Method of artificial guts moistening

The present invention relates to a method of wetting artificial intestines from, for example, regenerated cellulose and collagen on a shrinking machine.

Artificial casings or artificial sausage casings, made of a variety of materials such as regenerated cellulose and collagen, have met with great success as a synthetic substitute for natural casings in sediment processing. In the manufacture of these artificial casings, these casings are extruded in the form of continuous hoses. For the purpose of handling and transport, especially shipping, artificial casings are brought together from lengths ranging from 12 m to 60 m to a cramped length of a few centimeters, for example 10 cm to 76 cm. Extruded artificial casings typically have a moisture content in the range of 10 to 14 4. To summarize these artificial casings and their use at the time of stuffing with a meat processing machine, artificial casings require larger moisture contents, such as moisture content 14-20 4 for recovered casings cellulose and moisture content 24 - 26 4 for collagen casings. When the moisture content of the artificial casings is less than the above desired ranges, the casings are too brittle and often rupture during raking or filling.

In order to increase the moisture content of the artificial casings to allow them to be aggregated, it has already been proposed that the artificial casings be moistened inside and at the same time to be lubricated on the shrinking machine by spraying a water stream and a separate lubricant stream onto _t through the rake. The wetting was also performed by spraying water onto the swath wheels or swath belts, and then the wheels or strips were contacted with the outer surface of the artificial casing. It has already been proposed in these processes to add humectants to a ratio of about 0.02 weight. 4 to about 0.04 weight. 4 of the solution to increase the degree of wetting of the artificial intestine.

It has also been proposed to apply coatings on the inside of regenerated cellulosic casings in a shrink action. The coatings used in these processes are applied to the artificial casing in order to improve the possibility of peeling of the casing from the sausages filled therein. In these particular cases, the lubricants used consist of aqueous emulsions, vegetable mineral or paraffin oil.

It has also been proposed to moisten the artificial casings after they have been aggregated by spraying the water-lubricant mixture onto the surface of the collapsed artificial casing. The lubricants used in the mixture consisted of aqueous emulsions of vegetable, animal or purified oil.

According to other disclosures, there are a large number of coatings that have been applied to the inside of regenerated cellulose artificial casings by spraying the coating solutions through the sweep mandrel. These coating solutions usually contained about 0.2 to 2 percent by weight of cetyl alcohol, acetylated monoglycerides of animal and vegetable fats, and dimers of aliphatic ketenes having 16 to 18 carbon atoms in a 124-glycerin solution in water.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method of wetting artificial bowels such as regenerated cellulose and collagen on a shrinking machine by contacting the moisture-providing liquid with the inner wall of the intestine not collapsed, and then collating the intestine by contacting the intestine with a moisturizing liquid. containing water and 0.5 to 5.0% by weight of sorbine tetrioleate, the amount of which is in the range of 0.23 to 23.25 mg per m of artificial intestine and optionally 0.12 to 1.0% by weight of glycerol ester and aliphatic acid.

With the method according to the invention, artificial casings for sausage products are formed with fewer defects in terms of damage to the rake, with fewer holes and with greater flexibility, thereby avoiding bursting during filling. Artificial guts moistened according to the invention can be ripped on conventional rake machines without seizure, as is often the case using aqueous emulsions of vegetable oil and non-vegetable oil. The method of the invention also leads to artificial casings having a substantially uniform moisture content and do not grow from their confined state just after removal of the rake machine.

The term artificial casings for sausages as used herein includes synthetic casings

CS 269 951 B2 formed from regenerated cellulose, fibrous casings prepared by forming a tube of long fiber hemp paper impregnated with viscose and pulp regeneration on the tube and in the tube, as well as synthetic casings formed from collagene, amylose starch or alginates.

