GR1009321B - Food products based on thermally-treated and slow-maturation meat - Google Patents

Abstract

Meat-based food products characterised by reduced animal fats and improved taste, texture and appearance and more precisely food products containing a quantity of thermally-treated meat and an efficient quantity of slow-maturation meat are disclosed. A method for the preparation of said food products is also presented herein.

Description

PRODUCTS BASED ON HEAT PROCESSED MEAT AND SLOW MEAT

MATURATION

DESCRIPTION

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to foods containing heat-treated meat and slow-maturing meat, in particular to charcuterie products containing an amount of meat and an amount of prosciutto, where this product has a reduced percentage of animal fat, improved taste and is suitable for people who pay attention to their diet or follow a diet plan, and a method for making these products.

PRIOR ART

Meat-based cured meats usually consist of a mixture of muscle, giblets and animal fat. Animal fats consist of either pork fat or beef fat.

The traditional mortadella is a sausage that contains heat-treated meat and is pink in color, lightly seasoned in a cylindrical shape, and contains cubed pork fat from the neck fat, and/or lard from the back of pigs.

Although these cured meats usually contain the maximum permissible percentage of fat, they have the disadvantage of containing animal fats, the consumption of which is not recommended by doctors. Avoiding the consumption of animal fats actually tends to lower blood cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is the cause of some heart diseases.

Further, in favor of reduced-fat meat products has been a growing body of scientific research showing that excessive consumption of fat, especially animal fat, poses a significant health risk.

In addition, in recent years, consumer preferences and eating habits have changed and meat products with lower fat content have become more popular and demand is increasing in the market.

However, in the case of cured meats containing heat-treated meat, it has been found that a significant reduction in fat content results in the cured meat becoming tough, dry, less sweet, less juicy and clearly less palatable.

In addition to simply increasing the percentage of lean meat, there have been various attempts to make heat-treated meat products with reduced fat. However, the prior art has encountered various problems in making reduced-fat sausages by adding various ingredients.

In the past, reducing fat from meat products has been accompanied by a reduction in quality, as it is difficult to maintain the desired flavor, texture and moisture in reduced-fat or low-fat products.

Although many attempts have been made in the past to overcome the problems associated with reduced-fat meat-based cured meat products, there is still a need for meat-based products and especially cured meat products containing heat-treated meat with less animal fat.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a meat-based sausage product and in particular a sausage product containing heat-treated meat with reduced animal fat and reduced calories per unit weight overcoming the disadvantages of the prior art.

Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a deli food product based on meat and in particular a product containing heat-treated meat with reduced animal fat, which is easily digestible and helps to maintain human health, and which has substantially the same taste, consistency/texture and appearance as the similar traditionally prepared cured meat product.

In accordance with the above objects of the present invention, there is provided a cured meat product, mortadella, based on heat-treated meat with reduced animal fat, which comprises lean pork meat with substantially no visible fat and all the characteristic fat cubes of traditional mortadella have been replaced by an effective quantity of slow-aged meat, such as prosciutto, where the product has improved taste, consistency/texture and appearance from traditionally prepared mortadella.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of preparing a cured meat product, mortadella, based on heat-treated meat with reduced animal fat according to claim 1, which comprises lean meat substantially free of visible fat and all the characteristic cubes of fat thereof of traditional mortadella have been replaced by an effective amount of slow-aged meat, prosciutto, where the product has an improved taste, consistency/texture and appearance from traditionally prepared mortadella, which method includes the following steps:

1) Preparation of the prosciutto: whole pork legs are unpacked after receiving them and weighed and salted by hand with a mixture of spices and then placed in a tumbler for kneading, the opaia is done very slowly and takes a total of 55 hours, where we lose moisture and blood about 5%, after the end of the kneading, the pork legs are stored in suitable perforated casings and elastic netting for extra pressure and placed on metal grids to exert further pressure, which helps to lose moisture during its maturation, then by in the first ripening phase, the legs enter the first ripening chamber at a predetermined temperature of about 4 - 6°C and humidity of about 65 - 75%, where we have a moisture loss of about 20% and after the first phase is over, the product goes to the second phase, where we have further moisture loss of about 5% but also the characteristic red color of the prosciutto is achieved and subsequently the prosciutto goes into the third phase where it is left at a temperature of about 15 - 17°C and a relative humidity of about 70-75% until it loses a further about 7 - 10% of moisture, and at the end of the third phase and after all the desired moisture has been lost , the prosciutto is placed in vacuum bags and stored at a temperature of <5°C.

