CA1099577A - Simulated adipose tissue - Google Patents
Simulated adipose tissueInfo
- Publication number
- CA1099577A CA1099577A CA292,623A CA292623A CA1099577A CA 1099577 A CA1099577 A CA 1099577A CA 292623 A CA292623 A CA 292623A CA 1099577 A CA1099577 A CA 1099577A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- fat
- adipose tissue
- process according
- simulated
- water
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
- A23D—EDIBLE OILS OR FATS, e.g. MARGARINES, SHORTENINGS, COOKING OILS
- A23D7/00—Edible oil or fat compositions containing an aqueous phase, e.g. margarines
- A23D7/005—Edible oil or fat compositions containing an aqueous phase, e.g. margarines characterised by ingredients other than fatty acid triglycerides
- A23D7/0053—Compositions other than spreads
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
- A23J—PROTEIN COMPOSITIONS FOR FOODSTUFFS; WORKING-UP PROTEINS FOR FOODSTUFFS; PHOSPHATIDE COMPOSITIONS FOR FOODSTUFFS
- A23J3/00—Working-up of proteins for foodstuffs
- A23J3/22—Working-up of proteins for foodstuffs by texturising
- A23J3/225—Texturised simulated foods with high protein content
- A23J3/227—Meat-like textured foods
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10S426/00—Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
- Y10S426/802—Simulated animal flesh
Abstract
SIMULATED ADIPOSE TISSUE
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Disclosed is a simulated adipose tissue which is unusually pleasing in taste and texture and is characterized by a juicy, smooth melting property closely resembling natural fat.
The simulated adipose tissue can be employed alone or with any type. of meat or meat analog where a degree of fatty tissue is desired, and is most desirably employed in products which are served fried. In a preferred embodiment, a simulated bacon product is prepared containing the simulated adipose tissue and a red meat simulating phase. The simulated adipose tissue has droplets of fat, approximately 10 to 120 microns in diameter, encapsulated within a matrix based on a heat coagulable, prefer-ably proteinaceous, component, and a water-soluble, film-forming component.
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Disclosed is a simulated adipose tissue which is unusually pleasing in taste and texture and is characterized by a juicy, smooth melting property closely resembling natural fat.
The simulated adipose tissue can be employed alone or with any type. of meat or meat analog where a degree of fatty tissue is desired, and is most desirably employed in products which are served fried. In a preferred embodiment, a simulated bacon product is prepared containing the simulated adipose tissue and a red meat simulating phase. The simulated adipose tissue has droplets of fat, approximately 10 to 120 microns in diameter, encapsulated within a matrix based on a heat coagulable, prefer-ably proteinaceous, component, and a water-soluble, film-forming component.
Description
g~7 The present invention relates to improvements in simu-lated adipose or fat tissues, products employing thes~ components and processes f~r preparing them. Although there have been many recent advances in protein technology which have enabled the pro-duction o restructwred or simulated meat products, there is a current need for a material which can closely simulate natural ; animal adipose tissue.
In naturally occurring meats, fat is held in contact with red mèat tissue as globules contained within a eollagen-based cellular network called adipose tissue. During cooking ofthe meat, the fat within the adipose tissue is melted and re-leased from the tissue as the cellular structure ruptures. The cooked natural adipose tissue adds a desirable and pleasing juiciness and smoothness to the meat, and the fatty tissue itself will have a melt-in-the-mouth characteristic, which until the present invention, has been exclusively the characteristic of nat-ural fatty tissue.
Due to the high costs associated with the better cuts of meat, there hav~ been many prior art atte-mpts -to up~rade less desirable cuts of meat through processing, such as by restruc-turing. In many of the~se processes, such as those described in U.S. Pat~nts 3,903,315 to Giles et al. and U.S. 3,904,770 -to Hale et al., the meat must be cooked and thus the fat rendered from it prior to restructuring. There is an obvious need in products of this type to restore an adipose tissue component to the meat material after restructurin~. Very earl~ ~ttempts to restore adi-pose tissue did e~aetly that ~- they inlaid slabs or slices of
In naturally occurring meats, fat is held in contact with red mèat tissue as globules contained within a eollagen-based cellular network called adipose tissue. During cooking ofthe meat, the fat within the adipose tissue is melted and re-leased from the tissue as the cellular structure ruptures. The cooked natural adipose tissue adds a desirable and pleasing juiciness and smoothness to the meat, and the fatty tissue itself will have a melt-in-the-mouth characteristic, which until the present invention, has been exclusively the characteristic of nat-ural fatty tissue.
Due to the high costs associated with the better cuts of meat, there hav~ been many prior art atte-mpts -to up~rade less desirable cuts of meat through processing, such as by restruc-turing. In many of the~se processes, such as those described in U.S. Pat~nts 3,903,315 to Giles et al. and U.S. 3,904,770 -to Hale et al., the meat must be cooked and thus the fat rendered from it prior to restructuring. There is an obvious need in products of this type to restore an adipose tissue component to the meat material after restructurin~. Very earl~ ~ttempts to restore adi-pose tissue did e~aetly that ~- they inlaid slabs or slices of
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fat in the product. Such procedures were, however, costly and demanded a suitable source for fatty ma-terial.
In one early attempt to avoid the relianc~ on natural adipose tissue and yet provide a fa-t coating to a processed meat product~ Eckrich et al. in U.S. Patent Z,161,029, disclose~ a fat replacement made by homogenizing a mixture of a liquid fat and an aqueous gelatin solution. This material, when cooled, was dis-closed to have a consistency approximating that of the white of an egg which has been boiled until it is past the fluid or flow-ing state. The product becomes flowable on heating to allow application by dipping. In U.S. Patent 2,721~142, Shinn et al.
also disclosed a procedure for preparing a stable fat containing emulsion for coating meat products. In this case, the stable emulsion contained gelatin and a cellulose gum. The Shinn et al.
coating, however, like the Eckrich et al. material, was not in-tended to te~turally simulate natural adipose tissue but was pri-marily for the purpose of supplying fat to a fat deficient meat product during cooking and was appl,ied warm by dipping. While these and similar approaches did provide some benefits, the need remained for an adipose tissue simulating material which would provide the attributes of the naturally occurring material.
In addition to work on restructured nakural meat as an alternative to high quality fresh meat, there is also an inten~
sive effort being made to develop whollv synthetic meat analogs.
There is already an economic incentive for this development, and it is believed in the long term that the solution ~o the problem of world hunger depends upon man's ability to replace his re-liance upon animals as a ~ource of protein, with a direct utili-zation of the plant protein materials which are inefficiently :`
converted to meat protein by the animals. Accordingly, there has been a major effort in producing mea-t analogs, and with the ex-ception of a failure to provide a good simulation ~or fatty tis-sue, progress towards a true simulation of natural meat has been quite good.
Early meat analog efforts were concerned mainly with simulating the red meat or muscle portion of natural meat and were concerned with only cosmetic similarity as far as the fatty or adipQse tissue portion was concerned. For example, in IJ.S.
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fat in the product. Such procedures were, however, costly and demanded a suitable source for fatty ma-terial.
In one early attempt to avoid the relianc~ on natural adipose tissue and yet provide a fa-t coating to a processed meat product~ Eckrich et al. in U.S. Patent Z,161,029, disclose~ a fat replacement made by homogenizing a mixture of a liquid fat and an aqueous gelatin solution. This material, when cooled, was dis-closed to have a consistency approximating that of the white of an egg which has been boiled until it is past the fluid or flow-ing state. The product becomes flowable on heating to allow application by dipping. In U.S. Patent 2,721~142, Shinn et al.
also disclosed a procedure for preparing a stable fat containing emulsion for coating meat products. In this case, the stable emulsion contained gelatin and a cellulose gum. The Shinn et al.
coating, however, like the Eckrich et al. material, was not in-tended to te~turally simulate natural adipose tissue but was pri-marily for the purpose of supplying fat to a fat deficient meat product during cooking and was appl,ied warm by dipping. While these and similar approaches did provide some benefits, the need remained for an adipose tissue simulating material which would provide the attributes of the naturally occurring material.
In addition to work on restructured nakural meat as an alternative to high quality fresh meat, there is also an inten~
sive effort being made to develop whollv synthetic meat analogs.
There is already an economic incentive for this development, and it is believed in the long term that the solution ~o the problem of world hunger depends upon man's ability to replace his re-liance upon animals as a ~ource of protein, with a direct utili-zation of the plant protein materials which are inefficiently :`
converted to meat protein by the animals. Accordingly, there has been a major effort in producing mea-t analogs, and with the ex-ception of a failure to provide a good simulation ~or fatty tis-sue, progress towards a true simulation of natural meat has been quite good.
Early meat analog efforts were concerned mainly with simulating the red meat or muscle portion of natural meat and were concerned with only cosmetic similarity as far as the fatty or adipQse tissue portion was concerned. For example, in IJ.S.
3,320,070 to Hartman, there is disclosed a meat-like product con-sisting essentially of man-made fibers and vegetable protein hav-ing zones simula~ing the appearance of lean portions and natwral appearing fat-like portions. The disclosed formation of the fat-appearing portion need not dlffer from that of the meat portion exeept through the elimination of red coloring from the white phase portion.
Recently, however, eforts have given attention to both fat and meat portions to provide realistic simulations of their natural counterparts. In U.S. Patent 3,340,677, Leidy et al. dis-close a simulated, multiphased, meat-like product having distinct regions simulating natural red meat and fat. in one specific embodiment, a bacon analog is disclosed having a fat simulating portion prepared from an aqueous emulsion oE fat as the discontinu~
ous phase surrounded by a matrix of heat coagulable protein, con-taining such proteins as egg albumin, proteinaceous filler ma-terials, soy isolate and other heat settable proteins. Another disclosure of a simulated bacon product is that of Corliss et al., U.S. Patent 3,930,033, which describes a simulated bacon product S~7 produced by forming and stacking alternate red and whi-te vege-table protein containing layers to simulate lean meat and fat and then cooking the stacked layers to form a slab. The individual layers are produced from separate aqueous mixture~ containing specified amounts o~ vege~able protein fiber, egg albumin, tapioca starch, water, vegetable oil, vegetable gum such as carageenan, vegetable protein isolate, dextrose, sodium case~
inate, colorings, flavors and seasonings. These materials are mixed in an aerating type mixer until the mixture is fully homog-enized and a substantial amount of air is entrapped within thematrix. This formulationJ as with that of Leidy et al., does not provide a juicy, smooth melt-down simulating that of natural bacon ~at, but has a more dry and cracker-like texture. The materials of the type disclosed by Corliss et al. and Leidy et al., how-ever, make a rather significant improvement over the earlier, purely cosmetic fat-appearing materials.
In another recent attempt to provide a fat containing material for simulatin~ natural adipose tissue in meat or meat analog pr~ducts, Hawley discloses in U.S. Patent 3,658,550, a fat-containing material based on an insoluhle, heat-irreversible al-ginate gel. The fat containing material is disclosed to respon~
upon cooking and eating much as does natural adipose tissue. To improve the material's nutrition and browning characteristics, small amounts of protein such as soy, cottonseed~ albumin and caseine can be employed. However, while the Hawley material may hold fat and improve the quality of meat or meat-like products having a deficiency of fat and may somewhat visually simulate fat~
it lacks the smooth melting and oil release properties of natural adipose tissue.
g~7 In some prior art meat analog products, fat was thought necessary as a co~ponent, but not necessarily in the form o~ a distinct adipose tissue phase. Typically, fak was include~ in these products by simply blending and emulsifying it in the meat forming gel or matrix material. For example, in ~.S. 3,108,873 to Durst, a meat-like food product is disclosed to have a "lipo-philic fluid" included as a stable dispersion in a film forming composition which may utilize soy protein, wheat protein, ~heat germ or egg albumin. Durst also discloses that even hydrophilic colloids such as gelatin, agar, and carboxy-methycellulose have been employe~ as the film forming composition. Also, ln U.S.
Patent 3,919,435, Feldbrugge et al. disclose a meat analog which contains a vegetabl~ protein gel precur~or having incorporated therein a fat or oil entrapped within a thermostable, polymeric carbohydrate gel matrîx which may con-tain proteins such as albumin, caseine and whey. By encapsulating the fat in this manner it is protected against emulsification in the gel precursor in the pro-duction of a meat analog to result in a juicier product than when the fat is ~imply admixed without encapsulation. The use of these thermostable gels, however, will leave a dry gritty residue in the mouth if employed in pieces large enough to appear as dis-tinct portions of adipose tissue. Moreover, neither Durst nor Feldbrugge et al. are concerned with or teach a simulated adipose tissue for use as a distinct and separate phase in combination with a meat analog.
