METHOD FOR PRESERVING RAW MEAT

Abstract

Provided is a method for preserving raw meat, whereby the raw meat can be preserved in a state where meat juice, savory taste, and moisture are retained in the meat itself, while being moderately sterilized. By heating vacuum-packaged raw meat at a temperature higher than 60 degrees Celsius and not higher than 65 degrees Celsius so as to surely avoid reaching a coagulation temperature of protein; further heating the raw meat for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes at a temperature condition of higher than 60 degrees Celsius and not higher than 65 degrees Celsius after the core temperature of the meat has exceeded 60 degrees Celsius; and, after the further heating has been completed, rapidly cooling the meat so that the meat does not freeze, and lowering the core temperature of the meat to 4 degrees Celsius or less, the raw meat can be preserved in a state in which meat juice, savory taste, and moisture are retained in the meat itself, while being moderately sterilized, and the preserved meat can be used as an alternative to raw meat.

Claims

1. A method for preserving raw meat, comprising: (a) heating vacuum-packed raw meat at a temperature higher than 60 degrees Celsius and not higher than 65 degrees Celsius so as to surely avoid reaching a coagulation temperature of protein; (b) further heating the raw meat for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes at a temperature condition of higher than 60 degrees Celsius and not higher than 65 degrees Celsius after a core temperature of the meat has exceeded 60 degrees Celsius; (c) after the step (b) has been completed, rapidly cooling the meat so that the meat does not freeze; and (d) lowering the core temperature of the meat to 4 degrees Celsius or less.

2. The method for preserving raw meat as defined in claim 1, wherein the raw meat is a meat block of 1 [kg] or more.

3. The method for preserving raw meat as defined in claim 1, further comprising: (e) cutting the rapidly cooled meat into cut pieces of the meat; and (f) packing the cut pieces of the meat by means of wrap.

4. The method for preserving raw meat as defined in claim 2, further comprising: (e) cutting the rapidly cooled meat into cut pieces of the meat; and (f) packing the cut pieces of the meat by means of wrap.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0042] Next, the present invention will now be more concretely explained while showing some Embodiments. Needless to say, the scope of the present invention is never limited to the Embodiments themselves.

Embodiment 1

[0043] With respect to steam convection (model: SCOS-1010 RY-R, manufactured by Nichiwa Electric Corporation), a machine temperature has been set up to be 63 degrees Celsius (steam-mode: 100%), and a core temperature has been set up to be 60 degrees Celsius. As meat blocks of raw meat, 250 g of chicken thighs, 2 kg of pork meat, and 4 kg of pork meat, each of which has been vacuum-packed, have been thrown in the steam convection, respectively.

[0044] Table 1 shows results of measured time from a start time when a core thermometer provided with the steam convection indicates 60 degrees Celsius to an end time when the convection automatically stops heating.

[0045] In addition, when the machine automatically stops, the meat blocks have been taken out therefrom, and core temperatures at several points of the blocks have been measured by means of an exclusive core thermometer. If unevenness of temperature exists, further heating and measurement at the several points by means of the core thermometer have been repeated. And finally, it has been confirmed that unevenness of core temperatures has not existed.

[0046] Table 2 shows heating time until the unevenness of temperatures has not existed.

[0047] After that, the meat blocks have been soaked into 0 degrees Celsius of ice water, and the core temperatures thereof have been measured while further measuring time.

[0048] Table 3 shows time from when the meat blocks has begun to be cooled with the 0 degrees Celsius of ice water until the core temperature has become to be 3 degrees Celsius or less.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Core Temp 60 C. Time (minutes) Chicken thighs 250 g 35 Pork 2 kg 200 Pork 4 kg 430

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 time until no unevenness exists (minutes) Chicken thighs 250 g 30 Pork 2 kg 75 Pork 4 kg 70

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 time until temp <=3 C. cooled with ice water Chicken thighs 250 g 60 Pork 2 kg 262 Pork 4 kg 310

[0049] The present invention includes: heating a block (lump) of raw meat at a low temperature higher than 60 degrees Celsius and not higher than 65 degrees Celsius. The size and weight of the raw meat broadly differ according to the respective portion and kind of an animal.

[0050] Therefore, even if the core temperature has reached to be 60 degrees Celsius, unevenness of temperatures may exist. As shown in Table 2, the longest time until the unevenness of temperatures has not existed has been 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) with respect to the 2 kg of pork meat. On the other hand, the shortest time of the same has been 30 minutes with respect to the 250 g of chicken thighs.

[0051] In general, it cannot be said that all of the bacterium within the raw meat are killed and the raw meat is safe after heating for 30 minutes. Especially with respect to 1 kg or more of raw meat, unevenness of temperatures may easily exist even if the core temperature thereof has reached to be 60 degrees Celsius. Accordingly, 1 hour through 1 hour and 15 minutes of heating time is required in order to remove the unevenness.

[0052] Also in rapidly cooling after the heating has been completed, the size and weight of the raw meat broadly differ according to the respective portion and kind of an animal. So, the general cooling time cannot be set up as shown in Table 3.

[0053] Therefore, it has been set up to preserve the meat in a state where propagation of bacterium is hindered by rapidly as soon as possible cooling the meat to 4 degrees Celsius or less under conditions that the meat is not frozen.

[0054] Next, functional tests of the meat processed by the preserving method according to the present invention have been made.

Embodiment 2

[0055] With respect to the steam convection, a machine temperature has been set up to be 63 degrees Celsius, and a core temperature has been set up to be 60 degrees Celsius. As meat blocks of raw meat, 2 kg of beef meat, pork meat, and chicken breast, each of which has been vacuum-packed, have been thrown in the steam convection, respectively. Heating the meat for 1 hour after the core temperature has exceeded 60 degrees is maintained, the meat has been cooled 4 degrees Celsius or less with ice water, and after that, the cooled meat has been preserved within a refrigerator.

