat is reduced to particles and cut in the presence of free water and salt, and another is the direct addition of ingredients fixing batten. Very commonly, both mechanisms are used at the same time. Traditional ingredients for fixing water are phosphates, in particular polyphosphates, cereal flours or potato starch. In order to obtain a stable emulsification in meat products with a high fat content, it is necessary to add to the mixture suitable emulsifying ingredients, even if the natural protein of the meat will contribute to some extent The added emulsifiers can be chosen from a large group of chemical additives. However, their addition to meat products is subject to strict requirements of food laws and their presence in meat products is refused by large groups of consumers. The natural emulsifying ingredients commonly used in the production of meat products belong to the group of proteins which may be of animal origin such as milk proteins in the form of milk powder or caseinates, or may be of vegetable origin , such as soy protein.

 However, these technological processes used in the industrial production of meat products with a high traditional fat content are not immediately applicable in the preparation of meat products with a low fat content like those provided here. The composition of the coherent mixture as defined above differs in several important respects from that of a mixture for meat products with a high fat content the fat content is so low that the mixture does not constitute an emulsion fat-water-protein, the total water content may be significantly higher as a result of replacing fat with a high dry matter content with a fat replacement ingredient that has a relatively low dry matter content. last problem is particularly pronounced in products in which a high proportion of fat is replaced by the vegetable ingredient of fat replacement. In developing the process for preparing low calorie meat products, the present inventors were therefore confronted with a certain number of technological problems in order to obtain the coherent mixture as defined above, the solution of which does not could not be found in the current technology of meat products with a high fat content.

 According to the method of the present invention, these problems have been solved in a way which at the same time provides several advantages, including the possibility of eliminating or reducing the additions of auxiliary technical ingredients. Thus, by reducing the proportion of fat to the low levels defined above, there is a corresponding reduction in the need to add emulsifying ingredients or antioxidants to the mixture. In addition, the water-binding capacity of the vegetable replacement ingredient for fats containing dietary fiber and starch is so great that the need to incorporate additional water-fixing ingredients as defined Above is notably reduced or even eliminated. Another aspect of the present invention is that the low fat content in the meat products prepared according to the invention allows a reduced content of aromatics and spices without alteration of the desired flavor. associated with traditionally prepared high-fat meat products. This is economically and hygienically advantageous, since these ingredients are relatively expensive and frequently contaminated with large numbers of microorganisms, for example spore-forming bacteria which are difficult to eliminate. Finally, the high water-binding capacity of preferred fat replacement ingredients leads to the possibility of reducing the salt content to considerably lower levels than that of conventional high-fat meat products. In these latter products, the salt content is generally between 2 and 5% by weight, while in the products prepared according to the present invention it is preferably between 1 and 2%.

 It should be understood that the precise composition of ingredients and the exact technological procedure can between modified in many ways without departing from the general scope of the invention.

From a technological point of view and from a consumer point of view, meat products can be classified into the following categories sausages meat products cut into slices such as cervelas; spreads, defined as products having a creamy consistency which can easily be distributed in the form of a continuous layer, for example on bread, by means of a knife, including as examples liver pies, meat pies , meat spreads and pasta; and burgers.

 Each of these product categories has characteristic common peculiarities which result from the particular compositions of ingredients and from the way in which the specific stages of the process are carried out. For example, one can seek sausages with a texture that provides a feeling of "resistance" when chewed. In such products, the step of preparing the coherent mixture is carried out in such a way that the resulting mixture contains particles of a size which makes them sensory recognizable, such as more than 0.5 mm.

In a formula for sausages with a high fat content, this resistance is frequently obtained by the incorporation of rind containing fat or other structuring tissues such as chicken skin.

The present inventors obtained the same texture in sausages with a low calorie content by adjusting the degree of grinding during the mixing operation so as to obtain meat particles of the dimensions defined above and / or by adding suitable structuring agents such as granulated proteins.

 It is an interesting feature of spreadable meat products with a low calorie content prepared according to the invention that their consistency and therefore their spreadability is substantially unaffected by storage at low temperature. This advantageous feature is believed to result mainly from the low fat content of the products. On the contrary, spreadable meat products which have a high fat content tend to become hard and thus less spreadable when they are kept cold due to the hardening of the fat.

 In methods of preparing traditional meat products which have a high fat content, it is quite critical that the temperature during the operation of mixing the ingredients be kept low, preferably in the range of 0-10 C, so that a stable fat-protein emulsion is obtained. To maintain the temperature within this range, it may be necessary to add ice during the mixing process. However, the present inventors have found that a coherent mixture of a low calorie content as defined above can be obtained without the need to take special precautions to maintain the temperature within the fairly narrow range indicated above. . Thus, a suitable coherent mixture can be obtained at mixing temperatures in the range of 0-25 "C.

 In particular embodiments of the invention, the method can comprise the addition to the coherent mixture of one or more additional ingredients ch6Sds in the following groups of cooked or uncooked vegetable ingredients having sensory recognizable particles, fixing agents water, structuring agents, preservatives, flavoring agents, spices, meat thinners, flavor improving agents, sweetening agents, coloring agents, vitamins, smoke and curing agents, so that a mixture for the product is produced meat in which the proportion of the additional ingredients is between 1 and 15% by weight, preferably between 2 and 12% by weight, in particular between 4 and 10% by weight.

 Vegetables are included in a number of meat products as a source of nutrition or as flavoring ingredients, for example in certain types of sausages, meat pies, fish pies or meatloaves. Any suitable vegetables or mixtures of various vegetables can be used. When necessary or desirable, ingredients with advantageous water-binding characteristics can be added such as cereal flours, polyphosphates, gelling agents including carrageenans or starch. The choice of flavoring agents and / or spices will depend on the particular type of product and consumers' taste preferences. As examples, but not limited to, flavoring agents can be chosen from onions, garlic, celery, parsley or paprika and spices among pepper, sage, ginger, thyme or mace. Other additional ingredients which can be added as desired are meat thinners (such as cereals, cereal derivatives, textured vegetable protein, milk derivatives); flavor enhancers (such as MSG, hydrolyzed plant proteins, autolyzed yeast extract); sweetening agents including natural or artificial sugars, dextrose, synthetic sweeteners such as cyclamates; coloring agents such as natural and synthetic dyes; vitamins ; smoke and curing agents such as sodium nitrite.

Usable preservatives include chemical preservatives such as sorbic acid and benzoic acid and bacterial cultures which, when added to the coherent mixture, produce organic acids such as lactic acid or acetic acid.

 In particular low calorie meat products, it may be advantageous to add other ingredients selected from animal tissue as adjuvants to the mixture. For example, the addition of liver to a sausage or a meat pie can be advantageous for obtaining a particularly desired taste and flavor.

 The resulting meat mixture can be dispensed in packages of appropriate dimensions. Such suitable packaging is similar to packaging used for conventionally prepared meat products, and the choice of particularly preferred packaging for a particular product according to the invention will be based on general criteria known to man. art.

 The method may optionally, when desirable, include a treatment for preserving the resulting meat product mixture before or after its distribution in packages, this treatment resulting in an extension of the shelf life of the mixture or product by compared to mixtures or products which have not undergone such treatment. Preservation treatment includes heat treatment processes, freezing, canning, irradiation or smoking. These treatments can be carried out according to techniques conventionally used in the food industry. In some cases, the preservation treatment gives a product ready to eat, while in other cases the resulting preserved product must be subjected to cooking. later as by immersion in boiling water, frying, roasting, baking or treatment in a microwave oven, before being consumed.

 In a particular embodiment, the invention provides meat products with a low calorie content in which the total proportion of fat is less than 10% by weight and which have essentially the same taste, the same texture. , the same water-binding capacity and the same appearance as similar high-fat meat products conventionally prepared and which were prepared by a process essentially similar to the process of the invention such as defined above.

 As the process as described above can be used for the preparation of a wide range of types of low calorie meat products with sensory and technological characteristics which are essentially the same or superior to those of similar types of conventional high-fat meat products, the low-fat meat products of the invention include any type of meat product for which it it is desirable to obtain a substitute. Low calorie products of the classic type of high fat meat product Examples of such low calorie meat products are: sausages, pâtés, rissoles, lunch meats, meat rolls, fish creams, fish cakes, hamburger portions, meat pies and meatballs. It should be understood, however, that other types of products can be prepared without departing from the general framework and the idea of the invention.

 The preparation process as defined above gives low calorie meat products having essentially the same characteristics as conventional types of high fat products with regard to taste, texture, water-binding ability and appearance.

As explained in detail above, the basic composition of the products prepared as defined, compared to products having a high fat content, implies several nutritional advantages such as a lower metabolizable energy content , a reduced fat content, including cholesterol, possibly reduced contents of salt and other additives, for example water fixing agents or emulsifying agents. A high water fixing activity is an important factor determining the cooking yield, which is defined as the difference in weight between the uncooked product and the cooked product. When cooking traditional high-fat meat products, there may be losses of water, protein, and fat, the extent of which depends on the stability of the protein-fat-water emulsion. . In the products according to the invention, there will be practically no loss of fat, due to the low fat content. It has also been found that the losses of water and protein in the form of "meat jelly" are similar to or even less than that observed for conventional meat products with a high fat content even when the addition of water fixing agents is reduced or omitted. The high binding capacity of water also results in a high degree of stability under repeated freezing and thawing conditions, stability in this context meaning that the textural characteristics of the products remain unchanged and that there is no no significant water runoff.

Process for the preparation of low calorie spreadable meat products
It has been found that the processes for preparing low calorie meat products such as sausages, sliced products and burgers as defined above were not immediately usable in the preparation of low calorie spreadable meat based like liver pate, especially when these spreads include edible oil.

It has been found, however, that the incorporation into edible low-calorie spreadable meat products of an edible oil, its amount being between 0.5 and 5% by weight, relative to the products, significantly helps in obtaining the desired spreadability.

 When trying to prepare low calorie spreadable meat products comprising edible oil by such methods, a consistent mixture is not regularly obtained as defined above. However, by carrying out a further experiment, it has been found, for example, that a coherent mixture for liver pâté can be obtained when the process is carried out according to the following steps: (1) mixing a small amount of edible oil, boiling water and a caseinate to obtain a stable smooth emulsion, (2) addition of the liver in the form of whole livers, an unfractionated natural plant material as a vegetable ingredient for fat replacement without no reduction in particles beforehand and possibly of additional ingredients and mixture of these ingredients in a container having a propeller which turns at the bottom, whose rotation has the effect that the liver and the vegetable ingredient of replacement of greases are divided into coarse particles which are uniformly distributed in the emulsion resulting from step (1), (3) grinding the mixture resulting from step (2) by passing the mixture e through a high speed crusher attached to the outlet at the bottom of the mixing container, the passage through the crusher being effected by applying a vacuum to the container having a propeller which rotates at the bottom, this being followed by the transfer of the mixture for coherent crushed low calorie liver pate resulting in a filling device, distributing the mixture in suitable containers and cooking the liver pate. It is envisaged that this process will also be useful for the preparation of other spreadable low calorie meat products.

 Thus, the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats having the composition and characteristics defined above is a vegetable ingredient usable in the preparation of spreadable meat products according to the invention, the addition of the vegetable ingredient in the quantities defined below giving spreadable meat products having the desired sensory and structural qualities, including the absence of a tendency to a separation of the lipids contained in the products, and a desired spreadability.

 In the present context, the term "spreadable meat product" designates an edible product containing meat having essentially a creamy consistency which can be easily distributed in the form of a continuous layer on for example bread by means of 'a knife. Examples of spreadable meat products are meat pies including liver pate, meat spreads and pies. It should be understood that spreadable meat products having essentially a creamy consistency may contain larger pieces as is conventional in certain types of pasta and pâtés.

 There are various methods which vary widely for the preparation of spreadable meat products at home, and it has also been suggested to prepare Danish liver pate (a spreadable product) according to the following recipe 500 g pork liver 200 g boiled potatoes 1 onion 0.4 liters of milk 1 egg and 2 egg whites salt and pepper, mincing the liver, potatoes and onion by passing twice through a meat grinder and adding the salt and pepper, the eggs (whipped) and the milk with stirring, and then baking the resulting mixture for about 1 hour at 1700C. However, the industrial production of spreadable meat products requires some standardization and simplification of both the processes and the various ingredients included (eggs are not normally desired as ingredients for such products), and the cost of individual ingredients and stages of production is also of decisive importance. In practice, the spreadability of industrially prepared spreadable meat products often depends on the presence of a certain amount of an edible oil. The industrially conventional method of producing spreadable meat products is to mix the various ingredients, such as edible oil, water, starch, meat, etc., to grind the resulting mixture if necessary and to subject the mixture to a subsequent preservation or cooking treatment such as baking.

 However, according to what is mentioned above, this traditional method does not always give a satisfactory quality of finished spreadable meat products as regards the physical and sensory structure characteristics, a disadvantage being that edible oil or animal fat from meat as defined above tends to separate or exude from the resulting spreadable meat product, resulting in the aggregation of oil and / or animal fat on the surface of the product.

 According to the present aspect of the invention, low calorie spreadable meat products which do not have the above disadvantageous characteristics can be prepared in a very advantageous and economical manner when a vegetable ingredient such that defined above is incorporated, and that the mixing operation is carried out in two stages, with the initial formation of an emulsion of the edible oil, of water and of a protein component, and a subsequent operation of mixing of this emulsion with meat, a vegetable ingredient as defined below, additional water, salt and possibly other ingredients as will be explained below.