Moisturizing liquid for wetting the artificial intestine is a substantially homogeneous mixture consisting of water and a water-dispersible surfactant having lubricating properties. Surfactants having lubricating properties are those which have the ability to absorb on the surface of the artificial casing wall, so that when the artificial casing is passed through the swath mandrel, the surfactant absorbs shear forces, at least in a substantial proportion. If the surfactant does not have sufficient lubricating properties, the artificial casing will tend to adhere to or adhere to the shrink mandrel and shut the machine down. Clogging is operationally undesirable to a significant degree, for example once per ten coils, for example 15 to 18 meters.

The surfactant should be dispersible in water by simple mixing and in the absence of emulsifying agents. It should also remain in the stable dispersion without stirring for at least 4 hours after dispersion in water. As mentioned above, aqueous emulsions of lubricating oils are used to lubricate the inner wall of the artificial casings to slide the artificial casings over the mandrel, but these oil lubricants tend to delay the wetting of the artificial casing with water due to their water insolubility or non-dispersible properties. It is necessary to moisten the artificial intestine within a short period of time, which is available between the contact with the water spray and the contact with the swath wheels, in order to prevent damage to the artificial intestine.

The water-dispersible surfactants of the present invention not only promote wetting and start-up to allow rapid wetting of the artificial gut, but also create a thin and uniform surface of the lubricant and on the artificial gut surface so that it easily slides over the shrinking mandrel. The lubricating surfactant does not delay wetting, which delay occurs when non-dispersible lubricants are used.

The surfactant having lubricating properties is used in the wetting liquid in a ratio of about 0.5 to 5 weight percent. % liquid. When the ratio of the surfactant having lubricating properties is used in less than about 0.5 weight percent. 4, a sufficient amount of surfactant is not applied to the surface of the artificial intestine to provide adequate lubrication of the artificial intestine to advance through the scraper. This differs from the prior art in that the surfactants were added to the water and sprayed on the inner wall of the artificial intestine in a ratio of about 1/20 and often in a ratio of about 1/40 of the ratio needed to achieve lubricating properties necessary in the recapture process, even if wetting occurred. However, most surfactants used in the prior art have served to promote wetting of the artificial intestine, i. to enter water into the wall of the artificial intestine and not to lubricate.

When the ratio of the surfactant having lubricating properties exceeds about 5 weights. H of the moisture-generating liquid, there is a tendency to load the artificial casing with too much surfactant at a suitable moisture level. This load causes the aggregated strand to “grow and become inconsistent. Under the growth it is meant that the strand does not remain in its compact shape and expands upon removal. The folds do not stick to each other at high levels and the spring may be inconsistent, ie. the folds do not adhere to each other and are difficult to handle without breaking. Broken strands are unacceptable for high-speed automatic filling machines.

In the practice of the invention, the preferred surfactant having lubricating properties consists of a partial ester of an aliphatic acid and sorbitol, and in particular of sorbitan trioleate. Sorbitan trioleate is a nonionic surfactant that is relatively viscous liquid and is dispersible in water, although it is insoluble in water. Although combined with water in proportions of 0.5 to 5 weights. It preferably has 0.8 to 1.5 weight. The surface-active agent on the wall, after wetting, is typically 0.25 to 25.25 mg per m. At this level, the surfactant has

CS 269 951 82 artificial casing extraordinary physical properties. Sorbitan trioleate forms artificial intestines_Pwhich have fewer holes and higher rupture resistance than was achieved in any industrial process. A further advantage of this surfactant is that the lubricating properties of the sorbitan trioleate are such that the seizure rate on the synthetic casing machine is less than about one per 15 to 18 m, calculated on the summed plastic casing. This is significantly lower than that achieved with water-moistened intestines through the mandrel using an aqueous emulsion of mineral or vegetable oil as a lubricant.

Another advantage of sorbitan trioleate as a surfactant is that it promotes wetting of the artificial intestine to achieve excellent flexibility at the time the intestine reaches the shrink wheels. As a result, the compression of the artificial casing does not lead to a large number of folds to form holes. The frequency of holes in the bowels described above is very low. The achievement of artificial guts having relatively few holes is associated with the production of an artificial gut which does not tend to grow after aggregation. Thus, the composite strand can be easily processed without breaking.

