MXPA00012341A - Method of reconstituting meat - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of reconstituting meat from trims of fish, poultry, pork, beef or the like. The method includes the steps of freezing the trims, defrosting the trims, configuring the defrosted trims and then refreezing the configured trims using a cooled brine. The cooled brine is cooled to a temperature between about -22°and -46°F and includes at least 0.005%by weight of cruciferous oil such as rapeseed oil. The method does not require the use of any artificial binding agent for holding the reconstituted meat together, even during normal cooking conditions.

Description

METHOD OF RECONSTITUTION OF MEAT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to methods of reconstituting meat from garnishes of fish, poultry or the like and, in particular, a method of reconstituting meat, which does not require binders. 2. Description of the Related Art Various methods have been devised to reconstitute the packing of garnishes or scraps of leftover beef, veal, pork, fish, poultry or the like to maximize product recovery. of meat of the same. A known method of reconstitution of meat makes use of binders to keep pieces of garnishes together, so that the reconstituted meat does not separate during cooking. The known method includes the steps of fresh coating, that is, previously not frozen, garnishes with a commercially available binder or bond, packing the garnishes in a mold, then allowing the binder to harden at approximately 1.6 ° C per one. hour. An example of a commercially available link contains 0.5% trans-glutaminase, 2.5% sodium polyphosphate, 2.5% anhydrous sodium pyrophosphate, 2.0% silicone dioxide, and 92.5% casein. Another example of a binder contains 75.0% protein (milk and / or egg) and 25.0% calcium chloride and / or sodium chloride. A disadvantage of this known method is that the binder adds to the reconstituted meat "chemicals", which many consumers consider undesirable for consumption. Another disadvantage is that the binder sometimes gives the reconstituted meat an "artificial" elasticity or taste. As expected, these defects diminish the commercial value of the reconstituted meat.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the foregoing, an object of the invention is to provide a method for reconstituting the meat of garnishes or pieces of leftover fish, poultry, beef or pork or the like, in such a way that the reconstituted meat is exactly similar to a whole meat product in terms of its qualities such as, for example, appearance, taste, elasticity and aroma. Another object of the invention is to provide a method of reconstituting meat, which does not require the use of any binding or binder and even more so the reconstituted meat does not separate during cooking. One embodiment of the meat reconstitution method according to the present invention includes the steps of: a. refrigerate the garnishes; b. unfreeze the garnishes; c. configure thawed trim to form a preselected shape; and d. cooling the shaped fittings by placing the configured fittings in a heat transfer relationship with cooled brine containing at least about 0.05% cruciferous oil such as rapeseed oil. Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings, where similar reference characters indicate similar elements through various views: Figure 1 is a top view of a two-piece mold with fittings placed therein in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a sectional view of the two-piece mold of Figure 1 taken along plane 2-2; Figure 3 is a sectional view of a tray placed in a brine solution with the two-piece mold of Figure 1 placed inside the tray in heat transfer relationship with the brine solution; Figure 4 is a top view of a unitary mold having a preformed portion according to another form of the present invention; ^^^^^^^^ Figure 5 is a sectional view of a support with the mold of Figure 4 placed therein in heat transfer relationship with a brine solution; and Figure 6 is a sectional view of the mold of Figure 4 taken along line 6-6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE CURRENTLY PREFERRED MODALITIES As used herein, the term "meat" is intended to include fish, shellfish, poultry, beef, pork, including ham, veal, various game meats such as like venison, and any other type of animal product commonly referred to as meat or fish. As used herein, the term "side dishes" is intended to include not only pieces of meat trimmed from a long piece, but also to include other small pieces such as leftovers or flakes of meat or the like. As used herein, the term "reconstituted meat product" is a product that comprises a multiplicity of small pieces or pieces of meat, ie, garnishes as defined above, which are conserved together to form such a long product. as, for example, a product of portion size. One difficulty in manufacturing the reconstituted meat product is that the reconstituted meat has a tendency to separate and move away after a refrigerated-thawed cycle. This problem is aggravated, if not made insoluble, when the reconstitution process does not use binders. The inability of small pieces of meat, ie, garnishes, to be kept together may be due to: (1) inadequate or lack of cohesion bonds between adjoining garrisons, and / or (2) dissolution of these bonds by the "purgative" (ie, the fluid released from the fractured cells of an animal tissue previously cooled when thawed, and which typically is collected on the outer surface of the thawed meat). An unexpected discovery made during the course of the present invention is that the "purgative" - which was inevitably created during refrigeration - contains an adequate amount of cellular protein with which it joins, adheres or otherwise preserves the garnishes together, in such a way that it renders the use of unnecessary "artificial" binders. When properly "cured", the cellular protein released (which can be seen as an "in-situ bond") functions as an "adhesive" to, for example, become denatured and degrade and gelatinous in nature and form a bond of adhesion or cohesion between adjoining garrisons. Through the use of a unique refrigeration method, which minimizes the purgative, as described hereinafter, the reconstituted meat remains together even under cooking conditions. Therefore, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first step of preparing reconstituted meat from fish, poultry, beef, pork or the like is to refrigerate the garnishes of such products to, for example, approximately -26. 