Textured Non-Porous Barrier Transfer Casing for Food Additive Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food casings face challenges in maintaining a water vapor barrier while transferring functional additives like liquid smoke or caramel solutions, often resulting in weight loss during cooking and storage, and struggle to replicate a net-cooked appearance without using actual nets, which can lead to surface damage and uneven additive distribution.
Innovation Solution
A (co)extruded thermoplastic food casing with a textured surface is developed, featuring a three-dimensional pattern of higher and lower retaining capacity for functional additives, made from thermoplastic polymers like polyamides, polyolefins, and vinylidene chloride copolymers, which provides a water vapor and oxygen barrier without external nets, ensuring even additive distribution and maintaining product appearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a permeable casing is used to allow smoke treatment, then the meat product can be smoked and flavored, but the casing has low water vapor barrier causing weight loss during cooking and storage
Solution Approach 1:
The casing is divided into multiple functional layers: an inner permeable layer (collagen or cellulose) that allows smoke and liquid additive penetration, and an outer barrier layer (thermoplastic polymer) that prevents water vapor loss. This segmentation enables the casing to simultaneously provide smoke adaptability and weight retention.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite material structure combining collagen or cellulose with thermoplastic polymers (polyolefin, polyamide, polyester, or PVDC). The collagen/cellulose provides smoke permeability and liquid additive absorption, while the thermoplastic polymer provides water vapor barrier properties, resolving the contradiction between smoke adaptability and weight loss prevention.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If liquid smoke is applied to the inside of the casing to avoid smoke deposits, then the appearance of smoking rooms is maintained, but the additive distribution may be uneven
Solution Approach 1:
The inner surface of the casing is impregnated with liquid smoke or other liquid additives, creating a localized concentration of functional additives on the food-contact surface. This local quality enhancement ensures uniform additive distribution to the meat product while preventing smoke deposits in the smoking room.
3Shape
If a net is used to stabilize and shape the product, then the final product gains textured appearance, but the net can cause surface damage and uneven additive distribution
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a physical net that contacts the product, the invention embosses a net-like pattern onto the outer surface of the thermoplastic polymer layer. This copied pattern provides the desired textured appearance without the harmful effects of actual net contact, such as surface damage and uneven additive distribution.
4Reliability
If a combination of net and casing is used to hold the meat product, then the product is securely stabilized, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the functions of the net and the casing into a single integrated structure. The thermoplastic polymer casing is embossed with a net-like pattern on its outer surface, combining the stabilizing function traditionally provided by a separate net with the barrier function of the casing, thereby reducing device complexity and cost.
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 effectively transfers functional additives, reduces weight loss during cooking and storage, and maintains a net-like appearance without actual nets, ensuring the product's texture and appearance are preserved, with a retaining capacity that supports the transfer of additives in a visually verifiable pattern.
Implementation Method 1
having a water vapor barrier and/or oxygen barrier effect
Implementation Method 2
having a water vapor barrier and/or oxygen barrier effect
Implementation Method 3
which forms a three-dimensional pattern of higher and lower retaining capacity for a functional additive
Implementation Method 4
retaining capacity for a functional additive
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The present invention provides a functional additive transferring (co)extruded thermoplastic food casing having a water vapor barrier and/or oxygen barrier effect wherein an inside surface of the thermoplastic food casing has a textured surface which forms a three-dimensional pattern of higher and lower retaining capacity for a functional additive, wherein the thermoplastic food casing having a textured surface in case of a monolayer casing or an inner layer comprising the inside surface having a textured surface in case of a multilayer casing comprises as a main component at least one thermoplastic polymer material selected from the group consisting of (co)polyamides, (co)polyolefins, (co)polyester and vinylidenchloride (co)polymers, wherein the (co)extruded thermoplastic food casing does not comprise a net and/or a material forming a net or any other three dimensional structure on its outside surface, wherein the average thickness of the thermoplastic food casing in the areas having a higher retaining capacity is in a range of from 1 to 100 µm, wherein the average thickness of the thermoplastic food casing in the areas having a lower retaining capacity is in a range of from 191 to 2000 µm, provided that the thickness difference between the average thickness in the areas having higher retaining capacity and the average thickness in the areas having a lower retaining capacity is in a range of from 160 to 1950 µm and that a ratio of the average thickness of the thermoplastic food casing in the areas having a higher retaining capacity and the average thickness of the thermoplastic food casing in the areas having a lower retaining capacity is in a range of from 0.002 to 0.25.