Method of manufacture and pasteurization of products containing undenatured collagen
The present invention provides a method of heat treating undenatured collagen to reduce microbial load comprising the subjection of said collagen to a temperature of at least 40° C. for a time of at least 2 seconds in a manner sufficient to reduce microbial content without denaturing more than 20% of the collagen protein.
1 . A method of manufacturing undenatured Type II collagen composition under heat treatment conditions comprising,
a. providing raw chicken sternums containing sternal cartilage;
b. washing the sternums with an antimicrobial agent(s);
c. drying of the sternal cartilage at temperatures above 50° C. for a time of at least 2 seconds to form a dry cartilage;
d. Grinding the dry cartilage to form a ground cartilage;
e. Milling the ground cartilage to a desired particle size;
wherein the method reduces the microbial content without denaturing more than 20% of the undenatured Type-II collagen in the collagen composition.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein no more that 10% of the Type-ll collagen is denatured.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein no more than 5% of the Type-II collagen is denatured.
4 . The method of claim 1 wherein the drying is at a temperature of at least 70° C.
5 . The method of claim 1 wherein the collagen is treated for at least 60 seconds.
6 . The method of claim 1 wherein the collagen is treated for at least 15 minutes.
7 . The method of claim 1 wherein the collagen is treated at a relative humidity of less than 10%.
8 . The method of claim 1 wherein the collagen is treated at a relative humidity of at least 20%.
9 . The method of claim 1 wherein the collagen is treated at a relative humidity of at least 30% or greater.
10 . The method of claim 1 wherein the heat treatment takes place in the presence of an ionizable salt.
11 . The method of claim 1 wherein the collagen is produced by a method comprising a shearing, slicing, chopping, or other mechanically disruptive step in which the collagen containing cartilage is comminuted to an average particle size of less than 10 mm.
12 . An undenatured Type II collagen product produced according to the method of claim 1 .
13 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising adding an ionizable salt to the ground cartilage and re-grinding and blending the ionizable salt with the ground cartilage to form a blend.
14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising drying the blend, wherein the drying blend is at temperatures above 50° C. for a time of at least 2 seconds, forming a dry blend.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the milling of the dry cartilage comprises milling the dry blend.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein drying the blend is at a temperature of at least 70° C.
17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein drying the blend is at a temperature of at least 90° C.
18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein drying the blend is at a temperature of at least 110° C.
19 . An undenatured Type II collagen product produced according to the method of claim 13 .
20 . An undenatured Type II collagen product produced according to the method of claim 14 .
21 . An undenatured Type II collagen product produced according to the method of claim 15 .
22 . An undenatured Type II collagen product produced according to the method of claim 16 .