1 1 ° C in such a way that a minimum but still an adequate amount of cells fracture in such a way that enough purgative occurs during the subsequent thawing to bind the garnishes. This initial cooling stage can be carried out by means of a forced air freezer or any other conventional freezer. Preferably, however, the garnishes are refrigerated using the "cooled brine" methods (TruFresh®) described in the E Patents. OR . Nos. 4,601, 909; 4,654.21 7; 4,657, 768; 4,689,963; 4, 743, 343; 4,840,034; 4, 840, 035; and 5,001, 047 - the contents, of which of such patents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. As described therein, these chilled brine methods, various conventional refrigeration methods, advantageously maintain the freshness or flavor of the meat by maintaining the maximum cellular integrity of the meat tissue and minimizing the amount of purgative during refrigeration processes. Although brine solutions of various compositions, as described in the aforementioned patents, can be used, at least about 0.005% by weight cruciferous oil should be included in the brine. Preferably, about 0.005% to 0.018% by weight of cruciferous oil such as rapeseed oil should be used. Alternatively, the amount of cruciferous oil can be selected such that a maximum amount of oil is dissolved in the brine. The presently preferred brine composition includes, by weight, about 43.1 8% water, about 44.06% prene glycol, about 1.75% calcium chloride, and about 0.01% rapeseed oil. The temperature of the brine should be between about -30 ° and -43.33 ° C, and preferably between about -38.33 ° and -40.55 ° C. The amount of the purge produced should be at least about 3% by weight, but more preferably about 4-6% by weight to minimize the degradation of the meat. Alternatively, it is contemplated that, instead of cooling, external forces may be applied to the linings to fracture the cells and thereby produce the required amount of the purge thereof. After the initial stage of cell rupture such as by cooling, the refrigerated liners are preferably thawed at a temperature above the purge cooling point and preferably not above about 4.44 ° C, and preferably between about 1.6- 2.77. ° C by preferably about 1 0 to 30 minutes to produce the purgative. This temperature scale also minimizes bacterial growth. At this point in the process, if desired (although optional in view of the teachings of the present invention), the trimmings can be treated by placing on the outer surfaces a minimum amount of a binder (eg, about 1% by weight). such as, for example, calcium chloride, sodium chloride, and / or crushed dehydrated bone of the meat being processed, to further improve the cohesion bonds between the adjoining garnishes. These garnishes, whether treated or untreated, can then configured to form a desired or pre-selected size and shape to, for example, place or arrange the garnishes within at least a portion of a mold or any structure, which defines, at least in part, the shape of the reconstituted meat. The mold may be in the form of, for example, a fish fillet, in the case where the reconstituted meat comprises garnishes of a salmon or other fish or in a manner similar to a steak or hamburger patty if the meat is beef. In the case of tuna trimmings, the mold (not yet shown) can resemble a tuna steak. As shown in Figure 1, a mold 1 0 in the form of a fillet can, for example, be constructed of a flat top piece 1 2 with parallel sides and an arcuate bottom piece 14, which can be made of stainless steel, plastic or any other suitable food preparation material. The mold 1 0 may further include a sealing mechanism such as, for example, a packing 1 6 for sealing liquid therefrom to prevent contamination of the brine meat during the cooling process. It is contemplated that the mold 10 may additionally be provided with a ^^^^^^^^^^^ bolt or any locking mechanism (not shown), which between freely closes the upper and lower parts 1 2, 14 of the mold 1 0 and compresses the linings placed between them, in such a way that the garnishes are in intimate contact with each other and any space formed between the garnishes is substantially eliminated. It is believed that this intimate contact between the pieces of adjoining fittings helps to improve the cohesion bonds formed by the cellular protein released in the purgative. If a mold that does not have sealing gaskets is used, the mold should be located in a gas impermeable bag 1 8, which can then be vacuum sealed to preferably about 14 millibar vacuum. The vacuum bag also acts to protect the molded fittings from being contaminated by the cooling medium such as, for example, the brine preferably used during the cooling process. In the case of a two-piece mold of fish fillet, the vacuum sealing process forces the upper and lower mold pieces towards each other, thus compressing the garnishes placed therein. Figure 4 illustrates a unitary mold 18 that includes a flexible preformed portion 20, in which the liners can be placed and a flexible cover portion 22 that is heat sealed to the preformed portion 20 after the liners are placed therein and then the required vacuum is created within them, as by the use of an evacuated space in which the filling and shipping of the mold is executed, that is, a Multivac®. The mold 1 8 can be constructed of a thermoplastic suitable for food preparation. The vacuum-induced compressive forces cause the flexible mold 1 8 and / or cover 22 to press against the shaped fittings, thus eliminating the air spaces between the mold 1 8 and the gaskets 24 and thus increasing the efficiency of heat transfer between the gaskets and the cooling medium such as, for example, the cooled brine. In addition, the compression provides the additional benefit that the bearings are placed in intimate contact with each other to increase the effectiveness of the bond between the adjoining surfaces of the linings since the air spaces between the adjoining liners are substantially eliminated. Resulting in a higher