US4277513A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Process for the manufacture of a foodstuff having a fibrous structure similar to that of meat
Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute Inc
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Filing: 1979-12-05
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Granted: 1981-07-07
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Expires: 1999-12-05
Abstract
Abstract A process for the manufacturing of a meat-analog foodstuff using an aqueous protein paste as the starting material. In this process, the aqueous paste which is prepared by grinding meat, poultry or fish offals is cooled until it partly solidifies as a plastic mass whereafter it is subjected to mechanical forces which cause the protein fibrils of the mass to reorient themselves in a preferred direction thus imparting to the mass a texture resembling that of muscular fibers.
Inventors
- 👤 Willy Rufer
- 👤 Robert Menzi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 08:42
CPC Classifications
A; A23; A23J; A23J3/00; A23J3/22; A23J3/24; A23L; A23L13/00; A23L13/60; A23L13/67; A23L17/00; A23L17/70; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S426/00; Y10S426/802
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
166 words
A process for the manufacture of a protein foodstuff with a fibrous texture analogous to that of meat which comprises forming a wet mass of ground, non-structured protein material containing water into a layer, cooling said layer of material to a temperature below 0° C. until at least a portion but not all of the water contained therein solidifies to form a partially plasticized mass and, while in such condition, acting on the plasticized mass layer with means which applies a mechanical force at spaced locations along the mass layer and which does not carve or cut said mass layer but digs into said mass layer to a substantial depth beyond its surface, said mechanical force being sufficient to cause mechanical deformation of said plasticized mass layer and to cause the protein fibrils in the mass layer to rearrange and orient themselves in a manner and to an extent sufficient to impart to the whole body of the protein material a texture resembling that of meat.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
166 words
A process for the manufacture of a protein foodstuff with a fibrous texture analogous to that of meat which comprises forming a wet mass of ground, non-structured protein material containing water into a layer, cooling said layer of material to a temperature below 0° C. until at least a portion but not all of the water contained therein solidifies to form a partially plasticized mass and, while in such condition, acting on the plasticized mass layer with means which applies a mechanical force at spaced locations along the mass layer and which does not carve or cut said mass layer but digs into said mass layer to a substantial depth beyond its surface, said mechanical force being sufficient to cause mechanical deformation of said plasticized mass layer and to cause the protein fibrils in the mass layer to rearrange and orient themselves in a manner and to an extent sufficient to impart to the whole body of the protein material a texture resembling that of meat.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the mechanical force is applied in a manner sufficient to cause the ice in the areas subjected to the force to melt.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the mechanical force is applied to at least one surface of the layer.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 3 wherein the applied mechanical force forms substantially parallel grooves on at least one surface of the layer.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
35 words
The process of claim 4 wherein the grooves are formed by rotating a plurality of rotatably mounted discs over the surface of said layer while pressing the discs into the layer to form grooves therein.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process of claim 5 in which the discs, in addition to rotating, oscillate laterally to form sinuous shaped parallel grooves in the layer.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
18 words
The process of claim 4 wherein the grooves are formed by pressing a grooved surface into the layer.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 3 which comprises heat-setting the texturized layer by heating to a temperature sufficient to allow the layer to set.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 8 wherein heat-setting is done by microwave energy.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
The process of claim 3 wherein the texturized layers are stacked one upon another all having their fiber structure oriented in the same direction to form a meat analog foodstuff.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
31 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the water content of the protein mass is about 60 to 90% and from 15 to 40% of the water content is solidified during cooling.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the wet mass is cooled to a temperature of from 0° C. to about -15° C.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
18 words
The process in claim 1 in which the protein material is animal or vegetable protein or mixtures thereof.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
131 words
A process for the manufacture of a protein foodstuff with a fibrous texture analogous to that of meat which comprises forming a layer of a wet mass of protein material having a water content of about 60 to 90%, cooling the layer to a temperature below 0° C. until about 15 to 40% of the water contained therein solidifies to form a partially plasticized layer and while in such condition, applying pressure to the layer forming substantially parallel grooves in at least one surface thereof sufficient to cause mechanical deformation of the layer and to cause the protein fibrils in the layer to rearrange and orient themselves in a manner and to an extent sufficient to impart to the whole body of the protein material a texture resembling that of meat.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
131 words
A process for the manufacture of a protein foodstuff with a fibrous texture analogous to that of meat which comprises forming a layer of a wet mass of protein material having a water content of about 60 to 90%, cooling the layer to a temperature below 0° C. until about 15 to 40% of the water contained therein solidifies to form a partially plasticized layer and while in such condition, applying pressure to the layer forming substantially parallel grooves in at least one surface thereof sufficient to cause mechanical deformation of the layer and to cause the protein fibrils in the layer to rearrange and orient themselves in a manner and to an extent sufficient to impart to the whole body of the protein material a texture resembling that of meat.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
18 words
The process of claim 14 in which the layer has a thickness of about 5 to 6 mm.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process of claim 15 in which the grooves formed in the surface of the layer are from about 4 to 4.5 mm. deep.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
38 words
The process of claim 14 in which the layer is cooled by placing it on a stainless steel plate cooled to at least -15° C. to -20° C. for a period of from about 10 to 15 minutes.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1984-07-06 | 1985-01-05 | 1985-07-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1988-07-06 | 1989-01-05 | 1989-07-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1992-07-06 | 1993-01-05 | 1993-07-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |