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Title:
PROCESS FOR TENDERIZING FROZEN MEAT
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2006/019310
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
There is disclosed a process for tenderizing meat through the addition of sugar.

Inventors:
BERGE ERIK MAGISTAD (NO)
Application Number:
PCT/NO2005/000298
Publication Date:
February 23, 2006
Filing Date:
August 18, 2005
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
BERGE HOLDING AS (NO)
BERGE ERIK MAGISTAD (NO)
International Classes:
A23L13/70; A23B4/08; A23B4/20; A23L17/00; A23L
Foreign References:
US5607143A1997-03-04
US3537864A1970-11-03
GB1401572A1975-07-16
JPS5998665A1984-06-07
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
Oslo, Patentkontor AS. (OSLO, NO)
Download PDF:
Claims:
C l a i m s
1. Process for tenderizing meat, particularly frozen meat, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the meat is treated q.s. with sugar over a period corresponding to 2,5 to 10 hours per cm thickness of the meat at a temperature of above 40C.
2. Process according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the meat originates from landdwelling animals.
3. Process according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the meat originates from fish.
4. Process according to claims 2 or 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the meat originates from domestic animals/breeding animals.
5. Process according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the sugar is at least one of a monosaccharide or a disaccharide, e.g. sucrose, fructose, maltose or mannose, preferably sucrose.
6. The use of sugar for tenderizing meat.
7. The use according to claim 6, wherein the meat is frozen.
8. The use according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the meat is treated q.s. with sugar for a period corresponding to 2,5 to 10 hours per cm thickness of the meat at a temperature of at least 40C.
9. The use according to claims β 8, wherein the sugar is at least one of a monosaccharide or disaccharide, e.g. sucrose, fructose, maltose or mannose, preferably sucrose.
Description:
Process for tenderizing frozen meat

The present invention concerns a process for tenderizing meat that is frozen or optionally fresh, with a composition comprising sugar in the form of a powder, nuggets, a granu- late or a solution. The invention also concerns the use of such a sugar for tenderizing meat. Sugar comprises in this connection mono- or di- or polysaccharides, e.g. sac¬ charose, fructose, mannose, maltose etc. preferably sac¬ charose, or mixtures of such sugars. The tenderizing treatment according to the invention produces a tenderized product with an improved nutritional value, a reduced content of harmful components such as environmental poisons and toxins, and which during the treatment becomes tenderized faster than what would be the case with con- ventional tenderizing processes. In connection with the expression λλmeat" it is understood to be included all forms of meat from land-dwelling animals (bovines, procines, ovines, etc) as well as water-dwelling animals (fish, crustaceans m shells etc.) . It is preferred that the meat originates from large domestic animals, small domestic animals, pigs, game (moose, reindeer, deer, etc. ) , birds (turkey, chicken, grouse, capercaillie, etc.) or fish (herring, salmon, trout, halibut, cod, etc.) .

The tenderizing treatment of the meat according to the invention causes a reduction of the proportion of organic acids in the meat, while the microbial purity of the meat is maintained. Such a treatment includes that the meat, either in a fresh, pre-treated (e.g. irradiated) or stored (frozen/thawed) condition is put in contact with sugar, preferably in the form of a powder, whereby there is produced an exudate (extract) . This exudate comprises an aqueous extract from the meat wherein there is extracted heavy metals, toxins, degeneration products, products causing bad smell and taste etc., and which mainly include waste products. Such waste products may also be produced after the slaughtering of animals where there in the slaughter meat proceed several organic and biochemical reactions such as the creation of acids through the arising of rigor mortis, while the guality of the meat will be dependent on the condition of the slaughter animal prior to the slaughtering (stress, feeding, exercise, etc.) - Such reactions may produce a bad taste, smell or consistency of the meat. The meat may additionally have a side-taste based on the type of animal from which it originates (game, animals in heat) . The above mentioned sugar treatment will remove all or parts of such waste substances in addition to said toxins and heavy metals which are present in the exudate from the meat after the treatment. This exudate is discarded.

