Process for vacuum packing and cooling meat cuts
AssigneeJ. Sainsburg Limited
InventorMichael John Follett
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Raw red meat is excised from a carcass within 1/2 to 8 hours after the animal's death and vacuum packed in synthetic, air impermeable plastic bags which are then placed in a cooling environment which has a temperature maintained at 23.degree. F to 60.degree. F for a sufficient length of time for the meat to fall to a temperature in this range, the rate of cooling of the muscle being such that a substantially consistent rate of temperature fall is achieved throughout the muscle. After cooling the packed meat can be stored at 28.5.degree. F to 45.degree. F, without freezing, for up to 6 weeks.
Claims10
A process for packing raw red meat into domestic cuts comprising removing at least part of one of the muscles of a carcass of raw red meat within 1/2 to 8 hours of the animal's death and forming domestic cuts thereof, vacuum packing said cuts in air impermeable plastics bags, cooling under controlled conditions said sealed bags in a coolant having a temperature of 23.degree. F and 60.degree. F for a sufficient length of time for the meat to fall to a temperature within this range and for a minimum of 10 hours in water or about 24 hours in air, the rate of cooling of the muscle being sufficiently slow so that the temperature gradient within the meat is relatively quickly reduced such that a substantially consistent rate of temperature fall is achieved throughout the muscle, and storing said bags at 28.5.degree. F to 45.degree. F and for a period of up to 6 weeks.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.