Technical Field

The invention relates to the use of poultry cartilage as a food product with its high content of undenatured type 2 collagen to alleviate joint discomfort experienced because of type 2 collagen deficiency and its production method.

The invention particularly relates to the application of heat treatment to inactivation microorganisms in the poultry cartilage production method.

Prior Art

Collagen is one of the proteins found in mammals in large quantities. Although there are many types, type 2 collagen is the main protein of cartilage tissue. It accounts for about 60% of cartilage and synovial fluid. The body is normally able to produce collagen itself. This is possible especially at a young age. However, due to aging, the decrease begins from the age of 30, and the production decreases by an average of 20 - 30% in the 40s, and increasingly continues every year. Joint discomfort due to aging and factors such as reduced mobility, swelling, and slow movement are joint disorders experienced due to the decrease in the amount of type 2 cartilage. However, it is ignored in society as it is thought to be a symptom of aging.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disorder of the present century and a major public health problem. Due to the growing life expectancy, especially in developed countries, its global prevalence is growing rapidly, making it a disease associated with an extremely high economic burden. OA often affects weight - bearing joints and significantly impairs the quality of life of millions of people due to chronic pain and functional limitations. Since OA is a disease characterized by the progressive destruction of articular cartilage, the main component of which is collagen, it has been suggested that supplementation with collagen type 2 can induce the synthesis of the cartilage matrix by stimulating the accumulation in the articular cartilage and cartilage cells through the bloodstream after intestinal absorption. There are various clinical studies on this issue. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder caused by the attack of the defense system on the cartilage tissue seen in humans and animals. The main reasons for the emergence of the disease and its treatment are not fully known. The chronic disorder that usually occurs in middle age, showing swelling, pain, warming, and similar symptoms in the joint area. In young and middle - aged individuals, pain may occur in the joints, especially as a result of heavy training or muscle strength - based working conditions. This can reduce the quality of life.

In the literature, regarding the issue above, the following applications have been found.

A collagen production process is mentioned in the Turkish Patent application no. TR2019 / 15913. While collagen was obtained from tendons of the animal sources (bovine animals and I or small cattle), a method that was suitable for industrial production in terms of high capacity stocking or stocking time was developed. While the advantage of stocking prevents the degradation of the protein - based product, it facilitates the use of tendon in the crushing and pulverizing processes and extends the shelf life. The resulting collagen is mostly Type 1 and will be a biotechnological raw material that can be used in the pharmaceuticals, food and medical sectors. Unlike our invention, in the present invention, the source of collagen is bovine animals and I or small cattle. In addition, by applying chemical processes in the process, the product is turned into powder.

Another invention is the United States patent application, numbered US2004253678. The said invention relates to a novel collagen production method wherein the collagen - containing tissues are fermented to extract the collagen. The fermentation process employs microorganisms, including but is not limited to bacteria and yeast. The present invention is also directed to collagen product comprising collagen produced by fermentation.

As a result, due to the above - mentioned drawbacks and the inadequacy of the existing solutions, an improvement in the technical field has been required. Brief Description of the Invention

The present invention relates to the low heat - treated poultry cartilage as a food product that meets the above - mentioned requirements, eliminates all disadvantages, and brings some additional advantages.

The primary purpose of the invention is to provide a food product that alleviates joint discomfort due to its high content of undenatured type 2 collagen.

Another purpose of the invention is to realize a food product consisting of or containing poultry cartilage, which is low - heat treated with its natural structure, without undergoing any chemical process.

Another purpose of the invention is to reduce the signs of aging due to its high content of Type 2 collagen.

The structural and characteristic features and all advantages of the invention outlined in the detailed description will be understood clearly, therefore the evaluation should be made by taking the detailed explanation into consideration.

Detailed Description of the Invention

In this detailed description, the use and the preferred embodiments of the low heat - treated poultry cartilage of the invention are explained only for a better understanding of the subject matter and without any restrictive effect.