2) Mortadella preparation process: put the lean, frozen pork meat at a temperature of about -18°C from which fat, tendons, membranes have been previously removed into the cutter, cut the meat until it starts to thaw and its proteins are released of meat creating a cohesive sticky structure of finely chopped lean meat, mix this mixture in the cutter-mixer while adding the remaining ingredients, such as salt, phosphates, preservatives and seasonings, and then add the prosciutto, where it is cut into small pieces and mixed until smooth the mixture, the temperature is maintained throughout this homogenization stage below 0°C degrees by adding ice, we fill the mixture with the rest of the water from the total amount of the recipe and when the temperature reaches approximately 6° - 8°C we add the starch, the rest of the spices and the pistachios, stir slowly until the mixture is completely homogenized s into the meat paste, then the mixture is placed in plastic casings by the filling machine with simultaneous application of vacuum and then the product is placed in a rubber net and goes to the ovens where it is baked in the appropriate program until the core temperature reaches about 73.5°C for 30 seconds, then the final meat product is cooled and transferred to storage chambers at a temperature of 0 to 4°C.

Further embodiments of the present invention are defined in claims 2 to 5, and 7.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the following detailed description.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The term "reduced fat", as used in the present invention, refers to meat products having an animal fat content lower than the corresponding traditional high fat meat products, and preferably less] than about 12% by weight of the product .

The object of the present invention is to provide a reduced-fat meat product, which includes heat-treated meat, and which is easily digestible, has fewer calories than traditional sausages, while maintaining the taste, consistency/texture, appearance and the physical properties of these traditional products at acceptable levels.

It has unexpectedly been found that cured meat products, such as mortadella, based on meat with reduced animal fat can be prepared in an industrially economical way using meat from which substantially all the animal fat and all the characteristic fat cubes contained in traditional meats have been mechanically removed. prepared mortadellas have been replaced by an effective amount of slow-aged meat, in particular prosciutto, and so we have meat-based cured meats that have substantially improved taste, consistency/texture and appearance over traditional prepared cured meats.

Prosciutto is a cured meat made from pork leg. It is a slow ripening product and the traditional process of making it can last from nine months to two years, depending on the size of the piece. In the traditional preparation process, the pork is cleaned, salted and left for about two months. During this period it is pressed, gradually and carefully so as not to break its bone, until it drains. It is then washed several times to remove the salt and hung in a dark and well-ventilated place. The best results are obtained in a cold climate. When completely dry, hang in the air, at room temperature or a controlled environment, for up to eighteen months. With this traditional process it acquires the characteristic taste and aroma.

According to the present invention, the mortadella based on thermally processed meat with reduced fat, comprises a mixture consisting of lean meat with essentially no visible fat, and an effective amount of slow-ripened meat, such as prosciutto, where the product has an animal fat content less than 18% by weight of the product, preferably less than 12% by weight of the product, and has improved taste, consistency/texture and appearance like traditionally prepared mortadella with cubes of pork fat.

In one embodiment, the reduced-fat meat-based sausage product with an amount of slow-aged meat according to the present invention is prepared as follows:

1) Preparation of the prosciutto according to the present invention: whole pork legs with strict specifications in terms of weight, the quality of the trimmed fat on the outside and the method of removing the bone, are unpacked after receiving them and weighed. Based on the total kilograms, a mixture of spices is prepared.

Salting is then done by hand on each leg and then they are placed in a tumbler for kneading. This is done very slowly and takes a total of about 55 hours. As a result of the slow kneading, the salt penetrates to the heart of the meat and helps to remove moisture and blood, which is weighed and recorded. The loss of moisture and blood is of the order of about 5%.

After the end of the kneading, the pork legs are stored in suitable perforated casings and elastic netting for extra pressure. Finally, the product is placed with the help of a special machine on metal grids to exert further pressure, which helps in the loss of moisture during its ripening.

In the next step, the legs are hung on carts with an arrangement that allows the air to hit them from all sides and enter the first curing chamber at a predetermined temperature of about 4 - 6°C and a humidity of about 65 - 75%. There the product is regularly weighed to determine moisture loss until a total moisture loss of about 20% is reached. This first ripening phase lasts about 30 to 40 days.

After the first phase is finished, the product goes to the second maturation phase, where on the one hand we have a further moisture loss of about 5% but also the reddening of the prosciutto is achieved to acquire the characteristic red color. The temperature in this chamber is high and his stay there lasts about 10 days.

After the second phase is finished, the prosciutto goes into the third aging phase where it is left at a temperature of about 15 - 17°C and a relative humidity of about 70-75% for another about 90 to 100 days until it further loses about 7 - 10% of moisture.

At the end of the third maturation phase and after all the desired moisture has been lost, the prosciutto is placed in vacuum bags and stored at a temperature less than about 5°C. At this stage the prosciutto becomes tender by diffusing the residual moisture throughout the leg. The time of residence in this package is estimated at approximately 30 days.