This sugar treatment for tenderizing meat is not previously known. What is known previously through the treatment of meat with saccharose, is disclosed in US patent 5,607,713 where it is disclosed a saccharose treatment of the meat for improving the storage capacity of the meat. The meat being treated by this previously known process, is however fresh meat and not frozen/thawed meat.

The treatment of frozen meat with sugar according to the present invention, will also cause the thawing time of the meat to be reduced significantly.

The advantage of tenderizing the meat with sugar is that it thereby is used a process that is reproducible, does not compromise the structure of the meat (that at the process according to the invention is used as a starting material) as well as improves the organoleptic properties (taste) of the meat since the exudate contains unwanted taste substances in addition to large parts of the used sugar.

Additionally it is avoided the use of a starting material that is added conservational substances since many conser¬ vatives either enter into reactions with substances in the meat (proteins, lipids, sugars, etc.), are introduced into the nutritional chain or both. Compounds arising from the reaction between conservatives and the meat or the conser¬ vatives per se may be difficult to break down in the body and/or their secretion from he body may be difficult, something which additionally represents a health and environmental hazard.

Through the process according to the invention the frozen or thawed meat is treated with an excess of sugar being added to the surface (s) of the meat that is to be treated, whereby there is produced an exudate that is discarded, the treatment time of the meat being adjusted in relation to the degree of tenderizing that is wanted, the original state of the meat prior to the treatment (may easily be evaluated by the person skilled in the art) as well as in relation to the size of the meat that is to be tenderized. As a guideline it may be mentioned that at refrigerator temperature (about 4 "C) a piece of meat is tenderized based on its size, wherein the tenderizing time is 2,5 to 10 hours per cm of the thickness of the meat. Thus a piece of meat of e.g. a thickness of 5 cm may be tenderized by the process according to the invention of about 24-72 hours. At a higher temperature, e.g. 8-1O0C, the tenderizing process will proceed faster. The selection of temperature will lie within the competence of the person skilled in the art, but will nevertheless be selected based on considerations such as that attack from microorganisms may proceed faster at a higher temperature considered up against the need for a faster tenderizing process and a faster thawing of the meat the is to be treated. The tenderizing process according to the invention will normally lie within a temperature interval of 0-500C, more preferred 4-25 °C, preferably 4-101C.

During the tenderizing interval there proceeds a tenderi¬ zing process in the meat so that the meat after the pre- scribed time has become a tenderized product. This post treatment process of the meat is unexpected and surprising. It was expected that a product being treated with a dessicating material (sugar) would lose a part of its liquid contents and consequently become harder (cfr. Clip- fish or dried meat) . Despite the meat admittedly losing part of its water content, it still becomes softer, something that has been greeted as very surprising within the art, and the meat enters into such a tenderizing process much faster that through conventional tenderizing of the meat. Additionally a thawing of the meat from a frozen condition will proceed faster.

The state of the meat treated according to the invention (taste, smell, consistency) depends on the selection of the factors mentioned supra such as the time of the tenderizing process, the treatment temperature, etc.. However, since the state of the end product also is dependent on the taste of the consumer, the determination of the time of the tenderizing process will be individual, but the determi¬ nation of the quality of the end product may easily be done based on normal tests and the knowledge of the person skilled in the art concerning the production of tenderized meat. By keeping within the parameters indicated supra, the person skilled in the art may easily produce a product that has the taste, texture and state the otherwise is wanted.

Furthermore, the tenderizing process according to the invention will depend on the size of the meat that is to be treated, since larger pieces of meat will require longer treatment times than small ones. Again the determination of the relevant parameters may be done by the person skilled in the art.

