Process for Obtaining Lean Protein
A protein fraction and an oxidation stable fat fraction are recovered from meat trimmings or a high fat content animal muscle tissue. The trimmings are comminuted, and solubilized with a food grade acid or base. The solubilized protein/fat solution is heated so that the fat transforms into a liquid state. The protein is precipitated and the liquid fat is separated. The process results in a lean protein product that is red in color and can also have characteristics of functional meat.
1 ) A process for recovering uncooked, lean protein composition having a color of 75 to 52 L*, 32 to 15 a*, and 23 to 7 b* from animal muscle tissue having an average fat content between about 50% and 85% by weight and a lean content between about 50% and about 15% by weight, said process comprising the steps of:
a) adding water to animal muscle tissue and comminuting, homogenizing or mixing the animal muscle tissue and water to obtain an animal muscle tissue preparation;
b) adding a food grade alkali to the animal muscle tissue preparation from Step a) to effect a pH in the range of 8.3 to 10.5 to obtain a solubilized protein, fat and water mixture,
c) heating the solubilized protein and fat mixture to a temperature between about 84° F. and about 107° F. such that fat in the solubilized protein becomes a liquid form, to thereby obtain a heated solution that has at least solubilized protein, liquid fat and water;
d) adding a food grade acid to the heated solution of Step c) to decrease the pH to a range between 4.8 to 7.5 to obtain a suspension having at least precipitated protein, liquid fat and water;
e) after addition of the food grade acid in Step d), removing the precipitated protein composition from the suspension;
wherein the precipitated protein composition has a color of 75 to 52 L*, 32 to 15 a*, and 23 to 7 b*, and wherein the precipitated protein is an uncooked, lean protein having 14% or greater by weight protein and less than 30% by weight fat.
2 ) The process of claim 1 , wherein water is added in Step a) in a ratio between about 1:0.5 animal muscle tissue to water and about 1:2 animal muscle tissue to water.
3 ) The process of claim 1 wherein said pH in Step b) is in the range of 9.0 to 10.0.
4 ) The process of claim 1 wherein the food grade alkali of Step b) is sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, potassium bicarbonate, potassium carbonate, or sodium hydroxide.
5 ) The process of claim 1 wherein said food grade acid of Step d) is taken from the group of citric acid, ascorbic acid, phosphoric acid and hydrochloric acid.
6 ) The process of claim 1 wherein said pH in Step d) is in the range of 5.2 to 6.2.
7 ) The process of claim 1 , wherein in Step c), the solubilized protein is heated to a temperature between about 95 and 105° F.
8 ) The process of claim 1 , wherein the precipitated protein composition less than 10% by weight fat.
9 ) The process of claim 1 , wherein the precipitated protein composition less than 5% by weight fat.
10 ) The process of claim 1 , wherein the precipitated protein composition less than 3% by weight fat.
11 ) The process of claim 1 , wherein the precipitated protein composition has about 0% by weight fat.
12 ) The process of claim 1 , wherein Step e) performed by centrifugation, filtration, decantation.
13 ) The process of claim 1 , wherein removing the precipitated protein composition from the suspension of Step e) comprises a two-way separation wherein precipitated protein is separated from a liquid phase having at least liquid fat and water.
14 ) The process of claim 13 , further comprising the step of performing a second two-way separation wherein the liquid phase is separated into liquid fat and water.
15 ) The process of claim 1 , wherein removing the precipitated protein composition from the suspension of Step e) comprises a three-way separation wherein the precipitated protein, the liquid fat and the water are separated.
16 ) The process of claim 1 , wherein the precipitated protein composition has a color of 75 to 52 L*, 25 to 15 a*, and 23 to 16 b*.
