Abstract: Sources of neat having a high fat content, such as pork trimmings, are processed in a manner by which meat products prepared therefrom have a dramatically reduced fat content while retaining the desirable functionality of the unprocessed meat sources. The fat-containing meat trimmings or the like are comminuted, phosphated, heated and centrifuged under specific processing conditions in order to provide unformulated raw low-fat or no-fat meat having a fat content of not greater than about 1.5 percent by weight while having excellent functionality.

Abstract: Sources of raw meat having a high fat content, such as pork trimmings, are processed in a manner by which meat products prepared therefrom have a dramatically reduced fat content while retaining the desirable functionality of the unprocessed meat sources. The fat-containing raw meat trimmings are comminuted, phosphated, heated and centrifuged under specific processing conditions in order to provide unformulated raw low-fat or no-fat meat having a fat content of not greater than about 1.5 percent by weight while having excellent functionality. The unformulated reduced fat raw meat is formable into a variety of familiar meat products, including wieners, sausages and hamburger patties, thereby providing products having taste, appearance, texture and other qualities which are substantially indistinguishable from products prepared from higher fat unformulated raw meats but which have very low fat contents. The phosphate use accounts for a fat reduction of from about 10% to about 40%.

Abstract: An assembly and method are disclosed for separating the muscle tissue of meat from sinew. A plurality of elongate pins which are spaced from each other in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the pins pierce the meat from which the sinew is to be removed to restrain the sinew against movement, and a compressive force is imparted to the muscle tissue by a compression assembly while the sinew is being restrained against movement. The force which is imparted to the muscle tissue separates the muscle tissue from the sinew and causes the muscle tissue to move away from the restrained sinew and through the spaces between the pins. With the assembly and method of the invention it is possible to remove significant and substantial portions of the sinew from the meat being processed, and to reduce the fat in the muscle tissue to as little as less than 1-11/2 wt %.

Abstract: An enrobed food product having improved freezer shelf-life wherein the inner filling material is pre-frozen and shaped as to be substantially smooth surfaced and devoid of edges. The dough is a composite dough having fats or margarine interposed between a plurality of dough layers.

Abstract: Improved liquid smoke compositions which do not form undesirable solids during use or storage can be prepared by admixing a natural liquid smoke solution including constituent phenols, carbonyls and acids, an acidulating agent in addition to the constituent acids and a solubilizing agent, the quantities of the acidulating and solubilizing agents varying with the concentrations of phenols and carbonyls, respectively, in the natural liquid smoke solution. For presently known, commercially available liquid smoke solutions, the compositions comprise about 1.5-3% by weight acidulant and 3-8% by weight solubilizing agent, all percentages being stated by weight of the composition.