 By carrying out the process in this way, an efficient incorporation of the edible oil is obtained, so that it will play its role of imparting spreadability without practically any tendency for exudation or separation of the oil. edible, and a very economical process is obtained which leads to a very attractive sensorial product.

Thus, according to this aspect, the present invention can be defined in more detail as a process for preparing a low-calorie spreadable meat product, this process comprising the following steps
(1) mixture of an edible oil, water at a temperature of at least 500C and a protein powder having a water content of at most 20% by weight, calculated relative to the protein powder , to obtain a first mixture in the form of an emulsion,
(2) mixing the emulsion from step (1) with
- a lean meat substantially free of visible fat, the proportion of meat being between 2Q and 90% by weight, calculated relative to the product,
a vegetable fat replacement ingredient comprising a dietary fiber and starch in a weight ratio of between 1:32 and 1 :: 1, the proportion of the dietary fiber being at least 5% by weight of the dry matter of the plant ingredient when determining the polysaccharides other than starch (NPS), and the proportion of starch being at least 50% of the dry matter of the plant ingredient, this plant ingredient being an ingredient which is capable of having a homogeneous consistency or of being made to such a consistency, without sensory-recognizable particles in the spreadable meat product, the quantity of this ingredient being between 5 and 80% by weight, calculated in relation to the product,
- water, its proportion being between 10 and 50% by weight, calculated relative to the product,
- salt, its proportion being between 0 and 4% by weight, calculated relative to the product
- and possibly one or more additional ingredients, their total proportion being between 1 and 15% by weight, calculated relative to the product, the emulsion of step (1) constituting at most 5% by weight of the resulting mixture,
and if necessary grinding of the resulting mixture
for obtaining a mixture comprising particles of substantially uniform distribution of meat and vegetable ingredients, mixture in which the meat particles have a larger diameter of at most 1 cm,
(3) optionally mixing other additional ingredients in the mixture resulting from step (2),
(4) possibly distribution of the resulting mixture in packages of appropriate dimensions and
(5) possibly exposure of the resulting mixture distributed in the packaging to a preservation treatment and / or to cooking.

 In Japanese patent application 0 63-990, it was suggested to use an emulsified composition containing edible fats and oils as a fat and oil replacement ingredient in the preparation of a dough product comprising meat. of a low fat content, the proportion of the emulsified composition being between 5 and 15% by weight relative to the product. In the context of the present invention, it is important to note, however, that the emulsion of step (1) is not added as a fat replacement ingredient, but as a means to obtain a desired spreadability. This effect is obtained when the emulsion according to the present invention is added in proportions which are at most 5% by weight relative to the product, a preferred proportion being between 2 and 4% by weight. higher than those defined above would be disadvantageous, since it would significantly increase the calorie content of meat products with a low calorie content according to the invention.

 As the edible oil, any fatty acid ester can be used, including animal fat and vegetable fats and oils, which is liquid at ambient temperatures normally encountered in meat processing plants, i.e. typically in the range of 10-200C, such as a vegetable oil including sunflower oil, soybean oil, olive oil or grape seed oil or an animal lipid having a melting point at ambient temperatures defined above or below these temperatures.

 Depending on the total desired lipid content of the spreadable meat products to be prepared, the amount of vegetable oil added may preferably be between 0.8 and 3% by weight, relative to the product, and in particular between 1 and 2% by weight.

 In order to obtain an emulsion which is useful in step (1), it is advantageous to add the water at a temperature not below 500C, the preferred temperature of the water being in the range of 70-1000C.

When a precooked vegetable ingredient is used in step (2), the water added in step (l) and in step (2) can advantageously be the cooking liquid in which the vegetable ingredient was precooked .

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the amount of water added in step (l) is in the range of 1-3% by weight, calculated relative to the product.

 The protein powders that are useful in step (1) can be any dry powder of food grade animal or vegetable protein, such as caseinates, globins, soy protein or pea protein, a requirement essential for these compositions, however, being that their taste and flavor when added in the larger amounts indicated above do not impart an unacceptable taste and flavor to the spreadable meat product. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a caseinate is used. The amount of the protein powder having a water content of less than 20% by weight which is added in step (1) is preferably included in the range of 0.2-2% by weight, when calculating with respect to the product, and in particular in the range of 0.3-1% by weight, when calculating with respect to the mixture.

 In low calorie meat products other than spreads, it is normally preferred that lean meat essentially free of visible fat is reduced to particles before the preparation of the coherent mixture the meat used in the preparation of the A low calorie meat spread can be added to be mixed with the emulsion from step (1) in the form of pieces or trimmings.

Such pieces of meat or trimmings are normally obtained in the meat industry when particular cut meat is trimmed. Typically, these ornaments have a larger diameter in the range of 5-15 cm. In addition, a piece of meat in the present context may be a whole organ of edible offal, such as a whole liver or a whole kidney.

 In step (2) of the process for preparing a spreadable product with a low calorie meat content according to the present invention, the emulsion resulting from step (1) and the meat, the ingredient vegetable, additional water, salt and possibly one or more other ingredients are mixed and if necessary the resulting mixture is ground so as to obtain a mixture comprising particles distributed in a substantially uniform manner of meat and vegetable ingredients , mixture in which the meat particles have a larger diameter of at most 1 cm.

 In a particular embodiment of the process, such a mixture is obtained by preparing the emulsion in a cylindrical molding container having a conical lower part provided with a rotary propeller with two blades having blunt edges and by mixing then the emulsion with the meat and the vegetable ingredient in the form of whole pieces of meat such as whole pork livers or whole vegetables such as whole boiled potatoes, additional water, salt and possibly one or more additional ingredients. The rotation of the propeller causes a partial fragmentation of the meat and / or the vegetable ingredient into coarse particles of the dimensions defined above.

 The above resulting mixture can, if desired, be further fragmented by grinding, which in a preferred embodiment is accomplished by passing the resulting mixture through a suitable grinding apparatus so that a mixture for spreadable meat product in finer particles is obtained. In a particular embodiment of the invention, the low calorie meat product spread mixture is passed through a high speed mill having a plate with 3 mm openings, which mill is attached to the conical lower part of the cylindrical container, the passage being effected by applying a vacuum to the grinder attached to the container. It will be understood that grinding into finer particles can be obtained by choosing a grinding device having a plate with openings a diameter of less than 3 mm.

 Optionally, additional ingredients selected from the group defined above can be added to the above meat spread mixture so that special mixtures are obtained for particular types of meat spreads.

 In other optional subsequent steps, the low calorie meat mixture spread can be dispensed in packages of appropriate dimensions as defined above and subjected to a preservation treatment and / or cooking chosen from the treatments defined above.

 According to another aspect, the present invention relates to a spreadable meat product prepared according to the process defined above. A typical example of such products is a meat paste, including liver paste. In the present context, a spreadable product of the meat paste type should be understood as being a spreadable meat product having a pasty consistency and not containing visually recognizable particles. Meat dough products can contain any type of meat from edible mammals, poultry or even fish, including the liver.

Meat spreads that do not contain liver are often referred to as meat spreads. Other examples of meat spreads are those known as pâtés, this term being generally used to describe meat spreads which include as a mixture a mixture for pasty spreadable meat product to which one or more has been added. several additional ingredients in particles, typically having a particle size in the range of 0.5-10 mm, these particles in the final spread may be visually recognizable. Examples of such additional particulate ingredients are particulate vegetables, particulate meat and particulate fruit, including nuts.

 According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a process for the preparation of a low calorie meat product in which the resulting product is a pet food, and according to this method the lean meat added to the mixture in the proportions defined above gives a food product for pets with a low calorie content having a fat content which is at most 10% by weight, preferably at most 7% by weight, rather at most 5% by weight, in particular at most 4% by weight, especially at most 2% by weight and especially at most 1.5% by weight. The ingredient lean meat is preferably chosen among the inexpensive waste from the butchery and fish industry, such as blood, intestines, stomachs, genitals, poultry or lean fish carcasses, or respiratory organs.

 In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to a low calorie meat product as defined herein and prepared according to the methods defined herein, which product is a dried, rehydratable product, having been dried by a process of drying which results in no significant coagulation of the meat proteins, such as freezing drying.

 The machines, equipment and utensils which can be appropriately used in the process defined herein are the same as those conventionally used in the preparation of meat products, and these machines, equipment and utensils are in themselves known to those skilled in the art. In Example 16 detailed below, various details are given concerning the machines, equipment and utensils which can be used, which can also be illustrative with regard to this aspect of the present invention.

 The invention is further illustrated by the following examples.

Example l
Preparation of sausages for "hot dogs"
For sausages for "hot dogs", we prepared the following composition
Lean pork with all visible fat
has been removed 7,000 kg
Cooked peeled "Bintje" potatoes 3,000 kg
Wheat flour 0.400 kg
Potato flour 0.400 kg
Chilled water (3 kg of crushed ice in 2 1 of water) 5,000 kg
Salt for curing (0.56% sodium nitrite) 0.140 kg
Ordinary salt 0.140 kg
Dried skimmed milk 0.500 kg
Phosphate 0.050 kg
Herbs 0.040 kg
The lean pork and the cooked peeled potatoes were cooled separately to around 50C and ground separately in a meat grinder. Four kg of the ground pDrc was transferred to a high speed mixer and the meat was reduced to smaller particles by operating the grinder at high speed for three turns of the bowl, followed by the addition of all the phosphate, half the salt for curing and regular salt combined and half the ice water. Then the operation of the grinder was continued at high speed until the meat had absorbed all the water, after which the skimmed milk powder, wheat flour and potato flour were added at the same time than the remaining half of the ice water. The grinder was operated at high speed until the last added ice water was absorbed by the mixture, the remaining 3 kg of lean pork was added to the mixture and the grinding continued until the temperature of the mixture has risen to 10-120C.

 Finally, the herbs (celery salt, white pepper, mace, paprika and cardamom) were added along with the baked potatoes. The mill was then operated at high speed until a finely ground meat mixture with a smooth coherent structure was formed, the internal temperature at this stage being about 14-160C.

 The resulting sausage mixture was brought to a sausage filling machine and used to fill casings. The sausages formed were then dried and smoked at a temperature of 800C for about 30 minutes. After cooling, the sausages were allowed to dry in the air and they were wrapped in plastic film bags which were evacuated.

 In the resulting hot dog sausages, the ingredient composition as follows (by weight) lean pork 24.1%, cooked peeled potatoes 18.1%, ice water 30.0%, skimmed milk powder 3 , 0%, wheat flour 2.4%, potato flour 2.4%, herbs and spices 0.23% and salt (including sodium nitrite) 1.7%. As a result, the basic ingredients of the mixture (lean meat, added water and fat replacement ingredient, i.e. cooked peeled potatoes) made up 91.9% of the total and the additional ingredients 8.1% .

 The total energy content of the finished hot dog sausages was 407 kJ per 100 g. The distribution of the main energy-providing ingredients was as follows (% by weight): protein 10.7, carbohydrates 9.0 and fats 1.0. The low fat content indicated in the sausages according to the present example implies that the relative contribution of the fat present to the total energy content was only 18%.

 The sausages were subjected to sensory testing by a consumer jury of 42 randomly selected subjects who were asked to rate the taste, texture and appearance of low calorie hot dog sausages compared to conventionally prepared "hot dogs" sausages in which no fat replacement ingredient was included and in which the meat consisted of pear trimmings of a fairly high fat content. the jury to evaluate each of the following characteristics = (a) taste, (b) texture, (c) appearance and (d) general impression according to the following hedonistic scale clearly lower (1), lower (2), slightly lower ( 3), like the reference sample (4), slightly higher (5), higher (6) and significantly higher (7). The numbers in parentheses indicate numerical transformation values for qualitative assessments, which have been used in statistical analyzes of the differences. From these analyzes, mean scores and standard deviation of the means were calculated and the results were subjected to a Student t test.

 The main composition of the control sausages was as follows: energy content 1180 kJJ100 g, protein 13% by weight, carbohydrates 3% by weight and fats 24% by weight. Before the tests, the two types of sausage were heated for a few minutes by immersing them in boiling water so as to obtain an appropriate consumption temperature.

 The consumer jury was unable to differentiate between the hot dog sausages prepared according to the invention and the conventionally prepared hot dog sausages having a high fat content, as regards taste, texture or appearance.

 The test was repeated after the sausages were frozen and thawed 3 times. Even after this treatment, there were no detectable differences between the low calorie sausages and the high fat control sausages with respect to the above parameters. This indicates in particular that the water-fixing capacity of the composition of sausages for "hot dogs" of low fat content is equivalent to that of a conventional composition of sausages for "hot dogs" of high content fats.

Example 2
Preparation of sausages for grilling
For sausages to be grilled, the following composition has been prepared
Lean pork from which all visible fat has been removed 3,500 kg Cooked peeled "Bintje" potatoes 1,500 kg
Salt for curing (0.56% sodium nitrite) 0.080 kg
Ordinary salt 0.050 kg
Chilled water (1.4 kg of crushed ice in 0.6 1 of water) 2,000 kg
Dried skimmed milk 0.250 kg
Phosphate 0.035 kg
White pepper 0.0l0 kg
Macis 0.002 kg
Ginger 0.002 kg
Coriander 0.002 kg
The preparation process was essentially the same as that described in Example 1. In the resulting grilling sausages, the composition of ingredients was as follows: lean pork 47.1%, cooked peeled potatoes 20.2%, ice water 26.9%, skimmed milk powder 3.4%, salt (including sodium nitrite) 1.8%, phosphate 0.5% and aromatics and spices 0.22%. Consequently, the ingredients of the mixture base made up 96.0% of the total and additional ingredients 4.0%.

