Meat-based products.

network of cut muscular skeleton. The pieces are mechanically kneaded to release the adhesive protein and aggregated into a dough prior to molding. Patent application published in English N^and No. 2,156,650 discloses a restructured meat product formed by kneading thin slices of meat to obtain a compact mass and then shaping the kneaded mass to obtain the desired product, which is held together by the adhesive nature of the meat juices and the interlacing of the slices. , all resulting from the kneading process. There is no fat portion.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a structured product comprising a meat layer and a fat layer that can be produced in a continuous process but which has the texture and taste of a fully manly meat product.

A process according to the present invention comprises the following steps:

1) cut into wholly muscular meat into small thin slices. Typically, the slices will be between 1.5 and 5 mm thick, with the lowest thickness in this range being preferred; 1.5 mm is a good working thickness. As regards the lateral dimension, it has been found to be convenient to have square slices of the order of 120 mm, but it can be between 50 and 150 mm. In fact, the preferred size of 120 mm will typically have one or more lines of tendons or tendons, the slice tending to split along that or those lines of least strength during the next working phase of the process.

For the process to have success the slices must be cold, precisely below 0 ° 0. It is advantageous to cut the slices from a solid, frozen, manly piece of meat of just the right degree of defrosting so that it can be sliced ​​and transport the cold slices to the next stage of the process under ambient conditions. meat processing cold, so long as slices remain cold until extruded. 22) The thin slices are then stirred in a mixture with a meat-based adhesive liquid for a short time until the slices are coated with the liquid. . During this stirring, the slices will tend to split along any lines of lower strength to produce smaller slices, thus reducing the average slice sizes during this process. Stirring is typically only for about 2 minutes, so there is no substantial release of protein or any other material from the slices. The purpose of this phase is essentially to coat each of the slices with a meat-based adhesive. The slices are discharged from the mixer, although, because they are coated with adhesive, they have a certain tendency to stick together but remain as separate slices in contrast to a compacted mass.

3) The coated slices are then loaded into a coextrusion machine to be pumped through the extrusion head. A grease-forming fluid is also charged to the machine which is pumped through another area of ​​the extrusion head; This fluid is preferably an emulsion mixture of fat and meat.

4) The coextruded fat and meat product in the form of the desired piece of meat is discharged from the extrusion head onto a movable conveyor.

5) The coextruded product is then transported through an elongated freezer to surface harden to give a partially frozen torus which is cut into pieces of the desired length.

The above process is a complete integrated process from slicing through the surface hardening junctions to final freezing into the desired solid form.

The following invention is described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

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Fig. 1, the slicing process together with a typical slice on a larger scale;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the stirring and coating phase;

Fig. 5 is a schematic indication of the extrusion head and the production line; and

Fig. 4 shows a section indicating different shapes of the product according to the present invention.₀

Referring first to FIG. 1, are allowed to soften from the solid state until it is precisely possible to cut large quarters of meat (1), especially of completely muscular lean meat, typically lamb or beef, which are placed in a slicing machine. (2), which cuts straight through the pieces of meat, thereby discharging small slices (3) of meat into the discharge containers (4). In an alternative, completely muscular meat may be cut at room temperature and the slices may be cooled. However, it is important that the slices stay at temperatures below 0 ° C in order to promote compaction in the extrusion. The small typical slice (3 ') illustrated on a larger scale is a 120 mm square and

1.5 mm thick. The slice is divided into two parts by a natural line of least resistance (5).

Referring now to FIG. 2, the small slices (3) are prepared for coextrusion by mixing them in a screw mixer (6) with a relatively small amount of meat gelatin, which is an emulsified thick fluid, in a lean meat-based formulation. released adhesive protein. A typical formulation is emulsified to acquire a consistency of thick porridge from a mixture of meat pieces (approximately 50%), salt and water. As shown, the mixer comprises two tapes (7) and (8) rotating in opposite directions, each describing a propeller about the respective drive shaft (9) or (10), respectively, so that the ingredients are driven in one direction by one propeller and in the other direction by the other. The mixer (6) also includes an outlet opening (11) for the 4-coated slices (3).

