JPS645B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to edible man-made circular food casings, and more particularly to edible man-made circular sausage casings.

It is already known from German Patent No. 650 526 to produce a continuous helical tube made of animal skin thread material which, when cut into individual parts, produces an annular sausage casing. The manufacture of this tube can be achieved in one of two ways: first, by extrusion (e.g. using the core of an eccentrically placed nozzle) along the circumference; This produces a straight casing of irregular thickness. The casing bends as it leaves the nozzle due to the irregular width of the nozzle gap. A casing of irregular thickness is thus taken out in a spiral fashion as a uniform coil, the thicker part always expanding the most. Another method for imparting a helical shape to the casing involves extruding from a nozzle of a corresponding shape, for example a beveled nozzle, a cylinder with uniform wall thickness and already having the required curvature when leaving the nozzle. Then, the produced cylinder is taken out in a spiral manner. A helical roller conveyor is provided for helically winding up very slightly curved casings or for spirally removing casings which leave the nozzle in a curved state. This conveyor consists of guide rollers arranged in concentric coils and corresponding layers around a drive shaft. These guide rollers include those that are driven by a drive shaft and those that rotate freely and act as support rollers.
Generally, the cylinder is dried with warm air while being conveyed on a roller conveyor. For this purpose, a roller conveyor is placed in a closed drying tunnel. During transport through the roller conveyor and drying tunnel, the tubes can be sprayed with moisture removal agents, tanning solutions and/or plasticizers and then re-dried.

Such a roller conveyor has major drawbacks: firstly, it is a device that is very prone to failures due to the large number of drives. However, even more important are the disadvantages resulting from the contact between the tube and the guide and support rollers. The guide and support rollers are at the temperature of the dry air (approximately 50 °C), but the tube temperature is significantly lower due to the evaporation of the water and is therefore approximately 25 °C, so that at these points of contact the tube is not thermally damaged. receive. To avoid such damage, it is necessary to carry out the drying with relatively cool air, which increases the drying time and requires a long drying process. Even more important is the problem of friction resulting from friction between the tube and the guide. As a result of the continuous grinding action at points of high friction, material is lost and the wall thickness of the cylinder is therefore reduced. The scraped material is deposited on the guide. Due to the high abrasive action, the tube must be initially made of a corresponding thickness in order to compensate for the material loss that occurs during the transfer stroke and to ensure that the tube still has an adequate wall thickness and tightness at the end of the transfer stroke. It is necessary to extrude with

To avoid these drawbacks, German patent no.
No. 670,552 already proposes to eliminate the need for helically guiding the cylinder. In this case, the cylindrical coil is manufactured not by winding it in a spiral shape, but by continuously taking it out in the axial direction without rotating it. It is preferably linear, and is dried and cured simultaneously if necessary. This method involves rotating an extrusion nozzle around a conveyor device that moves forward in a straight line, and forming a coil of cylinder by the interaction of this rotating nozzle with a conveyor device that moves forward in a straight line, or by fixing the casing. The tube is extruded through an annular nozzle and introduced into a guide channel which continues from this annular nozzle and runs preferably in a semi-circular curve around the extension of the longitudinal axis of the nozzle, by which the tube is conveyed in a helical manner to a conveyor device. This is done by the method of providing. However, such methods are obviously expensive. Rotating nozzles require expensive sealing means. On the other hand, if the nozzle is fixed and the guide channel connected to the nozzle is rotated, undesirable friction also occurs in this case between the tube and the guide rollers of this guide channel.

