AU596801B2 - Method of processing meat and products made therefrom - Google Patents

Description

r COtrMIONWEALTHi OF AUSTr1P.LIA Form IRe ulation 13 (2) PATENTS ACT, 1952 COtfPLETE SPECIFICATION bv UP

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE; Short Titlei Int. Cl., A'ppli-catiofl 'urber.A Lodged Complete fSpecification-Lo~qed, AQaepte1 Lapsedi PublisheO.

I Priority; o a Related Arti 7 ,W W: Id I i ell ,i 1, t 1, 9 111 Lf C 1'.

TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLIC;21T -'Nam~e of Applicant.

Adldress of Applicant., iZctual Inventori DALLAS CHAPMAN 200 UNION STREET, THlE JUNCTION, NEWCASTLE, N.S.W. 2300.

DALLAS CHAPMAN Address for Service3 R URS- CAViF-r Patent and., Trze- Mark- V_ Au AteA-kttorneys,j 1 ,I~fr'.d 8treety Sydneyy -New- S-South Walesy Anitralla r 23W)Qr complete Specification for the invention entiteel: "METHOD OF rROCESSING MEAT AND PRODUCTS MADE THEREFROM" The folloTincr statement is a full description of this invention, including the best metb-od of performing it known to mei- -1- ASC-49 i -2- The present invention relates to a commercially viable r athod for extracting a substantial portion of the fat and cholesterol components from meat, and to a meat product which has substantially reduced fat and cholesterol components.

Medical research has shown that a heavy consumption of fats and cholesterol in the diet can contribute to heart disease, obesity and other ailments. In response, the public has to an extent turned away from the consumption of red meat to alternative sources of protein such as those found in white meats or vegetables.

Not only has red meat lost popularity as set out above, but 4 6 ,I also meat products, such as sausages and hamburger meat, have become regarded as undesirable in certain diets, because such products are traditionally high in fat and o *i ea cholesterol and are generally not recommended for persons suffering from heart disease, obesity and other ailments.

The present invention seeks to substantially overcome the problems now associated with a diet high in fats and cholesterol by providing a meat product having substantially o reduced portions of fat and cholesterol compared With prior meat products and a method of making such a meat product.

Essentially, the invention is based on the discovery that treatment of meat with ultraviolet light and comminution with acid, salt, iced water and food phosphates results in separation of a substantial portion of fat and cholesterol I Urr -3from the protein, resulting in a product which can still have the appearance of raw meat.

This discovery is surprising in the light of the prior art.

It has been common practice for about forty years to expose meat to ultraviolet light in order to permit aging of freshly-killed meat while inhibiting bacterial growth. Oee, for example, the discussion in US Patent No. 4,233,323 (Sway).

At the same time, there have been disclosed a number of processes in which meat is comminuted with all or some of acid, salt, iced water and food phosphates, for various purposes. For example, in US Patent No. 3,565,637 (Artar), °S o° olean meat muscle is mixed with fat, salt and iced water and abraded to produce a stable emulsion in which the fat is 4 4 coated with protein and spread throughout the product, resulting in a high fat product.

In US Patent No. 3,740,235 (Weiner), large lean uncooked beef muscle chunks are mixed with salt, water, binder and, optionally, phosphates and cooked. In this process, it is preferred to add the water in the form of ice to eliminate °4o all evidence of fat separation. In addition, it is apparently necessary to heat the mixture to around 100 degrees F. to bind the product together.

*ue Similarly, US Patent No. 3,033,687 (Harper) mixes comminuted meat with water (optionally as ice with salt and food acid as further options) to result in a product in which the fat I -3ais retained. US Patent No. 3,447,932 (Olsen) mixes meat with potassium chloride, water, phosphates and, optionally, ascorbic acid, and chills the mixture to produce a product similar to that of Artar in that there is no fat separation.

It was unexpected that prior exposure of the meat to UV light, followed by comminution in the presence of food acid, salt, phosphates and iced water, would result in separation of a substantial portion of the fat and cholesterol, as in the present invention.

Moreover, the product of the present invention, in one embodiment, remains essentially a raw meat product. It has the appearance of clean, wholesome meat in a finely minced condition, but lacks the characteristic flecks of white fat and gristle normally encountered in hamburger mince, for example.

0 9 0 0 The raw meat product of the invention has the advantage of being self-binding and so there is no need to add carbohydrates traditionally used for binding, in order to 9 form hamburger patties, for example. It has an attractive 0o o 20 colour and consequently there is no need to add artificial 0,0 colouring. It has a surprisingly long shelf life. For 0 0* example, some samples of the raw product can last three months or longer under normal refrigeration.

o Any variety or combination of spices can be added and mixed with the meat to suit consumer taste.

The meat product of the invention is ideally suited to -3bencasing in skins and, as it is self-binding, needs no additional binding agents. Encased meat products are commonly called "smallgoods" and prior art smallgoods have been notoriously high in fat and cholesterol. It is in the area of manufacturing low fat and low cholesterol smallgoods that the present invention has particular relevance.