 The total energy content of the finished grilling sausages was 364 kJ / 100 g. The distribution of the main energy-providing ingredients was as follows (% by weight): protein 12.6, carbohydrates 6.0 and fats 1.4. Thus, the relative contribution of the fats present to the total energy content was only 14%.

 The grilling sausages were tried by a consumer jury as described in Example 1, and the jury was not able to distinguish between the sausages prepared according to the invention and conventionally prepared grilling sausages having a high in fat, neither when the sausages were tried immediately after preparation, nor after the sausages were frozen and thawed three times.

Example 3
Preparing meat for lunch
A low calorie lunch meat test batch was prepared where the pork fat abdominal trimmings which are a conventionally used ingredient were replaced by cooked peeled potatoes. As a reference product, a batch of lunch meat was prepared without cooked potatoes, but containing fat trimmings.

The compositions were as follows
Test batch Reference batch
kg% by weight kg% by weight
Pork leg meat 9,000 45.0 9,000 45.0
Fat trimmings - 6,000 30.0
Cooked peeled potatoes 6,000 30.0
Salt for curing 0.340 1.7 0.300 1.5
Regular salt - 0.240 1.2
Chilled water 4.360 21.8 4.154 20.8
Phosphate 0.100 0.5 0.100 0.5
Sugar 0.200 1.0 0.200 1.0
Na ascorbate - 0.006 0.03
Total 20,000 100.0 20,000 100.0
It is seen from the above compositions that the test batch of low calorie lunch meat contained only 1.7% salt for curing while the reference product had a total salt content 2.7%. In addition, the test batch did not contain an antioxidant (Na ascorbate). The ingredients omitted from the test batch were replaced by the corresponding amount of water.

 As a first step in preparing batches of meat for lunch, the pork leg meat was cured for 24 hours by the addition of 180 g of curing salt (2% by weight) and then ground to through a plate having 5 mm openings. Half of the ground meat was transferred to a high speed mixer and the phosphate and remaining salt were added. The resulting mixture was reduced to smaller particles by operating the mixer for 60 seconds at 1400 rpm while adding ice cold water. After stopping the mixer, added sugar and crushed baked potatoes cooled to 50C (test batch) or grinded grease trimmings to 5 "C (reference batch), after which the mixer was operated at 2800 rpm for 60 seconds during the addition of half the water Then the remaining half of the meat was added and the mixer was operated at 2800 rpm for 120 seconds while the remaining quarter of the ice water was added All the ingredients had an initial temperature of 50C. The final temperature of the meat mixture for the remaining lunch was 140 C. This moderate rise in temperature is achieved by using a mixture of ice and water.

 The finely ground meat mixture was fed to a filling machine by which the mixture was loaded into canned bundles containing 450 g and having a diameter of 72 mm. After sealing the boxes, they were autoclaved for 70 hours at a pressure of 2.1 bar (121.60 C), this being followed by cooling in cold water.

The resulting batches of canned lunch meat were subjected to chemical analyzes by methods known per se and, from the results of these analyzes, their total energy contents and the relative contributions were calculated. levels of carbohydrates, proteins and fats
TABLE 1
Compositions of batches of meat for lunch (% by weight) and their energy contents
Test batch Reference batch
%% of energy%% of energy
total total
Carbohydrates 5.4 21.6 1.2 1.9
Proteins 9.3 39.4 11.8 20.2
Fat 4.3 39.0 21.3 77.9
Total energy, kJ
per 100 g 429 1065
The total energy content of the meat for lunch was only about 40% of that of the reference product. In the latter meat product, the high fat content contributed 77.9% to the total content of energy, while in the test product the fat content only contributed 39%.

The sensory quality of the meat for lunch in the test batch with a low fat content compared to that of the reference product was evaluated as defined in Example 1. The results of the sensory evaluations are summarized in the table below
TABLE 2
Sensory characteristics of a low calorie canned lunch meat comprising 30% by weight of cooked peeled potatoes compared to the characteristics of a conventionally prepared canned lunch meat containing 21.3 % by weight of fat
N riote average SEM Meaning
Taste 41 4.02 1.67 ns
Texture 41 3.85 1.46 ns
Aspect 41 3.51 1.43 * Overall impression 41 3.93 1.42 ns
N: No. of subjects on the jury * p <0.05 SEM: Standard deviation of the mean ** p <0.01 ns: No statistically different *** p <0.001
In general, the members of the jury assessed the quality of the meat for lunch in the test batch as similar or slightly lower than that of the reference product. However, no statistically significant difference was found in taste, texture and overall impression.

 As an indication of the emulsion stability of the meat mixes for lunch, the liberation of meat jelly and fat after autoclaving of the cans was measured by completely scraping off the separated layers of meat jelly and of fat, respectively, which had collected at the top after autoclaving, after which these layers were weighed and their proportions were calculated relative to the total weight of the products.

In the boxes containing the low calorie lunch meat, 4.2% by weight of meat jelly was collected and there was no measurable release of fat. However, for the reference product, 8.33% by weight of meat jelly and 0.6% by weight of fat were collected. According to these results, the stability of the emulsion of low-fat lunch meat appeared to be superior to that of the conventional high-fat reference product.

This observation is surprising when one takes into account the fact that the salt content of the product tested is approximately 40% lower than that of the reference product.

Example 4
Preparation of portions of minced beef
A test batch of portions of low calorie ground beef and a reference batch of portions having a fat content of 20.5% were prepared. The compositions of the two batches were as follows
Test batch Reference batch
Beef, 5% fat 13.794 kg (69.0%)
Beef, 24% fat - 17.392 kg (89.7%) Peeled potatoes 4.138 kg (20.7%)
cooked
Chilled water 2,068 kg 10.3%) 2,068 kg (10.3%)
Beef and cooked potatoes, the two ingredients at a temperature of 50C, were ground separately through a plate with 3mm holes. For preparing portions of low calorie ground meat, ground low calorie beef and ground cooked potatoes were mixed in a meat blender at 20 rpm for 5 minutes while that during this period the water was added with melting ice.

The temperature after the mixing operation was around -4 "C. Portions of minced meat (82-85 g) were formed on a Formax portion forming device for minced meat and then frozen and packed in a box cardboard-based.

The resulting batches of minced meat portions were subjected to chemical analyzes to determine their carbohydrate, protein and fat contents by methods known per se and the total energy contents and the contribution were calculated. of carbohydrates, proteins and fats based on the results of these analyzes
TABLE 3
Compositions (% by weight) of batches of minced meat portions and their energy content
Test batch Reference batch
%% of energy%% of energy
total total
Carbohydrates 2.3 8.0 0.6 0.9
Proteins 15.6 57.9 16.0 26.5
Fat 4.3 34.1 20.5 72.6
Total energy,
kJ per 100 g 491 1099
The total energy content has been reduced in these portions of ground meat with a low calorie content of about 55% compared to the conventional product preferably. In addition, the contribution of fat to the total energy content in the test batch of minced meat portions was only 34.1%, while in the reference product it was as high as 72.6%.

 The portions of ground beef were thawed at room temperature and then conventionally fried on a pan until this was completely done before evaluation of the sensory quality by a jury of consumers essentially according to the procedure. described above.

The results of the sensory evaluations are summarized: below
TABLE 4
Sensory characteristics of minced beef portions comprising 20.7% by weight of cooked peeled potatoes relative to the characteristics of conventionally prepared minced meat portions containing 20.5% by weight of fat
N Average rating SEM Meaning
Taste 41 5.15 1.54
Texture 41 5.15 1.39 ***
Aspect 41 5.00 1.15
Overall impression 40 4.88 1.38
N: Number of subjects on the jury * p <0.005 SDI: Standard deviation of the mean ** p <0.01 ns: not statistically different *** p <0.001
Overall, the low calorie minced beef portions were rated by the jury to be slightly higher than the classic benchmark product for all of the sensory attributes assessed. All of the differences found were statistically significant at a level of 0.1%.

Example 5
Preparing a low calorie chicken pie
A test batch of a low calorie chicken pâté containing 24.4% cooked peeled potatoes was prepared. The characteristics of this meat product were compared with those of a standard reference batch of chicken pate containing approximately 22% by weight of fat. The compositions of ingredients for the two batches of chicken pate are indicated below. below:
Test batch Reference batch
kg%
Chicken, cooked 4.522 22.6 4.262 21.3
Chicken skin 3,130 15.7 3,130 15.7 Cooked peeled earth palms 4,870 24.4
Pork fat trimmings - 4,870 24.4
Pork leg meat 2,782 13.9 2,782 13.9
Boiling water 3,478 17.4 3,478 17.4
Skim milk powder 0.348 1.7 0.348 1.7
Ordinary salt 0.244 1.2 0.400 2.0
Dried onions 0.052 0.3 0.100 0.5
Glucose 0.034 0.2 0.034 0.2 Madeira 0.348 1.7 0.348 1.7
Olives 0.112 0.6 0.112 0.6
White pepper 0.010 0.05 0.016 0.08
Maritza spice blend 0.070 0.4 0.120 0.6
Total 20,000 100 20,000 100
As can be seen, the amounts of salt and spices were significantly reduced in the low calorie chicken pie composition.

 The low calorie chicken pate batch was prepared by the following method. The pork leg meat was ground through a plate with 3 mm holes. The chicken skin and the peeled potatoes were boiled for 20 minutes immediately before use and were transferred while still warm to a preheated high speed grinder.

After adding the following ingredients: skimmed milk powder, common salt, dried onions, glucose, madeira and white pepper, the mill was operated for two turns of its bowl while the knife was turning at 2800 rpm. After this operation, boiling water was added and the mill was operated for a further approximately 80 seconds. As a next step, the ground leg meat, the olives and the Maritza spice mixture were added to the resulting mixture, this being followed by the operation of the high speed grinder at 2800 rpm for 5 turns of the bowl. The resulting pâté mixture having a temperature of about 500C was distributed into aluminum foil trays each containing 200g. Finally, the filled trays were baked while placed in a water bath at 1800C for approximately 45 minutes, followed by cooling to 50C.

 The reference lot was prepared in essentially the same way, with the crushed boiled potatoes being replaced by the same amount of fat trimmings similarly ground.

The resulting batches of chicken pate were analyzed by methods themselves known for determining their contents relating to the main energy-providing ingredients, namely carbohydrates, proteins and fats. The total energy contents of the batches and the relative contributions to these contents of carbohydrates, proteins and fats were calculated from these analysis results. The results thus obtained are summarized below:
TABLE 5
Compositions of batches of chicken pâté (% by weight) and their energy content
Test batch Reference batch
%% of energy%% of energy
total total
Carbohydrates 5.7 14.7 1.9 2.7
Proteins 15.1 41.0 16.1 24.9
Fat 7.6 44.3 21.9 72.4
Total energy, per 100 g 670 1,178
The total energy content of the batch of chicken pâté in which the pork fat trimmings had been replaced by an equal quantity of cooked potatoes was reduced by approximately 43% compared to the batch of reference pâté.

The low calorie chicken pie test batch and the baked reference batch were tested for sensory quality according to the procedure described above. The results of these sensory evaluations are summarized in Table 6 below
TABLE 6
Sensory characteristics of low calorie chicken pâté containing 24.4% by weight of cooked peeled potatoes compared to the characteristics of conventionally prepared chicken pâté containing 21.9% by weight of fat
N Average rating SEM Meaning
Taste 41 4.93 1.54
Texture 41 4.61 1.67 *
Aspect 41 4.68 1.22
Overall impression 41 4.85 1.39
N: Number of individuals on the jury * p <0.05
SEM: Standard deviation of the mean ** p <0.01 ns: Not statistically different *** p <0.001
For all the sensory characteristics evaluated by the jury, the low-calorie chicken pie was better rated than the reference chicken pie. The differences identified were all statistically significant.

Example 6
Preparation of fish cakes
A low calorie Dressai batch and a reference batch of fish kibble with the following ingredient compositions were prepared
Test batch Reference batch
kg% kg
Cod fillet 11.704 58.5 11.852 59.3
Bacon - 4,000 20.0 Cooked peeled potatoes 3,902 19.5
Breadcrumbs 1,114 5.6 1,008 5.0
Whole eggs, 31,384 65.67 1.6 5,
Mineral water, 1, 1.4 5,
Wheat flour 0.490 2.5 0.490 2.5
Ordinary salt 0.304 1.5 0.342 1.7
White pepper 0.036 0.2 0.068 0.3
The two batches of fish cakes were prepared according to the following procedure: cod fillets and cooked peeled apples cooled to about 40C were ground separately through a plate having 3 mm orifices. The ground cod fillets were transferred to a high speed crusher along with the breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. The mill was operated at high speed at 2800 rpm for five turns of its bowl. After stopping the mill, the whole eggs were added and then the mill was operated at 2800 rpm for 30 seconds. Then the crusher was operated at a low speed (1400 rpm) for 30 seconds while adding the mineral water, after which the crusher was operated for an additional 30 seconds at 2800 rpm and l Finally, the crushed cooked potatoes were added to the resulting mixture and the grinder was operated at 2800 rpm for 60 seconds. The resulting fish kibble mixture which was at a final temperature of 40C was transferred to a kibble forming device and formed into fish kibbles which were then fried in a 1: 1 mixture of vegetable oil and of margarine at 1600C for 5 minutes, this being followed by cooking in an oven at about 2200C for about 15 minutes, the temperature in the center of the croquettes reaching 920C.

