A meat quality improver is disclosed. The meat quality improver makes it possible to produce processed meat food products having a tender, juicy texture, and chewy fleshiness, even when meat such as farm-animal meat and fish meat is subjected to processing such as thermal cooking. The meat quality improver contains flour. A method for improving meat quality is disclosed, which includes a treatment of the meat with the meat quality improver containing flour when manufacturing the processed meat food products to obtain processed meat food products having a tender, juicy texture, and chewy fleshiness, even when meat such as farm-animal meat and fish meat is subjected to processing such as thermal cooking.

A meat quality improver is disclosed. The meat quality improver makes it possible to produce processed meat food products having a tender, juicy texture, and chewy fleshiness, even when meat such as farm-animal meat and fish meat is subjected to processing such as thermal cooking. The meat quality improver contains flour. A method for improving meat quality is disclosed, which includes a treatment of the meat with the meat quality improver containing flour when manufacturing the processed meat food products to obtain processed meat food products having a tender, juicy texture, and chewy fleshiness, even when meat such as farm-animal meat and fish meat is subjected to processing such as thermal cooking.

The present invention is a food product and a method of creating the food product that satisfies the need for a homogenized dispersion that disperses throughout meat, wherein the particle size of macromolecular ingredients within the dispersion is reduced to form a more stable homogenized dispersion with increased ingredient functionality. This permeated meat offers added health benefits such as the substitution of the anti-oxidant rich olive oil for problematic animal fat.

The present invention is a food product and a method of creating the food product that satisfies the need for a homogenized dispersion that disperses throughout meat, wherein the particle size of macromolecular ingredients within the dispersion is reduced to form a more stable homogenized dispersion with increased ingredient functionality. This permeated meat offers added health benefits such as the substitution of the anti-oxidant rich olive oil for problematic animal fat.

The invention provides inter alia a method for enzymatic digestion of an extracellular matrix protein in a tissue sample, comprising the steps of:providing an aqueous medium that comprises (i) a matrix metalloproteinase and (ii) a cation that is Ca.sup.2+ at a concentration of at least 2 mmol/L;contacting said aqueous medium with a tissue sample that comprises an extracellular matrix protein under conditions that allow for enzymatic digestion of said extracellular matrix protein; wherein said tissue sample is a cartilage tissue sample.

The invention provides inter alia a method for enzymatic digestion of an extracellular matrix protein in a tissue sample, comprising the steps of:providing an aqueous medium that comprises (i) a matrix metalloproteinase and (ii) a cation that is Ca.sup.2+ at a concentration of at least 2 mmol/L;contacting said aqueous medium with a tissue sample that comprises an extracellular matrix protein under conditions that allow for enzymatic digestion of said extracellular matrix protein; wherein said tissue sample is a cartilage tissue sample.

The present invention is a food product and a method of creating the food product that satisfies the need for a homogenized dispersion that disperses throughout meat, wherein the particle size of macromolecular ingredients within the dispersion is reduced to form a more stable homogenized dispersion with increased ingredient functionality. This permeated meat offers added health benefits such as the substitution of the anti-oxidant rich olive oil for problematic animal fat.