(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2009/0061051A1 Visser (43) Pub
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US 2009006 1051A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2009/0061051A1 Visser (43) Pub. Date: Mar. 5, 2009 (54) CASINGS FOR FOODSTUFFS Related U.S. Application Data (60) Provisional application No. 60/954,608, filed on Aug. (76) Inventor: Peter R. Visser, Nijmegen (NL) 8, 2007, provisional application No. 61/020,445, filed on Jan. 11, 2008. Correspondence Address: Publication Classification MARSHALL, GERSTEIN & BORUN LLP (51) Int. Cl. 233 S. WACKER DRIVE, SUITE 6300, SEARS A22C I3/00 (2006.01) TOWER A2.3L I/37 (2006.01) CHICAGO, IL 60606 (US) (52) U.S. Cl. ......................................... 426/105: 426/140 (57) ABSTRACT (21) Appl. No.: 12/182,474 A collagen/polysaccharide casing, and method of manufac turing the casings, are disclosed. The casings maintain their structural integrity over time and do not adversely affect the (22) Filed: Jul. 30, 2008 quality and taste of the encased foodstuff. US 2009/006 1051A1 Mar. 5, 2009 CASINGS FOR FOODSTUFFS During cooking, sausage meat decreases in Volume up to about 15%, and it is desirable that the sausage casing shrinks CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED by an amount Sufficient to maintain contact with the sausage APPLICATIONS meat. On the other hand, casing shrinkage should not be so 0001. This application claims the benefit of U.S. provi great that the casing splits and releases the meat during cook sional patent applicant No. 61/020,445, filed Jan. 11, 2008 ing. An improved casing comprising an edible fibrous col and U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/954,608, filed lagen protein and a polysaccharide, e.g., an alginate, over Aug. 8, 2007. comes Some of these problems. 0008 Collagen/alginate casings comprise a continuous FIELD OF THE INVENTION phase of alginate containing a network of collagen fibers. 0002 The present invention relates to casings for food This structure is attained by extrusion of a preformed aqueous stuffs. More particularly, the present invention relates to gel containing the collagen and alginate. The collagen fibers edible casings for foodstuffs comprising a collagen and are readily extruded, aided by the lubricating action of the polysaccharide blend, and to methods of manufacturing the alginate in the extrusion die, to form a homogeneous, strong casings. The present method also relates to a coextrusion casing. method of manufacturing an encased foodstuff. Such as a 0009 Casings manufactured from collagen alone or a sausage product, having a collagen/polysaccharide casing. polysaccharide alone have disadvantages. Extruded collagen casings can be difficult to manufacture, can be difficult to eat, BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION and tend to shrink excessively during frying, thereby splitting and releasing the meat. Casings made solely of alginate have 0003 Sausages are encased protein products providing an not been commercially developed and are subject to inherent efficient and effective vehicle for delivering a specific quan calcium alginate instability issues. tity of a protein. Sausages also are a food of choice for quick, nutritious meals at home and in restaurants. 0010. By blending the two materials before coextrusion, a 0004 Sausage products are popular because they can be mixture results wherein the undesirable extrusion properties made from almost any protein source, cover a range of prices, of the collagen are modified by the alginate and the undesir and the number of flavors, sizes, shapes, and textures are able properties of the alginate are modified by the collagen. essentially unlimited. Sausages can be eaten fresh or cured by For example, the resulting casing is desirable because it Smoking, cooking, dehydration, or other curing technique shrinks with the meat during cooking, but not to such a degree known in the art. The curing step provides consumer desired that the casing splits or extrudes the meat through the sausage flavors and textures, as well as relative safety from foodborne ends. In addition, the resulting casing is more compatible pathogens. Cured sausages often are consumed without addi with the protein-based meat emulsion because it has a protein tional cooking. Sausages made from fresh meat products are content, and exhibits more resistance to thermal processing, cooked prior to consumption. Thus, all sausages must be i.e., cooking, than an alginate casing. cooked, cured, and dried, or otherwise treated to control food 0011 Collagen is an abundant animal protein present in borne pathogens prior to consumption. animal connective tissue, skin, cartilage, bone, and tendons. 