Thus, there remains a present need for a simulated adi-pose tissue which has good nutrition, good cooking properties, a smooth mouthfeel and meltable character upon eating, and also pro vides a good visual and textural simulation of na~ural adipose tissue.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a simulated adipose tissue having goo~ nutrition, realistic visual and tex-tural charac-teristics, na-tural fa~-like melting properties during both cooking and eating, and provides a natural, smooth, fat-like meltdown and mouthfeel upon ea~ing, the adipose ~issue being ca-pable of frying according to procedures normally employed for fry-ing natural pork belly adipose tissue such as is found in bacon.
The present invention also provides a cooked simulated adipose tissue having good nutrition, realistic visual and tex-tural properties, and a natural, smooth meltdown and mouthfeelduring eating which closely simulates natural adipose tissue and provides a process for preparing such a simulated adipose tissue.
According to the present invention, which in its broad-est aspects comprises a simulated adipose tissue, and the process for preparing it, the simulated adipose tissue comprises: at lea~t a first phase comprised of fat dispersed within a second phase matrix substantially enveloping the dispersed fat, wherein:
the fat in the first phase i5 separated into globules having an average diameter of from abowt 10 to about 120 microns;
and the second phase matrix is a heat coagulated mixture comprising a heat coagulable, preferably proteinaceous, compon-ent9 and a water-soluble, film-forming component, the matrix hav-ing the ability to hold the fat globules within it after coagula-tion, and yet due to the presence of the water-soluble, film-forming component will smoothly melt upon eating to provide a realistic fat simulating material.
To provide a truly appetizing, commercially practical meat analog product or a restructured meat product it is neces-9i57~
sary to have combined with the red meat portion a por~ion whichsimulates not only the appearance, but the texture, cooking and eating properties o~ natural adipose tissue. The visual appear-ance of the product is o~ course important, but cannot by its~lf satisfy the needs and desires of the lover of meat having a con-ditioned expectation of the juiciness and fat release normal]y associated wi~h natural meat products. By virtue of the present invention, a simulated adipose tissue is provided which enables economical J continuous processing of conventional food in gredient~ to provide a nutritious material which can satisfy this conditioned expectation of juiciness and smoothness in meat prod-ucts associated with natural products containin~ adipose tissue.
The present invention makes continuous processing and conventional storage possible through the use of a tw~-phase simu-lated adipose tissue system wherein a discontinuous fat phase is maintained at an effective fat cell size in a stabilized matrix which is heat settable and yet responds to cooking and frying by the release of fatty juices and has an extremely smooth, melt-away property in the mouth due to the presence of a water-soluble, film-forming component which provides structural and textural integrity throughout processing and cooking until dis-solved upon chewing in the mouth. As will become apparent Erom this de~ailed description, the uniquely desirable features of the product and process of this invention are at-tained by virtue of a necessary structural interrelationship of the fat and matrix phases in combinatiorl with a matrix phase formulation having several necessary and distinguishing features.
The juiciness, melt, and mouthfeel of the simulated adi-pose tissue is critically related, among other things, to the fat ~ 5~r~
content. It i~ therefore necessary to provide a fat of suitable composition and in suitable physical -form such that it con-tributes to the juiciness of the product without adversely af-fecting other ph~sical attributes. The fat is preferably one which is liquid at normal room temperatures, or if solid, does not melt at such a high ~emperature that it causes an undesirable waxy coating of the mouth. The preferred fats are those which melt no hi~her than about ~0C. More preferably, the fat should melt at a temper~ture below about 25C. Typical o the fats which can be employed are rendered animal fats, such as lard, tallow and the like. Preferably, however, the liquid vegetable oils are employed. Exemplary of ~uitable vegetable oils are coco-nut oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, olive oil, etc. This listing of fats is by no means exhaustive, but merely exemplary o~
materials which may be readily employed by those skilled in the art. The particular fat is limited only to the use of those giv-ing the desired mouthfeel as noted above, which do not adversely affect the other physical characeristics of the simulated adi-pose tissue. Fats which are normally liquid at ordinary room temperatures (i.e., oils) are preferred because they will not solidîfy under normal conditions of use and reduce the pleasant oil release desired. It is an advantage of the present in-vention, in fact, that li~uid oils can be successfully employed without weeping from the matrix On the other hand, fa~s having extremely high melting temperatures are not preferred because they tend to adversely a~fect emulsion stability. Accordingly, while hydrogenated vegetable oils can be employed, they are pref-erably not emplo~ed alone.
Tests have shown that while there is no significant correlation between the concentration of the fat employed and the fa-t globule siæe obtained in the product after processing~ there is a significant correlation between the concentration of the fat and the viscosity of the combined mix~ure of fat and aqueous ma-trix forming materials during processing. This correlation is believed due to the dependence of oil concentration on water level.
At fat concentrations above 60% based on total system weight, webby struc~ures may form which interfere with the encapsulation of globules of the fat within the matrix material. The webby structure indicates that the dispersions containing these high levels of fat approached phase inversion d~ring processing.
These samples tend to exhibit an open celled structure which is contrary to the substantially closed cell structure which occurs in the desired products produced according to the present in-vention. Fat contents of as low as abou-t 30% provide good oil release and juiciness in the ~inal product; however3 the prefer-red range of fat contents is from about 40 to about 50% based on the total sys~em weigh~. These percentages are based on the total weight of the adipose tissue system, including fat and water, prior to an~ dehydration during subsequent processing. This weight basis is used throughout the ~ollowing discussion wherever percentages are said to be based on "total system weight".
The ability of the simulated adipose tissue of the pres-ent invention to simulate the cooking and textural character-istics of natural fat, as well as it5 ability ko provide a smooth meltdown and mouthfeel upon eating, i.s due in part to the reten-tion of the fat within the matrix phase in discreet droplets or 5~
globules in a manner approximating the storage of fat in natural connective animal ti.ssue. Fat stored in -this manner has the abil-ity to slowly flow in minor amounts from wi-thin ruptured cell walls during cooking and to be fwrther released in organolep-tically pleasing amounts upon mas~icating. Samples of simulated adipose tissue having average cell or fat ~lobule diameters of from about 10 microns to about 120 microns will show good final product charàcteristics when the formulation of the matrix material is suitable. Cell sizes preferably will be on the order of from about 20 microns to about 80 microns on the average. The majority~ prefera~ly 75% or more of the fat globules, will be within these size ranges in the most acceptable products. Prod-ucts which are overemulsified, that is, being of the fat globule size normally associated with highly stable emulsions (less than about 2 microns~, will not have the proper fat release character-istics upon frying or eating and will result in a dry mouthfeel.
On the other hand, products having cell sizes substantially in excess of those set forth herein will cause processing anomalies and release the fat too readily and randomly ~o provide the con-sistency in product characteristics essential to obtain a com-mercially acceptable material.
While it is within the contemplation of the present in~
vention that some additives may be present in the fat phase, such as flavors and the like, the use of emulsifiers is neither thought necessary nor presently preferred. Emulsifiers, unless carefully selected based upon the particular fats, proteins and other materials employed in the product, may tend to cause over-emulsification or adverse fat-protein interactions which will not ~95i77 allow the uniform, preferred fat globule formation. It is pos-sible3 however, to employ carefully selected emulsifiers to aid in a particular processing scheme employing specific matrix form-ing materials and still obtain the desired final product character-istics. Therefore, it is within the scope of the present in-vention to employ emulsifiers so long as they do not adversely affect product quality.
The matrix phase of the simulated adipose tissue system must be capable during mixing of forming a continuous film around the fat globules, must have sufficient stability and structural integrity to main-tain the fat therein during processing such as forming and heat settin~, must have the ability when subjected ~o cooking to release a moderate amount of fat from the internal cellular structure while maintaining substantial str-uctural in-tegrity, and must be further capable upon masticating in the mouth of providing a meltdown and smooth mouthfeel reminiscent of natural cooked adipose tissue. Thus~ the propertles necessary for the matrix material of this invention are to some extent at odds with each other. The cellular wall structure formed by the matrix material must be heat coagulable and have adequ~te phy-sical strength to withstand processing and cooking, yet it must respond in the mouth to a melting action to release the fat con-tained within its cell walls. Cellular structures which do not melt away in the manner of natural adipose tissue and release the fat in the mouth only upon excessive mastication or leave a dry, gritty residue, are not within the scope of the present invention.
The simulated adipose tissue system of this invention can ac-complish these resu]ts without a preliminary encapsulation of the ....
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Eat prior to addition to the matrix material. The fat and matrix materials are in direct contact.
The simulated adipose tissue of the present invention obtains the desired characteristics through the use of at least two components in the matrix phase; one being a heat coagulable component; the second being a water-soluble, film-forming com-ponent. The heat coagulable component is preferably protein-aceous and will ~ypi.cally be employed at a dry weight of from about 4% to about 18%, preferahly from about 6% to about 14%
based on the total system weight. The heat coagulable component will pre~erably ~ontain at lea~t 3% dry weight, bas~d on the total system weight, of a highly functi~nal protein material such as egg albumin J blood albumin or the like, but may contain amounts of suitable carbohydrates such as 5 tarches, dextrins and dextrans; and other suitable proteins such as peanut protein iso-late, high quality soy protein, and the like. Each of the pro-tein, starch and other components in the matrix phase has its own distinct functional properties. It is therefore very difficult to predict exact textural properties based simply on a knowledge of the individual component characteristics. It appears that these componen~s behave di-fferently in the presence of each other than they would singly. The matrix syste~ Gf the present in vention, when produced in accordance with the present disclosure and especially in view of the guidance provided by the specific examples will, however, enable those skilled in the art to prac-tice the present invention ;~ Egg albumin is an extremely good film-forming material having high functionality and ~ood heat coagulation characteris-.
- . .
tics capable o~ providing ~n integral cellular s~ructure in the matrix upon hea-t setting. Blood albumin is also an extremely good heat coagulable material, and regardless o what other co-agulable materials are employed in the matrix phase, it appears to be necessary to have a minimum of egg white or blood albumin or ~ combina~ion of these two materials at a level o at least 3%
based on total system weight to obtain the most preferred results.
The blood albumin gives a better water and oil release, smoother mouthfeel and more meaty flavor than does egg white. It appears, however, that blood albumin has a sligh~ly lower water and oil holding capacity in the adipose tissue system. As a consequence, water and oil are not held as well with it as with egg albumin during heat setting.
Various starches can be employed to replace a portion of thè highly functional blood albumin or egg albumin. Prefer-ably, the level of replacement should be less than about 50%.
The dry weight of these highly functional heat coagulable pro-teins should not be reduced below 3% o~ the total sys-tem weight for the most preferred results. The egg white or blood al~umin ~0 cannot be wholly replaced with starch because the low heat set-ting properties of the starches could not by themselves sustain the structural integrity of the matrix phase. Partial replace-ment does, however, give acceptable texture9 good oil release, smooth mouthfeel, and natural fat-like melt upon mastication.
Among these starches are tapioca starch, amioca s~arch, potato starch, high amylose starch, and the like. Among these starches, high amylose starch gives a more rough and ch~lky mouthfeel than does tapioca starch which is hi~h in amylopectin. While the use ~ 7 of starches may reduce the cohesiveness of the heat set material, no insurmountable difficulty in slicing the hea-t se-t material is experienced.
It is al90 possible to employ as a par~ of the heat co-agulable componen~ any other materials, either proteinaceous or non-proteinaceous, which will set up ~mder heat to prov:ide some structural integrity to the matrix phase. ~he proportions of these materials should, however~ be limited, by knowledge of their properties and experience in particular formulations, to those levels which do not adversely affect the unusually good mouthfeel and melting characteristics of the adipose tissue of this invention which distinguish it from prior art products.
To obtain these highly desirable properties of s~ooth mouthfeel with a realistic smooth meltdown in the mouth upon chew-ing, the matrix phase of the present invention necessarily in-cludes a water-soluble, film-forming component in addition to the heat coagulable componen-t. The preferred water solubl.e, film-forming materi.als are those which form gels which are heat revers-ible and melt at elevated temperatures. The materials having this property are preferably employed in the composition at a dry weight of at least 2% based on the total system weight These water-soluble, film-forming components provide a degree of struc-tural integrity and globule separation potential during proces-sing due to the film-forming characteristics they possess Im portantly, however, these materials, when present in the final product, are soluble and mel-table upon contact with water to the extent that they are dissolved or at least create a wetting and sliminess of the residue of the adipose tissue remaining after g~57~
chewing such tha~ this residue will present a similar melt-in-the-mouth impression as is conveyed by natwral adipose ~issue.
Products prepared without this water-soluble, ~ilm-forming com-ponent leave a dry, gritty residue in the mouth which is wholly uncharacteristic of natural fatty tissue.
