Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Surface coated – fluid encapsulated – laminated solid... – Animal meat derived component
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-07
2001-12-11
Corbin, Arthur L. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Surface coated, fluid encapsulated, laminated solid...
Animal meat derived component
C426S324000, C426S326000, C426S332000, C426S644000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06329003
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to a packaged chicken meat product—either a dressed whole chicken or dressed chicken parts—that is coated with a water solution of sodium diacetate, or solid sodium diacetate in a specified form, to combat and eliminate certain pathogenic bacteria, and to the process of making such a product.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Chicken production and processing for meat is a large and growing U.S. industry. Profit for processors, however, is not more than a few cents per pound of dressed chicken. The intense competition often leads to hazardous cost cutting that is contrary to good processing practices as prescribed by government oversight agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food Safety Inspection Service.
Salmonella,
E. coli,
and campylobacter have been clearly identified by many studies made by these government agencies, and by meat processors, as species of pathogenic bacteria that have often been found in chicken meat and have been the cause of food poisoning outbreaks that have affected large numbers of the population, often with many fatalities.
For example, a very significant finding by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga. reports that “illness caused by chickens rose threefold between 1988 and 1992.” And as reported in the Feb. 8, 1998 issue of Consumer Reports, “salmonella and campylobacter cause 1.1 to 7 million food-borne infections and 2000 deaths per year.” Further, as reported in The New York Times of Jan. 5, 1998:
“The [current poultry pathogen hunt carried out by the U.S.D.A.] comes at a time when poultry risks are gaining much media attention. The New York Times and television's Cable News Network in October reported that ‘Campylobacter . . . infects from 70% to 90% of all U.S. chickens. The reports state that the bacteria causes 2 million to 8 million people annually to become ill, and is responsible for 200 to 800 deaths each year.”
An important discovery—the use of sodium diacetate in retarding, inhibiting and preventing the growth and development of microorganisms in foodstuffs—was patented over 50 years ago in U.S. Pat. No. 2,417,806, issued Mar. 25, 1947. However, in every case of external application of the sodium diacetate, the specification of that patent called for the use of an adhesive base, a potentially adhesive base, a colloidal or gelatinous adhesive material, an adhesive suspending medium, a gum, gelatin, a solidifying agent or the like for adhering the sodium diacetate to the meat being treated.
In 1990 a PCT application (that had been filed in Australia with Clarence J. Moye designated as the inventor and the applicant in the United States) was published under International Publication No. WO 90/3118, seeking a patent on the use of sodium diacetate sprayed or dusted—in the form of solid particles—onto the substantially dry surfaces of a meat product.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The food product of this invention comprises dressed chicken meat, either a whole dressed chicken or a dressed chicken part, which has a film or coating of sodium diacetate—either in a water solution or remaining as a solid coating after the drying of such a solution in place on the meat—that extends continuously across the external surfaces of the chicken meat and is substantially free of any adhesive material. The wet coating is retained on the external surfaces of the dressed chicken meat by the surface tension of the sodium diacetate solution after the chicken meat is coated with the solution and is hung freely to permit excess liquid to drain away. If the treated meat remains unwrapped, and the solution is permitted to dry, the sodium diacetate remains on the meat as a dry continuous coating.
In some embodiments of the product of this invention the percentage by weight of the sodium diacetate in the water solution is from about 0.02% to about 0.099% of the weight of the dry dressed chicken meat.
Preferred embodiments of the product of this invention include a removable casing positioned around the dressed chicken meat and the above mentioned coating of sodium diacetate water solution or dry coating of sodium diacetate.
As discussed below, the amount of sodium diacetate present in the product of the invention suitably depends upon the degree of pathogenic bacterial contamination of the chicken meat prior to the application of the sodium diacetate. The sodium diacetate is included in each case in sufficient quantity to preserve the meat from growth of all pathogenic bacteria of the order and species of salmonella,
E. coli,
and campylobacter.
This invention also includes the process of treating a dressed chicken part by the indicated steps, to produce a coated food product as described.
As used in this specification and the appended claims, (1) the term “chicken meat part” includes drumsticks, breasts, wings and backs, (2) the term “adhesive material” includes an adhesive base, a potentially adhesive base, a binder, an adhesive suspending medium, a gum, other adhesive colloidal material, a gelatin or the like for adhering the sodium diacetate to the meat being treated and (3) the term “casing” includes flexible wrappings.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other products, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit of the present invention.
ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
The food product of this invention produces a chicken meat that is totally free of three very dangerous pathogenic bacteria species:
salmonella enterides
and related species;
escheritia coli
0157/H7 and related pathogenic coliform bacteria species; and
campylobacter jejuni
and related pathogenic species.
These are the “pathogenic bacterial species” referred to throughout this specification.
The food product of this invention is storage stable, with no reappearance of the above pathogens when the chicken meat is held under conventional refrigeration (35° to 40° F.) or frozen storage (−10° to 5° F.) in airtight packaging materials such as polystyrene trays wrapped in polyethylene film.
In addition to being free of the three above mentioned types of virulent pathogens, the food product of this invention is characterized by:
the enhancement of the growth of naturally occurring lactobacilli which are beneficial bacteria essential for the digestion of food;
the absence of any deleterious odor or taste in the meat upon preparation and cooking it for eating; and
the absence of any alteration of the natural texture of the meat which would make it less attractive for eating.
The food product of this invention has several very important advantages over known dressed chicken meat products whether whole chicken or parts. Applicants have not only discovered that the sodium diacetate coating contained in the food product of their invention will adhere to the meat being treated without the use of any adhesive material, but in addition they have discovered that in the absence of adhesive material the sodium diacetate is substantially more effective in combatting and eliminating the pathogenic bacteria species in question.
These facts reduce the cost of treating the chicken meat in two significant ways. First, the amount of sodium diacetate required is markedly reduced. Second, the cost of the adhesive material is wholly eliminated. Both these cost savings are important when
Glabe Elmer F.
Shubert Victor H.
Corbin Arthur L.
McKenna Michael R.
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