0005. A typical method of producing a sausage includes Because collagen is digestible and absorbable by the human grinding the protein and mixing the ground protein with salt, body, it finds use in a variety of medical uses, such as absorb curing agents (if applicable), spices, flavors, Sweeteners, able sutures or injection under the skin to remove wrinkles extenders (such as milk Solids, starch, cereal, and the like), and provide a fuller, Smoother, more youthful appearance. and water prior to stuffing into a tubular casing. Casings can Because of its digestibility, collagen also is extensively used be natural or manufactured. Natural casings can be animal by the food industry, for example, as a casing for edible food intestine, derived from, for example, cattle, pigs, or sheep. products. However, natural casings have an uneven thickness, are struc 0012 Collagen used in the encasement of food products turally inconsistent, and can have religious restrictions. In typically is recovered from bovine and other animal skins by addition, natural casings require careful cleaning and prepa well-known processes. Other sources of collagen include, but ration, are in short Supply, and are relatively expensive. Cas are not limited to, bones, tendons, and intestines. The typical ings also can be manufactured from polymers, such as cellu process for producing commercial collagen uses the corium lose, starch, collagen, nylon, or other natural and synthetic layer of animal hides, known in the art as “hidesplits.” polymers. Hidesplits are washed, optionally chemically treated to 0006 If the casing material is digestible, such as collagen reduce natural crosslinking levels, and finally acid softened. or various animal intestines, then the casing is consumed with The softened hidesplits are converted to a stable, pumpable the sausage. If the casing is indigestible. Such as cellulose, gel by various operations, including, but not limited to, grind then the casing is stripped away from the sausage prior to ing, milling, and homogenization. Various processing aids ingestion. An example of a sausage that is traditionally made that improve collagen casing properties can be added during with a casing that is stripped off prior to consumption is the this converting process. “skinless' hot dog. In this case, the meat emulsion is stuffed 0013 The product of this process is an aqueous gel-like into a cellulose casing, then the sausage is Smoked, cooked, material containing 3% to 7%, by weight, collagen Solids and and the casing is mechanically removed prior to packing for a pH of about 2 to about 4. This type of collagen is termed sale. 'acid collagen, and is commonly used to produce a shaped, 0007 Artificial edible sausage casings, i.e., casings not tubular casing for the production of a variety of sausage based on a natural intestine, have been made, but it has been products, such as pork breakfast sausages, ring bologna, difficult to provide a casing having a Suitable degree of bratwurst, hot dogs, chorizo, and related products. The col shrinkage when cooked, for example, by frying or boiling. lagen casing is edible and fully digestible. US 2009/006 1051A1 Mar. 5, 2009 0014. There are other methods of using collagen for the rides, such as natural gums, like gum acacia, gum Arabic, encasement of sausages. It is known to coextrude a strand of carrageenan, alginic acid, and salts thereof. In addition, many sausage having (a) an inner core of ground, comminuted meat water-soluble polymers, such as polyvinyl alcohol, poly and (b) an outer Surface material that can be coagulated to acrylic acid, and the like, and some starches and modified provide a casing for the Strand of ground meat. The outer starches, also can form gels when contacted with water. The Surface material can be a collagen gel protein. Coagulation of preferred hydrocolloid is sodium alginate, which rapidly the casing typically includes Subjecting the extruded Strand to forms strong gels when contacted with multivalent metal a brine Solution. The resulting sausages therefore are drawn, cations such as, but not limited to, calcium, barium, alumi drenched, or sprayed with a salt bath to dehydrate and harden num, magnesium, and the like. the collagen casing. The brine is applied immediately after 0021 Alginates are salts of alginic acid, which is derived the strand is extruded. from seaweed. Alginates are carbohydrate polymers com 0.015 For many reasons, a collagen encasement is not posed of two epimeric monomers, alpha-(1,4)-L-guluronic Suitable for all types of sausages. In particular, the dehydrat and beta-(1,4)-D-mannuronic acids. Due to their high car ing bath used to stabilize, strengthen, and harden the col boxyland hydroxyl group content, alginates crosslink and gel lagen-encased sausages also draws water from the meat prod when contacted with multivalent metal cations. For food uct within the collagen casing. When cooked or cooked/ related uses, calcium ion is the multivalent cation of choice. Smoked meats, such as hot dogs, bratwurst, chorizo, and ring 0022 Crosslinking of alginates by metal ions bridges two bologna, are coextruded with a collagen encasement, they are reactive sites, for example, an acid group and a hydroxyl immediately drawn through a stabilizing salt bath that con group, in the same alginate chain or in different alginate tains sodium, potassium, or calcium salts, such as chlorides, chains. Therefore, treatment of a Sodium alginate with an nitrates, phosphates, sulfates, and the like.