Patent Application
20190150488
The invention relates to preparation of seaweed extract fiber (SEF) from Eucheuma Seaweeds. The invention also relates to using SEF as binder in extended restructured hams.
Red Algae of the Eucheuma specie has been widely used for the commercial production of hydrocolloids or commonly known as Processed Eucheuma Seaweed (PES) which is derived from the alkali treatment of the Eucheuma Seaweed. It is extensively used in many food preparations today such as in processed meats. The predominance of Eucheuma type seaweed Cottonii and Spinosum in the production of PES over other Red Algae Species has been mainly attributed to its successful cultivation due to ease in reproduction and the rapid growth of its fingerlings in temperate waters whereby harvesting is possible all year round. Eucheuma seaweed farming and production has grown tremendously over the years wherein Indonesia has seen the biggest growth after many years of widespread growth in the Philippines. This growth was fueled by the increasing demand of PES use in food, especially in processed meats and dairy based products worldwide.
PES is also widely known as semi-refined carrageenan (SRC), alternatively refined carrageenan (ARC) Philippine Natural Grade (PNG) and Alkali Treated Cotonii or Spinosum Powder. The commercial production of PES is typically done by soaking the seaweed with alkali for few hours at elevated temperatures. This process allow the native polysaccharide component of the seaweed plant to transform into a different morphology, making it more effective in binding and stabilizing aqueous solutions and any protein based systems such as meat, milk and their derivatives. The conformational changes of the polysacchadde component of the Eucheurn Seaweed however, are not limited to alkali treatment. In fact, transformation happens naturally as the seaweed ages, although at a much slower pace. However, practically, most weeds may not attain full maturity when the seaweed is harvested due to pressure for the farmers to sell. This is why the need for alkali treatment is necessary to enhance the functionality for the finished hydrocolloid extract or PES.
The food industry currently is undergoing a major overhaul towards the utilization of natural or minimally processed additives or ingredients. This new trend has motivated the food industry to seek new ingredients that are sourced naturally or minimally processed to satisfy the current trend. The appetite for label friendly food additives has become so big that most meat processors, particularly, have joined the initiative eliminating the chemically sounding, artificial or synthetic and highly processed ingredients in the formula.
Hydrocolloids produced from alkali treatment of Eucheuma seaweed or PES has become the preferred binder in processed meats due to its relatively lower cost compared to other binders but then again, being chemically treated, it is heading towards exclusion. A method in producing a natural seaweed powder without alkali treatment is needed.
The present invention addresses this need and comprises a method of processing Eucheuma Seaweed in the absence of alkali treatment resulting into a product called Seaweed Powder or Seaweed Extract. The processing steps involve are: (1) Pre-rinsing of the dried. seaweed with tap water. (2) Soaking or washing the hydrated seaweed with aqueous solutions of 0.1 to 20% potassium chloride between 1 to 20 hours. (3) Chopping the seaweed into smaller size to about 2 to 4 cm or as desired in order to accommodate easier handling for further processing. (4) Sterilizing and deodorizing the chopped hydrated seaweed with very mild bleach. (5) Washing the seaweed to rinse off residual sanitizing solution. (6) Drying the seaweed through a mechanical dryer to around 15% moisture. (7) Grinding the dried chips into powder using a mechanical grinder. (8) Blending the powder to get uniform quality using a ribbon blender. (9) Packaging the finished powder into lined white paper bags.
Another aspect of this invention is the utilization of the seaweed extract into processed meat. The seaweed extract is added into a 50% Extended restructured ham and the performance is evaluated such as texture enhancement using an SMS Texture Analyzer and measurement of cold storage syneresis.
Another aspect of this invention is a method in which the finished seaweed extract is screened or evaluated in terms of protein reactivity. The seaweed extract is subjected into a meat batter system similar to making restructured meats except that the meat is comminuted or emulsified into a fine size in order to facilitate fast protein extraction and interaction with the seaweed extract binder as opposed to slow and long tumbling hours in making conventional restructured hams.
In order to understand the disclosure and see how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will be described by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
The present invention relates to an extract or powder product derived from the processing of Eucheuma Seaweeds. Two widely cultivated seaweeds, Eucheuma Cottonii and Spinosum, are the preferred raw materials for the production of seaweed extract due to their availability and price sustainability. The seaweed is harvested and sun dried by the farmers and sold with moisture levels at about 30% to 40%, although 35% is the market requirement where the price per kilogram of seaweed is set at.
The first step of the process involves washing or pre-rinsing the dried seaweed to remove impurities which are mostly sand and salts that were crystallized previously during sun drying. The wash water can be tap water or recycled wash water from the previous washings of the already clean seaweed in step (5). The washing takes about 10 minutes to 60 minutes, preferably 20 to 45 minutes most preferably 20 to 30 minutes at ambient temperatures preferably 10 to 30° C. After this stage, the seaweed would have hydrated to some degree and should be free from impurities. Washing is carried out via forced agitation with paddles/agitators in a pre-filled tank. Rinsing is carried out with overhead rinse nozzles.
The next step involves soaking the hydrated seaweed with a very dilute salt solution containing 0.1% to 20% potassium chloride, preferably 0.1 to 10%, most preferably 1 to 5%, in ambient temperature, preferably 15 to 30° C. This process allows full hydration of the seaweed in the presence of potassium ions. Further hydration at this stage allows both absorption and adsorption of the dissociated potassium ions into the cellular matrix and the outer surface of the plant material which is vital for the increased stability and functionality of the polysaccharide component of the seaweed in the subsequent process steps and later on as finished product. The soaking process takes about 1 to 20 hours, preferably 2 to 10 hours, most preferably 1 to 5 hours.
