Patent CA-2240079-A1 (CA)
Title: Method for preparing a stuffed lobster product incorporating protease enzyme and vacuum extracted meat and roe from head-shells of raw lobster
Inventor: GALLANT CYRIL
IPC: A22C29/02
Filed: 1998-07-20
Abstract: Disclosed is a method for preparing an intact stuffed lobster product utilizing raw roe from gravid female lobsters blended with raw meat extracted by aid of protease enzyme and vacuum techniques from the deep shoulder section of uncooked lobsters. In a first step, lobsters killed by hot water immersion and chilled by cold water immersion are subjected to evisceration of the anterior visceral cavity by oral insertion of a vacuum aspirator. Accompanying the evisceration procedure a back- flushing process serves to irrigate and wash the visceral cavity with a weak solution of an organic acid. In a second step, the posterior intestinal tract is cleaned by posterior insertion of a vacuum aspirator incorporating a back-flushing procedure as described above. In a third step, the head-shell of freshly killed lobsters from which the claws, leg parts and dorsal carapace shell material have been removed are subjected to immersion in a solution of protease enzymes to facilitate detachment of raw edible muscle (meat) from deep-shoulder cartilaginous skeletal attachments. Following this procedure, the head-shell material is subjected to hot-water immersion to terminate further action of the applied protease enzymes followed by immersion in cold water to eliminate excess thermal inputs causing deteriorative changes in the functional properties of the raw meat fraction. From this point, the head-shell material is subjected to vacuum aspiration to remove the raw meat fraction which is then retained under either chilled or frozen conditions. In a fourth step, roe which has been manually separated from the posterior head-shell region of freshly killed gravid female lobsters is blended in certain proportions with deep-shoulder extracted meat to form a creamy liquid. During this step, an edible binder, such as starch, is added to provide freeze-thaw stability and texture to the final product. In a fifth step, the liquid blend is intubated via the oral orifice into the visceral cavity of previously eviscerated lobster. A brief mechanical vibration of the lobster is conducted to ensure that the filling procedure is complete and evenly distributed and that air in the visceral cavity has been minimized. In a sixth step, the eviscerated raw lobster containing the liquid blend is either frozen or subjected to steam cooking. Implicit to the steam cooking procedure is the arrangement of the lobster with the ventral surface facing uppermost. In a seventh step, following steam cooking the stuffed lobster product is subjected to spray irrigation with cold water to eliminate overcooking and maintain textural and sensory integrity of the product. The product is subsequently frozen. In an eighth step, either of raw eviscerated lobster, stuffed raw lobster and stuffed cooked lobster are subject optionally to bi-sectional cutting along the longitudinal axis or remaining as intact product and packaged preferably by means of vacuum sealing in a flexible barrier pouch. The raw stuffed product so prepared is subsequently thawed and preferably steam cooked prior to utilization. The cooked stuffed product so prepared is subsequently thawed and presented either as whole lobster, bi-sectional split lobster as two halves, or can be bi-sectioned at point of presentation. The cooked product so prepared can be served either cold or subjected to warming-over as desired.