Vegetable casing film and method for production of tubular sausage casings

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. A tubular material for use as a sausage casing, wherein the tubular material comprises, in combination: a vegetable based edible casing film having a tubular shape and including an edge seal comprising side edges of the casing film which are sealed together; and an edible glue provided on the side edges of the casing film, whereby the edible glue holds the side edges of the film together to provide said tubular shape; wherein the vegetable-based edible casing film is composed of edible vegetable-based polymeric materials consisting of a major portion of starch and a minor portion of adjunctive polymeric materials, water, and one or both of glycerin and propylene glycol; wherein the adjunctive polymeric materials are selected from the group consisting of carrageenan, agar, gellan gum and high gelling starches; wherein the vegetable-based edible casing film comprises from 0 to 8.50 wt % konjac; and wherein said edible glue consists of konjac, carrageenan and water, wherein the konjac content of the edible glue is 60-90% of a combined amount of konjac with carrageenan.

2. A sausage casing material produced by shirring the tubular material of claim 1 on a 1:40 to 1:80 ratio.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(1) Various film polymers were tested to determine the optimum formulations for use in various sausage products.

(2) The most effective films were obtained through the combination of starches and flours with strong gelling gums like carrageenan, gellan and agar. The preparation of starch to other polymeric materials is preferably in the range of 40 to 65% by weight.

(3) The ideal films for most sausage applications were composed primarily of rice flours which imparted to the films improved adhesive qualities in the casing format.

(4) The resultant films from these systems satisfied the film criteria could be modified for various solubility parametersranging from casings that dissolve onto the meat surface to casings that withstand vigorous cooking with elevated temperatures and high humidity.

(5) The most effective glue system was found to be a combination of konjac with carrageenan in a range of 60-90% konjac, with a suitably adjusted proportion of water.

(6) Glues composed of a combination of these gums satisfied the above conditions and worked well on traditional glue systems. Such glues exhibited good wet tack and strong bonding characteristics when dry, and were found to have water resistance (did not dissolve when exposed to excessive amounts of water).

Examples of Particular Dry Film Formulations

Example 1

(7) TABLE-US-00001 Components % (Dry Film) Water 16.37 Kappa Carrageenan 21.71 Potato Starch 6.68 Rice Flour 26.72 Dextrose 6.68 Sorbitan Monostearate 1.80 Propylene Glycol 20.04

Example 2

(8) TABLE-US-00002 Components % Dry Film Water 15.50 Kappa Carrageenan 26.72 Tapioca starch 26.72 Dextrose 5.50 Sorbitan Monostearate 1.60 Propylene Glycol 23.96

Example 3

(9) TABLE-US-00003 Components % Dry Film Water 15.90 Kappa Carrageenan 18.40 Modified Corn starch 45.45 Maltodextrin 8.00 Sorbitan Monostearate 7.25 Glycerin 5.00

Example 4

(10) TABLE-US-00004 Components % Dry Film Water 14.60 Konjac 8.50 Modified Tapioca starch 19.00 Rice Flour 34.82 Dextrose 4.75 Sorbitan Monostearate 1.50 Propylene glycol 7.60 Glycerin 9.23

(11) For use as sausage casing materials, films of these and like compositions are produced in thicknesses ranging from 25 to 75 microns. Once tubular casings are formed by sealing these films with edible glue as described above, the completed tube is shirred, preferably on a 1:40 to 1:80 ratio.

Optional Film Additives

(12) Minor amounts of modifiers may be included in the composition of films according to the invention, such as the following:

(13) Coloring Agents Caramel color can be added to the film to produce precolored casings for specific applications. Additionally spice color preparations from paprika, turmeric and various liquid spice extracts could be utilized. The color agents can also be printed on the film to produce logo's, grill marks or other types of print to impart the casing with various types of design.

(14) Flavoring Agents The film can be formulated to include both natural and artificial flavours including rosemary extract, oregano extract, maple flavour, sweeteners, and honey flavours.

(15) Antimicrobial Agents The initial film slurry can be modified with the addition of standard and specific antimicrobial agents to help preserve the finished product. The preferred products would include sorbates, benzoates, and soluble lactates such as sodium lactate. Methyl and propyl parabens could also be used for mold control.

(16) Antioxidants To prevent the rapid oxidation of high, fat containing products. Both natural and artificial antioxidants can be added to the casing to reduce the rate of oxidation in the products. The types of compounds that could be used include rosemary extracts, oregano extracts and ascorbic acid derivatives. Synthetic antioxidants could also be used such as BHA and BHT.

(17) As noted above, the present invention provides the first vegetable based hose material for use as sausage casing which can be employed in the conventionally automated manufacture of string sausages on a sausage stuffing machine, wherein individual lengths of hose material are shirred prior to each section of the casing being filled. The shirr ratio is the length of a fully elongated tube section to its compressed (gathered up) length. I have found that sealed tubing according to the invention is best shirred at a 1:40 to 1:80 ratio for sausage production.

(18) Normally, during a shirring process the tube is inflated with air and then mechanically folded onto a mandrel. The process will typically utilize some type of shirring fluid to ensure that the folding occurs in a consistent way and that the folds remain in place following shirring. For conventional casings, the most common shirring fluids utilized are water and mineral oil. I have found, however, that with vegetable based sausage casings according to the present invention an aqueous shirring fluid causes the film to deteriorate. However, propylene glycol has been found to be a suitable substitute for water to obtain good results in the preparation of a tubular product.

(19) While these formulations illustrate the invention, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other specific formulations according to the invention, will be suitable for the purposes of the invention as well. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is as described herein and defined in the attached claims.