Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Fermentation processes – Material is mammal or fowl derived
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-03
2004-04-20
Hendricks, Keith (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Fermentation processes
Material is mammal or fowl derived
C426S055000, C426S589000, C426S574000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06723356
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of natural food bases; more specifically, fermented bouillon, and its production methods.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In order to make beef bouillon or consommé from beef, beef bones, and vegetables for hotel, restaurant, and household use, known techniques require anywhere from several hours to over ten hours to complete the extraction process. Furthermore, the production process requires special skills to monitor the progress, including heat adjustment, scum removal, filtration, liquid clarification, and boiling it down to the proper concentration. The skill level of the person preparing the beef bouillon or consommé has a significant impact on product quality, making it difficult to maintain product uniformity. The resulting product has a characteristic tart flavor, and is spiced in a characteristic manner, well known in the culinary arts.
As used herein, a bouillon shall be interpreted to be a generic term encompassing a soup, bouillon, consommé, broth or stock, or other product intended to be consumed as a liquid, without regard for solids concentration. These products are related as follows. A bouillon and broth are respective French and English terms for boiled meat, fowl or fish soup. A consommé is a clarified broth prepared according to a traditional recipe. A stock is a broth which is used as a starting point for recipes.
Imitation meat bouillon products currently on the market have significant deficits as compared to an authentic beef bouillon and consommé, prepared as discussed above. The imitation products derive their flavor from hydrolyzed or fermented vegetable protein or yeast extract (e.g., autolyzed yeast extract), and seasonings. Any meat component of these products is generally not responsible for the principal flavor characteristics of the products. Other additives may also include spray dried extracted soup stock, amino acids, sugars, and salt. The blended dry product is solidified into cubes and put on the market and used as such. A canned product is also available.
Up to the present time, there have not been any dried beef bouillon products with the same high quality as the beef bouillons made by chefs in hotels and restaurants, which uses natural products for all of its main ingredients, such as beef, vegetables, spices, etc., and which remedies product flaws.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an improved quick preparation beef bouillon product comprising a mixture of beef, with added meat extract and/or bone extract, which is subjected to lactic acid fermentation and subsequent dehydration. Preferably, vegetables and spices are also added to the fermentation mixture to achieve a desired flavor profile.
It was previously untenable to store a mixture of beef, with added meat extract and/or bone extract, and optionally vegetables and spices, as the resulting product is unpreserved and would be subject to significant bacterial contamination and proliferation. However, by having the mixture of beef, and meat extract and/or bone extract, undergo lactic acid fermentation, preferably to a relatively complete fermentation, the resulting pH is suboptimal for bacterial proliferation, and preferred nutritional substrates are consumed, making the product less susceptible to contamination and spoilage. Drying the product further improves storage stability, especially in non-aseptic packaging. Thus, the product is relatively safe and may be commercially distributed in retail distribution channels.
While it is well known to preserve products by fermentation, for example lactic acid fermentation, typically a resulting product has a high moisture content and includes salt as a preservative to counteract its high water activity. Cured meat products such as sausage typically also include nitrates and nitrites as preservatives, which adds sodium and have a characteristic flavor. Thus, the product according to the present invention differs from previously known fermented meat products. See, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,110,510, 6,103,282, 6,077,546, 5,486,367, 4,759,933, 4,587,127, 4,432,997, and 4,411,991, expressly incorporated herein by reference.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, finely chopped beef is mixed with meat extract, for example from livestock, poultry, seafood, etc., and/or bone extract, vegetables, and spices. The mixture then undergoes lactic acid fermentation. The lactic acid fermentation is used to develop a ripe, rich, and intricate flavor. The product is formed into thin sheets to enhance a dehydration process. After it is dehydrated, the dried material is ground to produce a quick preparation dried beef bouillon product. The present invention provides an easy-to-prepare beef bouillon of consistently high-quality, which can be made by adding the dry products to boiling water, and boiling for a few minutes (1-3 minutes).
It was confirmed that bouillon could be easily produced from the dried product in a short period of time, having a genuinely mature, rich, and intricate flavor. The present invention therefore fulfills its goals of reducing both the required skills and required time for producing bouillon.
Mixed bouillon products emulating a consommé, made from dried beef powder to which such ingredients as beef extract powder and vegetable powder, and possibly lactic acid for tartness, are simply added, have no balance between taste and aroma, lack natural smoothness, and the product quality differs from that of beef bouillon or consommé made according to traditional cooking techniques.
The starting material beef employed in the present invention preferably is provided raw and unprocessed, although various preparation processes may be employed before mixing with the extract. The meat extract and/or bone extract employed in the present invention can be in liquid, powdered, or other form. The vegetables can be in the form of vegetables, vegetable juice, vegetable extract, vegetable extract powder, etc., and the spices can be in the form of spices, spice extract, etc.
According to a preferred method, the mixed ingredients are formed into thin sheets, after they are mixed and/or undergo lactic acid fermentation, in order to improve the drying efficacy during the dehydration process. Of course, various drying methods are available, and thus the desired or optimal form factor will vary in dependence thereon.
A preferred embodiment of the invention provides a dried beef bouillon whose main ingredient is beef and whose taste, aroma, and color is adjusted as desired, for example by altering the amounts of added meat extract and/or bone extract, and/or vegetables, and/or spices, controlling fermentation conditions, and/or the addition of fermentable sugars prior to or during fermentation. A target flavor profile is a traditionally prepared consommé, although it is understood that different flavor profiles may be targeted and emulated as desired.
It is also possible to age the product according to the present invention, for example by delaying dehydration after fermentation. Other known processes may be employed, for example before or after fermentation, or after drying. In particular, the dry product may be employed in subsequent processes to produce useful foodstuffs, either as a replacement for bouillon or consommé in traditional recipes, or in new recipes. It is noted that, since the product is dry, the reconstitution concentration may be adjusted according to the intended use. Likewise, in some cases, a clear broth is desired, and therefore the insoluble portion is retained, while in other cases, the product is used as a flavoring and/or aroma enhancing agent, and the insoluble portion may be consumed. A preferred method for retaining the insoluble portion is by using a paper or non-woven fabric filter, particularly filter materials which are water permeable, which readily allow extraction with hot water. In the former case, the preferred filter is a basket filter, while in later case, the preferred filter is a closed water permeable bag containing the dry produ
Ariake Japan Co.
Hendricks Keith
Milde & Hoffberg LLP
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