Food compositions having a realistic meat-like appearance, feel, and texture

Abstract

The invention provides novel food compositions having a realistic meat-like appearance, feel, and texture. The compositions comprise from about 40 to about 90% functional proteins, from about 0.05 to about 2% of one or more cross-linking agents, and from about 60 to about 10% of a meat slurry, wherein the meat slurry comprises meat and one or more humectant plasticizers in a meat:humectant plasticizer ratio of from about 20:80 to about 80:20. The compositions are produced by heating a preconditioned mixture of the food components under pressure and then expanding the heated composition to form the food composition.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The invention relates generally to food compositions and particularly to food compositions having a meat-like appearance, feel, and texture and to methods of making such food compositions.[0003]2. Description of Related Art[0004]Some food compositions having a meat-like appearance and methods of making such food compositions are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,025 discloses a simulated ground meat analog derived from sprouted whole grain kernels and the process for making the analog. U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,710 discloses a method and apparatus for forming meat analog products and for texturizing a dough mass wherein the ingredients are mixed, passed through a conduit having a decreasing cross-sectional area while the dough mass is heated therein, the heating being done such that a greater heat intensity is applied to the center of the dough mass than to the dough mass adjacent the walls of the conduit. U....

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]It is another object of the invention to provide new food compositions with enhanced palatability.

[0009]It is another object of the invention to provide blended food compositions with enhanced palatability.

[0010]One or more of these or other objects are achieved using novel food compositions having a realistic meat-like appearance, feel, and texture comprising from about 40 to about 90% functional proteins, from about 0.05 to about 2% of one or more cross-linking agents, and from about 60 to about 10% of a meat slurry, wherein the meat slurry comprises meat and one or more humectant plasticizers in a meat:humectant plasticizer ratio of from about 20:80 to about 80:20. The compositions are produced by heating a preconditioned mixture of the food components under pressure and then expanding the heated composition to form the food composition. The new food composition is highly palatable and can be fed alone or blended with other comestible foods to enhance the palatability of the blend.

Problems solved by technology

Unfortunately, the soft texture of these dry compositions is quickly lost, possibly due to loss of moisture.

Without the soft texture, these compositions do not have an acceptable meat-like appearance, feel, and texture and are therefore not very appealing or palatable.