SE428521B - PROCEDURE FOR MANUFACTURING FOOD SUBSTANCES WITH COAT-LIKE STRUCTURE - Google Patents

Description

7802649-9 2 but surprisingly, this bonding can take place before the fibrous or lamellar structure is developed as well as during or after the formation of ice crystals. An important advantage of this method is that no other mechanism is required to bind the structure.

The invention thus relates to a process for preparing a meat-like, textured food, in which a mixture containing edible protein and an ionic gelling agent is prepared, a gel is formed by reaction with calcium ion or another non-toxic, divalent or trivalent metal ion and the gelled mixture is frozen, which way is characteristic-_; by reacting the gelling agent rapidly with the metal ion by either directly treating different parts of the mixture in a solution containing the ions, or incorporating the ions into the mixture, and freezing the mixture so slowly that it is not completely frozen until at least two hours have elapsed and large ice crystals develop a fibrous, lamellar or streaked structure in the gel during freezing.

A large number of different ionic gelling agents and reactive metal ions can be used. However, the metal ion must consist of calcium ion or some other non-toxic divalent or trivalent metal ion, as it has been shown that such metal ions work much better than monovalent metal ions, e.g. alkali metal ions.

Gels prepared by means of divalent or trivalent metal ions, when the ions are used in sufficient concentration, have greatly increased stability and can above all form thermally stable, fibrous or lamellar structures which are resistant to heat during sterilization, e.g. ex. in a preservation process, and this also in the absence of heat-coagulable substances, such as e.g. protein.

Most ionic gelling agents are acidic polysaccharides. The acidic groups may be carboxyl groups, as is the case with pectates, alginates and carboxymethylcellulose materials, or they may be sulphate groups, as is the case with carrageenan.

Although the fibrous, streaked or lamellar structure obtained by the process of the invention is of particular value in providing a meat-like texture in products containing edible proteinaceous material, either of animal or vegetable origin. origin, so as to obtain a substitute for meat or a meat analogue, the formation of the textured structure is ultimately not dependent on the presence of protein in the mixture.

If necessary, the product can be preserved by preservation, sterilization or freezing or by the addition of sugars, glycerol or other humectants and fungicides, such as. potassium sorbate. Alternatively, the product can be protected by lowering its pH to a bacteriostatic level and adding fungicides.

In a preferred embodiment of the process according to the invention, the foodstuff is prepared by forming proteinaceous materials and preferably also fat or oil into a solid matrix by the reaction between a non-toxic salt of a metal ion as above and the salt of a on polysaccharide. A lamellar structure is developed by freezing the solid matrix at temperatures below 0 ° C (273 ° C) and preferably regulating the freezing rate to allow the temperature to drop to 0 ° C only after 2 hours or longer to promote the formation of large ice crystals.

The edible protein materials may be derived from meat or be of vegetable or bacterial origin and typical examples include fish meat, muscle tissue, meat waste, meat by-products, gluten (vi fifl_ or devital), defatted soybean meal materials, soy concentrate, peanut oil, bacterial oil, soybean oil, soybean oil tea, meat meal, dried blood products, structural, animal or vegetable protein fibers, bone material, fishmeal, blood, bone and keratin.

The incorporation of fats and oils is preferred, but the fat may be included as part of one or more of the ingredients instead of or in addition to as a particular ingredient. Emulsifiers may be added to facilitate emulsification, although it may be appropriate to have clear lumps of fat embedded in the matrix. Inert fillers, such as microcrystalline cellulose or silica, can be added to absorb free fats or oils.

The non-toxic salt used in connection with the invention is preferably a calcium, magnesium or aluminum salt but may more generally be any non-toxic, divalent or trivalent metal salt. The type of salt used depends on the method, e.g. 7802649-9 used to prepare the protein food. For example, an easily soluble salt, e.g. calcium chloride, be used if the formation process involves contact between the reactive protein mixture and a metal salt solution. On the other hand, a less readily soluble salt, such as e.g. calcium sulphate, if the solidification process takes place in situ after intimate mixing of all the constituents.

The preferred acidic polysaccharides for the purposes of the invention are pectates, and the preferred formation process is one with an in situ reaction between the metal salt and the acidic polysaccharide. By pectate is meant a pectin with a very low methoxyl content and with a degree of esterification (EC) below 20% and in particular untreated pectin raw materials, which contain pectin with a degree of esterification below 20%. Provided that the degree of esterification is below 20%, any pectin raw material can be used at a preferred concentration of 0.1-5.0% pectin, based on the weight of the product. Peel or citrus fruit pulp, which has been treated to give a pectin with a very low methoxyl content, is a good example of such untreated pectin. However, sodium pectate and potassium pectate can be used. Similarly, soluble salts of alginic acid and carboxymethylcellulose can be used.

Hydrophilic rubber materials and viscous plant slime can be included in the preparations to reduce the product's syneresis, which can occur during thawing.

Suitable dyes, such as blood, natural and synthetic dyes, e.g. caramel dyes, can be added at any suitable stage.- You can also add flavorings and flavor enhancers.

