The invention relates to a foodstuff casing having a textile supporting layer. The textile supporting layer has, on the side facing the foodstuff, an edible, however, essentially water-insoluble coating. The coating contains solid and/or liquid aromatic substances, dyestuffs and/or food flavorings and can be transferred onto foodstuff located inside the casing. An additional layer, largely or completely formed from water soluble material may be advantageously located between the transferable layer and the textile supporting material.

Rigid shirred food casing articles (e.g., shirred sticks of casing material) include a cohesion-enhancing solution applied to at least one surface of the casing material. The cohesion-enhancing solution comprises at least one polysaccharide (e.g., dextrin) and a predominantly non-aqueous solvent (e.g., comprising propylene glycol). The coherency-enhancing solution comprises less than 50 wt. % water. Related methods and compositions are also disclosed.

The invention relates to a cellulose-based food casing comprising alkenyl succinic anhydride and a method for the manufacture of said cellulose-based food casing.

PVC-free decorative surface covering comprising a reinforced layer, said layer comprising a carrier impregnated with a PVC-free paste, said paste comprising from 5 to 50% by weight of a PVC-free polymer blend, from 45 to 90% by weight of one or more fillers and from 0.5 to 12% by weight of one or more lubricants. The PVC-free decorative surface coverings are prepared by a calendering process.

The present invention relates to a composition for shirring artificial casings which allows conferring the casing with a high capacity to cling to the meat paste stuffed therein. The composition of the invention includes at least one heat curable polycationic resinous component, a polyolic component and water, wherein the water activity (aw) index has a value greater than or equal to 0.70. A casing impregnated by said composition, the meat product stuffed in said casing and the method for impregnating the casing with the composition of the invention is also contemplated.

Food casings or packaging impregnated and/or coated on the inside with at least one transferrable coloring and/or flavoring agent are provided. In some embodiments, the coloring and/or flavoring agent includes a hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), optionally an acid-hydrolyzed vegetable protein, a yeast extract, or a combination thereof. Also provided are methods for imparting a color to a food product, which in some embodiments can include maintaining the food product in the food casing or packaging impregnated and/or coated on the inside with at least one transferrable coloring and/or flavoring agent for a time and under conditions sufficient to impart a color to the food product, wherein the coloring and/or flavoring agent includes a hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), optionally an acid-hydrolyzed vegetable protein, a yeast extract, or a combination thereof.

Tubular sausage casings can be prepared from non-animal materials, primarily starches and flours by film-casting followed by gluing with an edible glue composed of konjac and carrageenan. In this way, it has been made possible to prepare non-animal meat casings commercially, that can be used with conventional sausage production technology.

A flexible tubular food casing having a flat support material is provided which, on at least one side, has a continuous coating based on a hotmelt polymer, with the coating preferably situated on the outside. The continuous coating has a weight per unit area of 3 to 200 g/m.sup.2, preferably 15 to 50 g/m.sup.2. The hotmelt polymers have an MVR value in the range of about 25 to 500 cm.sup.3 per 10 min, measured at 190 C. with a load of 2.16 kg. The flexible tubular food casing is suitable as a synthetic sausage casing for raw sausage, scalded-emulsion sausage or cooked-meat sausage.

A novel smokable thermoplastic film, smokable by both liquid smoke and gaseous smoke, that may be produced as a film or a tube, as in a food casing. This newly disclosed film is a blend of a polyamide base, an amorphous polyvinyl alcohol and, optionally, an antiblocking agent.

A dispersion of cellulose fibers, a method of preparing the same and uses thereof. The dispersion is produced by providing a cellulose feedstock comprising cellulose fibers; by providing a mixture of an ionic liquid and a protic antisolvent for cellulose as a dispersion medium, the ionic liquid being selected from the group of protic salts of superbases capable of dissolving cellulose; and by mixing said cellulose feedstock into said dispersion medium so as to disperse the cellulose fibers therein to form a dispersion which is stable for at least 24 hours at room temperature. The dispersion can be used as an additive of cellulose pulps for making of fibrous products.