The next step is chopping the seaweed to smaller size, from about 2 to 10 cm, preferably 2 to 6 cm, most preferably 2 to 4 cm. The main purpose of this step is to allow for a more efficient handling of the material for further size reduction into a powder.
After chopping, the seaweed is sterilized or deodorized with a very dilute oxidizing agent containing 10 to 300 ppm preferably 50 to 200 ppm hypochlorite or peroxide solution. The sterilizing and deodorizing process are done at ambient temperature preferably at 10 to 30° C. most preferably at 15 to 20° C. for 10 to 60 minutes, preferably 20 to 50 minutes, most preferably 25 to 45 minutes.
The chopped seaweed is then subjected for final wash using a clean tap water for 10 to 20 minutes. The purposes of this step are to eliminate any residues from the dilute oxidizing agent used in disinfecting and deodorizing the seaweed.
The clean seaweed is then dried through a mechanical dryer from about 85% to 90% moisture down to 15%, preferably to 12. to 15%, final moisture. The dryer temperature should not exceed 105° C.
The dried seaweed chip is then converted into powder using a mechanical grinder 50 to 150 microns, preferably 50 to 100 microns, and most preferably 50 to 70 microns, The grinding process will generate some heat, driving out more moisture from the chips as it being grinded. The final moisture of the powder coming out of the grinder will be about 7 to 12%, preferably 9 to 12%, most preferably 10% to 12% moisture.
The powder is then packed into plastic lined paper bags and kept a cool dry place.
Below, in Tables 1 and 2, is a conventional formula to prepare a 50% extended restructured ham.
Table 1 shows the seaweed extract being used at 0.50% in the formula which corresponds to 1.50% in the brine while Table 2 shows the blank formula of a ham without a binder. The brines are prepared by mixing all the liquid and dry ingredients using a mechanical mixer while the pork leg meats were comminuted to its desired size. The meat and brine are added together into the tumbler and the whole mixture is vacuum tumbled for 2 to 5 hours, preferably 2 to 3 hours, to extract the proteins and allow the functional ingredients such as phosphate, salt and seaweed powder to interact. The meat slurry is then stuffed into an impermeable plastic casing with about 100 cm to 150 cm, preferably 100 to 120 cm, stuffing diameter. The chubs are then cooked in steam oven at 80° C. to 95° C., preferably 85° C. to 90° C., to an internal temperature of 68° C. to 75° C., preferably 70° C. to 72° C. The cooked chubs are then cooled down using cold running water and then stored inside a chiller overnight at 0° C. to 4° C. to allow the meat to set.
The finished hams are then evaluated the next day for hardness and appearance and sliced into 1 mm thickness for measuring storage syneresis in a 7 day period.
Syneresis is defined as the extraction or expulsion of a liquid, in this case water, from a gel. This terminology is widely used in cheese, yogurts, and any solid or semi-solid systems that contains considerable amount of moisture. In meat systems, purge is more widely used than syneresis although they are referring to the same entity.
Another aspect of the invention is the methodology of determining the protein reactivity of the finished SEF. This methodology is used to monitor the functionality of every batch of the SEF produced. This screening process is critical for the establishment of the SEF's standard of quality to be later on used as a determining factor for its use in processed meats. This testing methodology generates “meat gels.”
Table 3 reports the results of an experiment at two extension levels, 50% and 70%. These two extensions are widely used in the commercial preparation of hams and other deli meats. This experiment aids in establishing the ideal extension level for future meat gel testing. Also included in this test is a blank (Table 4) which is the same formula as in Table 3 except that there is no binder or SEF. This will help establish the threshold to demonstrate the performance of the SEF in enhancing texture and stability of the meat gels.
Similar to making a restructured ham above, the brine is prepared separately by mixing all liquid and dry ingredients using a mechanical mixer while the meat is comminuted to the desired size. The meat is then combined with the brine and mixed using a dough mixer with a flat paddle attachment. The mixing is carried out for 5 to 30 minutes preferably 10 to 20 minutes at medium low to medium speed enough to extract the meat proteins and interact with the added functional ingredients such as phosphates, salt and seaweed extract. The meat slurry is then stuffed into a fibrous casing with 50 cm to 100 cm, preferably 60 cm to 80 cm, stuffing diameter. The chubs are then pre-weighed then cooked at 80° C. to 95° C., preferably 80° C. to 85° C., to an internal temperatures of 68° C. to 75° C., preferably 70° C. to 72° C. The chubs are then cooled down with a cold shower then reweighed for cook yield measurement. Once temperature reaches room temperature, the chubs are transferred into a chiller at 2° C. to 10° C., preferably 2° C. to 4° C., to completely set overnight. The next day, the chubs are sliced for hardness measurement using the SMS Texture Analyzer.
The present invention, therefore, is well adapted to carry out the objectives and attain the ends and advantages mentioned, as well as others inherent therein. While the invention has been depicted and described and is defined by reference to particular embodiments of the invention, such references do not imply a limitation on the invention, and no such limitation is to be inferred. Consequently, the invention is intended to be limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims, giving full cognizance to equivalents in all respects.
