Protein product and process for preparing injectable protein product

Abstract

Moisture is retained in cooked or thawed food by adding to the food an aqueous suspension of animal muscle protein obtained from animal muscle tissue. The aqueous suspension is obtained by mixing comminuted animal muscle tissue with a food grade base to form an aqueous basic solution of animal muscle protein. The basic solution is mixed with a food grade acid to precipitate the protein in an aqueous composition. The precipitated protein then is comminuted to form an aqueous suspension of comminuted animal muscle protein.

1 . An animal muscle tissue protein composition comprising sarcoplasmic proteins and myofibrillar proteins derived from animal muscle tissue and obtained by the process comprising:
 a. comminuting animal muscle tissue   b. mixing said comminuted animal muscle protein tissue with a food grade alkaline composition to form an aqueous basic solution of animal muscle protein having a pH between about 10.5 and about 12.5.   c. mixing said aqueous basic solution of animal muscle protein with a food grade acid composition to form an aqueous composition of animal muscle protein having a pH between about 4.7 and about 11.0, and   d. comminuting said aqueous composition of animal muscle thereby to form a functional aqueous suspension of animal muscle protein.   
     
     
         2 . The composition of  claim 1  wherein the animal muscle tissue is fish tissue. 
     
     
         3 . The composition of  claim 1  wherein the animal muscle tissue is poultry tissue. 
     
     
         4 . The composition of  claim 3  wherein the poultry is chicken. 
     
     
         5 . The composition of  claim 1  wherein the animal muscle tissue is beef tissue. 
     
     
         6 . The composition of  claim 1  wherein the animal muscle tissue is pork tissue. 
     
     
         7 . The composition of  claim 1  wherein the animal muscle tissue is lamb tissue. 
     
     
         8 . The composition of  claim 2  wherein the fish is shellfish. 
     
     
         9 . The composition of  claim 2  wherein the shellfish is shrimp. 
     
     
         10 . The composition of  claim 1  wherein the pH of the aqueous basic solution is between about 11.0 and about 12.5. 
     
     
         11 . The composition of  claim 1  wherein the pH of the aqueous composition is between about 5.5 and about 9.5. 
     
     
         12 . The process for retaining moisture in animal muscle tissue which comprises:
 (a) adding the protein composition of  claim 1  to said animal muscle tissue by an adding method selected from the group consisting of mixing said protein mixture with said animal muscle tissue, injecting said protein mixture into said animal muscle and a combination of said mixing and said injecting methods and   (b) cooking or thawing said animal muscle tissue and protein composition from step (a).   
     
     
         13 . The process of  claim 12  wherein the protein composition is mixed with said animal muscle tissue. 
     
     
         14 . The process of  claim 12  wherein the protein composition is injected into said animal muscle tissue. 
     
     
         15 . The process of  claim 12  wherein the pH of the aqueous basic solution is between about 11.0 and about 12.5. 
     
     
         16 . The process of  claim 12  wherein the pH of the aqueous composition of animal muscle protein is between about 5.5 and 9.5. 
     
     
         17 . The process for forming an animal muscle tissue protein aqueous composition comprising sarcoplasmic proteins and myofibrillar proteins which comprises:
 a. comminuting animal muscle protein,   b. mixing said comminuted animal muscle protein with a food grade base composition to form an aqueous basic solution of animal muscle protein having a pH between about 11.5 and about 12.0.   c. mixing said aqueous basic solution of animal muscle protein with a food grade acid composition to form an aqueous composition of animal muscle protein having a pH between about 4.7 and about 11.0 and   d. comminuting said aqueous composition of animal muscle protein thereby to form an aqueous suspension of animal muscle protein.   
     
     
         18 . The process of  claim 17  wherein membrane lipids are separated from said aqueous basic solutions of animal muscle protein. 
     
     
         19 . The composition of  claim 1  wherein the composition from step c is mixed with sodium chloride. 
     
     
         20 . The process of  claim 12  wherein the composition of  claim 1  contains added sodium chloride. 
     
     
         21 . The process of  claim 17  wherein sodium chloride is added to the composition from step c.