Abstract: A food casing having a water vapor permeable tubular wall including regenerated cellulose and having inner and outer surfaces. The tubular wall has a water vapor permeable interior coating on the inner surface that increases cling to meat contained therein and has an exterior coating on its outer surface that is water impermeable and water vapor permeable. The invention also includes methods for making the casing and methods of using it.

Abstract: Methods of imparting functionality to a food surface are described. In general, a tubular food casing having a surface coated with a polyvinyl alcohol-polyethylene glycol graft copolymer is contacted with a food surface. The functionality is imparted onto the food surface, and in some instances, the polyvinyl alcohol-polyethylene glycol graft copolymer is subsequently removed.

Abstract: A food casing that is a tubular film having an internal cellulose surface containing smoke components integrally blended with the cellulose. The invention further includes the method for making the food casing of the invention by blending smoke, usually in the form of an aqueous solution or dispersion of smoke components (liquid smoke), into viscose prior to formation of the viscose into a film by extrusion and regeneration. The food casing of the invention consistently transfers smoke flavor and color to contained food product, has reduced odor, is not sticky, does not gum up processing machinery, does not have degraded color and flavor as a result of exposure to acid or caustic, is easily shirred, deshirred and unrolled, does not yield odiferous dark sticky liquid in premoisturized casing packages and can be readily peeled from processed food product.

Abstract: A cellulose food casing which can be peeled from food product contained therein without damaging said food product, said food casing having an internal surface composition comprising regenerated viscose containing polyalkylene glycol having a molecular weight of from 300 to 20,000. The invention further includes such food casings in fibrous form wherein only the internal layer of viscose contains polyalkylene glycol and the method for making such casings.