WO1989012404A1

WO1989012404A1 - Smoke flavored phosphate composition and process of preparing

Info

Publication number: WO1989012404A1
Application number: PCT/US1988/002068
Authority: WO
Inventors: Fredric G. Bender; William E. Swartz
Original assignee: Stauffer Chemical Co
Current assignee: Stauffer Chemical Co
Priority date: 1987-06-18
Filing date: 1988-06-22
Publication date: 1989-12-28
Anticipated expiration: 1990-12-22
Also published as: PT87759A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dry free-flowing smoke-flavored composition comprising an alkali metal polyphosphate which has been hydrated or which has absorbed thereon the liquid phase of smoke. The composition is useful in flavoring foods such as meats and sauces.

Description

Smoke Flavored Phosphate C rposition and Process of Preparing"

The present invention relates to improved smoke compositions for use in foods as well as to methods for preparing the same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Smoke is a commonly used means for improving the flavor and appearance of foods. Foods have been smoked traditionally by contacting the food with raw smoke, such as in a smoke house. The use of direct smoking is time consuming and can lead to non-uniformly smoked products.

As an alternative to direct smoking, liquid smoke solutions have been used to impart smoky flavor and appearance to various food products. Liquid smokes are generally aqueous solutions of condensed fractions of smoke capable of imparting a smoky flavor and some dark coloration to foods, such as meats. Conventional techniques for preparing liquid smoke solutions involve the burning of wood, such as hickory or maple hardwoods, mesquite, and the condensation or extraction of the constituents of the smoke formed from the destructive distillation of the woods. Typically, the smoke constituents are extracted by condensation or absorption in an aqueous medium followed by concentration of the resulting solution. The food can be dipped directly into the smoke solutions or the smoke solutions can be sprayed onto the food. The liquid smoke can be vaporized and the food products exposed to the vapors to incorporate the liquid smoke directly into the food products.

Regardless of the method by which the smoke solutions are prepared or applied to the food products, liquid smoke has a tendency in solution to form polymeric acids which settle to the bottom of the containers during storage, or deposit on equipment surfaces or clog liquid smoke spray nozzles. The removal of the polymeric material from the liquid smoke is disadvantageous as important flavoring and coloring constituents are lost, the liquid smoke solutions require replenishment more frequently, the liquid smoke solutions have an undesirable appearance and the deposited solids cause cleaning problems which from time to time require production shutdown.

Additionally, foods having liquid smokes applied to the surface thereof which are subjected to lengthy cooking periods tend to have the smoky flavor on the surface of the food. The cooking temperature can drive out or chemically alter most of the nonvolatile components of the smoke.

It is known in U.S. Patent No. 3,401,046 that anhydrous sodium tripolyphosphate can be hydrated with a nitrite-containing solution to provide a granular, free- flowing product having sodium nitrite crystallized on the surface of the sodium tripolyphosphate. The hydration reaction is exothermic and is carried out in the presence of a flow of air and excess water for cooling the product by evaporation (Col. 2, lines 34-36). The nitrite solution can also contain other meat treating compositions such as flavor, color and spices (Col. 3, lines 15-20). ,

It is also known to prepare an antioxidant composition by hydrating anhydrous sodium tripolyphosphate lemon juice or with lemon juice concentrate (U.S. Patent No. 3,875,313). This product allows for the addition of the phosphate and the antioxidant to the meat product without adding any flavor.

