Process of rapidly preparing a fermented dry or semi-dry sausage product and products therefrom

Abstract

The present invention provides a process for rapidly producing dry and/or semi-dry sausage products through the use of a single extrusion step that is capable of both drying and cooking the sausage product. The present invention is capable of producting non-conventionally shaped sausage products for use as food and pizza toppings, snacks and ready to eat meal pieces.

1 - 19 . (canceled)  
   
   
       20 . A dry or semi-dry sausage prepared by rapidly fermenting dry sausage or semidry sausage product in a period of time less than five hours, wherein the fermentation comprises the steps of 
 i) admixing an amount of ground meat, containing a source of at least one fermentable carbohydrate, with an amount of an edible acidulant to lower the pH of the ground meat below its buffering ability,    ii) adding an amount of a bacterial culture to enable the fermentation of the ground meat;    iii) forming the meat admixture into a desired shape;    iv) fermenting the formed sausage admixture to achieve the desired dry sausage or semi-dry sausage product; and    v) heat-treating the meat admixture during the fermentation step at a temperature of between about 120° F. to about 150° F.;    wherein the amount of the acidulant is selected so as to minimize denaturation of proteins in the ground meat admixture thereby retaining the textural quality of the fermented dry sausage or semi-dry sausage product; and    wherein the steps of admixing, adding, forming, fermenting and heat-treating are performed in under to 5 hours to produce the fermented dry sausage or semi-dry sausage product.    
   
   
       21 . A dry or semi-dry sausage as recited in  claim 20 , wherein the dry or semidry sausage is provided in the shapes of any of animate, themes, characters, stars, squares, rectangles, hexagonals, pentagonals or combinations thereof.  
   
   
       22 . A dry or semi-dry sausage as recited in  claim 20 , wherein the shapes are provided in connection with a marketing theme, advertising promotion or combinations thereof.