The two batches of resulting fish kibbles were analyzed by methods known per se for determination of their carbohydrate, protein and fat contents. The total energy content in fish kibbles and the relative contributions to this content of carbohydrates, proteins and fats were calculated from these analysis results. The results obtained are shown below
TABLE 7
Compositions of batches of fish kibbles (% by weight) and their energy content
Test batch Reference batch
9s% of energy 9s 9s of total energy ~~~ total
Carbohydrates 9.5 26.7 6.2 9.7
Proteins 14.9 44.2 15.1 24.9
Fat 4.6 29.1 18.6 65.5
Total energy, per per 100 g 611 1105
The total energy content of low calorie fish cakes was reduced by about 45% compared to the reference lot containing bacon.

 The sensory quality of low calorie fish cakes was assessed by a consumer jury as described in the examples above.

The results of these sensory evaluations are summarized in Table 8 below
TABLE 8
Sensory characteristics of low calorie fish cakes containing 19.5% by weight of cooked peeled potatoes compared to characteristics of conventionally prepared fish cakes containing 18.6% by weight of fat
N Average rating SEM Meaning
Taste 42 4.14 1.74 ns Texture 42 4.33 1.51 ns
Aspect 42 4.55 1.33 *
Overall impression 42 4.64 1.48 **
N: Number of individuals on the jury * p <0.05
SEM: Standard deviation of the mean ** p <0.01 ns: Not statistically different *** p <0.001
For all the sensory characteristics, the jury found that the low calorie fish cakes were slightly better than the cakes in the reference lot. For appearance and general impression, the differences in favor of the test product were statistically significant.

Example 7
Stability of low calorie sausage emulsion containing different proportions of cooked potatoes
Four test batches of low calorie sausages containing various proportions (% by weight) of cooked peeled potatoes, namely 40 96, 30%, 20% and 10%, respectively, were prepared essentially as described in Example 1. At the same time, 4 batches of corresponding reference sausages were prepared, where the cooked potatoes were replaced by exactly the same amount of adornments of pork abdominal fat. All the test lots and the reference lots included lean pork in the form of leg meat from which almost all the visible fat had been removed as an additional ingredient. The proportion of this ingredient was increased proportionally in decreasing proportions of cooked potatoes (test lots) or fat trimmings (reference lots).

The compositions of the ingredients are indicated below for the test batch comprising 40% by weight of baked potatoes and for the corresponding reference batch comprising 40% by weight of fat trimmings
Test batch Reference batch
kg% kg%
Pork leg meat 5,458 27.3 5,342 26.7 Cooked peeled potatoes 8,000 40.0
Pork fat trimmings - 8,000 40.0
Chilled water 5.382 26.9 5.832 26.9
Skim milk powder 0.672 3.4 0.672 3.4
Salt for curing 0.200 1.0 0.200 1.0
Ordinary salt 0.150 0.8 0.240 1.2
Phosphate 0.094 0.5 0.094 0.5
White pepper 0.026 0.1 0.040 0.2
Macis 0.006 0.03 0.010 0.05
Ginger 0.006 0.03 0.010 0.05
Coriander seed 0.006 0.03 0.010 0.05
The amounts of curing salt were equal in the two batches, while the quantities of common salt and spices were reduced in the batch of sausages with a low calorie content compared to the corresponding conventional reference batch, In the formula of above composition for the test batch, the omitted weight of the above ingredients having been reduced was replaced by a corresponding additional weight of leg meat (0.580 kg). In the other compositions of the present example, all the ingredients, apart from the leg meat, the cooked potatoes and the fat trimmings were as indicated in the two composition formulas above.

 All the batches were prepared in substantially the same manner: as an initial step, the leg meat and the cooked peeled potatoes were subjected to prior grinding through a plate having 5 mm orifices. Half of the meat was transferred to a high speed grinder along with the phosphate and half of the salt. Then, the mill was operated at 2800 rpm for 60 seconds while half of the ice water was added during this period.

The mill was stopped and then operated at 1400 rpm for 30 seconds, during which time the skimmed milk powder and the rest of the ice water were added, then the mill was operated for an additional 30 seconds at 2800 rpm and it was stopped. The remaining half of the meat and salt were added, and the mill was operated for 30 seconds at 2800 rpm. After stopping the grinder, the crushed cooked potatoes (test lots) or the pork fat trimmings (reference lots) were added to the mixture together with the flavoring ingredients and the grinder was operated for 60 seconds at 2800 rpm to obtain the final sausage mixes.

When added, the meat, baked potatoes and fat trimmings were at a temperature of about 50C, and the temperature of the final sausage mixes was 12-14 "C.

The sausage mixtures were transferred to a sausage filling device and introduced into 22 mm collagen casings. The stuffed sausages thus obtained were then subjected to a smoking and cooking treatment comprising the following steps
Maturation 15 minutes / 500C / 75% relative humidity
Dry 15 minutes / 60 C / 65% relative humidity
Smoking 25 minutes / 750C / 65% relative humidity
Cooking 20 minutes / 850C (bain-marie)
20 minutes cooling / 80C (water spray)
Finally, the sausages were dried and further cooled in a cold room and vacuum packed in plastic wrap.

The test batches and reference batches described have been subjected to emulsion stability tests according to two different methods which are generally used in the art (1) Determination of weight loss during cooking
The sausages were weighed immediately before cooking (initial weight). Cooking was carried out in a conventional domestic manner by frying on a pan using a moderate amount of melted and heated margarine. Once the sausages were cooked, their weight was determined again (weight after cooking). The reduction in weight (initial weight minus weight after cooking) was calculated as a percentage relative to the initial weight. The results are presented in Table 9 below.

(2) Determination of meat jelly release
and fat during the autoclave
Before the introduction of the sausage mixture into casings, a certain quantity of the mixture was enclosed in cans containing 450 g and then autoclaved essentially as described in Example 4. The quantities of meat jelly and of fat which collected at the top was measured as described in Example 3. The results expressed as percentages relative to the initial weight of the sausage mixtures are summarized in Table 9 below.
TABLE 9
Emulsion stability indications as determined by weight loss during cooking and release of meat jelly and fat during autoclaving
Proportion of apples Weight loss Release Release of baked earth / baking sets, fat, meat jelly, fat (% by weight)% by weight% by weight% by weight 40, test batch 6.5 0.0 4.5 40, reference lot 6.1 9.8 21.1 30, test lot 6.3 0.0 5.6 30, reference lot 5.9 0.0 5.1 20 , test batch 7.0 0.0 4.3 20, reference batch 6.2 0.0 4.5 10, test batch 5.1 0.0 5.7 10, reference batch ND 0 .0 5.7
It can be seen from these results that the stability of the emulsion of the sausage mixture in the reference batch comprising 40% by weight of fat trimmings was notably degraded compared with the test batch of a corresponding low calorie content. and compared to all the other lots tested. With proportions of 30% by weight or less of baked potatoes and fat trimmings, respectively, the stability of the emulsion is found to be essentially the same for the test batches and the reference batches at the same level of proportion of cooked potatoes / fat trimmings and also at different levels.

Example 8
Effect of the proportions of salt, phosphate, skimmed milk powder and wheat flour on the stable stability of low calorie sausage mixes
Three different batches of low calorie sausages including various proportions of the ingredients fixing the salt and phosphate water, skimmed milk powder and wheat flour and various proportions of spices and flavoring ingredients were prepared substantially according to the procedure described in Example 7. At the same time, three batches of reference sausages were prepared which had the same ingredient compositions as the test batches, except that the cooked peeled potatoes were proportionally replaced by pork fat trimmings and that the quantities of spices and flavoring agents were about 3 times higher.

The three test batches had the following ingredient compositions
% by weight of ingredient in
Lot I Lot 2 Lot 3
Lean pork leg meat 29.8 29.9 29.9
Chilled water 30.0 30.0 30.0
Cooked peeled potatoes 30.0 35.0 39.0
Pork fat trimmings 0.0 0.0 0.0
Salt for curing 2.0 1.0 1.0
Phosphate 0.5 0.25 0.0
Skim milk powder 4.0 2.0 0.0
Wheat flour 3.5 1.75 0.0 Spices / aramates *) 0.2 0.1 0.05
White pepper, mace, ginger, coriander seed
The corresponding reference batches had the following ingredient compositions
% by weight of ingredient in
Lot l Lot 2 Lot 3
Lean pork leg meat 29.3 29.6 29.8
Chilled water 30.0 30.0 30.0
Cooked peeled potatoes 0.0 0.0 0.0
Pork fat trimmings 30.0 35.0 39.0
Salt for curing 2.0 1.0 1.0
Phosphate 0.5 0.25 0.0
Skim milk powder 4.0 2.0 0.0
Wheat flour 3.5 1.75 0.0 Spices / herbs *) 0.7 0.35 0.02
White pepper, mace, ginger, coriander seed
The above test batches and reference batches were evaluated for their emulsion stability according to the method for determining the release of meat jelly and fat as described in Example 7. The results of these measurements are summaries below
TABLE 10
Emulsion stability indications as determined by release of meat jelly and fat during autoclaving
Lot of Sausages Liberation Liberation of Liberation tried fat jelly total meat
% by weight% by weight% by weight
Test batch 1 0.0 0.4 0.4
Reference lot l 0.0 1.4 1.4
Test lot 2 0.0 9.1 9.1
Reference lot 2 1.7 12.8 14.5
Test lot 3 0.0 29.5 29.5
Reference lot 3 8.7 32.2 40.9
it appears that a decrease in the amounts of the water-binding ingredients in the test batches as well as in the reference batches resulted in decreasing emulsion stability in the sausage mixtures. However, the decrease in stability emulsion was consistently higher in the reference lots than the corresponding test lots. It can therefore be concluded that replacing the fat in low calorie sausages with an equal amount of cooked peeled potatoes improves the stability of the emulsion even when the water fixing ingredients which are traditionally used in the technique are omitted. These results clearly indicate that the vegetable fat replacement ingredient has a notable capacity for fixing water.

Example 9
Preparation of low calorie sausages comprising different vegetable ingredients for fat replacement and their emulsion stability characteristics
Three batches of low calorie sausages were prepared in which the same proportion of three different vegetable fat replacement ingredients were added. Lot 1 comprised 39.0% by weight of cooked peeled potatoes; lot 2 included 39.0% by weight of potato pulp, i.e. the material left when almost all of the starch was removed by leaching with water and allowed to drain the water of the remaining material; lot 3 comprised 39.0% by weight of an aqueous suspension comprising 2.6% by weight of potato fibers, 18.2% by weight of commercially available potato starch and 79.2 % by weight of tap water.

The general composition of ingredients (by weight) was as indicated below
Lean pork leg meat 30.0
Chilled water 30.0
Vegetable fat replacement ingredient 39.0
Salt for curing 1.0 Spices / herbs) 0.05
White pepper, mace, ginger, coriander seed
The batches were prepared essentially as described in Example 8.

The three batches of sausage mix were tested for their emulsion stability characteristics by determining the release of meat jelly and fat after autoclaving as described above. The results of these tests are summarized in Table II below.
TABLE 1 1
Indications of emulsion stability of low calorie sausage mixes with different fat replacement ingredients derived from potato as determined by release of meat jelly and fat during autoclaving
Lot of Sausages Liberation Liberation of Liberation tried fat jelly total meat
% by weight% by weight% by weight
Test batch 1 including potatoes 0.0 32.1 32.1 cooked peeled potatoes
Test batch 2 included 0.0 20.6 20.6 potato pulp
Test batch 3 comprising potato fibers 0.0 25.3 25.3 and potato starch
The above results show that the pulp of
Potatoes and aqueous suspensions of potato fiber and potato starch can be used as fat replacement ingredients in low calorie meat products, both ingredients being substantially equivalent to cooked peeled potatoes with regard to the emulsion stability characteristics.

Example 10
Low calorie cervelas preparation with boiled potatoes
The composition of ingredients was as follows
Lean pork without visible fat 16,000 kg (40.0%)
Boiled peeled potatoes 9,600 kg (24.0%)
Chilled water 10,400 kg (26.0%)
Salt for curing 0.400 kg (l, 0%)
Ordinary salt 0.320 kg (0.8%)
Carrageenans 0.360 kg (0.9%)
Dye 0.080 kg (0.2%)
Phosphate 0.252 kg (0.6%)
Potato starch 1,200 kg (3.0%)
Soy protein 1,200 kg (3.0%)
Sodium ascorbate 0.020 kg (0.1%)
Spices 0.168 kg (0.4%)
Lean meat and boiled potatoes precooled to about 50C were reduced to particles by grinding through a plate having 3mm orifices (step a). Half of the ground meat and 4 kg of ice water were transferred to a high speed mixer with 6 rotary knives, together with the salt for salt, common salt, color and phosphate and then reduces these ingredients to finer particles by operating the mixer at high speed for 30 turns of the bowl (step b). The mixer was stopped and the soy protein, potato starch and the remainder of the ice water were added, after which the mixer was operated for a further 30 turns of the bowl (step c).