Although excellent results have been obtained by spraying a mixture of water and a surfactant, and in particular sorbitan trioleate, on the inner wall of the artificial casing, it is sometimes desirable to add an additional lubricant at the same time as the air stream. Lubricants can also be sprayed onto the outer surface to reduce wear on the swath wheels. Conventional lubricants for this purpose consist of vegetable and mineral oils mixed with acetylated monoglycerides and polyoxyethylene monoesters, e.g. polyoxyethylene monostearate.

In summarizing collagen artificial intestines, it has been found to be particularly advantageous to include a partial ester of aliphatic acid and glycerin in a humectant liquid containing the partial ester of aliphatic acid and sorbitol. The introduction of an aliphatic acid ester and glycerin into the humidifying fluid greatly reduces torsional breakage when the artificial casings are used by the meat processor in the filling machines. When the artificial casings are filled, twisted and their feet separated by a processing machine, then the artificial casings are not adequately moistened; occurs when twisting to create individual legs of sausage products, tearing at the edge of the artificial casing filled with meat. This phenomenon is known in the art as a rupture in a device for separating legs of meat products, and if the rupture exceeds 2-3, the artificial casings are useless.

Using a mixture of partial esters of aliphatic acid glycerin and sorbltol, moistened artificial casings for sausage products derived from animal collagene are produced with greater flexibility to reduce twisting and stuffing.

Partial esters of oleic acid and glycerin are particularly useful in the practice of the invention and are commercially available as mixtures of monoglycerides and diglycerides manufactured by Glidden-Durkce Division of SCM under the trademark GMO. GMO consists of 55 scales. 4 oleic acid monoglycerides, 35 oleic acid diglycerides and the remainder consist essentially of olylic acid triglyceride.

The partial esters of the aliphatic acid and the nlyceride must be present in the aqueous humidifying liquid at a concentration of greater than 0.1% by weight. 4. Oak will be shown below, inducing the use of 0.1 weights. 4 of the partial ester of the aliphatic acid and glycerin in the humidifying liquids, an undesirable increase in bursting and twisting rates, as found in collagen artificial bowel filling. Generally, the amount of the aliphatic acid partial glycerin ester introduced into the humidifying medium should be of the order of about 0.12% by weight. 4 to 1.0 weight. 4. Although concentrations of the aliphatic acid partial ester and glycerin of greater than 1 weight can be introduced into the humidifying liquid. 4, such higher amounts will have little effect on improving the tear resistance of collagen artificial casings during filling and twisting performed by the meat processor. When the concentration of the partial ester of the aliphatic acid and glycerin in the humidifying medium is in the range of 0.15 weight. 4 to 1.0 weight. 4, then applied to the inner walls of the artificial intestine in normal collapsing steps with a new collage • 2, this concentration gives approximately 0.23 to 23.25 mg of glycerin ester per meter

CS 269 951 B2 artificial surface.

The aliphatic acid ester of sorbitan (e.g., sorbitan trioleate) in the mixture of fatty acid esters is contained in the wetting fluid in a ratio of about 0.5 to about 2 weight percent. 4 and preferably from about 0.3 to about 1.5 weight percent. 4. When the ratio of the mixed monoester and glycerin diester decreases towards a lower amount in the humidifying liquid, for example to 0.2 weight. %, then the ratio of the partial fatty acid ester to sorbitan increases towards the upper value. Similarly, when the ratio of a partial ester of an aliphatic acid to a sorbitan, such as sorbitan trioleate, decreases towards a lower value, e.g. 0.5 4, then the ratio of the mixed glycerin ester increases to an upper value, e.g. at levels from 0.23 to 23.25 mg per m.

