Process for packaging and preserving meats

Abstract

Abstract A process for packaging and preserving meats to give long shelf life and greater tenderness comprising: slaughtering the animal to produce a carcass, dressing, eviscerating and cleaning the carcass to form meat units, packaging at least one of the meat units prior to attaining a temperature of 40* F. and generally above 70* F. in a vaporproof package within approximately 2 hours after slaughter to prevent shrinkage of the meat due to dehydration, exposing the packaged meat unit to a chilling medium such as an airblast at below -20* F. for sufficient time to establish a negative heat content reservoir within a surface zone of a meat unit generally comprising about one-third or less of the mass of the meat unit, the negative heat content reservoir being formed by reducing the temperature of the mass of the meat unit within the surface zone to below 27* F. and generally between 0* to 27* F. and preferably 20*-27* F., to create an increased sensible heat capacity and extracting the heat of fusion of said mass within the meat unit to freeze the mass and provide a latent heat capacity, withdrawing the packaged unit from contact with cold gaseous medium upon attaining an internal zone meat unit temperature of approximately 30* to 44* F. and a sufficient negative heat content reservoir to absorb all of the heat to be lost from the internal zone, and maintaining the packaged meat at a temperature above 28* F. for a sufficient time to absorb the sensible heat and latent heats from said internal zone into said negative zone capacity reservoir and equilibrate the temperature throughout the meat unit whereby to avoid natural meat juice weeping during storage, and activating the natural enzymes in the surface zone to effect improved tenderization.

Inventors

• 👤 William J Mendelson

Bibliographic Details