Method of treating meat
O United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,875 ,313 Brotsky Apr. 1, 1975 [54] METHOD OF TREATING MEAT 2,876,115 3/1959 Epstein 426/224 X 1 1mm Eugene Broisky, Highland Park, 11343333 1311323 5233113: 426/271 X 3,154,423 10/1964 Voegeli et al... Assignee: Merck &amp; Inc. h y, Mahon [22] Filed: Aug. 12, 1974 Primary E.\&#39;aminerllyman Lord [21] Appl&#39; 496777 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Frank M. Mahon; Harry E.  
  Related U.S. Application Data Westlake, Jr.; Rudolph J. Anderson, Jr. [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 356,007, April 30, i973, abandoned. which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 93,418, Nov. 27, 1970, abandoned. [57] ABSTRACT [52] 4 4 4 Anhydrous sodium tripolyphosphate is hydrated with a 51 I l3 Q 18/40 A23b /]/00 solution of lemon juice, forming a dry granular mix- [58] F l -ld 26/3 6 224 227 ture capable of long periods of storage with little or no I g g g&#39; reduction in anti-oxidant activity of the lemon juice or any of the desirable properties of the tripolyphosphate. Erythorbates or ascorbates may be used with References Cited the tr1polyphosphate lemon 1u1ce mixture.  
  UNITED STATES PATENTS 2 Claims N0 Drawings 2.788 28l 4/1957 Guadagni 426/378 METHOD OF TREATING MEAT This application is a continuation-in-part of prior copending application, Ser. No. 356,007, filed Apr. 30, 1973, now abandoned which is in turn a continuationin-part of application, Ser. No. 93,418, filed Nov. 27, 1970, now abandoned.  
  The instant invention relates to new and useful meat treating compositions. More particularly, the instant invention relates to meat treating compositions in dry, free-flowing, homogeneous powder form comprising sodium tripolyphosphate hexahydrate in which the water of hydration contains lemon juice solids; to methods of preparing such compositions; and to methods of employing such compositions in the treatment of meat to maintain the color, taste and fresh quality thereof throughout prolonged cold and frozen storage and throughout the cooking process.  
  Sodium tripolyphosphate is known to be a safe additive for foods (see Hall, U.S. Pat. No. 2,513,904, Curing of Meat to lnhibit Undesirable Color Change). It has been used to control oxidative changes in foods (see the article by M. W. Zipser and B. M. Watts, 1961. Oxidative Rancidity in Cooked Mullet, Food Technology, 15, 318). The anti-oxidant activity of sodium tripolyphosphate, however, is not effective for many types of foods. For example, sodium tripolyphosphate has very little effect on the oxidative instability of raw fatty fish. With respect to salmon, sodium tripolyphosphate has little or no effect on the oxidative changes in raw salmon flesh.  
  Small amounts of polyphosphates, including sodium tripolyphosphate, have been combined with a mixture of tetrasodium pyrophosphate, tetrapotassium pyrophosphate and disodium phosphate together with an acidulent such as citric acid, tartaric acid or other suitable food acid and employed in the curing of meats (see U.S. Pat. No. 2,876,115, Epstein, Meat Processing and Composition Therefor). Such compositions are said to aid in the softening of the cell membranes of meats allowing for better utilization of cell contents such as albumen and hemoglobin.  
  Sodium tripolyphosphate also has been employed as a component in compositions designed to preserve the red color of packaged meats (see U.S. Pat. No.  
 3,154,423, Voegeli et al., Composition for Treating Meat Prior to Packaging&#34;). The patentee employs a synergistic four component mixture comprising a poising agent to control oxidation-reduction potential, such as sodium and potassium salts of ascorbic acid, erythorbic acid and reductive acid; a sequestering agent to complex polyvalent metal ions, such as sodium and potassium salts of citric acid and tartaric acid; a food grade inhibitor of the removal of oxygen from air through bacterial activity, such as sodium and potassium salts of parahydroxybenzoic acid and sodium benzoate; a phosphate buffering agent which also may serve as a sequesterant such as sodium tripolyphosphate. 1n the working examples of the patent, meat products treated in accordance with the invention are described which contain 2,000 ppm added phosphate and 1,000 ppm each of added citric acid, ascorbic acid and benzoate.  
