DESCRIPTION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a frozen coated mold shaped egg product and a method for preparing it.

BACKGROUND

Eggs are encapsulated sources of macro and micronutrients that meet all requirements to support embryonic development until hatching. In human diet, eggs are a common food and one of the most versatile ingredients used in cooking and, as a result, they are important in many branches of the modem food industry.

The most commonly used eggs are those from birds, such as chicken, duck, and goose. Smaller eggs, such as quail eggs, are used occasionally as a gourmet ingredient in Western countries.

In view of their nutritional content, eggs are furthermore one of the few foods that should be classified as “superfoods”. Eggs remain indeed a food product of high nutritional quality for adults including elderly people and children and are extensively consumed worldwide; they are loaded with several and high-value nutrients, some of which are rare in the modern diet, such as vitamins (Vitamin A, B2, B5, B12), trace nutrients, phosphorous, selenium. They additionally are a gold standard food for proteins, providing one of the highest quality proteins of any natural food available.

Eggs are widely used in many types of dishes, both sweet and savory, including many baked goods. Despite this wide range of choices, the food industry is still in need of finding new forms and ways of using them, especially in ready-to-use preparations.

At the same time, due to the fragile and perishable nature of eggs there are significant limits in the production and distribution chain of the food industry, due to the unwanted breakage of the egg shell or to the difficulties in storing and transporting eggs under proper conditions in order to preserve their nutritional value and to allow a safe consume by the final user, after cooking. SUMMARY OF INVENTION

An object of the present invention is therefore that of providing a new egg-based food product, suitable as ready-to-use preparation and capable of overcoming the technical limits of production and distribution chains due to the fragile and perishable nature of eggs.

In a first aspect, therefore, the present invention refers to a method for preparing a frozen coated mold shaped egg product, comprising the steps of: a. providing at least one fresh egg; b. removing the shell from said at least one fresh egg of step b., thus obtaining at least one fresh shelled egg; c. pouring the fresh shelled egg into a mold; d. freezing the at least one fresh shelled egg in said mold, to a temperature lower than or equal to 0°C, thus obtaining at least one frozen mold shaped egg; e. applying at least one coating selected from the group consisting of breading and batter to said at least one frozen mold shaped egg, thus obtaining said frozen coated mold shaped egg product.

The Applicant has indeed surprisingly found out that through the method according to the invention a frozen coated mold shaped egg product is obtainable, addressing the needs of the food industry of providing a ready-to-use preparation and capable of overcoming the technical limits of production and distribution chains due to the fragile and perishable nature of eggs.

The frozen coated mold shaped egg product obtained by the process according to the invention provides indeed a ready-to-use food preparation that may be directly and easily cooked by the final user and that, preserving the nutritional value of fresh eggs and allowing a safe storage and transport by avoiding any unwanted breakage of the egg shell, addresses the need of providing a new egg-based food product suitable for human nutrition.

In a further aspect, the present invention relates also to a frozen coated mold shaped egg product, comprising an inner core comprising a frozen mold shaped egg and at least one outer coating selected from the group consisting of breading and batter. The advantages of the frozen coated mold shaped egg product according to this further aspect have been already outlined with reference to the above method according to the first aspect of the invention and are not repeated herewith.

The frozen coated mold shaped egg product according to the invention is suitable as ready-to-use food preparation and may be easily stored and transported in different way, without risks of unwanted breakage of the egg shell, and may be safely consumed by the end user, after cooking.

In a still further aspect, the present invention therefore relates also to a kit comprising at least one packaging means and at least one frozen coated mold shaped egg product according to the present invention, wherein said packaging means encloses said at least one frozen coated mold shaped egg product.

