Process for producing a lumpy meat product

Process for producing a meat product, such as an animal food, particularly for domestic pets or the like, comprising substantially lumpy meat material on the one hand and a substantially liquid gravy on the other and which is filled into a container, such as a shell pack, tin can, etc., in which the meat raw material is cut up in frozen form to meat lumps, together with the gravy is filled into a base of the container and finally with the container base is connected in a substantially liquid and gas-tight manner a container top and in which a sterilization process takes place, characterized in that both the meat material, comprising the meat lumps, optionally accompanied by the addition of prefabricated moulded pieces with a meat or vegetable base, and the sauce or gravy, the latter in granule form, are compression moulded to a shaped article in frozen, solid, quasi-dry state and as such introduced into the base, as well as meat product produced by this process.

The invention relates to a process for producing a meat product, such as 
animal food, more particularly intended for pets or the like, comprising 
substantially lumpy meat material on the one hand and a substantially 
liquid sauce or gravy on the other and filled into a pack, such as a shell 
pack, tin can, film pack, etc., in which the meat raw material is cut up 
into meat lumps and together with the gravy is introduced into the packing 
material, such as a base of a container comprising a base and a top and 
finally the packing material is processed to a substantially liquid and 
gas-tight pack and a sterilization process is performed. 
Meat products of the aforementioned type, such as are in particular used 
for the feeding of pet dogs or cats, have hitherto e.g. been produced in 
such a way that the meat raw material is cooled to approximately 
-5.degree. C. and is then cut up at this temperature and then the meat 
material comprising the thus produced meat lumps and optionally 
accompanied by the addition of prefabricated meat and/or vegetable-based 
shaped pieces are filled into the base of the container, e.g. a known 
shelf or tray pack, which can e.g. be produced by the deep drawing of 
coated sheet aluminium. As soon as the solid ingredients have been filled 
into the base the sauce or gravy is added, before fitting the top and the 
connection thereof with the base in a substantially gas and liquid-tight 
manner, e.g. by using a covering foil or film. It is known that the gravy 
can be mixed with the meat material prior to introduction into the base. 
In any case the gravy which, in both the known process and that according 
to the invention can contain various condiments, passes into the base in a 
liquid or at least flowable state, with a varyingly high viscosity. 
Even in the case of a precise volume or weight dosing of the material to be 
introduced into the base and comprising a lumpy and a liquid phase, 
particularly as a result of the high throughput of modern filling plants, 
it is unavoidable that splashed gravy will e.g. pass onto the sealing edge 
or rim of the base of a shell pack, which then during the subsequent 
sealing of the top and base leads to a leak at the joint in question, 
which is unfavourable for the keeping quality or life of the meat product. 
It has in particular been found that in the known procedure as a result of 
the heat treatment during subsequent sterilization occurring on sealing 
the container there is a detrimental effect on the appearance of the 
container content, because at the transition between the liquid gravy 
phase and the solid, lumpy phase there is a pasty transition zone, which 
makes the container content or the meat product sometimes appear as an 
unattractive, uniform mass, whereas it is in fact desirable for the lumpy 
nature of the meat product to be clearly visible on opening the container 
and with a pronounced separation between the liquid and solid phases. The 
same disadvantageous phenomenon occurs if the pack is not constituted by a 
solid container, but e.g. by a film or foil pack. 
The problem of the invention is to so further develop the process of the 
aforementioned type that the lumpy state of the meat product is improved 
and the pack seal increased, whilst in particular ensuring low 
manufacturing and material costs. 
According to the invention this problem is solved in that the meat 
material, comprising meat lumps and the gravy are compression moulded to a 
shaped article and the latter is fed in an at least surface-frozen state 
into the packing material. 
The meat raw material in frozen form can be cut up into meat lumps and both 
the meat material formed therefrom and the gravy, whereby the latter is in 
granule form, are compression moulded to a shaped article in the frozen, 
solid and quasi-dry state and as such is introduced in the frozen, solid, 
quasi-dry state into the packing material. 
In an embodiment of the invention, prefabricated meat or vegetable-based 
shaped portions are added to the meat lumps for forming the meat material. 
The invention also proposes that the meat material and the sauce or gravy 
granules are kept at a temperature of approximately -3.degree. during 
compression moulding. The meat material and the gravy granules can be kept 
at a temperature of approximately -5.degree. during compression moulding. 
According to the invention optionally the moulded article temperature on 
introduction into the packing material is below -3.degree. and preferably 
approximately -5.degree.. 
According to the invention the meat material and the gravy granules can be 
mixed with one another in the frozen, solid, quasi-dry state. 
According to the invention, when using a container comprising a base and a 
top as a pack the shaped article is produced with external dimensions 
substantially precisely corresponding to the internal dimensions of the 
prefabricated base. 
The invention also proposes that the compression moulding of the shaped 
article should take place within the prefabricated base. 
According to the invention when using a container comprising a top and a 
base as a pack the base can be produced simultaneously during the 
compression moulding process used for producing the shaped article by 
compression moulding, deep drawing, etc. 
According to another embodiment of the invention during the compression 
moulding process the shaped article is enveloped in substantially gas 
and/or liquid-tight manner with a plastics sleeve or the like. 
According to the invention optionally a material is used for enveloping the 
shaped article which at a temperature suitable for sterilization is 
transformed into an ingredient of the meat product. 
According to the invention, the container base filled with the shaped 
article is subject to a vacuum production process prior to closure. 
Alternatively, the container base filled with the shaped article can be 
gassed with an inert gas such as CO.sub.2, N.sub.2, etc. prior to closure. 
According to the invention it is also possible to proceed in such a way 
that the meat product and the gravy are sterilized prior to freezing and 
subsequently, whilst avoiding a subsequent sterilization of the filled 
pack, are further processed until substantially a gas and liquid-tight 
closure of the pack is obtained under sterile conditions. 
According to another embodiment of the invention, after the production of a 
substantially gas and liquid-tight closure, the pack undergoes a 
subsequent sterilization using pressure and heat. 
According to the invention the gravy granules can be produced in 
substantially oxygen-free manner from water and other condiments, such as 
spices, solids, etc. It is also possible to proceed in such a way that an 
inert gas, such as CO.sub.2, N.sub.2 or the like is used for producing the 
gravy granules. 
According to another embodiment of the invention use is made of 
two-component gravy granules constituted by a dry component and ice 
crystals. 
Finally the invention also relates to a meat product produced according to 
the process of the invention. 
The invention is based on the surprising finding that it is possible to 
decisively improve the known process in the sense of the set problem, in 
that the lumpy ingredients, i.e. the solid phase of the meat product to be 
produced on the one hand and the liquid phase, i.e. the meat gravy on the 
other which, besides solid constituents can also contain water, are 
moulded together to form a moulded article preferably in the frozen, 
solid, quasi-dry state and optionally following corresponding mixing and 
when using a container comprising a top and a base this either precisely 
corresponds to the internal dimensions of a prefabricated base or is 
produced simultaneously therewith in the compression moulding process. The 
shaped article is preferably introduced in frozen form into the base, so 
that with correspondingly precise volume or weight dosing of the 
individual components, it is possible to ensure a precise spacing of the 
upper edge of the shaped article from the sealing edge or rim of the base 
or the like. This obviates any dirtying of the sealing rim or the like, 
because no liquid materials are filled into the base. Subsequently the top 
can be reliably connected to the base, whilst avoiding any foreign body 
influence. 
According to the invention the product to be packed comprising the meat 
material and the gravy component in moulded form and either entirely or 
only surface-frozen is then introduced into the packing material and e.g. 
in the case of a film or foil pack it can also be provided that unlike in 
the case of a solid packing component such as the base of a container, the 
shaped article is not inserted in the particular packing component and is 
instead merely wrapped in the packing material, e.g. a packing film or 
foil and is then further processed to a substantially liquid and gas-light 
pack. 
It has been found that by mixing the lumpy phase and the subsequently 
liquid, namely gravy phase in the frozen state, also after subsequent 
sterilization on opening the container the meat product has a much better 
lumpy appearance, which is attractive from the esthetic and taste 
standpoint, quite unlike the situation with the known procedure. 
It is also advantageous that, according to the invention, optionally a 
substantially oxygen-free gravy granular product can be used, so that the 
oxygen content within the pack is reduced and therefore the keeping 
quality of the meat product can be improved. As a result of a suitable 
process it is possible to produce "snowflake-like" ice crystals, which 
ensure an ideal compression moulding process.

