MEATS OF VARIOUS KIND, SUCH AS CHICKEN SPIT (ALSO CALLED AS KEBAB), BIRD

AND RABBIT, BEEF, PORK, OVINE MEAT AND GAME”

The invention relates to a process for the preparation, the treatment and the preservation for long periods of time of meats of various kind, such as chicken spit (also known as kebab), bird and rabbit beef, pork ovine meat and game.

At the present time, for the preparation of the meat, and in particular the chicken spit (kebab), in the chicken which has been slaughtered and made available there are at first separated in a traditional manner the skin and the bone from the specific anatomical portion, then the obtained meat portions are cut manually with traditional instruments, in a way to balance the quantities of meat by making the product with a homogeneous thickness. Afterwards, the worked portions of meats are spiced with some specific equipment. Thereafter, the different specific portions of meat are put into some envelopes and/or introduced into relative packings which are available for the consumers, who provide for at first to extract the portions of meat to be eaten from such envelopes and/or packings and then to cook the desired portions of meat, wherein the cooking is effected normally on to the embers or into traditional cooking ovens.

During these cooking steps, the product to be cooked and consumed may be also burnt with the possibility to produce some harmful substances for the human health, which normally involves a loss of weight of the cooked product which is comprised between about 30% and 45%.

If such portions of meat and any possible waste remain unsold, during the time modify their tastes and therefore aren’t more utilizable and must be inevitably discarded.

The present invention has the object to eliminate such disadvantages which may occur by preparing as described above the chicken meat, and also the meats of the other cited animals, by means of a process for the preparation, the treatment and the preservation of meats of various kind which is carried out in a manner to preserve the organoleptic characteristics of the treated products, in a way that during the cooking step of these products le proteins maintain their structural characteristics and do not disperse themselves, while the liquids present into the packings might be employed as flavourings or basis for other preparations, without that a partial evaporation be determined, as it may happen at the present time, of the proteinic fraction and a consequent loss of weight of the meat, as well as any undesired burning of the meats and therefore that noxious substances for the human organism be not produced. Moreover, this process allows to be able to consume all the quantities of the utilized meats, without that these latter cannot be utilizable and must be discarded. The invention will be better understood from the following description, by way of not-limitative example only, of the process which is performed for obtaining advantageously the above mentioned results. In this description of the process, reference is made in particular to the preparation, the treatment and the preservation of the meats of the chicken split (kebab), however it is intended that the same operative steps may be utilized also for the other kinds of meat, namely for the bird and rabbit beef, the pork and the ovine meat and the game, for obtaining always the same results. In this case, for the preparation of the entire chicken spit there are performed the following process steps : A. Dissection : owing to the need to made a production under the industrial scale of the meat of chicken spit and the other kinds of animals, as described above, in this case the dissection isn’t more effected manually, as previously, rather it is obtained by buying and utilizing the various anatomical portions of the meats which have already been prepared by the specific manufacturers-suppliers, which are made available under the conditions refrigerated into the traditional refrigerated cabinets at the relative holding and preservation temperatures, so as to reduce the exposing times thereof to the contamination agents which are present into the environment, and by reducing the times for the manipulation of these meats too.

B. Cutting : owing to the presence of the various portions of the meat already ready bought and prepared by the various suppliers, it is reduced considerably any needed cutting operation for such meat portions, and consequently there are also diminished the times needed for performing these operations.

C. Spicing : this operative step is effected by distributing as usual at dosed quantities the various types of spices and salt required on to the different portions of meats of chicken spit (and of the other kinds of animals too), and to this aim a traditional apparatus such as for instance a refrigerated chum combined with a vacuum producing system is utilized, wherein each meat product is introduced into the apparatus together with the spices and the salt, which distribute themselves and cover uniformly the meat products of chicken spit (and of the other types of animals too) and contemporaneously the so treated assembly is submitted to the vacuum, at the levels normally foreseen for these kinds of treatments, by means of the vacuum generating system which is actuated at the same time of mixing the meat products with the spices and the salt. In this way, the meat products under vacuum aren’t altered in their organoleptic structure, and moreover the use of the spices and the salt is reduced.