In addition, it has been found that when mutton is treated in accordance with the method of the present invention its characteristic flavour and odour is removed to give! a relatively bland product which may be spiced or flavoured as required.

In one broad aspect of the present invention there is 4, provided a method for extracting a substantial portion of fat and cholesterol components from meat, comprising the steps of: o os 6 o exposing a thin layer of meat to ultraviolet light; and comminuting the meat in a chilled bowl with the addition of a quantity of iced water, edible acid salt and food phosphates until the substantial portion of fat and cholesterol separates from the meat ma;,3 and adheres to the inner surface of the chilled bowl.

a 4 Preferably, the meat is minced and loosely packed on a tray, to a maximum thickness of 25 mm, before exposure to the ultraviolet light.

Preferably, the bowl is kept at a temperature of -10° to L -3c- +100 and. between 1 and 5 litres of iced water, 50 100 gm acetic acid in the form of food grade vinegar, 100 200 gm salt (NaCI) and 20 50 g EMULKUT (Trade Name) (edible phosphates) are added during the comminution step for every kg of trimmed meat.

In a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a raw meat product free of added carbohydrates, artificial colourings and artificial preservatives wherein the fat portion is reduced to 1 2% and the cholesterol portion is reduced by 10 60% from the levels present in the trimmed meat.

Examples of an edible acid are acetic acid and citric acid.

a The present invention will be further described by reference s 64 to the following non-limiting examples.

440 Three 10 kg samples of fresh raw minced mutton were taken o t 0 0 t 0 0 o ad 0 4 71 /r

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2 after boning and trimming but before any further processing took place.

Sample 1 was left as a standard Sample 2 was then treated as in Example 1 Sample 3 was then treated as in Example 2 Example 1 A single low intensity ultraviolet germicidal lamp of 2220 microwatts/cm 2 at 25mm rating, catalogue number G24T7H was used and a tray of loosely packed meat of maximum thickness 25mm, spread out on a metal tray 28cm x 50cm, was placed below the lamp. The long axis of the tray was under the lamp S and the meat was exposed to the ultraviolet lamp for 12 hours.

2 The meat sample 2 was placed in a rotating bowl ("silent S cutter") previously chilled to 30C. 3.5 litres of iced water and 50 gm of acetic acidXwere added to solubilize the globulin a mss and the meatAe-t comminuted for about 2 minutes. A 100gm of salt and 25 gm of a food phosphate EMELKOT (Trade name) (a S mixture of sodium tripolyphosphate, tetra sodium pyro phosphate and meta phosphate) were then added to solubilize the meat 2C protein and to enhance the self binding properties of the meat mass and the mixture comminuted for a further three minutes.

Fat and water insoluble vitamin D3 adhered to the inner S surface of the bowl and the meat mass was removed.

Example 2 Three high intensity ultraviolet germicidal lamps of 8350 microwatts/cm 2 at 25mm rating, catalogue number G36T15N were spaced, at 150mm centres, 60mm above a loosely packed layer of meat of maximum thickness 25mm spread out on a metal tray. The

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5 'irT S1 4ultraviolet lamps were enclosed in a reflective metal shield x 110cm x 10cm) and formed an enclosed metal chamber with the meat tray. The meat was exposed to the ultraviolet lamps for six minutes. The meat sample was placed in a rotating bowl ("silent cutter") and comminuted with the same addition of iced water, acetic acid, salt and EMELKUT as set out in Example 1 above.

It was found that the temperature of the meat rose 4-50C during the commminutinq step and partly for this reason the bowl is kept cold. Later tests showed that when meat was treated at ambient temperature (250C) it failed to self-bind o' and the meat juices ran out during cooking.

The extracted fats and converted cholesterol products can be scraped from the inner surface of the container and discarded.

Samples 2 and 3 were taken from the meat mass following the comminuting step and their fat and cholesterol levels were 0 3 analysed and compared with the levels of fat and cholesterol in o 0 0 S the untreated Sample 1 as set out below in Table 1.

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TABLE I Moisture 111/r Fat rn/r Ash rn/i Protein m/m, Cholesterol ing/iQO Total Energy Kilojoules/lO 0gm: Leg Lamb* Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3 64.0 74.5 81.5 75.1 18.0 5.1 0.8 1.0 2.0 18 .0 19 .3 15.4 22.2 380 291 311 Total energy Kiloj oules/lO 0gm, *Taken from Geigy FAT X 37 PROTEIN X 17 Scientific Tables o 0 0 0 c 0 0 0 0 04 *40 9

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The method of the presentAitetesa was then tested on Smallgoods:- Bologna, English sausages and Round Steak (hamburger meat) and the results are set out in Table 2.

