Food patty

Abstract

A food product having aligned fibers.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a ground meat patty comprising: forming a ground meat patty having a controlled orientation of aligned muscle fibers within said ground meat patty by placing ground meat through an orifice(s) which is configured to create a venturi or pressure drop; and wherein said orifice(s) comprises a sphere connected to a cylinder wherein said sphere is a constriction from a fixed point where a distance of said constriction is equidistant from said point.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(1) The present invention relates to fiber orientation technology. The fiber orientation technology, aligns the fibers of meat so that the contraction of the muscle fiber that does take place is in a direction of choice controlling both bite and shrinkage. The fiber orientation technology provides a lower resistance to product flow.

(2) The fiber orientation technology provides a better shear surface for a cleaner cut. The fiber orientation technology aligns the fibers in the fill hole so the shearing action disrupts as few muscle cells as possible. The fiber orientation technology decreases the total area of metal fill plate blocking the meat flow resulting in less direction change to the product which works the meat. The fiber orientation technology pulls the meat fiber through the fill hole instead of pushing using the principles of the venturi/choke plate.

(3) All of these characteristics of fiber orientation technology reduce the release and mixing of myosin with actin, the net effect is a controlled orientation of the fiber, less myosin activity resulting in a better bite/bind and control over the final cook shape.

(4) The process of the present invention makes a patty cool uniformly and soften the texture/bite of the product.

(5) A spherical geometry feeding into a circular cross section which creates a product velocity increased while maintaining more consistent pressure on the meat. A sphere has the following properties: All points on a sphere are the same distance from a fixed point. Contours and plane sections of spheres are circles. Spheres have the same width and girth. Spheres have maximum volume with minimum surface area. These properties allow meat to flow with minimum interruptions. There are no static or dead zones. No matter what angle the cylinder intersects the sphere; the cross section is always a perfect circle. Pressure inside of a sphere is uniform in all directions.

(6) When meat is passed through a circular cross section of a sphere, the fact that pressure is uniform in a sphere creates forces which will be coaxial with the sphere. The reduction in area accelerates the meat through the cylindrical section of the fill plate. The acceleration has been shown empirically to align fibers in the primary direct of flow. Hence, there is fiber orientation.