The advantages of the kit according to this further aspect have been already outlined with reference to the above method according to the first aspect of the invention and with reference to the frozen coated mold shaped egg product according to the invention and are not repeated herewith.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 shows a flow diagram of the method of the invention to produce a frozen coated mold shaped egg product comprising an inner core comprising a frozen mold shaped egg; and

Figure 2 shows a front view of a fresh chicken egg (letter a), three perspective views respectively of a fresh shelled chicken egg in a circular, star-shaped, and flowershaped mold (letters b1 , b2, and b3), a top view of a circular-shaped frozen mold shaped chicken egg (letter c1 ), a perspective view of a frozen mold shaped chicken egg in a star-shaped mold (letter c2), and two top views of two frozen coated mold shaped chicken eggs showing a circular and a star shape (letters d1 and d2).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect, the present invention refers to a method for preparing a frozen coated mold shaped egg product, comprising the steps of: a. providing at least one fresh egg; b. removing the shell from said at least one fresh egg of step a., thus obtaining at least one fresh shelled egg; c. pouring the fresh shelled egg into a mold; d. freezing the at least one fresh shelled egg in said mold, to a temperature lower than or equal to 0 °C, thus obtaining at least one frozen mold shaped egg; e. applying at least one coating selected from the group consisting of breading and batter to said at least one frozen mold shaped egg, thus obtaining said frozen coated mold shaped egg product.

The Applicant has indeed surprisingly found out that through the method according to the invention a frozen coated mold shaped egg product is obtainable, addressing the needs of the food industry of providing a ready-to-use preparation and capable of overcoming the technical limits of production and distribution chains due to the fragile and perishable nature of eggs.

Within the framework of the present description and in the subsequent claims, except where otherwise indicated, all the numerical entities expressing amounts, parameters, percentages, and so forth, are to be understood as being preceded in all instances by the term "about". Also, all ranges of numerical entities include all the possible combinations of the maximum and minimum values and include all the possible intermediate ranges, in addition to those specifically indicated herein below.

The present invention may present in one or more of the above aspects one or more of the characteristics disclosed hereinafter.

The method according to the present invention comprises a step a. of providing at least one fresh egg.

Advantageously, the method according to the invention therefore uses a starting product fresh eggs, not therefore adding long and expensive pretreatments to the food production chain.

Preferably, said at least one fresh egg is a bird egg or at fish egg. In the latter case, the process according to the invention preferably does not comprise step b. of removing the shell from the egg of step a. In other words, in the embodiment of the first aspect of the invention in which the fresh egg is a fish egg, the method comprises the steps of: a. providing at least one fresh fish egg; c. pouring the fresh egg of step a. into a mold; d. freezing the at least one fresh egg in said mold, to a temperature lower than or equal to 0 °C, thus obtaining at least one frozen mold shaped egg; and e. applying at least one coating selected from the group consisting of breading and batter to said at least one frozen mold shaped egg, thus obtaining said frozen coated mold shaped egg product.

Preferably, said bird egg is selected from the group consisting of chicken, duck, goose, quail, guinea fowl, turkey, pigeon, and ostrich egg.

Bird eggs are indeed the most used type of eggs in food industry and the method according to the invention is therefore advantageously widely applicable to the existing food production chains.

Preferably, said fish egg is selected from the group consisting of bottarga, mullet, tuna, herring, sturgeon, lumpfish, salmon, carp, mackerel, cod, crab, sea urchin egg.

Advantageously, said fresh eggs may preliminarily be washed and cleaned only, according to the usual food production treatment chain requirements.

Preferably said step a. comprises at least one preliminary operation on said at least one fresh egg selected from the group consisting of: sterilizing, cleaning, washing, and pastorizing.

Preferably, said preliminary operation of sterilizing is carried out with radiofrequencies or with ultraviolet radiation. Suitable machineries for said preliminary operations are for example UV or radio frequency sterilizes available from Sanovo technology group or Innovo solutions.

The method according to the present invention comprises a step b. of removing the shell from said at least one fresh egg of step a. In this way, at least one fresh shelled egg is obtained by step b. of the method according to the invention.

Said step of removing the shell may be carried out according to any one of the techniques or or by means of any one of the machines routinely used in food processing for the purpose. By way of example, said step of removing the shell may be carried out with an egg peeling machine, for example an industrial boiled egg peeling machine. Suitable peeling machines are for example available from Sanovo technology group, or Innovo solutions.

The method according to the present invention comprises a step c. of pouring the fresh shelled egg into a mold.

In an embodiment of the method according to the invention, only the white egg of said fresh shelled egg is poured in said mold.

In a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, only the yolk of said fresh shelled egg is poured in said mold.