Complexing agents or sequestrants can be used either to extract pectin from the untreated pectin raw materials or to slow down the gelation process. As a complexing agent, any non-toxic salt capable of forming a complex or chelated with the metal ion which induces gelation or making it inaccessible to gelation can be used. Examples which may be mentioned are sodium or potassium salts of tripolyphosphate, citrate, pyrophosphate, orthophosphate and EDTA.

It has also been found that application of this ionic gelling and freezing process according to the invention significantly improves the fibrous character of the formed structures, which already before the freezing have a certain fibrous character. For example, extremely fibrous structures are obtained by this process when chopped fibrous meat is used and allowed to solidify using a process in which the product is formed with pectate in situ. It has also been found that added water has a beneficial effect on the structure.

A product with a high content of added water has a more fibrous structure after freezing than a similar product with a lower water content.

The process according to the invention gives the best results when the formation of ice crystals takes place slowly. The slower freezing process probably produces larger ice crystals, which give a more pronounced structuring effect. An improved texture of the product is obtained even if the product is kept at temperatures below the freezing point for a longer period of time. The incorporation of hydrophilic colloids to reduce the volume of the material which drips off during thawing does not surprisingly appear to affect the degree of structuring achieved during the freezing process.

The process of the invention induces or enhances the fibrous appearance of food products which have been "stabilized" by ionic gelling agents, probably as a result of their freezing-thawing instability and the structure formed is not thermally reversible. This is interesting because the sodium salts of the polysaccharides are used to induce freeze-thaw stability in products such as ice cream. Mixtures which are not "formed" before freezing but which contain enough metal ions to allow gelation eventually react Protein-containing foods containing an ionic polysaccharide can be frozen in blocks to develop the ice crystals and thawed in solutions containing the reactive metal ions, in which case the metal ions migrate in. in the frozen blocks as the ice crystals melt, whereby the structure is formed and fixed before it can collapse.

The following examples are intended to further illustrate the invention without the purpose of limiting its scope. Stated percentages refer to weight percentages unless otherwise stated in the context. Example 1 describes the presently preferred product.

N 7802649-9 6 Example 1% _Meat residues (ground with 2 mm perforated disc) 40.0 Water _ 26.5 Burnt sugar_ 0.5 'sky a "_ 33.0 100.0 Sky composition Treated lemon peel (EC 10%) *) 6.0 Sodium tripolyphosphate, 1.2 water ~ (10 ° C) 92.8 in '100.0 _ *) galecturonic acid content 30% The cloud was prepared by mixing the ingredients in a fast mixer or homogenizer until a homogeneous , viscous solution was obtained.

The meat residues were comminuted through a 2 mm perforated plate and mixed with the other ingredients except the cloud in a bowl mixer equipped with a "spade-like" additive.

The above proportion of sky was rapidly mixed into the mixture of meat, water and burnt sugar, and the resulting mixture was poured onto trays to solidify. After 2 hours, the solidified blocks, which were approximately 3.8 cm thick, were placed in a freezer set at -15 ° C (258 ° K) for eight weeks. The temperature inside the blocks reached 0 ° C after 2 hours and was at -15 ° C after eight weeks.

The blocks were conditioned to a temperature between 0 ° C and 5 ° C before being cut into cubes and sterilized in metal jars into a typical meat-in-jelly-type pet food. After cooling, the jars were opened and the product was examined. The product of the invention was very tough with a marked fibrous appearance similar to high quality fibrous muscle meat.

The comparative product, which was prepared in the same way but which was not subjected to freezing, showed, after sterilization in the form of a meat-in-jelly-type pet food, a certain fibrillation depending on the meat, but to a much lesser extent. In addition, the meat analog treated with the method of the invention was significantly tougher and felt more like meat in the mouth and its chewing properties were more like meat than the control sample.

Example 2 Sk! Composition l '% Treated lemon peel 2.0 Tetron 0.4 water (373 ° 1 <) 31.1 33.5 Product composition Ground meat waste 2 mm 66.0 Burnt sugar 0.5 Sky _ 33, 5 in 100.0.

The cloud was prepared by mixing all the ingredients together under high cutting action, before adding the meat / sugar mixture.

After mixing, the mixture was extruded intermittently into a solution of 10% calcium chloride and allowed to stand in the solution for 25 minutes, after which the resulting pieces were washed thoroughly with running water. The resulting pieces were tough on the outside but soft in the inner, unreacted parts. After storage for 5 hours at room temperature, the pieces were solid throughout as a result of calcium penetration.

The solid pieces were placed in a freezer at -15 ° C for 24 hours, after which they were allowed to thaw. When cut into pieces, they showed a fibrous structure which was stable against sterilization when preserved in the form of a meat-in-sauce product.

