Process of treating synthetic sausage casing so that red color will develop on the surface of a meat emulsion stuffed therein

Claim 1

IN THE ART OF PREPARING A COOKED, CURED MEAT PRODUCT WHICH COMPRISES PREPARING A RAW MEAT EMULSION; STUFFING SUCH EMULSION IN A SYNTHETIC FOOD CASING; COOKING AND CURING THE MEAT EMULSION IN SAID CASING AND MAINTAINING SAID STUFFED CASING AND CONTAINED EMULSION UNDER COOKING AND CURING CONDITIONS UNTIL A RED, CURED MEAT COLOR IS DEVELOPED AT LEAST ON THE SURFACES OF SAID MEAT EMULSION IN CONTACT WITH SAID CASING, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES STUFFING SAID RAW MEAT EMULSION IN A SYNTHETIC FOOD CASING HAVING IN AT LEAST ITS INTERIOR WALLS AN EDIBLE REDUCING AGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF 1-ASCORBIC ACID, ISOASCORBIC ACID, THE EDIBLE METAL SALTS OF 1-ASCORBIC ACID AND ISOASCORBIC ACID, THE ESTERS OF 1-ASCORBIC ACID AND ISOASCORBIC ACID AND MIXTURES OF SAID ACIDS, SAID REDUCING AGENT BEING PRESENT IN SAID CASING WALL IN A QUANTITY SUFFICIENT TO IMPART IMMEDIATELY A RED MEAT COLOR TO THE SURFACES OF SAID MEAT EMULSION IN CONTACT WITH SAID INNER WALL OF SAID CASING UPON STUFFING SAID EMULSION THEREIN; AND THEN COOKING AND CURING SAID EMULSION IN SAID CASING SO THAT A COOKED, CURED MEAT PRODUCT IS OBTAINED WHICH EXHIBITS A DESIRED RED, CURED MEAT COLOR SUBSTANTIALLY CONTEMPORANEOUSLY WITHIN THE TIME PERIOD REQUIRED TO COOK AND CURE SAID EMULSION WITHOUT REQUIRING SAID CASING AND CONTAINED EMULSION TO BE MAINTAINED UNDER COOKING AND CURING CONDITIONS BEYOND SAID COOKING AND CURING TIME SOLELY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SAID DESIRED RED, CURED MEAT COLOR ON THE SURFACES OF SAID MEAT EMULSION IN CONTACT WITH SAID CASING.