Meat Maturation Using Penicillium and Thamnidium
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for meat maturation, such as 'wet-aging' and 'dry-aging,' face challenges with weight loss, flavor concentration, and tenderness, while accelerated methods using mold Thamnidium elegans do not satisfy demanding meat connoisseurs in terms of taste and tenderness.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the use of microorganisms like Penicillium nalgiovense, Penicillium chysogenum, Penicillium gladioli, Penicillium camemberti, and Thamnidium elegans during meat maturation, stored at specific temperature and humidity levels, without additional salt, to enhance tenderness and flavor development over an extended period without altering the meat's internal structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If dry-aging is used to improve aroma and flavor concentration, then meat loses weight due to water evaporation and requires cutting off dried surfaces, but wet-aging preserves weight through vacuum packaging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameters by controlling temperature (0-8°C) and humidity (50-98% relative humidity) to achieve a balance between weight preservation and flavor concentration, avoiding complete vacuum sealing while preventing excessive drying
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite packaging structures combining different materials with specific permeability characteristics to control gas and moisture exchange, achieving both weight preservation and flavor development simultaneously
2Loss of time
If accelerated maturation using mold Thamnidium elegans is applied, then maturation time is reduced to 12-48 hours, but the taste and tenderness do not satisfy demanding meat connoisseurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes temperature (0-8°C) and humidity (50-98% relative humidity) parameters to extend maturation time to 21-100 days, allowing thorough enzymatic breakdown of muscle fibers for superior tenderness and flavor development that accelerated methods cannot achieve
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains continuous controlled maturation conditions over an extended period, allowing progressive and complete enzymatic action on muscle tissues, resulting in superior tenderness and flavor compared to interrupted or accelerated processes
3Loss of substance
If traditional wet-aging in vacuum bags is used, then meat weight is preserved during ripening, but the aroma development is limited compared to dry-aging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adjusts humidity levels (50-98% relative humidity) and temperature (0-8°C) to control the rate of water loss, achieving a balance where sufficient weight is preserved while enough moisture evaporates to concentrate aromatic compounds and develop flavor
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 method produces tender and flavorful meat with a pleasant, intense taste, retaining the meat's natural characteristics, allowing it to be processed like fresh meat, with a low salt content and no curing substances, thus being healthier and more appealing to consumers.
Implementation Method 1
Liberated, protein-splitting enzymes, e.g. the cathepsins and calpains, in the second phase, cause the muscle fiber structures (myofibrils) to dissolve
Implementation Method 2
the use of microorganisms like Penicillium nalgiovense, Penicillium chysogenum, Penicillium gladioli, Penicillium camemberti, and Thamnidium elegans during meat maturation
Implementation Method 3
The carbohydrate glycogen in the muscles is broken down into lactic acid (lactate) and energy, the ATP, is obtained
Implementation Method 4
The metabolism now takes place under anaerobic conditions
Implementation Method 5
Dry-aging has the disadvantage that the meat loses weight due to cold evaporation of the water in the meat
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for improving fresh meat, which uses at least one microorganism from the following group in order to ripen the meat: Penicillium nalgiovense, Penicillium chysogenum, Penicillium gladioli, Penicillium camemberti, Penicillium commune, Penicillium olsonii, Penicillium aurantiogriseum, Penicillium brevicompactum, Penicillium griseovulvum, Penicillium implicatum, Penicillium solitum, Penicillium verrucosum, Penicillium waksmanii, Eurotium rubrum, Aspergillus oryzae, Aspergillus candidus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus sojae, Actionmucor elegans, Amylomyces rouxii, Cephalosporium sp., Monascus purpureus, Monascus ruber, Monascus pilosius, Mucor indicus, Mucor dispersus, Mucor hiemalis, Mucor silvaticus, Mucor Subtilissimus, Mucor spp., Neurospora intermedia, Neurospora sitophila, Neurospora sp., Penicillium roqueforti, Rhizopus oligosporus, Rhizopus chinensis, Rhizopus oryzae, Rhizopus arrhizus, Rhizopus stolonifer, Streptomyces griseus, Tuber sp., Terfizia sp., wherein the meat is aged in a temperature range of 0 to 8 °C, wherein the meat is aged at a relative humidity between 50% and 98%, and wherein the meat is aged between 21 and 100 days.