Preferred among the materials which can be employed to provide this smooth mouthfeel and melting in the mouth, and yet provide some structural integrity to the matrix phase during pro-cessing are gel~tin, carrageenan, milk whey protein, water sol-lO uble caseinates, and partially gelatinized colla~en. The most preferred among these materials is gelatin. Partial replacement of these preferred material~ can be accomplished with caseinate hydrolysates, methylcellulose and hydroxypropyl cellulose.
Gelatin is unusual among proteins owing to the absence of any appreciable internal order, so that in aqueous solutions at sufficiently high temperatures the peptide chains take ~p ran-dom configurations Gelatin solutions form gels upon cooling which can be reversed and melted upon heating in contrast to many other proteins. Therefore gelatin by itself cannot be set by ;~
20 heat. However, gelatin does have film forming properties and can be immobilized when employed in combination with certain heat co- r agulable proteins such as egg albumen or blood albumin. Because the gelatin is water soluble, it provides a smooth mouthfeel and good melt properties reminiscent of real adipose tissue upon chew-ing. A wide range of Bloom values, preferably from about 20 to about 300, and various types including type A (acid hydrolyzed)~
type B ~alkal~ne hydrolyzed), and mixtures of A and B, can be em-ployed in preparing the adipose tissue system. The low Bloom gelatins give a more pronounced melting p~operty in cooked samples~ as co~pared to the higher sloom value materials. Also, it has been no~iced that the lower Bloom value gelatins impart a lower slurry viscosity during processing than is obtained using the higher Bloom materials. Partially gelatinized acid con-ditioned,collagen can be employed with or in place of gelatin to provide a more cohesive and chewy characteristic to the end prod-uct while still providing the desired mouthfeel and melting char-acteristics. Of the various gelatin materials, type B gelatins seem to be the best based on their overall properties in the systems tested to date.
Water soluble caseinate salts also have utility in providing the required water-soluble, ilm-forming properties.
The caseinate salts are very soluble in wa~er and have good film forming properties. Preerred caseinate salts are sodi~n case-inate and potassium casseinate. ~y themselves, the caseinate salts cannot be heat set; however, they can be immobilized by heat when employed in the presence of heat coagulable proteins such as egg albumin and blood albumin. The incorporation of sol-uble caseinate salts into the adipose tissue system gives a smooth mouthfeel after cooking such as by frying, especially when ,' employed in combination with gelatin. The most preferred dry weights of gelat~n and caseinate salt in the system will range from 1 to 5% for each of these components, wit'h a preferred total ; amount of the two components ranging from about ~ to about 6%
based on total system weight. Most vegetable protein ma~erials such a~ soy and peanut isolates give a hard and sandy texture after cooking such as by frying when employed in place of the , water-soluble, film-forming components at equivalent levels. The roughness or sandiness comes from the lack of moisture or oil re-lease from the particles, and the lack of the mel~ing or a~ least surface hydration of ~he protein itself during mastication. It seems that the caseinate salts melt at least partially or super-ficially in the mouth during the chew, and as a resu~t gives a smooth mouthfeel. Higher levels of caseinate salts tend to result in softer product textures and result in products which, when fried, tend to stick to the teeth during chewing.
Another material whic~ can be employed as the water-soluble, film-forming component, or at least as a portion there-of, is carrageenan. Carrageenan is the gelatinows extract of the seaweed carrageen, Chondrws crispis or Irish moss (q.v.). It is a complex carbohydrate made up of galactose, dextrose and levu-lose residues and small quantities of pentosan or methylpentosan.
It is a water-soluble colloid, refined and dried to a free flow-ing powder. It absorbs water rapidly, dissolves readily in warm water, and gels on cooling. The carrageenan can be employed as the sole water-soluble, film-forming component; however, it is preferably employed a~ only a partial replacement of the other more desirable materials such as gelatin and caseinat.e salts.
Another material suitable for form:ing this meltabl~, water-soluble3 film-forming component is milk whey protein. This material is obtained by a known commercial process which includes removal of minerals and lactose, followed by concentration of the protein by methods such as ul-trafiltration. A desirable charac-teristic of the milk whey protein is .i-ts ability to cause brown-ing upon heating during final cooking of the product resulting ~ 5~ ~
from ~he residual reducing sugars present. This provides a built-in eooking indica~or in the final product such that the degree of cooking can be determined visually in the same ~anner that cook-ing of natural adipose tissue is determined. Thus, by proper selection of milk whey protein or a similar ma~erial which browns on cooking, not only is proper functionality achieved, but the product can be brought one step closer to its natural counterpart which it is intended to simulate.
The matrix material must also include a sufficient amount of water to provide ade~uate processing and final product prop^
erties. Specifically J the water must be present at a level, de-pending upon the particular protein and other matrix forming materials employed, to aehieve a sa-tisfactory solution viscosity in the matrix phase during processing to obtain ~he proper fat globule si2e and to achieve a degree of stability which will main-tain the desired globule siæe during processing. Moreover, the water must be present in an amount which will adequately hydrate the matrix forming material employed, and also allow proper dis-persion and solution of these materials such that upon cooking they will achievQ the proper bite resistance and meltability which is necessary for a realistic sim~lation of natural adipose tissue.
It is presently believed that water contents of from 10% to about 50% based on the total system weight can be employed with suit-able result~ depending upon the type and concentration of the other ingredients. Typically, and preferably, the water contents will range from about 15% to about 35% basis the total system weight. Best results to date have been achieved where the fat content in the simulated adipose tissue range~ from about 40% to about 50% based on ~he total system weight, and the water content îs in the rang~ of from about 50% ~o about 60% based on the weight of the matrix phase alone prior to any dehydration during processing.
Various flavorings, nutritional supplements and color-ings can also be included within the simulated adipose tissue of this invention. These additives can be either water-soluble or fat-soluble or can be employed in components which will reside in both of the phases in the Einal product. Flavoring materials can include various sugars such as sucrose and dextrose, in the form of cane sugar, beet sugar, corn syrup, and brown su~ar; salt; black pepper; white pepper; red pepper; natural and artificial bacon and other meat flavors; maple flavoring; smoke; hydrolyzed vege-table protein; monosodium glutamate; coriander; mace; nutmeg;
rosemary; sage; sodium inosinate; sodium guanylate; and the like.
These optional flavoring and colorin~ materials can be added in amounts effective to impart the flavor and color desired for the type of simulated adipose tissue desired to be duplicated. Typi-cally, the flavoring materials will be present at a level of less than 20%, preferably from about 10 to about 16%, based on the total wet weight of the adipose tissue formulation prior to heat setting. Parts of this proportion o~ flavoring materials, it must be recognized, is not flavoring material as such but only dispersants or carriers, such as fats and carbohydrates, for the various flavorings employed. It is necessary therefore to select 1avoring materials which do not themselves or by virtue of a car-rier, dispersent or diluent with which they are combined, deleteri-~9!9~77 ously affect either the processing or the final product character-istics of the simulated adipose tissue.
The process or preparing the simulated adipose tissue according to the present invention necessarily employs a series of steps and a set of conditions effective to provide fat glob-ules of the desired size and uniforrnity, and a suitably function-al matrix pbase, which together will result in an organoleptical-ly pleasing end product having the desired fat simulating proper-ties. Essentially, the process involves, in its broadest aspects, the preparation of a two-phase system having fat globules, having an average diameter ranging from about 10 microns to about 120 microns, uniformily dispersed throughout a matrix phase comprised of an aqueous mixture of a heat coagulable component and a water-soluble3 film-forming component; and heating the resulting two-phase system to coagulate the heat coagulable comp~nent and there-by stabilize the two phases into a simulated adipose tissue In preparing the simulated adipose -tissue, the matrix phase is preferably completely mixed prior to addition to and mix-ing with the fat phase. Typically, the dry ingredients, except for the gelatin, are dry blended to form a uniform mixture prior ; to the addition of water. Gelatin, if it is employed, is first dissolved in water by warming to a temperature effective to cause ~omplete solution of the gelatin and is then cooled to 40C. for addition to the dry ingredients to form the complete matrix form-ing slurry. Where gelatin, or a similar material which dissolves difficultly and non-wniformily is not employed, the water is directly added to the dry ingredients for blending to obtain a uniform mixture in the matrix forming slurr~. To this ma~rix ~ 5~7 forming slurry, the oil is added slowly while mixing. The mixing is continued only so long as is necessary, and only a~ a shear intensity sufficient to obtain the preferred cell size.
The fat cell size in the simulated adipose tissues sys-tem is dependent upon the viscosity of the matrix forming slurry assuming constant mixin~ conditions. The fat cell siæe can be decreased by increasing viscosity and ean be increased by decreas- r in~ viscosity. It appears that slurries of high viSCQsity pre-vent coalescence of fat particles, and fat particles are broken 10 up more readily by high sheer during mixing. It appears further that fa~ cell size can be controlled more easily by formulation modi~ications than by altering process conditions. Gelatin has a pronounced effect upon slurry viscosity. Tests indicate on the other hand that the concentration of egg white and caseinate do not show a significant effect on final slurry viscosity. And, while the concentration of oil significantly affects final slurry viscosity, there does not seem to be a significant correlation between oil concentration and fat cell size. This is apparently due to dependence of the oil concentra~ion on the water level.
20 At concentrations of oil of abQve about 60%, undesirable webby structures have been experienced. This structure indicates that the dispersion of fat ~lobules approaches phase inversion, that is, the oil-in-water dispersion approaches the point of inversion to a water~in oil emulsion. In these samples exact fat cell size measurements are not possible. It has also been noticed that there is some correlation between the water level and fat cell size. This is probably due to -the effect of the viscosity as mentioned previously in view of the fact that there was a very ~ 22 -significant negative correla~ion betw~en the water level and Vi5-cosity.
Mixing to cause dispersion of the fat wi~hin the aque-ous matrix forming material is preferably accomplished at near room temperature, with temperatures of from about 20C. to about 40~C. being preferable. When normally solid fats are employed which crystalize at or slightly below the mixing temperature, caution should be taken to àvoid storage or holdin~ of the unheat-; set dispersion of oil in matrix former at temperature5 below the mixing temperature because the cell structures may break due tofat crystallization at these lower temperatures. ~lowever, once the slurry is se~ by heat, the heat coagulated simulated adipose tissue is very stable. The heat set material can be stored in a freezer or a refrigerator. In fact, ~he heat set product is freeze thaw stable and can survive repeated cycles of freezing and thawing.
The degree of mixing will also effect the degree of air incorporated into the product. Because air incorporation may cause textural and processing anomalies, it is not desired to have any significant amounts of air incorporated. Accordingly, densities greater than about 0.85, preferably greater than 0.95, and mQSt preferably greater than 1.00~ gram per cubi~ centimeter are preferred.
The density becomes especia~ly imp~rtan-t in the prepara-tion of layered products where each layer of slurry must support the weight of the next sucessive layer during processing prior to heat setting. Where any appreciable difference in densities oc~
curs, an undesirable, uncontrolled mixing of the layers can occur.
Thus, the mixing should not be too vigorous for the reason stated wi~h regard ~o fat globule size control and also so that air in-corporation is maintained at a min-imum. As a precaution during processing, the slurry can he subjected to a deaeration procedure prior to final forming and heat setting.
Another importan~ slurry parameter is that of vis-cosity. The viscosity should be maintained within certain pre-ferred ranges to ob~ain optimum mixing and forming. Preferably, the viscosity will range from about 1 x 10~ to about 50 x 106 centipoises as measured by a Brookfield* viscometer fitted with a helipath stand and using a T-B spindle at five RPM at 25C. While it may be possible to employ viscosi~ies out~ide this preferred range with specifi~ formulations and under specific processing schemes, slurries having viscosi~ies within these ranges have produced the best results to date and should be adapta'ble to con-tinuous processing without causing difficulties in process con-trol.
Due to the functionalty of the various preferred ma~rix forming materlals, as well as the desired tas~e to be ul~imately achieved in the final product, it is preferred to maintain the slurry pH at a value of from above about 4.5 to below 8Ø Most preferably, the pH of the slurry will fall within the range of from about 5.0 to about 6.0 and -thereby closely approximate the pH o natural meaty materials.