density reconstituted meat product, which exactly approximates the density of a complete meat product. After the liners are placed in a mold and the mold is preferably sealed, the shaped product resulting from the liners is preferably stored at a temperature of preferably about 1 6C'C to 2.77 ° C for a period of time, which insures that the released cellular protein becomes sufficiently degraded or gelatinous to link the linings from one to the other. The storage time varies according to factors such as surface area and / or volume of configured garnishes. Thus, for a piece of configured salmon garnishes having the dimensions of 1 5.24cmx 20.32cmx2 54cm, it has been found that the minimum conservation time is approximately 35 minutes at the temperature range of approximately 1.6 °. C at 2.77 ° C. Of course, different storage periods are required for different sizes of garnishes configured for different brine temperatures. After the storage time requirement, the molded or shaped fittings can then be cooled a second time by, preferably, placing the mold with the fittings therein in heat transfer relationship with a cooled brine. For example, as illustrated in Figure 3, the mold 1 0 can be placed in a tray 26, which floats on cooled brine 28. For another example, as shown schematically in Figure 5, the mold 1 8 is properly sealed and then immersed in the cooled brine 30 while it is supported on the support 32. The support 32 is thus constructed in such a way that the cooled brine 30 is allowed to flow freely around the mold 8. In this second refrigeration step, it has been found that the use of chilled brine methods is more advantageous in allowing the molded garnishes to be conserved together by "curing" the cellular protein released and by maintaining the cellular integrity of the meat tissue during refrigeration. , so that only a minimum amount of purgative, for example 2-3% by weight, is released. Here it is noted that the duration and temperature of this stage M "-". ,. m. ,. .. - - - ».- * ~ * k --- .--" • > - '- -' ¿^^^ j ^ ^ LáéhiíM * Cooling depends on the size, weight, surface area and / or density of the reconstituted meat, such duration and temperature parameters should be chosen to minimize the formation of ice crystals in the reconstituted meat.The ice crystals 5 could fracture the cell membranes and cause the production of purgative, which degrades the structural integrity of the reconstituted meat product by, for example, dissolving the cohesion bonds between the adjoining garnishes, after the refrigerated reconstituted meat has After reaching a preferred internal or core temperature of, for example, about -31.66 ° C, the mold can be removed from the cooled brine and the reconstituted meat removed from the mold and cut into portions having the desired size and weight for users. as restaurateurs. To add flavor, to decontaminate the portions surfaces (i.e., destroy the bacteria thereon) and / or increase the bodily integrity of the reconstituted meat, the portions (preferably while still being refrigerated) can be dried on flame or an oven heated to approximately 315.55 ° to 426.66 ° C, for approximately 2.0 - 30.0 seconds, depending on the shapes and sizes of the portions It is believed that the drying step causes the fabric fibers on the surface of each portion to join, thereby increasing the strength of the surface of the portions. Optionally, these portions can also dry through deep frying, for example, dip in The boiling oil (preferably, vegetable oil such as sesame oil), for a period of about 1 0 to 60 seconds. Alternatively or in addition thereto, the portions may be burn-marked by passing under burn rings having a temperature of about 648.88 ° to 81.55 ° C, for about 2.0 to 3.5 seconds, whereby the rings of burned contact the surface of reconstituted meat undulately. The burn-marking operation causes the tissue fibers in contact with the rings to dry out through liquefaction or liquefaction of the carbohydrate components and / or proteins of the tissue fibers. It is believed that the dried tissue fibers become more attached than the dried tissue fibers and therefore, more able to maintain the structural integrity of the reconstituted meat. By burning the portions in a tangle manner, the resected tissue fibers act as a reinforcement "net" for the reconstituted meat. Preferably, after any of these operations drying and / or burning dialing, the portions are immediately cooled for a period between about 1 and 5 minutes at a temperature between about -1 surface. 1 1 ° and 1 0 ° C. The portions are then placed in gas impermeable (or vacuum sealed) gaskets, for example, bags, which are sealed under vacuum. It is noted that these drying and / or burn-marking operations are for treating only the outer surfaces of the portions and are not intended to be cooked through the "- • - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -. Since the portions and their components of garnishes may have bacteria collected during the reconstitution process, they should be pasteurized or sterilized. The pasteurization process 5 can be executed either before or after the portions are placed in the vacuum seal packages, and which preferably is carried out by irradiation means such as, for example, an electronic pasteurization device capable of sending X rays or E rays (electron ray) through the thickness of each portion to ensure the destruction of all (or a substantial amount of) bacteria, including those residing in the cohesion bonds between the binding garrisons. The portions packed thereafter can be stored in a conventional cooling environment of about -26. 1 1 ° C + 5 ° for sending to users endings such as, for example, restaurants, long distance runners, retail establishments or retail consumers. Thereafter, end users can prepare or cook the reconstituted meat in any number of ways, for example, boil in a bag, put in the oven a bag, bake on direct flame or frying in a pan (of course, without the bag). It has been found that reconstituted meat made in accordance with the present invention does not deviate during normal cooking conditions. In addition, reconstituted meat is as tasty as whole meat and has qualities that are essentially indistinguishable from those of whole meat.