As a final mixing step, the boiled potatoes already reduced to particles and the remaining half of the lean meat already reduced to particles were added and the mixer was operated for 20 turns of the bowl (step d) in order to obtain a coherent mixture for cervelas which was introduced with stuffing into 52 mm hoses and then immersed in water at a temperature of approximately 800C for approximately 75 minutes.

 As a reference product, a batch of cervelas was prepared essentially according to the method described above, in which 24% fat had been added instead of boiled potatoes.

 The resulting batches of cervelas were subjected to chemical analyzes by methods known per se and their total energy contents as well as the relative contributions to these contents of carbohydrates, proteins and fats were calculated according to these analysis results.

TABLE 12
Composition of batches of cervelas with 24% by weight of boiled potatoes (% by weight) and their energy contents
Test batch Reference batch
%% of energy 96% of energy
total total
Carbohydrates 8.0 31.4 3.5 5.9
Proteins 10.5 43.7 11.0 19.7
Fat 2.8 24.9 19.4 74.4
Total energy,
la per 100 g 437 1015
The total energy content of low calorie cervelas was only about 43% of that of the reference product. In the latter meat product, the high total fat content contributed 74.4% to the total energy content, while in the test product fat contributed only 24.9% %.

Example ll
Low calorie cervelas preparation comprising potato fiber and potato starch as a fat replacement ingredient
In the ingredient composition of this product, the boiled potatoes included in the composition of Example 10 were replaced by 5.77% by weight of a potato starch product containing about 82% starch, 0 , 8% by weight of a potato fiber product containing approximately 75% dietary fiber and 17.43% by weight of water. As a result, this fat replacement ingredient contained 9.1% by weight of dietary fiber and 70.0% by weight of starch in its dry matter. These proportions were chosen because they correspond to the average values found in potatoes.

 The preparation process included a step a and a step b as defined in Example 10. In step c of the present process, soy protein, potato starch, potato starch product and the potato fiber product were added to the mixture along with 13.372 kg of ice water. Stage d and the subsequent stages of stuffing and cooking were as defined in Example 10.

The resulting batch of cervelas was subjected to chemical analyzes by methods known per se and the total energy content as well as the relative contributions to this content of carbohydrates, proteins and fats were calculated from these analysis results. The results obtained were compared with the corresponding results for the reference product of Example II
TABLE 13
Composition of a batch of cervelas with 24% by weight of a fat replacement ingredient comprising a proportion of dietary fiber from potatoes of 9.1% and a proportion of 70.0% from potato starch in its dry matter and its energy contents
Test batch Reference batch
%% of energy%% of energy
total, ~ total
Carbohydrates 9.6 37.3 3.5 5.9
Proteins 9.6 39.9 11.0 19.7
Fat 2.6 22.9 19.4 74.4
Total energy, kJ per 100 g 442 1015
The total energy content of low-energy cervelas was only about 44% of that of the reference product. In the latter meat product, the high fat content contributed 74.4% to the total energy content, while in the test product the fat content contributed only 22.9 %.

Example 12
Low calorie cervelas preparation including potato fiber and corn starch as a fat replacement ingredient
In the ingredient composition of this product, the boiled Potatoes included in the composition of Example 10 were replaced by 5.77% by weight of a product based on corn starch but containing approximately 82% of starch, 0.8% by weight of a product based on potato fiber comprising approximately 75% by weight of dietary fiber and 17.43% by weight of water. Consequently, this fat replacement ingredient like that of Example II contained 9.1% by weight of dietary fiber and 70% by weight of starch in its dry matter. The preparation process included a step a and a step b as defined in Example 10.

In step c of the present process, soy protein, potato starch, corn starch product and potato fiber product were added to the mixture at the same time than 13.372 kg of ice water. Stage d and the subsequent stages of stuffing and cooking were as defined in Example 10.

The resulting batch of cervelas was subjected to chemical analyzes by methods known per se and the total energy content as well as the relative contributions to this content of carbohydrates, proteins and fats were calculated from these analysis results. The results obtained were compared with the corresponding results for the reference product of Example 10
TABLE 14
Composition of a batch of cervelas with 24% by weight of a fat replacement ingredient comprising a proportion of dietary fiber of potato of 9.1% and a proportion of 70.0% of starch of mals in its dry matter and its energy contents
Test batch Reference batch
%% of energy%% of energy
total total
Carbohydrates 9.7 37.2 3.5 5.9
Proteins 9.7 39.4 11.0 19.7
Fat 2.7 23.5 19.4 74.4
Total energy, kJ per 100 g 448 1015
The total energy content of low calorie cervelas was only about 44% of that of the reference product. In the latter meat product, the high fat content contributed 74.4% to the total energy content, while in the test product the fat content contributed only 23.5% %.

Example 13
Low calorie cervelas preparation included pea fiber and potato starch as a fat replacement ingredient
In the ingredient composition of this product, the boiled potatoes included in the composition of Example 10 were replaced by 5.77% by weight of a potato starch product containing about 82% starch, 0.8% by weight of a pea fiber product containing about 75% dietary fiber and 17.43% by weight of water. Consequently, this fat replacement ingredient like that of Example 12 contained 9.1% by weight of dietary fiber and 70.0% by weight of starch in its dry matter.

The preparation process included a step a and a step b as defined in Example 10. In step c of the present process, soy protein, potato starch, starch product potatoes and the pea fiber product were added to the mixture along with 13.372 kg of ice water. Stage d and the subsequent stages of stuffing and cooking were as defined in Example 10.

 The resulting batch of cervelas was subjected to chemical analyzes by methods known per se and the total energy content and the relative contributions to this energy of carbohydrates, proteins and fats were calculated from these analysis results. The results obtained were compared with the corresponding results for the reference product of Example 10.

TABLE 15
Composition of a batch of cervelas with 24% by weight of a fat replacement ingredient comprising a proportion of dietary fiber from peas of 9.1% and a proportion of 70.0% of potato starch in its dry matter, and its energy contents
Test batch Reference batch
96% of energy%% of energy
total total
Carbohydrates 9.7 37.5 3.5 5.9
Proteins 9.7 39.7 11.0 19.7
Fat 2.6 22.8 19.4 74.4
Total energy, per per 100 g 444 1015
The total energy content of low calorie cervelas was only about 44% of that of the reference product. In this latter meat product, the high fat content contributed 74.4% to the total energy content, while in the test product the fat content contributed only 22.8%.

Example 14
Low calorie cervelas preparation including pea fiber and corn starch as a fat replacement ingredient
In the ingredient composition of this product, the boiled potatoes included in the composition of Example 10 were replaced by 5.77% by weight of a product based on corn starch but containing approximately 82% of starch, 0.8% by weight of a pea fiber product containing about 75% dietary fiber and 17.43% by weight of water. Consequently, this fat replacement ingredient like that of Example II contained 9.1% by weight of dietary fiber and 70.0% by weight of starch in its dry matter.

The preparation process included a step a and a step b as defined in Example 10. In step c of this process, soy protein, potato starch, corn starch product, and pea fiber product were added to the mixture along with 13,372 kg of ice water. Stage d and the subsequent stages of stuffing and cooking were as defined in Example 10.

 The resulting batch of cervelas was subjected to chemical analyzes by methods known per se and the total energy content and the relative contributions to this energy of carbohydrates, proteins and fats were calculated from these analysis results. The results obtained were compared with the corresponding results for the reference product of Example 10.

TABLE 16
Composition of a batch of cervelas with 24% by weight of a fat replacement ingredient comprising a proportion of dietary fiber from peas of 9.1% and a proportion of 70.0% of corn starch in its dry matter , and its energy content
Test batch Reference batch
96 96 energy% 96 energy
total total carbohydrates 9.7 37.4 3.5 5.9
Proteins 9.8 40.0 11.0 19.7
Fat 2.6 22.7 19.4 74.4
Total energy,
1çJ per 100 g 446 1015
The total energy content of the low calorie cervelas was only about 449s of that of the reference product. In the latter meat product, the high fat content contributed 74.4% to the content total in energy, while in the test product the fat content contributed only 22.7%
Example 15
Low calorie cervelas preparation including beet fiber and tapioca starch as a fat replacement ingredient
In the ingredient composition of this product, the boiled potatoes included in the composition of Example 10 were replaced by 5.77 * by weight of a tapioca starch product containing about 82% of starch, 0.8% by weight of a beet fiber product containing about 75% dietary fiber and 17.43% by weight of water.As a result, this fat replacement ingredient like Example 11 contained 9.1% by weight of dietary fiber and 70.0% by weight of starch in its dry matter.

The preparation process included a step a and a step b as defined in Example 11. In step c of the present process, soy protein, potato starch, starch product tapioca and the beet fiber product were added to the mixture along with 13.372 kg of ice water. Stage d and the subsequent stages of stuffing and cooking were as defined in Example 10.

 The resulting batch of cervelas was subjected to chemical analyzes by methods known per se and the total energy content and the contributions to this energy of carbohydrates, proteins and fats were calculated according to the analysis results. The results obtained were compared with the corresponding results for the reference product of Example 10.

TABLE 17
Composition of a batch of cervelas with 24% by weight of a fat replacement ingredient comprising a proportion of dietary fiber from beets of 9.1% and a proportion of 70.0% of tapioca starch in dry matter, and its energy contents
Test batch Reference batch
%% of energy%% of energy
total total
Carbohydrates 9.3 35.6 3.5 5.9
Proteins 9.9 40.1 11.0 19.7
Fat 2.8 24.3 19.4 74.4
Total energy, per 100 g 448 1015
The total energy content of low calorie cervelas was only about 44% of that of the reference product. In the latter meat product, the high fat content contributed 74.4% to the total energy, while in the test product the fat content contributed only 24.3% .

Example 16
Preparation of a low calorie liver pâté including boiled potatoes as a vegetable fat replacement ingredient
The ingredient composition of the liver pâté was as follows
Pork liver 27.75%
Boiled peeled potatoes 27.75%
Potato cooking liquid 32.65%
Regular salt 0.80%
Lactose 0.78%
Sorbic acid 0.08%
Wheat starch 3.59%
Potato starch 0.98%
3.27% skimmed milk powder
Caseinate (98.2% protein) 0.48%
Sunflower oil 1.21%
Spices 0.66%
The potatoes were supplied in the form of pre-cooked whole peeled potatoes packed in plastic bags with the water in which they were boiled by immersing the bags in boiling water for 20 minutes. , the bags were opened and the potatoes were transferred to a container containing boiling water and kept in this container for about 5 minutes until a temperature of about 900C was obtained.

 1.6% of the boiling potato cooking liquid, calculated in relation to the final product, and the caseinate were transferred to KS grinding equipment (JKarl Schnell) comprising a cylindrical container having a bottom portion of conical shape with a two-bladed rotary propeller having blunt edges. After grinding for 20 seconds, sunflower oil was added and grinding continued for another 40 seconds to obtain a stable smooth emulsion (step 1). Whole liver, hot whole potatoes and other ingredients, including the rest of the boiling potato cooking liquid (step 2), after which it was mixed for 2 minutes and during this mixing operation the liver and the potatoes were disintegrated by the rotary propeller in coarse particles having a larger average diameter of at least 5 mm which, due to the rotation of the propeller, were distributed unifor memant in the emulsion.Finally, from the mixing container, this second mixture was passed to through a high speed crusher having a plate with 3mm holes, which plate was attached to the conical bottom of the mixing container, and this passage resulted in the formation of a melan consistent as defined above containing additional ingredients (step 4). The passage of the above mixture through the mill was carried out by applying a vacuum to the container. After passing through the high speed grinder, the coherent mixture containing additional ingredients was transferred to a filling machine and dispensed into 500 ml aluminum foil containers and then baked in an oven preheated to 1900C for approximately 1 hour.

Example 17
Influence on the consistency of a meat product or the amount of vegetable ingredient for fat replacement and the dietary fiber / starch weight ratio
Five series each consisting of six low calorie sliced sausages were prepared essentially as defined in Example 10. Each series included products which contained the following proportions of a vegetable fat replacement ingredient including total amount of carrageenans and potato starch in the form of dry powder: 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0 and 12.5% by weight, calculating relative to the products.

In each of these series, the dietary fiber / starch weight ratio was varied so as to obtain the following ratios: 1: 1, 1: 2, 1: 4, 1: 8, 1:16 and 1:32.

A reference product was also prepared having the following composition lean pork (8% fat) 50% bacon 25% water 21.7% salt 1% salt for curing 1% flavoring ingredients 0.6%
In the test product, the bacon was replaced by the above amounts of dry fat replacement ingredients and additional water at a rate of up to 25%.

 The consistency of low-calorie products was assessed by a jury of 7 people with extensive experience in assessing the sensory quality of meat products. The consistency of the products was noted on a hedonistic scale. Each category was assigned a numerical value ranging from -5 to +5 where in particular 0 indicates good quality, -l insignificant faults and -2 small faults.