  Anhydrous sodium tripolyphosphate has been hydrated by various processes in the prior art to produce intimately admixed food additive compositions. ln U.S. Pat. No. 3,401,046, Mahon, Method of Making a Composition Useful in Meat Curing, a hydrate of tripolyphosphate and sodium nitrite or nitrate is used in meat curing.  
  Lemon Juice which has a relatively high content of ascorbic acid and other natural anti-oxidants together with significant quantities of citric acid, has been known to exert an effective anti-oxidant stability and flavor imparting action in various foods such as fruits, vegetables and meat products (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,788,281, Guadagni, Increasing the Flavor and Other Quantities of Foods, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,1 13,030, Brody, Method of Preparing a Liquid Meat Product&#34;). Lemon Juice, however, has not achieved commercial importance in a number of potential applications because it is susceptable to attack by bacteria and, therefore, must be vacuum packaged or refrigerated, and being largely composed of water even in concentrated forms, it is relatively expensive to ship and to store. Lemon Juice has been prepared in powdered form, but it has not become commercially available as an anti-oxidant in this form either, partly because of the possibility of the loss of anti-oxidant activity during the dehydration process (note U.S. Pat. No. 3,298,838, Villarreal, Process for Preparing Soluble Citrus Fruit Powder,&#34; on the loss of ascorbic acid during dehydration of citrus fruit juice), and partly because the dehydration process is relatively expensive. In addition, large portions of inert ingredients such as dextrose are required to enhance the drying and storage properties.  
  Ascorbic acid, its isomer erythorbic acid, and their sodium salts also are known to be safe and beneficial additives for foods. Although they have been used with sodium tripolyphosphate in admixture, they have never been used, so far as applicant is aware, with a sodium tripolyphosphate-lemon juice hydrate as contemplated by the instant invention.  
  As pointed out above, the instant invention, in its composition aspect, may be described as residing in the concept of a new and useful meat treating composition in dry, free-flowing, homogeneous powder form comprising sodium tripolyphosphate hexahydrate in which the water of hydration contains lemonjuice solids. It is comtemplated that effective quantities of such hydrate will be employed in the treatment of meat, including poultry, red meat and fish, in order to maintain the color, taste and fresh quality of the meat throughout prolonged cold and frozen storage and throughout the thawing and cooking process.  
  The instant invention is based upon applicants discovery that the sodium tripolyphosphate-lemon juice composition described above is useful not only for maintaining the color, taste and fresh quality of meat but affords many advantages not heretofore possible in known meat treating compositions. By use of the hydration technique, applicant has been able to combine sodium tripolyphosphate with a natural liquid product, lemon juice, so as to obtain a new single composition. The sodium tripolyphosphate-lemon juice composition of this invention is a completely homogeneous, dry, free-flowing powder in which the components are physically inseparable. The composition, therefore, will be of uniform composition throughout each package. The  
 uneven distribution and non-uniform treatment which would be expected from a mixture of small quantities of lemon juice solids and sodium tripolyphosphate has been eliminated. Hydration with the natural moisture in lemon juice, or lemon juice concentrate, locks in a uniform composition and is economical. Further, the expense and difficulty of handling the natural liquid product, and/or the expense and difficulty of reducing the natural liquid product to a dry concentrate, has been eliminated while retaining in the hydrate the benefit of each of the individual components. Applicant has found also that the claimed compositions are effective in maintaining the color, taste and fresh qualities of meat even though the quantity of ascorbic acid and citric acid&#39;added to the meat in this form is far smaller than would have been expected from the teachings of the prior art to exert effective anti-oxidant action, and the need for added benzoate is totally eliminated. Further, applicant has found that, used with sodium erythorbate or ascorbate, the compositions of this invention are effective even to achieve oxidative stability in such foods as fresh pork sausage.  