[0056] Herein, the meat has been processed by independent steps according to the kind of the meat, respectively.

[0057] The details of the used devices are as follows:

[0058] (1) Steam convection: Nichiwa Electric Corporation (model: SCOS-1010 RY-R);

[0059] (2) Vacuum device: Nichiwa Electric Corporation (model: LYNX42);

[0060] (3) Vacuum device: TOSEI CORPORATION (model: V400);

[0061] (4) Vacuum packaging material: Fukusuke Kogyo Co., Ltd. (standard: nylon poly; NO22, NO16);

[0062] (5) Vacuum packaging material: MICS CHEMICAL CO LTD. (standard: triple nylon standard bag: NY-5); and

[0063] (6) Core thermometer: A device attached with the above steam convection.

[Evaluation]

[0064] Raw meat processed according to Embodiment 2 has been preserved for one day within the refrigerator. The preserved raw meat has been cut into pieces according to the usage thereof, and the cut pieces have been dished and wrapped to produce package merchandise. Ten monitors have used the merchandise for cooking, thereby obtaining the following results of functional evaluation with respect to: savory taste; softness; elastic cut-able feeling; and juicy feeling, respectively. The numerals show a number of answers saying that this is the best.

[0065] As Comparative Examples, evaluation has been made with respect to 2 hours heating, 3 hours heating, and raw meat, respectively.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 RE: savory taste beef loin for beef loin for pork loin for pork loin for chicken breast chiken breast savory taste steak Syabusyabu steak Syabusyabu for cutlet for Mizutaki 1 hr heated 8 7 9 6 7 6 2 hr heated 1 2 1 2 1 3 3 hr heated 0 1 0 2 1 1 raw meat 1 0 0 0 1 0

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 RE: softness beef loin for beef loin for pork loin for pork loin for chicken breast chiken breast savory taste steak Syabusyabu steak Syabusyabu for cutlet for Mizutaki 1 hr heated 8 7 10 8 6 6 2 hr heated 0 1 0 1 2 1 3 hr heated 0 1 0 0 0 0 raw meat 2 1 0 1 1 2

TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 RE: elastic cut-able feeling beef loin for beef loin for pork loin for pork loin for chicken breast chiken breast savory taste steak Syabusyabu steak Syabusyabu for cutlet for Mizutaki 1 hr heated 7 7 9 6 8 7 2 hr heated 1 1 1 2 1 1 3 hr heated 0 0 0 0 0 1 raw meat 2 1 0 1 1 2

TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 RE: juicy feeling beef loin for beef loin for pork loin for pork loin for chicken breast chiken breast savory taste steak Syabusyabu steak Syabusyabu for cutlet for Mizutaki 1 hr heated 7 7 9 6 8 7 2 hr heated 1 1 1 2 1 1 3 hr heated 0 0 0 0 0 1 raw meat 2 1 0 1 1 2

[0066] Comparing with evaluation of 2 hours or more heating, evaluation of 1 hour heating has been remarkably better in every item including: savory taste; softness; elastic cut-able feeling; and juicy feeling.

[Bacteriological Examination]

[0067] Raw meat (beef meat, pork meat, and chicken meat) has been processed by the method for preserving raw meat according to the present invention, which includes: vacuum-packaging; heating; and cooling with ice water. The processed raw meat has been preserved for 3 days within a refrigerator. And then, bacteriological examination has been performed onto the preserved and processed raw meat. The result of the bacteriological examination will now be recited in the followings. The examination organization has been Shokuhin Biseibutsu Center Co., Ltd. Each value in the following Tables exists within a range of 1.0*10.sup.4 or less wherein safe criterion requirements are satisfied.

TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 8 general bacterium (1 g of CFU) general bacterium Japanese Japanese Japanese (1 g of CFU) beef pork chicken 1 hr heated less than 300 less than 300 less than 300 2 hr heated less than 300 less than 300 less than 300 3 hr heated less than 300 less than 300 less than 300

TABLE-US-00009 TABLE 9 E. Coli group (1 g of CFU) E. Coli group Japanese Japanese Japanese (1 g of CFU) beef pork chicken 1 hr heated negative negative negative 2 hr heated negative negative negative 3 hr heated negative negative negative

TABLE-US-00010 TABLE 10 E. Coli (1 g of CFU) E. Coli Japanese Japanese Japanese (1 g of CFU) beef pork chicken 1 hr heated negative negative negative 2 hr heated negative negative negative 3 hr heated negative negative negative

TABLE-US-00011 TABLE 11 Salmonella bacterium (1 g of CFU) Salmonella bacterium Japanese Japanese Japanese (1 g of CFU) beef pork chicken 1 hr heated negative negative negative 2 hr heated negative negative negative 3 hr heated negative negative negative

TABLE-US-00012 TABLE 12 Staphylococcus aureus (1 g of CFU) Staphylococcus aureus Japanese Japanese Japanese (1 g of CFU) beef pork chicken 1 hr heated negative negative negative 2 hr heated negative negative negative 3 hr heated negative negative negative

[0068] In the Embodiments, since heating time is comparatively short which is 1 hour through 1 hour and 15 minutes, excellent yield of handling meat can be obtained. For example, assuming that raw meat is 100%, yield is: 91% upon heating the meat for 1 hour; 83% upon heating the meat for 2 hours; and 79% upon heating the meat for 3 hours. In this way, cost for the handling can be substantially reduced.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0069] The method for preserving raw meat according to the present invention is available as an alternative of raw meat in the fields wherein meat is distributed and/or processed. For example, a butcher or the like can preserve the alternative processed by the method with a refrigerator before supplying thereof to his/her consumers.