Cellulose Food Casing Alkenyl Succinic Anhydride Grease Resistance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Cellulose-based food casings face challenges in optimizing adherence and release properties, leading to issues like greasing out during sausage production, which affects drying and ripening rates and requires costly chemical agents with compatibility and balance difficulties.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating alkenyl succinic anhydride into the cellulose-based food casings, either as a coating or impregnation, along with stabilizing agents like starch, to enhance adherence and release characteristics, reducing greasing out and peeling forces, and allowing for consistent performance across varying conditions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If chemical agents are used to improve adhesion of food casing to meat emulsion, then adherence is improved, but the complexity of formulation and compatibility issues increase

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveadherenceVSAvoidformulation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent modifies the chemical parameters of the cellulose casing by incorporating esters of cellulose with fatty acids having 12-24 carbon atoms. This changes the surface properties and adhesion characteristics of the casing material itself, eliminating the need for separate chemical agents and their associated formulation complexities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The invention creates a composite material by chemically modifying cellulose with specific fatty acid esters. This composite structure combines the base cellulose framework with surface-modifying ester groups, achieving both structural integrity and improved adhesion properties in a single integrated material.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Productivity

If high production temperatures are used to maintain productivity, then productivity is maintained, but greasing out increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduction speedVSAvoidgreasing out
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the thermal and surface parameters of the food casing through esterification with long-chain fatty acids. This modification allows the casing to maintain optimal adhesion and resist greasing out even at elevated processing temperatures, enabling sustained high productivity without the harmful greasing out effect.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Strength

If the amount of fibre on the inside surface is increased to improve adhesion, then adherence is improved, but release properties deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveadhesionVSAvoidpeeling
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality modification by incorporating fatty acid esters specifically at the inner surface of the food casing where contact with meat emulsion occurs. This localized chemical modification optimizes adhesion at the interface while maintaining the bulk structural properties of the casing for proper release and peeling characteristics.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The use of alkenyl succinic anhydride in cellulose-based food casings improves adherence and release properties, reducing greasing out and peeling forces, enabling efficient and consistent sausage production, even under high-temperature processing, and eliminates the need for additional costly agents.

Implementation Method 1

Incorporating alkenyl succinic anhydride into the cellulose-based food casings, either as a coating or impregnation

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectChemical reaction: Chemical Bonding

Implementation Method 2

reducing greasing out and peeling forces

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSurface energy modification: Surface Tension

Data Source

PatentEP2772139B1Cellulose-based food casing and method of manufacture
Publication Date: 2021.06.09 VISKOTEEPAK BELGIUM NV

AI summary

The invention relates to a cellulose-based food casing comprising alkenyl succinic anhydride and a method for the manufacture of said cellulose-based food casing.