HIGH PRESSURE PASTEURIZING OF WHOLE MUSCLE MEATS

Abstract

A process for preserving fresh meat which includes the steps of a) packaging fresh meat in a sealed package; b) placing the packaged fresh meat in a pressurization vessel and closing the vessel; c) pressurizing the pressurization vessel containing the packaged fresh meat to an elevated pressure of at least 50,000 psi pressure so that the packaged fresh meat is placed under the elevated pressure; d) maintaining the elevated pressure on the packaged fresh meat for a time of from 1 to 300 seconds and at a temperature of from 2 C. to 8 C.; e) reducing the pressure on the packaged fresh meat to ambient pressure; and f) removing the meat from the pressurization vessel. Pathogens are effectively killed using this process, providing manufacturing efficiencies and longer product shelf life as compared to other meat handling procedures.

Claims

1. A process for preserving fresh meat comprising the steps of: a) packaging the fresh meat in a sealed package; b) placing the packaged fresh meat in a pressurization vessel and closing the vessel; c) pressurizing the vessel containing the packaged fresh meat to an elevated pressure of at least 50,000 psi so that the packaged fresh meat is placed under elevated pressure; d) maintaining the elevated pressure on the packaged fresh meat for a time of from about 1 to about 300 seconds and at a temperature of from 2 C. to 8 C.; e) reducing the pressure on the packaged fresh meat to ambient pressure; and f) removing the fresh meat from the pressurization vessel.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the elevated pressure is from 60,000 to 90,000 psi.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein the elevated pressure is from 70,000 to 87,000 psi.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein the packaged fresh meat is under elevated pressure for a time from 30 seconds to 150 seconds.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein the packaged fresh meat is under elevated pressure for a time from 45 seconds to 70 seconds.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein the fresh meat comprises beef.

7. The process of claim 1, wherein the fresh meat has been placed under vacuum in the sealed package.

8. The process of claim 1, wherein the fresh meat is packaged in a sealed package having an oxygen displaced gas environment.

9. The process of claim 8, wherein the gas environment comprises a gas selected from carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen, nitrous, oxide, hydrogen, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and mixtures thereof.

10. The process of claim 1, wherein the fresh meat is free of non-endogenous antimicrobial treatments.

11. The process of claim 1, wherein the elevated pressure is maintained on the packaged fresh meat for a time of from about 1 to about 300 seconds and at a temperature of from about 1.11 C. to about 7.22 C.;

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] FIG. 1 is an aerobic plate count measurement as a function of time after high pressure pasteurization of beef strip loins which had been aged 35 days prior to pasteurization.

[0019] FIG. 2 is an aerobic plate count measurement as a function of time after high pressure pasteurization of beef strip loins which had been aged 26 days prior to pasteurization.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] The embodiments of the present invention described below are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, a purpose of the embodiments chosen and described is so that the appreciation and understanding by others skilled in the art of the principles and practices of the present invention can be facilitated.

[0021] The meat treated in accordance with the present invention may be any variety of meat from any species. Suitable meats include those obtained from bovine, porcine, equine, caprine, ovine, avian animals, or any animal commonly slaughtered for food production. Bovine animals may include, but are not limited to, buffalo, and all cattle, including steers, heifers, cows, and bulls. Porcine animals may include, but are not limited to, feeder pigs and breeding pigs, including sows, gilts, barrows, and boars. Ovine animals may include, but are not limited to, sheep, including ewes, rams, wethers, and lambs. Poultry may include, but are not limited to, chicken, turkey, and ostrich. Preferably the meat is bovine meat, and most preferably beef.

[0022] The meat is processed in a conventional manner. In most large scale processing systems, the meat is first processed into large primal portions (primal), and the primals are then later cut into smaller portions.

[0023] In an embodiment of the present invention, the fresh meat contains additional components. For example, in an embodiment of the invention, the fresh meat may be injected with a solution of water, salt, and sodium phosphate up to 12%.

[0024] In an embodiment of the invention, the meat has been subjected to further invasive processing steps. For example, the meat may be needle tenderized by a process where an array of needles or thin blades are inserted into the muscle to mechanically tenderize by means of physically disrupting the muscle fibers. This is commonly accomplished using a commercial blade tenderizer (Ross Industries, Inc; www.rossindinc.com) or alternately may be accomplished by a hand-held jaccarding apparatus.

[0025] The meat is divided into appropriate portions and packaged in a sealed package. In an embodiment of the invention, the packaged fresh meat is a primal. In another embodiment of the invention, the packaged fresh meat is in a meat portion (i.e., total amount of meat in the package) of from 25 to 10 pounds of meat, and in another embodiment from 10 to 1 pounds of meat, and in another embodiment in a meat portion from 16 to 1 ounces of meat. Thus, the meat portion may be sized for use by institutional costumers (restaurant, food service, or commercial users) or for the home consumer. The meat may be provided in any format, such as in the foiin of whole loins, individual steaks, and the like.

[0026] The package is an air-tight package. It may be suitable for storage and transport. In another embodiment, the package may be suitable for storage, transport and presentation to the consumer. The packaging may be of a bulk, shipping, or individual serving type. Examples of packaging include those who the package is a formable pouch, injectable pouch, sealable pouch, formable tray, vacuum sealable tray or pouch, heat formable tray or pouch, film covered tray, vacuum sealed film covered product, gas flushed pouch, bag or tray, or vacuum sealable bag. In an embodiment, the product is package vacuum roll stock.