When producing straight sausage casings, there is a method to avoid damage to the casing during transport on a roller conveyor by blowing dry air over the entire surface of the casing and by suspending it on an air cushion without any contact. A method of transporting the casing was proposed. Similarly, German patent no.
When producing annular sausage casings according to 676320, a cylindrical channel is used which corresponds to the shape of the ring to be formed. In this case, the gas outlet is arranged helically in the wall of the passage. The tube is thus conveyed in a helical manner around the tube so that it is always located above the gas outlet. . According to a refinement of such a method, which is described in DE 676 320, it is no longer necessary to convey the tube in a helical manner around the tube. Simply support the cylinder from below and transport it in a self-supporting state in the form of a continuous coil. To do this, a cylinder inflated with gas is conveyed over a gutter that matches the curvature of the coil, and the surface of this gutter is moved in the winding direction of the coil. Accordingly, contact between the coil and the fixed support member is reduced since the tube only needs to be supported over a small portion of the circumference of the coil, which also significantly reduces friction. Preferably, the surface of the trough is constructed with adjacent open link chains. However, this method is only suitable for very large diameter cylinders. The reason for this is that for small diameter tubes, the narrow supporting surface of the gutter is not sufficient;
This is because the coil cannot be guided through the factory without damage without a wider support or support surface. On the other hand, thin-walled cylindrical coils are damaged during transportation, so they cannot be transported in a free-standing state. When actually transferring a cylinder with a large diameter, there are additional difficulties due to the structure of the surface of the gutter. Because of this narrow support surface, it has proven extremely difficult to transport the coils in free-standing conditions around the factory without hindrance.

Previously proposed methods and devices have only been able to produce cylinders with relatively thick walls. In this case, the relatively thick wall thickness made the casing inedible, even though the casing material itself was edible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an edible artificial annular saw cage casing with a thin wall thickness.

The present invention provides an annularly shaped edible artificial sausage casing having a wall thickness of 8 to 40 microns. In the present invention, if the wall thickness of the sausage casing exceeds about 45 microns, it will be too hard and extremely difficult to eat, and if it is too thin, the strength will be insufficient, so a wall thickness of 8 to 40 microns is used. I made sure it was good.

When the edible artificial annular sausage casing of the present invention is produced by an extrusion method, the casing, after leaving the extrusion nozzle, is conveyed on a rotating carrier element whose circumferential velocity is adjusted to the rate of discharge of the skin from the extrusion nozzle. Match. The winding into the desired coil is accomplished by transporting the inflated tube around the rotating carrier elements by means of suitable lifting members which transport it from one carrier element to the next.

Advantageously, the lifting device consists of rollers,
preferably arranged with respect to the carrier element such that substantially the entire weight of the tube rests on the carrier element;
In this case, the lifting rollers do not undergo any or appreciable strain due to the weight of the cylinder. Since the peripheral speed of the carrier element matches the speed of discharge of the cylinder from the extruder, there is no relative movement between the extruded skin and the carrier element, thus eliminating damage caused by friction such as loss of material, etc. is prevented. Furthermore, due to the supporting action of the carrier element, the friction between the tube and the lifting device is reduced and minimized.

Therefore, the edible artificial annular sausage casing of the present invention is produced by rotating the inflated casing extruded by blow extrusion at substantially the same circumferential speed as the extrusion speed of the casing from the extrusion nozzle. Said casing rests tangentially on the circumferential surface of a series of frusto-conical carrier elements mounted one after the other in series on the axis, with the aid of guiding means arranged obliquely to the axis of rotation of said carrier elements to move said casing into one carrier. It is manufactured by transferring from one element to the next carrier element.

Preferably, the transport of the cylinder from one carrier element to the next is assisted by lateral guidance,
Preferably, the lateral guides also consist of rollers. In case of smooth operation, i.e. when the circumferential speed of the carrier element corresponds exactly to the speed of discharge of the cylinder from the extrusion device, the friction between the cylinder and these lateral guides is practically negligible. can.

Further details of the method for producing the edible artificial circular sausage casings of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the apparatus.

In the apparatus for producing the edible artificial annular sausage casing of the present invention, a plurality of driven carrier elements arranged in series are provided as guide members for the extruded and inflated cylinder, and the carrier elements are On the downstream side, at least one movable lifting device in the form of a roller located obliquely to the axis of the tube is arranged to transfer the tube from one carrier element to the next to form a spiral. In the apparatus for producing edible artificial annular sausage casings, each of the carrier elements is provided with a conical peripheral surface, and the carrier elements are
drive by a common central axis.

The shape of the carrier element is essentially determined by the helical shape of the cylinder. Sharp edges and corners that could damage the tube should be avoided. Advantageously, the carrier element is in the form of a cylindrical disk. Generally, the carrier elements are arranged on a common axis by a connecting member.

