The invention is directed to synthetic food casings made from specific polyvinyl alcohol grades containing carbonyl groups, preferably in admixture with other polymers, as well as processes for using such synthetic food casings.

A coextruded, multi-layered, water vapor-impermeable, tubular, and seamless food casing having at least three layers is provided. The layers include at least one porous layer having a porous food contact side suitable for transferring food additives having a porous food contact side, at least one carrier layer based on at least one aliphatic and/or partially aromatic (co-)polyamide, and at least one water vapor-impermeable layer. At least one adhesive layer including an adhesion-promoting component is arranged between the adjoining layers or an adhesion-promoting component is contained in one or more of the water vapor-impermeable layer(s). At least one porous layer includes an aliphatic (co-)polyamide and a hydrophilic (co-)polymer having a mean molar mass M.sub.w of at least 8000 Da. A method for producing the food casing is provided. The food casing is used as an artificial sausage casing, especially, for cooked or boiled sausage.

A method for stuffing food products in casings comprising the steps that consist in inserting the product to be stuffed in a first casing, which is permeable to air, and in a second casing, which is impermeable to air and is arranged outside the first casing, creating an at least partial vacuum at least between the first casing and the second casing.

An encasing apparatus for encasing meat products in a double casing including a combined film and a net is described. A casing tube is placed over a meat stuffing horn and is preloaded with a shirred film and net casing for double casing meat exiting the meat stuffing horn. To reduce the risk of tearing of the collagen as it is deshirred and stuffed, the casing tube is oversized with respect to the meat stuffing horn and has a first outer diameter within 10-20% of the diameter of the expanded collagen casing.

The present invention relates to a multilayer film, especially to a multilayer thermoplastic film, which may be used for food packaging, wherein the multilayer film according to the present invention may be provided, on its inner side, with a food additive, particularly with a flavoring and/or coloring and/or an aroma producing food additive (such as e.g. a liquid smoke), which food additive is then released and transferred onto the surface of a foodstuff encased in the multilayer film during cooking and/or processing of the foodstuff.

The present invention relates to a multilayer film, especially to a multilayer thermoplastic film, which may be used for food packaging, wherein the multilayer film according to the present invention may be provided, on its inner side, with a food additive, particularly with a flavoring and/or coloring and/or an aroma producing food additive (such as e.g. a liquid smoke), which food additive is then released and transferred onto the surface of a foodstuff encased in the multilayer film during cooking and/or processing of the foodstuff.

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing sausage products by means of co-extrusion, wherein the method comprises the steps of: providing a food dough (6); providing a viscous casing mass material (8); and producing by means of co-extrusion a sausage strand (2) with the extrusion of a centre of food dough at least partially provided by layered casing mass material.

A description is given of a tubular food casing having a fiber layer on the inside and having two or more polymer layers. The polymer layers include a first continuous polymer layer (A), with which the inner fiber layer or nonwoven-web layer is coated on the side of the tubular casing facing away from the inside, and completely covers the layer, and at least one polymer layer (B), and a monoaxially or biaxially oriented film based on polyamide and/or copolyamide. At least two of the polymer layers are joined to one another directly by a layer of adhesive. The inner fiber layer may absorb colour, smoke, aroma and/or flavour substance(s), such as liquid smoke or caramel, store these substances and transfer them to a food located within the casino. The casing is suitable as artificial sausage casing, especially for cooked-filling and scalded-emulsion sausage.

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 cellulose casings, whether reinforced or not, capable of transferring color to the product stuffed therein. These casings contain a food dye transferable to the stuffed product during processing. The present invention also relates to the method of obtaining the casing and the product stuffed in said casing.