Process for preparing a heat-treated vegetable and/or meat matter

A process for preparing a heat-treated intermediate vegetable and/or meat matter preparation comprising the steps of:

• a) providing comminuted vegetable and/or meat matter,
• b) admixing 0 to 100 parts by weight of a liquid phase to 100 parts of weight of the comminuted vegetable and/or meat matter of step a),
• c) subjecting the comminuted vegetable and/or meat matter of step b) to a single heating step having three consecutive phases:
• i) Heating the comminuted vegetable and/or meat matter in a Heat Up Phase from 25° C. to 95% of a Holding Temperature, whereby the Holding Temperature is from 135° C. to 180° C., in a Heat Up Time of less than 20 minutes and at least 2 minutes;
• ii) Holding the comminuted vegetable and/or meat matter during a Holding Phase for a Holding Time at the Holding Temperature, whereby the Holding phase corresponds to the Holding time and starts when the comminuted vegetable and/or meat matter reaches a temperature of 95% of the Holding Temperature according to step (i), during the Holding phase the comminuted vegetable and/or meat matter at from step (i) is heated from 95% of the Holding Temperature up to the Holding Temperature and whereby thereafter the temperature is decreased again to 95% of the Holding Temperature, and whereby the Holding Time is from 10 seconds to 7 minutes, whereby a pressure during the Holding phase is corresponding to 0.36 to 1.0 MPa gauge and a level of oxygen is at atmospheric oxygen levels,
• iii) cooling the comminuted vegetable and/or meat matter after the Holding phase to a Filling Temperature of less than 90° C. in a Cooling Time of less than 20 minutes, to form the heat-treated intermediate vegetable and/or meat matter preparation,
• d) optionally, providing the heat-treated intermediate vegetable and/or meat matter preparation at a Filling Temperature, at atmospheric pressure, to prepare a food product;
• e) optionally, filling the heat-treated intermediate vegetable and/or meat matter preparation into a container at the Filling Temperature, at atmospheric pressure;
• and wherein in step c) the vegetable and/or meat matter is heated in a tube having a hydraulic diameter of from 0.1 to 10 cm.