Although it is presently contemplated to form the reconstituted meat product of garnishes, which are all of the same type of meat, eg, beef, pork, salmon or tuna, it is within the contemplation of this invention to form meat products reconstituted from a mixture of meats, ie, garnishes of different meats such as, for example, beef and pork, and to a lesser extent otherwise expressly limited, the side dishes should be constructed to include such mixtures. Thus, although fundamental novel features of the invention have been shown and described and pointed out as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the described method can be made by those experts in the field without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those steps of the method which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same manner to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, it should be recognized that the method steps described in connection with any form or described modality of the invention can be incorporated in any other form or modality published or described or suggested as a general design choice theme. It is intended, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended thereto. iitá? í - "A" - ** A "- * - - • * • * • * * * ™ - '

Claims (22)

1. CLAIMS 1. A method of reconstituting garnish meat, comprises the stages of 'a. refrigerate the garnishes; b. defrosting the refrigerated fittings when heating the fittings above the cooling point in such a way that the purgative is formed on the outer surface of the linings; c. configure the defrosted fittings to form a preselected shape; d. keep the trimmings configured at a temperature above the cooling point for a preselected time so that the cellular protein in the purgative becomes gelatinous; and e. then cooling the shaped fittings by placing the fittings configured in a heat transfer relationship with a cooled brine containing at least about 0.005% by weight of a cruciferous oil. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the cooled brine contains from about 0.005% to about 0.01 8% by weight of a cruciferous oil. 3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the cruciferous oil is rapeseed oil. 4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the temperature of the cooled brine is between approximately -30 ° and approximately -43.33 ° C. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the temperature of the cooled brine is between -38.33 ° and -40.75 ° C. 6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the defrosted linings are configured when using a mold. 7. The method according to claim 1, further comprises the step of compressing the linings configured prior to cooling the configured linings. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the configured garnishes are cooled by placing the garnishes configured in a heat transfer relationship with the cooled brine by immersing a mold having the garnishes placed therein in the brine. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that said mold with the garnishes inside it is placed in a tray having a lower surface in such a way that said mold is in heat transfer relationship with said lower surface of said tray, and said lower surface of said tray is placed in contact with said cooled brine. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the garnishes are placed in a heat transfer ratio with the cooled brine in the initial cooling stage. eleven . The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the defrosting step comprises heating the garnishes to a temperature not higher than approximately 2.77 ° C. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of preserving the trimmings configured at a temperature no greater than about 2.77 ° C for a preselected time after step c. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the pre-selected storage time is the time of cellular protein in the purgative which requires to become gelatinous. The method according to claim 1, further comprises the step of applying a binder to outer surfaces of linings prior to the step of configuring the linings. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that said binder is calcium chloride. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that said binder is sodium chloride. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that said binder is crushed dehydrated material. The method according to claim 6, further comprises the steps of removing from the mold, the configured refrigerated liners and then drying an outer surface of the configured refrigerated liners. 9. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of removing mold, garnishes refrigerated and then burn out the configured refrigerated liners. 20. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of pasteurizing the refrigerated liners configured upon irradiating the linings by an X ray and electron beam. twenty-one . The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the temperature for preserving the configured linings is between approximately 1.6 ° C and 2.77 ° C. 22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that the pre-selected storage time is at least about 35 minutes.