METHOD FOR MAKING TURKEY BACON

100P310US01

PATENT APPLICATION

METHOD ^FOR MAKING TURKEY BACON

Background

ofthe Invention 5 1. Fieldofthe Invention

The

present inventionrelatesto a

method

for

making

turkeybacon, and

more

particularly, a

method

^for

making

precooked, pre-crisped, turkeybacon.

2. Descriptionofthe Prior Art

Turkey bacon

^is typically

made by

extruding,in emulsionform,

two

different 10 typesof emulsions including turkey meat.

One

typeofemulsion^is darkerincolor than

theothertype ofemulsion. This results in a light and darkproduct resemblingthe appearance of porkbacon.

However,

historically, this productdiffers substantially

from

porkbacon. For example,turkey

bacon

andotherbaconanalogs have been

somewhat

dry

and

donothave the flavor, appearance, ortexture similarto pork bacon.

These

15 products tendtobe

more

rubberythanpork bacon. Therefore, there has beenreluctance

touse such

bacon

alternatives.

Precooked pork

bacon

has

become

expensive and alsohas considerable variations insize and appearance. In addition, there arepeople

who

cannoteatpork forvarious reasons, such ashealth orreligious reasons, and thesepeople need apork

bacon

20 alternative. Therefore, it is desirabletooffer analternative that

more

closelyresembles pork

bacon

in flavor, appearance, andtexture.

Summary

ofthe Invention

Ina preferred

embodiment method

of

making

ready-to-eat, friedturkey bacon, 25 slicedturkey

bacon

isobtained.

The

turkey baconisfried inoil, andthe friedturkey

bacon

iscrispand has rippled edges.

A

flavoring solution isapplied to thefriedturkey bacon.

The

fried

and

flavored turkey

bacon

has aflavor,an appearance, anda texture similar toporkbacon.

In another preferred

embodiment method

^of

making

precooked turkey bacon, turkey

meat and

fatare blendedintoadarkportion and awhiteportion.

The

darkportion andthewhite portionareextruded in a desiredratio, the desiredratio resulting in a mixture resembling porkbacon.

The

mixtureis

cooked

thereby creating aproduct, and

5 theproduct is slicedandthen fried in oil.

A

flavoring isthen applied to the fried product.

Inanother preferred

embodiment method

^of

making

precookedturkey bacon, a dark portionand ^awhite portionareproportioned suchthatthe portionsresemble pork bacon.

The

portionsare

cooked

thereby creatinga product, andthe productis sliced

and

then fried in oil.

The

fried product iscrispand has ripplededges.

A

^flavoringis applied 10 tothe friedproduct.

The

fried and flavored product has aflavor, anappearance,

and

a

texture similar toporkbacon.

Brief Descriptionofthe

Drawings

Figure ¹ is aflowchart ofa preferred

method

for

making

turkey

bacon

according

15 tothe principles ofthepresent invention.

Detailed Description ofa Preferred

Embodiment

A

^preferred

embodiment

ofthepresent invention, as depicted inthe flow chart

shown

ⁱⁿFigure 1, is a

method

for

making

^precooked,pre-crisped, turkey bacon,

which

is

20

essentially ready-to-eat.

The

^preferred

meat

formulafor the precooked, pre-crisped, turkey

bacon

includes whiteturkey meat, mechanically de-bonedturkey

meat

(dark turkey meat), and fat.

Turkey

fatispreferably used, however,itisrecognizedthat fator fatsubstitutes

from

any suitable source well

known

intheart

may

be used.

The

termfatisbeing used generally 25 hereinto include any such^suitable typesoffatorfat substitutes. Generally, the

components

are ground andthen blended ⁱⁿchoppers and/orblenders, andthe blended

meat

is extruded

from two

separate stuffingmachines tothe desired ratio of appearance ofdark and whiteportions.

2

During thegrinding step, step 1 inFigure 1^,the whiteturkey

meat

isground through a grinder orprocessed with asimilar

meat

recovery system well

known

intheart.