In a still furter embodiment of the method according to the invention, the yolk and the white egg of said fresh shelled egg are stirred before pouring in said mold.

Preferably, the mold has at least one mold cavity. The mold cavity comprises a filling space enclosed by a base, and by at least one peripheral wall connected to said base. The filling opening is used to fill the mold cavity with the fresh shelled egg.

In step c. of the invention, the base of the mold may have any suitable geometric or fantasy shape, for example it may have a circular, semi-circular, heart, flower, star, square-like shape.

Preferably, the mold cavity has an inner surface made of a material destined to prevent the shelled fresh egg contained in the mold from sticking to the mold itself.

The method according to the present invention comprises a step d. of freezing the at least one fresh shelled egg in said mold, to a temperature lower than or equal to -18 °C. In this way, at least one frozen mold shaped egg is obtained by step d. of the method according to the invention. Based on the shape of the mold used, in this way the frozen mold shaped egg may have any suitable geometric or fantasy shape, for example it may have a circular, semi-circular, heart, flower, star, square-like shape. In an embodiment of the invention, different frozen coated mold shaped egg products according to the invention may have shapes that may be combined each other to form a complex shape, like in a puzzle; for example, different frozen coated mold shaped egg products according to the invention may have different shapes that, once combined, may form the shape of a tree or of a car. In this way, the frozen coated mold shaped egg product according to the invention may provide a ready-to-use food preparation more attractive for certain final users (for example, for kids), thus providing an improved alternative food to them.

Preferably, the step of freezing of the method according to the invention allow to bring the at least one fresh egg to a temperature lower than or equal to -5 °C, even more preferably lower than or equal to -18 °C, still even more preferably lower than or equal to -30 °C, preferably in a period of time of from 90 minutes to 240 minutes.

Said step of freezing may be carried out according to any one of the suitable freezing techniques or by means of any one of the suitable freezing machines routinely used in food processing. By way of example, said step of freezing may be carried out with an industrial blast chiller or by contacting said at least one fresh egg with a cooling agent (liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide). Suitable industrial blast chiller are for example tunnel blast chillers available from Sanovo technology group, Tecnomac, or Thermogel.

Freezing does not only slow any degradation process of the fresh shelled egg, but harden the same, so that the shelled egg takes the shape of the mold cavity, and thus becomes a frozen mold shaped egg.

Freezing also helps in preserving the organoleptic and nutritional properties of the final egg product.

Preferably, said step d. of freezing is carried out by means of a chiller or by contacting said at least one fresh egg in said mold with with a cooling agent, preferably selected from liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide.

Preferably, in said step d. said at least one frozen mold shaped egg is kept at a temperature lower than or equal to 0 °C, more preferably lower than or equal to -5 °C, even more preferably lower than or equal to -18 °C, still even more preferably lower than or equal to -30 °C, for a period of time of from 90 to 400 minutes.

More preferably, said at least one frozen mold shaped egg is kept at a temperature lower than or equal to 0 °C, more preferably lower than or equal to -5 °C, even more preferably lower than or equal to -18 °C, still even more preferably lower than or equal to -30 °C, for a period of time of from 180 to 300 minutes, optimally of about 240 minutes. The method according to the present invention comprises a step e. of applying at least one coating selected from the group consisting of breading and batter to said at least one frozen mold shaped egg. In this way, the frozen coated mold shaped egg product according to the invention is obtained.

Said step of applying at least one coating may be carried out according to any one of the suitable techniques or by means of any one of the suitable machines routinely used in food processing. By way of example, said step of coating may be carried out with an industrial breading-battering machine, for example one of those available from Sanovo technology group or Nilma SpA.

Compositions for batter and breading coatings may be prepared according to any one suitable recipe known to the skilled person, depending on the specific application requirements. Batters, typically but not exclusively, are made for example by combining dry flours with liquids such as water, milk or eggs, or by soaking grains in water and grinding them wet, whereas breedings, typically but not exclusively, are dry mixtures of flour, starch, bread crums, and seasonings, coarse in nature. The skilled person may of course modify or add to the batter and breading recipes any additional ingredient that is needed, depending on the specific application requirements.

In step e. of the method according to the invention, a coating is applied on said at least one frozen mold shaped egg.

