Method of preserving meat and fish with a granular sorbic acid food preservative

Claim 1

A method of preserving meat or fish products which are subjected to a heat treatment in the final finishing step and which have their water-retention property degraded and preservability enhanced by lowering the pH of the meat or fish product, which method comprises adding to the raw meat or fish product during the production thereof a granular preservative comprising particles of sorbic acid powder, the surfaces of which are coated with a hardened oil having a melting temperature within the range of 40*-90* C., said hardened oil being employed in an amount of at least 2 times by weight of the sorbic acid powder, whereby the sorbic acid is not released in the meat or fish product until said heat treatment at final finishing so that the water-retention property of said raw meat or fish is not degraded due to the higher pH value prior to final finishing and increased preservability is achieved by lowering of the pH of the meat or fish product by release of sorbic acid through heat treatment at final finishing.

Claim 2

A method of preserving meat or fish products which are subjected to a heat treatment in the final finishing step and which have their water-retention property degraded and preservability enhanced by lowering the pH of the meat or fish product, which method comprises adding to the raw meat or fish product during the production thereof a granular preservative comprising particles of sorbic acid powder, the surfaces of which are coated with a hardened oil having a melting temperature within the range of 40*-90* C., said hardened oil being employed in an amount of at least 2 times by weight of the sorbic acid powder, whereby the sorbic acid is not released in the meat or fish product until said heat treatment at final finishing so that the water-retention property of said raw meat or fish is not degraded due to the higher pH value prior to final finishing and increased preservability is achieved by lowering of the pH of the meat or fish product by release of sorbic acid through heat treatment at final finishing.

Claim 7

A method of preserving meat or fish products which are subjected to a heat treatment in the final finishing step and which have their water-retention property degraded and preservability enhanced by lowering the pH of the meat or fish product, which method comprises adding to the raw meat or fish product during the production thereof a preservative comprising particles of sorbic acid powder, the surfaces of which are coated with a hardened oil having a melting temperature of 40*-90* C., said preservative being prepared by melting said hardened oil, adding to said melted hardened oil maintained at a temperature not exceeding 90* C., sorbic acid powder in an amount of 1/10 to 1/2 of the weight of said hardened oil, dispersing said sorbic acid powder uniformly in the melted hardened oil at said temperature, and thereafter cooling the melted mixture by spraying the same, whereby the sorbic acid is not released in the meat or fish product until said heat treatment at final finishing so that the water-retention property of said raw meat or fish is not degraded due to the higher pH value prior to final finishing and increased preservability is achieved by lowering of the pH of the meat or fish product by release of sorbic acid through heat treatment at final finishing.

Claim 8

A method of preserving meat or fish products which are subjected to a heat treatment in the final finishing step and which have their water-retention property degraded and preservability enhanced by lowering the pH of the meat or fish product, which method comprises adding to the raw meat or fish product during the production thereof a preservative comprising particles of sorbic acid powder, the surfaces of which are coated with a hardened oil having a melting temperature of 40*-90* C., said preservative being prepared by melting said hardened oil, adding to said melted hardened oil maintained at a temperature not exceeding 90* C., sorbic acid powder in an amount of 1/10 to 1/2 of the weight of said hardened oil, dispersing said sorbic acid powder uniformly in the melted hardened oil at said temperature, and thereafter cooling the melted mixture by spraying the same, whereby the sorbic acid is not released in the meat or fish product until said heat treatment at final finishing so that the water-retention property of said raw meat or fish is not degraded due to the higher pH value prior to final finishing and increased preservability is achieved by lowering of the pH of the meat or fish product by release of sorbic acid through heat treatment at final finishing.