The meat

^shouldbe

ground enough

to

make

an emulsion,

which

isaccomplished with the grinderor similar

meat

recovery system. Forthemechanically de-bonedturkey meat, the 5 turkey carcass is

pumped

into amechanical de-boning device suchas a

Beehive Model

#588 bone

^separatoror aYieldmaster bone separator.

The meat

^is then chilledand

pumped

^through ametal detector. Then,the fatcontentis checked.

The

temperatureof the

meat

ispreferably less than40° F.

Duringthe blending step,step 2ⁱⁿFigure 1, thedark portion

and

the white

10 portion are emulsified. Forthedark portion, thewhiteturkey

meat and

the mechanically de-bonedturkey

meat

are placedinto a

bowl

chopper. Fat, ice,and salt are added

and

the ingredients are

chopped

forapproximately 1 minute.

The

remaining dry ingredients are

added

and

chopped

forapproximately 45 seconds.

Enough

carbondioxide

snow

isadded

tothe mixtureto maintaina temperature of approximately 40°

F

or less.

The

mixture is

15

chopped

for approximately 15 seconds.

The

emulsion^isemptiedinto astainless steel tank.

The

^preferredpercentagesofthe ingredients used forthe dark portionare

shown

in

Table 1.

A

regular formulationand a

low

fatformulationare shown.

20

25

Table 1

A

^Preferred

^Dark

^PortionFormulation

Ingredient

Approximate

Percentage

Regular

Low

Fat

White Turkey Meat

19.00-21.00 19.00-21.00

Mechanically

De-boned Turkey

Meat,

20%

Fat 58.30-64.40 67.80-74.90

Fat 9.50-10.50 0.00

Ice/Water ^{2.20-2.40 2.20-2.40}

Salt 2.20-2.40 2.20-2.40

Sodium

Erythorbate 0.05 0.05

Sugar ^{2.50 2.50}

Cure

(Salt

and

6.25

Sodium

Nitrite) 0.18 0.18

Bacon

Flavoring ^1.00 1.00

Liquid

Smoke

0.25 0.25

Forthewhite portion, the white turkey

meat

isplaced into a

bowl

chopper. Fat, 5 ice,and saltare

added and

the ingredients are

chopped

for approximately 1 minute.

The

remainingdry ingredients areadded and

chopped

forapproximately 2 minutes.

Enough

carbondioxide

snow

is addedtothe mixtureto maintain a temperatureof approximately 40° F orless.

The

^mixtureis

chopped

for 30 seconds^or less, preferablyjust until the carbondioxide

snow

isblended.

The

preferredpercentagesofthe ingredientsused for 10 the white portionare

shown

inTable2.

A

regular formulation

and

a

low

fatformulation

areshown.

The

resultingportions areheld overnightina

raw

coolerat atemperature of

lessthan 40°_F. There ispreferably a24 hourcure time beforethe productis cooked.

15

4

Table 2

A

^Preferred

^White

^PortionFormulation

Ingredient

Approximate

Percentage

Regular

Low

Fat

White Turkey Meat

60.61-67.00 77.02-86.29

Fat 26.41-71.19 9.50-10.50

Ice/Water ^{2.20-2.40 2.20-2.40}

Salt 2.20-2.40 2.20-2.40

Sodium

Erythorbate 0.05 0.05

Sugar ^{2.37-2.62 2.37-2.62}

Cure

(Salt

and

6.25

Sodium

Nitrite) 0.18 0.18

Bacon

Flavoring 1.00 1.00

In theregular formulations,the dark portion includes approximately 58.30to 5

64.40%

mechanically de-bonedturkey

meat

containingover

20%

^fat and approximately

19.00to 21

.00%

white turkey meat, and^the white portion includes approximately60.61 to

67.00%

^white turkey meat. In the

low

fatformulations, thedark portion includes approximately 67.80to

74.90%

mechanically de-bonedturkey

meat

containingover

20%

fatand approximately 19.00to

21.00%

white turkey meat,

and

the white portion includes 10 approximately77.02 to

86.29%

white turkey meat.

