Process for preparing an extract

Abstract

This document describes a process for preparing a concentrated liquid composition (such as a broth) from poultry or other meat sources without the use of enzymes. The resulting composition may have a high solids content but is pumpable or pourable and has a relatively long shelf life at room temperature. Methods for extracting protein from raw poultry or other meat sources at relatively low temperatures are also described. Additionally, methods for producing high-protein curd are described.

Description

BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Invention

[0001] This disclosure relates to a process for making a pumpable composition prepared from poultry without using an enzyme.2. Description of Related Art

[0002] Broth or soups prepared from animals have high nutrition values. They are rich in proteins and have been shown to possess both nutritional and therapeutic values.

[0003] Many existing methods for making concentrated broth fail to efficiently utilized the broth derived from the meat processing industry. For instance, some methods fail to produce a concentrated stock or broth that is pumpable or pourable. Broth that is not pumpable or pourable is difficult to process. Poor utilization of the broth not only causes economical waste but also generates excessive waste water and environmental pollutions.

[0004] JP 2000 014357 A discloses a process wherein ground chicken parts are mixed with water and hydrochloric acid and incubated for 3 hours at 20°C.SUMMARY

[0005] The instrumentalities disclosed herein overcome the problems outlined above by providing a pumpable broth composition having high percentage of solids and relatively long shelf life. The invention relates to a cold raw extraction prepared from poultry parts.

[0006] In one embodiment, the higher solids of the disclosed concentrated broth composition may help control microbial growth and prevent spoilage of the broth products. According to the invention, no non-poultry ingredient other than water is introduced into the composition. No extraneous enzymes are added to the composition or used in the process of making the product.

[0007] There is also provided a process for making a broth composition that is pumpable or pourable. The broth composition may be in a concentrated form, with at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90% solids.

[0008] The raw extraction process according to the invention includes at least the following steps: (a) mixing one or more poultry parts with water, (b) incubating the mixture of (a) at a temperature between 0°C and 25°C for at least 10 minutes to generate a suspension, (c) separating the suspension from step (b) into a liquid fraction and a solid fraction, and (d) collecting the liquid fraction from step (c) to obtain the extract.

[0009] In one aspect, the temperature for step (a) may be between 5°C and 15°C. In another aspect, the incubation time of step (a) may be at least 30 minutes. In another aspect, the incubation of step (a) may be accompanied by stirring, mixing, etc. The poulty part is selected from the group consisting of mechanically separated poultry (MSP), poultry trims, ground poultry parts and combination thereof. In another aspect, the ratio between the poultry or animal part and water in the extraction is between about 1:1 to 1:4 by weight. The raw poultry extract obtained according to this process may be subject to further processing described below, such as concentration, cooking, membrane separation, among others.

[0010] In another aspect, the separation step (c) may be performed by centrifugation, or filtration of the suspension. In another aspect, the centrifugation may be conducted at a speed of 1,000 rpm, 2,000 rpm, 3,000 rpm, 4,000 rpm. In another aspect, the centrifugation may be conducted at a speed lower than 10,000 rpm.

[0011] The composition prepared from raw extraction of poultry contains relatively low levels of hydroxyproline. According to the invention, the levels of hydroxyproline as a percentage of total amino acids in the composition are 2%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.2% or less, 0.1% or less, 0.01% or less.

[0012] The raw liquid material may be derived from chicken, turkey, or other poultry sources. In one aspect not according to the invention, the raw liquid material may be in a substantially liquid form which contains significant amount of poultry sarcoplasm. The term "substantially liquid form" means that the raw liquid material is mostly liquid but may contain minor amount of insoluble material. For instance, the raw liquid material may be collected from a poultry processing plant or from a poultry storage container or package. One type of the raw liquid material typically exudes from cut and exposed muscle or bone tissues, which is also known as muscle serum or myogen. The raw liquid material may appear reddish because it may contain intercellular, and / or intracellular liquid, sarcoplasm, and / or sarcoplasmic reticulum with its muscle pigment myoglobin, proteins, minerals, and metabolites. The liquid material may be blood or plasma obtained from poultry.

[0013] According to the invention, the raw liquid material is obtained by extracting raw mechanically separated poultry (MSP), or finely ground poultry pieces (such as poultry trims or ground poultry parts) with water. By way of example, the extraction may be conducted by adding water into raw MSC. The mixture can then be stirred to facilitate mixing and extracting. The ratio between the MSC and water in the extraction mixture may range from about 4:1 to about 1:20 by weight, from about 1:1 to about 1:4 by weight, or about 1:2 by weight. In another embodiment, the MSC and water mixture may be subject to centrifugation at the end of the extraction. The liquid phase resulting from the centrifugation may be collected and used as the raw liquid material for preparing the pumpable broth composition provided in the present disclosure.