The wetting liquid according to the invention is to be applied to the artificial casing prior to its collapse, and various procedures are suitable for this purpose. One of the many procedures for introducing the humidifying fluid into the interior of the artificial intestine prior to recapture is during the raking process. The apparatus described in US Pat. No. 3,451,827 is well suited for applying moisturizing fluid to an artificial intestine prior to raking. This apparatus is provided with a shower system for applying moisturizing fluid to the inner wall of the artificial casing just prior to contacting the casing with the movable wheels of the apparatus.

Several preferred embodiments of the invention will now be given. All percentages are expressed in weight percentages.

Example 1

Artificial gut from regenerated pulp was basically simultaneously moistened and lubricated during raking using the apparatus described in US Pat. No. 3,451,827. Although this type of apparatus is advantageous because it comprises a shower system for applying liquid to the inner wall of the artificial casing, other devices allowing the introduction of a moistening liquid as a thin coating on the inner wall of the artificial casing can be used.

Six wetting liquids were prepared by dispersing 0.25%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 10% sorbine trioleate in aqueous solutions. The regenerated cellulose flat coil rolls, which were dry, i.e. containing 10 4 of water, had a diameter of 24 mm and a wall thickness of approximately 0.051 mm, were introduced through the rake and rake. As the artificial casings advanced through the mandrel, the inner wall was contacted with a fine shower of the above liquid. Each artificial intestine was coated with approximately 460 mg of wetting liquid per 1 m area. Each pooled artificial bowel strand contained 37.7 m of artificial bowel and had from about 0.12 mg to about 46 mg of sorbitan trioleate per 1 m 2 of intestinal area. The moisture content of the intestine was approximately 18% -2.

The artificial intestine was compacted very smoothly at the levels of 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 5 * and 10 4 and did not seize at approximately 15m intestine. These intestines behaved very well in operation, i.e. during filling, but the strands coated with liquid at levels of 0.25 4 and 10 4 sorbitan trioleate did not behave as well as strands having a level of 0.5 1.0 4, 1.5 and 4. At the level of 0.25, there appeared to be more holes in the artificial intestines and greater difficulty in raking, ie tearing. This was probably due to low lubricant concentration on the artificial bowel wall. The artificial intestine with a level of 10 4 sorbitan trioleate could be processed well, but the aggregated strand tended to grow.

The best aggregation results were reported at levels of 1% to 1.5 4 sorbitan trioleate. Filling results in service were recorded at levels of 1.0 to 1.5 4 trioleate. Operational tests during filling showed that at a one percent level, the failure rate in one system was one defect per 1,400 springs tested. Another system showed 30 defects per 200 tested springs. Based on a series of filling tests ranging from 1,400 strands with one defect in one system, which was the best result, up to 200 springs tested in another system with 30 defects found, the results obtained showed a reduced reduction in filling rate compared to commercially available gut from regenerated

CS 269 951 B2 cell lottery tickets.

Although the results varied with the individual systems, it was concluded that the artificial casings of the invention achieved overall better results overall than the prior art pulp artificial casings made using prior wetting techniques.

Example 2

Summed artificial bowel strands were prepared by spraying a moistening liquid consisting of 14 sorbitan trioleate in water onto the inner wall of the pulp artificial bowel as described in Example 1. 1. Sorbitan trioleate was present in a ratio of approximately 23 mg per 1 m of intestine and the intestinal moisture content was increased to approximately 18 weights. 4. Acetylated monoglyceride and 14 polyoxyethylene monostearate were added with a stream of air to inflate the intestine as it was raking and were fed at a concentration of approximately 0.3 g per 30 m of 24 mm diameter bowel.

Typical in-service filling tests with several thousands of bowel strands showed a break of 0.2 to 0.4. Normally, artificial bowels show wetting by prior techniques · about 2 to 34 average breaks under similar test conditions.