The present invention is designed to produce and provide a method for preparing a smoked composition which is stable over long periods of time, which is dry and which can be added to various food compositions by simply admixing the same with the food or in solution. The problems of polymeric settling are avoid by the composition of the present invention. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a new and useful smoked composition which can be used in treating various foods such as meat, sauces and the like. More particularly, the instant invention relates to a dry, free-flowing homogeneous powder comprising an alkali metal polyphosphate which has been hydrated or has absorbed thereon the liquid phase of smoke.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The hydratable alkali metal phosphate usable in the invention can be any fully substituted alkali metal phosphate having an analytical molar ratio of ^M ₂0:P₂0₅ of from about 1.67:1 to about 3:1 where M is an alkali metal, e.g. sodium and potassium, which phosphate has sites for water of hydration or crystallization and is capable of further hydration to the extent of at least one-quarter mole of water, or mixtures of such phosphates. Among the alkali metal (sodium or potassium) hydrate-forming phosphate are sodium and potassium tripolyphosphate, tetrasodium and tetrapotassium pyrophosphate, trisodium and tripotassiu phosphate, with anhydrous alkali metal, e.g. sodium, tripolyphosphate, being preferred. The term "hydratable alkali metal phosphate" is intended to include all hydrate- forming tripolyphosphates, pyrophosphates and ortho- phosphates and any others having an analytical ratio of from about 1.67:1 to about 3:1 and is intended to exclude non- hydratable metaphosphates. Less satisfactory results may be attendant upon the use of disodium orthophosphate tetrahydrate and the trihydrate of ^Na4>H₂P₂0₇.

As vsed herein, the term "liquid smoke" is intended to designate smoke coloring and flavoring constituents of "liquid smoke" which is a well known class of materials also commonly referred to as "liquid smoke solutions". Various "liquid smokes" are known, all of which are believed suitable for use in the present invention.

Liquid smoke often is a solution of natural wood smoke constituents prepared by burning a wood, for example, a hickory or maple, and capturing the natural smoke constituents in a liquid medium such as water. Alternatively, the liquid smoke to be used may be derived from the destructive distillation of a wood, that is, the breakdown or cracking of the wood fibers into various compounds which are distilled out of the wood residue and condensed. Liquid smokes are generally very acidic, usually having a pH of 2.5 or less and a titratable acidity of at least 3% , although some partially neutralized liquid smokes, having a pH up to about 5, are also available. Reference to the term smoke coloring and flavoring constituents, as used throughout this specification is intended to refer to, and should be understood as referring to the smoke coloring and flavoring constituents and proportions thereof of undiluted liquid smoke solutions in their present commercially available form.

The liquid smoke that is preferred for use in the invention is a solution of natural wood smoke constituents. This liquid smoke is produced by the limited burning of hardwoods and the absorption of the smoke so generated into an aqueous solution under controlled conditions. The limited burning keeps some of the undesirable hydrocarbon compounds or tars in an insoluble form, thereby allowing removal of these constituents from the final liquid smoke. Thus, by this procedure, the desirable wood constituents are absorbed into the solution in a balanced proportion and the undesirable constituents may be removed. The resultant liquid smoke solution is representative of the whole preferred spectrum of smoke colors and flavors without a preference of any one type. Apparatus and method for manufacturing typical liquid smokes is more fully described in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,106,473 to Hollenbeck and 3,873,741 to Melcer et al.

Certain liquid smokes have been approved for use in foods by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Meat Inspection Division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Exemplary of suitable commercially available liquid smokes are CHARSOL from Red Arrow Products Co. ; LIQUID HICKORY SMOKE from Hickory Specialties, Inc.; GRIFFITH'S NATURAL SMOKE FLAVOR from Griffith Laboratories, Inc.; and SMOKAROMA LIQUID SMOKE CODE 10 from Meat Industry Suppliers, Inc.

The aqueous liquid smoke composition of the present invention comprises a uniform mixture of the smoke coloring and flavoring constituents in aqueous "liquid smoke solutions" as hereinabove described, with the proportions thereof being based on "undiluted smoke solutions" in their present commercially available form.

The invention will be discussed in connection with the preferred embodiment, sodium tripolyphosphate.