Before applying the coating, the frozen mold shaped egg is preferaby removed from the mold. In this way, the whole external surface of the frozen mold shaped egg is coated with the at least one coating.

Alternatively, the frozen mold shaped egg may be kept in the mold during step e. of the method according to the invention. In this way, the frozen mold shaped egg is only partially coated with the at least one coating.

Preferably, in said step e. said at least one coating is applied by means of at least one operation selected from the group consisting of: pouring at least one coating on said at least one frozen mold shaped egg, dipping said at least one frozen mold shaped egg in said at least one coating, laying said at least one frozen mold shaped egg in said at least one coating, mixing said at least one frozen mold shaped egg with said at least one coating. In an embodiment of the method according to the present invention, said step e. comprises applying at least one batter coating, and applying at least one breading coating after said at least one batter coating.

In an embodiment of the method according to the present invention, in said step e. said at least one frozen mold shaped egg is sliced before applying said at least one coating.

In other words, before applying the at least one coating, the frozen mold shaped egg is sliced, so that slices of the frozen mold shaped egg are coated in step d. of the method.

Said slicing of the at least one frozen mold shaped egg may be carried out according to any one of the suitable techniques or by means of any one of the suitable machines routinely used in food processing.

Preferably, step e. of the method according to the invention comprises keeping said at least one frozen mold shaped egg to a temperature lower than or equal to 0 °C, more preferably lower than or equal to -5 °C, even more preferably lower than or equal to - 18 °C, still even more preferably lower than or equal to -30 °C, once it has been coated.

In this way, the mehod according to the invention allows keeping the coated mold shaped egg product in a frozen state, which is a form easier and safer to store and transport and that preserves the organoleptic and nutritional properties of the starting fresh egg.

Preferably, the method according to the invention comprises a step f. of enclosing said at least one frozen coated mold shaped egg product in at least one packaging means.

Preferably, said packaging means includes at least one primary and optionally at least one secondary packaging means, and is more preferably selected from the group consisting of: a wrap, a box, a container, a pouch, a tray, a sack, or a bag.

Preferably, said packaging means is a vacuum packaging means.

The frozen coated mold shaped egg product obtained by the process according to the invention provides indeed a ready-to-use food preparation that may be directly and easily cooked by the final user and that, preserving the nutritional value of fresh eggs and allowing a safe storage and transport by avoiding any unwanted breakage of the egg shell, addresses the need of providing a new egg-based food product suitable for human nutrition. The frozen coated mold shaped egg product obtained by the process according to the invention may be cooked by any one of the cooking techniques known for that purpose, and which may be suitably adapted by the final user.

In a further aspect, the present invention relates to the frozen coated mold shaped egg product obtainable by means of the process according to the first aspect of the invention.

In a further aspect, the present invention relates also to a frozen coated mold shaped egg product, comprising an inner core comprising a frozen mold shaped egg and at least one outer coating selected from the group consisting of breading and batter.

The advantages of the frozen coated molded egg product according to this further aspect have been already outlined with reference to the above method according to the first aspect of the invention and are not repeated herewith.

Preferably, the frozen coated mold shaped egg product according to the invention may show one or more of the preferred features obtainable by any one of the steps of the method according to the first aspect of the invention, which can be combined depending on the application requirements.

Preferably, the frozen coated mold shaped egg product according to the invention has a circular, semi-circular, star, square-like shape.

The frozen coated mold shaped egg product according to the invention is suitable as ready-to-use food preparation and may be easily stored and transported, without risks of unwanted breakage of the egg shell, and may be safely consumed by the end user, after cooking.

In a still further aspect, the present invention therefore relates also to a kit comprising at least one packaging means and at least one frozen coated mold shaped egg product according to the present invention, wherein said packaging means encloses said at least one frozen coated molded egg product.

The advantages of the kit according to this further aspect have been already outlined with reference to the above method according to the first aspect of the invention and with reference to the frozen coated mold shaped egg product according to the invention and are not repeated herewith. Preferably, the kit according to the invention may show one or more of the preferred features obtainable by any one of the steps of the method according to the first aspect of the invention or one or more of the preferred features of the frozen coated mold shaped egg product according to the invention, which can be combined depending on the application requirements.