D. Packing : the mixture of the meat products spiced and salted in to the treatment apparatus such as the churn is extracted from this apparatus (churn) and packed under vacuum at the modified or protective (MAP) atmosphere in an envelope or other suitable pre-formed packing, which is certified and deemed to be suitable for containing and maintaining this (and other types) of meat to be consumed subsequently. The operators of this operation prepare manually the chicken spit (kebab) or the other kinds of meat to be consumed, by stacking the various pieces of meat. The so obtained total product is introduced into an envelope for forming both a single portion to be consumed by a single person, and a complete portion to be consumed by a family, namely constituted by more portions.

The used envelope is constituted plastic material for alimentary uses and suitable for the cooking.

This envelope with the meat portions contained therein is submitted to the vacuum at the levels normally foreseen for these types of treatments, which is provided by means of a traditional vacuum generating system, which is connected with the interior of the envelope, in a way to guarantee the highest biological safety and the maintenance of the typical shape of the meat which will be consumed. This operation is performed contemporaneously of a treatment under modified or protective atmosphere, consisting as usual to the fact to remove by means of a traditional apparatus a part of the oxygen from the air surrounding the product which is packed (which oxygen determines the oxidation) and to replace this oxygen with a mixture of inert gas, which generally comprises carbon dioxide and nitrogen, but it may contain also argon, helium and nitrogen protoxide. Finally, each envelope containing the meat portions under vacuum and under protective atmosphere is hermetically sealed along its peripheral part by means of a specific thermoforming apparatus of traditional type, in a manner to prevent permanently the contact of the under vacuum and under protective atmosphere packed meat with the external air.

E. Cooking : all the meat portions introduced into the envelopes under vacuum and under protective atmosphere are then submitted to a steam cooking in to a steam cooking oven of a traditional type, with 100% of steam saturation, and such portions of meat are steam cooked starting from 65 °C up to reach a temperature of at least 80°C on their inner portion (or core) and such steam cooking is maintained for 15 minutes for pasteurizing the portions of meat, namely for eliminating and destroying completely or in a large extent the micro-organisms contained in to the same meat, for preventing any risk for the health of the persons due to such micro-organisms.

Depending on the sizes, the thickness and the weight of the meat of chicken spit (or also of the other types of animals), the cooling and pasteurizing times may vary from 1 hour and 30 minutes up to 4 hours. In the case of normal cooking of the chicken spit, the reference parameter is of * hour of cooking for 1 Kg. of meat and the portions of this type of meat to be cooked may weigh from

120/150 gr. up to 450 gr., or for greater quantities of meat of this type, from 80 Kg. to 100 Kg., therefore the cooking times vary for each specific need. In this cooking step, thanks to the partial or complete lowering of the microbic charge present in to the meat, there are maintained and guaranteed the nutritive and organoleptic characteristics of the product on the time, without that burnings of the meat occur.

F. Bringing down the temperature of the packed meat : the bringing down the temperature, effected immediately after the end of the cooking step of the meat of chicken spit (or of meat of other animals), is effected at a temperature of + 5°C, or at a temperature of - 18°C, by utilizing cryogenic appliances of traditional type, with circulation of cryogenic fluids of traditional type, such as for instance the liquid nitrogen, which reach extremely low internal temperatures, which are lower than those ones of the traditional refrigeration or freezing plants. The bringing down at the temperature of + 5 °C of the temperature of the inner portion (or core) of the packed cooked meat is effected by introducing or connecting anyway all the packed cooked meat with the interior of a cryogenic apparatus activated at - 80°C, and this step is effected for the time durations needed for attaining such temperature of + 5°C, depending on the sizes and the quantities of the product. Anyway, this process prevent the residual bacterial proliferation. When the required temperature is reached, the bringing down temperature of the product is automatically terminated, and the product may be arranged in to a refrigerator and maintained at + 5 °C up to 140 days.

