Meat Packaging System
OwnerJohn Countz, Rudy Steinerinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for rapidly binding fresh meat myoglobin with carbon monoxide. The method includes placing the fresh meat into a chamber, creating a negative pressure within the chamber, pressurizing the chamber with an atmosphere including carbon monoxide, maintaining the chamber at hyperbaric levels of pressure for a dwell time and bringing the chamber to regular atmospheric pressure. The myoglobin of the meat within the chamber is thereby rapidly converted to carboxymyoglobin and, thus, the meat appears normally oxygenated. The meat may be placed into a low oxygen atmosphere or vacuum packaging machine and packaged accordingly.
Claims24
An apparatus for rapid binding of gas to fresh meat myoglobin, the apparatus comprising:
- a support for supporting a fresh meat product;
- a pressure vessel for forming a seal with the support wherein the fresh meat product may be positioned within the pressure vessel;
- a compressed carbon monoxide source coupled to the pressure vessel for pressurizing the pressure vessel with a positive pressure of between approximately 10 atm and approximately 34 atm using an atmosphere;
- and
- a vacuum source coupled to the pressure vessel for drawing a vacuum in the pressure vessel;
- wherein the fresh meat treated using the apparatus is rapidly imparted with a cherry-red color.
A method for rapidly changing the state of meat myoglobin comprising:
- placing meat in chamber,
- creating a negative pressure within the chamber;
- pressurizing the chamber with a positive pressure of between approximately 10 atm and approximately 34 atm with an atmosphere including carbon monoxide;
- maintaining the chamber at hyperbaric levels of pressure for a dwell time;
- bringing the chamber to regular atmospheric pressure.
An apparatus for rapid binding of gas to fresh meat myoglobin, the apparatus comprising:
- a chamber housing a fresh meat product, wherein the chamber comprises means for creating a seal around the fresh meat product;
- means for pressurizing the chamber coupled to the chamber for pressurizing the chamber with a positive pressure of between approximately 10 atm and approximately 34 atm;
- and
- means for creating a negative pressure within the chamber coupled to the chamber;
- such that fresh meat treated using the apparatus is rapidly imparted with a cherry-red color.
A vacuum packaged meat product comprising:
- fresh meat, the fresh meat having a generally red coloration carboxymoglobin on a surface thereof, the fresh meat thus having a cherry-red color;
- a vacuum package around the fresh meat.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.