  The sodium tripolyphosphate-lemon juice hydrate composition of this invention may be prepared by hydrating sodium tripolyphosphate with the lemon juice, preferably in concentrated form. The hydration step is performed in such a way and in such proportion of sodium tripolyphosphate to lemon juice that the resulting product is a dry, free-flowing powder. The preparation of the lemon juice tripolyphosphate composition should be performed bearing in mind that tripolyphosphate forms a hexahydrate. Although more than six moles of water for each mole of tripolyphosphate may be present, since part of the water may be evaporated during the hydration process because of the heat of hydration, it is recommended that not more than about six moles of water be present during the hydration process for each mole of anhydrous sodium tripolyphosphate. Ordinary lemon juice contains from about 90 to about 94 percent water (about 6 to about 10 percent solids). Commercial concentrated lemon juice will normally contain about 40 to about 65 percent water (about 35 to about 60 percent solids). For the hydration of sodium tripolyphosphate, it is preferred to use phate and lemon juice solids in a weight ratio of from about 7:] to may be used. Hydrates of this invention having such composition are added to the meat to be treated by any of the techniques conventional in the art. Effective results are obtained usually by employing the hydrate in quantities ranging from about 0.2 to about 0.6 percent by weight of the meat.  
  An indication of the anti-oxidant activity of lemon juice is obtained by using an assay for ascorbate in which the reduction of a dye, 2,6- dichlorophenolindophenol, is observed according to the procedure in M. B. Jacobs, Chemical Analysis of Food and Food Products, D. Van Nostrand Co., Princeton, N. J., 727 (I958). By this method, the average concentration of ascorbate in lemon juice is approximately 400 parts per million. The concentration of citric acid in lemon juice is about 60,000 parts per million.  
  The best mode contemplated by applicant for carrying out his invention is illustrated in the following working examples; no limitation being intended except as set forth in the appended claims.  
 EXAMPLE 1 Thirty milliliters of natural strength Borden REA- LEMON lemon juice (about to about 94 percent water) were gradually mixed with grams of anhydrous sodium tripolyphosphate. The resulting powder was then assayed for ascorbate content. The lemon juice sodium tripolyphosphate composition assayed I 12.0 ppm of active ascorbate. The weight ratio of sodium tripolyphosphate to lemon juice solids exclusive of water of hydration is in the range of about 33.3:] to about 56:].  
 EXAMPLE 2 In this preparation, Sunkist concentrated lemon juice was added to anhydrous sodium tripolyphosphate in the amounts indicated with the results shown in Table l.  
 i TABLE I ml. concentrated percent (vlw) Weight ratio of lemon juice/I00 concentrated ppm ppm sodium tripolygrams sodium lemon juice in Heat of Reaction calculated assayed phosphate to Sample tripolyphosphate composition F.* pH ascorbate ascorbate Commlemon juice solids ments I 30 23.1 33 7.98 970 1270 Hard. 7.6:]  
 sticky powder 2 25 20.0 29 7 Hard. 9.l:l  
 sticky powder &#39;4 20 I6] 30 Hard. ll.4:l  
 , sticky powder 4 I 13.0 26 Hard. l5. lzl  
 &#39; sticky powder &#34;lncrease&#39;in temperature due to the reaction.  
 lemon uice containing about 63 percent water (about EXAMPLE 3 37 percent solids) which has been diluted by the addition of at least half again as much water, up to an equal amount. Thus, the final lemon juice with which the sodium tripolyphosphate is hydrated and which is included in the term Lemon Juice&#34;, preferably will contain from about l7 percent to about 38 percent lemon juice solids, and the balance water. However, any dry hydrate composition comprising sodium tripolyphosadding the composition to water and allowing it to stand. then attempting to disperse. A passing result is achieved if the composition is dispersed within one and one-half minutes.  
 TABLE 11 exclusive of water of hydration. The starting concentrated lemon juice assays 4700 ppm ascorbate.  
  EXAMPLE 6 In this example, the treatment of salmon is described.  
  ml. coneentrated Sample lemon juice percent-l v/w) concentrated ml. H O lemon juice Heat 01&#39; Reaction 0 F Weight ratio of sodium tripolyphosphale to lemon juice solids (aking test (one Free- 1 8: 1 flowing powder free flowing powder Passed Passed 13.521  
  Examples 4 and 5 illustrate the preparation of other compositions.  