2) Process for preparing the mortadella according to the present invention: pour into the cutter the lean, frozen pork meat at a temperature of about -18°C from which meat, fat, tendons, membranes have previously been removed. Slice the meat until it begins to thaw and release the meat proteins creating a sticky sticky texture of finely chopped lean meat.

We mix this mixture in the cutter-mixer while simultaneously adding the rest of the ingredients, such as salt, phosphates, preservatives and spices. Then we add the prosciutto prepared according to the present invention at a rate of about 15% to 25% by weight of the product, where it is cut into small pieces and mixed until the mixture is homogeneous. The temperature is maintained throughout this homogenization step below 0°C degrees by the addition of ice. Add to the mixture the rest of the water from the total amount of the recipe and when the temperature reaches approximately 6° - 8°C, add the starch, the rest of the spices and the pistachios. Stir slowly until the mixture is completely homogenized in the meat paste. The mixture is then placed in plastic casings by the filling machine with simultaneous application of vacuum and then the product is placed in a rubber net and goes to the ovens where it is baked in the appropriate program until the core temperature reaches about 73.5°C for 30 seconds. Afterwards, the final meat product is cooled and transferred to preservation chambers at a temperature of 0 to 4°C.

The cured meat products according to the present invention may contain an amount of an ingredient for adjusting the pH of the final product. Traditional cured meats are not very acidic, but are slightly below neutral pH. Since, at a pH lower than 5.5 we do not have good homogenization of the ingredients, nor sufficient moisture, it is preferred that the final meat-based product according to the present invention has a pH below 6.0, preferably around 5.5.

In the products according to the present invention, it is preferred that substantially all of the meat be pork.

Furthermore, the meat products according to the present invention preferably have a fat content of less than 12% by weight.

Also, the meat product of the present invention may also contain other nutritional ingredients, such as ingredients containing calcium or a salt thereof, such as calcium carbonate or calcium chloride, vitamins, minerals, herbs, spices, seasonings and mixtures thereof.

Other ingredients that can be added are seasonings (such as onions, garlic, celery, parsley, spice extracts and paprika), spices (such as pepper, ginger sage, thyme, marjoram, fennel), seasonings, water, antioxidants (such as butyl- hydroxy-anisole (BHA), butylated-hydroxy-toluene (BHT), citric acid, propylgallate), diluents (such as grains, grain derivatives, vegetable protein texture, milk derivatives), flavor enhancers (such as MSG, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, autolysate extract yeast), sweeteners (such as natural or artificial sugar, dextrose, synthetic sweeteners such as cyclamate), coloring agents (such as paprika), tobacco, curing agents (such as sodium nitrite alone or in combination with sodium erythorbate, or sodium ascorbate) and vitamins.

The following examples describe preferred embodiments according to the present invention without limiting the scope or spirit of the invention:

EXAMPLES

Example 1: Composition of 1 grilled mortadella with prosciutto

The meat product of composition 1 is prepared according to the following preparation method:

1) Preparation of the prosciutto: whole pork legs with strict specifications in terms of weight, the quality of the trimmed fat on the outside and the way the bone is removed, are unpacked after receiving them and weighed. Based on the total kilograms, a mixture of spices is prepared.

Each leg is then salted by hand and then placed in a tumbler for kneading that lasts a total of 55 hours, where we have a moisture and blood loss of about 5%.

After the end of the kneading, the pork legs are stored in suitable perforated casings and elastic netting for extra pressure. Finally, the product is placed with the help of a special machine on metal grids to exert further pressure, which helps in the loss of moisture during its ripening.

In the next step, the legs are hung on racks with an arrangement that allows the air to hit them from all sides and enter the first ripening chamber at a predetermined temperature (4 - 6°C) and a humidity of 65 - 75%. There the product is regularly weighed to determine moisture loss until a total moisture loss of about 20% is reached. This first ripening phase lasts about 30 to 40 days.

After the first phase is finished, the product goes to the second phase, where on the one hand we have a further moisture loss of 5% but also the characteristic red color of the prosciutto is achieved. The temperature in this chamber is high and his stay there lasts about 10 days.

After the second phase is finished, the prosciutto goes into the third phase where it is left at a temperature of 15 - 17°C and a relative humidity of 70-75% for another approximately 90 to 100 days until it loses a further 7 - 10% of moisture, which is determined by regular measurements. At the end of the third phase and after all the desired moisture has been lost, the prosciutto is placed in vacuum bags and stored at a temperature of <5°C. The time of residence in this package is estimated at approximately 30 days.

2) Process of preparing the mortadella: pour into the cutter the lean, frozen pork meat at a temperature of about -18°C from which fat, tendons, membranes have been previously removed. Slice until the meat starts to thaw and release the proteins creating a sticky sticky texture of finely chopped lean meat.

