Food casing

Details Food casing Food casing

1999-10-08

2001-03-13

Cano, Milton (Department: 1761)

Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products

Meat filled casing, sausage type

C426S135000, C426S127000, C426S250000, C428S034800, C428S036100

Reexamination Certificate

active

06200613

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns a food barrier casing (or wrapping) for food which is boiled, cooked or otherwise heated in the casing, in particular for sausages to be cooked or simmered, ham, pickled products or soft cheese.
In food of this type, a color and/or flavor transfer from the casing to the food is increasingly desired during the cooking or simmering process.
Sausages to be simmered and pickled products to be cooked are still being produced to a large extent, in a more or less country-specific manner, in cellulose fiber casings. This cellulose fiber casing has a high steam and gas permeability in order to smoke the products during the production process.
It is also known to impregnate cellulose fiber casings with liquid smoke in order to shorten the smoking time.
However, due to the steam and gas permeability of the casing, the production of food in a cellulose fiber casing is always associated with a loss in weight, taste and flavor during the production process, during cooling and during storage.
Products produced in the cellulose fiber casing thus have a very short, limited shelf life and must be wrapped a second time as quickly as possible after production by means of a barrier casing to compensate for this disadvantage. A recontamination or reinfection which represents a loss in quality and shortening of shelf life can also not be ruled out with the additional casing and, moreover, involves additional costs.
To avoid the disadvantage of steam and gas permeability, plastic casings were developed, especially for big industry, comprising materials which have a steam and gas impermeability, so-called cook+ship, i.e. cooking and shipping without an additional second casing.
When using plastic casting of this type, there is no loss in weight, flavor and taste during the production process nor during storage and shipping, however, the finished product does not have the typical smoked taste which consumers desire and expect in many products.
The impregnation of pure plastic casings with flavors was also not successful since the plastics used cannot adequately absorb and store impregnating agents, and these are stripped off again during manufacture and when filling the plastic casings, since it cannot be absorbed and stored in a sufficient amount by the plastic layers.
In order to lend the product finished in the plastic casing the desired smoked taste and the typical color, the plastic casing must be removed after the production process and the product smoked in a conventional manner or processed with liquid smoke. In this subsequent process, there is again the possibility of a loss in weight, flavor and taste, in addition to the danger of recontamination and reinfection, and a second casing is again absolutely imperative after the processing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a food barrier casing which exhibits, on the one hand, high density but, on the other hand, also good absorption power and storage capacity for the desired flavors and/or coloring agents and distinguishes itself by a later, sufficient transfer of these substances to the food product.
According to the present invention, this object is solved in that the casing comprises at least one steam and/or gas impermeable foil and has an absorbent inner layer connected therewith comprising individual fibers or a weave, fabric, knit, preferably a fleece, and that this inner layer is impregnated with coloring agents and/or flavoring agents.
First of all, this inner layer has the advantage of a high absorptivity and retainability for the colors and/or flavors. Moreover, tests by the applicant have shown that a substantially improved transfer of these substances to the food takes place during the subsequent cooking or boiling process compared to conventional casings, since the impermeability of the casing vis-á-vis steam, preferably also vis-á-vis gas, prevents the color or flavors from being washed out during the cooking process.
It was suprisingly shown that unusually thin wall thicknesses on the order of several hundredths mm to {fraction (1/10)} mm are already sufficient for the inner layer to absorb the coloring and/or flavoring agents. For this reason, it is especially advantageous if the inner layer comprises individual fibers or a thin fleece. Cotton fibers, cellulose fibers, also regenerated cellulose fibers, viscose fibers or mixtures thereof are recommended as material herefor. An optimum storage capacity for the coloring or flavoring agents is attained thereby with little material inventory.
Advantageously, the inner layer is connected with the casing by lamination and/or coating, so that a one-piece easy-to-handle laminate is obtained. An adhesive can also be used for the connection. Extruded polyethylene in an almost liquid form is especially suitable as adhesive. The absorbent material of the inner layer is laminated to the inner side of the casing by means of this extruded polyethylene.


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