Claims
- 1. A method of treating food items having individual muscle protein fibers at least partially covered by a collagen protein layer, said method comprising the step of pressing said food items using a pliable material which conforms to and at least partially surrounds said food items during said step of pressing, wherein pressure is applied to said food items in said step of pressing using said pliable material in a manner effective for rupturing said collagen protein layer sufficiently to form an opening therethrough.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein, in said step of pressing, said food items are pressed between a first layer of said pliable material having a first surface and a second layer of a pliable material having a second surface.
- 3. The method of claim 2 wherein said first and said second surfaces conform to said food items in said step of pressing to at least partially surround said food items.
- 4. The method of claim 3 wherein said first and said second surfaces completely surround said food items in said step of pressing.
- 5. The method of claim 3 wherein said first layer is a covering for a plunger and said second layer covers at least an interior portion of a cavity wherein said plunger is receivable for pressing said food items.
- 6. The method of claim 3 wherein said food items are pressed in said step of pressing between a first continuous belt comprising said first layer and a second continuous belt comprising said second layer.
- 7. The method of claim 6 wherein said pressure is applied to said food items in said step of pressing by contacting said first continuous belt with at least a first roller which urges said first continuous belt toward said second continuous belt and by contacting said second continuous belt with at least a second roller which urges said second continuous belt toward said first continuous belt.
- 8. The method of claim 2 wherein said food items are bone-in product pieces and said pressure applied in said step of pressing is in the range of from about 15 to about 120 psig.
- 9. The method of claim 2 wherein said food items are boneless product pieces and said pressure applied in said step of pressing is in the range of from about 2 to about 100 psig.
- 10. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of pressing comprises a series of at least two applications of pressure to said food items using said pliable material.
- 11. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step, following said step of pressing, of infusing a treatment liquid into said food items through said opening.
- 12. The method of claim 11 wherein said step of infusing comprises vacuum tumbling said food items.
- 13. The method of claim 11 wherein said step of infusing comprises needle injecting said treatment liquid into said food items.
- 14. The method of claim 11 wherein said step of infusing comprises impacting said food items while moving said food items through said treatment liquid.
- 15. The method of claim 14 wherein, in said step of infusing, said food items are at least partially suspended in an amount of said treatment liquid of at least one pound of said treatment liquid per pound of said food items.
- 16. The method of claim 14 wherein, in said step of infusing, said food items are continuously moved through said treatment liquid by a submerged conveyor.
- 17. The method of claim 16 wherein said food items are impacted in said step of infusing by contacting with flexible fingers as said food items are carried through said treatment liquid.
- 18. The method of claim 14 wherein, in said step of infusing, said food items are continuously moved through said treatment liquid by rotating spiral flites.
- 19. The method of claim 18 wherein said food items are impacted in said step of infusing by contacting with at least one rotating paddle.
- 20. The method of claim 19 wherein said paddle rotates in a direction opposite that of said spiral flites.
- 21. A food item treated in accordance with the method of claim 1.
- 22. A food item treated in accordance with the method of claim 5.
- 23. A food item treated in accordance with the method of claim 6.
- 24. A food item treated in accordance with the method of claim 11.
- 25. A food item treated in accordance with the method of claim 14.
- 26. A food item treated in accordance with the method of claim 20.
- 27. A method of treating food items, said food items comprising muscle protein and said method comprising the step of pressing said food items between a first layer of a pliable material having a first surface and a second layer of a pliable material having a second surface, wherein said first and said second surfaces conform to and at least partially surround said food items in said step of pressing and wherein an amount of pressure is applied to said food items in said step of pressing in the range of from about 2 to about 120 psig.
- 28. The method of claim 27 wherein said food items are bone-in product pieces and said amount of pressure applied in said step of pressing is in the range of from about 15 to about 120 psig.
- 29. The method of claim 27 wherein said food items are boneless product pieces and said amount of pressure applied in said step of pressing is in the range of from about 2 about 100 psig.
- 30. The method of claim 27 wherein said first layer is a cover for a plunger and said second layer covers at least an interior portion of a cavity wherein said plunger is receivable for pressing said food items.
- 31. The method of claim 27 wherein said food items are pressed in said step of pressing between a first continuous belt comprising said first layer and a second continuous belt comprising said second layer.
- 32. The method of claim 31 wherein said pressure is applied to said food items in said step of pressing by contacting said first continuous belt with at least a first roller which urges said first continuous belt toward said second continuous belt and by contacting said second continuous belt with at least a second roller which urges said second continuous belt toward said first continuous belt.
