SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FORMING A FOOD PRODUCT WITH A SOLIDIFIED LIQUID ADDITIVE
A food product includes a base component; one or more solid additive pieces, each solid additive piece comprising an additive and a binder; and a casing containing the base component and the one or more solid additive pieces; wherein the additive is a liquid at room temperature.
1 . A food product comprising:
a base component;
one or more solid additive pieces, each solid additive piece comprising an additive and a binder;
a casing containing the base component and the one or more solid additive pieces;
wherein the additive is a liquid at room temperature.
2 . The food product of claim 1 wherein the additive is a condiment.
3 . The food product of claim 1 wherein the additive comprises ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, relish, mayonnaise, beer, or combinations thereof
4 . The food product of claim 1 wherein the binder is a thermally reversible gelling agent.
5 . The food product of claim 4 wherein the thermally reversible gelling agent comprises gelatin.
6 . The food product of claim 1 wherein the base component comprises a meat, soy, or other protein.
7 . The food product of claim 1 wherein the food product is a hot dog or sausage.
8 . The food product of claim 1 , wherein the base component, the one or more solid additive pieces, and the casing are part of a coextruded mixture.
9 . The food product of claim 8 , wherein the casing comprises a collagen material.
10 . A method for making a food product, the method comprising:
providing a base component, a first liquid additive, and a binder;
combining the first liquid additive and the binder to solidify the first liquid additive;
dividing the solidified first liquid additive into a plurality of first additive pieces;
combining the first additive pieces with the base component to form a mixture;
forming the mixture into a desired food product configuration.
11 . The method of claim 10 further comprising:
providing a second liquid additive;
combining the second liquid additive with the binder to solidify the second liquid additive;
dividing the solidified second liquid additive into a plurality of second additive pieces; and
combining the second additive pieces with the base component and the first additive pieces.
12 . The method of claim 10 further comprising co-extruding the mixture into elongated segments.
13 . The method of claim 12 further comprising co-extruding a collagen gel with the mixture, the collagen gel forming a casing containing the mixture.
14 . The method of claim 13 further comprising packaging and at least partially cooking the food product.
15 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the binder comprises a thermally reversible gelling agent.
16 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the base component comprises a protein.
17 . A food product, comprising:
a physical mixture, the physical mixture comprising:
a base component;
a plurality of additive pieces, each additive piece comprising an additive and a binder;
a casing containing the mixture;
wherein the additive is a liquid at room temperature and the binder is configured to provide the additive pieces as a solid or semi-solid at room temperature.
18 . The food product of claim 17 , wherein the physical mixture and the casing are part of a co-extruded component.
19 . The food product of claim 17 , wherein the base component comprises a protein.
20 . The food product of claim 17 , wherein the binder comprises a thermally reversible gelling agent.