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Process for treating the surface of fresh meatRelated Patent Categories: Food Or Edible Material: Processes, Compositions, And Products, Inhibiting Chemical Or Physical Change Of Food By Contact With A Change Inhibiting Chemical Agent Other Than An Antioxygen Agent, Animal Flesh, Citrus Fruit, Bean Or Cereal Seed Material, Animal FleshProcess for treating the surface of fresh meat description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070275141, Process for treating the surface of fresh meat. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This patent application is a continuation of of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/095,610, filed Mar. 12, 2002, which is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2000/008829, filed Sep. 9, 2000, which claims priority to German Patent Application No. 100 35 790.3 filed Jul. 22, 2000 and German Patent Application No. 199 44 171.5, filed Sep. 15, 1999, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to a process for treating the surface of fresh meat, the use of hydrocolloids in the treatment of the surface of fresh meat, and fresh meat treated with solid hydrocolloid. [0003] It has been known for a long time in human history to preserve freshly slaughtered meat for a prolonged period, and to guarantee a persistently stable meat quality for human consumption, by means of a brine or by preserving in salt, so-called "pickling". Other well known processes are, for example, smoking and drying. [0004] Said methods of preservation modify the treated meat so such an extent, however, that the latter can no longer be described as fresh meat. [0005] Consumers prefer fresh meat at the present day because storage methods such as, for example, cold storage or freezing followed by thawing have now also become universally available. [0006] The quality of fresh meat for human consumption is influenced significantly during its storage after the slaughter and butchering of the animal by storage parameters such as temperature and humidity, in particular in the case of the aforementioned storage methods. [0007] For maintaining the quality of large pieces of fresh meat during prolonged storage, it is known from Marggrander and Hofmann, Fleischwirtschaft 77, pages 19 to 20, 1997 to spray meat products with a gelatine solution in order to produce a gelatine film. [0008] Said film impedes the access of oxygen to the meat surface, so that oxidation processes, which are the cause of rancidification, are reduced. At the same time said film prevents so-called freezer burn during prolonged cold and frozen storage and reduces weight loss due to drying out of the meat. [0009] Similar subject-matter is known from Villegas et al., Fleischwirtschaft 4/99, pages 86 to 89, where a gelatine coating likewise as a good oxidation barrier is described, so that the meat products treated in this way exhibit a reduced oxidation and only a slight colour deterioration with prolonged storage. [0010] Consumers prefer, particularly with meat packed in portions, an appetising, for the most part rosy, or in the case of poultry and fish, white appearance of the piece of meat, which should also show no residues of blood and still be of firm consistency. [0011] A consumer-subjective quality deterioration nevertheless frequently occurs because during storage, in particular in the case of freezing and thawing processes or during cold storage, meat loses liquid (so-called drip) and water mixed with blood, and the meat surface makes a bad visual impression due to the liquid that has escaped. This results in the final analysis in the consumer being unwilling to purchase such meat, particularly when already portioned, and to the latter therefore often having to be processed as less high grade products, for example pet food. [0012] The problem of drip cannot be mastered with the application of a gelatine film as described above without the external appearance being modified and hence the fresh meat character being forfeited. [0013] A known measure for visually improving the presentation of portioned fresh meat in supermarkets consists in the use of cellular inlays in the packs, which are able to absorb the drip obtained. This results, however, in said cellular inlays, because of the blood-containing liquid that has escaped, often having a rather unappetising effect on the consumer. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0014] The object of the present invention is therefore to propose a process for treating the surface of fresh meat in which the production of drip during storage may as far as possible be prevented and not, as with the use of cellular inlays, simply be absorbed. [0015] Said object is achieved in the case of the process described in the preamble by the fact that the meat is treated with solid hydrocolloid. [0016] It is understood by treatment of meat with solid hydrocolloid that the solid hydrocolloid is applied to the surface of the meat distributed as uniformly as possibly, by means of methods known per se, such as for example dusting. [0017] As a rule even fairly small amounts of hydrocolloid are sufficient to achieve the effect according to the invention. As a result of the treatment of the fresh meat with solid hydrocolloid according to the invention, neither the visual appearance nor the tactile property of the product changes to a significant extent, so that the consumer is for practical purposes unable to detect a difference between fresh meat treated and not treated according to the invention. [0018] Astonishingly, the treatment of meat with solid hydrocolloid, in which the meat may be present in particular in portioned pieces or even as minced meat, makes it possible for the formation of drip to be strongly reduced, or even be largely presented, during the storage, for example cold storage or freezing and thawing, of the meat, without the appearance of the fresh meat thereby being modified. [0019] The reduction of the drip loss is accompanied by a minimisation of the loss to the original weight, which makes it possible to make a reduction in the conventionally required additional original weight of the meat, whereby the original weight printed on the package label is complied with even with prolonged storage. [0020] A reduction in the additional original weight of fresh meat of up to 3 to 5 wt %, referred to the net original weight of the meat, is possible, so that an economically not insignificant additional profit is achieved by a meat processing and/or meat packing plant due to the saving on original weight. [0021] The treatment with solid hydrocolloid also males it possible to dispense with the inclusion of a cellular fabric, whereby costs may also be cut and the unappetising appearance of the cellular fabric contaminated with blood-containing meat juice may be avoided, so that, for example, packed meat is presented to the consumer in a more appetising manner. 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