Rigid Shirred Food Casing with Cohesion-Enhancing Solution
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional shirred food casing sticks lack sufficient rigidity, leading to elongation, loss of shape, and vulnerability to breaking during handling and use on automatic stuffing machines.
Innovation Solution
A cohesion-enhancing solution comprising at least one polysaccharide, such as dextrin, and a predominantly non-aqueous solvent, applied to the casing material to enhance its coherency and rigidity, allowing the shirred sticks to maintain their compact shape without additional support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If conventional casing material is used to form shirred sticks, then the casing can be compacted into a shirred stick form, but the shirred stick lacks sufficient rigidity and elongates after shirring
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a cohesion-enhancing solution comprising polysaccharides (such as dextrin, starch, or cellulose derivatives) and a non-aqueous solvent to the casing material before shirring. This chemical treatment changes the physical-chemical parameters of the casing material, forming a gel-like matrix that enhances rigidity and prevents elongation while maintaining the compact shirred stick shape.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite structure by combining the casing material with a cohesion-enhancing solution that forms a gel matrix. This composite approach integrates the structural framework of the casing with the rigidity-providing gel network, resulting in a shirred stick that maintains both its compact form and structural strength without external support.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional shirred sticks are used, then they can be formed from casing material, but they require external support structures to maintain shape during handling
Solution Approach 1:
The cohesion-enhancing solution treatment enables the shirred stick to be self-supporting by forming an internal gel matrix that provides structural rigidity. This eliminates the need for external support structures such as mandrels, nets, or fixtures, allowing the shirred stick to maintain its shape during handling, storage, and transport without additional equipment.
3Shape
If additional support structures are added to conventional shirred sticks, then shape maintenance is improved, but processing steps and materials increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the need for external support structures by incorporating the support function directly into the casing material through the cohesion-enhancing solution treatment. The gel matrix formed by the polysaccharide solution provides the necessary structural support, removing the dependency on separate support equipment and simplifying the overall process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the functions of the casing material and the support structure into a single integrated system. The cohesion-enhancing solution treatment combines the structural framework of the casing with the rigidity-providing gel network, creating a unified structure that maintains shape without requiring separate external support elements.
4Ease of operation
If shirred sticks are handled and transported, then they can be moved to stuffing machines, but they are vulnerable to breaking and deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The cohesion-enhancing solution treatment provides beforehand cushioning by forming a gel matrix that acts as an internal reinforcement structure. This pre-applied treatment protects the shirred stick from breaking and deformation during subsequent handling, transport, and storage operations, ensuring structural integrity is maintained throughout the processing chain.
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 treated shirred sticks exhibit improved rigidity, maintaining their shape and structural integrity during handling, storage, and use on automatic stuffing machines, without the need for external support or additional processing steps.
Implementation Method 1
a cohesion-enhancing solution comprising at least one polysaccharide, such as dextrin, and a predominantly non-aqueous solvent, applied to the casing material to enhance its coherency and rigidity
Data Source
AI summary
Rigid shirred food casing articles (e.g., shirred sticks of casing material) include a cohesion-enhancing solution applied to at least one surface of the casing material. The cohesion-enhancing solution comprises at least one polysaccharide (e.g., dextrin) and a predominantly non-aqueous solvent (e.g., comprising propylene glycol). The coherency-enhancing solution comprises less than 50 wt. % water. Related methods and compositions are also disclosed.