~ fter preparation of the slurry containing the aqueous matrix forming materials having the fat dispersed therein~ the *Trademark 57~
slurry can be heat set into any desirable ~orm. In certain embodi-ments it may be desirable to simply layer ~he material on a sup-porting surface and subject it to heat for coagulation, the co-agulation occurring prior to a subsequent shaping operation such as by cuttin~. This type of procedure would be preferred where the simulated adipose tissu~ were to be cut into chunks and then employed a~ discreet pieces within a ma-trix of a red phase sim-ulating material such as in a sausage analog of the type des-cribed in U.S. Patent 3,~22,352 to Tewey et al. Therein is dis-closed a sausage analog having at l~ast three distinct phases: acontinuo~s gel phase, a substantially discontinuous at phase, and a discontinuous chewy proteinaceous phase. The simulated adi-pose tissue of this invention can be employed in a product of that type a~ the substantially discontinuous fat phase. In other em-bodiments, such as in the production of a bacon analog as is described in U~S. Patent 3,840,677 to Leidy et al, or U.S. Patent 3,999,474 to Sienkiewicz et al, the white or fat phase prepared in accordance with the present invention can be layered prior to coagulation alternatively with the red or meat phase component of the type described in those patents. In the preparation of bacon analogs in this manner, the total layered product would then be heat set after layering is completed~
Heat setting can be accomplished in any manner using any suitable device for heating the material to an internal temper-ature of above about 140F. for a period of time effective to co-agulate the matrix orming material. The heat setting shoul~, however, be done under conditions which will not allow excessi~7e drying of the product at this stage in processing. Heat set-ting 7~
chambers of -the type disclosed in ~he above identified Sienkiewicz et al. patent will be useful in obtaining proper results. In lts simplest form, heat setting can be accomplished by layering the simulated adipose tissue slurry into a pan either with or without added red phase material to o~tain a to~al product thickness of about 1 to 1 1/2 inches and then cooking this material in a steam chamber not substantially above atmospheric pressure ~or about 45 minutes.
After heat setting, the simulated adipose tissue can be cut or sliced into the desired product shape and can be marketed as is, ~ter cooking or partially cooking or after incorporation into a composite product. In the specific example o~ a bacon ana-log product of the type disclosed in the Sienkiewicæ et al patent identified above, the processing is carried out exactly as set forth therein as far as the preparation of the meat simulating material and the layerin~ of the meat and fat simulating materials is concerned; however, the simula~ed adipose tissue formulation of this invention is substituted for the fat simulating slurry disclosed by Sienkiewicz et al.
After layering and heat settin~, the bacon analog prod-uct can be sliced and marketed as is~ or it can be subjected to varying degrees of frying. The term frying is used in this con-text mainly because this stage of production approximates the product qualities attained by frying natural bacon. The frying operation employed from the commercial production standpoint, how-ever, need not be frying in the conventional sense of heating the product in hot oil, but includes various heating or cooking opera-tions conducted at elevated temperatures (e.g. from about 300~ to - ~6 ~
i'77 400F.) which can reduce the product moîsture content to the desired de~ree. The bacon analog can be completely fried, to a moisture content of from about 2 to 8%, preferably 2% to 4%; but, preferably, the product is partially fried to reduce the moisture content to from about 10 to about 25%, most preferably about 20 to 25%. Prior to or after this partial cooking or frying, the product can be sprayed or otherwise coated with oil where i~ is to be marketed for final preparation by oven baking. However, where the product is to be marketed for preparation by pan fry-ing, the oil treatment is unnecessary be~ause the ultimate con-sumer will add oil to the frying pan during home preparation.
Moreover, as compared to the prior art products, the coating with oil even or oven preparation can be dispensed with if desired due to the desired, limited oil release properties of the simu-lated adipose tissue of the present invention.
The simulated adipose tissue disclosed herein is not restricted in usage to situations where the final product is frie~, but may include usages with meat or meat simulating pro-tein products prepared according to a variety sf procedures which are capable of cooking under a number of different conditions.
For example, one possible product would be a roast beef or other meat simulating product having textured protein chunks or slices prepared in accordance with the teachings of such patents as Atkinson in U.S. Patent 3,488,770 or Feldbrugge et al in U.S.
Patent 3,886,299, or Hayes et al in U.S. Patent 3,886,298. To obtain the composite product, the tex-tured protein pieces could be simply fabricated into a loaf-like portion having the simw-lated adipose tissue of this in~ention applied to the pieces as a 57~
slurry such that upon heat setting, the simulated adipose tissue would bind the pieces together and form a unitary structure hav-ing a marbling characteristic similar to that of a high quality natural mea~ product. Alternatively~ the textured protein pieces produced according to the above referenced patents or o-ther tech-niques known to the art such as spinning, can be fabricated with chunks of the simulated adipose tissue prepared in accordance with the present invention and held to~ether by a distinct binder medium such as one based upon egg albumin or other gelable pro-tein as is known in the art.
The following examples are presented for the purpose off~rther illustrating and explaining the presen~ invention and should not be taken as limi~ing in any regard. Unless otherwise indicated, all parts and percentages are by weight~
EXAMPLE I
A series of simulated adipose tissue products according to this invention were prepared having the formulations indicated in Table I below. In each case 3 the dry ingredients other than gsla~in were blended in a Hobart* mixer (S quart) for 10 minutes at speed 1. In a separate vessel, water and the gelatin were mix-ed, and the ~elatin dissolved by warming to 75C. followed by cool-ing to ~0C. To the dissolved aqueous gelatin solution, maple flavor was added and the combined mixture was further mixed for 15 minutes at speed 1 in a 5 quart Hobart~ mixer. To the result-ing solution, the additional dry ingredlents were added and mixed for an additional 10 minutes at speed 1 followed by the addition of the bacon flavor which was added and mixed for 10 minutes at ~~Trademark 1~9~77 speed 2. Af~er ~omplet$ mixing of this matrix phase, the oil was added slowly while mixing at speed 2 for a total mixing time of 10 minutes, The resulting slurry was transferred to a pan (6 inches x 10 inches x 2 inches) and cooked in a steam chamber at atmospheric pressure for 45 minutes. The samples were cooled to room temperature to allow uniform slicing. The thus heat-set, cooled slab was then sliced with a Hobart~ rneat slicer to a thick-ness of 1/16 inches and fried in an electric frying pan with 30 milliliters of soy bean oil at 177C. for from about 3 to 10 minutes to obtain ~he optimum browni~g and textural character-istics.
Each ~f these samples were subjected to expert panel evaluation to judge: (1) the amount of the oil release from the tissue upon eating, and ~2~ the overall eating characteristics as compared to real bacon. The line captioned "Amount Moisture Release" re~lects the sensory perception of the property of juici-ness or oil release from the product as compared to what would be expected from natural bacon which was assigned a value of 2Ø
No moisture release would have a value of 0. The line captioned "Overall" shows the net overall sensory propèrties of fried bacon fat in comparison to the net overall sensory properties of the test samples. Natural bacon fat would rank 1 and very unsatis-factory products being grossly different than bacon would have a rating of 3.
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Recently, however, eforts have given attention to both fat and meat portions to provide realistic simulations of their natural counterparts. In U.S. Patent 3,340,677, Leidy et al. dis-close a simulated, multiphased, meat-like product having distinct regions simulating natural red meat and fat. in one specific embodiment, a bacon analog is disclosed having a fat simulating portion prepared from an aqueous emulsion oE fat as the discontinu~
ous phase surrounded by a matrix of heat coagulable protein, con-taining such proteins as egg albumin, proteinaceous filler ma-terials, soy isolate and other heat settable proteins. Another disclosure of a simulated bacon product is that of Corliss et al., U.S. Patent 3,930,033, which describes a simulated bacon product S~7 produced by forming and stacking alternate red and whi-te vege-table protein containing layers to simulate lean meat and fat and then cooking the stacked layers to form a slab. The individual layers are produced from separate aqueous mixture~ containing specified amounts o~ vege~able protein fiber, egg albumin, tapioca starch, water, vegetable oil, vegetable gum such as carageenan, vegetable protein isolate, dextrose, sodium case~
inate, colorings, flavors and seasonings. These materials are mixed in an aerating type mixer until the mixture is fully homog-enized and a substantial amount of air is entrapped within thematrix. This formulationJ as with that of Leidy et al., does not provide a juicy, smooth melt-down simulating that of natural bacon ~at, but has a more dry and cracker-like texture. The materials of the type disclosed by Corliss et al. and Leidy et al., how-ever, make a rather significant improvement over the earlier, purely cosmetic fat-appearing materials.
In another recent attempt to provide a fat containing material for simulatin~ natural adipose tissue in meat or meat analog pr~ducts, Hawley discloses in U.S. Patent 3,658,550, a fat-containing material based on an insoluhle, heat-irreversible al-ginate gel. The fat containing material is disclosed to respon~
upon cooking and eating much as does natural adipose tissue. To improve the material's nutrition and browning characteristics, small amounts of protein such as soy, cottonseed~ albumin and caseine can be employed. However, while the Hawley material may hold fat and improve the quality of meat or meat-like products having a deficiency of fat and may somewhat visually simulate fat~
it lacks the smooth melting and oil release properties of natural adipose tissue.
g~7 In some prior art meat analog products, fat was thought necessary as a co~ponent, but not necessarily in the form o~ a distinct adipose tissue phase. Typically, fak was include~ in these products by simply blending and emulsifying it in the meat forming gel or matrix material. For example, in ~.S. 3,108,873 to Durst, a meat-like food product is disclosed to have a "lipo-philic fluid" included as a stable dispersion in a film forming composition which may utilize soy protein, wheat protein, ~heat germ or egg albumin. Durst also discloses that even hydrophilic colloids such as gelatin, agar, and carboxy-methycellulose have been employe~ as the film forming composition. Also, ln U.S.
Patent 3,919,435, Feldbrugge et al. disclose a meat analog which contains a vegetabl~ protein gel precur~or having incorporated therein a fat or oil entrapped within a thermostable, polymeric carbohydrate gel matrîx which may con-tain proteins such as albumin, caseine and whey. By encapsulating the fat in this manner it is protected against emulsification in the gel precursor in the pro-duction of a meat analog to result in a juicier product than when the fat is ~imply admixed without encapsulation. The use of these thermostable gels, however, will leave a dry gritty residue in the mouth if employed in pieces large enough to appear as dis-tinct portions of adipose tissue. Moreover, neither Durst nor Feldbrugge et al. are concerned with or teach a simulated adipose tissue for use as a distinct and separate phase in combination with a meat analog.
Thus, there remains a present need for a simulated adi-pose tissue which has good nutrition, good cooking properties, a smooth mouthfeel and meltable character upon eating, and also pro vides a good visual and textural simulation of na~ural adipose tissue.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a simulated adipose tissue having goo~ nutrition, realistic visual and tex-tural charac-teristics, na-tural fa~-like melting properties during both cooking and eating, and provides a natural, smooth, fat-like meltdown and mouthfeel upon ea~ing, the adipose ~issue being ca-pable of frying according to procedures normally employed for fry-ing natural pork belly adipose tissue such as is found in bacon.
The present invention also provides a cooked simulated adipose tissue having good nutrition, realistic visual and tex-tural properties, and a natural, smooth meltdown and mouthfeelduring eating which closely simulates natural adipose tissue and provides a process for preparing such a simulated adipose tissue.
According to the present invention, which in its broad-est aspects comprises a simulated adipose tissue, and the process for preparing it, the simulated adipose tissue comprises: at lea~t a first phase comprised of fat dispersed within a second phase matrix substantially enveloping the dispersed fat, wherein:
the fat in the first phase i5 separated into globules having an average diameter of from abowt 10 to about 120 microns;
and the second phase matrix is a heat coagulated mixture comprising a heat coagulable, preferably proteinaceous, compon-ent9 and a water-soluble, film-forming component, the matrix hav-ing the ability to hold the fat globules within it after coagula-tion, and yet due to the presence of the water-soluble, film-forming component will smoothly melt upon eating to provide a realistic fat simulating material.
To provide a truly appetizing, commercially practical meat analog product or a restructured meat product it is neces-9i57~
sary to have combined with the red meat portion a por~ion whichsimulates not only the appearance, but the texture, cooking and eating properties o~ natural adipose tissue. The visual appear-ance of the product is o~ course important, but cannot by its~lf satisfy the needs and desires of the lover of meat having a con-ditioned expectation of the juiciness and fat release normal]y associated wi~h natural meat products. By virtue of the present invention, a simulated adipose tissue is provided which enables economical J continuous processing of conventional food in gredient~ to provide a nutritious material which can satisfy this conditioned expectation of juiciness and smoothness in meat prod-ucts associated with natural products containin~ adipose tissue.
The present invention makes continuous processing and conventional storage possible through the use of a tw~-phase simu-lated adipose tissue system wherein a discontinuous fat phase is maintained at an effective fat cell size in a stabilized matrix which is heat settable and yet responds to cooking and frying by the release of fatty juices and has an extremely smooth, melt-away property in the mouth due to the presence of a water-soluble, film-forming component which provides structural and textural integrity throughout processing and cooking until dis-solved upon chewing in the mouth. As will become apparent Erom this de~ailed description, the uniquely desirable features of the product and process of this invention are at-tained by virtue of a necessary structural interrelationship of the fat and matrix phases in combinatiorl with a matrix phase formulation having several necessary and distinguishing features.
