A method is provided for thermal treating a food product in a thermal treatment unit with the food product having a casing comprising a protein, or hybrid casing. The method involves providing the food product, subjecting the food product to a brine solution, conveying the food product into the unit, and subjecting the food product to a thermal treating step. The thermal treating step includes at least: a) drying the food product, and b) subsequently, further thermal treating the food product. The method further involves: determining the denaturation temperature of the protein, and setting the parameters of the climate in the unit such that the dew point of the air of the unit is equal to or lower than the determined denaturation temperature, wherein step a) ends in case the surface temperature of the casing is equal to the dew point of the air of the unit.

A low profile water bath co-extrusion process for sausage manufacturing is disclosed, along with machines for accomplishing this process. The process is an automated assembly line which begins with co-extruded food product, such as a sausage emulsion coated with collagen and finishes with cooked, boxed, packaged link sausage. The process includes the steps of co-extrusion, linking and cutting the co-extruded food product to individual links. Following these steps and prior to a liquid smoking step, the casing is prepared by steps which includes chemical treatment of the individual links in a water bath, while dehydrating the product in a salt solution, the water bath being a two-part process and following the water bath using a forced hot air drying step. Machines disclosed include a modification of prior art screw driven water bath and a novel roller/conveyor forced hot air drying assembly that subjects individual links of a co-extruded food product to a rolling motion while simultaneously being transported horizontally and being subject to forced hot air drying.

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.

This invention relates to an alginate composition for coating food products, in particular fresh, skinless food products such as sausages, and a method for producing the alginate composition. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for producing coated food products with the use of the alginate composition of the invention.

The present invention relates to a process to obtain a round shaped collagen casing and to the casing obtained by the process, which is based on a post rounding of a straight collagen casing by controlled heat shrinking.

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.

A process for manufacturing a tubular film such as an edible casing film or a packaging film. The process includes the steps of providing a preblended powder composition containing a polymer matrix, a plasticizer, and water; feeding the preblended powder composition to an extruder; heating the preblended powder composition to a temperature above 100 degrees Celsius for a sufficient time to fully hydrate the polymer matrix and to convert the powder composition to a flowable mass; and extruding the flowable mass through a tubular die of the extruder to form the tubular film. The tubular film comprises: about 40-75 wt % polymer matrix; about 10-35 wt % plasticizer; and about 10-35 wt % water. The polymer matrix component is fully hydrated under the temperature, pressure and shear conditions inside the extruder, and may have a component which is only fully hydrated at temperatures above about 100 degrees Celsius.

The present invention provides edible tubular food casings, a method for producing said edible tubular food casings, compositions for forming said edible tubular food casings and the use of said edible tubular food casings 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 set of brine solutions for use in a method for in-line processing of food products, said method comprises the steps of a) co-extruding a food dough into a flow of co-extruded food products having a coating that comprises a protein, or a hybrid coating of a protein and a polymer, and b) subjecting the flow of co-extruded food products to a food product strengthening step, said food product strengthening step comprises the step of subjecting the flow of food products to a first brine solution comprising a salt solubilised in an aqueous medium, and a second brine solution comprising a buffer salt solubilised in an aqueous medium. The present invention further relates to a method for in-line processing of food products using the set of brine solutions of the present invention and a lactate salt comprising brine solution.

The invention is directed to a process for preparing a food casing, in particular a sausage casing. The sausages thus produced can be dried more efficiently because of the higher initial solids content of the casing, after they leave the extruder.