The present invention relates to a method for preparing food products by means of processing food particles with a gelling agent, comprising the processing steps of: a) providing a food particles; b) providing a viscous gelling agent; c) treating the viscous gelling agent with an acidic buffer solution; and d) bringing at least a part of the food particles in contact with the viscous gelling agent. The present invention further relates to a device for performing this method, to the obtained food product and the use of an acidic buffer solution for stabilizing food products.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing sausage products by means of co-extrusion, wherein the method comprises the following steps of: A) providing a food dough; B) providing a viscous paste; C) producing by means of co-extrusion a sausage strand with a core of the food dough enclosed by a casing of the paste; D) subdividing the sausage strand into sausage products; and E) guiding the sausage through a fixing bath, whereby the cohesion of the sausage increases.

The present invention is directed to a process for preparing a food product having a casing, the process comprising the step of applying a casing paste comprising alginate and a sparingly soluble calcium salt by co-extrusion to the exterior of a material to be cased to form a co-extruded product, and contacting the co-extruded product with a solution comprising calcium ions, thereby causing the alginate to gel.

The invention relates to a method for preparing a food product by means of co-extrusion, where a casing composition and a barrier composition are co-extruded as layers upon an edible filler, such that the edible filler is provided with a casing layer and a barrier layer. After co-extrusion, the barrier layer is present between the edible filler and the casing layer. Advantageously, the casing composition includes collagen, a polysaccharide and water. Further, the invention relates to a food product. The food product, for instance a sausage, includes an edible filler, a casing layer, and a barrier layer, where the edible filler is covered by the barrier layer at least partly, and where the barrier composition is coverer by the casing layer at least partly.

The invention relates to an edible tubular collagen film which has a closure at either of their ends. The closure is formed by an edible solid ring-like element which tightens the end portion of casing and seals the outlet of the same, in order to stop the filling mass upon beginning of a sausage stuffing process, whereby in such a process one can rescue the initial filled sausage for its further processing, whereafter the ring disappears. This edible closing element is characterized by being of an edible, and thermoplastic composition, which is preferably based on collagen or gelatine. The solid composition has a low melting temperature and becomes adhesive at fluid state onto the surface of a collagen film which contains a certain level of moisture. The strong cohesiveness of the material of said composition in the fluid state as well as the so narrow difference between its melting temperature and the temperature of solidification, makes that a welding of said material to be set very quickly. The closure can be made before or after the shirring of the collagen casing and the present invention provides also a process to perform such a closure by heat welding the closing element on the casing material.

A coating material for a food product includes a manipulated pH of the environment to produce a coating material that is particularly suitable for use in the extrusion coating of food products.

The present invention provides edible food casing films, a method for producing said edible food casing films, compositions for forming said edible food casing films and the use of said edible food casing films for example as a sausage casing, which food casings are hot water and sodium salt resistant, stable at high temperatures, can be easily shined and are ready to be stuffed with foodstuff, especially by meat, cheese or fish products, but also with vegetarian or vegan foodstuff.

The present invention relates to a method for co-extruding an elongated food product wherein the method comprises measuring the product characteristics of the viscous gelling agent provided and wherein the physical state of the collagen is controlled by balancing the process settings of the at least one subsequent processing step based upon the product characteristics measured.

The invention relates to a method of extruding sleeves extruded of collagen for encasing sausages, wherein a collagen fluid is fed to an extrusion head; the collagen fluid is guided through the extrusion head; and the collagen fluid is discharged from the extrusion head. The invention also relates to an extrusion head for performing such a process as well as a co-extrusion sausage line. Finally also the sleeve extruded with this method or devices is part of the invention.