As is symbolically shown in FIG. 1 and hereinafter by an arrow or arrows, 
lumpy meat material 10 in the frozen state (i.e. at -4.degree. C. in the 
selected embodiment) and which comprises meat lumps, vegetable 
ingredients, etc., as well as sauce or gravy in the form of granules 12, 
is fed into a buffer mixer 14, which is also at -4.degree. C. From said 
buffer mixer 14 the meat material and gravy granules pass in the direction 
of the arrow 16 into a compression moulding means 18, which rotates at a 
speed of 450 r.p.m. and has a plurality of mould depressions 20, which are 
located in a rotary plate 22 rotating at the aforementioned speed and 
which cooperate with a rotating knife 24 circumferentially fixed relative 
to the plate 22. 
The compression moulding means 18 is in a room or area with an ambient 
temperature of -4.degree. C. The moulded articles 26 produced by the 
compression moulding means 18 pass through a temperature lock 28, are 
subsequently placed in the bases 30 of shell lacks supplied by a magazine 
32 and then there is a distribution into three processing lines according 
to the embodiment of FIG. 1, in which the bases 30 are sealed by means of 
a corresponding covering foil or film constituting the container top. 
As can be seen in FIG. 2, in stage a) of the inventive process the mixture 
of the meat material 10 and the gravy granules 12 at a temperature of 
-4.degree. is filled into the mould depression 20 of the rotary plate 22 
and naturally part of the filling is "heat" in the quasi-dry, solid state 
above the mould depression 20. 
In stage b) the rotary knife 24 simultaneously serving as the female mould 
moves over the mould depression 20 and seals the latter at the top, 
cooperating with the rotary plate 22, so that the compression moulding 
operation is carried out by a male mould 34 which moves up and down and in 
this way the moulded article 26 can be produced. 
In stage c) the moulded article 26, which is still in the frozen state and 
whose external dimensions almost precisely correspond to the internal 
dimensions of the base 30, is raised and this is brought about by an inner 
die 36 located in vertically displaceable manner within the male mould 34 
and is transported away in the direction of the arrow. In stage d) the 
moulded articles 26 are successively brought together with the bases 30 
and placed flush therein. 
Although not shown in the drawings, this is followed by the sealing of the 
bases 30 with the shaped or moulded articles 26 located therein, e.g. by 
hot sealing with a cover film or the like. 
Prior to the sealing of the bases 30 with the shaped articles 26 located 
therein, they can be alternatively subject to a vacuum production process 
or a gassing with an inert gas such as CO.sub.2, N.sub.2, etc. 
The inventive features disclosed in the description, drawings and claims 
can be in both individual and combined form important for realizing the 
different embodiments of the invention.