- 33. The method of claim 27 wherein each of said first and said second layers has a thickness of at least one-half inch.
- 34. The method of claim 27 further comprising the step, following said step of pressing, of infusing a treatment liquid into said food items.
- 35. The method of claim 34 wherein said step of infusing comprises vacuum tumbling of said food items.
- 36. The method of claim 34 wherein said step of infusing comprises needle injecting said treatment liquid into said food items.
- 37. The method of claim 34 wherein said step of infusing comprises impacting said food items while moving said food items through said treatment liquid.
- 38. The method of claim 37 wherein, in said step of infusing, said food items are at least partially suspended in an amount of said treatment liquid of at least one pound of said treatment liquid per pound of said food items.
- 39. The method of claim 37 wherein said food items are impacted in said step of infusing by contacting with flexible fingers as said food items are moved through said treatment liquid.
- 40. The method of claim 37 wherein, in said step of infusing, said food items are continuously moved through said treatment liquid by rotating spiral flites.
- 41. The method of claim 40 wherein said food items are impacted in said step of infusing by contacting with at least one rotating paddle.
- 42. The method of claim 41 wherein said paddle rotates in a direction opposite that of said spiral flites.
- 43. A food item treated in accordance with the method of claim 27.
- 44. A food item treated in accordance with the method of claim 28.
- 45. A food item treated in accordance with the method of claim 29.
- 46. A food item treated in accordance with the method of claim 30.
- 47. A food item treated in accordance with the method of claim 31.
- 48. A food item treated in accordance with the method of claim 34.
- 49. A food item treated in accordance with the method of claim 37.
- 50. A food item treated in accordance with the method of claim 42.
- 51. An apparatus for pressing food items comprising:
a first rotatable continuous belt having a contacting run, said contacting run having a contacting surface and a direction of travel; a second rotatable continuous belt having a pressing run with a pressing surface adjacent to said contacting surface, said second continuous belt also being operable such that said pressing run will move in said direction of travel; and at least a first roller positioned against said pressing run such that said first roller will urge said pressing surface toward said contacting surface in a manner effective for pressing food items as they are carried between said pressing run and said contacting run in said direction of travel, wherein said first continuous belt is formed of a pliable material and said second continuous belt is formed of a pliable material such that said pressing surface and said contacting surface will conform to and at least partially surround said food items as said food items are pressed between said surfaces.
- 52. The apparatus of claim 51 wherein said pressing surface and said contacting surface will completely surround said food items as said food items are pressed between said surfaces.
- 53. The apparatus of claim 51 wherein each of said belts has a thickness of at least one-half inch.
- 54. The apparatus of claim 51 further comprising at least a second roller positioned against said contacting run such that said second roller will urge said contacting surface toward said pressing surface in a manner effective for further pressing said food items as they are carried between said pressing run and said contacting run in said direction of travel.
- 55. The apparatus of claim 54 wherein at least one of said first roller and said second roller is selectively positionable toward or away from the other of said rollers along said direction of travel.
- 56. The apparatus of claim 54 wherein said rollers are positionable in a manner effective for applying a pressure in the range of from about 2 psig to about 120 psig to said food items as said food items are carried between said pressing run and said carrying run in said direction of travel.
- 57. An apparatus for pressing food items comprising:
a holding structure having a holding structure covering with a holding cover surface and a pressing structure having a pressing structure covering with a pressing cover surface, said pressing structure being reciprocatingly movable toward said holding structure for pressing food items between said pressing cover surface and said holding cover surface, wherein said holding structure covering is formed of a pliable material and said pressing structure covering is formed of a pliable material such that said holding cover surface and said pressing cover surface will conform to and at least partially surround said food items as said food items are pressed between said surfaces.
- 58. The apparatus of claim 57 wherein, when said food items are pressed between said holding cover surface and said pressing cover surface, said surfaces will completely surround said food items.
- 59. The apparatus of claim 57 wherein said holding structure includes a holding cavity and said pressing structure is a plunger receivable in said holding cavity.
- 60. The apparatus of claim 59 wherein said holding structure is carried by a rotatable structure.
- 61. The apparatus of claim 60 wherein said rotatable structure carries at least one additional holding structure in which said plunger is reciprocatingly receivable.