[0014] The raw liquid material may be prepared on-site and may be used for making the composition right after it is made fresh on-site. Alternatively, the raw liquid material may be from packaged products or may be collected off-site.

[0015] Reduced water activity in the final broth product may help reduce microbial growth during storage and transportation. As a result, no anti-microbial agents or preservatives need to be added into the broth during or at the end of the process. Because anti-microbial agents and preservatives may be perceived negatively by consumers, avoidance of these substances may add to the marketability of the broth products. In one embodiment, nitrogen or other inert gases may be used during packaging to modify the head space in order to prevent growth of mold or bacteria.

[0016] The reduction of water activity may also simplify the packaging process of the final product. More specifically, because the broth composition obtained from step (d) contains little water to support microbial growth, sterile conditions may not be required when packaging the composition of the instant disclosure. In another aspect, the shelf life of the final broth composition obtained in step (d) may be at least 6 months, at least 12 months, at least 24 months, or at least 36 months at room temperature. By way of example, the shelf life of the final broth composition may be 12-24 months, 12-36 months, 24-36 months, or 36-48 months at room temperature.

[0017] The composition can have a relative higher amount of Guanosine-5'-Monophosphate and Inosine-5'-Monophosphate. In one aspect, the total amount of Guanosine-5'-Monophosphate and Inosine-5'-Monophosphate is at least 25% of the total nucleotides in the composition. In another aspect, more than 70%, or even 80% of total proteins in the composition have a molecular weight (MW) below 30 kiloDalton (KD).

[0018] In another embodiment, the composition prepared according to the instant disclosure is pumpable or pourable, which is advantageous for packaging and handling. For instance, the broth may contain at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, or 85% solids but is still pourable (or pumpable) at room temperature.

[0019] In one embodiment, the disclosed composition may be packed in a squeezable or pumpable bottle and may be used by consumers at home or at any public places, such as restaurants. In another embodiment, the disclosed composition may be packed in a container, such as a bulk container, a trailer tanker, or a railroad tanker for transportation. In one aspect, the container may have a headspace, and the air in the headspace may be replaced with a gas having reduced oxygen content to prevent growth of molds. Suitable gases may include but are not limited to nitrogen, carbon dioxide, or inert gas.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 shows the protein profile of the myogen broth prepared according to one method not according to the invention.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The present disclosure relates to cold raw extraction prepared from poultry.

[0022] The terms "poultry part" refer to parts of the bird, as well as whole bird or whole animal.

[0023] The term "broth" refers to an aqueous composition containing at least one solute. A broth may be a liquid, a solution, or a suspension. For purpose of this disclosure, the term "broth" may be used interchangeably with the terms "stock," "extract," "fond," or "demi-glace." It is to be recognized that as a broth becomes more and more concentrated, it may become highly viscous and may have much lower liquidity as compared to a dilute broth. The concentrated broth composition prepared with the process of the present disclosure may be a highly concentrated broth in a liquid form. Alternatively, a concentrated broth composition may be a dried or semi-dried broth product in the form of powder or paste.

[0024] For purpose of this application, the terms "pumpable" and "pourable" may be used interchangeably to refer to the fluidic characteristics of a composition which can be transferred by using a device (e.g., a pump) typically used in the food (e.g., broth) packaging industry or which can be poured from one container into another.

[0025] The term "water activity" refers to unbound water in a material, for example, food. Water that is not bound to food molecules can support the growth of bacteria yeast or molds (fungi). Thus, water activity may be used to indicate the inherent tendency by which certain food material may become contaminated or spoiled.

[0026] The range of water activity may extend from 0 (bone dry) to 1.0 (pure water). Most food products have a water activity level in the range of 0.2 for very dry foods to 0.99 for moist fresh foods. In practice, water activity is usually measured as equilibrium relative humidity (ERH). The water activity of fresh meat is typically about 0.99, while the water activity of aged cheddar cheese is about 0.85. Dried food usually has lower water activity. For instance, most dried fruit products have water activity of about 0.6, while dry milk powder has water activity of about 0.2.

[0027] The terms "agent," "ingredient," "component," and "constituent" may be used interchangeably in this disclosure. The term "enrich" means to increase the concentration of a component in a mixture that contains more than one components.

[0028] It is to be noted that, as used in this disclosure, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a composition" includes reference to two or more of such compositions.