The juiciness, melt, and mouthfeel of the simulated adi-pose tissue is critically related, among other things, to the fat ~ 5~r~
content. It i~ therefore necessary to provide a fat of suitable composition and in suitable physical -form such that it con-tributes to the juiciness of the product without adversely af-fecting other ph~sical attributes. The fat is preferably one which is liquid at normal room temperatures, or if solid, does not melt at such a high ~emperature that it causes an undesirable waxy coating of the mouth. The preferred fats are those which melt no hi~her than about ~0C. More preferably, the fat should melt at a temper~ture below about 25C. Typical o the fats which can be employed are rendered animal fats, such as lard, tallow and the like. Preferably, however, the liquid vegetable oils are employed. Exemplary of ~uitable vegetable oils are coco-nut oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, olive oil, etc. This listing of fats is by no means exhaustive, but merely exemplary o~
materials which may be readily employed by those skilled in the art. The particular fat is limited only to the use of those giv-ing the desired mouthfeel as noted above, which do not adversely affect the other physical characeristics of the simulated adi-pose tissue. Fats which are normally liquid at ordinary room temperatures (i.e., oils) are preferred because they will not solidîfy under normal conditions of use and reduce the pleasant oil release desired. It is an advantage of the present in-vention, in fact, that li~uid oils can be successfully employed without weeping from the matrix On the other hand, fa~s having extremely high melting temperatures are not preferred because they tend to adversely a~fect emulsion stability. Accordingly, while hydrogenated vegetable oils can be employed, they are pref-erably not emplo~ed alone.
Tests have shown that while there is no significant correlation between the concentration of the fat employed and the fa-t globule siæe obtained in the product after processing~ there is a significant correlation between the concentration of the fat and the viscosity of the combined mix~ure of fat and aqueous ma-trix forming materials during processing. This correlation is believed due to the dependence of oil concentration on water level.
At fat concentrations above 60% based on total system weight, webby struc~ures may form which interfere with the encapsulation of globules of the fat within the matrix material. The webby structure indicates that the dispersions containing these high levels of fat approached phase inversion d~ring processing.
These samples tend to exhibit an open celled structure which is contrary to the substantially closed cell structure which occurs in the desired products produced according to the present in-vention. Fat contents of as low as abou-t 30% provide good oil release and juiciness in the ~inal product; however3 the prefer-red range of fat contents is from about 40 to about 50% based on the total sys~em weigh~. These percentages are based on the total weight of the adipose tissue system, including fat and water, prior to an~ dehydration during subsequent processing. This weight basis is used throughout the ~ollowing discussion wherever percentages are said to be based on "total system weight".
The ability of the simulated adipose tissue of the pres-ent invention to simulate the cooking and textural character-istics of natural fat, as well as it5 ability ko provide a smooth meltdown and mouthfeel upon eating, i.s due in part to the reten-tion of the fat within the matrix phase in discreet droplets or 5~
globules in a manner approximating the storage of fat in natural connective animal ti.ssue. Fat stored in -this manner has the abil-ity to slowly flow in minor amounts from wi-thin ruptured cell walls during cooking and to be fwrther released in organolep-tically pleasing amounts upon mas~icating. Samples of simulated adipose tissue having average cell or fat ~lobule diameters of from about 10 microns to about 120 microns will show good final product charàcteristics when the formulation of the matrix material is suitable. Cell sizes preferably will be on the order of from about 20 microns to about 80 microns on the average. The majority~ prefera~ly 75% or more of the fat globules, will be within these size ranges in the most acceptable products. Prod-ucts which are overemulsified, that is, being of the fat globule size normally associated with highly stable emulsions (less than about 2 microns~, will not have the proper fat release character-istics upon frying or eating and will result in a dry mouthfeel.
On the other hand, products having cell sizes substantially in excess of those set forth herein will cause processing anomalies and release the fat too readily and randomly ~o provide the con-sistency in product characteristics essential to obtain a com-mercially acceptable material.
While it is within the contemplation of the present in~
vention that some additives may be present in the fat phase, such as flavors and the like, the use of emulsifiers is neither thought necessary nor presently preferred. Emulsifiers, unless carefully selected based upon the particular fats, proteins and other materials employed in the product, may tend to cause over-emulsification or adverse fat-protein interactions which will not ~95i77 allow the uniform, preferred fat globule formation. It is pos-sible3 however, to employ carefully selected emulsifiers to aid in a particular processing scheme employing specific matrix form-ing materials and still obtain the desired final product character-istics. Therefore, it is within the scope of the present in-vention to employ emulsifiers so long as they do not adversely affect product quality.
The matrix phase of the simulated adipose tissue system must be capable during mixing of forming a continuous film around the fat globules, must have sufficient stability and structural integrity to main-tain the fat therein during processing such as forming and heat settin~, must have the ability when subjected ~o cooking to release a moderate amount of fat from the internal cellular structure while maintaining substantial str-uctural in-tegrity, and must be further capable upon masticating in the mouth of providing a meltdown and smooth mouthfeel reminiscent of natural cooked adipose tissue. Thus~ the propertles necessary for the matrix material of this invention are to some extent at odds with each other. The cellular wall structure formed by the matrix material must be heat coagulable and have adequ~te phy-sical strength to withstand processing and cooking, yet it must respond in the mouth to a melting action to release the fat con-tained within its cell walls. Cellular structures which do not melt away in the manner of natural adipose tissue and release the fat in the mouth only upon excessive mastication or leave a dry, gritty residue, are not within the scope of the present invention.
The simulated adipose tissue system of this invention can ac-complish these resu]ts without a preliminary encapsulation of the ....
9~
Eat prior to addition to the matrix material. The fat and matrix materials are in direct contact.
The simulated adipose tissue of the present invention obtains the desired characteristics through the use of at least two components in the matrix phase; one being a heat coagulable component; the second being a water-soluble, film-forming com-ponent. The heat coagulable component is preferably protein-aceous and will ~ypi.cally be employed at a dry weight of from about 4% to about 18%, preferahly from about 6% to about 14%
based on the total system weight. The heat coagulable component will pre~erably ~ontain at lea~t 3% dry weight, bas~d on the total system weight, of a highly functi~nal protein material such as egg albumin J blood albumin or the like, but may contain amounts of suitable carbohydrates such as 5 tarches, dextrins and dextrans; and other suitable proteins such as peanut protein iso-late, high quality soy protein, and the like. Each of the pro-tein, starch and other components in the matrix phase has its own distinct functional properties. It is therefore very difficult to predict exact textural properties based simply on a knowledge of the individual component characteristics. It appears that these componen~s behave di-fferently in the presence of each other than they would singly. The matrix syste~ Gf the present in vention, when produced in accordance with the present disclosure and especially in view of the guidance provided by the specific examples will, however, enable those skilled in the art to prac-tice the present invention ;~ Egg albumin is an extremely good film-forming material having high functionality and ~ood heat coagulation characteris-.
- . .
tics capable o~ providing ~n integral cellular s~ructure in the matrix upon hea-t setting. Blood albumin is also an extremely good heat coagulable material, and regardless o what other co-agulable materials are employed in the matrix phase, it appears to be necessary to have a minimum of egg white or blood albumin or ~ combina~ion of these two materials at a level o at least 3%
based on total system weight to obtain the most preferred results.
The blood albumin gives a better water and oil release, smoother mouthfeel and more meaty flavor than does egg white. It appears, however, that blood albumin has a sligh~ly lower water and oil holding capacity in the adipose tissue system. As a consequence, water and oil are not held as well with it as with egg albumin during heat setting.
Various starches can be employed to replace a portion of thè highly functional blood albumin or egg albumin. Prefer-ably, the level of replacement should be less than about 50%.
The dry weight of these highly functional heat coagulable pro-teins should not be reduced below 3% o~ the total sys-tem weight for the most preferred results. The egg white or blood al~umin ~0 cannot be wholly replaced with starch because the low heat set-ting properties of the starches could not by themselves sustain the structural integrity of the matrix phase. Partial replace-ment does, however, give acceptable texture9 good oil release, smooth mouthfeel, and natural fat-like melt upon mastication.
Among these starches are tapioca starch, amioca s~arch, potato starch, high amylose starch, and the like. Among these starches, high amylose starch gives a more rough and ch~lky mouthfeel than does tapioca starch which is hi~h in amylopectin. While the use ~ 7 of starches may reduce the cohesiveness of the heat set material, no insurmountable difficulty in slicing the hea-t se-t material is experienced.
It is al90 possible to employ as a par~ of the heat co-agulable componen~ any other materials, either proteinaceous or non-proteinaceous, which will set up ~mder heat to prov:ide some structural integrity to the matrix phase. ~he proportions of these materials should, however~ be limited, by knowledge of their properties and experience in particular formulations, to those levels which do not adversely affect the unusually good mouthfeel and melting characteristics of the adipose tissue of this invention which distinguish it from prior art products.
To obtain these highly desirable properties of s~ooth mouthfeel with a realistic smooth meltdown in the mouth upon chew-ing, the matrix phase of the present invention necessarily in-cludes a water-soluble, film-forming component in addition to the heat coagulable componen-t. The preferred water solubl.e, film-forming materi.als are those which form gels which are heat revers-ible and melt at elevated temperatures. The materials having this property are preferably employed in the composition at a dry weight of at least 2% based on the total system weight These water-soluble, film-forming components provide a degree of struc-tural integrity and globule separation potential during proces-sing due to the film-forming characteristics they possess Im portantly, however, these materials, when present in the final product, are soluble and mel-table upon contact with water to the extent that they are dissolved or at least create a wetting and sliminess of the residue of the adipose tissue remaining after g~57~
chewing such tha~ this residue will present a similar melt-in-the-mouth impression as is conveyed by natwral adipose ~issue.
Products prepared without this water-soluble, ~ilm-forming com-ponent leave a dry, gritty residue in the mouth which is wholly uncharacteristic of natural fatty tissue.
Preferred among the materials which can be employed to provide this smooth mouthfeel and melting in the mouth, and yet provide some structural integrity to the matrix phase during pro-cessing are gel~tin, carrageenan, milk whey protein, water sol-lO uble caseinates, and partially gelatinized colla~en. The most preferred among these materials is gelatin. Partial replacement of these preferred material~ can be accomplished with caseinate hydrolysates, methylcellulose and hydroxypropyl cellulose.
Gelatin is unusual among proteins owing to the absence of any appreciable internal order, so that in aqueous solutions at sufficiently high temperatures the peptide chains take ~p ran-dom configurations Gelatin solutions form gels upon cooling which can be reversed and melted upon heating in contrast to many other proteins. Therefore gelatin by itself cannot be set by ;~
20 heat. However, gelatin does have film forming properties and can be immobilized when employed in combination with certain heat co- r agulable proteins such as egg albumen or blood albumin. Because the gelatin is water soluble, it provides a smooth mouthfeel and good melt properties reminiscent of real adipose tissue upon chew-ing. A wide range of Bloom values, preferably from about 20 to about 300, and various types including type A (acid hydrolyzed)~
type B ~alkal~ne hydrolyzed), and mixtures of A and B, can be em-ployed in preparing the adipose tissue system. The low Bloom gelatins give a more pronounced melting p~operty in cooked samples~ as co~pared to the higher sloom value materials. Also, it has been no~iced that the lower Bloom value gelatins impart a lower slurry viscosity during processing than is obtained using the higher Bloom materials. Partially gelatinized acid con-ditioned,collagen can be employed with or in place of gelatin to provide a more cohesive and chewy characteristic to the end prod-uct while still providing the desired mouthfeel and melting char-acteristics. Of the various gelatin materials, type B gelatins seem to be the best based on their overall properties in the systems tested to date.
Water soluble caseinate salts also have utility in providing the required water-soluble, ilm-forming properties.
The caseinate salts are very soluble in wa~er and have good film forming properties. Preerred caseinate salts are sodi~n case-inate and potassium casseinate. ~y themselves, the caseinate salts cannot be heat set; however, they can be immobilized by heat when employed in the presence of heat coagulable proteins such as egg albumin and blood albumin. The incorporation of sol-uble caseinate salts into the adipose tissue system gives a smooth mouthfeel after cooking such as by frying, especially when ,' employed in combination with gelatin. The most preferred dry weights of gelat~n and caseinate salt in the system will range from 1 to 5% for each of these components, wit'h a preferred total ; amount of the two components ranging from about ~ to about 6%
based on total system weight. Most vegetable protein ma~erials such a~ soy and peanut isolates give a hard and sandy texture after cooking such as by frying when employed in place of the , water-soluble, film-forming components at equivalent levels. The roughness or sandiness comes from the lack of moisture or oil re-lease from the particles, and the lack of the mel~ing or a~ least surface hydration of ~he protein itself during mastication. It seems that the caseinate salts melt at least partially or super-ficially in the mouth during the chew, and as a resu~t gives a smooth mouthfeel. Higher levels of caseinate salts tend to result in softer product textures and result in products which, when fried, tend to stick to the teeth during chewing.
