Heat-Shrinkable Polyester Net for Cooked Meat Shape Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food encapsulation methods using elastic and inextensible threads face challenges in controlling the shape and size of cooked meat products, as they often result in uneven expansion and distortion due to the unpredictable stretchability and cost of materials.
Innovation Solution
A tubular net made from High-Shrinkage Polyester threads that shrink between 75°C to 225°C, providing a compressive force on food products during cooking, ensuring uniform shape and size by incorporating warp and weft threads that shrink upon heating, optionally with separate elastic and inextensible threads connected to warp threads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If elastic and inextensible threads are used to control the shape of cooked meat products, then the shape control is achieved, but the stretchability is unpredictable and the cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of the threading material from traditional elastic/inextensible threads to heat-shrinkable plastic threads. This material parameter change provides predictable and uniform shrinkage characteristics when exposed to heat, thereby controlling the shape of cooked meat products reliably without the unpredictability associated with elastic thread stretchability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical stretch-and-hold system (using elastic threads that rely on mechanical tension) with a thermal shrinkage system (using heat-shrinkable plastic threads that rely on thermal contraction). This substitution eliminates the need to control mechanical stretchability while achieving shape control through predictable thermal response.
2Shape
If elastic threads with limited stretch are used to enclose imperforate casing, then uniform cylindrical shape is achieved, but additional casings and complexity are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the need for additional imperforate casings by using heat-shrinkable plastic threads that can directly control the shape of the meat product. The heat-shrinkable threads perform the shaping function that previously required multiple layers of casing and elastic netting, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining uniform cylindrical shape.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat-shrinkable plastic threads serve multiple functions: they provide shape control, maintain uniform cylindrical form, and eliminate the need for additional casings. This multi-functionality reduces the overall complexity of the packaging system while achieving the desired uniform shape during cooking.
3Force
If helically wound yarn is used to cover rubber thread, then stretchability is limited, but the thread becomes deformed and unmanageable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adopts heat-shrinkable plastic threads that are designed for single-use in cooking applications. These threads provide the necessary stretchability control during cooking through their shrinkage properties, and their disposable nature eliminates the need for complex, durable constructions like helically wound yarn that become deformed and unmanageable after use.
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 solution ensures precise control over the diameter of cooked meat products, reducing variations and maintaining a uniform cylindrical shape while eliminating the need for additional casings, enhancing product quality and manufacturing consistency.
Implementation Method 1
a heat-shrinkable thread comprising one or more yarns of a heat-shrinkable material, the heat-shrinkable material comprising or formed entirely from a High-Shrinkage Polyester that shrinks when heated in the temperature range 75°C to about 225°C
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A shrinkable food preparation product used for cooking layered or rolled meat products such as cooked ham has improved characteristic for squeezing the meat.