Process for preparing a meat product using a forced convection treatment unit

Abstract

The process for preparing a meat product comprises arranging slices of a raw stuffed meat product in a single layer on a permeable support surface, conveying the slices thus arranged along a path inside an enclosure of a forced convection treatment unit, creating a first thermal gradient across a first region of the enclosure along a first portion of the path by making a first conditioned air current flow parallel to the permeable support surface and transverse to the path from a first side to an opposite second side of the enclosure, and creating a second opposite thermal gradient across a second region of the enclosure along a second portion of the path by making a second conditioned air current flow parallel to the permeable support surface and transverse to the path from the second side to the first side of the enclosure.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A process for preparing a meat product using a forced convection treatment unit, the process comprising the steps of:
 preparing a mass with one or more comminuted meat products, and stuffing said mass in a casing to form sausage products;   allowing the mass to ferment in the sausage products;   cooling the sausage products to a sufficiently low temperature to facilitate the cutting into slices;   cutting the sausage products into slices; and   drying the slices until achieving a predetermined weight reduction with respect to the weight of the recently cut slices,   wherein the step of drying the slices comprises:   arranging the slices in a single layer on a permeable support surface;   conveying the slices thus arranged along a path inside an enclosure of said forced convection treatment unit;   creating a first thermal gradient across a first region of said enclosure along a first portion of said path by making a first conditioned air current flow parallel to said permeable support surface and transverse to the path from a first side to an opposite second side of the enclosure; and   creating a second thermal gradient across a second region of the enclosure along a second portion of the path by making a second conditioned air current flow parallel to said permeable support surface and transverse to the path from said second side to said first side of the enclosure.   
     
     
         2 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein said second thermal gradient is similar and opposite to the first thermal gradient. 
     
     
         3 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein said second portion of the path has a length similar to a length of said first portion of the path. 
     
     
         4 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the slices are arranged individually separated along the length and width of said permeable support surface. 
     
     
         5 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the slices are dried by the effect of said first and second thermal gradients and first and second conditioned air currents until achieving a weight reduction of 8% to 35% with respect to the weight of the recently cut slices. 
     
     
         6 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of drying by the effect of said first and second thermal gradients and first and second conditioned air currents has a duration of 10 minutes to 70 minutes. 
     
     
         7 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein said first conditioned air current is at a temperature of 15° C. to 40° Cat a first inlet port of the enclosure, and said second conditioned air current is at a similar temperature at a second inlet port of the enclosure as the first conditioned air current at said first inlet port. 
     
     
         8 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein said first conditioned air current is at a relative humidity of 30% to 40% at a first inlet port of the enclosure, and said second conditioned air current is at a similar humidity at a second inlet port of the enclosure as the first conditioned air current at the first inlet port. 
     
     
         9 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the first conditioned air current has a speed of 2 m/s to 5 m/s at a first inlet port of the enclosure and the second conditioned air current has a similar speed at a second inlet port of the enclosure as the first conditioned air current at the first inlet port. 
     
     
         10 . The process according to  claim 1 , further comprising, after the step of drying, forming groups of dried slices arranged in a desired format, and packaging the slices under vacuum or in a modified atmosphere. 
     
     
         11 . The process according to  claim 1 , further comprising providing said permeable support surface by a plurality of trays configured to be conveyed by a conveyor within the enclosure, each tray comprising a horizontal permeable support surface on which the slices are arranged in a single layer. 
     
     
         12 . The process according to  claim 11 , further comprising moving said trays in a vertical path within the enclosure from a reception level to a delivery level. 
     
     
         13 . The process according to  claim 12 , further comprising creating said first thermal gradient by said first conditioned air current along a first half of said vertical path between said reception level and said delivery level and creating said second thermal gradient by said second conditioned air current along a second half of the vertical path between the reception level and the delivery level. 
     
     
         14 . A process for preparing a meat product using a forced convection treatment unit, the process comprising a step of drying slices cut from a stuffed meat product until achieving a predetermined weight reduction with respect to the weight of the recently cut slices, wherein the step of drying the slices comprises:
 arranging the slices in a single layer on a permeable support surface;   conveying the slices thus arranged along a path inside an enclosure of said forced convection treatment unit;   creating a first thermal gradient across a first region of said enclosure along a first portion of said path by making a first conditioned air current flow parallel to said permeable support surface and transverse to the path from a first side to an opposite second side of the enclosure; and   creating a second thermal gradient across a second region of the enclosure along a second portion of the path by making a second conditioned air current flow parallel to said permeable support surface and transverse to the path from said second side to said first side of the enclosure