Imitation skinless sausages

1. A fine emulsion sausage comprising a filling and an alginate casing having a thickness of less than 0.05 mm;

said sausage substantially possessing the visible and organoleptic properties of a skinless sausage;

wherein the alginate casing is uniform, continuous and not visibly perceptible, and wherein the fine emulsion sausage is a cooked sausage,

wherein the alginate casing is free of a sparingly soluble calcium compound.

2. The sausage of claim 1 wherein the alginate casing has a thickness of 0.04 mm or less.

3. The sausage of claim 1 wherein the alginate casing has a thickness of 0.03 mm or less.

4. The sausage of claim 1 wherein the filling comprises at least one of: beef, pork, veal, chicken and turkey.

5. The sausage of claim 1 wherein the filling comprises a plant protein.

6. A method of manufacturing a fine emulsion sausage, which method comprises co-extruding a fine emulsion filling with a casing paste comprising alginate to form a coextruded product comprising 1.5 wt % or less of casing paste based on the combined weight of the casing paste and filling; and contacting such coextruded product with a solution comprising calcium ions, which solution has a pH below the pKa value of the alginate and a calcium ion concentration equivalent to that produced by at least 15 weight percent solution of calcium chloride.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the coextruded product comprises 1.2% or less by weight of casing paste, based upon the total weight of the casing paste and filling.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the coextruded product comprises about 0.7% by weight of casing paste based upon the total weight of the casing paste and filling.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the solution comprising calcium ions has a calcium ion concentration equivalent to that produced by a 15 to 30 weight percent solution of calcium chloride.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the solution comprising calcium ions comprises acetic acid.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein the solution comprising calcium ions has a pH of 3 or less.

12. The method of claim 6 wherein the casing paste further comprises a sparingly soluble calcium compound.

13. The method of claim 6 wherein the casing paste further comprises a sequestrant.

14. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of cooking the sausage in water comprising calcium ions at a pH in the range of from about 3 to 4.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of cooling the sausage in water comprising calcium ions at a pH in the range of from about 3 to 4 after cooking the sausage.

16. The method of claim 6 wherein the casing paste has a viscosity in the range of 180-400 mPa's, when measured at 1 wt % at 20° C. using Brookfield type RV with Brookfield RV spindle 2.

17. A fine emulsion sausage produced according to the method of claim 6 .

18. The sausage of claim 1 wherein the alginate casing comprises: at least about 50 wt % alginate; a thickener; and a sequestrant.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the sequestrant has a greater affinity for calcium than the alginate does.

20. The sausage of claim 1 wherein the alginate casing comprises alginate having an average of at least 50 percent adjacent G units.

21. The method of claim 6 wherein the alginate has an average of at least 50 percent adjacent G units.

22. The method of claim 6 wherein the casing paste is free of a sparingly soluble calcium compound.

23. The sausage of claim 1 wherein the alginate casing possesses such adhesion that it cannot be peeled off from the sausage.