For adding preferred taste-qualities to the meat, the meat may, subsequently to the tenderizing process, e.g. at the wrapping, be added taste-enhancing materials such as spices, spice-compositions, fruits, vegetables, roots, etc. The choice of additive may be done based on the wanted taste of the end product and will be known to the person skilled in the art. Examples of additives may be spices such as dill, parsley, thyme, nutmeg, etc., dried fruits such as raisins, figs, dates, prunes, etc., or corre- sponding non-dried fruits, vegetables such as salad, tomato or peppers or roots such as horseradish or carrot. It may also be possible to add taste additives such as cognac, different types of marinade, oils, etc.. Other post- treatments of the meat having been tenderized through the process according to the invention, may be salting, smoking or drying. Through all of the post-treatment processes the tenderness of the sugar-treated meat will keep. Before the addition of taste additives or prior to the packing of the sugar-treated meat per se, the meat will normally be rinsed in water to remove possible remains of sugar being left after the sugar treatment according to the invention.

The tenderizing process according to the invention will be especially suitable for tenderizing meat types that are hardly possible or are impossible to tenderize con- ventionally, e.g. flat beef of large domestic animals, ram meat, moose meat, reindeer meat, thigh tongue, pounding meat, round steak, etc. which are virtually impossible to tenderize after they have been frozen. Additionally a exceptional or unwanted smell or taste, e.g. a taste or smell of an animal in heat in a moose male, ram or lean meat from a male pig, or a strong fish smell, will largely disappear at the treatment according to the present invention as compared to corresponding untreated meat. Such considerations as those disclosed supra, such as the wanted tenderness/consistency of the meat, the speed of the thawing and/or tenderizing etc. will also be relevant here. The tenderized end product may also be frozen or sold per se.

The invention will be further explained infra under reference to some examples. These examples must only be regarded as illustrating and are not meant to limit the invention in any way.

Example 1.

Fresh pieces of meat from cattle (ox) with a thickness of 5 cm, treated in accordance with common practice within the food industry and frozen (-20 to -250C), was placed on a polyamide screen and the upper surface was covered homo- genously with saccharose powder so that nothing fell off. During the thawing of the meat, proceeding at 4°C, the saccharose became dissolved in the meat juices and was drained off. After 20 hours of such a treatment the meat had become significantly more tender than a corresponding piece of meat that was thawed conventionally without any saccharose treatment.

Example 2.

A 5 cm thick piece of meat from a ram in heat was frozen (-20 to -25"C) and then thawed with the addition q.s. of saccharose. During the thawing process the meat was added more saccharose. The exudate that arose was drained off and discarded. After 30 hours of this sugar treatment the meat had obtained a consistency of tender calf meat without any form of side-taste, however, with a light taste of mutton.

Example 3.

Frozen meat from sheep in the form of minced meat, was frozen in a block about 7 cm thick (-20 to -250C), was thawed in a refrigerator (60C) during addition q.s. of sugar (saccharose) during 24 hours. After removal of the exudate from the treated meat, the meat had obtained a consistency of tender calf meat and had lost its particular sheep taste. Example 4 .

Frozen reindeer meat (-20 to -25'C) in pieces of 7 cm thickness, were thawed at room temperature (20"C) and by addition of saccharose (q.s.) during 36 hours. A corre- sponding piece of frozen reindeer meat was thawed without any addition of sugar as a comparison. The exudate that arose from the meat at the sugar treatment as well as the thawing water from the comparative piece of meat, were discarded. The sugar-treated meat thawed significantly faster and was noticeably more tender than the comparative piece after 36 hours.

Example 5.

Frozen pieces of salmon (-20 to -25 'C) with a thickness of 4 cm were treated with fructose during a thawing/treatment interval of 20 hours (4 "C) . The exudate from the thawing as well as the post treatment was discarded. The fish meat was noticeably more tender than conventionally thawed salmon.

Example 6-8.

Corresponding pieces of meat as mentioned in examples 1, 3 and 4 were treated on a corresponding manner, but by replacing the saccharose with fructose. Corresponding results were obtained.