WO2005089570A1

WO2005089570A1 - Meat- based food product and method for obtaining same

Info

Publication number: WO2005089570A1
Application number: PCT/IT2004/000136
Authority: WO
Inventors: Guido Negri; Marco Marchelli; Francesco Nicolo'
Original assignee: SALUMIFICIO MARSILLI SpA
Current assignee: SALUMIFICIO MARSILLI SpA
Priority date: 2004-03-19
Filing date: 2004-03-19
Publication date: 2005-09-29
Anticipated expiration: 2006-09-19
Also published as: EP1722646A1; WO2005089570A8

Abstract

Method for the preparation of a food product based on meat provided with rind. This method comprising the following steps: removal of the rind from the meat; making a coating layer in replacement of said rind. The food product obtained ensures a final yield of 96%-97%.

Description

MEAT-BASED FOOD PRODUCT AND METHOD FOR OBTAINING SAME

"Food product and method for obtaining same" The present invention relates to a meat-based food product, particularly a smoked, matured ham and a method for obtaining same. As is known, a smoked and matured ham, commonly denominated speck, is a typical product of regions such as Trentino-Alto Adige, the Tyrol and surrounding areas. In its most common and best appreciated form, speck derives exclusively from pig thighs from which raw and coked ham are also obtained. The selection of the raw material used takes place through careful checks on the ratios between the fat and lean parts, the weight, temperature and degree of acidity (pH) of the meats. As is known to a man skilled in the art, the boned pork thigh is cut in a single piece of meat, called "baffa" in Trentino-Alto Adige and referred hereafter as ham, for the preparation of the speck. Traditionally, the ham is trimmed so as to assume a rounded or "shield shaped" form. A prior art type of speck provides that the ham can be cut manually and trimmed until it assumes a substantially parallelepiped shape. In short, a traditional speck preparing method may not overlook certain fundamental steps. For example, it is necessary to mention a salting step, a smoking with chosen wood step and a drying step, amongst others. Such steps are followed by a maturing step. At the end of the abovementioned preparation method, a hard rind is present on the speck hams. This rind corresponds to the skin that covers pig thighs and is difficult to remove. Particularly, the rind must be removed manually in order to be able to slice the speck. This operation is dangerous for the operator who performs it and, simultaneously, it creates considerable waste, thus reducing the yield of the individual ham. The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a speck preparation method that overcomes the problems intrinsic to the traditional methods, whilst maintaining, in the product deriving thereof, the typical characteristics of a traditional speck. This object is achieved by a meat-based food product, particularly a speck, and by a method for the obtaining thereof, as outlined in the appended claims. According to a preferred form of the invention, the food product is based on pork meat. In greater detail, the raw materials used are the thighs (or rear quarters) of slaughtered adult pigs . The preparation method for a meat-based product provides, initially, that from each boned thigh a single piece of meat, called "baffa" in Trentino-Alto Adige and referred hereafter as ham, is- trimmed manually. Advantageously, the ham can be cut and trimmed until it assumes a more regular geometric shape than that of traditional speck hams. For example, the ham can be cut into a square shape until it assumes, approximately, a parallelepiped shape, in order to facilitate the cutting of speck slices without creating excessive waste. Subsequently, the outer skin of the pig thigh or rind, is removed manually from each ham. It should be pointed out that the operation of removing the rind from the fresh meat is not excessively complicated as the rind is much less hard than that present on matured hams. For example, this rind has a thickness of about four millimetres and averagely corresponds to 3% in weight of the entire ham. Moreover, by removing the rind, the hams are cleaned of further waste parts. It should be noted that the rind removed from the hams is not lost as it can be reused. Particularly, the rind is minced and treated in order to make collagen protein to be added, for example, to baby foods. Therefore, the removal of the rind is not an uneconomically viable method. Immediately after the removal of the rind, the hams are subject to a controlled salting method in order to achieve the correct salt content. Particularly, the hams are subject to a first and second salting by means of a brine and subject simultaneously to a mechanical massage. Subsequently the hams are massaged manually, turned and turned over again several times in order to facilitate uniform absorption of the brine by the meats. This brine contains, preferably, salt, flavourings and ingredients in variable concentrations on the basis of the degree of sapidity and aromatisation that one wishes to give the meats . Generally the percentages by weight of the brine are: salt 78.0% - 82.0%, flavourings and ingredients 18.0% - 22.0%. At this point, it is useful to observe that the rind removed from each ham before the salting step has left uncovered an underlying fat layer of a variable thickness . Given that this fat contributes to conferring an unmistakeable taste to the speck it is generally not removed together with the rind. On the other hand, the abovementioned fat layer, deprived of the natural covering of the rind could cause drawbacks during the subsequent steps of the hams processing method. For example, the fingers of the employed workers could easily sink into this soft and sticky layer, and the hams would thus be difficult to handle. Besides, this fat layer would maintain poor compactness even after the maturing of the hams thus making the speck not easily sliceable. The invention method provides step of making a coating layer, said "second skin", for the covering of the fat layer of each ham in replacement of the rind. Preferably the coating layer making step is subsequent to the salting step. Particularly, the coating layer is made by covering, initially, a surface of the fat layer with a blend of suitable substances or components, preferably of natural origin. This blend comprises, for example: - sugars, preferably dextrose and sucrose; - a filler; - a colouring; - a preservative. In greater detail, the sugars serve a collagen function in order to make the substances of the blend adhere to the underlying fat layer. The filler serves to confer thickness to the coating layer (e.g. 1 millimetre) . The filler is preferably a substance of natural origin, more preferably ground pepper. The colouring will preferably be of natural origin. A colouring will preferably be sweet paprika powder, which is generally of a bright red colour and confers to the fat layer on which it is applied a reddish co,lour. The preservative will be one of the preservatives commonly used in the food industry. Preferably the preservative will be sodium ascorbate. Generally, the percentages in weight of the substances of the coating layer blend are: filler 90.0%

