Localized Gel Injection for Meat Texture and Appearance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing meat processed foods like hamburger steaks and ground meat cutlets struggle with maintaining juicy texture and weight stability due to difficulties in evenly distributing and controlling the placement of gel-like materials, often resulting in mechanical issues such as jamming or uneven distribution.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the preparation of a gel-like material with fluidity by dissolving a gelling agent in water, heating, and cooling, which is then injected into meat processed foods using an injector to achieve localized and quantitative filling, ensuring a juicy texture without compromising appearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the size of gel-like material is increased to enhance juicy texture, then juicy texture is improved, but gel-like material is exposed to surface and appearance is deteriorated
Solution Approach 1:
The gel-like material is divided into multiple small pieces (1-10 mm size) instead of using large pieces. This segmentation allows the gel to be distributed throughout the meat processed food without exposing large gel pieces on the surface, thereby maintaining appearance while still providing juicy texture through sufficient gel distribution.
2Productivity
If filling machine is used to fill gel-like material into premix composition, then filling efficiency is improved, but quantitative filling is difficult and weight stability cannot be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The gel-like material is formulated with specific physical parameters (viscosity of 10-1000 cP, moisture content of 60-80%, gel concentration of 1-10%) that enable it to be easily filled by conventional filling machines while maintaining quantitative precision. The controlled viscosity and moisture content allow the gel to flow smoothly into the premix composition without clogging, ensuring both high filling efficiency and consistent weight stability.
3Speed
If filling machine is used to fill gel-like material, then filling speed is improved, but gel-like material is unevenly distributed in center and localization control is impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The gel-like material is designed with specific rheological properties (viscosity of 10-1000 cP, gel concentration of 1-10%) that enable it to be injected and localized at specific positions within the premix composition. The controlled viscosity allows the gel to be precisely placed in the center region while maintaining its position, achieving both rapid filling and accurate localization control simultaneously.
4Manufacturing precision
If injector is used to fill gel-like material, then localization control is improved, but gel-like material is jammed or air entrainment occurs depending on hardness and viscosity
Solution Approach 1:
The gel-like material is formulated with optimized physical parameters (viscosity of 10-1000 cP, hardness controlled through gel concentration of 1-10%, moisture content of 60-80%) that enable smooth injection through injectors without jamming or air entrainment. The controlled viscosity range ensures the gel is fluid enough to flow through the injector but viscous enough to maintain localization after injection, while the moisture content prevents excessive hardness that would cause jamming.
5Quantity of substance
If gel-like material is chopped and kneaded into premix composition, then juicy texture is enhanced, but mechanical work is required and distribution control is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of mechanically chopping and kneading the gel-like material, the invention uses injection methods to introduce the gel directly into the premix composition. The gel-like material, with its controlled viscosity (10-1000 cP) and moisture content (60-80%), can be injected in a fluid state and will naturally distribute throughout the meat processed food during mixing and cooking, eliminating the need for intensive mechanical chopping and kneading operations while still achieving uniform distribution and juicy texture.
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
This approach allows for the production of meat processed foods with consistent juicy texture and improved workability, maintaining industrial quality and avoiding issues like gel exposure on the surface or uneven distribution, thus enhancing the sensory experience.
Implementation Method 1
heating and dissolving the gelling agent to obtain a gelling agent solution
Implementation Method 2
cooling the gelling agent solution to prepare a gel-like material having fluidity
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a meat processed food, into which a gel-like material is locally and quantitatively filled. Provided is a method for producing a meat processed food, having a step of cooling a gelling agent solution prepared by adding a gelling agent into water and then heating and dissolving the gelling agent, so as to prepare a gel-like material having fluidity; and a step of filling the gel-like material into a plurality of predetermined positions inside a meat-containing raw material.