Another material whic~ can be employed as the water-soluble, film-forming component, or at least as a portion there-of, is carrageenan. Carrageenan is the gelatinows extract of the seaweed carrageen, Chondrws crispis or Irish moss (q.v.). It is a complex carbohydrate made up of galactose, dextrose and levu-lose residues and small quantities of pentosan or methylpentosan.
It is a water-soluble colloid, refined and dried to a free flow-ing powder. It absorbs water rapidly, dissolves readily in warm water, and gels on cooling. The carrageenan can be employed as the sole water-soluble, film-forming component; however, it is preferably employed a~ only a partial replacement of the other more desirable materials such as gelatin and caseinat.e salts.
Another material suitable for form:ing this meltabl~, water-soluble3 film-forming component is milk whey protein. This material is obtained by a known commercial process which includes removal of minerals and lactose, followed by concentration of the protein by methods such as ul-trafiltration. A desirable charac-teristic of the milk whey protein is .i-ts ability to cause brown-ing upon heating during final cooking of the product resulting ~ 5~ ~
from ~he residual reducing sugars present. This provides a built-in eooking indica~or in the final product such that the degree of cooking can be determined visually in the same ~anner that cook-ing of natural adipose tissue is determined. Thus, by proper selection of milk whey protein or a similar ma~erial which browns on cooking, not only is proper functionality achieved, but the product can be brought one step closer to its natural counterpart which it is intended to simulate.
The matrix material must also include a sufficient amount of water to provide ade~uate processing and final product prop^
erties. Specifically J the water must be present at a level, de-pending upon the particular protein and other matrix forming materials employed, to aehieve a sa-tisfactory solution viscosity in the matrix phase during processing to obtain ~he proper fat globule si2e and to achieve a degree of stability which will main-tain the desired globule siæe during processing. Moreover, the water must be present in an amount which will adequately hydrate the matrix forming material employed, and also allow proper dis-persion and solution of these materials such that upon cooking they will achievQ the proper bite resistance and meltability which is necessary for a realistic sim~lation of natural adipose tissue.
It is presently believed that water contents of from 10% to about 50% based on the total system weight can be employed with suit-able result~ depending upon the type and concentration of the other ingredients. Typically, and preferably, the water contents will range from about 15% to about 35% basis the total system weight. Best results to date have been achieved where the fat content in the simulated adipose tissue range~ from about 40% to about 50% based on ~he total system weight, and the water content îs in the rang~ of from about 50% ~o about 60% based on the weight of the matrix phase alone prior to any dehydration during processing.
Various flavorings, nutritional supplements and color-ings can also be included within the simulated adipose tissue of this invention. These additives can be either water-soluble or fat-soluble or can be employed in components which will reside in both of the phases in the Einal product. Flavoring materials can include various sugars such as sucrose and dextrose, in the form of cane sugar, beet sugar, corn syrup, and brown su~ar; salt; black pepper; white pepper; red pepper; natural and artificial bacon and other meat flavors; maple flavoring; smoke; hydrolyzed vege-table protein; monosodium glutamate; coriander; mace; nutmeg;
rosemary; sage; sodium inosinate; sodium guanylate; and the like.
These optional flavoring and colorin~ materials can be added in amounts effective to impart the flavor and color desired for the type of simulated adipose tissue desired to be duplicated. Typi-cally, the flavoring materials will be present at a level of less than 20%, preferably from about 10 to about 16%, based on the total wet weight of the adipose tissue formulation prior to heat setting. Parts of this proportion o~ flavoring materials, it must be recognized, is not flavoring material as such but only dispersants or carriers, such as fats and carbohydrates, for the various flavorings employed. It is necessary therefore to select 1avoring materials which do not themselves or by virtue of a car-rier, dispersent or diluent with which they are combined, deleteri-~9!9~77 ously affect either the processing or the final product character-istics of the simulated adipose tissue.
The process or preparing the simulated adipose tissue according to the present invention necessarily employs a series of steps and a set of conditions effective to provide fat glob-ules of the desired size and uniforrnity, and a suitably function-al matrix pbase, which together will result in an organoleptical-ly pleasing end product having the desired fat simulating proper-ties. Essentially, the process involves, in its broadest aspects, the preparation of a two-phase system having fat globules, having an average diameter ranging from about 10 microns to about 120 microns, uniformily dispersed throughout a matrix phase comprised of an aqueous mixture of a heat coagulable component and a water-soluble3 film-forming component; and heating the resulting two-phase system to coagulate the heat coagulable comp~nent and there-by stabilize the two phases into a simulated adipose tissue In preparing the simulated adipose -tissue, the matrix phase is preferably completely mixed prior to addition to and mix-ing with the fat phase. Typically, the dry ingredients, except for the gelatin, are dry blended to form a uniform mixture prior ; to the addition of water. Gelatin, if it is employed, is first dissolved in water by warming to a temperature effective to cause ~omplete solution of the gelatin and is then cooled to 40C. for addition to the dry ingredients to form the complete matrix form-ing slurry. Where gelatin, or a similar material which dissolves difficultly and non-wniformily is not employed, the water is directly added to the dry ingredients for blending to obtain a uniform mixture in the matrix forming slurr~. To this ma~rix ~ 5~7 forming slurry, the oil is added slowly while mixing. The mixing is continued only so long as is necessary, and only a~ a shear intensity sufficient to obtain the preferred cell size.
The fat cell size in the simulated adipose tissues sys-tem is dependent upon the viscosity of the matrix forming slurry assuming constant mixin~ conditions. The fat cell siæe can be decreased by increasing viscosity and ean be increased by decreas- r in~ viscosity. It appears that slurries of high viSCQsity pre-vent coalescence of fat particles, and fat particles are broken 10 up more readily by high sheer during mixing. It appears further that fa~ cell size can be controlled more easily by formulation modi~ications than by altering process conditions. Gelatin has a pronounced effect upon slurry viscosity. Tests indicate on the other hand that the concentration of egg white and caseinate do not show a significant effect on final slurry viscosity. And, while the concentration of oil significantly affects final slurry viscosity, there does not seem to be a significant correlation between oil concentration and fat cell size. This is apparently due to dependence of the oil concentra~ion on the water level.
20 At concentrations of oil of abQve about 60%, undesirable webby structures have been experienced. This structure indicates that the dispersion of fat ~lobules approaches phase inversion, that is, the oil-in-water dispersion approaches the point of inversion to a water~in oil emulsion. In these samples exact fat cell size measurements are not possible. It has also been noticed that there is some correlation between the water level and fat cell size. This is probably due to -the effect of the viscosity as mentioned previously in view of the fact that there was a very ~ 22 -significant negative correla~ion betw~en the water level and Vi5-cosity.
Mixing to cause dispersion of the fat wi~hin the aque-ous matrix forming material is preferably accomplished at near room temperature, with temperatures of from about 20C. to about 40~C. being preferable. When normally solid fats are employed which crystalize at or slightly below the mixing temperature, caution should be taken to àvoid storage or holdin~ of the unheat-; set dispersion of oil in matrix former at temperature5 below the mixing temperature because the cell structures may break due tofat crystallization at these lower temperatures. ~lowever, once the slurry is se~ by heat, the heat coagulated simulated adipose tissue is very stable. The heat set material can be stored in a freezer or a refrigerator. In fact, ~he heat set product is freeze thaw stable and can survive repeated cycles of freezing and thawing.
The degree of mixing will also effect the degree of air incorporated into the product. Because air incorporation may cause textural and processing anomalies, it is not desired to have any significant amounts of air incorporated. Accordingly, densities greater than about 0.85, preferably greater than 0.95, and mQSt preferably greater than 1.00~ gram per cubi~ centimeter are preferred.
The density becomes especia~ly imp~rtan-t in the prepara-tion of layered products where each layer of slurry must support the weight of the next sucessive layer during processing prior to heat setting. Where any appreciable difference in densities oc~
curs, an undesirable, uncontrolled mixing of the layers can occur.
Thus, the mixing should not be too vigorous for the reason stated wi~h regard ~o fat globule size control and also so that air in-corporation is maintained at a min-imum. As a precaution during processing, the slurry can he subjected to a deaeration procedure prior to final forming and heat setting.
Another importan~ slurry parameter is that of vis-cosity. The viscosity should be maintained within certain pre-ferred ranges to ob~ain optimum mixing and forming. Preferably, the viscosity will range from about 1 x 10~ to about 50 x 106 centipoises as measured by a Brookfield* viscometer fitted with a helipath stand and using a T-B spindle at five RPM at 25C. While it may be possible to employ viscosi~ies out~ide this preferred range with specifi~ formulations and under specific processing schemes, slurries having viscosi~ies within these ranges have produced the best results to date and should be adapta'ble to con-tinuous processing without causing difficulties in process con-trol.
Due to the functionalty of the various preferred ma~rix forming materlals, as well as the desired tas~e to be ul~imately achieved in the final product, it is preferred to maintain the slurry pH at a value of from above about 4.5 to below 8Ø Most preferably, the pH of the slurry will fall within the range of from about 5.0 to about 6.0 and -thereby closely approximate the pH o natural meaty materials.
~ fter preparation of the slurry containing the aqueous matrix forming materials having the fat dispersed therein~ the *Trademark 57~
slurry can be heat set into any desirable ~orm. In certain embodi-ments it may be desirable to simply layer ~he material on a sup-porting surface and subject it to heat for coagulation, the co-agulation occurring prior to a subsequent shaping operation such as by cuttin~. This type of procedure would be preferred where the simulated adipose tissu~ were to be cut into chunks and then employed a~ discreet pieces within a ma-trix of a red phase sim-ulating material such as in a sausage analog of the type des-cribed in U.S. Patent 3,~22,352 to Tewey et al. Therein is dis-closed a sausage analog having at l~ast three distinct phases: acontinuo~s gel phase, a substantially discontinuous at phase, and a discontinuous chewy proteinaceous phase. The simulated adi-pose tissue of this invention can be employed in a product of that type a~ the substantially discontinuous fat phase. In other em-bodiments, such as in the production of a bacon analog as is described in U~S. Patent 3,840,677 to Leidy et al, or U.S. Patent 3,999,474 to Sienkiewicz et al, the white or fat phase prepared in accordance with the present invention can be layered prior to coagulation alternatively with the red or meat phase component of the type described in those patents. In the preparation of bacon analogs in this manner, the total layered product would then be heat set after layering is completed~
Heat setting can be accomplished in any manner using any suitable device for heating the material to an internal temper-ature of above about 140F. for a period of time effective to co-agulate the matrix orming material. The heat setting shoul~, however, be done under conditions which will not allow excessi~7e drying of the product at this stage in processing. Heat set-ting 7~
chambers of -the type disclosed in ~he above identified Sienkiewicz et al. patent will be useful in obtaining proper results. In lts simplest form, heat setting can be accomplished by layering the simulated adipose tissue slurry into a pan either with or without added red phase material to o~tain a to~al product thickness of about 1 to 1 1/2 inches and then cooking this material in a steam chamber not substantially above atmospheric pressure ~or about 45 minutes.
After heat setting, the simulated adipose tissue can be cut or sliced into the desired product shape and can be marketed as is, ~ter cooking or partially cooking or after incorporation into a composite product. In the specific example o~ a bacon ana-log product of the type disclosed in the Sienkiewicæ et al patent identified above, the processing is carried out exactly as set forth therein as far as the preparation of the meat simulating material and the layerin~ of the meat and fat simulating materials is concerned; however, the simula~ed adipose tissue formulation of this invention is substituted for the fat simulating slurry disclosed by Sienkiewicz et al.
After layering and heat settin~, the bacon analog prod-uct can be sliced and marketed as is~ or it can be subjected to varying degrees of frying. The term frying is used in this con-text mainly because this stage of production approximates the product qualities attained by frying natural bacon. The frying operation employed from the commercial production standpoint, how-ever, need not be frying in the conventional sense of heating the product in hot oil, but includes various heating or cooking opera-tions conducted at elevated temperatures (e.g. from about 300~ to - ~6 ~
i'77 400F.) which can reduce the product moîsture content to the desired de~ree. The bacon analog can be completely fried, to a moisture content of from about 2 to 8%, preferably 2% to 4%; but, preferably, the product is partially fried to reduce the moisture content to from about 10 to about 25%, most preferably about 20 to 25%. Prior to or after this partial cooking or frying, the product can be sprayed or otherwise coated with oil where i~ is to be marketed for final preparation by oven baking. However, where the product is to be marketed for preparation by pan fry-ing, the oil treatment is unnecessary be~ause the ultimate con-sumer will add oil to the frying pan during home preparation.
Moreover, as compared to the prior art products, the coating with oil even or oven preparation can be dispensed with if desired due to the desired, limited oil release properties of the simu-lated adipose tissue of the present invention.