 EXAMPLE 4 The procedure followed was to flex salmon steaks with a pre-measured amount of a treatment solution for 35 to 45 seconds depending on the thickness of the steak.  
  The treatment solutions are listed in Table 3. The sodium tripolyphosphate/lemon juice composition used for all samples bearing the numbers 4 and 5 were prepared by the method of Example 5. In these samples, 3 to 6 ppm ascorbic acid plus 225 to 420 ppm citric acid were added to the treated salmon through the lemon juice. The results of the tests are shown in Table 111 below.  
 dium tripolyphosphatc to lemon juice solids was 1 l.4:l TABLE 111 exclusive of water of hydration. The starting concentrated lemon juice assays 4700 ppm ascorbate. Treatment Solutions EXAMPLE 5 1 Sodium tripolyphosphate 2 Sodium hexamctaphosphate plus salt A second mix was prepared with 454 grams concen- 3 Sodium tripolyphosphate plus erythorbate trated lemon juice added to 2,270 grams anhydrous so- 4 23:2? :psg dium tripolyphosphate. It was W11 mixed i1 Hobart 5 Mixturc of sodium hcxnmctaphusphatc mixer and then dried overnight in a 104F. oven. The P and 14mm &#34;&#39;Wlyphosphalc/ I bl d d lemon concentrate large plrtlcles were then broken p In en 6 Sodium tripolyphosphate plus erythorbate passed through a U.S. No. 12 sieve. The werght ratio of 40 7 P $1111 sodium tripolyphosphate to lemon juice solids is l 1.4:!  
 Sample Percent 1 Day ppm Total Percent Percent Percent Type NaCl TBA Erythorbate/ P 0; Natural Added Added of Ascorbate P 0 P 0 Phos- Phosphate phate 1A 0.148 3.30 5.13 0.927 0.587 0.340 0.569 &#39;l&#39;ripoly 2A 0.396 1.62 8.97 0.842 0.587 0.255 0.372 Hexameta 3A 0.132 0.82 394.00 0.966 0.587 0.379 0.655 Tripoly 4A 0.182 1.29 10.30 0.942 0.587 0.355 0.615 Tripoly 5A 0.264 0.82 11.60 0.888 0.587 0.301 0.481 Tripoly 6A 0.479 0.65 186.00 0.881 0.587 0.294 0.509 Tripoly 7A 0.132 2.55 12.80 0.587 0.587  
  113 0.148 2.31 I 7.70 0.881 0.625 0.256 0.442 &#39;l&#39;ripoly 213 0.396 2.41 7.70 0.788 0.625 0.163 0.238 Hexameta 313 0.1 15 1.63 250.0 0.757 0.625 0.132 0.228 Tripoly 413 0.165 0.90 10.3 0.803 0.625 0.178 0.308 Tripoly 513 0.264 1.18 8.97 0.904 0.625 0.279 0.446 Tripoly 613 0.595 0.50 186.00 0.927 0.625 0.302 0.523 Tripoly 713 0.132 2.42 8.97 0.625  
 . Cook Yield Net Frozen Net Thaw Percent Cook Percent Based Sample Weight Weight Drip Weight on Thaw Weight 1C 220.0 218.9 0.500 184.6 84.3 2C 190.8 190.0 0.420 161.2 85.0 3C 217.2 216.2 0.460 184.8 85.2 4C 249.2 248.3 0.361 217.8 87.6 5C 224.8 224.0 0.355 195.2 87.3 6C 29.0 228.5 0.218 199.8 87.4 7C 213.1 204.5 4.04 170.0 83.3  
 1D 1906 189.5 0.579 157.5 83.0 2D 203.7 202.8 0.444 172.5 85.3 3D 222.0 220.9 0.495 187.9 85.0  
  Continued Cook Yield Net Frozen Net &#39;l&#39;haiv Percent Cook Percent Based Sample Weight Weight Drip Weight on l&#39;haw Weight 4D lX5.7 185.0 0.377 156.7 84.8 SD Ill: 216.8 0.]84 I859 85.8 6D 120.) 220.] 0.362 l)0.l X65 70 140.9 230.0 4.54 W31) 84.0  
 Sample Appearance Taste Texture lC Very pale pink. some bland. not much improved over ID yellow noticeable. better than 7 almost as had as 7 2C Very pale pink. some bland. not much improved over 2D yellow noticeable. better than 7 7 almost as bad as 7 3( Light red. faded fair. hetter improved some 3D somewhat when cooked than I and 2 over l and 2 4C Medium to dark red. second in almost as good 40 next in line to o preference to as (i 6. lemon could he detected 5(&#39; Light red, some almost same almost as good 5D fade when cooked as 4 as (i (\C Best of series both best of series excellent before and after cook;  
 Dark red. very little sortie salt protein cooked out detected 7C Worst appearance oily and bland poor, oily 7D after thaw and cook:  
 yellow. oily. white protein glohs NO&#39;IES: Salmon \vere cooked in oven at 520F. for IS minutes to an internal temperature of 102F.  
