Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Surface coated – fluid encapsulated – laminated solid... – Animal meat derived component
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-03
2001-05-01
Corbin, Arthur L. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Surface coated, fluid encapsulated, laminated solid...
Animal meat derived component
C426S140000, C426S250000, C426S657000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06224919
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a flat edible food film based on collagen and to a foodstuff comprising said film.
Collagen is the generic term for a family of proteins which can be found in any multicellular organism. To date, about 20 different types of collagen have been described in literature. From the conformational standpoint this variety is the result of the combination of triple helical domains with globular, non-helical domains. As a consequence of the structural differences on the molecular level, the individual types of collagen aggregate into different macroscopic structures. Therefore, literature differentiates between a group of “fibril forming collagens” and other collagens (e.g. fibril associated collagens, collagens forming sheets, beaded filaments or anchoring fibrils).
Edible collagen films are well known in the art. They are used world-wide as edible wrappings of food like, for example, ham, poultry and fish products. The preparation of such collagen films has been described, for example, in DE 642 922 or DE 19970403. Their application as edible wrappings for food has been addressed, inter alia, in DE 19 45 527. Their use in wrapping meat products is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,014,024 and CA-1.253.387 teaches the use of these collagen films for wrapping fish products.
Collagen films with specific additional functions and, therefore, containing functional ingredients incorporated into the basic film, are known from DE-PS 970 263 (film containing soluble colourants and/or soluble aroma components) and WO 95/17100 (collagen film with finely ground spices embedded as integral ingredients).
The collagen films mentioned above represent tools which have provided significant improvement and help in a vast variety of food manufacturing processes. However, there are still processes in food industry which, to date, must be considered unsatisfactory. One of such example is the manufacture of “Black Forest ham”, a product most popular in the Canadian food market. The problematic step in the manufacturing process of Black Forest ham is the blackening of the surface of the processed meat.
At present, different blackening technologies are applied by the different manufacturers. Some use high density pine needle and pine wood smoke. This method, however, creates deposits of tar and creosote which build up in the smoke generators and houses, causing serious fire hazards. Moreover, the black coating formed on the product has a tendency to leach into the vacuum package when stored in refrigerated condition.
An effective, but for obvious reasons unpopular method, is to dip the netted hams into beef blood and bake the blood onto the hams. By the additional treatment with high density, high humidity smoke the desired black outer coating forms on the surface of these hams.
Most Canadian companies are known to use hot caramel solution to blacken their hams. However, numerous negative side effects are related with the application of this method:
in general, the hot solution is applied in refrigerated production areas causing condensation of steam and rise of temperature in such zones;
as the netted hams have to be submerged completely in the hot caramel solution, the operator dipping the hams experiences discomfort to his glove protected hands. In contact with skin and nail beds the caramel acts as a colourant;
after the dipping step the hams are placed on smoke racks where 50% of the caramel coating tends to drip off. This run off ends up on the floor and in the drain causing an extra load on the waste water treatment system, not to mention the expense related with this loss of caramel solution;
the hot caramel solution has the tendency to migrate into the meat As a consequence, when the finished product is sliced the outer layer of the ham shows a smudgy dark half inch ring which looks anything else but attractive; and
when handled by the counter staff or when in contact with other meats in the counter the black coating of the ham comes off. This causes very messy working conditions and contamination of other deli products as well as the slicing equipment.
In the Canadian market more than 50% of the hams are sold as half hams (cut in half after processing). However, to date there are no “Black Half Hams” available since the present manufacturing methods do not permit to market such a product. The Black Forest ham, cut in half and vacuum packed, would have the fresh cut surface spoilt with black caramel, making the product look messy.
Another technique applied to blacken a ham wrapped with an edible collagen film is to dip the netted ham into the solution of a specific kind of liquid smoke (Maillose, supplied by Red Arrows) and, in a second step, expose the product for six hours to a high humidity dense smoke. The resulting product, however, does not truly fulfil the criteria of a Black Forest ham. At best, the surface may be called “brown” or “dark greyishbrown”. In addition, in the smoke cycle a huge excess of smoke must be applied which is very costly to the operator and smoking has always some environmental restrictions.
Therefore, there is a need of a simplified manufacturing process which overcomes the above-mentioned limitations in processing Black Forest ham or other foodstuffs with a black outer coating.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The goal of the present invention is, therefore, to develop a modified edible flat collagen film suitable to simplify the manufacturing process for Black Forest ham or other foodstuffs with a black outer coating and to improve the adherency of the black coating to the products concerned.
This requirement is met by a newly developed black edible flat collagen film which, before processing, can be wrapped around the foodstuff to be blackened and which after processing remains on the outer surface of the finished product as an integral product component, thus providing said product with a black surface. The resulting product does not “leach out under vacuum” and does not contaminate neither slicing equipment, hands of service personnel nor other meat products which it may get in contact with in the deli counter. Finally, making use of the invention the manufacturing process is revolutionized by eliminating messy dipping procedures with colouring solutions and avoiding the need of rigorous smoke treatments.
The invention refers to a flat black edible film based on collagen comprising (a) a collagen substrate, and (b) at least one black pigment, wherein the wall thickness of the film is equal or lower than 40 microns and the concentration of said pigments is between 2% and 40% by weight based on dry collagen, preferably, between 5% and 15% by weight based on dry collagen.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The collagen substrate is based on fibril forming collagens, regardless of the origin of the tissue from which the collagen is recovered. However, there are sources which are particularly favourable for the recovery of collagen from the point of view of availability, tissue architecture and economy. One of such sources is bovine hide. For this reason, the examples presented below are based on the use of bovine hide collagen. However, it must be emphasised that the invention is not limited to bovine collagen nor to the use of native collagen since chemically or enzymatically modified fibril forming collagen(s) can also be suitable substrates.
Black pigments useful for the present invention should meet the three basic requirements for the colour component of a black edible collagen film used in the manufacture of foodstuffs with a black outer coating. Said requirements are:
it must comply with the applicable legal food regulations;
it must not get extracted from the collagen film during foodstuff processing or during storage in the vacuum package; and
it must not transmit any strange sensorial properties to the final product.
Any black pigments which meet the above mentioned requirements can be used in the manufacture of the film provided by this invention. Representative of said pigments are black iron oxide pigments, carbon
Göhrig Mathias
Maser Franz
Peiffer Bernd
Corbin Arthur L.
Naturin GmbH & Co.
Notaro & Michalos P.C.
LandOfFree
Black collagen flat film and foodstuff coated therewith does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Black collagen flat film and foodstuff coated therewith, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Black collagen flat film and foodstuff coated therewith will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2457446