- 95.0 %, colouring 1.0% - 3.0%, sugars 2.0% - 5.0%, preservative 1.0% - 3.0%. It should be pointed out that the substances used in the mixture are chosen so as to be compatible with the taste of the speck. So that the blend deposited may adhere better to the underlying fat layer, a first mechanical pressing of the hams is provided. Subsequently to this pressing, the hams are subject to a treatment or humidification step in order to make the coating layer adhere to the underlying fat layer.

Particularly, the hams are treated at a temperature of between 22°C and 35°C and at a humidity of between R.H. 80% and R.H. 90%. Preferably the temperature is between

25°C and 35°C and the humidity is R.H. 85%. Preferably, this treatment step lasts approximately 8 hours It should be pointed out that the consolidation of the coating layer takes place following the subsequent ham drying and draining steps. Particularly, in these steps, the hams _t are put in contact with air in special perforated containers or trays that facilitate product transpiration. Preferably, the surface of the fat layer on which the blend of substances that form the coating layer has been deposited is exposed to the air. After drying, the ham loses the majority of its inner moisture. Particularly, this loss of moisture translates into a progressive reduction in the thickness of the fat layer. In concomitance with this phenomenon, the blend substances are, in part, absorbed by the underlying fat layer until it fuses with the latter. As a consequence, the hams fat layer becomes, at least on the surface, harder and more compact thus preventing the drawbacks mentioned previously. At the end of the drying step, the coating layer that covers the fat layer is reduced to a thin film, a true "second skin" that represents a protection layer that can be easily removed from the ham. Once the second skin has been made, the method continues with a subsequent ham smoking step that is conducted according to traditional techniques . This step is very important as it contributes to giving the speck its unmistakeable aroma. For example, this smoking may take place using select (e.g. beech) wood with low resin content, which does not give the speck too strong a flavour . Subsequently to the smoking step, the hams undergo a second pressing. From this moment an important maturing step starts with a variable duration according to the final weight that the ham must reach. For example, for hams of a final weight of approximately four kilograms maturing lasts from a minimum of sixty days to a maximum of ninety days . In general, the maturing step takes place inside well ventilated rooms whose environmental parameters such as temperature and humidity are maintained substantially constant. Besides, it should be pointed out that unlike traditional processing methods, the invention method provides a third pressing of the hams during the maturing step. For example, this pressing can take place immediately after the first week of maturing. Later the hams do not undergo any further processing until complete product maturation. Advantageously, by the invention method it is possible to obtain speck in which the rind and the further waste parts are already eliminated during the initial ham processing steps. In this, way, one eliminates at the start a consistent waste in the yield of the final product. Besides, one avoids that an operator must remove the rind from the matured product that must be sliced for retail. In fact, in this case, this operation would be difficult and dangerous due to the hardness of the rind of the matured speck. Advantageously, the coating layer or second skin made over the fat layer in replacement of the rind serves a protective and coating function of the same fat. In fact, this coating layer contributes to making the fat layer harder and more compact thus simultaneously making the ham more manageable. Besides, the coating layer, which is very thin, can easily be scratched or rubbed away from the ham of the finished product by a knife or rag, in a rapid way. Besides, the substantially regular form of the finished product makes it possible to cut (for example, with a slicing machine) the first slices of speck from the hams along a transverse direction without creating further waste. Particularly, it should be pointed out that once the hams have been squared and the rind eliminated, the food product of the invention ensures a final yield of 96%-97% against an average yield of the shield shaped product of 78%. In a further embodiment of the method of the invention the coating layer may be made by an inedible synthetic type film. This film can be of the transpiring or non-transpiring type. For example, an inedible film can be a plastic or synthetic gut film. Particularly, the plastic film can be deposited on the fat layer after the salting step or at the end of the preparation process indifferently. In alternative, the coating layer can be made by a film of edible material such as, for example, natural gut (for example of the naturin type) . Particularly, during the drying step, the natural gut could fuse better with the underlying fat layer. This would not take place using the plastic film. Lastly, the coating layer could be made by means of a natural origin gum resin extracted from the roots of certain plants. Preferably Arabian rubber for foodstuffs may be used in replacement of the substances of the blend or in addition thereto. Preferably, this gum resin is deposited on the hams after the drying step. As a non-limiting example the preparation of speck according to the invention method will now be described. EXAMPLE For the preparation of 85 speck hams 600kg of pork meat are processed. These hams are cut and trimmed until they assume an approximately parallelepiped form. The rind is manually removed from each ham. Consequentially a fat layer underlying the rind is left uncovered. At this point, the hams are salted by means of a brine and mechanically massaged twice consecutively. The hams are also massaged manually once. For 85 hams 24 kg of thus composed brine are used: Salt kg. 19.2 equal to 80.0% Flavourings and ingredients kg. 4.8 equal to 20.0% Later, the fat layer of the hams is covered by a coating layer. To make this layer for the 85 hams kg 7.550 of a thus composed blend of substances is used: Ground pepper kg. 7.0 equal to 92.7% Sweet paprika kg. 0.150 equal to 2.0% Dextrose kg. 0.250 equal to 3.3% Sodium ascorbate kg. 0.150 equal to 2.0% The coating layer is made to adhere to the underlying fat layer, by a first mechanical pressing of the hams . Subsequently, the hams are treated at a temperature of 27°C and at a humidity of R.H. 85%. The consolidation of the coating layer .takes place by drying the hams with air in perforated trays that facilitate the transpiration thereof. Subsequently, the hams are smoked using beech wood and undergo a second pressing. Lastly, the hams are matured for a period of 70 days inside well ventilated rooms. The hams undergo a third pressing after one week from the start of maturing. Each ham of the thus obtained food product ensures a yield of about 97%. Obviously, a man skilled in the art in order to satisfy contingent and specific needs, will be able to make further modifications and variants, all of which being within the scope of protection of this invention, as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for the preparation of a food product based on meat provided with rind, comprising the following steps : - removing the rind from the meat; - making a coating layer in replacement of said rind.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said meat is pork. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said meat-based food product is smoked. . The method according to claim 3 , wherein said coating layer comprises a blend of the following components: sugars, a filler, a colouring and a preservative.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein said sugars are present in percentage by weight on the blend from 2.0% to 5.0%. 6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein said sugars are dextrose and sucrose. 7. The method according to claim 4 , wherein said filler is present in percentage by weight on the blend from 90.0% to 95.0%. 8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said filler is ground pepper. 9. The method according to claim , wherein said colouring is present in percentage by weight on the blend from 1.0% to 3.0%. 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said colouring is sweet paprika. 11. The method according to claim 4 , wherein said preservative is present in percentage by weight on the blend from 1.0% to 3.0% 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said preservative is sodium ascorbate. 13. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, after the removal of the rind, the meat is subject to a salting step. 14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said salting step comprises a first and second salting performed with a brine containing salt 78.0% - 82.0%, flavourings and ingredients 18.0% - 22.0%, the percentages being by weight on the brine .