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das. The coated slices 5 have a certain tendency to adhere to each other but retain their separate identity.

There is no significant protein discharge from the slices during the short mixing time, typically two minutes. During mixing, the slice 3 'of FIG. 1 and the like are divided into two pieces along the line of least resistance (5).

Turning now to fig. 3, the coated slices (3) are loaded, while still cold, into a hopper (12) feeding a hoop (13) connected by a tube (14) to the inlet manifold (15) of the twin extrusion heads (16). ). A second hopper (17) is loaded with a fat formulation (18), which is typically an emulsified blend of approximately 50% of appropriate fat. , with lean cuts and other additives. Such an emulsified formulation is a thick viscous liquid with a consistency similar to that of a porridge which, when extruded, produces an effective simulation of the natural fat layer in the meat that can be retained by the body before, during and after cooking. . This emulsified formulation may include a certain adhesive protein. The second hopper (17) feeds a pump (19) and feeds the extrusion head (16) through a tube (20) and the distributor conduit (21).

Each extrusion head (16) comprises a main portion shaped to extrude a simulation of the asymmetric main lean meat body of a piece of natural meat and a peripheral section configured to extrude the fat layer of said piece. In fig. 4 different extrusion profiles are shown. Fig. 3 represents the fully functioning coextrusion from one of the heads (16) and interrupted on the other, the extruded product (22) comprising a thin body of compacted meat slices and an outer fat layer. The extruded product (22) is discharged to a synchronized moving conveyor surface (23) to advance with the extrusion speed, thereby preventing deformation of the extruded output product. 0 extruded product (22) when emitting

-5ΙΟ— g is compressed with structural integrity but is relatively soft. The thin slices subjected to pumping forces to and through the extrusion head have undergone some restructuring and combination. The extruded product is then passed through a long freezing tunnel (24) with a connecting chimney (25) to the cooling nitrogen. Freezer 24 is elongated to a sufficient length but is shown shortened.

The continuous extruded product passes through the nitrogen freezer (24) and exits as a surface-hardened torus (22 ') suitable for cutting. The surface hardened torus passes through a cutter, shown schematically in (26). The cutter preferably comprises a blade that oscillates transversely with respect to the direction of advance. Sliced ​​or sliced ​​pieces of meat (27) are to be transported to a final freezer (not shown).

process is integrated and continuous. The slices are cold when they come out of the cut and are coated with adhesive and loaded into the extrusion media while still cold. This poses no problem in production under cold ambient conditions in a meat-processing plant.

Fig. 4 is an ideal view showing the extruded product exiting the two side-by-side extrusion heads from which each product emerges according to the present invention. Thus, the extruded product 22 on the left has a body or core (A) of compacted thin slices, this core being asymmetric, generally simulating the shape of a flattened meat piece, rounded and thicker ends. one side than the other. Typical overall dimensions are 18 cm wide and 8 cm maximum height. The product also includes a top layer of fat (B), with a typical maximum thickness of 2 cm, which simulates the natural fat of a piece of meat. The right-hand part of the extruded product shows the layer (B) of fat that can continue completely around the meat core with

-6a reduced coating thickness. The right side product can be manufactured as a straight meat cylinder with an outer layer of concentric fat. When manufacturing this product, the surface of the carrier must be covered with a protective material, such as a plastic sheet, distributed from a roll to prevent damage to the lower fat layer until surface hardening takes place.

When eating the meat product prepared by the process presented, it is found that it mimics the texture and taste of a fully muscular high quality piece of meat. This similarity results from the use of thin slices as the starting material for the lean meat core. The slices are neither product oriented nor individually distinguishable. Compaction and restructuring seem to emerge during the coextrusion process.