Whereas, the bringing down at the temperature of -18°C of the temperature of the inner part (core), which is alternative to the bringing down at + 5 °C, is also effected immediately after the cooking step of the packed meat, by introducing or connecting anyway all the packed cooked meat with the interior of a cryogenic apparatus identical to the previous one and set for reaching a temperature of - -90°C. When the required temperature is attained, the bringing down the temperature of the product is automatically terminated, and the product therefore may be maintained into a refrigerating cabinet at - 18°C for 18 months. Advantageous characteristics obtained with the process according to the invention :

Prolongation of the life duration in the envelope of the product ;

Maintenance of the organoleptic characteristics of high quality ;

Reduction of the risk of bacterial proliferation in the case of changes of temperatures ;

Healthy product, in that it is stabilized from the microbiological point of view ;

Reduction of the weight diminution during the cooking of the product ;

Reduction of the use of flavours for the spicing.

There are now described the steps of the present process for the conservation of the meat of chicken spit or of other types of meat of animals which, after the treatment as above described , have been introduced into a refrigerated cabinet at + 5°C, or into a freezing apparatus at - 18°C, wherein such meat is conserved sliced or with portioned parts, for being then submitted to a series of process steps which will be hereinafter described, for being subsequently consumed in closer or longer periods of time, depending on the consumer needs, and anyway within the term of 140 days, as described above.

The conservation process is performed with the following steps :

A. Picking up of the required quantity of products to be consumed from the refrigerating cabinet at + 5°C, or from the freezing apparatus at - 18°C, and extraction of each product from the relative packing. In the case in which the product has been refrigerated in to a refrigerated cabinet at the temperature of + 5°C, the product is treated with the process steps hereinafter described, while in the case in which the product has been frozen at the temperature of - 18°C, such product is at first defrosted up to the temperature of + 5°C at different levels of the bringing down temperature which will be hereinafter described, and thereafter the so defrosted product is submitted to the same process steps of the product at the temperature of + 5°C, which steps consist of :

B. Browning the product externally and cutting and in case slicing the same in to more portions with the desired sizes. The browning is a cooking of at least a part of meat at a high temperature, more than 150 °C, by utilizing a greasy substance, generally clarified butter or oil, and is suitable for sealing the meat part by forming a crust on the surface thereof. The browning of the meat serves to hold in its interior fully or at least almost fully the juices and the liquid nutrient substances of the meat, thereby making it more appetizing and tasty. The cut and in case sliced product is browned in a traditional appliance with radiant electric plates at the desired temperature for a time of about 3 minutes, and immediately after this browning step each product and cutting and in case slicing thereof into more portions with the desired sizes, and immediately after this step each product is introduced in the traditional packing containers, of the same type of those previously described, and in to these packings the protective atmosphere is then created in the same way and with the same components of the mixture of inert gases as described above, thereby obtaining the same above described advantages.

C. Pasteurizing of the so obtained packed products under the protective atmosphere into an oven with steam saturation.

Even in this case, the products of meat so packed under protective atmosphere are, as previously, submitted to steam cooking into a cooking oven of traditional type, with a steam saturation of 100% and also here the steam cooking is effected starting from 65 °C until to attain a temperature of at least + 80°C into the inner part (or core) of the products, with cooking times which may vary from 25 to 45 minutes, respectively for quantities of the product of meat from 140 gr. to 450 gr.

D. Cryogenic bringing down :

By taking into account that for bringing down the temperature of + 80°C, attained during the cooking/pasteurizing of the meat products at + 5 °C of products in the normally utilized quantities of 120/150 gr., 220/260 gr., 450 gr. and of 8/10 Kg. there are requested from 90 min. to 300 min., as a level of bringing down the temperature in the present process there are employed in succession times from 15 minutes until a maximum time of 30 minutes, for preserving the products in the refrigerating cabinet at + 5°C for periods of time of 70/90 up to maximum 140 days. In the case of products of meat frozen at temperatures of - 18°C, with a duration up to 18 months, the levels of bringing down the temperature are the same as described above, for being able to preserve the products into the freezing apparatus still at the temperature of - 18°C, for a duration of 18 months, in this case by eliminating the glazing up to 95% ; Thanks to this process, when the eat of the so preserved products is requested, the same products are extracted from the relative refrigerating or freezing apparatuses and heated directly inside traditional cooking ovens or on to embers, up to attain the requested consumption temperatures. Finally, it is to add that with the same steps of the present process also the fishes may be preserved with the same above described parameters, which fishes when shall be consumed are also extracted from the relative refrigerating or freezing apparatuses and cooked at the requested temperatures for being consumed.