The width of the carrier element, ie the surface supporting the cylinder, is not critical, but it must be at least as large as the width of the cylinder. Preferably, the support surface of the carrier element is wider than the tube to allow the carrier element some play relative to the tube.

Instead of a cylindrical disc, the carrier element or individual carrier elements may be in the form of a star-shaped carrier which rotates around a central axis and has rotatable rollers at the ends of its arms to carry the casing. I can do it.

If the casing is dried during its transport over the carrier element and then rewetted, for example by spraying with a solution of tannins, plasticizers and/or dyes, and redried, the casing is continuously dried as a result of drying and rewetting. showing longitudinal contraction and expansion.
In order to avoid undue sagging or stress in the casing due to such factors, it is advantageous to drive the carrier element to a circumferential speed that is about 0.5 to 2.0% greater than the speed of discharge of the cylinder from the extruder.

Preferably, the carrier elements are conical, with each cone tapering outwardly in the direction of the axis of the helix, ie in the direction of the next carrier element. The conical shape creates a self-adjusting effect, which eliminates slack and stress. The casing always tends to reach the highest position of the carrier element, but this is only possible if the skin comes from the previous carrier element. Preference is given to using a cone of 5 to 25°, preferably 10 to 20°.

The guide for lifting the tube from one carrier element to the next is advantageously arranged so as to be adjustable so that the angle of the axis of the helix with respect to the longitudinal axis of this guide can be varied. The pitch of the helix produced by this device can be controlled.

The orientation of the casing in the direction of the next carrier element can be assisted by laterally arranged low-friction guides, which are advantageously in the form of rollers.

The lifting devices and lateral guide devices are preferably constructed from stainless steel, hard rubber, other plastic materials or wood, preferably coated with Teflon to reduce friction. The lifting device and the lateral guides have low friction and are advantageously mounted on roller bearings.

There is virtually no friction on the carrier element, which rotates at substantially the same speed as the speed of discharge of the tube from the extruder, and therefore the choice of material for the carrier element is not critical. However, it is preferred that the conical or cylindrical carrier element be constructed of stainless steel and optionally covered with plastic. Other materials that can be used include wood and plastic materials.

Preferably, the edible skin is made from animal skin material (collagen). Additionally, other edible materials such as alginate, casein and polyvinyl alcohol can be used. Collagen compositions are obtained in known manner by treating animal hides and then mechanically comminuting them.

The casing can be manufactured by wet or dry spinning methods. In wet spinning methods, it is necessary to first solidify the casing in a coagulation bath and then introduce it to a rotating support element. In a method for dry spinning collagen compositions with a dry matter content of 6-15%, a tube is extruded from a nozzle and then placed directly onto a rotating carrier element.

In principle, tubes with irregular wall thickness as well as tubes with uniform wall thickness can be made into a spiral as described above. Tubes with irregular wall thickness are produced, for example, by extrusion through a nozzle with an eccentric core. Such a tube leaves the nozzle already slightly curved due to the different wall thicknesses. In exactly the same way, food casings of uniform wall thickness can be produced, for example, by means of a double-rotating extrusion head in which the core and the casing rotate in opposite directions, and this tube can be manufactured by combining the carrier element and the casing according to the invention. Guided by a lifting device, it can thus be bent into a helical shape. However, in this case, since the wall thickness is initially uniform, the outside of the cylinder expands relatively large.
One has to accept the fact that the wall thickness is slightly thinner inside the annular casing.

