Vegetable casing film and method for production of tubular sausage casings

• US 10,757,952 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2016
• Issued: 09/01/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Living Cell Research Inc.
• Original Assignee: Living Cell Research Inc.
• Inventors: MacQuarrie, Reg
• Primary Examiner(s): Yager, James C
• Application Number:
  US15/238,983
• Publication Number:
  US 20170042167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,476 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A22C 13/00 Sausage casings made of animal intestines A22C17/14
• CPC Class Codes: A22C 13/0013 Chemical composition of synthetic sausage casings
• CPC Class Codes: A22C 2013/0069 seamed casings, casings with at least one longitudinal seam
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1324 Flexible food casing [e.g., sausage type, etc.]

Abstract

Tubular sausage casings can be prepared from non-animal materials, primarily starches and flours by film-casting followed by gluing with an edible glue composed of konjac and carrageenan. In this way, it has been made possible to prepare non-animal meat casings commercially, that can be used with conventional sausage production technology.

Claims

1. A tubular material for use as a sausage casing, wherein the tubular material comprises, in combination:

a vegetable based edible casing film having a tubular shape and including an edge seal comprising side edges of the casing film which are sealed together; and

an edible glue provided on the side edges of the casing film, whereby the edible glue holds the side edges of the film together to provide said tubular shape;

wherein the vegetable-based edible casing film is composed of edible vegetable-based polymeric materials consisting of a major portion of starch and a minor portion of adjunctive polymeric materials, water, and one or both of glycerin and propylene glycol;

wherein the adjunctive polymeric materials are selected from the group consisting of carrageenan, agar, gellan gum and high gelling starches;

wherein the vegetable-based edible casing film comprises from 0 to 8.50 wt % konjac; and

wherein said edible glue consists of konjac, carrageenan and water, wherein the konjac content of the edible glue is 60-90% of a combined amount of konjac with carrageenan.

2. A sausage casing material produced by shirring the tubular material of claim 1 on a 1:

40 to 1;

80 ratio.