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the meat undergoes a mechanical massage during said first and second saltings and a subsequent manual massage. 16. The method according to claims 1 and 13, wherein said step of making the coating layer is subsequent to said salting step.

17. The method according to claims 1 to 12, wherein a first mechanical pressing step of the meat is performed subsequent to the coating layer making step.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein subsequently to said first pressing, the meat is subject to a treatment step. 19. The method according to claim 18, wherein during said treatment step the temperature is between 22°C and 35°C, preferably between 25°C and 30°C.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein during said treatment step the humidity is between R.H. 80% and R.H. 90%, preferably about R.H. 85%.

21. The method according to claim 18, comprising subsequent to said treatment step: - a drying step with air to favour the loss of the meat's inner moisture; - a second pressing; - a smoking step with selected wood in order to confer flavour to the meat; - a maturing step in well-ventilated environments .

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein during said drying step the meat is placed in perforated trays in order to favour the transpiration thereof .

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein said maturing step lasts between 60 and 90 days.

24. The method according to claim 23 , wherein a third pressing is performed on the meat after the first week of maturing.

25. The method according to claim 2, wherein said pork is a single piece of meat or ham obtained by manually trimming adult pig thighs.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein said single piece or ham is cut and trimmed into an approximately parallelepiped shape, in order to favour the cutting thereof. 27. The method according to claim 1, wherein the coating layer can be made by a non-edible synthetic film of the transpiring or non- transpiring type. 28. The method according to claim 27, wherein said synthetic film is of plastic or synthetic gut.

29. The method according to claim 1, wherein said coating layer can be made by a natural and edible type film, preferably in natural gut .

30. The method according to claim 4, wherein a gum resin, preferably Arabian rubber for foodstuffs, can be used to make said coating layer in replacement of the components of the blend or in addition thereto.

31. Meat product achieved by the method according to any of claims 1 to 30.

32. Meat product according to claim 31, having a final yield of 97%.