After thedark portion andthe white portionare blended, one stufferis filled with the dark portion and anotherstufferis filledwiththe white portion. Thisis step 3 in Figure 1. Approximately 50to

60%

dark portion

and 40

to

50%

white portionare extruded concurrently onto a silicone paperlined cuttingboard. Because these portions 15 are substantiallyemulsified inform, they readily

form

asubstantially uniform slab.

The

silicone sheetis slidoffthe cutting boardonto a

bacon cook

rack.

The

racks

may

^be

stored ina cooler atlessthan40°

F

or placed directly inanoven.

The

extruded

meat

is then

cooked

and

smoked on

racks, step4 in Figure 1.

A

preferred cookingcycle is listed inTable 3.

The

baconispreferably

cooked

for

approximately 5 hours

and

step 7 shouldbe continued untilthe internal

meat

temperature

isgreaterthan 160° F.

Although

the meat ispreferably fullycooked, the

meat must

only 5 be

cooked enough

to develop a firmness so thatit is asliceableproduct.

The cooked

meat is then cooledto less than40° F, step 5 inFigure 1

.

Table 3

Preferred

Cooking

Cycle

Step

Time

(hours)

Dry Bulb Temp.

(° F)

Wet

Bulb

Temo.

(°

n

rH

%

Humidity Damper

1 1:00 120 50 0 steam auto

2 0:30 140

50

0 steam auto

3 0:30 140 105 31 steam auto

4 0:30 150 120 41 steam auto

5 1:00 160 135 51 steam auto

6 0:30 170 150

60

steam auto

7 until

done

180 170 79 steam auto

10 Aftercoolingto lessthan 40° F,the turkeybacon slabs are transferred onto a conveyor.

The

slabsare thensliced, step 6 inFigure ^1.

A

sheerisset forpreferably 18

to 23 slices perinch,and the slabs areconveyed through the sheer.

The

^slice lengthis

preferablyapproximately 5.75 to 6.50 inches. Althoughthe slices arepreferably rectangular in shapetoresemble pork

bacon

slices,itisrecognizedthat

any

shapeis 15 acceptable. Regardlessofthe shape and/orconfiguration, the turkey

bacon

preferably has

athickness thatallowsthe turkeybaconto crisp and havecurled or ripplededges similar topork

bacon

afterfrying.

The

slices ofturkey bacon arethen

conveyed

through ahotoil frying system, step 7in Figure 1. Fryingoil atatemperature of 335°

F

isused, and the

slicesaredeep fried for approximately 45 to 55 seconds.

The

dark portion should be a reddishcolor ratherthan abrownish color.

The

frying step

removes

moisture

from

the slicedbaconthereby crisping the

bacon

and givesthe slicesacurled or rippled edge similartopork bacon. Priorto frying, the wateractivity level is preferably approximately

5 0.98 and ^afterfrying, the wateractivity level ispreferably 0.65 to 0.80.

During

the frying step,

some

ofthe flavor

may

be lost. Optionally, ratherthan preparingslicesofturkey bacon, bitsofturkey

bacon may

be prepared

by

grindingthe slicesinto bits afterthe frying step.

The

slices orbits arethen

conveyed

throughthe flavoring applicator

where

each slice orbatchofbits issprayed with a flavoring solution, step 8 in Figure 1.

The

10 flavoring solution

may

includethe ingredients inthe percentages

shown

inTable 4 for

onepossible flavoring solutionor inTable5 foranother possible flavoring solution.