The results are summarized in Table 18 below
TABLE 18
Average consistency results of the test products
Ratio Quantity of dietary fiber / starch,% by weight x dietary fiber / 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0 12.5 starch 1: 1 -0.1 -0.7 -1.1 -1.1 -1.9 -0.98 1: 2 -0.6 -0.3 -0.3 -l, 3d) 2.3d) -0.96 1: 4 -1.4s) -0.1 -0 , 9 -0.4 -2.6 -1.08 1: 8 -1, -14s) -1.1 -1.9 -2.6d) -1.72 1:16 -2.0S) -1 , 9s) -1.6d) -2.4d) -3.4d) -2.26 1 :: 32 -1.6s) -1.4S) -0.9 -1.0 -3.1d) - 1.60
x -1.22 -0.97 -0.98 -1.35 -2.65 -1.43 s) spongy consistency d) dry consistency
It appears that with a dry fat replacement ingredient comprising carrageenans and potato starch, the best results were obtained when the ingredient was added in amounts of between 2.5 and 7.5 % and when the dietary fiber / starch ratio was in the range of 1: 1 to 1: 4. However, acceptable products have also been obtained in some cases outside these ranges. It has been clearly demonstrated that a certain proportion of dietary fiber compared to the starch component is necessary to avoid the taking of a spongy consistency by meat products of low calorie content, and more than a dry consistency is obtained with fairly large amounts of dry fat replacement ingredient.

In this experiment, the consistency of the test products was noted as being of slightly lower quality than that of the reference product, for which the average result was 0.4 + 1.1 (standard deviation). Example 18
Preparation of low calorie cervelas type products including various vegetable fat replacement ingredients and sensory evaluation of the products
A series comprising five low calorie test products and a reference product containing 25% fat were prepared essentially according to the method defined in Example 10. All the products comprised a total of 6.1% by weight of the following dry ingredients: salt for salting, common salt, phosphates, color, soy protein, sodium ascorbate and spices. The products included the following major ingredients
Percentages
NO test product
Ingredient Ref. 1 2 3 4 5
Pork, 7-9% fat 40.1 40.1 40.1 40.1 40.1 40.1
Water 24.9 32.4 31.9 26.7 21.8 43.5
Bacon 24.9 - - - -
Boiled white rice - 17.5 17.5 - -
Potato fiber - - 0.55 0.13 - 0.26
Boiled brown rice - - - 21.1 -
Boiled carrots - - - - 23.3
Corn starch - - - - 4.7
Chips - - - - - 6.1
Potato starch 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0
Carrageenans 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9
Starch calculated 2.40 6.54 6.54 6.54 6.16 6.24
Calculated dietary fiber 0.90 0.94 1.31 1.04 1.60 1.52
Dietary fiber / starch ratio 1: 2.7 1: 7.0 1: 5.0 1: 6.3 1: 3.9 1 :: 4.4
The tested products and the reference product were subjected to sensory evaluations using a jury of 26 consumers. In each separate trial, half of the members of the jury assessed 2 samples of identical test products and 1 sample of reference product and those of the other half assessed 2 identical reference samples and 1 sample of test product. The samples were scored for (1) overall impression, (2) consistency, (3) taste and (4) appearance, according to a hedonistic scale indicating whether the products were: very poor (1), poor (2), nor poor or good (3), good (4) and very good (5).

The numbers in parentheses indicate numeric transformation values that were used for calculations of average scores and differences in average scores.

 The results of the sensory evaluation are presented below as differences between the average scores of each test product and the reference product.

TABLE 19
Sensory evaluation of low calorie cervelas type products and a reference product containing 25% fat
NO test sample
1 2 3 4 5
Parameter ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Overall -0.42 -0.09 -0.14 -0.39 0.09
Appearance 0.07 -0.06 0.21 -0.94 0.14
Consistency -0.06 -0.03 -0.51 -0.09 -0.07
Taste -0.46 0.03 -0.02 -0.15 -0.27
x -0.22 -0.04 -0.12 -0.40 -0.03
In conclusion, the test products were rated as slightly lower than the reference product.

However, the differences were not statistically significant except for sample NO 24. This product comprising cooked carrots was clearly noted as being less acceptable due to a poorer appearance. This was most likely due to the pronounced color resulting from the carrots. This problem can be resolved by adjusting the amount and type of food grade dyes. Interestingly, the N04 sample scores for taste and consistency were found to be almost at the same level as those for the reference product, and surprisingly it was found that , the incorporation of additional dietary fiber in the NO 2 sample compared to the NO 1 sample significantly improved the ratings for overall taste and impression.

Example 19
Preparing low-calorie burgers and cooking weight loss measures
Two sets (A and B) of burgers were prepared according to the recipes defined below. Series A included a reference product and four test products. The B series included a reference product and three dressai products.

The ingredient compositions were as follows
Series A
% by weight of ingredient in the sample
Ref. Al A2 A3 A4
Beef, 23% fat 100.0 - - -
Beef, 11% fat - 87.0 - -
Beef, 4% fat - - 80.0 80.0 80.0
Beef, 30% fat - - - -
Beef, 10% fat - - -
Boiled potatoes 0.0: 13.0 20.0 -
Ice - - - 15.59 15.62
Corn starch - - - 3.75
Potato fiber - - - 0.66
Pea starch - - - - 2.95
Pea fiber - - - - 1.45% calculated fat 23.0 9.6 3.2 3.2 3.2
B series
% by weight of ingredient in the sample
Ref. Bi B2 B3
Beef, 30% fat 64.0 - -
Beef, 17% fat - 54.0
Beef, 10% fat 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0
Beef, 5.5% fat - - 47.4 47.4
Ice 8.6 8.6 8.6 21.54
Soy protein (58%) 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5
Water 15.0 15.0 15.0 15.0
Soy protein (80%) 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1
Regular salt 0.45 0.45 0.45 0.45
Spices 0.35 0.35 0.35 0.35
Boiled potatoes - 10.0 16.6
Corn starch - - - 3.11
Potato fiber - - - 0.55% calculated fat 19.6 9.6 3.0 3.0
The burgers in the A series were prepared as follows
The beef was ground along with the ice cream through a plate with 3mm holes and then transferred to a Palmia blender. The dry ingredients or boiled potatoes were added and the ingredients mixed 2 times for 2.5 minutes and at about OOC to obtain a coherent hamburger mixture which was transported to a Formax hamburger maker. Having been trained, the burgers were transported on a conveyor through a freezer and finally packed in cardboard boxes for storage at -250C.

The B-Series burgers were prepared using the following method
The beef was ground along with the ice through a plate with 3mm holes and the ground beef was transported to a Palmia blender. Soy protein (80%), common salt and herbs were added before mixing for 2.5 minutes. Finally, the soy protein (58%) having been previously soaked in water was added, followed by mixing for another 2.5 minutes, to obtain a coherent mixture for hamburgers. The resulting mixture was shaped and packaged as described above.

 The hamburgers of the two series, including the reference products with a high fat content, were sensually evaluated by a jury essentially in the manner described in example 18. Before the evaluation, the hamburgers were cooked without any using grease or oil in a Turbo pan for 90 seconds. The cooked burgers were served to the jury in the form of hamburger sandwiches including cooked burgers, milk rolls, lettuce and a mild salad dressing. In connection with the tests, the weight loss of the burgers resulting from the cooking was noted.

 The results of the sensory evaluation are summarized in the tables below indicating the differences between the average scores of each test product and the reference product.

TABLE 20
Sensory evaluation of low-calorie burgers and a benchmark hamburger containing 23% fat (Series A)
NO test sample
Parameter 1 2 3 4
Total 0.34 0.55 0.39 -0.20
Appearance -0.28 0.18 0.19 -0.42
Consistency 0.36 0.88 0.32 0.06
Taste 0.46 0.37 0.27 0.02
x 0.22 0.49 0.29 -0.16
The average scores for the four low calorie test burgers were: 3.06, 3.30, 3.33 and 2.78, respectively. In this series, three in four of the low-calorie test burgers received higher ratings than the benchmark high-fat product. For all test samples, the taste and consistency were rated as better than that of the reference product.

 In terms of cooking, the benchmark hamburger showed a weight loss of 28.5%. The corresponding results for test samples 1-4 were: 13.0, 7.8, 11.2 and 12.3%, respectively.

These results clearly indicate that cooking losses were significantly reduced in burgers in which the predominant part of the fat was replaced by a vegetable fat replacement ingredient.

TABLE 21
Sensory evaluation of low calorie burgers and a benchmark hamburger containing 23% fat (Series B)
Test sample N0
Parameter 1 2 3
Overall -0.10 -0.08 -0.37
Appearance 0.46 -0.15 0.12
Consistency -0.22 0.02 -0.09
Taste -0.22 -0.38 -0.49
x -0.03 -0.15 -0.20
Overall, the grade differences were insignificant. The average scores for the three low-calorie burgers were 3.00, 2.70 and 3.09%, respectively.

 The reference burgers showed a loss on cooking of 8.6% by weight, while test samples 1-3 showed losses of 10.8, 4.6 and 5.3%, respectively.

Claims (143)