17 ) The process of claim 1 , wherein the precipitated protein composition functions as raw meat as measured by a test selected from the group consisting of: water binding test, meat emulsion test, moisture retention test and a combination thereof. 18) A process for recovering uncooked, lean protein composition having a color of 75 to 52 L*, 32 to 15 a*, and 23 to 7 b* from animal muscle tissue having an average fat content between about 50% and 85% by weight and a lean content between about 50% and about 15% by weight, said process comprising the steps of:
a) adding water to animal muscle tissue and comminuting, homogenizing or mixing the animal muscle tissue and water to obtain an animal muscle tissue preparation;
b) adding a food grade alkali to the animal muscle tissue preparation from Step a) to effect a pH in the range of 8.3 to 10.5 to obtain a solubilized protein, fat and water mixture,
c) heating the solubilized protein and fat mixture to a temperature between about 84° F. and about 107° F. such that fat in the solubilized protein becomes a liquid form, to thereby obtain a heated solution that has at least solubilized protein, liquid fat and water;
d) after heating in step c), removing liquid fat from the heated solution to obtain solubilized protein and water solution;
e) adding a food grade acid to the solubilized protein and water solution of Step d) to decrease the pH to a range between 4.8 to 7.5 to obtain a suspension having at least precipitated protein and water;
f) after addition of the food grade acid in Step e), removing the precipitated protein composition from the suspension;
wherein the precipitated protein composition has a color of 75 to 52 L*, 32 to 15 a*, and 23 to 7 b*, and wherein the precipitated protein is an uncooked, lean protein having 14% or greater by weight protein and less than 30% by weight fat.
19 ) The process of claim 18 , further comprising, after Step d), cooling the solubilized protein and water solution.
20 ) The process of claim 18 , wherein the precipitated protein composition has a color of 75 to 52 L*, 25 to 15 a*, and 23 to 16 b*.
21 ) An uncooked, lean protein composition having a color of 75 to 52 L*, 32 to 15 a*, and 23 to 7 b* obtained from animal muscle tissue having an average fat content between about 50% and 85% by weight and a lean content between about 50% and about 15% by weight, said product obtained from the process comprising the steps of:
a) adding water to animal muscle tissue and comminuting, homogenizing or mixing the animal muscle tissue and water to obtain an animal muscle tissue preparation;
b) adding a food grade alkali to the animal muscle tissue preparation from Step a) to effect a pH in the range of 8.3 to 10.5 to obtain a solubilized protein, fat and water mixture,
c) heating the solubilized protein and fat mixture to a temperature between about 84° F. and about 107° F. such that fat in the solubilized protein becomes a liquid form, to thereby obtain a heated solution that has at least solubilized protein, liquid fat and water;
d) adding a food grade acid to the heated solution of Step c) to decrease the pH to a range between 4.8 to 7.5 to obtain a suspension having at least precipitated protein, liquid fat and water;
e) after addition of the food grade acid in Step d), removing the precipitated protein composition from the suspension;
wherein the precipitated protein composition has a color of 75 to 52 L*, 32 to 15 a*, and 23 to 7 b*, and wherein the precipitated protein is an uncooked, lean protein having 14% or greater by weight protein and less than 30% by weight fat.
22 ) The uncooked, lean protein composition of claim 21 , wherein the precipitated protein composition has a color of 75 to 52 L*, 25 to 15 a*, and 23 to 16 b*.
23 ) An uncooked, lean protein composition having a color of 75 to 52 L*, 32 to 15 a*, and 23 to 7 b* obtained from animal muscle tissue having an average fat content between about 50% and 85% by weight and a lean content between about 50% and about 15% by weight, said product obtained from the process comprising the steps of:
a) adding water to animal muscle tissue and comminuting, homogenizing or mixing the animal muscle tissue and water to obtain an animal muscle tissue preparation;
b) adding a food grade alkali to the animal muscle tissue preparation from Step a) to effect a pH in the range of 8.3 to 10.5 to obtain a solubilized protein, fat and water mixture,
c) heating the solubilized protein and fat mixture to a temperature between about 84° F. and about 107° F. such that fat in the solubilized protein becomes a liquid form, to thereby obtain a heated solution that has at least solubilized protein, liquid fat and water;
d) after heating in step c), removing liquid fat from the heated solution to obtain solubilized protein and water solution;
e) adding a food grade acid to the solubilized protein and water solution of Step d) to decrease the pH to a range between 4.8 to 7.5 to obtain a suspension having at least precipitated protein and water;
f) after addition of the food grade acid in Step e), removing the precipitated protein composition from the suspension;
wherein the precipitated protein composition has a color of 75 to 52 L*, 32 to 15 a*, and 23 to 7 b*, and wherein the precipitated protein is an uncooked, lean protein having 14% or greater by weight protein and less than 30% by weight fat.
24 ) The uncooked, lean protein composition of claim 23 , wherein the precipitated protein composition has a color of 75 to 52 L*, 25 to 15 a*, and 23 to 16 b*.