Claims
- 1. A method for preparing meat, comprising: adding trehalose to beef in an amount sufficient to obtain a first beef product having a normalized cooked yield higher than a second beef product, wherein the second beef product is substantially the same as the first beef product except that the second beef product includes dextrose in place of the trehalose.
- 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first beef product further comprises dextrose.
- 3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising adding at least one food ingredient to the beef, wherein the at least one food ingredient is added prior to, simultaneously with, or after adding the trehalose.
- 4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first beef product is chosen from ground beef patties, restructured beef roasts, and injected whole muscle beef roasts.
- 5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising cooking the first beef product.
- 6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the trehalose is distributed throughout the beef.
- 7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first beef product further comprises salt and sodium phosphate.
- 8. A method according to claim 3, wherein the at least one food ingredient is at least sodium phosphate.
- 9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first beef product contains substantially no starch.
- 10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the beef is chosen from muscle, comminuted meat, and restructured meat.
- 11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the beef has a green weight, and the amount of trehalose is less than or equal to about 3% of the green weight of the beef.
- 12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the amount of trehalose is less than or equal to about 2% of the green weight of the beef.
- 13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the amount of trehalose ranges from about 0.3% to about 3% of the green weight of the beef.
- 14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the amount of trehalose ranges from about 0.5% to about 2% of the green weight of the beef.
- 15. A method for using trehalose, comprising: incorporating an amount of trehalose into beef to obtain a first beef product having an improved cooked yield relative to that of a second beef product, wherein the first beef product and the second beef product each have a similar pre-cooked weight and each have a similar composition, except that the second beef product includes additional beef in lieu of trehalose.
- 16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the trehalose is incorporated into said beef by adding a mixture of trehalose and water to said beef.
- 17. A method according to claim 15, wherein the trehalose is incorporated into said beef by adding an aqueous solution of trehalose, salt, and sodium phosphate to said beef.
- 18. A method according to claim 15, wherein the first beef product contains starch.
- 19. A beef product, comprising: beef and trehalose, wherein the beef product has a pre-cooked weight, and includes trehalose in an amount sufficient to increase the cooked yield of the beef product relative to a control beef product, wherein the control beef product has substantially the same pre-cooked weight as the beef product and has a composition similar to the beef product except that the control beef product includes dextrose or additional beef instead of trehalose.
- 20. A beef product according to claim 19, wherein the beef has a green weight, and the amount of trehalose ranges from about 0.3% to about 3.0% of the green weight of the beef.
- 21. A beef product according to claim 19, wherein the amount of trehalose ranges from about 0.5% to about 2.0% of the green weight of the beef.
- 22. A beef product according to claim 21, wherein the beef product is chosen from ground patties, restructured roasts, and whole muscle top rounds.
- 23. A beef product according to claim 22, wherein the beef product is chosen from restructured roasts and whole muscle top rounds and the beef product further comprises salt and sodium phosphate.
- 24. A method of increasing the normalized cooked yield of beef, comprising: adding effective amounts of trehalose to beef and optionally adding effective amounts of one or more of salt and sodium phosphate to obtain a normalized cooked yield, wherein when the beef is heated to a desired temperature safe for human consumption the normalized cooked yield is higher than a cooked yield resulting from heating a substantially similar beef without trehalose to the same desired temperature.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/467,041, filed May 1, 2003.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60467041 |
May 2003 |
US |