 1. A low calorie meat product including  (a) a mixture comprising  (1) lean meat reduced to particles substantially free from fat, its proportion being in the range of 20-95% by weight, calculated with respect to the mixture,  (2) a vegetable ingredient for replacing fats comprising dietary fiber and starch in a weight ratio of between 1:32 and 1 :: 1, the proportion of the dietary fiber being at least 5% by weight of the dry matter of the fat replacement ingredient when the determination is made of polysaccharides other than starch (NSP), and the proportion of starch being at least 50% of the dry matter of the fat replacement ingredient, the fat replacement ingredient being or can be brought to a homogeneous consistency with practically no sensory recognizable particles in the mixture, the proportion of the vegetable fat replacement ingredient being between 5 and 80 % by weight, calculated relative to the mixture,  (b) optionally added salt, its proportion when added is between 0.1 and 4% by weight, calculated relative to the mixture,  (c) optionally added water, its proportion when added is between 5 and 50% by weight, calculated relative to the mixture, and  (d) optionally one or more other ingredients, the product having a fat content which is at most 15% by weight when the product is of the hamburger type, the fat content being at most 10% by weight when the product does not is not of the hamburger type, with the conditions that (1) fat when the product is a product in which lean meat is fish meat does not include hardened fat and (2) dietary fiber is not konjak mannan.  2. A low calorie meat product according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least 60% by weight of the water naturally present in its ingredients.  3. A low-calorie meat product according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that it is a product of the hamburger type or a product chosen from sausages, products based on sliced meat and spreadable meat products.  4. A low calorie meat product according to claim 3, characterized in that the hamburger type product, in addition to the reduced particle meat and the vegetable fat replacement ingredient, comprises one or more ingredients chosen from added salt, added water and other ingredients.  5. A product of the hamburger type with a low calorie content according to one of claims 3 and 4, characterized in that the total proportion of fat is less than 12% by weight.  6. A low calorie meat product according to claim 5, characterized in that the total proportion of fat is less than 10% by weight, preferably less than 7% by weight, better still less than 5% by weight and in particular less than 3% by Weight.  7. A low calorie meat product according to claim 1, characterized in that the mixture is a mixture of finely ground meat having cohesion.  8. A low calorie meat product according to one of claims 1 and 7, characterized in that the product comprises  a) a mixture of finely ground meat having cohesion comprising  (1) lean meat reduced to particles substantially free of visible fat, its proportion being between 20 and 90% by weight, calculated relative to the mixture,  (2) a vegetable ingredient replacing grainsm6 comprising dietary fiber and starch in a weight ratio of between 1:32 and 1 :: 1, the proportion of the dietary fiber being at least 5% of the weight of the dry matter of the ingredient der-mp; ' cementing of fats when the determination is made of polysaccharides other than starch (NSP), and the proportion of starch being at least 50% of the dry matter of the fat replacement ingredient, the ingredient fat replacement can have a homogeneous consistency or be made to such consistency with practically no sensory particles recognizable in the mixture having cohesion, the proportion of the vegetable ingredient of fat replacement being between 5 and 80% by weight, calculated in relation to the mixture,  (3) of the added salt, its proportion being between 0.1 and 4% by weight, calculated relative to the mixture,  (4) added water, its proportion being between 10 and 50% by weight, calculated relative to the mixture, and  b) optionally one or more other ingredients, the product having a fat content which is at most 10% by weight.  9. A low calorie meat product according to claim 8, characterized in that it is a product chosen from the group consisting of sausages, sliced meat products and products spreadable meat.  10. A low-calorie meat product according to one of claims 7 and 8, characterized in that the total proportion of fat is less than 7% by weight.  11. A low calorie meat product according to claim 10, characterized in that the total fat proportion is less than 5% by weight and preferably less than 3% by weight.  12. A low calorie meat product according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the proportion of lean meat reduced to particles substantially free of visible fat in the mixture or in the mixture based finely minced meat having cohesion is between 25 and 70% by weight and preferably between 30 and 50% by weight.  13. A low calorie meat product according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the total amount of dietary fiber and starch present in the vegetable ingredient for fat replacement is at least 5% by Weight, calculated in relation to the product.  14. A low calorie meat product according to claim 1, characterized in that the dietary fiber / starch weight ratio in the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats is between 1:20 and 1: 2, preferably between 1:15 and 1: 3 and in particular between 1:10 and 1: 4.  15. A low calorie meat product according to claim 1, characterized in that the proportion of dietary fiber in the fat replacement ingredient is at least 10% by weight.  16. A low calorie meat product according to claim 15, characterized in that the proportion of dietary fiber in the fat replacement ingredient is at least 15% by weight.  17. A low calorie meat product according to claim 1, characterized in that the dietary fiber and starch are unmodified natural dietary fiber and starch.  18. A low calorie meat product according to claim 1, characterized in that the vegetable ingredient for fat replacement is an unfractionated natural vegetable material having a water content of at least 70%. .  19. A low calorie meat product according to claim 18, characterized in that the proportion of the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats in the mixture is between 10 and 70% by weight, preferably between 15 and 60% by weight and in particular between 20 and 50% by weight.  20. A meat product with a low calorie content according to one of claims 18 and 19, characterized in that the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats is chosen from materials based on plant tubers and materials based on plant roots.  21. A low calorie meat product according to claim 20, characterized in that the material based on plant tubers consists of potatoes.  22. A low-calorie meat product according to claim 20, characterized in that the material based on plant roots is chosen from cassava root, tapioca and arrowroot.  23. A low calorie meat product according to claim 18, characterized in that the natural vegetable material is precooked.  24. A low calorie meat product according to claim 1, characterized in that the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats has a water content of at most 20% by weight.  25. A low calorie meat product according to claim 24, characterized in that the proportion of the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats in the mixture is between 5 and 15% by weight and preferably between 5 and 10% by weight.  26. A meat product with a low caloric content according to one of claims 24 and 25, characterized in that the fat replacement ingredient is an unfractionated natural plant material chosen from cereal grains and broadleaf seeds.  27. A low calorie meat product according to claim 26, characterized in that the fat replacement ingredient is in the form of particles having a larger diameter dtau maximum 2 mm.  28. A low calorie meat product according to one of claims 24 and 25, characterized in that the fat replacement ingredient is a mixture of separate starch and separate dietary fiber.  29. A low-calorie meat product according to claim 28, characterized in that the separated starch is chosen from cereal flour starch, potato starch and starch tapioca.  30. A low calorie meat product according to claim 28, characterized in that the separate dietary fiber is chosen from potato dietary fiber, potato pulp, beet fiber, pea fiber, bean fiber and tapioca fiber.  31. A low calorie meat product according to claim 1, characterized in that the fat replacement ingredient is obtained by adding to an unfractionated natural plant material, the proportion of dry fiber material less than 5% by weight or with a proportion of starch dry matter less than 50% by weight sufficient separate starch or separate dietary fiber to result in a vegetable fat replacement ingredient as defined in claim 1.  32. A low calorie meat product according to claim 1, characterized in that the proportion of water added to the mixture is between 15 and 40% by weight and preferably between 20 and 35% in weight.  33. A low calorie meat product according to claim 1, characterized in that the added water is water in which vegetables or meat have been cooked.  34. A low calorie meat product according to claim 1, characterized in that the proportion of salt added to the mixture is between 0.5 and 3% by weight and preferably between 1 and 2 % in weight.  35. A low calorie meat product according to claim 34, characterized in that the added salt is chosen from the group consisting of a food grade composition essentially comprising sodium chloride, a quality composition food comprising sodium chloride and additional salts and a food grade composition comprising one or more alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salts, these food grade compositions comprising salts other than sodium chloride having essentially the same salty taste than sodium chloride.  36. A product based on.:yiande of a low calorie content according to claim 1, characterized in that the meat is chosen from muscular tissue and edible offal comprising the liver, the kidneys, the intestines, the brains , languages or laughs.  37. A low calorie meat product according to claim 36, characterized in that the meat is a mixture from two or more animal species.  38. A low-calorie meat product according to claim 1, characterized in that the product comprises one or more other ingredients, their total proportion being between 1 and 15% by weight relative to the product to meat base.  39. A low calorie meat product according to claim 1, characterized in that the additional ingredients are chosen from the following groups of ingredients: cooked or uncooked vegetables having a sensibly recognizable particle size, agents fixing water chosen from hydrocolloids, egg albumin, gelatin and collagen, structuring agents, preservatives, flavorings, spices, flavor improving agents, sweetening agents, colorings, vitamins, smoke and curing agents.  40 A low calorie meat product according to claim 1, characterized in that the total energy content is less than 700 kJ / 100 g.  41. A low calorie meat product according to claim 40, characterized in that the total energy content is less than 600 kJ / 100 g, preferably less than 500 kJ / 100 g and in particular less than 400 kJ / 100 g.  42. A low calorie meat product according to one of claims 40 and 41, characterized in that the contribution of its fat content to the total energy content is less than 50%, preferably less than 40%, in particular less than 30% and especially less than 20%.  43. A low calorie meat product according to claim 1, characterized in that, when sensory evaluated by a jury against a similar reference meat product having a high calorie content fat prepared in a conventional manner, it has essentially the same taste, the same texture and the same appearance as the reference product.  44. A low calorie meat product according to claim 1, characterized in that the total proportion of meat jelly or fat released by the product after autoclaving the product enclosed in a box can containing 450 g for 70 minutes at a pressure of 2.1 bar, is less than 6% by weight relative to the total amount of product loaded in the can.  45. A low calorie meat product according to claim 1, characterized in that the meat product has been dispensed in a package.  46. A low calorie meat product according to claim 1, characterized in that it has been subjected to a preservation and / or cooking treatment.  47. A low calorie meat product according to claim 1, characterized in that it constitutes a ready-made dish ready to cook or ready to eat or forms part of it.  48. A low calorie meat product according to claim 1, characterized in that it is a food for house animals.  49. A low-calorie meat product according to claim 48, characterized in that at least part of the meat consists of edible slaughter waste chosen from blood, intestines, stomachs, genitals and respiratory organs.  50. A process for preparing a low calorie meat product essentially comprising the steps of  1) a mixture is prepared by mixing lean meat reduced to particles substantially free of visible fat; a vegetable ingredient for replacing fats comprising dietary fiber and starch in a weight ratio of between 1:32 and 1 :: 1, the proportion of the dietary fiber being at most 5% by weight of the dry matter of the fat replacement ingredient when determining the polysaccharides other than starch (NPS) and the proportion of starch being at least 50% of the dry matter of the fat replacement ingredient fats, the ingredient replacing fats being capable of having a homogeneous consistency or of being made to such a consistency with practically no sensually recognizable particles in the coherent mixture, this ingredient being miscible with the other ingredients; optionally added salt; and possibly added water, a mixture in which  (a) the proportion of lean meat reduced to particles substantially free of visible fat is between 20 and 95% by weight,  (b) the proportion of the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats is between 5 and 80% by weight,  (c) the proportion of water added when added is between 10 and 50% by weight,  (d) the proportion of salt added when added is between 0.1 and 4% by weight, the mixing operation, when the meat product with a low calorie content to be prepared is a product to spreadable meat base, preferably carried out according to the following steps  (1) a vegetable oil is mixed, its quantity being between 0.5 and 3% by weight, calculated relative to the mixture, boiling water and a protein powder so as to obtain a first premix in the form of 'an emulsion,  (2) to this emulsion is added the lean meat substantially free of visible fat, the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats, the added salt and the added water, the total proportion of the added ingredients being at least 95% by weight of the ingredients from (1) and (2),  (3) the ingredients of (1) and (2) are mixed so as to obtain a second premix, this second premix comprising coarse particles uniformly distributed of meat and vegetable ingredient of replacement of fats having on average a greater diameter of maximum 5 mm, and if necessary, the second resulting premix is ground by passing it through a grinder at high speed to obtain the mixture,  2) one or more other ingredients are optionally added to the mixture so that a mixture for a meat product results in which the proportion of these other ingredients is between 1 and 15% by weight, preferably between 2 and 12% by weight and in particular between 3 and 10% by weight,  3) the resulting mixture for the meat product is distributed in packages of appropriate dimensions, possibly together with other edible ingredients, and  4) the mixture for meat product is optionally subjected to a preservation and / or cooking treatment before or after its distribution in packages of appropriate dimensions, so as to obtain a meat product of low content in calories having a fat content which is not more than 15% by weight, when the product is of the hamburger type, the fat content being not more than 10% by weight when the product is not of the hamburger type, with the conditions that (1) the fat when the product is a product in which the lean meat is fish flesh does not include hardened fat and (2) the dietary fiber is not konjak mannan.  51. A method according to claim 50, characterized in that the resulting low calorie meat product comprises at least 60% by weight of the water naturally present in its ingredients.  52. A method according to one of claims 50 and 51, characterized in that the resulting low calorie meat product is a product of the hamburger type.  53. A method according to claim 52, characterized in that the mixture for product of the hamburger type, in addition to the meat reduced to particles and the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats, comprises one or more ingredients chosen from added salt , added water and other ingredients.  54. A method according to one of claims 52 and 53, characterized in that the total proportion of fat in the product of the resulting hamburger type is less than 12% by weight.  55. A method according to claim 54, characterized in that the total proportion of fat in the resulting hamburger product is less than 10% by weight, preferably less than 7% by weight, better still less than 5% by weight and in particular less than 3% by weight.  56. A method according to claim 50, characterized in that the resulting mixture is a coherent mixture based on finely ground meat.  57. A method according to one of claims 50 and 56, characterized in that it comprises the steps according to which  1) a coherent mixture of finely ground meat is prepared by mixing lean meat reduced to particles substantially free of visible fat; a vegetable ingredient for replacing fats comprising dietary fiber and starch in a weight ratio of between 1:32 and 1 :: 1, the proportion of the dietary fiber being at least 5% by weight of the dry matter of the vegetable ingredient replacing fats when the determination is made of polysaccharides other than starch (NPS), and the proportion of starch being at least 50% of the dry matter of the ingredient of fat replacement, the fat replacement ingredient being capable of having a homogeneous consistency or being brought to such consistency with practically no sensory-recognizable particles, this ingredient being miscible with the other ingredients of the added salt; and added water; coherent mixture of finely ground meat in which  (a) the proportion of lean meat reduced to particles substantially free of visible fat is between 20 and 90% by weight,  (b) the proportion of the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats is between 5 and 80% by weight,  (c) the proportion of water added is between 10 and 50% by weight,  (d) the proportion of salt added is between 0.1 and 4% by weight, the mixing operation, when the meat product with a low calorie content to be prepared is a spread meat product , preferably being carried out according to the following steps  (1) a vegetable oil is mixed, its amount being between 0.5 and 3% by weight, calculating with respect to the mixture, boiling water and a protein powder so as to obtain a first premix in the form an emulsion,  (2) to this emulsion is added the lean meat substantially free of visible fat, the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats, the added salt and the added water, the total proportion of the added ingredients being at least 95% by weight of the ingredients from (1) and (2),  (3) the ingredients from (1) and (2) are mixed so as to obtain a second premix, this second premix comprising coarse particles distributed uniformly of meat and of fat replacement ingredient having on average a greater diameter of at least 5 mm, and if necessary, the second resulting premix is ground by passing it through a grinder at high speed, so as to obtain the coherent mixture based on finely ground meat,  2) one or more other ingredients are optionally added to the coherent mixture based on finely ground meat, so that a mixture for meat product results in which the proportion of these other ingredients is between 1 and 15% by weight, preferably between 2 and 12% by weight and in particular between 3 and 10% by weight,  3) the resulting meat product mixture is distributed in packages of appropriate size, possibly along with other edible ingredients, and  4) the mixture for meat product is optionally subjected to a preservation and / or cooking treatment before or after its distribution in packages of appropriate dimensions, so as to obtain a meat product of low content in calories with a fat content that is less than 10% by weight.  