The sodium tripolyphosphate composition of the invention can be prepared by hydrating anhydrous or partially anhydrous (sites for adding waters of hydration available on the compound) sodium tripolyphosphate with liquid smoke. The hydration step is performed in such a way that a dry, free-flowing product is obtained, keeping in mind that sodium tripolyphosphate forms a hexahydrate. Although more than 6 mole equivalents of water may be present, since some water may be lost due to heat of hydration, it is preferred that not more than about 6 mole equivalents of water in the liquid smoke (based on anhydrous tripolyphosphate) be present during hydration. For hydration of sodium tripolyphosphate, it is preferred to use a concentrated liquid smoke though a liquid smoke which has been diluted with water can also be used. The liquid smoke is used in hydrating the sodium tripolyphosphate until the final product has an add-on percent of liquid smoke ranging from about 2% to about 20% based on the initial dry weight of the phosphate and the final weight of the product dried to the touch.

The hydration can be conducted by contacting the sodium tripolyphosphate with an appropriate amount of liquid smoke such as by spraying liquid smoke in liquid or vapor form over an agitated mass of sodium tripolyphosphate. Agitation is preferably continued until the phosphate is uniformly hydrated.

The liquid smoke is used in such an amount that the water available for hydration is equivalent to or less than that which can be accommodated by the phosphate. The liquid smoke is used in an amount such that a dry product is obtained by merely blending the ingredients. While the temperature of hydration is not critical, high temperatures during hydration should be used sparingly as quantities of aroma may be volatilized and driven off. The temperature can be kept below 120°F during the reaction.

Temperature control is preferably maintained by reducing the temperature of the ingredients, e.g. the phosphate and/or the liquid smoke, and/or by maintaining a cooled atmosphere or equipment during hydration. Efficiency and uniform temperature control may dictate one method over another.

The composition is a brown colored powder which retains smoke aroma and color over an extensive period of time in closed containers.

The composition of the present invention can be prepared by hydrating the phosphate with the liquid smoke substance alone or in combination with other materials such as antioxidants, such as lemon juice, though this is less desirable as it reduces the sites available on the phosphate for hydration. The compositions of the invention are preferably used alone but can be admixed with other flavors and colors if desired. The compositions of the invention find effective use as a flavoring substance with a stable aroma. The phosphate can be used to provide water binding, protein retention, and antioxidant properties in addition to smoked flavor. The product can be used to flavor such foods as poultry by injection to achieve uniform internal flavoring throughout the meat vis-a-vis surface flavoring. Other foods which can be effectively flavored using the stable smoke flavored phosphate compositions of the invention include meat products such as sausages, meat patties, luncheon meats(bologna) and dried meats such as beef jerky. The composition of the invention can be used alone or in combination with other flavoring compositions. The composition of the invention can be used in an amount sufficient to provide the desired flavoring and/or phosphate water holding effect.

The present invention will be further illustrated in the Examples which follow.

EXAMPLE 1

2.27 kilograms (5 lbs) of sodium tripolyphosphate was treated with 0.45 kilograms (1 lb) of aqueous liquid smoke (CHARSOL-10 from Red Arrow Products Co.) by incrementally adding the aqueous liquid smoke onto the STP with stirring and breaking of any clumps that formed. To a 100 grams sample of sodium hexametaphosphate 5.0 milliliters of aqueous liquid smoke was added dropwise with agitation. Any clumps were broken up as formed. The final product was a light to medium brown color and had a strong smoke odor and was dry to the touch. A strong smoke odor persisted even after 6 months storage.

EXAMPLE 2

Smoked-flavored sodium tripolyphosphate made as described in Example 1 was mixed dry into four foods at the 0.5%, by weight, usage level. A control containing 0.5% of sodium tripolyphosphate (CURAFOS STP brand from Stauffer Chemical Company) , not smoke flavored, was also mixed with the foods. Thus, two recipes of each food were prepared.

Ground Beef

Ground beef (200 grams) was mixed with 1 gram of either the non-smoke flavored or smoke-flavored sodium tripolyphosphate. The blend was mixed for one minute on a KITCHEN AIDE mixer at speed 1. Patties (100 grams each) were fried at 350°F for three minutes on each side.

