SK3696A3 - Manufacturing process of food products - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for manufacturing meat products involving a marination phase wherein the penetration of the marinade into the meat particulate phase is restricted by use of at least two of the following conditions: (i) provision of meat particles at a temperature such that at least a proportion of the water in the meat particles is present as ice; (ii) addition of a carrier material; (iii) mixing for a time sufficient only to disperse all the added ingredients. The marinade additionally functions as an adhesive matrix.

Description

Technical field

The invention relates to a process for the production of meat products, in particular white meat products having a very desirable appearance, texture, taste and cooking characteristics.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The benefits of marinating to impart taste and to soften the meat are well known. However, if the meat is already tender (especially white meat or fish, for example), the effect of marinating on the textural properties of the meat may be unfavorable. This disadvantage of marinating is particularly evident in the production of meat products consisting of separate pieces or pieces of meat together with other food ingredients, since such muscle, when reduced in size, tends to be more mechanically damaged or affected by solutions. Such food products may be considered as mixed or multiphase systems which consist of a particulate or meat phase and a more continuous or matrix phase.

Another drawback associated with marinating the meat particles of the produced meat products is that the marinade can interfere with the requirements for the matrix or continuous phase that provides a coherent stable product.

Therefore, there is a problem of achieving the benefits that marinating in the production of meat products can provide at the same time without the disadvantage of altering the internal fibrous texture of the muscle.

We have now solved the above problem and are able to benefit from marinating during the formation of an adhesive matrix in the production of meat products without adversely affecting the internal fibrous structure of the fine meat.

US-A-5188854 describes a process in which pieces of frozen fish are mixed with a binder, such as a surimi dough, and shaped to form a product analogous to the fish food.

US 3285753 and US 3413127 relate to a method for producing a shaped poultry product. The salt is applied to the surface of the pieces of boned poultry and the pieces are mixed for some time until a certain concentration of salt soluble protein is formed on the surfaces. The dough from the ground poultry skin is mixed with the salted pieces and pressed into the container.

EP-A-0355472 discloses a method of marinating meat comprising maturing overnight, vacuum packing or extrusion followed by vacuum packing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of producing a food product comprising a meat particle phase and a continuous phase comprising a marinating process that simultaneously forms an adhesive matrix wherein penetration of the marinade into the meat particle phase is inhibited, comprising:

(i) providing meat particles at a temperature of less than or equal to -2 C so that at least a part of the water in the meat particles is present as ice;

ii) adding marinade;

iii) optionally adding a carrier material to absorb the marinade;

iv) optionally increasing the viscosity of the composition; and

v) stirring for a total time of 4 to 15 minutes so that all added ingredients are dispersed and any solubilization of the meat protein is minimized.

The particulate phase includes discrete meat particles, and the continuous phase provides both flavor and juiciness by adding a marinade that simultaneously forms an adhesive matrix to form a coherent stable product. It is a particular object of the invention to form and join these two phase components under conditions that protect the inner fibrous structure of muscle pieces from adverse texture changes.

Two or more of the following conditions are essential to achieve these intentions, but preferably all three will be used:

(a) the temperature of the meat particles must be so low that at least a part of the water in the meat particles is present as ice. Thus, a suitable temperature is from -2 ° C to -20 ° C, preferably from -4 ° C to -6 ° C. This low temperature hinders the mobility of the marinade, reducing its diffusion into the meat particles. Preferably, a proportion of the total water will be present as ice of about 35% by weight.

(b) the carrier material is added to the meat particles to dilute the action of the marinade on the meat by the carrier material competing with respect to the free moisture. Suitable carrier materials are any marinade-absorbing substances that are compatible with the food product, for example a collagen source such as chopped skin or modified algin dough; pre-spread muscle material, plant fibers; soybean derivatives; protein such as casein, whey proteins; polysaccharide material such as marine hydrocolloids, pectins; and mixtures thereof.

(c) the mixing time is so short that it is only enough time to disperse the ingredients. The total mixing time is typically from 4 to 15 minutes depending on the dose size. This reduces the time at which the marinade diffuses into the muscles and minimizes the effect of mechanical action on the meat and the effect of friction caused by dissolved salts.

These three conditions result in a considered limitation of the action of the marinade on the surface of the meat particle, thereby preventing extensive solubilization of the protein in the meat particles by the marinade.