[0027] Preferably, the meat is packaged in a sealed package having a vacuum environment, meaning the pressure in the package is less than atmospheric pressure. This reduces the exposure of the meat to oxygen. Reduction of the exposure of meat to oxygen is advantageous, because this reduces oxidation of the meat. If the meat is not packaged in vacuum, preferably the environment within the meat packaging is purged of oxygen. In an embodiment, the gas environment comprises a gas selected from carbon dioxide, nitrogen, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, hydrogen, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and mixtures thereof.

[0028] The packaged fresh meat product may then be placed in a pressurization vessel and pressure may be applied in an appropriate manner. Equipment used to treat materials using high pressure is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,220,381; 5,316,745; 5,370,043; 7,310,990; and 7,096,774.

[0029] A preferred process comprises submerging the packaged fresh meat in a liquid (often water) within an enclosed vessel. Pressure is then generated either by pumping more liquid into the pressure vessel or by reducing the volume of the pressure chamber. This pressure is unifonnily distributed over all materials in the vessel, and even packages with headspace do not ordinarily burst. The pressurization vessel containing the packaged fresh meat is pressurized to an elevated pressure of at least 50,000 psi. Preferably, the elevated pressure is from 50,000 psi to 90,000 psi, more preferably from 60,000 psi to 90,000 psi, and most preferably from 70,000 psi to 87,000 psi. The packaged fresh meat product is treated under elevated pressure for a time of from 1 to 300 seconds, more preferably for a time of from 30 to about 150 seconds, and most preferably for a time of from about 45 to about 70 seconds.

[0030] The pressurization is carried out at a temperature of from 2 to 10 C. In another embodiment, the pressurization is carried out at a temperature of from 1.11 C. to 10 C. Preferably, the temperature of the fresh meat is never above 7.22 C. (50 F.), and more preferably never above about 4.44 C. (40 F.) during the entire production process. Optionally, the entire process is carried out with the meat at a temperature from 2 C. to 8 C. The entire process could also be carried out with the meat at a temperature from 1.11 C. to 7.22 C.

[0031] Because the fresh meat product is already in a sealed package before treatment, the meat is not touched again or exposed to the air or unsanitary conditions until the package is opened by the consumer.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the packaged fresh meat is submerged in liquid during the pressure treatment step. If the packaging is faulty, the present pressure treatment advantageously exposes any packaging defects such as pinholes, usually by permitting a detectable amount of liquid to enter into the package. Thus the present invention beneficially operates to reveal defective packaging that would lead to premature product spoilage if not detected.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

[0033] USDA select beef, boneless strip loins were procured. The strip loins were trimmed of external fat accord to standard industry practices, leaving approximately of external fat. The strip loins were tenderized using needle tenderization a single time according to standard industry practices using a Ross TC700W; www.rossindinc.com. The strip loins were then allowed to age 14 days, and were portioned into one inch steaks using a band saw with a boneless blade. The steaks were vacuumed packaged in a four across Multi-Vac roll stock machine, model R230.

[0034] High pressure pasteurization processing was performed at the American Pasteurization Company facility in Milwaukee, Wis. The steaks were aged for 35 days prior to processing. This exemplary high pressure pasteurization processing including steaks to 87,000 psi for one minute.

[0035] The steaks were then tested for aerobic plate count on an external surface using a swab sample, and internally tested using a gram sample.

[0036] FIG. 1 above shows actual log values of aerobic plate counts. The values were calculated CFU/50-cm.sup.2 due to the low counts after high pressure pasteurization. If counts were shown in CFU-cm.sup.2 values, values would have been too low to report until later in the study. After 91 days of aged high pressure pasteurization processing, there was a mean log ape value of 3.98 CFU-cm.sup.2.

Example 2

[0037] USDA select beef, strip loins were procured. Strips were trimmed of external fat according to standard industry practices, leaving approximately of external fat. The strip loins were tenderized using needle tenderization according to standard industry practices a single time using a Ross TC700W; www.rossindinc.com. The strip loin was then injected using a Schroeder IMAX 430 with a solution of water, salt, and sodium phosphate up to 12%. The strip loins were then aged 14 days according to standard industry practices and then portioned into one inch steaks using a band saw with a boneless blade. The steaks were packaged in a four across using a Multi-Vac roll stock machine, model R230.

[0038] High pressure pasteurization processing was performed at the American Pasteurization Company facility in Milwaukee, Wis. The steaks were aged for 26 days prior to processing. This exemplary high pressure pasteurization processing including steaks to 87,000 psi for one minute.

[0039] The steaks were then tested for aerobic plate count on an external surface using a swab sample, and internally tested using a gram sample.

[0040] FIG. 2 shows actual log values of aerobic plate counts. The values were calculated CFU/50-cm.sup.2 due to the low counts after high pressure pasteurization. If counts were shown in CFU-cm.sup.2 values, values would have been too low to report until later in the study. After 77 days of aged high pressure pasteurization processing, there was a mean log ape value of 5.71 CFU-cm.sup.2.

[0041] The processes described herein have now been described with reference to several embodiments thereof. The entire disclosure and any patents, patent applications (including provisional applications), and publications cited herein are incorporated by reference as if individually incorporated for all purposes. Unless otherwise indicated, all parts and percentages arc by weight and all molecular weights are weight average molecular weights. The foregoing detailed description has been given for clarity of understanding only. No unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes can be made in the embodiments described without departing from the scope of the processes described herein. Thus, the invention is not limited to the exact details shown and described, for variations obvious to one skilled in the art will be included within the invention defined by the claims.

[0042] Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, properties such as molecular weight, percentages, reaction conditions, temperature, and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified by the term about. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth are approximations that may depend upon the desired properties sought.