The method for manufacturing the edible artificial circular sausage casing of the present invention will be explained by way of example with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, the extruded, gas-inflated tube of collagen 1 leaves the extruder 2 and is directed to the first of a series of rotating conical carrier elements 6. The carrier element 6 provided with the connecting member is seated on the carrier shaft 5. The carrier element is driven together with the coupling member by the carrier shaft 5. The carrier shaft 5 is driven by a continuously variable speed drive 3 and a sprocket drive 4. The discharge speed of the extruded skin is substantially the same as the circumferential speed of the carrier element 6. The helical shape of the leather casing is produced by lifting rollers 7. Although two lifting rollers are shown in FIG. 1, a single lifting roller can also provide unhindered transfer between adjacent carrier elements. The lifting roller 7 is in an inclined position so as to direct the skin towards the next succeeding carrier element. Such guidance is provided by guide rollers 8 arranged laterally.
Helped by. During passage through this transfer device, the skin is dried and rewetted and exhibits longitudinal contraction and expansion. Such length changes are compensated for by the conical shape of the carrier element 6. This arrangement creates a self-adjusting effect and avoids loosening and distortion. Such an arrangement makes it possible to produce an edible helical collagen tube with an extremely thin wall thickness. This advantage derives from the fact that virtually no rolling friction occurs between the epithelium and the transfer element, so that the material of the collagen tube is not subject to erosion.

As shown in FIG. 2, drying air enters the drying passage 10 from the air conduit 9 and from there enters the skin drying chamber 12 through the holes 11. The used dry air enters the chamber via the exhaust hole 13, from where it is discharged into the atmosphere by an exhaust fan.

The carrier element shown in FIG. 2 is provided with ridges or ribs to reduce the contact surface between the carrier element and the tube.

The carrier element shown in FIG. 3 is in the form of a star-shaped carrier 15 with spokes, which rotates about a central axis 5. The carrier element shown in FIG. Roller 1 is attached to star carrier 15.
4 is rotatably attached, and the skin 1 is conveyed by this roller. Lifting rollers 7 and guide rollers 8 have the same function as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Next, the method for manufacturing the edible artificial annular sausage casing of the present invention will be described with reference to Examples. From a collagen composition containing 9% collagen as dry collagen and produced by known methods, a slightly curved tube of 30 mm diameter was produced by means of a nozzle with an eccentrically mounted core. The ejection speed of the cylinder from the extrusion head was 0.2 m/sec. The extruded, air-inflated tube was placed on top of the first of 48 conical carrier elements arranged one after the other on one shaft (eg, as shown in FIG. 1). The shaft with the carrier element was driven by a sprocket transmission from a continuously variable speed drive. While passing through the carrier element, warm air at 50° C. was blown through holes in the bottom of the closed housing surrounding the transfer device, and spent air was allowed to escape through holes in the roof of the housing. The conical carrier element has a diameter of 130 mm.
The pitch of the cone was 15°.

After passing through the drying chamber, a spiral-shaped cylinder of dried collagen with a ring diameter of 150 mm, whose curvature corresponds to that of natural skin, was obtained. The tubes were made plastic by spraying with a 5% aqueous solution of glycerin and then rolled or immediately pleated. The rolled or pleated skin was then heated at 70-90°C for several hours to cure.

The tube could also be hardened by adding a tanning agent to the composition or by spraying the tube with a tanning agent solution. Examples of tanning agents that could be used were aldehydes such as formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde or glyoxal, or metal salts such as alum, ferric sulfate or aluminum sulfate. It was advantageous to wash away excess tanning agent.

The tanning operation with a tanning agent solution could be carried out before and/or during the drying process. The tube is softened by adding a plasticizer, such as glycerin or sorbitol, to the composition, or by wetting the extruded tube after curing and cleaning with an aqueous plasticizer solution. I was able to do that.

In implementing the present invention, the following terms can be set as conditions for implementation.

(1) An edible artificial circular sausage casing as claimed in the claims, which is made of collagen.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of an example of the sausage casing manufacturing apparatus of the present invention equipped with a drying passage;
The figure is a sectional view of another example of the sausage casing manufacturing apparatus of the invention, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of another example of the carrier element and transfer element of the sausage casing manufacturing apparatus of the invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... tube (skin), 2... extruder, 3... drive device, 4... drive device, 5... carrier shaft (center axis), 6... carrier element, 7... lifting roller, 8 ...Guide roller, 9...Air conduit, 10...
...Drying passage, 11... Hole, 12... Drying chamber, 1
3...Discharge port, 14...Roller, 15...Star carrier.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Edible artificial sausage casing having a wall thickness of 8 to 40 microns and having an annular shape.