Meat-containing, strip-shaped food product and method of making same
View Patent ↗A flexible, strip-shaped food product is made by comminuting substantially frozen meat and heating the comminuted meat to at least partially denature the meat proteins and cooling the cooked meat. About 4% by weight to about 45% by weight of wheat flour is admixed with the cooked meat, along with other ingredients, to form a dough. Use of the wheat flour unexpectedly increases tensile strength of the dough and products baked from the dough, and maintains flexibility of the strip-shaped food products over an extended period of time. Cooking of the meat in the presence of salt unexpectedly increases water activity of the pieces, resulting in a product that has a skin and a moist middle, while maintaining tensile strength. The dough is rotary-molded into strip-shaped pieces. The rotary mold may have angled die cups. The strip-shaped dough pieces are then baked and dried.
1. A method of making a food product, comprising:
(a) comminuting raw meat;
(b) cooking the comminuted raw meat;
(c) cooling the cooked meat;
(d) admixing the cooled meat with wheat flour to obtain a dough, wherein the dough comprises about 4% by weight to about 45% by weight of wheat flour and at least about 35% by weight of the cooked meat, based upon the weight of the dough;
(e) rotary molding the dough to form a plurality of individual pieces, wherein the rotary molding of the dough comprises rotary molding with a rotary die roll having angled die cups;
(f) baking the individual pieces; and
(g) drying the baked, individual pieces to form a flexible food product.
2. A method of making a food product according to claim 1 , where the raw meat is substantially frozen.
3. A method of making a food product according to claim 1 , wherein the raw meat is at least one of chicken and beef.
4. A method of making a food product according to claim 1 , wherein the raw meat comprises mechanically separated meat.
5. A method of making a food product according to claim 1 , further comprising adding a binding agent selected from the group consisting of a starch, a gum, and combinations thereof to the cooked meat.
6. A method of making a food product according to claim 5 , wherein the binding agent comprises a cold-water-soluble starch.
7. A method of making a food product according to claim 6 , wherein the binding agent further comprises guar gum.
8. A method of making a food product according to claim 6 , wherein about 1% to about 20% by weight, based upon the weight of the dough, of the cold-water-soluble starch is added to the cooked meat.
9. A method of making a food product according to claim 1 , further comprising adding at least one liquid ingredient to the cooked meat.
10. A method of making a food product according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one liquid ingredient is selected from the group consisting of a humectant, a seasoning, an acidic substance, and combinations thereof.
11. A method of making a food product according to claim 1 , further comprising adding dry ingredients to the cooked meat.
12. A method of making a food product according to claim 11 , wherein the dry ingredients are in the form of a preblend.
13. A method of making a food product according to claim 12 , wherein the preblend comprises at least one dry ingredient selected from the group consisting of a binding agent, a humectant, a seasoning, a preservative, and an antioxidant.
14. A method of making a food product according to claim 1 , further comprising adding at least one filler selected from the group consisting of rice flour, oat fiber, and wheat middlings to the cooked meat.
15. A method of making a food product according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling is conducted under a vacuum.
16. A method of making a food product according to claim 1 , wherein the dough comprises about 35% to about 75% by weight of meat, based upon the weight of the dough.
17. A method of making a food product according to claim 1 , wherein the food product is a strip-shaped pet snack.
18. A method of making a food product according to claim 1 wherein the flexible food product can be bent so that opposing ends of a piece touch each other without breakage of the piece.
19. A method of increasing the water activity of a food product without substantial reduction in tensile strength of the food product, comprising:
(a) comminuting raw meat;
(b) cooking the comminuted raw meat;
(c) adding a salt to the meat prior to or during said cooking of the comminuted raw meat in an amount of about 0.5% by weight to about 5% by weight based upon the weight of the dough;
(d) cooling the cooked meat;
(e) admixing additional ingredients with the cooled meat to obtain a dough, wherein the dough comprises 35% to about 75% by weight of cooked meat;
(f) rotary-molding the dough to form a plurality of individual pieces;
(g) baking the individual pieces; and
(h) drying the baked, individual pieces to form a flexible food product.
20. A method of increasing the water activity of a food product according to claim 19 , wherein the salt is sodium chloride or potassium chloride.
21. A method of increasing the water activity of a food product according to claim 19 , wherein the salt is admixed with the comminuted raw meat prior to cooking.
22. A method of increasing the water activity of a food product according to claim 19 , wherein the salt is admixed with the comminuted raw meat during cooking.
23. A method of increasing the water activity of a food product according to claim 19 , wherein the water activity of the flexible food product is about 0.65 to about 0.75.
24. A method of increasing the water activity of a food product according to claim 19 , wherein about 4% by weight to about 45% by weight of wheat flour, based upon the weight of the dough, is admixed with the cooked meat.
25. A method of increasing the water activity of a food product according to claim 19 , wherein about 10% by weight to about 40% by weight of wheat flour, based upon the weight of the dough, is admixed with the cooked meat.
26. A method of increasing the water activity of a food product according to claim 19 , further comprising adding a binding agent selected from the group consisting of a starch, a gum, and combinations thereof to the cooked meat.
27. A method of increasing the water activity of a food product according to claim 26 , wherein the binding agent comprises a cold-water-soluble starch.
28. A method of increasing the water activity of a food product according to claim 27 , wherein the binding agent further comprises guar gum.