TABLE 2 (Geigy Scientific Tables) crude K cal K joule fat Bologna 27.50 304 1270 (standard) Treated by 1.19 71 297 13 the method of the present invention English Sausage 32.10 372 1560 S (standard) Treated by 1.00 82 340 the method of ,o the present invention o 0 0 0 Cholesterol Round Steak (Standard) 19.50 196 820 0.12 Treated by 0.40 73 309 0.021 the rnmthod of the present invention It can be seen from Tables 1 and 2 that the method of the present invention is effective in substantially reducing the 7 portions of fat and cholesterol in meat and in addition lowering the level. It has been found over a number of tests on different kinds of meat that the fat level in meats after trimming can be reduced to 1-2% and the cholesterol level reduced by a further 10-60% from the levels present in the trimmed meat.

The meat product of the present invention requires no added starch binder to hold it together and can be formed into smallgoods hamburger steaks, rib eye, cutlets and schnitzels.

Additional flavourings in the form of spices can be added during the comminuting step so that the meat product can be S directly formed into smallgoods.

I=t o--oonvert: the aholester-o-l t;O 4/ t precursor 7 dehydrocalciferol by a balanced reversible/ reaction, and then by a balanced reversible heat r ction to a vitamin D3 cholecalciferol component into inso.,ble vitamin D3.

Whilst the process is not fully under ood, scientific 0 S opinion suggests that the binding and ooth texture of meat products formed by exposure of the eat to ultraviolet light is o o.

2., 0 due to polymerisation of the un aturated fats and fatty acids caused by free radicles gen ated by the ultraviolet light I which is similar to pol erisation of acrylics and vinyl compounds.

The creatio of free radicles stops immediately the ultraviolet ght is switched off. Free radicles have an incredibf short life, %about a nanosecond), and recombine to for ormal valencies or rearrange to form a more stable 1ee~cucth-&ou-fa-o eh=,g gg~lbed- 8 It will be understood that modifications to the method can be made for example the intensity of the ultraviolet rays, their height above the layer of meat, the period of time of exposure of the meat to ultraviolet rays, the thickness of the meat, whether the meat is minced or thinly sliced, the type of edible acid used and the quantity of water, edible acid, salt and edible phosphates used can all be varied, without departing from the. scope of the present invention.

The method of the present invention is applicable to the processing of meats of ovine, bovine and swine as well as poultry and sea food. In addition it has been calculated that mass processing of meat on a moveable conveyor would be possible using a bank of high intensity ultraviolet lamps of 8350 microwatts/cm 2 at 25mm ratinq, catalogue number G48T15N, positioned at 60mm centres in individual reflectors so as to fully cover a layer of loosely packed meat of maximum thickness spread out on a tray. The lampsq1e4-qr placed 25mm above the layer of meat and the meat exposed to the lamps for three 2-Q minutes.

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Claims (10)

1. A method for extracting a substantial portion of the fat and cholesterol components from meat comprising the steps of: exposing a thin layer of meat to ultraviolet light, Os-. comminuting said meat in a chilled bowl with the addition of a quantity of iced water, edible acid, salt and food phosphates untila qut~i-L=.- of fat and cholesterol rmaSS separatesfrom the meateemit, s and adheres to the inner surface of the4e&- bowl.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said bowl is kept at a temperature of -10o to +10oC; between 1 and litres of iced water; 50-100gm of edible acid; 100-200gm salt and 20-50gm edible phosphates are added during the comminuting step for every 10kg of trimmed meat used.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the layer of meat is of 25mm maximum thickness.

4. A methc.3 as claimed in claim 3 wherein the ultraviolet light is of low intensity. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the ultraviolet Slight is of high intensity.

6. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the edible acid is acetic acid.

8. A meat product free of added carbohydrr artificial colourings and artificial presery es wherein the fat portion is reduced to 1-2% an e cholesterol portion is reduced by

10-60% fro e levels present in the trimmed meat. C- 10 7. A method as claimez-- in any one of claims I to 6, wherein the meat is minced before exposure to the ultraviolet light. 8. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the meat is derived from the group comprising ovine meat, bovine meat, swine, poultry and seafood. 9. A meat product produced by the method claimed in any one of claims I to 8. A raw meat product free of added carbohydrates, artificial, colourings and artificial preservatives wherein the fat portion is reduced -to 1 2% and the cholesterol portion is reduced by 10 60% from the levels present in *get the trimmed meat.

11. A meat product as claimed in claim 10, wherein the meat is derived from the group comprising ovine meat, bovine meat, swine, poultry and seafood.

12. A cooked meat product prepared from the raw meat product as claimed in claim 10 or 11.

13. A r.othod as claimed in claim 1, substantially as herein 0 40 described with reference to Example I or Example 2. 0 Dated this 23rd day of February, 1990 DALLAS VARNEY CHAPM4AN By his Patent Attorney KERRY MOORE C1HRYSILIOU o f CHRYSILIOU MOORE CHRYSILIOU