If only two of the above conditions are used, preferably one of the conditions met is the addition of the carrier material.

Optionally, additional conditions may apply. Thus, such that the viscosity of the composition can be advantageously increased. This increase in viscosity will hinder penetration of the marinade into the meat particle and may also assist in the subsequent joining of the meat product.

This increase in viscosity is particularly required if the starting temperature of the meat particles is from -2 C C to -4 C C or higher.

Viscosity can be increased by many suitable methods, for example:

(1) The mixture may be cooled after mixing, preferably by adding a coolant such as CO2. The temperature of the mixture is preferably lowered to -6 ° C to -8 ° C.

(2) The marinade may contain starch or other viscosity enhancing ingredients. Preferably, the starch has a gelatinization temperature similar to that at which the meat protein denatures (from about 55 to 75 ° C). Examples of suitable starches with natural starches such as fine flour or other base starches. The addition of starch is particularly advantageous because starch is able to absorb the juice of meat released during cooking. Further, if the meat particles are white meat (for example, fish or poultry), the starch aids in the whiteness characteristics of the matrix.

The carrier material may be added to the meat particles either before or after the addition of the marinade or part of the marinade.

The marinade may be added either:

(a) initially as a dry mixture, the liquid is added later; or (b) as a solution.

When marinade is added to the meat particles and carrier material as a dry mixture, the ingredients are initially mixed only for a time sufficient to disperse the dry mixture. Some components of the marinade may be added individually to enhance their effect. For example, the salt may be added first and mixed, followed by the addition of the other ingredients of the marinade and mixing again.

The liquid is then added and the mixture is again stirred for a time sufficient to disperse the components. Each mixing step is typically from 1 to 9 minutes with a total mixing time of 4 to 15 minutes.

In particular, this method allows the locally concentrated action of the dry marinade mixture on the surface of the meat particles.

The liquid will generally be water, but may also be other liquids such as whey milk, fruit juices and the like.

The marinade includes salt and other typical marinade ingredients.

The salt component is preferably sodium chloride, but other salts may also be used, such as phosphate salts such as sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, potassium tripolyphosphate and mixtures thereof. Salt is added to solubilize the meat protein. This protein solubilization is inhibited on the surface of the meat particles due to the conditions used.

The particulate phase comprises pieces or slices of animal tissue, or substitutes thereof. Any suitable particle size may be used provided that such particles are substantially intact and larger in size than the fiber bundle size. There is no upper limit to the particle size, for example, whole chicken breasts or fish fillets can be used. However, a 20 x 10 x 10 mm particle size will typically be used. Preferably, the animal tissue is selected from poultry meat, fish meat, and mixtures thereof. Meat substitutes may be, for example, structured plant proteins, such as soy protein, or mycoproteins, which have a similar food function to animal tissue.

The particulate phase may contain, in addition to animal tissues and substitutes, any ingredient that may be present in meat products such as salt, spices, fat, preservatives, colorings, flavors and water.

Preferably, the level of animal tissue content in the product is 10 to 90 wt%, more preferably 20 to 80 wt%, most preferably 30 to 70 wt%.

Preferably particle phase and continuous phase used in a ratio of about 20: 1 to 1:10, advantageous 15: 1 to 1: 2, more preferably 8: 1 to 1: 1st The invention is especially relevant for food products

of white meat such as poultry and / or fish meat. This is because white meat is generally soft and tender and therefore particularly sensitive to structural damage caused by the mechanical action of the processing and the action of dissolved salts. The method of the invention further provides a matrix that may be white in color.

The invention also has other advantages:

(a) the meat particles may be marinated with minimum preparation of ingredients and avoiding marinating methods, such as pre-extrusion, splitting, kneading and the like, that allow changes in the internal fibrous structure of the muscle, either by their mechanical effects or by their diffusion effects;

(b) rapid marinating and low temperatures aid processing and hygiene speeds.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following examples further illustrate the invention:

Example 1

A chicken product having the following composition was produced as described below:

Composition of the chicken product % by weight of the total product Chicken breast meat (particle size = 20x20x10 mm) 71 Fine chopped chicken skin 10 marinade 19

Composition of the marinade% by weight of the marinade

Dextrose 16.2

Milk protein 13.5

Phosphoric salts E450A and E450B 2.7

NaCl 4.3

Citric acid 0,3

Flavoring 0,3

Water up to 100

The chicken breast particles (size = 20x20x10 mm) were placed. a mixer with two blades intertwined. The chicken particles had a temperature of -2 ° C to -4 ° C. Then the marinade was added and the ingredients were mixed for 4 minutes. Fine chopped skin was added as carrier and the ingredients mixed for 2 minutes. The mixture was cooled to -6 ° C by injecting CO 2 for 90 seconds.

The chicken product was then shaped into a product, wrapped with dough and bread crumbs, pre-fried at 175 ° C for 90 seconds, then heated in an oven at 215 ° C for 3.3 minutes to ensure that the chicken interior reached 75 ° C. The product was stored frozen at -20 ° C. The product after heating from frozen at 220 ° C for 15 minutes provides a juicy product that has the appearance of intact meat and has a natural texture and a positive marinated flavor.

It was clear that there were no adverse changes in the fibrous structure of breast meat.

Example 2

Frozen blocks of meat from chicken broiler breasts without skin measuring 200 x 100 x 50 mm were tempered to a temperature between -4 C C and -6 ’C under cold storage conditions and then cut into slices measuring 200 x 100 x 5 mm.

Within this temperature range, the meat ice content, as determined by calorimetry, was 35% by weight of the total water content.

Cold meat slices containing ice were mixed immediately with a dry marinade consisting of the following ingredients:

% by weight

Extra natural flour (Rochelle) 72.43 Sodium caseinate EMHV (DMV) 11.14 Sodium chloride 8.32 Dextrose and flavor 8.11

These dry ingredients were blended with cold meat slices in a laboratory scale circulating mixer equipped with blade mixer type knives for 45 seconds at 60 rpm.

During this time, the dry ingredients were evenly contacted with the wet surfaces of the muscle slices to form an adherent layer of starch, caseinate, dextrose / flavor and solubilize muscle proteins obtained from the immediate muscle surface.

Solubilization of muscle proteins was promoted by high effective salt concentration in open water at the immediate muscle surface and limited to surface effect by brief mixing time, negligible temperature change and subsequent dilution of salt concentration by addition of water.

To the meat slices with an adhering layer formed of marinade ingredients, chilled water was added to +2 ° C during a 30 second mixing time followed by stirring for a further 30 seconds.

The addition of water gave the following final composition of the marinated meat mixture:

% by weight

Sliced meat from broiler breasts Water

Fine flour

Sodium caseinate

Sodium chloride

Dextrose and flavoring

80.00

16,30

2.68

0.41

0.31

0.30

The addition of water partially hydrated the marinade coating and formed a white continuous matrix phase that absorbed all available liquid.

At this stage, the meat-marinade mixture was in a free-flowing state with the muscle parts remaining substantially intact and hydrated with a continuous matrix providing a plastic consistency of moderate viscosity that does not cause friction damage to the muscle during mixing. This is in contrast to the highly viscous nature of conventional binders or fillers, such as binders or fillers based on cereal materials, such as biscuits, or with the typical extensive extraction of soluble muscle proteins by friction.

Marinated meat mixes were shaped into loaves and wrapped with conventional dough and bread crumbs. The coated products were pre-fried in vegetable oil for 3 to 4 minutes at 180 ° C to reach a center temperature of 75 ° C.

The pre-fried products were snap frozen at -30 ° C, packaged and stored frozen at -20 ^e C for two weeks of equilibrium prior to evaluation.

The products were heated from the frozen mold by grilling to an internal temperature of 75 ° C and evaluated by a number of methods including baseline sensory evaluation by trained panelists using 27 defined sensory parameters and under controlled conditions of repeated samples and tasting procedures.

Sensory data analysis showed that the products were more juicy and of higher fiber characteristics, and less rigid, dense and flexible than products containing similar amounts and types of meat together with non-meat ingredients applied by conventional methods.

The overall texture of the marinade products was less gelatin than when used as a carrier for fine flour marinade alone, and less gel or gummy than marinade samples consisting of salt, flavor and sodium caseinate.

Similarly, the products were much less satisfactory if the meat temperatures were above -1 ° C, or when conventional marinating was performed such that the marinade diffused into muscle tissue, or the marinade was used without imobolizing carriers.