29. A method of increasing the water activity of a food product according to claim 27 , wherein about 1% to about 20% by weight, based upon the weight of the dough, of the cold-water-soluble starch is admixed with the cooked meat.
30. A method of increasing the water activity of a food product according to claim 19 , wherein at least one liquid ingredient is admixed with the cooked meat.
31. A method of increasing the water activity of a food product according to claim 30 , wherein the at least one liquid ingredient is selected from the group consisting of a humectant, a seasoning, and an acidic substance.
32. A method of increasing the water activity of a food product according to claim 19 , wherein at least one dry ingredient is admixed with the cooked meat.
33. A method of increasing the water activity of a food product according to claim 32 , wherein the at least one dry ingredient is in the form of a preblend.
34. A method of increasing the water activity of a food product according to claim 33 , wherein the preblend comprises at least one dry ingredient selected from the group consisting of a binding agent, a humectant, a seasoning, a preservative, an antioxidant, and combinations thereof.
35. A method of increasing the water activity of a food product according to claim 19 , wherein the rotary molding of the dough comprises rotary molding with a rotary die roll having angled die cups.
36. A method of increasing the water activity of a food product according to claim 19 , wherein the food product is a strip-shaped pet snack.
37. A method of increasing the water activity of a food product according to claim 19 wherein the flexible food product can be bent so that opposing ends of a piece touch each other without breakage of the piece.
38. A method of making a food product, comprising:
(a) comminuting raw meat;
(b) cooking the comminuted raw meat;
(c) cooling the cooked meat;
(d) admixing the cooled meat with wheat flour to form a dough comprising about 4% by weight to about 45% by weight wheat flour, based upon the weight of the dough;
(e) rotary-molding the dough with a rotary die roll having angled die cups to form a plurality of pieces; and
(f) baking the plurality of pieces in an oven.
39. A method of making a food product according to claim 38 , wherein a tangent line from a front portion of a longitudinal leading edge of a strip-shaped piece or a die cup to a trailing portion of the longitudinal leading edge of the strip-shaped piece or the die cup is at an angle of about 5° to about 90° relative to an outer surface line that is parallel to a central longitudinal axis of the rotary die roll or to a transverse axis of a conveyor belt or oven band upon which the strip-shaped piece is deposited from the die cup.
40. A method of making a food product according to claim 38 , wherein a tangent line from a front portion of a longitudinal leading edge of a strip-shaped piece or a die cup to a trailing portion of the longitudinal leading edge of the strip-shaped piece or the die cup is at an angle of about 10° to about 60° relative to an outer surface line that is parallel to a central longitudinal axis of the rotary die roll or to a transverse axis of a conveyor belt or oven band upon which the strip-shaped piece is deposited from the die cup.
41. A method of making a food product according to claim 38 , wherein a tangent line from a front portion of a longitudinal leading edge of a strip-shaped piece or a die cup to a trailing portion of the longitudinal leading edge of the strip-shaped piece or the die cup is at an angle of about 20° to about 40° relative to an outer surface line that is parallel to a central longitudinal axis of the rotary die roll or to a transverse axis of a conveyor belt or oven band upon which the strip-shaped piece is deposited from the die cup.
42. A method of making a food product according to claim 38 , wherein a tangent line from a front portion of a longitudinal leading edge of a strip-shaped piece or a die cup to a trailing portion of the longitudinal leading edge of the strip-shaped piece or the die cup is at an angle of about 30° relative to an outer surface line that is parallel to a central longitudinal axis of the rotary die roll or to a transverse axis of a conveyor belt or oven band upon which the strip-shaped piece is deposited from the die cup.
43. A rotary die roll comprising a plurality of angled die cups, wherein a tangent line from a front portion of a longitudinal leading edge of a strip-shaped piece or a die cup to a trailing portion of the longitudinal leading edge of the strip-shaped piece or the die cup is at an angle of about 5° to about 90° relative to an outer surface line that is parallel to a central longitudinal axis of the rotary die roll or to a transverse axis of a conveyor belt or oven band upon which the strip-shaped piece is deposited from the die cup.
44. A rotary die roll according to claim 43 , wherein a tangent line from a front portion of a longitudinal leading edge of a strip-shaped piece or a die cup to a trailing portion of the longitudinal leading edge of the strip-shaped piece or the die cup is at an angle of about 10° to about 60° relative to an outer surface line that is parallel to a central longitudinal axis of the rotary die roil or to a transverse axis of a conveyor belt or oven band upon which the strip-shaped piece is deposited from the die cup.
45. A rotary die roll according to claim 43 , wherein a tangent line from a front portion of a longitudinal leading edge of a strip-shaped piece or a die cup to a trailing portion of the longitudinal leading edge of the strip-shaped piece or the die cup is at an angle of about 20° to about 40° relative to an outer surface line that is parallel to a central longitudinal axis of the rotary die roll or to a transverse axis of a conveyor belt or oven band upon which the strip-shaped piece is deposited from the die cup.
46. A rotary die roll according to claim 43 , wherein a tangent line from a front portion of a longitudinal leading edge of a strip-shaped piece or a die cup to a trailing portion of the longitudinal leading edge of the strip-shaped piece or the die cup is at an angle of about 30° relative to an outer surface line that is parallel to a central longitudinal axis of the rotary die roll or to a transverse axis of a conveyor belt or oven band upon which the strip-shaped piece is deposited from the die cup.
47. A rotary die roll according to claim 43 , wherein the die cups have a wavy shape configuration.