The simulated adipose tissue disclosed herein is not restricted in usage to situations where the final product is frie~, but may include usages with meat or meat simulating pro-tein products prepared according to a variety sf procedures which are capable of cooking under a number of different conditions.
For example, one possible product would be a roast beef or other meat simulating product having textured protein chunks or slices prepared in accordance with the teachings of such patents as Atkinson in U.S. Patent 3,488,770 or Feldbrugge et al in U.S.
Patent 3,886,299, or Hayes et al in U.S. Patent 3,886,298. To obtain the composite product, the tex-tured protein pieces could be simply fabricated into a loaf-like portion having the simw-lated adipose tissue of this in~ention applied to the pieces as a 57~
slurry such that upon heat setting, the simulated adipose tissue would bind the pieces together and form a unitary structure hav-ing a marbling characteristic similar to that of a high quality natural mea~ product. Alternatively~ the textured protein pieces produced according to the above referenced patents or o-ther tech-niques known to the art such as spinning, can be fabricated with chunks of the simulated adipose tissue prepared in accordance with the present invention and held to~ether by a distinct binder medium such as one based upon egg albumin or other gelable pro-tein as is known in the art.
The following examples are presented for the purpose off~rther illustrating and explaining the presen~ invention and should not be taken as limi~ing in any regard. Unless otherwise indicated, all parts and percentages are by weight~
EXAMPLE I
A series of simulated adipose tissue products according to this invention were prepared having the formulations indicated in Table I below. In each case 3 the dry ingredients other than gsla~in were blended in a Hobart* mixer (S quart) for 10 minutes at speed 1. In a separate vessel, water and the gelatin were mix-ed, and the ~elatin dissolved by warming to 75C. followed by cool-ing to ~0C. To the dissolved aqueous gelatin solution, maple flavor was added and the combined mixture was further mixed for 15 minutes at speed 1 in a 5 quart Hobart~ mixer. To the result-ing solution, the additional dry ingredlents were added and mixed for an additional 10 minutes at speed 1 followed by the addition of the bacon flavor which was added and mixed for 10 minutes at ~~Trademark 1~9~77 speed 2. Af~er ~omplet$ mixing of this matrix phase, the oil was added slowly while mixing at speed 2 for a total mixing time of 10 minutes, The resulting slurry was transferred to a pan (6 inches x 10 inches x 2 inches) and cooked in a steam chamber at atmospheric pressure for 45 minutes. The samples were cooled to room temperature to allow uniform slicing. The thus heat-set, cooled slab was then sliced with a Hobart~ rneat slicer to a thick-ness of 1/16 inches and fried in an electric frying pan with 30 milliliters of soy bean oil at 177C. for from about 3 to 10 minutes to obtain ~he optimum browni~g and textural character-istics.
Each ~f these samples were subjected to expert panel evaluation to judge: (1) the amount of the oil release from the tissue upon eating, and ~2~ the overall eating characteristics as compared to real bacon. The line captioned "Amount Moisture Release" re~lects the sensory perception of the property of juici-ness or oil release from the product as compared to what would be expected from natural bacon which was assigned a value of 2Ø
No moisture release would have a value of 0. The line captioned "Overall" shows the net overall sensory propèrties of fried bacon fat in comparison to the net overall sensory properties of the test samples. Natural bacon fat would rank 1 and very unsatis-factory products being grossly different than bacon would have a rating of 3.
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A bacon analog containing the simulated adipose tissue of the present invention is prepared having the following formu-lation:
Ingredlents Red Phase ~%) ~lite Phase (%) Water 45.5 23.6 Vegetable Oil 18.3 47.2 Soy Isolate~
(Promine DS) 13.7 --Textured Protein 4.6 --Egg Albumin 7.4 12.7 Gelatin -- 2.0 Whey Protein Concentrates (Enpro) -- 1.1 Flavor ~ color 10.S 13.4 The red phase, or meat simula~ing phase wa~ prepared by mixing all dry ingredients in a Hobart~ 5 quart mixer for ten minutes on speed l, adding the water at 7~aF~ and continuing to mix at speed l for another 20 minutes, and adding oil and bacon flavor and mixing an additional 15 minutes on speed 1.
The white, or simulated adipose tissue, phase is pre-pared in accordance with the procedure outlined in Example I.
The two phases were then layered alternatively to form a slab having 40% white phase and 60% red phase to a depth of about l inch. This material is then heat set as set forth in Example I.
EXAMPLE III
A further sample of sîmulated adipose tissue is pre pared according to the procedure of Example I, but this time 30 employing the following formulation:
Ingredient Percent Gelatin - Type B (240 bloom) 4.0 Egg Albumin 6.0 ~9~
(Continued~
Sodium Caseinate 1.0 Durkex* 500 hydrogenated vegetable oil 44.0 Water 30.0 Spices and flavors 15.0 This sample is very similar to natural bacon fat upon frying.
EXAMPLE IV
A salami analog is prepared employing the red phase formulation and process according to Example II and the simulated adipose tissue formulation and process according to Example III.
After heat setting the white phase as in Example it was cut into pieces varying in rough dimension from about 1/4 inches to about 1/16 inches and dispersed within the unheat set red phase slurry at a weight ratio of red to white 70:30. The material was then stuffed lnto a 2 inch sausage casing and heat set as in Example I.
EXAMPLE V
Pieces of beef ~lank steak, naturally deficient in adipose tissue, are cut in-to slices about 1/4 inch thick diagon-ally to the alignment of muscle fiber~. These pieces are mixed with the simulated adipose tissue formulation of Example III
(except for the substitution of a beef flavor for the spice and flavor mix) at a weight ratio of 85 parts bee~ to 15 parts simu-lated adipose tissue. The mixture is then layered and pressed into a baking pan sufficiently to remove air pockets. The produc~ is then heated to an internal temperatwre of 70C. by microwave oven.
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In an alternative procedure, the beef pieces are dusted with dry egg albumin prior to mixing wi-th the simulated adipose tissue system, and the weight ra-tio is altered to 90 parLs beef to 10 parts simulated adipose tissue.
EXAMPLE Vl ~ simulated s~eak is prepared from a f~eeze aligned soy protein product, a simulated bone, and the simulated adipose tissue system of this invention.
To prepare the freeze aligned textured soy protein produ~t having highly-oriented, well-defined fibers, a soy milk is used as a protein source. The soy milk is prepared by soaking 600 grams of soy beans overnight in water, changing the water several times. The soaked beans are then hot ground with boiling water, the water being present at a 10:1 ratio with regard to the soy beans. The resulting slurry is heated to boiling and held there for 15 minutes and filtered through a double layer of cheesecloth. The residue on the cheesecloth is discarded and the level of solids in the supernatant is determined. The pH of the supernatant is then adjusted ~o 7.5 using 2N sodium hydroxide, and an antioxidant is added to the supernatant at a level equiva-lent to 0.02% of the fat content. Because full fat soy beans are employed, the fat content of the supernatant is about 1/4 the weight of the solids present. The soy bean milk is then placed in an aluminum pan to a depth o about one inch. The pan is placed on a block of dry ice ~-76C.) which cxtends across the entire bottom surface of the pan. Unidirectional ice crystals, ~ubstantially perpendicular to the bottom of -the pan, are genera-ted. The mass is comple-tely frozen in about 30 minutes. The mass is then freeze dried immediately ~o prevent change of the crystalline formation of the ice crystals. After freeze drying, the fibrous structure is stabilized by heat treating with moist heat at 15 psig for about 10 minutes. The heat set fibrous mass is then rehydrated, flavored and colored by soaking in water containing red dye and bee~ flavoring for about 20 minutes.
This textured soy protein material is then placed in a pan and suitably arranged with a simulated bone of dried protein-aceous and farinaceous materials (natural bone can also be em-ployed~ to simulate the arrangement found in a porterhouse steak.The voids between the pieces and the peri~eter of the assembly are then filled with the simulated adipose tissue formation of Example V and heat set as in Example V.
The above description is intended to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present invention and does not attempt to describe in detail all those modifications and varia-tions of the present invention which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure. It is intended, however, that all such obvious modifications and variations be included within the scope o~ the present invention which is defined by the following claims.
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O O ~-1 ~r~ r~ d 1~ 3 O ^1 EXAMPLE II
A bacon analog containing the simulated adipose tissue of the present invention is prepared having the following formu-lation:
Ingredlents Red Phase ~%) ~lite Phase (%) Water 45.5 23.6 Vegetable Oil 18.3 47.2 Soy Isolate~
(Promine DS) 13.7 --Textured Protein 4.6 --Egg Albumin 7.4 12.7 Gelatin -- 2.0 Whey Protein Concentrates (Enpro) -- 1.1 Flavor ~ color 10.S 13.4 The red phase, or meat simula~ing phase wa~ prepared by mixing all dry ingredients in a Hobart~ 5 quart mixer for ten minutes on speed l, adding the water at 7~aF~ and continuing to mix at speed l for another 20 minutes, and adding oil and bacon flavor and mixing an additional 15 minutes on speed 1.
The white, or simulated adipose tissue, phase is pre-pared in accordance with the procedure outlined in Example I.
The two phases were then layered alternatively to form a slab having 40% white phase and 60% red phase to a depth of about l inch. This material is then heat set as set forth in Example I.
EXAMPLE III
A further sample of sîmulated adipose tissue is pre pared according to the procedure of Example I, but this time 30 employing the following formulation:
Ingredient Percent Gelatin - Type B (240 bloom) 4.0 Egg Albumin 6.0 ~9~
(Continued~
Sodium Caseinate 1.0 Durkex* 500 hydrogenated vegetable oil 44.0 Water 30.0 Spices and flavors 15.0 This sample is very similar to natural bacon fat upon frying.
EXAMPLE IV
A salami analog is prepared employing the red phase formulation and process according to Example II and the simulated adipose tissue formulation and process according to Example III.
After heat setting the white phase as in Example it was cut into pieces varying in rough dimension from about 1/4 inches to about 1/16 inches and dispersed within the unheat set red phase slurry at a weight ratio of red to white 70:30. The material was then stuffed lnto a 2 inch sausage casing and heat set as in Example I.
EXAMPLE V
Pieces of beef ~lank steak, naturally deficient in adipose tissue, are cut in-to slices about 1/4 inch thick diagon-ally to the alignment of muscle fiber~. These pieces are mixed with the simulated adipose tissue formulation of Example III
(except for the substitution of a beef flavor for the spice and flavor mix) at a weight ratio of 85 parts bee~ to 15 parts simu-lated adipose tissue. The mixture is then layered and pressed into a baking pan sufficiently to remove air pockets. The produc~ is then heated to an internal temperatwre of 70C. by microwave oven.
*~rademark 7~
In an alternative procedure, the beef pieces are dusted with dry egg albumin prior to mixing wi-th the simulated adipose tissue system, and the weight ra-tio is altered to 90 parLs beef to 10 parts simulated adipose tissue.
EXAMPLE Vl ~ simulated s~eak is prepared from a f~eeze aligned soy protein product, a simulated bone, and the simulated adipose tissue system of this invention.
To prepare the freeze aligned textured soy protein produ~t having highly-oriented, well-defined fibers, a soy milk is used as a protein source. The soy milk is prepared by soaking 600 grams of soy beans overnight in water, changing the water several times. The soaked beans are then hot ground with boiling water, the water being present at a 10:1 ratio with regard to the soy beans. The resulting slurry is heated to boiling and held there for 15 minutes and filtered through a double layer of cheesecloth. The residue on the cheesecloth is discarded and the level of solids in the supernatant is determined. The pH of the supernatant is then adjusted ~o 7.5 using 2N sodium hydroxide, and an antioxidant is added to the supernatant at a level equiva-lent to 0.02% of the fat content. Because full fat soy beans are employed, the fat content of the supernatant is about 1/4 the weight of the solids present. The soy bean milk is then placed in an aluminum pan to a depth o about one inch. The pan is placed on a block of dry ice ~-76C.) which cxtends across the entire bottom surface of the pan. Unidirectional ice crystals, ~ubstantially perpendicular to the bottom of -the pan, are genera-ted. The mass is comple-tely frozen in about 30 minutes. The mass is then freeze dried immediately ~o prevent change of the crystalline formation of the ice crystals. After freeze drying, the fibrous structure is stabilized by heat treating with moist heat at 15 psig for about 10 minutes. The heat set fibrous mass is then rehydrated, flavored and colored by soaking in water containing red dye and bee~ flavoring for about 20 minutes.
This textured soy protein material is then placed in a pan and suitably arranged with a simulated bone of dried protein-aceous and farinaceous materials (natural bone can also be em-ployed~ to simulate the arrangement found in a porterhouse steak.The voids between the pieces and the peri~eter of the assembly are then filled with the simulated adipose tissue formation of Example V and heat set as in Example V.