Example 3

The procedure of Example 2 was repeated except that instead of the recovered cellulose intestines, 12 to 18 m long collagen artificial casings were used. The untreated collagen casing had a diameter of 21 mm, a wall thickness of approximately 0.0659 mm and a moisture content of 8 to 12 m. 4. The artificial intestine strand was inserted through the rake and summarized. As the intestine passed through the mandrel, its inner wall was contacted with an aqueous solution containing 1'-sorbitan trioleate. The artificial intestine was smoothly aggregated and had a moisture content of greater than 24%.

Example 4

Collagen extruded gut was moistened during raking using the apparatus described in US Pat. No. 3,451,827 using a shower system for applying liquid to the inner wall of an artificial intestine.

The wetting liquid was prepared by dispersing 34 sorbitan trioleate and 0.2 ЧMM0 in an aqueous solution. A roll of flat and dry, ie 14 4 water containing collagen artificial casing with a diameter of 21 mm and a wall thickness of approximately 0.027 mm to 0.0287 mm was introduced through the rake and rake. As the intestines passed through the thorn, the inner wall of the intestine was contacted with a single shower of aqueous dispersion at a rate of 8 cm @ 2 / strand. At this rate of deposition, approximately 1150 mg per 1 m of aqueous dispersion was deposited on the inner walls of the intestine. The pooled intestine contained 12.2 m of intestine and the internal intestinal walls contained approximately 13.8 to 15.1 mg per m² sorbitan trioleate and about 3.1 to 3.5 mg per m² GMO. The moisture content of the intestine was approximately 24 4. ·

The artificial intestine collapsed very easily. The intestines were well filled and twisted, and the breakage during filling and twisting by the meat processing machine had a frequency of 0.94 4.

To determine the contrast, the method of Example 4 was repeated except that sorbitan trioleate and GMO were not dispersed in the water spray. The colonized gut at filling and twisting was found to have a tear rate of 2.20

Example 1

In the second test, the pooled collagen artificial casing strand was prepared by spraying a humidifying liquid consisting of 14 sorbitan trioleate and 0.2 4 GMO in water onto the intestinal wall by the procedure of Example 1. Sorbitan trioleate was present at a rate of approximately 15.1 mg per 1 m of intestine and GMO was present at approximately 3.3 mg per 1 in.² intestine and ohr.nh moisture of the stomach were increased to about 24 weights. 4.

In order to determine the contrast, the example of FIG. 2 was repeated in a series of operations with that

CS 269 951 B2, except that only one branch contained only one percent of sorbitan trioleate in the humidifier liquid, in the second experiment it contained 1 4 sorbitan trioleate and 0.1 4 GMOs in the humidifier liquid and in the third experiment the additives added to the humidifier liquid 2, 5 4 sorbitan trioleate and 14 carboxymethylcellulose (CMC).

The breakage during filling and twisting in the meat processing machine was observed and recorded for both collagen strands moistened according to Example 2 and for comparative experiments. The breakdown of these strands during processing is summarized in the following table.

Table Experiment No. Ingredients added in rupture at humidifier fluid treatment

<td> 1</td><td> 1 *'·</td><td>sorbitan trioleate</td><td> 0,09</td>

<td></td><td></td><td> +</td><td></td>

<td></td><td> 0,2</td><td>4 GMO</td><td></td>

<td> 2</td><td> 1</td><td>sorbitan trioleate</td><td> 6,00</td>

<td></td><td></td><td> +</td><td></td>

<td></td><td> 0,1</td><td>% GMO</td><td></td>

<td> 3</td><td> 1 4</td><td>sorbitan trioleate</td><td> 2,30</td>

<td> 4</td><td> 2,5</td><td>% sorbitan trioleate</td><td> 2,40</td>

<td></td><td></td><td> +</td><td></td>

<td></td><td> 1 %</td><td>CMC</td><td></td>

It is immediately apparent from the table that the collagen casings moistened according to the invention appear to have substantially less breaks in processing (Experiment No. 1), especially when compared to collagen casings moistened with aqueous dispersions containing ingredients outside the scope of the invention (Experiments No. 2 to 4).