Blind taste testing indicated that the patty containing the smoke flavored was perceived as having a smoke taste by all three participants of the panel. One participant preferred the non-smoked tripolyphosphate containing product.

Ground Pork

Soy protein (PR0C0N 7241 brand) , 14 grams, was hydrated with 42 grams of water over a ten minute period. It was then added to 158 grams of ground pork which was combined with 1 gram of either smoke-flavored tripoly¬ phosphate or non-smoke flavored tripolyphosphate. The blend was mixed and fried as described before in regard to the ground beef product.

Four members of a blind taste panel all indicated that there was a difference in taste. Two preferred the product containing the smoke-flavored tripolyphosphate. One merely recognized the difference as a small one without expressing a clear preference. The last person indicated both were "very bland" and indicated the one containing the non-smoke flavored tripolyphosphate was more moist. Minced Chicken

Minced chicken (200 grams) was mixed with 1 gram of either of the tripolyphosphates as earlier described. The mixture was dipped in egg and covered with breading to form patties. They were fried in oil at 350°F for 3-1/2 minutes on each side.

Three of the four blind taste panelists indicated that the smoke-flavored tripolyphosphate-containing product had a smokier flavor with one indicating a clear flavor advantage. The other two persons expressed no flavor preference. One person preferred the non-skoked tripolyphosphate-containing product on a taste basis.

Minced Fish

Minced fish (400 grams) was mixed with either 2 grams of the two types of tripolyphosphate additives. The resulting mixtures were placed in loaf pans and baked at 325°F for 25 minutes.

Two of the three panelists indicated the product containing the smoke-flavored tripolyphosphate as having a smoky taste or flavor. One person indicated such a product was more moist and had a flavor where the normal fish flavor was masked.

Claims

We Claim:

1. A process for preparing a stable smoke- containing composition comprising hydrating an alkali metal phosphate which is capable of further hydration with a liquid smoke-containing composition.

2. The process as recited in Claim 1 wherein said hydratable alkali metal phosphate has an analytical molar ratio of M₂0:P₂0₅ of from about 1.67:1 to about 3:1 where M is an alkali metal, which phosphate is capable of further hydration to the extent of at least one-quarter mole of water.

3. The process as recited in Claim 1 wherein said phosphate is an anhydrous alkali metal tripolyphosphate.

4. The process as recited in Claim 3 wherein said phosphate is sodium tripolyphosphate.

5. The process as recited in Claim 1 wherein said liquid smoke is derived by the condensation of the products obtained by the destructive distillation of hardwoods.

6. The process as recited in Claim 1 wherein said phosphate is cooled prior to the hydration reaction.

7. The process as recited in Claim 1 wherein said phosphate is hydrated with said liquid smoke to an add-on percent ranging from about 2% to about 20% by weight based on the dry weight of the phosphate.

8. The product of the process of Claim 7.

9. A stable smoke-containing composition comprising an alkali metal phosphate having sites for water of hydration which are hydrated with a liquid smoke-containing composition.

10. The composition as recited in Claim 9 wherein said alkali metal phosphate has an analytical molar ratio of M₂0:P₂0g of from about 1.67:1 to about 3:1 wherein M is an alkali metal.

11. The composition as recited in Claim 9 wherein said alkali metal is sodium.

12. The composition as recited in Claim 9 wherein said phosphate is sodium tripolyphosphate.

13. The composition as recited in Claim 9 wherein said phosphate is hydrated with said liquid smoke to an add¬ on percent ranging from about 2% to about 20% by weight based on the dry weight of the phosphate.

14. A method for smoke flavoring a food which comprises combining the food with the composition of Claim 1.

15. The method as recited in Claim 14 wherein said phosphate is sodium tripolyphosphate.

16. The method as recited in Claim 14 wherein said food is meat.

17. The method as recited in Claim 16 wherein said food is a comminuted meat product.

18. The method as recited in Claim 16 wherein said food is a sauce.