The reference product, which was not subjected to freezing, had a dense, non-fibrous appearance similar to that of the lung or kidney. After sterilization in a meat and sauce preparation, the reference material remained dense with no trace of fibrillation. The meat analogue, which was subjected to the freezing process and then sterilized to a similar meat and sauce product, on the other hand, had the characteristic appearance of a fibrous muscle meat product of good quality, especially when cut or deformed.

Example_§% Sodium alginate 1.33 Guar gum 0.67 Q] 7802649-9 8 water, (20 ° c) 32.00 Meat waste (ground 2 mm) 66.00 '- 100.0.

Sodium alginate, guar gum and water were mixed in a Z-blade mixture to give a viscous solution. The ground meat waste was mixed in to obtain a homogeneous mixture, which was then extruded into a bowl with 10% calcium chloride solution and cut off with a rotating knife, so that spherical lumps of meat mixture with a tough outer membrane and a soft interior was obtained. The resulting pieces were then soaked in 10% calcium chloride solution for 25 minutes, before being thoroughly washed. At this point in the process, the pieces had a tough film but a very soft, unreacted interior. The pieces were placed in a freezer at -15 ° C (258 ° K), for 24 hours and then allowed to thaw at room temperature. .

The thawed pieces were solid throughout and when cut open they showed a lamellar structure, which was stable against sterilization in a meat-based product, and thus obtained the same appearance as in fibrous meat of good quality.

In contrast, the reference product, which was treated in a similar manner but not subjected to the freezing process, had a dense, lung-like appearance and texture.

Example 4 Product composition% Meat mixture 67.0 Meat sauce mixture 33.0 Meat mixture Pasteurised meat waste 63.0 Lactobacillus culture 3.0 Calcium sulphate. 2H2O __l¿Q 67.0 Meat sauce mixture Treated lemon peel 6.0 Tetrasodium pyrophosphate 1.2 Sugar 9.0 .- -ø 7802649-9 9 Potassium sorbate 1.2 Burnt sugar 4.5 Dye _ 1.5 water ° 76.6 “100 , 0.

The meat mixture was prepared by adding the culture of Lactobacillus casei to the pasteurized meat waste, which was heated at 100 ° C for 15 minutes, ground through a 2 mm neck plate and cooled to 40 ° C. Then the calcium sulphate was added and the three ingredients were mixed in a bowl mixer using a dough hook.

The Lactobacillus starter culture was prepared by culturing the desired strain of microorganism in 20 LH in MRS broth at 30 ° C.

The meat sauce mixture at 50 ° C was added to the meat mixture (40 ° C), while mixing in the bowl mixer for about 30 seconds, and then the contents were transferred to a 5 cm deep tray. After 5 minutes, when a pH of about 6.4 had been reached, the solid block of meat was cut into pieces, which were packed in PVDC bags and incubated at 30 ° C for 18 hours, at which time the pH of the pieces had fallen. to 4.3. The meat product obtained was solid and had a fibrous appearance similar to that of meat stew but was bacteriologically stable.

The product was then deep frozen at -15 ° C (258 ° K) for 36 hours. After timing, the pieces exhibited a highly lamellar structure superior to that of the unfrozen material.

Example 5 Product composition% Vital gluten 15.4 Burnt sugar 0.5 water (80%) 9.1 Meat sauce _1§¿Q 100.0 Meat sauce composition Treated lemon peel 4.5 Sodium tripolyphosphate 0.5 Water (100 ° C) 95.0 7802649-9 The meat sauce was prepared as described in Example 1. In 75 parts of the meat sauce, the remaining components of the product composition were incorporated under high cutting action, e.g. in a shake homogenizer, and the mixture was poured onto 3.8 cm deep trays to solidify. After 2 hours, the solid lids were placed in a freezer at -1500 for 24 hours. Before freezing, the pieces were dense with a lung-like appearance, but after the freezing process was completed, the thawed pieces had a sponge-like, fibrous texture, which was stable against sterilization in tin cans in a meat and meat sauce preparation.

Claims (5)

11 7802649-9 Patent claims A process for preparing a meat-like textured food, in which a mixture containing edible protein and an ionic gelling agent is prepared, a gel is formed by reaction with calcium ion or any other non-toxic, divalent or trivalent metal ion and the gelled mixture is frozen, characterized in that the gelling agent reacts rapidly with the metal ion by either direct treatment of different parts of the mixture in a solution containing the ions, or incorporation of the ions into the mixture, and freezing the mixture so slowly, that it is not completely frozen until at least two hours have elapsed and large ice crystals develop a fibrous, lamellar or streaked structure in the gel during freezing. 2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the mixture is extruded in the form of separate parts, which are immersed in a solution of calcium salt. 3. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the mixture contains calcium ions and that the rate of the gelling reaction is controlled by incorporating a sequestering agent. 4. A method according to one or more of claims 1-3, characterized in that the mixture also contains fibrous meat, which gives the mixture a certain fibrous character, and that the freezing produces further fibrous structure in the mixture. 5. A method according to one or more of claims 1-4, characterized in that the product after freezing is subjected to a known sterilization or preservation process and that the structure of the product is maintained throughout this PÉCOCSSS.