GB2173687A

GB2173687A - Acid compositions

Info

Publication number: GB2173687A
Application number: GB08609283A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Timothy John Mingay Treharne
Original assignee: Sintermatic SA
Current assignee: Sintermatic SA
Priority date: 1985-04-16
Filing date: 1986-04-16
Publication date: 1986-10-22
Also published as: GB8609283D0; GB8509679D0

Abstract

The compositions contain an edible food acid and a thickener or stabiliser that is effective to produce a light-reflective surface on the foodstuff when cooked. The compositions may be used in the manufacture of protein-containing foodstuffs, for example sausages. The Examples illustrate the use of carboxymethyl cellulose as thickener and acetic acid as the food acid.

Description

SPECIFICATION Chemical compositions This invention relates to compositions which are of use in the food processing industry. More particularly, it relates to compositions of value in the sausage-manufacturing industry.

In British Patent No. 2004454 there is described a method and apparatus for the production of edible protein-containing products, and in particular sausages, having skins generated thereon by the action of an acid, generally pumped onto the product surface through a sintered stainless steel mould in which the product is formed.

We have now discovered that if e.g. in the production of British-type breakfast sausages a suitable acid solution pumped onto the food product surface is employed which incorporates a stabiliser or thickener of an appropriate type, a skin is formed of "hydrocolloidal" nature which is more lightreflective when the protein-containing products, such as sausages, are cooked. This provides the product with a much livelier, brighter and generally more appetising appearance than products prepared using a process as described in the British Patent referred to above.

According to one aspect of the invention, therefore, we provide an acid composition for use in the manufacture of protein-containing foodstuffs e.g.

sausages comprising a) from 3 to 20, preferably from about 9 to 14 parts by weight of an edible food acid, preferably acetic acid, b) from 28 to 520, preferably 70 to 250 parts by weight of water, and c)from 0.1 to 2.5% by weight ofathickener or stabiliser effective to provide a light-reflective skin on the foodstuff when cooked.

Depending upon the viscosity of the resulting diluted solution, a level of about 0.5% by weight of thickener or emulsifier may be the maximum desirable. Levels higher than 2.5% have thus far been found to result in the formation of skins that are generally unacceptable.

The total food acid content of the dilute solution of the invention is advantageously about 3-10% by weight, the higher concentrations being used when the soluble protein concentration of the food product to be treated is low and vice versa.

The thickener or emulsifier is preferably an alginate and/or a cellulose derivative such as carboxymethylcellulose. Surface treatment of proteincontaining foodstuffs, such as in a preferred embodiment, breakfast sausages, with compositions according to the invention provides such sausages with the ability to form a "hydrocolloidal skin" which is light-reflective after cooking of the sausages thus giving them a livelier, brighter and generally more appetizing appearance than sausages which are cooked after being produced using an acid treatment process such as described in British Patent 2004454.

The compositions of the invention may also contain a sugar or sugar-containing substance. Such a sugar will generally be of lower sweetness relative to sucrose, e.g. dextrose so as not significantly to impart undesired sweetness to the taste. The presence of such a sugar may serve to nullify any unwanted taste resulting from incomplete washing off of the diluted solution from the surface of the food product. The sugar also assists in contributing to a satisfactory "maillard" reaction, i.e. a browning of the food product, which may take place more rapidly, when the sausage is cooked. This generally is more acceptable to the consumer. The sugar, e.g.

dextrose, fructose, or even dehydrated milk powder may conveniently be used in quantities sufficient to produce a concentration of 0.5 to 3% of the sugar in the dilute solution.

The compositions of the invention may also contain a surfactant. Such a material has been found to work well in assisting the avoidance of a build-up of any fat on the surface of the sintered stainless steel. Desirably any such surfactant will be present in an amount which will constitute from approximately 1/2 to 1% of solution passing through apparatus in which food products are prepared.

If desired, a phosphate, desirably a food-grade phosphate may be incorporated in the solution in order to prevent corrosion of the apparatus in which the food products are prepared. Sintered stainless steel moulds through which the dilute solution of the invention containing phosphate has been passed for up to 40 weeks have been left without a further phosphate flush for periods of up to 4 weeks without noticeable crevice corrosion or pore clogging occurring. An amount of phosphate of 1 part per 3 to 20 parts of food acid may be employed. Suitable phosphates include trisodium anhydrous phosphate (TAP) and sodium tripolyphosphate (STP) and are widely available.

The acid compositions of the invention may be prepared by a variety of methods. In the simplest and most general embodiment the various ingredients are brought into admixture in order to produce the composition of the invention. In another embodiment of this procedure a mixture of the thickener or emulsifier in water, e.g. a 3-7 % solution, preferably about 5%, may be mixed with an approximately equal amount of a concentrated edible food acid solution, followed by dilution with e.g. from 8-24, preferably 12-16 parts of water. In a yet further embodiment of the procedure, a concentrated food acid solution may be mixed with from 8-24 times its weight of water and emulsifier or thickener is then added to the desired amount.

Embodiments of the invention will now be further illustrated by the following non-limiting Examples in which, as in the rest of this specification, parts and percentages are by weight unless otherwise specified.

Example 1 A concentrate comprising one part of water, 2 parts of STP, 4 parts of anhydrous dextrose and 20 parts of 80% glacial acetic acid is prepared by dissolving STP to saturation in water, adding the dextrose and acid and then dissolving the remaining STP in the resulting solution. The concentrate is then diluted with 16 times it weight of water and 0.25% by weight of carboxymethylcellulose is added. The resulting composition is employed in the manufacture of sausages in the manner described in British Patent Specification No. 2004454.

Example 2 The procedure of Example 1 was repeated except that the STP was omitted. The composition was employed in a similar manner.

Example 3 A 5% solution by weight of carboxymethylcellulose (1 part) was mixed with a concentrate of the type described in Example 1(1 part). To the resulting mixture was added 14 parts of water. The solution produced was used in the production of sausages in the manner described in British Patent Specification No. 2004454.

Claims

1. An acid composition for use in the manufacture of protein-containing foodstuffs comprising (a) from 3 to 20 parts by weight of an edible food acid, (b) from 28 to 520 parts by weight of water, and (c) from 0.1 to 2.5% by weight of a thickener or stabiliser effective to provide a light-reflective skin on the foodstuff when cooked.

2. An acid composition as claimed in claim 1 wherein the water content is from 70 to 250 parts by weight and the edible food acid content is from 9 to 14 parts by weight.

3. An acid composition as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the edible food acid content is from 3to 10% by weight.

4. An acid composition as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the edible food acid is acetic acid.

5. An acid composition as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the thickener or stabiliser is an alginate and/or a cellulose derivative.

6. An acid composition as claimed in any preceding claim which further contains from 0.5 to 3% by weight of a sugar or sugar-containing substance.

7. An acid composition as claimed in any preceding claim which further contains from 0.5 to 1% by weightofa surfactant.

8. An acid composition as claimed in any preceding claim which further contains 1 part of a food grade phosphate per 3 to 20 parts of edible food acid.

9. A process for preparing a composition as defined in claim 1 which comprises bringing into admixture from 3 to 20 parts by weight of an edible food acid, from 28 to 520 parts by weight of water and from 0.1 to 2.5% by weight of a thickener or stabiliser as defined in claim 1.

10. A process as claimed in claim 9 substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to any of the Examples.

11. A method for producing a light-reflective skin on a protein containing foodstuff comprising treating said foodstuff with an acid composition as defined in any of claims 1 to 8 followed by cooking.