[0029] The disclosed compositions may be prepared and / or distributed in a concentrated form. A concentrate may be dissolved or dispersed in a solvent to form a reconstituted solution.EXAMPLES

[0030] The following examples are provided to illustrate the present invention, but are not intended to be limiting. The reagents, materials and instruments are presented as typical components, and various substitutions or modifications may be made in view of the foregoing disclosure by one of skills in the art without departing from the principle and spirit of the present invention.Example 1 Preparation of pumpable broth from raw liquid sarcoplasm (not according to the invention)

[0031] Raw liquid was collected in a poultry manufacturing plant from totes of raw chicken frames. This liquid has been identified as primarily liquid sarcoplasm that exudes from cut and exposed muscle tissue, and is also known as muscle serum or myogen. This reddish liquid is a natural part of muscle tissue and is often seen in grocery store packages of raw meat and poultry. When fully cooked, the red color disappears and the product takes on the appearance of broth.

[0032] A quantity of this raw liquid was collected and weighed into a large stock pot. It was fully cooked at a simmer for about an hour at 85 - 99 °C, and the resultant liquid broth was separated from insoluble solids through a 230 mesh sieve. This broth portion was concentrated by boiling down (reducing) on stove top for several hours to yield an extract with high solids. Upon reaching 57% solids, a sample was taken and the water activity of the sample was determined to be at 0.79. The remainder of the extract was further concentrated to 73% solids with a water activity of 0.59. Both samples had less than 0.85 in water activity and were considered shelf stable. Both samples were very flowable and pumpable upon cooling.Example 2 Preparation of pumpable broth from raw mechanically separated chicken

[0033] Freshly made raw mechanically separated chicken (MSC) was obtained from a poultry plant. Portions of the MSC were weighed into cooking pots and two parts cold water was added into the MSC. Each batch was mixed enough to break up lumps. Then, the raw slurry was centrifuged at 3,500 rpm for 5 minutes and separated into a bottom meaty, insoluble phase, a large liquid phase in the middle, and a thin fat layer on top. The liquid phase and the fat layer were separated from the meaty phase by pouring. The liquid phase and fat layer were then cooked on stove top at 85-99°C for about an hour. After cooking, the liquid broth obtained was separated from insoluble solids by pouring through a 230 mesh sieve. Fat was removed by cooling overnight in a refrigerator and simply scooping off the solidified fat. The broth was concentrated by boiling down (reducing) on stove top.

[0034] This concentrated broth was sampled and shown to have 57.4% solids with a water activity of 0.77. This sample remains very flowable, pourable, and pumpable at ambient temperature.

[0035] The procedure above was repeated and similar results were obtained. An extract was obtained that was shown to be 48.8% solids with a water activity of 0.83, which is considered shelf stable with no need of refrigeration.Example 3 Chemical Analysis of a composition not according to the invention.

[0036] The composition prepared according to Example 1 (referred to as Myogen Broth) was subject to chemical analysis to determine the content of nucleotides and amino acids. A chicken broth prepared by conventional method (referred to as Home-style Broth) was used as control. The amount of total nucleotides in the Myogen Broth after corrected on solid basis was 3855.66 mg / 100 grams By contrast, the amount of total nucleotides in the Home-style Broth after corrected on solid basis was 2461.08 mg / 100 grams. These results indicated that the total nucleotides in the Myogen Broth is about 56% (or at least 50%) greater than the total nucleotides in Home-style Broth. The amounts of each nucleotide as a percentage of total nucleotides for Myogen Broth and Home-style Broth are shown in Table 1, respectively. The amounts of each amino acid as a percentage of total amino acids for Myogen Broth are shown in Table 2. TABLE 1 NUCLEOTIDE CONTENT Percentage of total Nucleotides %Myogen BrothHome-style BrothAdenosine-5'-Monophosphate2.09.2Cytidine-5'-Monophosphate1.73.3Uridine-5'-Monophosphate70.564.3Guanosine-5'-Monophosphate0.881.2Inosine-5'-Monophosphate24.821.9 TABLE 2 AMINO ACID CONTENT Amino acidPercentage of total amino acids %Aspartic acid0.77Threonine0.45Serine0.47Glutamic acid2.68Glycine1.25Alanine1.01Valine0.49Methionine0.25Isoleucine0.39Leucine0.67Tyrosine0.31Phenylalanine5.04Lysine0.85Histidine1.15Arginine0.61Proline0.89Hydroxyproline0.20Cysteine0.11Tryptophan0.10

[0037] The same Myogen broth was also subject to SDS-PAGE analysis to determine the molecular weight distribution of proteins in the composition. As shown in Fig. 1, more than about 70%, or 80% of the total proteins have a MW below 30 KD.Example 4 Preparation of a high-protein, low-ash solid composition

[0038] To prepare a solid high-protein, low-ash composition, in Test 1, about 10 pounds of raw mechanically separated chicken (MSC) was extracted with about 20 pounds of solution of water and chicken broth. The raw liquid fraction was separated from the more solid fraction using a centrifuge. Fat was mostly removed from the decanted liquid. The liquid was then fully cooked to about 80°C for at least 10 minutes. Upon cooking, an insoluble protein curd formed in the liquid which was separated from the liquid with a screen. The curd was pressed in the screen by hand to remove excess liquid. The resultant protein curd was analyzed. The results are shown below in Table 3. The resultant curd was high in moisture (72.2%) and proportionally high in protein (19.2%) and low in ash (0.77%). Calculated to a dry or solids basis, the product had about 61% protein, 36% fat, and 2.5% ash.