- 62. An apparatus for infusing food items with a liquid comprising:
a container for containing an amount of said liquid at a liquid level; a conveyor extending through at least a portion of said container beneath said liquid level such that said conveyor will continuously move said food items through said liquid; and a plurality of contact members positioned above and extending toward said conveyor such that said contact members will contact and massage said food items as they move through said liquid.
- 63. The apparatus of claim 62 wherein said contact members are drag fingers.
- 64. The apparatus of claim 62 further comprising means for creating swirling currents in said container.
- 65. The apparatus of claim 64 wherein said means is selected from paddles, spray nozzles, or a combination thereof.
- 66. An apparatus for infusing food items with a liquid comprising:
a drum rotatable with said liquid therein at a liquid level, said drum having spiral flites therein and a longitudinal opening extending through said flites such that said liquid level will extend partially into said longitudinal opening; and at least one paddle rotatably mounted in said longitudinal opening of said drum such that said paddle will contact said liquid.
- 67. The apparatus of claim 66 wherein said drum is rotatable in a first direction and said paddle is rotatable in a second direction counter to said first direction.
- 68. The apparatus of claim 66 wherein said paddle has a swept back configuration away from said second direction.
- 69. The apparatus of claim 66 further comprising a plurality of lift bars extending longitudinally along an interior wall of said drum.
- 70. The apparatus of claim 66 wherein said drum has an end with an opening therein sized and positioned to maintain said liquid level in said drum by allowing an excess amount of said liquid to flow out of said drum.
- 71. The apparatus of claim 70 further comprising a container to receive said excess amount of said liquid from said opening.
- 72. The apparatus of claim 71 further comprising recirculating means for recirculating said liquid from said container to said drum.
- 73. An apparatus for treating food items comprising:
a continuous press having two layers of pliable material between which said food items are receivable for pressing to produce a pressed product, said two layers having surfaces which will conform to and at least partially surround said food items when pressing and a liquid infusion device having
a container for containing a liquid, a food conductor positioned to continuously conduct said pressed product through said liquid, and at least one contact member positioned in a manner effective to contact and massage said pressed product as it is continuously conducted through said liquid.
- 74. The apparatus of claim 73 wherein said continuous press further comprises means for urging at least one of said surfaces toward the other of said surfaces.
- 75. The apparatus of claim 74 wherein said means for urging comprises a plunger.
- 76. The apparatus of claim 74 wherein said means for urging is a roller.
- 77. The apparatus of claim 73 wherein said food conductor is a conveyor belt.
- 78. The apparatus of claim 73 wherein said food conductor comprises rotatable spiral flites.
- 79. The apparatus of claim 78 wherein said contact member comprises a paddle rotatably mounted in said spiral flites.
- 80. The apparatus of claim 73 wherein said food items have a collagen protein layer and said continuous press is effective for applying sufficient pressure to said food items when positioned between said two layers of pliable material to rupture said collagen protein layer sufficiently to form an opening therethrough.
- 81. The apparatus of claim 73 wherein said continuous press is effective for applying a pressure to said food items when positioned between said two layers of pliable material in the range of from about 2 to about 120 psig.
- 82. A method of treating food items having individual muscle protein fibers at least partially covered by a collagen protein layer, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) applying a force to said food items effective for rupturing said collagen protein layer sufficiently to form an opening therethrough and (b) infusing a treatment liquid into said food items through said opening.
- 83. The method of claim 82 wherein said treatment liquid is infused into said food items in step (b) by impacting said food items while moving said food items through said treatment liquid.
- 84. The method of claim 83 wherein, in said step of infusing, said food items are at least partially suspended in an amount of said treatment liquid of at least one pound of said treatment liquid per pound of said food items.
- 85. The method of claim 83 wherein, in said step of infusing, said food items are continuously moved through said treatment liquid by a submerged conveyor and are impacted by contacting with flexible fingers.
- 86. The method of claim 83 wherein, in said step of infusing, said food items are continuously moved through said treatment liquid by rotating spiral flites.
- 87. The method of claim 86 wherein said food items are impacted in said step of infusing by contacting with at least one rotating paddle.
- 88. The method of claim 87 wherein said paddle rotates in a direction opposite that of said spiral flites.
- 89. A food item treated in accordance with the method of claim 82.
- 90. A food item treated in accordance with the method of claim 83.
- 91. A food item treated in accordance with the method of claim 88.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application claims the benefit of United States Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/219,895, filed Jul. 21, 2000.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60219895 |
Jul 2000 |
US |