Specific embodiments of the invention will be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

With initial reference to Figure 1 , a method according to the inveniton to produce a frozen coated mold shaped egg product comprising an inner core comprising a frozen mold shaped egg is represented.

The first step 100 of the method of the invention includes the provision of a plurality of fresh eggs. Figure 2, letter a) shows a front view of a fresh chicken egg. Fresh eggs to be used in the method of the invention preferably include fresh chicken eggs. Preferably, in step 100, the plurality of fresh eggs is cleaned and washed with water, in order to remove any undesired material.

The method includes a further step 101 in which the shell is removed from the plurality of fresh eggs obtained in step 100, thus obtaining a plurality of fresh shelled eggs.

Further, the method of the invention includes a step 102 of pouring each fresh shelled egg into a mold. Molds that may be used in the method of the invention have a shape that may be so given to the molded egg product according to the invention. Figure 2, letter b1 ) shows a perspective view of a fresh shelled chicken egg in a circular mold; letter b2) shows a perspective view of a fresh shelled chicken egg in a star-shaped mold, letter b3) shows a perspective view of a fresh shelled chicken egg in a flowershaped mold.

After step 102, the method of the invention includes a step 103, in which the fresh shelled eggs in said molds are fed to chiller, in which they are brought to a temperature of - 30 °C. In this way, a plurality of frozen mold shaped eggs is obtained. Figure 2, letters c1 ) c2) respectively show the two top view of two circular frozen mold shaped chicken egg and a perspective view of a frozen mold shaped chicken egg in a starshaped mold. In step 103, the frozen eggs are then kept at a temperature of -18 °C for a period of time of from 150 to 400 minutes, for example 240 minutes. After step 103, the method of the invention includes a step 104 in which a coating is applied on the plurality of frozen mold shaped eggs. Preferably, in step 104 the frozen mold shaped eggs are removed by their molds and then coated with a batter and a breading. A coating application operation that may be used in the method of the invention comprises pouring a batter on the frozen mold shaped eggs, then subsequently dipping the same in a breading coating, so as to cause adhesion of the coating to the outer surface of the frozen mold shaped eggs. Figure 2, letters d1 ) and d2) respectively show two top views of two frozen coated mold shaped chicken eggs showing a circular and a star shape.

After application of the coating, in step 104 of the method of the invention the plurality of frozen coated mold shaped eggs are kept at temperature of -30 °C, and so stored before being sent to the downstream packaging operation, in step 105, in which said plurality of frozen coated mold shaped eggs are enclosed in a suitable packaging means. Packaging means that may be used in step 105 of the method according to the invention include wraps, boxes, containers, pouches, trays, sacks, or bags.

EXPERIMENTAL PART

Example 1 - preparation of a coated molded egg product according to the invention

12 fresh chicken eggs with sterilized shell were fed to an egg peeling machine to remove the shell, and then poured, each in a circular mold.

The fresh eggs inside the circular mold were then placed in a blast chilling machine set up a - 30 °C and then left at said temperature for 180 minutes.

Once frozen, the mold shaped eggs were removed from the mold and then fed to a breading-battering machine, where they were floured and then a coating of bread crumbs was applied.

In order to fix the coating on the frozen mold shaped eggs, the same were fed to a blast chilling machine set up a - 30 °C and then left at said temperature for 240 seconds.

The frozen coated mold shaped eggs thus obtained were then packaged and then stored in a freezer, ready for the distribution. The frozen coated mold shaped eggs in such conditions had a shelf life of approximately 1 year.

Example 2 - preparation of a coated molded egg product according to the invention Example 1 was repeated with the only difference that a star-shaped mold was used instead of a circular mold.

Example 3 - preparation of a coated molded egg product according to the invention

Example 2 was repeated with the only difference that in the star-shaped mold only the egg white of the fresh eggs was poured.

Example 4 - preparation of a coated molded egg product according to the invention

Example 2 was repeated with the only difference that in the star-shaped mold only the yolk of the fresh eggs was poured. Example 5 - preparation of a coated molded egg product according to the invention

Example 2 was repeated with the only difference that the fresh eggs were stirred and so as to mix the egg white and yolk before pouring in the star-shaped mold.