The appearance of the meat core of the marinated products was a highly fibrous and excellent white color with very little contrast between intact muscle and wet continuous phase at the junction of the muscle parts. The marinade components did not penetrate into muscle tissue other than the tissue at the immediate surface.

The products showed very little free liquid, but moisture could easily be demonstrated by compression.

Examples 3 to 6, Comparative Examples A to D

A chicken product with the same composition as in Example 1 was prepared using various conditions:

Example # Temperature of the meat particles carrier Time mixing 3 low present short 4 low Miss missing short 5 low present long 6 high present short A low missing long B high missing short C high present long D high Miss missing long

In Examples 4, A, B and D, there was no finely chopped chicken skin (carrier) in the chicken product mixture, the chicken product mixture comprising 81% by weight of chicken breast meat and 19% by weight of marinade.

In examples 3, 4, temperature -4 C. C.

and A, the chicken particles were given at

In Examples 6, B, C and D, the chicken particles were fed at a temperature of 1 to 5 ° C.

In Examples 3, 4, 6 and B, the stirring time was 12.5 minutes.

In Examples 5, A, C and D, the stirring time was 25 minutes.

After preparation, the chicken products were wrapped in a conventional dough and bread crumbs, pre-fried in vegetable oil for 4.5 minutes at 180 ° C to reach a center temperature of 75 ° C, and frozen stored for at least 2 weeks prior to evaluation.

The products were tasted (blind) by a small panel of experts.

The products in Comparative Examples B and D could not be prepared because it was impossible to form them into the desired form.

The products made in Comparative Examples A and C had a poor fiber structure of meat as compared to Examples 3 to 6.

In Examples 3 to 6, it was clear that there were no adverse changes in the fiber structure of breast meat. The products were juicy and had an excellent white color with little contrast between intact muscle and a damp continuous phase at the junction of the muscle parts.

Claims (16)

PATENT CLAIMS A method of producing a food product comprising a meat particle phase and a continuous phase comprising a marinating process which simultaneously forms an adhesive matrix, wherein the penetration of the marinade into the meat particle phase is characterized by comprising: (i) providing meat particles with a temperature of less than or equal to -2 C such that at least a portion of the water in the meat particles is present as ice; ii) adding marinade; iii) optionally adding a carrier material to absorb the marinade; iv) optionally increasing the viscosity of the composition; and v) stirring for a total time of 4 to 15 minutes so that all added ingredients are dispersed and any solubilization of the meat protein is minimized. The method of claim 1, wherein the meat particles have a temperature of -2 ° C to -20 ° C. 3. The method of claim 1 or claim 2vyznačuj in CA is characterized in that the meat particles are ~ 4 ^and C to -6 ° C. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the carrier material is selected from a suitable source of collagen, pre-spread muscle material, plant fibers, soybean derivatives, suitable proteins, polysaccharide material, and mixtures thereof. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the marinade is initially added as a dry mixture, which is mixed for a time sufficient to disperse the dry mixture with the meat particles and the carrier; then the liquid is added and the mixture is stirred again for a time sufficient to disperse the components. The method of claim 5, wherein the individual mixing steps last from 1 to 9 minutes. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the marinade is added as a solution. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the marinade comprises a salt. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the viscosity of the mixture is increased by cooling. Method according to claim 9, characterized in that the mixture is cooled by injecting CO 2 · The method of claim 9, wherein the mixture is cooled to a temperature between -6 ° C and -8 ° C. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the viscosity of the mixture is increased by adding starch to the marinade. 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the starch is natural starch. A method according to any one of the claims, wherein the food product is a white meat product. The method according to any one of the claims, characterized in that the particulate phase comprises meat particles selected from fish, poultry particles and mixtures thereof. 16. A food product comprising a meat particle phase and a continuous phase obtainable by a process comprising a marinating process that simultaneously forms an adhesive matrix wherein penetration of the marinade into the meat particle phase is inhibited, and the process comprising: (i) providing meat particles with a temperature of less than or equal to -2 ’C so that at least a part of the water in the meat particles is present as ice; ii) adding marinade; iii) optionally adding a carrier material to absorb the marinade; iv) optionally increasing the viscosity of the composition; and v) stirring for a total time of 4 to 15 minutes so that all added ingredients are dispersed and any solubilization of the meat protein is minimized.