[0039] In Test 2, 10 pounds of raw MSC (6°C) was mixed with 20 pounds of ice water. Solids were separated from liquid using a centrifuge resulting in 19 pounds of liquid. The separated liquid was cooked with stirring to greater than 80°C for more than 10 minutes, resulting in a clear chicken broth fraction and formation of an insoluble protein curd. The curd was separated from the liquid broth using a standard No. 230 sieve with hand pressing, then analyzed in the lab. Table 4 shows the results of the analysis.

[0040] The amino acid content of the protein curd is shown in Table 5. TABLE 5 AMINO ACID CONTENT Amino acidPercentage of total amino acids %Aspartic acid10.22Threonine4.54Serine4.31Glutamic acid12.58Glycine4.57Alanine5.89Valine6.11Methionine2.40Isoleucine4.82Leucine8.86Tyrosine3.59Phenylalanine5.52Lysine8.03Histidine3.53Arginine6.46Proline5.62Hydroxyproline0.01Cysteine1.42Tryptophan1.53

[0041] To test the nutritional values of the protein curd, a quantity of the protein curd prepared according to Test 2 above was fed to rats along with control animal protein diet, and the growth of the rats was monitored and compared to rats fed with other animal protein products. The weight gain and growth of the test group was very close to the control group fed with standard animal protein products.Example 5 Preparation of beef curd from beef materials (not according to the invention)

[0042] Two beef raw materials were processed by the cold raw extraction method as described in the above examples. These raw materials contain similar components of raw liquid with some fat and raw insoluble meaty solids. The raw liquid extract phase was fully cooked at >85°C for more than 10 minutes. The protein curd formed after cooking was separated from the broth phase by screening. The curd was pressed by hand on a fine screen to reduce moisture, then analyzed for protein and fat. Samples were also sent to a commercial lab for amino acid analyses.

[0043] The first raw material was from a Commercial Finely Textured Reduced Fat Beef product, and the resultant protein curd had 15.8% protein and 6.2% fat (on a dry basis 71.8% protein and 28.2% fat).

[0044] The second raw material was from standard ground beef purchased in a local supermarket. The protein curd prepared from this sample had 13.4% protein and 3.7% fat (on a dry basis 78.4% protein and 21.6% fat).

[0045] Both curd samples on a dry basis score a perfect 100 on PDCAAS score. Table 6 shows PDCAAS of beef protein curd made from raw extraction of the first sample. Values entered are the amino acid test results converted to a solids basis. The PDCAAS is 100 based on egg white or casein standard. TABLE 6 AMINO ACID CONTENT OF BEEF CURD PREPARED FROM RAW BEEF PRODUCT Amino acid Percentage of total amino acids % Aspartic acid10.2Threonine4.3Serine4.1Glutamic acid12.0Glycine4.9Alanine5.9Valine5.3Methionine2.6Isoleucine4.3Leucine9.5Tyrosine3.3Phenylalanine4.9Lysine11.0Histidine4.3Arginine5.4Proline5.0Hydroxyproline0.1Cysteine1.4Tryptophan1.5

[0046] The beef protein curd samples had a mild flavor and an amorphous, soft texture and had a mottled (light and dark) appearance. Protein digestibility as measured by the standard pepsin digestibility method was at 98.8%.

Claims

1. A process for preparing an extract from poultry parts, comprising: (a) mixing one or more poultry parts with water, (b) incubating the mixture of (a) at a temperature between 0°C and 25°C for at least 10 minutes to generate a suspension, (c) separating said suspension into a liquid fraction and a solid fraction, and (d) collecting said liquid fraction from step (c) to obtain said extract, wherein no extraneous enzyme is added in the process, wherein no non-poultry ingredient other than water is introduced into the process, wherein said poultry parts are selected from the group consisting of mechanically separated poultry (MSP), poultry trims, ground poultry parts, and combination thereof, and wherein the extract contains 2%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.2% or less, 0.1% or less, or 0.01% or less of hydroxyproline as a percentage of total amino acids in the extract.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the ratio between said poultry parts and water in said extraction is between about 1:1 to 1:4 by weight.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein said separation of step (c) is by centrifugation of said suspension.

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