Table 4

Ingredientsina Flavoring Solution

Ingredient Percentage

Water

^37-47

Sugar 20-30

Salt 8-18

Liquid

Smoke

^15-25

Table 5

Ingredientsinanother Flavoring Solution

Ingredient Percentage

Water

84.67

Bacon

Flavoring 15.00

Natural Flavoring 0.33

Althoughliquid

smoke

is well

known

intheart,examples ofliquid

smoke

that

may

be used are

CHARSOL® LFBN, CHAROIL®

B,

RA

70, orCharSol

Supreme

Poly™ by Red Arrow

Products

Company LLC

in

Manitowoc, Wisconsin

or Natural

Smoke

^Flavor

WONF

018-0920, 018-0610,^or

018-4066 by

Innova, aGriffith

Laboratories

Company,

ⁱⁿ

Oak

^{Brook, Illinois.}

An ^example

^ofa

^bacon

^{flavoringthat}

may

be used ^{isFlavor #}

613409 by Givaudan

FlavorsCorp. ofCincinnati, Ohio,

and

an 5

example

ofanaturalflavoringthat

may

be used is

HERBALOX™

Seasonings Product

Type HT-H by

Kalsec, Inc. of

Kalamazoo,

Michigan. It is recognizedthat the

formulation oftheflavoring solution

may

^{vary as long as a}flavorful, satisfactory product results.

The

flavoring solutionis preferably addedto provide a

more

bacon-like flavorin the finalproduct, andthere are

numerous

bacon-likeflavors thatcould beused.

10 Approximately2 to

3%

ofthe finishedweight isthe

amount

offlavoring solution appliedto thefriedbacon.

Because

the frying step

removes most

ofthe flavor, this flavoringstep isimportantin

making

a flavorful, satisfactoryproduct.

The

^finished

regular product preferably includes approximately 22to

31%

protein, 35 to

50%

^{total fat,}

and

15 to

19%

moisture.

The

wateractivitylevel ofthe finishedproduct ispreferably 15 0.65 to 0.80.

The

^slicesofflavored, crisped

bacon

arethen cooled, step9 inFigure 1,

and

packaged, step 10 inFigure ^1.

The

product ispreferably shelf stable and

may

be storedat

room

temperature orin a refrigeratorand can beheated by consumers ⁱⁿa microwave,

on

agrill, in a fryingpan, or

by

other suitableheating methods. Forexample, ifa

microwave

^is used, fourslices are 20 preferably placed

on

a single layer of papertowel andheated inthe

microwave on

high

for

20

seconds. Ifan

oven

isused, the rack shouldbe placed inthecenterofthe

oven

and the

oven

shouldbepreheatedto 350° F. Ina conventional oven, sixteenslicesare

preferably placed

on

acookie sheetand bakedfor approximately 3.5 minutes. In a convection oven, sixteen slices arepreferably placed

on

a cookie sheet and baked for 25 approximately 1.5 minutes. Ifaflat grill is used, the grill should be preheated to 350° F

and

thenthe

bacon

is

cooked

forapproximately 1 minute,flipping the baconafter 30 seconds. Ifastove isused, a frying

pan

is

warmed

over

medium

heat (withoutoil) and

bacon

is placedina single layerinthe fryingpan.

The

bacon is

cooked

for

approximately30 to45 seconds andthen flipped foranadditional 30 ^to45 seconds.

These examples are not exhaustive,

and

it isrecognized that other suitableheating

methods may

be used.

Once

thepackage has been opened,the product shouldbe stored in arefrigerator.

In sum,^the turkey bacon isformulatedto a specific whiteto darkratio, fat

5 content, and flavorprofile. Nutritional advantages

may

also be available

by

adjustingthe fat to lean portionsofthe formulation,as

shown

inTables ¹

and

2.

The

formulations are extruded onto acooking ^surfaceand heat processed.

The cooked

and cooled slabsof turkey

bacon

aresliceclto a specific thicknessand transferred into anoil fryer forthe finalcooking.

The

^frying

removes

a specific

amount

ofmoisture

from

the slices. During 10 this partoftheprocess the turkey

bacon

^slicestendto curlas in fried porkbacon,

which

addstothe pork-like appearance. Thispartoftheprocessalso delivers a

more

crisp texture to theturkey

bacon

than panfrying.

Upon

leavingthe oil fryera solution ^is sprayed ontothe slices toenhancethe flavor. Thissolution isaspecific combination of ingredients and imparts apork bacon^{like flavor}and aroma.

