Abstract:
A system and method are provided for processing a food product by reducing a temperature of the food product to retain ingredients within the food product and adapt the food product for retaining deformation to a select shape; and pressing the food product to the select shape, wherein the shape of the food product and the ingredients therein are retained for subsequent processing.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to stabilizing food products for treatment and processing. 
         [0002]    Known processes for food products include pressing the food product, such as by mechanical presses, and various forms of treatment to physically arrange the product in a predetermined manner for subsequent processing. In particular, where the food product is injected with for example ingredients such as marinates or other treatment solutions, it is important that the ingredients are retained in the food product during subsequent processing, even during pressing the food product. Unfortunately, this is not carried out with known systems. In other words, it is desirable not to permit a “purge out” of any marinates or solutions that have been injected into the food product. In addition, since the food product is sized for a particular end use, it is important that a resulting yield is maintained of the food product so that subsequent processing is efficient and cost effective, i.e. the product remains in the same physical form (doesn&#39;t “rebound”) through the processing line without loss of any of the product, compromise of product dimensions, or loss of any solutions or ingredients incorporated therein. Known systems do not provide for these processing requirements. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         [0003]    For a more complete understanding of embodiments of the present invention, reference may be had to the following drawing taking in conjunction with the description of the invention, of which: 
           [0004]    The FIGURE shows a flow chart of an embodiment of the system process of the present invention for use upon food products. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    Referring to the FIGURE, a stabilizing system embodiment of the present invention is shown generally at  10 . A food product is stabilized for processing by system and method embodiments of the invention. The system  10  includes a method for processing a myriad of different food products such as for example chicken breast patties  12  and other meat or fish patties  14 , collectively referred to herein as food products. The food products  12 ,  14  can be for example boneless chicken breasts of marinated pressed breast meat for use in retail sandwiches. For the sake of brevity and by way of example only, reference will be with respect to a boneless chicken breast food product  12 . 
         [0006]    The food product  12  or product is cut and measured having particular dimensions for being introduced into the system  10  for batch or continuous processing. The system may also be used with products  12  that are of the IQF-type, i.e. individually quick frozen type. 
         [0007]    The system  10  includes an injection station  16  wherein the product  12  is infused such as by injection with marinates, perhaps antibiotics, and/or other fluids, ingredients or compositions to maintain or improve the taste, smell, freshness and mouth feel of the food product  12 . 
         [0008]    The product  12  then proceeds to a tumbling step  18  wherein the product may be vacuum tumbled and chilled in a rotating tumbler system. 
         [0009]    The product  12  is then transferred to a stabilizing step  20  of the invention. The stabilizing step  20  processes the product  12  so that it will not “rebound”, i.e. will not return to its original, unacceptable shape and/or thickness. In the stabilizing step  20 , the product  12  is chilled with cooling or freezing technology, such as for example impingement freezing technology, after at least one of the injection step  16  and the tumbling step  18 . The stabilizing step employing the cryogen chilling technology, such as cryogen impingement chilling, insures that the food product  12  maintains its shape during subsequent processing steps of this system  10  and retains any marinates, ingredients or other fluids earlier injected into the product  12  prior to the stabilizing step  20 . The stabilizing step increases the surface firmness of the product  12  and substantially reduces if not eliminates product rebounding to its original shape during subsequent processing. 
         [0010]    Impingement freezer technology is one manner of stabilizing the product  12  during the stabilizing step  20 , although other chilling technologies may be employed on the product  12 . The stabilizing step  20  of cooling or freezing may provide a crust, such as for example a 1/16″ crust, to the product  12  surface or surface area. The crust retains any fluids such as marinates which have been injected earlier into the product  12  so that said fluids remain in the product during the subsequent pressing step  22 . The crust also helps to substantially reduce if not eliminate the product  12  rebounding to its original shape during subsequent processing. Thus, the stabilizing step  20  permits the product  12  to retain the deformed shape selected for the product after the pressing step. 
         [0011]    Accordingly, use of the stabilizing step  20  after the product  12  has been subjected to the injection step  16  and/or the tumbling step  18 , but before the product  12  is subject to the pressing step  22 , prevents product rebound and loss of that which was previously injected into the product  12 . 
         [0012]    During the pressing step  22 , the product  12  is pressed to selected dimensions for a subsequent batter and breading step  24 . The previous stabilizing step  20  prevents the product  12  from losing that which was previously injected into the product and insures that the product retains its shape after being pressed during the step  22 . The batter and breading step  24  provides for example a pre-dust, batter and bread coating process prior to a heating step for the product  12 . 
         [0013]    Thereafter the product is cooked, in a heating step  26  such as by frying, by heat from a heat assembly. 
         [0014]    The product  12  is then subjected to a freezing step  28 , after which the product  12  is packaged in a packaging step  30  for subsequent distribution  32 . 
         [0015]    All the while subsequent to the stabilizing step  20 , the product has been able to retain its shape since the pressing step  22  and to retain any compositions, fluids or marinates injected therein. 
         [0016]    The use of the system  10  and process incorporated therein, delivers improved product  12  quality and operational savings to plant processors by reducing re-work of the food product  12  (no product rebound or loss of product ingredients), increased yield benefits, along with increased flexibility and throughput. 
         [0017]    An impingement freezer or an immersion freezer may be used for the stabilizing step  20 . Impingement freezing includes applying cryogenic spray or a fluid stream to a food product to freeze all or a portion of the product  12 . Immersion freezing includes immersing the product  12  into a cryogen fluid for freezing all or a portion of the product  12 . The cryogenic fluid used for impingement freezing may be either nitrogen or carbon dioxide; while nitrogen is used in immersion freezing. The impingement freezer technology provides for more efficient use of the cryogen, such as for example nitrogen, as a medium to crust a surface of the food product  12 . Impingement and immersion freezer technology and systems are available from Linde, Inc. of New Jersey USA. 
         [0018]    The steps discussed herein can occur in any sequence although the stabilizing step (cooling or freezing)  20  occurs before the pressing step  22 . 
         [0019]    An embodiment of the invention also includes a product of the process of the stabilizing system  10  of the invention. 
         [0020]    It will be understood that the embodiments described herein are merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art may make many variations and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. All such variations and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as described and claimed herein. It should be understood that the embodiments described herein are not only in the alternative, but may be combined.