We mix this mixture in the cutter-mixer while simultaneously adding salt, phosphates, preservatives and seasonings. Then we add the prosciutto prepared as above at a rate of about 21% by weight of the product, where it is cut into small pieces and mixed until the mixture is homogeneous. The temperature is maintained throughout this homogenization step below 0°C degrees by the addition of ice. Add the remaining water from the total amount of the recipe and when the temperature reaches approximately 6° - 8°C, add the starch, the rest of the spices and the pistachios. Stir slowly until the mixture is completely homogenized in the meat paste. Next, the mixture is placed in plastic casings by the filling machine with the simultaneous application of a vacuum, and then the product is placed in an elastic net and goes to the ovens where it is baked in the appropriate program. Afterwards, the final meat product is cooled and transferred to preservation chambers at a temperature of 0 to 4°C.

Reduced-fat and prosciutto-added mortadella prepared according to Example 1 was compared to a traditionally prepared mortadella with the characteristic fat cubes and found to be palatable with improved appearance, texture and odor compared to traditionally prepared mortadella with the characteristic cubes of fat.

The heat-treated meat-based product according to the present invention, due to the addition of prosciutto, is "lighter" and basically easier to digest, and contains valuable proteins and minerals.

While the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (7)

1. A cured meat product, mortadella, based on heat-treated meat with reduced animal fat, which comprises lean meat with essentially no visible fat and all the characteristic fat cubes of traditional mortadella have been replaced by an effective amount of slow-aged prosciutto meat, where the product has improved taste, consistency/texture and appearance from traditionally prepared mortadella. 2. The meat product according to claim 1, which further comprises an amount of a pH adjusting ingredient, such as phosphates, and wherein the pH is below 6.0 and preferably is about 5.5. 3. The meat product according to claim 1, wherein the meat is all pork. The meat product according to claim 1, wherein the prosciutto comprises about 10% to 25% by weight of the product. 5. The meat product according to any preceding claim, further comprising ingredients such as salt, water or ice, collagen emulsion, potato starch, preservatives, stabilizers and seasonings. 6. A method of preparing a cured meat product, mortadella, based on heat-treated meat with reduced animal fat according to claim 1, which comprises lean meat substantially free of visible fat and all the characteristic cubes of fat of traditional mortadella have been replaced by an effective amount of meat slow ripening, prosciutto, where the product has an improved taste, consistency/texture and appearance from traditionally prepared mortadella, which method includes the following steps: 1) Preparation of prosciutto: whole pork legs are unpacked after receipt and weighed and salted by hand with a mixture of spices and then placed in a tumbler for kneading, which takes a total of about 55 hours, where we have a moisture and blood loss of about 5% , after the end of the kneading, the pork legs are stored in suitable perforated casings and elastic netting for additional pressure and placed on metal grids to exert further pressure which acts as an aid to the loss of moisture during its maturation, then during the first phase of maturation the legs enter the first ripening chamber at a predetermined temperature of about 4 - 6°C and a humidity of about 65 - 75%, where we have a moisture loss of about 20% and after the first phase is finished the product goes to the second ripening phase, where we have a further loss of moisture about 5% but also achieves the characteristic red color of the prosciutto and then the pros it goes into the third ripening phase where it is left at a temperature of about 15 - 17°C and a relative humidity of about 70-75% until it further loses about 7 - 10% of moisture, and at the end of the third phase and after all the desired moisture, the prosciutto is placed in vacuum bags and stored at a temperature below approximately 5°C. 2) Mortadella preparation process: put the lean, frozen pork meat at a temperature of about -18°C from which fat, tendons, membranes have been previously removed into the cutter, cut the meat until it starts to thaw and its proteins are released of meat creating a cohesive sticky structure of finely chopped lean meat, mix this mixture in the cutter-mixer while adding the remaining ingredients, such as salt, phosphates, preservatives and seasonings, and then add the prosciutto, where it is cut into small pieces, and mix until until the mixture is homogenized, the temperature is maintained throughout this homogenization stage below 0°C degrees by adding ice, we add the rest of the water from the total amount of the recipe to the mixture and when the temperature reaches approximately 6° - 8°C add the starch, the rest of the spices, the peppercorns and the pistachios, stir slowly until completely homogenization of the mixture into the meat paste, and then the mixture is placed in plastic casings by the filling machine with the simultaneous application of vacuum, and then the product is put into a rubber net and goes to the ovens where it is baked in the appropriate program until the core temperature reaches about 73.5 °C for 30 seconds, then the finished meat product is cooled and transferred to storage chambers at a temperature of 0 to 4°C. 7. A method of preparing a product based on thermally processed meat according to claim 6, where the first phase of curing the prosciutto lasts about 30 to 40 days, during the second phase of curing the temperature in the chamber is high and the product stays there for about 10 days, the third maturation phase lasts for an additional approximately 90 to 100 days and during the final stage the time the prosciutto remains in the package is estimated at approximately 30 days.