The invention is a heat - treatment applied poultry cartilage used as a food product to alleviate joint ailments. The said poultry cartilage is a food product intended for the consumption of humans and / or animals.

The animal cartilage of the present invention is selected from a group that includes all poultry animals such as chicken, turkey, duck, partridge, quail and goose. The cartilages are obtained from all joints of poultry animals, especially the sternum. Poultry flesh can be found on the cartilage.

In the poultry cartilage production method of the invention, the heat treatment is applied to kill microorganisms. The heat treatment is applied preferably at a temperature of 50 °C to 300 °C and up to 5000 seconds. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, heat treatment is performed in different cooking environments such as oven, steam, grill, fryer, microwave, and I or radiofrequency application.

The process steps of the poultry cartilage production method of the invention are as follows; i. separation of cartilage, including joints and sternum in the carcass, by separating the flesh of poultry from its bones, ii. applying heat treatment to separated cartilage, iii. cooling of cartilage and packaging, iv. storing the packaged products in a cooler and I or freezer.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, marination is additionally applied to sweeten the cartilages before the heat treatment. The cartilages are kept in a marination solution for up to 24 hours.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the marination solution contains phosphate, various spices, various vegetable and animal fats, additives, water, and / or juice.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the marination solution contained in the final product is no more than 30% by weight.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a coating is additionally applied to the cartilages before the heat treatment. The coating is preferably done after the marination process. Vegetable flours, dried vegetables, various spices, gums, starches, fibers, sugars, and I or various protein powders are used as the coating material.

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the coating material in the final product can be made up to 5 times the weight of cartilage.

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, packaged products are kept by cooling at about 0 to 10 °C.

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, packaged products are kept frozen between approximately ( - 5) and ( - 30) °C. According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, packaging methods such as vacuum packaging, modified air, or normal atmosphere packaging are used.

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the process of smoking can be applied to the cartilage.

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the cartilage is passed through a shredder such as a meat grinder or cuter. Shredded cartilage can be added to products such as sausages, salami, sausage, or deli products such as meatballs, burgers, kebabs containing minced meat. In this way, the use of heat - treated poultry cartilage in food products, which provides alleviation of joint ailments, is provided.

The present invention relates to the use of type 2 collagen of breast cartilage, commonly referred to as the sternum in poultry, in human nutrition. Here, the coating process is applied, preferably for sweetening. Yet, heat treatment can also be applied without coating. Various mixtures can be used for coating purposes. The low heat application is used only to kill microorganisms. In this way, type 2 collagen will not be denatured.

In the literature search, no product prepared with coating and low heat treatment in cartilage is found. There are numerous articles showing that foods made with undenatured type 2 collagen can affect issues such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, aging issues, sports I exercise problems.

Most of the existing patents are related to the disinfection of raw cartilage with chemical agents and then drying and powdering. In the present invention, there is no chemical application; only coating and heating processes are performed. In this way, consumers are introduced to the natural form of cartilage and the most natural form is used. While 10 g of collagen should be used to benefit from denatured type 2 collagen, it is sufficient to use 10 - 40 mg of undenatured type 2 collagen. For this reason, it is very important to use it in its natural form and to apply low heat treatment.

Depending on the cartilage's production method, it can be used in various joint problems and alleviate the symptoms due to the high amount of undenatured type 2 collagen in its structure. It will also be able to support existing treatments. As type 2 collagen production decreases with aging, a decrease I weakening occurs in cartilage tissue and synovial fluid, and degenerative deterioration occurs due to friction of bones over time. The signs of aging can be reduced by different coating techniques of poultry cartilage used in the said invention or by high type 2 collagen content in the product, resulting from low heat treatment from the coating.

The pain and abrasions occurring in the weight - bearing joints in individuals working in heavy jobs, or especially ones practicing high - tempo sports activities and exercises, may decrease due to the consumption of the products of the invention. Even heavy exercise times can be extended in this way. The present invention can be used not only in humans but also in all animals showing the same symptoms and similarly reduces those symptoms.