The

individual slices are

15 thencooled

and

packaged. Optionally, ratherthan preparing slicesofturkey bacon,bits

ofturkey

bacon may

beprepared

by

grinding the slices intobitsafterthe fryingstep.

Example

¹

White

turkey

meat

obtained

from

turkeywings

was

ground througha grinder

enough

to

make

an emulsion,and a turkey carcass

was pumped

into aBeehive

Model 20 #588 bone

separatorto obtain dark turkey meat.

The meat was

thenchilled so thatthe

temperature ofthe

meat was

approximately ^38° F.

The meat was pumped

through a metal detector, andthen the fatcontent

was

checked toensure the

meat

contained

20%

fat.

A

dark portion

and

awhite portion

were

each blendedin a

bowl

chopperfor

25 approximately2 minutesafter all ofthe ingredients foreach

were

added.

The

preferred formulationfor the darkportion is listed inTable 6, andthepreferred formulationforthe white portionis listedinTable 7. Approximately

50%

of eachportion

was

extruded concurrentlyonto asilicone paperlined cuttingboard, transferredonto a

bacon cook

rack,

and

then

cooked

usingthe preferred cookingcycleinTable 3.

Table6

Dark

Portion Formulation

Ingredient

Pounds

Percentage

Sodium

Nitrite

Cure

(6.25%) 0.90 0.18

Vegetarian

Smoke Bacon

5.00 1.00

CHARSOL® LFBN

^1.25 0.25

Aro-Smoke 8056

1.25 0.25

High Grade

Salt 11.75 2.35

Sodium

Erythorbate 0.25 0.05

Sugar 12.50 2.50

Mechanically

De-boned Turkey

Meat, over

20%

Fat 306.80 61.36

White Turkey Meat

100.00 20.00

Water

10.50 2.10

Rendered Turkey

Fat 50.00 10.00

Table 7

White

PortionFormulation

Ingredient

Pounds

Percentage

Sodium

Nitrite

Cure 6.25%

0.90 0.18

Vegetarian

Smoke Bacon

5.00 1.00

High Grade

Salt 11.75 2.35

Sodium

Erythorbate 0.25 0.05

Sugar 12.50 2.50

Water

11.60 2.32

Rendered Turkey

Fat 139.00 27.80

White Turkey Meat

319.05 63.81

10

After cooking, the

meat was

cooled toapproximately 36°

F and

thentransferred onto aconveyor forslicing.

The

slabs were slicedwith aslicer setfor 23 slices perinch.

The

slices

were

then

conveyed

throughahotoil frying system.

The

fryingoil

was

ata temperatureof approximately 335° F, andtheslices

were

friedforapproximately 50

5 seconds. Priorto frying, the moisturelevel

was 58%

and after frying, the wateractivity level

was

0.65 to 0.75.

The

slices were then

conveyed

throughthe flavoringapplicator

where

each slice

was

sprayed with approximately

3%

ofthe preferred flavoring solution listed in Table 8.

Table 8

10 Flavoring Solution

Ingredient Percentage

Water

84.67

Bacon

Flavoring 15.00

Natural Flavoring 0.33

The bacon

flavoringused

was

Flavor#

613409 by Givaudan

Flavors Corp. of Cincinnati, Ohio,

and

the natural flavoringused

was HERBALOX™

Seasonings Product

Type HT-H by

Kalsec, Inc. of

Kalamazoo,

Michigan.

The

finished productincluded 15 approximately

18.8%

^protein,

40%

total fat,and

17%

moisture.

The

wateractivitylevel

ofthe finishedproduct

was

0.65 to0.75.

The

flavoredslices

were

then cooled to40°

F

and packaged.

The

abovespecification, examples and dataprovidea completedescriptionofthe manufacture anduse ofthe composition oftheinvention. Since

many embodiments

of 20 the invention canbe

made

without departing

from

the spirit

and

scopeofthe invention,

the invention resides inthe claimshereinafter appended.