The above description is intended to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present invention and does not attempt to describe in detail all those modifications and varia-tions of the present invention which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure. It is intended, however, that all such obvious modifications and variations be included within the scope o~ the present invention which is defined by the following claims.
Claims (18)
1. A process for preparing a simulated adipose tissue system having a density greater than about 0.85 g/cc comprising:
a) preparing an aqueous matrix former comprising;
31-18% dry weight, based on the total system weight, of a heat coagulable component selected from the group con-sisting of egg albumin, blood albumin, starches, dextrins, dextrans, peanut protein isolates and soy protein, and at least 2% dry weight, based on the total system weight, of a water-soluble film-forming component selected from the group consisting of gelatin, carrageenan, milk whey protein, water-soluble caseinate, partially gelatinized col-logen, caseinate hydrolysates, methyl-cellulose and hydroxy-propyl cellulose b) admixing 30-60% fat, based on the total weight of the system, with the aqueous matrix former, said fat having a melting point below 40°C;
c) dispersing the fat uniformly throughout the aqueous matrix former to obtain a slurry of fat in matrix former, said slurry having a viscosity of about 1 x 106 to 50 x 106 centipoises and to obtain discrete fat globules having an average diameter within the range of from about 10 to about 120 microns, substantially enveloped by the aqueous matrix former; and d) subjecting the resulting dispersion to a temperature and for a time effective to coagulate the aqueous matrix former.
a) preparing an aqueous matrix former comprising;
31-18% dry weight, based on the total system weight, of a heat coagulable component selected from the group con-sisting of egg albumin, blood albumin, starches, dextrins, dextrans, peanut protein isolates and soy protein, and at least 2% dry weight, based on the total system weight, of a water-soluble film-forming component selected from the group consisting of gelatin, carrageenan, milk whey protein, water-soluble caseinate, partially gelatinized col-logen, caseinate hydrolysates, methyl-cellulose and hydroxy-propyl cellulose b) admixing 30-60% fat, based on the total weight of the system, with the aqueous matrix former, said fat having a melting point below 40°C;
c) dispersing the fat uniformly throughout the aqueous matrix former to obtain a slurry of fat in matrix former, said slurry having a viscosity of about 1 x 106 to 50 x 106 centipoises and to obtain discrete fat globules having an average diameter within the range of from about 10 to about 120 microns, substantially enveloped by the aqueous matrix former; and d) subjecting the resulting dispersion to a temperature and for a time effective to coagulate the aqueous matrix former.
2. A process according to Claim 1 wherein the water is employed at a level of from 10 to 50% based on the total system weight.
3. A process according to Claim 2 wherein the water is employed at a level of from 15 to 35% based on the total system weight.
4. A process according to Claim 3 wherein the fat is employed at a level of from 40 to 50% based on the total system weight and the water is employed at a level of from 50 to 60%
based on the weight of the second phase.
based on the weight of the second phase.
5. A process according to Claim 3 wherein the fat has a melting temperature below 25 C.
6. A process according to Claim 3 wherein the pro-duct density is greater than about 0.95 grams per cubic centi-meter.
7. A process according to Claim 6 wherein the product density is greater than about 1.0 grams per cubic centi-meter.
8. A process according to Claim 6 wherein the pH is within the range of from 4.5 to 8Ø
9. A process according to Claim 8 wherein from 6 to 14% of the heat coagulable component is employed based on the total system weight.
10. A process according to Claim 9 wherein the heat coagulable component comprises at least 3% based on total system weight of a protein selected from the group of egg albumin, blood albumin, and mixtures of these.
11. A process according to Claim 10 wherein the water-soluble, film-forming, component comprises from 1 to 5% gelatin based on total system weight.
12. A process according to Claim 11 wherein the pH is within the range of from 5.0 to 6Ø
13. A process according to Claim 1 which includes the further step of:
heating the simulated adipose tissue for a time and at a temperature effective to reduce the moisture content in the final product to from 10 to 25%.
heating the simulated adipose tissue for a time and at a temperature effective to reduce the moisture content in the final product to from 10 to 25%.
14. A process according to Claim 13 wherein the mois-ture content in the final product is from 20 to 25%.
15. A process according to Claim 1 which includes the further step of:
heating the simulated adipose tissue to fully cook it and thereby reduce its moisture content to 2 to 8%.
heating the simulated adipose tissue to fully cook it and thereby reduce its moisture content to 2 to 8%.
16. A process according to Claim 15 wherein the mois-ture content is reduced to 2 to 4%.
17. A simulated adipose tissue system when made by the process of Claim 1.
18. A cooked simulated adipose tissue when made by the process of Claim 15.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US755,538 | 1976-12-30 | ||
| US05/755,538 US4324807A (en) | 1976-12-30 | 1976-12-30 | Simulated adipose tissue |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1099577A true CA1099577A (en) | 1981-04-21 |
Family
ID=25039582
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA292,623A Expired CA1099577A (en) | 1976-12-30 | 1977-12-07 | Simulated adipose tissue |
Country Status (15)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US4324807A (en) |
| AT (1) | AT361281B (en) |
| BE (1) | BE862464A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1099577A (en) |
| CH (1) | CH635490A5 (en) |
| DE (1) | DE2757082A1 (en) |
| ES (1) | ES465619A1 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2375831A1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB1560178A (en) |
| IE (1) | IE46015B1 (en) |
| IT (1) | IT1092181B (en) |
| LU (1) | LU78789A1 (en) |
| NL (1) | NL7714509A (en) |
| PT (1) | PT67468B (en) |
| SE (1) | SE7714686L (en) |
Families Citing this family (27)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATE8006T1 (en) * | 1980-07-10 | 1984-07-15 | General Foods, Limited | SIMULATED FAT TISSUE AND METHOD FOR ITS PRODUCTION. |
| JPS61231967A (en) * | 1985-04-04 | 1986-10-16 | Ajinomoto Co Inc | Food with low fat |
| US4904496A (en) * | 1988-01-11 | 1990-02-27 | Thomas J. Lipton, Jr. | Low-fat processed meat products |
| NZ232312A (en) * | 1989-03-07 | 1992-07-28 | Snow Brand Milk Products Co Ltd | Marbled meat: injected with cold emulsion of protein and fat |
| JPH0646926B2 (en) * | 1989-08-24 | 1994-06-22 | 雪印乳業株式会社 | Low-calorie meat product and manufacturing method thereof |
| US5100688A (en) * | 1990-02-23 | 1992-03-31 | Cox James P | Saccharide/protein gel |
| US5213829A (en) * | 1990-02-23 | 1993-05-25 | Lipidyne Corporation | Meat products containing artificial edible adipose and methods of making |
| US5211976A (en) * | 1990-02-23 | 1993-05-18 | Lipidyne Corporation | Method of preparing artificial adipose |
| US5219599A (en) * | 1990-02-23 | 1993-06-15 | Lipidyne Corporation | Artificial adipose |
| GB9017800D0 (en) * | 1990-08-14 | 1990-09-26 | Unilever Plc | Moisture barrier and its preparation |
| JPH0622472B2 (en) * | 1990-09-28 | 1994-03-30 | 雪印乳業株式会社 | Fat substitute for food |
| US5494688A (en) * | 1991-05-07 | 1996-02-27 | Rich Seapak Corporation | Method of preparing a food product encased in an artificial skin and product thereof |
| IE922194A1 (en) * | 1991-07-05 | 1993-01-13 | Commw Scient Ind Res Org | Gelled food products |
| US5676987A (en) * | 1994-11-23 | 1997-10-14 | Swift-Eckrich, Inc. | Low-fat meat analogues and methods for making same |
| US5773057A (en) * | 1996-06-26 | 1998-06-30 | Swift-Eckrich, Inc. | Low-fat ground meat products |
| US20050089623A1 (en) * | 2001-10-03 | 2005-04-28 | Fannon John E. | Puffed protein based snack food |
| US20050112271A1 (en) * | 2003-11-26 | 2005-05-26 | Ron Pickarski | Meat alternative |
| US20050202151A1 (en) * | 2004-03-15 | 2005-09-15 | Land O'lakes, Inc. | Method of preparing egg nuggets |
| US7713571B2 (en) * | 2004-03-15 | 2010-05-11 | Michael Foods, Inc. | Egg nuggets |
| US20050220979A1 (en) * | 2004-04-02 | 2005-10-06 | Craig Baumer | High soy protein nuggets and applications in food products |
| KR100905027B1 (en) * | 2007-10-03 | 2009-06-30 | (주)씨엘팜 | Edible Film |
| US20140220217A1 (en) | 2011-07-12 | 2014-08-07 | Maraxi, Inc. | Method and compositions for consumables |
| KR102381965B1 (en) | 2013-01-11 | 2022-04-04 | 임파서블 푸즈 인크. | Methods and compositions for consumables |
| AU2015240911B2 (en) | 2014-03-31 | 2018-11-08 | Impossible Foods Inc. | Ground meat replicas |
| CN116075236A (en) * | 2020-06-04 | 2023-05-05 | 优玛罗食品公司 | Food similar to meat and seafood of whole muscle |
| WO2023039248A1 (en) * | 2021-04-20 | 2023-03-16 | Umaro Foods, Inc. | Food products resembling whole muscle meat and seafood |
| WO2023194619A1 (en) | 2022-04-07 | 2023-10-12 | Suprême | An edible food product with a meat-like texture at low and high temperature and production method thereof |
Family Cites Families (10)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR1193976A (en) * | 1959-11-05 | |||
| US2440168A (en) * | 1944-12-08 | 1948-04-20 | Tobin Packing Co Inc | Meat product and process of making the same |
| GB881397A (en) * | 1957-03-27 | 1961-11-01 | Willy Pfaff | Method of improving the dietetic value of foodstuffs containing fat |
| US3108873A (en) * | 1960-09-12 | 1963-10-29 | Pillsbury Co | Meat-like product and process |
| US3434843A (en) * | 1967-03-08 | 1969-03-25 | Pillsbury Co | Stable food pieces |
| US3658550A (en) * | 1969-10-16 | 1972-04-25 | Ralston Purina Co | Method for producing an artificial adipose tissue |
| US3840677A (en) * | 1972-03-22 | 1974-10-08 | Gen Foods Corp | Bacon-like meat analogs |
| US3851083A (en) * | 1972-10-25 | 1974-11-26 | Pillsbury Co | Process for forming stable food pieces |
| US3999474A (en) * | 1973-09-10 | 1976-12-28 | General Foods Corporation | Apparatus for producing a meat analog |
| FR2245301A1 (en) * | 1973-09-28 | 1975-04-25 | Pillsbury Co | Simulated nut product mfr. - by hydrating film-forming substance with water- immiscible fluid and drying mixed dispersion |
-
1976
- 1976-12-30 US US05/755,538 patent/US4324807A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1977
- 1977-12-07 CA CA292,623A patent/CA1099577A/en not_active Expired
- 1977-12-13 IE IE2528/77A patent/IE46015B1/en unknown
- 1977-12-15 GB GB52261/77A patent/GB1560178A/en not_active Expired
- 1977-12-21 DE DE19772757082 patent/DE2757082A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1977-12-22 SE SE7714686A patent/SE7714686L/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1977-12-26 FR FR7739197A patent/FR2375831A1/en active Granted
- 1977-12-28 PT PT67468A patent/PT67468B/en unknown
- 1977-12-28 IT IT52396/77A patent/IT1092181B/en active
- 1977-12-29 BE BE183962A patent/BE862464A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1977-12-29 LU LU78789A patent/LU78789A1/xx unknown
- 1977-12-29 NL NL7714509A patent/NL7714509A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1977-12-30 ES ES465619A patent/ES465619A1/en not_active Expired
- 1977-12-30 AT AT945077A patent/AT361281B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1977-12-30 CH CH1626577A patent/CH635490A5/en not_active IP Right Cessation
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB1560178A (en) | 1980-01-30 |
| SE7714686L (en) | 1978-07-01 |
| ES465619A1 (en) | 1978-09-16 |
| CH635490A5 (en) | 1983-04-15 |
| IE46015B1 (en) | 1983-01-26 |
| FR2375831B1 (en) | 1980-08-22 |
| ATA945077A (en) | 1980-07-15 |
| PT67468A (en) | 1978-01-01 |
| FR2375831A1 (en) | 1978-07-28 |
| PT67468B (en) | 1979-05-25 |
| BE862464A (en) | 1978-04-14 |
| DE2757082A1 (en) | 1978-07-13 |
| IT1092181B (en) | 1985-07-06 |
| IE46015L (en) | 1978-06-30 |
| LU78789A1 (en) | 1978-07-11 |
| US4324807A (en) | 1982-04-13 |
| NL7714509A (en) | 1978-07-04 |
| AT361281B (en) | 1981-02-25 |
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