58. A method according to claim 57, characterized in that the resulting low calorie meat product is a product chosen from the group consisting of sausages, sliced meat products and spreadable meat products.  59. A method according to one of claims 56 and 57, characterized in that the proportion of fat in the meat product of a resulting low calorie content is less than 7% by weight.  60. A method according to claim 59, characterized in that the total proportion of fat is less than 5% by weight and preferably less than 3% by weight.  61. A method according to claim 50, characterized in that the proportion of lean meat reduced to particles substantially free of visible fat in the mixture is between 25 and 70% by weight and preferably between 30 and 50% by weight.  62. A method according to any one of claims 50-61, characterized in that the total quantity of dietary fiber and starch present in the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats is at least 5% by weight, calculated compared to the product.  63. A method according to one of claims 50 and 62, characterized in that the dietetic fiber / starch ratio in the vegetable fat replacement ingredient is between 1:20 and 1: 2, preferably between 1:15 and 1: 3 and in particular between 1:10 and 1: 4.  64. A method according to claim 50, characterized in that the proportion of dietary fiber in the fat replacement ingredient is at least 10% by weight.  65. A method according to claim 64, characterized in that the proportion of dietary fiber in the fat replacement ingredient is at least 15% by weight.  66. A method according to claim 50, characterized in that the dietary fiber and the starch are unmodified natural dietary fiber and starch.  67. A method according to claim 50, characterized in that the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats is an unfractionated natural vegetable material having a water content of at least 70%.  68. A method according to claim 67, characterized in that the proportion of the vegetable fat replacement ingredient in the mixture is between 10 and 70% by weight, preferably between 15 and 60% by weight and in particular between 20 and 50% by weight.  69. A method according to one of claims 67 and 68, characterized in that the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats is chosen from materials originating from plant tubers or from plant roots.  70. A method according to claim 69, characterized in that the material originating from plant tubers is chosen by potatoes, potatoes and their mixtures.  71. A method according to claim 69, characterized in that the material originating from plant roots is chosen from cassava roots, tapioca and arrowroot.  72. A method according to claim 67, characterized in that the natural plant material is precooked.  73. A method according to claim 50, characterized in that the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats has a water content of at most 20% by weight.  74. A method according to claim 73, characterized in that the proportion of the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats in the mixture is between 5 and 15% by weight and preferably between 5 and 10% by weight.  75. A method according to one of claims 73 and 74, characterized in that the fat replacement ingredient is an unfractionated natural plant material chosen from cereal grains and seeds of dicotyledonous plants.  76. A method according to claim 75, characterized in that the fat replacement ingredient is in the form of particles having a larger diameter of at most 2 mm.  77. A method according to one of claims 73 and 74, characterized in that the fat replacement ingredient is a mixture of separate starch and separate dietary fiber.  78. A method according to claim 77, characterized in that the separate starch is chosen from cereal flour starch, potato starch and cassava starch.  79. A method according to claim 77, characterized in that the separate dietary fiber is chosen from dietary fiber from potato, beet fiber, pea fiber, bean fiber and fiber cassava.  80. A method according to claim 50, characterized in that the fat replacement ingredient has been obtained by adding to an unfractionated natural plant material having a proportion of dry matter of dietary fiber less than 5% by weight and / or a proportion of starch dry matter of less than 50% by weight, a sufficient quantity of separate starch and / or of separate dietary fiber so that a vegetable fat replacement ingredient as defined in claim 50 results.  81. A method according to claim 50, characterized in that the proportion of water added to the mixture is between 15 and 40% by weight and preferably between 20 and 35% by weight.  82. A method according to claim 50, characterized in that the water added is water in which vegetables or meat have been cooked.  83. A method according to claim 50, characterized in that the proportion of salt added to the mixture is between 0.5 and 3% by weight and preferably between 1 and 2% by weight.  84. A method according to claim 83, characterized in that the added salt is chosen from a food grade composition essentially comprising sodium chloride, a food grade composition comprising sodium chloride and additional salts and a quality composition food comprising one or more alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salts, these food grade compositions comprising salts other than sodium chloride having essentially the same salty taste as sodium chloride.  85. A method according to claim 50, characterized in that the meat is chosen from muscle tissue and edible offal comprising kidneys, spleens, brains, tongues or sweetbreads.  86. A method according to claim 89, characterized in that the meat is a mixture of meats from two or more animal species.  87. A method according to claim 50, characterized in that the additional ingredients are chosen from the following groups of ingredients: cooked or raw vegetables having a sensibly recognizable particle size, water-fixing agents chosen from hydrocollolds, egg albumin, gelatin and collagen, structuring agents, preservatives, flavorings, spices, flavor improving agents, sweetening agents, colorings, vitamins, smoke and curing agents.  88. A method according to claim 50, characterized in that the resulting meat product has a total energy content of less than 700 kJ / 100 g.  89. A method according to claim 88, characterized in that the total energy content is less than 600 kJ / 100 g, preferably less than 500 kJ / 100 g and in particular less than 400 kJ / 100 g.  90. A method according to one of claims 88 and 89, characterized in that the contribution of the fat content of the meat product with a low calorie content resulting to its total energy content is less than 50% , preferably less than 40%, in particular less than 30% and especially less than 20%.  91. A method according to claim 50, characterized in that the resulting low calorie meat product, when sensory evaluated by a jury compared to a similar meat reference product of a high fat content prepared in a conventional manner, has essentially the same taste, the same texture and the same appearance as the reference product.  92. A method according to claim 50, characterized in that the total proportion of meat jelly and fat released by the meat product of a low calorie content resulting after autoclaving the product used for filling a can containing 450 g for 70 minutes at a pressure of 2.1 bar is less than 6% by weight relative to the total amount of product introduced into the can.  93. A method according to claim 50, characterized in that the packaging in which the meat product is distributed is chosen from sausage casings, plastic containers, tin cans, glass containers and metal foil containers.  94. A method according to claim 50, characterized in that the resulting mixture for meat product is subjected to a preservation and / or cooking treatment.  95. A method according to claim 50, characterized in that the meat, when the low-calorie meat product to be prepared is a spreadable meat product, is liver.  96. A process for preparing a low calorie spreadable meat product, this process comprising the following steps  (l) mixture of an edible oil, water at a temperature of at least 500C and a protein powder having a water content of at most 20% by weight, calculated relative to the protein powder , to obtain a first mixture in the form of an emulsion,  (2) mixing the emulsion from step (1) with  - lean meat substantially free of visible fat, the proportion of meat being between 2D and 90% by weight, calculated relative to the product,  a vegetable fat replacement ingredient comprising dietary fiber and starch in a weight ratio of between 1:32 and 1 :: 1, the proportion of the dietary fiber being at least 5% by weight of the dry matter of the plant ingredient when the determination is made of polysaccharides other than starch (NPS), and the proportion of the starch being at least 50% of the dry matter of the plant ingredient, this ingredient being able to have a homogeneous consistency or to be made to such a consistency, without sensory-recognizable particles in the spreadable meat product, the amount of this ingredient being between 5 and 80% by weight, calculated relative to the product,  - water, its proportion being between 10 and 50% by weight, calculated relative to the product,  - salt, its proportion being between 0.1 and 4% by weight, calculated relative to the product  - and possibly one or more additional ingredients, their total proportion being between 1 and 15% by weight, calculated relative to the Product, the emulsion of step (1) constituting at most 5% by weight of the resulting mixture,  and if necessary grinding of the resulting mixture  for obtaining a mixture comprising particles of substantially uniform distribution of meat and vegetable ingredients, mixture in which the particles of meat have a larger diameter of at most 1 cm,  (3) optionally mixing other additional ingredients in the mixture resulting from step (2),  (4) possibly distribution of the resulting mixture in packages of appropriate dimensions and  (5) possibly exposure of the resulting mixture distributed in the packaging to a preservation treatment and / or to cooking, in order to obtain a spreadable meat product with a low calorie content having a fat content of less than 10 % in weight.  97. A method according to claim 96, characterized in that the mixture resulting from the operation of mixing the emulsion of step (1) with the meat, the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats, the additional water , the salt and possibly the additional ingredients are boyé by passing the mixture through a grinding apparatus so as to obtain a mixture comprising particles distributed in a substantially uniform manner of meat and vegetable ingredients, mixture in which the particles of -meat have a larger diameter of maximum 1 cm.  98. A method according to claim 96, characterized in that the amount of the oil com- e is between 0.5 and 5% by weight, calculated relative to the product.  99. A method according to claim 96, characterized in that the amount of water added in step (1) is between 1 and 10% by weight, calculated relative to the product.  100. A method according to claim 96, characterized in that the amount of protein powder is between 0.1 and 5% by weight, calculated relative to the product.  101. A method according to claim 96, characterized in that the spreadable meat product to be prepared is chosen from meat pies such as liver pies, spreads and pasta.  102. A method according to claim 98, characterized in that the amount of edible oil is between 0.8 and 3% by weight and preferably between 1 and 2% by weight.  103. A method according to claim 99, characterized in that the amount of water added in step (1) is between 1 and 3% by weight.  104. A method according to claim 100, characterized in that the amount of protein powder added in step (1) is between 0.2 and 2% by weight and preferably between 0.3 and 1% by weight .  105. A method according to claim 96, characterized in that the total proportion of fat in the spreadable meat product with a low calorie content resulting is less than 7% by weight.  106. A method according to claim 105, characterized in that the total proportion of fat in the spreadable meat product with a low calorie content resulting is less than 5% by weight and preferably less than 3% by weight .  107. A method according to claim 96, characterized in that the proportion of lean meat reduced to particles substantially free of visible fat added in step (2) is between 25 and 70% by weight and preferably between 30 and 50 % in weight.  108. A method according to one of claims 96 and 105, characterized in that the total quantity of dietary fiber and starch present in the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats is at least 5% by weight, calculated by compared to the product.  109. A method according to one of claims 96 and 108, characterized in that the dietary fiber / starch ratio in the vegetable fat replacement ingredient added in step (2) is between 1:20 and 1: 2, preferably between 1:15 and 1: 3 and in particular between 1:10 and 1: 4.  110. A method according to claim 96, characterized in that the proportion of dietary fiber in the fat replacement ingredient is at least 10% by weight.  111. A method according to claim 110, characterized in that the proportion of dietary fiber in the fat replacement ingredient is at least 15% by weight.  112. A method according to claim 96, characterized in that the dietary fiber and the starch are unmodified dietary fiber and starch.  113. A method according to claim 96, characterized in that the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats is an unfractionated natural vegetable material having a water content of at least 70%.  114. A method according to claim 113, characterized in that the proportion of the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats containing starch in the mixture is between 10 and 70% by weight, preferably between 15 and 60% by weight. weight and in particular between 20 and 50% by weight.  115. A method according to one of claims 113 and 114, characterized in that the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats is chosen from materials based on plant tubers and materials based on plant roots.  116. A method according to claim 115, characterized in that the material based on plant tubers is chosen from potatoes, potatoes and their mixtures.  117. A method according to claim 115, characterized in that the material based on plant roots is chosen from cassava roots, tapioca and arrowroot.  118. A method according to claim 113, characterized in that the native vegetable matter is precooked.  119. A method according to claim 96, characterized in that the vegetable fat replacement ingredient added in step (1) has a water content of at most 20% by weight.  120. A method according to claim 119, characterized in that the proportion of the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats is between 4 and 15% by weight and preferably between 5 and 10% by weight.  121. A method according to one of claims 119 and 120, characterized in that the vegetable ingredient for replacing fats is an unfractionated natural vegetable material chosen from cereal grains and seeds of dicotyledonous plants.  122. A method according to claim 121, characterized in that the vegetable fat replacement ingredient is in the form of particles having a larger diameter of at most 2 mm.  123. A method according to one of claims 119 and 120, characterized in that the fat replacement ingredient is a mixture of separate starch and separate dietary fiber.  124. A method according to claim 123, characterized in that the separated starch is chosen from cereal flour starch, potato starch and cassava starch.  125. A method according to claim 123, characterized in that the separate dietary fiber is chosen from dietary fiber from potato, beet fiber, pea fiber, bean fiber and fiber cassava.  126. A method according to claim 96, characterized in that the ingredient for replacing fats has been obtained by adding to an unfractionated natural plant material whose dry matter content of dietary fiber is less than 5% by weight and / or the starch dry matter content of which is less than 50% by weight, a sufficient quantity of separate starch and / or of separate dietary fiber to result in a vegetable fat replacement ingredient as defined in the claim 96.  127. A method according to claim 96, characterized in that the proportion of water added in step (2) is between 15 and 40% by weight and preferably between 20 and 35% by weight.  128. A method according to claim 96, characterized in that the water added in step (2) is water in which vegetables or meat have been cooked.  129. A method according to claim 96, characterized in that the proportion of salt added in step (2) is between 0.5 and 3% by weight and preferably between 1 and 2% by weight.  130. A method according to claim 129, characterized in that the added salt is chosen from a food grade composition comprising essentially sodium chloride, a food grade composition comprising sodium chloride and additional salts and a quality composition food comprising one or more alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salts, the food grade compositions comprising salts other than sodium chloride having essentially the same salty taste as sodium chloride.  131. A method according to claim 96, characterized in that the meat added in step (2) is chosen from muscle tissue and edible offal comprising kidneys, spleens, brains, tongues or sweetbreads.  132. A method according to claim 131, characterized in that the meat is a mixture of meats of two or more animal species.  133. A method according to claim 96, characterized in that the additional ingredients added in step (2) are chosen from the following groups of ingredients: cooked or raw vegetables having a sensibly recognizable particle size, selected water-fixing agents among hydrocolloids, egg albumin, gelatin and collagen, structuring agents, preservatives, flavoring agents, spices, flavor enhancing agents, sweetening agents, colorings, vitamins, smoke and curing agents.  134. A method according to claim 96, characterized in that the resulting meat spread has a total energy content of less than 700 kJ / 100 g.  135. A method according to claim 134, characterized in that the total energy content is less than 600 kJ / 100 g, preferably less than 500 kJ / 100 g and in particular less than 400 kJ / 100 g.  136. A method according to one of claims 134 and 135, characterized in that the contribution of the fat content of the spreadable low calorie meat product to its total energy content is less than 50% , preferably less than 40%, in particular less than 30% and especially less than 20%.  137. A method according to claim 96, characterized in that the resulting spreadable low calorie meat product, when sensory evaluated by a jury by comparison with a similar meat reference product d 'a high fat content prepared in a conventional manner has essentially the same taste, texture and appearance as the reference product.  138. A method according to claim 96, characterized in that the total proportion of meat jelly and fat released by the low calorie meat product resulting after autoclaving the product when it has been placed in a can containing 450 g for 70 minutes at a pressure of 2.1 bar is less than 6% by weight relative to the total amount of pooduit introduced into the can.  139. A method according to claim 96, characterized in that the mixture for spreadable meat product resulting from step (2) or (3) is subjected to a preservation treatment and / or to cooking.  140. A method according to claim 96, characterized in that the meat added in step (2) is liver.  141. A low calorie meat spread product prepared by a process as defined in any one of claims 96-140.  142. A low calorie spreadable meat product according to claim 141, characterized in that it is chosen from meat pies such as pâtés de fois, spreads and pâtés à la meat.  143. A low calorie meat product corresponding to any of the products according to any of claims 1-49 or produced by a process according to any of claims 50-142, characterized in that the product is a rehydratable dried product, the drying having been carried out by a process which does not cause any significant coagulation of the protein in the meat, such as by freeze-drying.