 EXAMPLE 7 To demonstrate the operability of the instant invention with the inclusion of sodium erythorbate, and to show the benefits thereof, several compositions were made and tests run. The compositions were as follows:  
 COMPOSITION l COMPOSUONHI A solution including 20 percent sodium erythorbate was prepared using REALEMON natural strength Thirty milliliters of concentrated lemon uice (6 lemon juice. Thirty milliliters of this solution were hand percent Water) w hand mlxed 9 grams anhy&#39; mixed with 100 grams of anhydrous sodium tripolydlous 9 mpolyphosphme&#39; Th l l of phosphate. The weight ratio of sodium tripolyphosdlum mpolyphosphate to lemon Julce Sohds 7-6:] phate to lemon juice solids is :1 exclusive of water of elusive of water of hydration. 45 hydration Pork sausage was then prepared using the above COMPOSITION ll compositions and their components in various A twenty percent solution of sodium erythorbate in amounts. The samples were refrigerated for various peconcentrated lemon juice was prepared. Thirty milliliriods, as indicated in Table IV.  
 TABLE IV RANCIDITY DEVELOPMENT IN REFRIGERATED FRESH PORK SAUSAGE TBA VALUE Sample Treatment Type pH 4 day 10 day 18 day CONTROL cooked 4.80 8.50 9.50  
 2 200 ppm cooked 5.00 19.50 17.00  
 Ervthorbate 3 0.5% Tripoly cooked 1.75 2.10 2.85  
 TABLE IV Continued RANCIDITY DEVELOPMENT IN REFRIGERATED SH, O55 AU 4 O. 65% l Composition I cooked 1.50 1.80 2.45  
 Composition II Cooked Composition III cooked 1.45 1.40 1.30  
 CONTROL raw 5.85 l. 80 4.70 7 .30  
  1.35 5.95 7. 50 Ervthorbate raw 0.5% Tripoly raw 6.25 0.85 1.40 1.40  
 10 0.65% raw 6.10 1.05 1.60 2.60  
 Composition I Composition II raw 0 Composition III raw 6 NOTE: All samples contained 80 grams ground pork, 2 percent NaCl and sufi&#39;icient water to make 100 &#39;grams.  
  Thus, there may be included in the tripolyphosphate/lemon juice compositions of this invention up to about 5.0 percent by weight of a compound selected ,from the group consisting of ascorbic acid, erythorbic acid, and their sodium salts. It is preferred to use from about 2.5 percent to about 5.0 percent by weight based on the hydrated tripolyphosphate/lemon juice composition.  
  The subject matter which applicant regards as his invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed as follows:  
  1. The method of making a meat treating composition comprising dry, homogeneous, free-flowing sodium tripolyphosphate hexahydrate wherein the water to such meat prior to cold or frozen storage from 0.2-  
 to 0.6 percent by weight of the meat of a dry, homogeneous, free-flowing sodium tripolyphosphate hexahydrate in which the water of hydration contains lemon juice solids in an amount equivalent to one part byweight per 7 to parts by weight of the sodium tripolyphosphate.