|
PatentVote.com: Vote on your favourite invention!
|
|
 |
Title: Process for the production of a textured protein-containing edible product
Claims: We claim: 1. A process for the production of a textured protein-containing edible product resembling cooked meat from a fibrous protein material without the use of a binder comprising: (a) spinning the proteins and passing the spun proteins through a coagulation bath to form a tow of fibers; (b) arranging the fibers in a mold to orient them substantially parallel to one another; (c) subjecting the fibers while in the mold to a combined pressing and dehydrating step by applying mechanical compression to the fibers in the axial direction such that pressure is transmitted in a direction along the length of the fibers; (d) removing blocks of pressed fibers from the mold; (e) impregnating the pressed fibers with a solution of aroma precursors; and then (f) sterilizing the impregnated fibers in a container. 2. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fibers contain at least 60% by weight of soya proteins. 3. A process as claimed in claim 2, wherein the fibers contain approximately 40% by weight of lactalbumin and approximately 60% by weight of soya proteins. 4. A process as claimed in claim 2, wherein the fibers contain from 75 to 90% by weight of soya proteins for 25 to 10% by weight of casein. 5. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein after spinning, the tow is washed with water at a temperature of at most 55.degree. C. for a period of about 10 minutes. 6. A process as claimed in claim 1 or 5, wherein the tow is neutralized by passage through a buffer bath having a basic pH-value until the fiber has a pH-value of from 5 to 5.8. 7. A process as claimed in claim 1 or 5, wherein the fibers are left standing for at most 3 hours before being subjected to the combined pressing and dehydrating operation. 8. A process as claimed in claim 1 or 5, wherein the mold is in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped of which one of the faces is displaceable to act as a piston which moves parallel to the small or large sides of the parallelepiped, and the mold is completely filled by arranging the fibers substantially parallel to these sides such that the longitudinal axis of the fibers are in the direction of the stroke of the piston. 9. A process as claimed in claim 8, wherein the fibers are axially compressed for about 10 minutes under a pressure of from 250 to 450 kg/cm.sup.2, the dry matter content of the fibers after pressing being greater than 29% by weight. 10. A process as claimed in claim 1 or 5, wherein the blocks of pressed fibers are cut to the required shape and then impregnated with a solution of aroma precursors in such a quantity that the total concentration of precursors in the impregnated product amounts to between 5 to 10% by weight, based on dry matter. 11. A process as claimed in claim 1 or 5, wherein the solution of aroma precursors contains at least one saccharide, a compound containing nitrogen in amino form and a compound containing sulphur in sulphide form. 12. A process as claimed in claim 4, wherein the solution of aroma precursors contains a pentose and/or a hexose, the concentration of the pentose and hexose amounting to between 1 and 2% of weight, based on dry matter. 13. A process as claimed in claim 11, wherein the solution of aroma precursors contains as saccharide a hydrolysate of vegetable fractions rich in polysaccharides containing acid groups. 14. A process as claimedin claim 11, wherein the solution of aroma precursors also contains additives, such as flavour strengtheners, particularly glutamic acid or its sodium salt, glutamine, inosine monophosphate and buffer salts, such as acid potassium phosphate, the concentration of additives in the impregnated product amounting to between 4 and 8% by weight, based on dry matter. 15. A process as claimed in claim 1 or 5, wherein the impregnated products are placed in containers, the container is sealed in vacuo or after gassing in a nitrogen atmosphere, and then subjected to a heat treatment for 15 minutes to 4 hours at a temperature of from 100.degree. to 130.degree. C. 16. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein molten fat, in the form of a mixture containing approximately 10% by weight of prime beef juice and approximately 90% by weight of a hydrogenated neutral fat, is added to the impregnated product in its container before the sealing operation. 17. A product obtained by carrying out the process according to claim 1. 18. A process as claimed in claim 15, wherein the container is subjected to a heat treatment for 1 hour to 1.5 hours at a temperature of 120.degree. C. 19. A process as claimed in claim 5, wherein the tow is washed with water at a temperature of about 35.degree. C. 20. A process as claimed in claim 6, wherein the tow is neutralized by passage through a bath of alkali bicarbonate. 21. A process as claimed in claim 9, wherein the dry matter content of the fibers after pressing is from 31 to 45% by weight. 22. A process as claimed in claim 10, wherein the total concentration of precursors in the impregnated product amounts to between 5 and 7.5% by weight, based on dry matter. 23. A process as claimed in claim 12, wherein the pentose is ribose or xylose and the hexose is glucose or cysteine. 24. A process as claimed in claim 13, wherein the solution of aroma precursors contains a hydrolysate of cossettes. Other info: Inventors: Cerise, Leon (Blonay, CH) Heyland, Sven (Saint-Legier, CH) Application Number: 942472 Filing Date: 1978-09-15 Publication_date: 1980-04-08 Assignee: Societe d'Assistance Technique pour Produits Nestle S.A. (Lausanne, CH) Primary Class(es): 426/104 426/276, 426/512, 426/802 Other Classes: US Patent Ref:
Other Refs: Primary Examiner: Schor, Kenneth M. Assistant Examiner: Attorney: Watson, Leavenworth, Kelton & Taggart |
|