METHOD FOR PREPARING A STUFFED LOBSTER PRODUCT INCORPORATING PROTEASE ENZYME AND VACUUM EXTRACTED MEAT AND ROE FROM HEAD-SHELLS OF RAW LOBSTER

摘要

Disclosed is a method for preparing an intact stuffed lobster productutilizing raw roe from gravid femalelobsters blended with raw meat extracted by aid of protease enzyme and vacuumtechniques from the deepshoulder section of uncooked lobsters. In a first step, lobsters killed by hotwater immersion and chilledby cold water immersion are subjected to evisceration of the anterior visceralcavity by oral insertion ofa vacuum aspirator. Accompanying the evisceration procedure a back- flushingprocess serves to irrigateand wash the visceral cavity with a weak solution of an organic acid. In asecond step, the posteriorintestinal tract is cleaned by posterior insertion of a vacuum aspiratorincorporating a back-flushingprocedure as described above. In a third step, the head-shell of freshlykilled lobsters from which theclaws, leg parts and dorsal carapace shell material have been removed aresubjected to immersion in asolution of protease enzymes to facilitate detachment of raw edible muscle(meat) from deep-shouldercartilaginous skeletal attachments. Following this procedure, the head-shellmaterial is subjected tohot-water immersion to terminate further action of the applied proteaseenzymes followed by immersion in coldwater to eliminate excess thermal inputs causing deteriorative changes in thefunctional properties of theraw meat fraction. From this point, the head-shell material is subjected tovacuum aspiration to remove theraw meat fraction which is then retained under either chilled or frozenconditions. In a fourth step, roewhich has been manually separated from the posterior head-shell region offreshly killed gravid femalelobsters is blended in certain proportions with deep-shoulder extracted meatto form a creamy liquid.During this step, an edible binder, such as starch, is added to provide freeze-thaw stability and texture tothe final product. In a fifth step, the liquid blend is intubated via the oralorifice into the visceral cavity ofpreviously eviscerated lobster. A brief mechanical vibration of the lobster isconducted to ensure that thefilling procedure is complete and evenly distributed and that air in thevisceral cavity has been minimized.In a sixth step, the eviscerated raw lobster containing the liquid blend iseither frozen or subjected to steamcooking. Implicit to the steam cooking procedure is the arrangement of thelobster with the ventral surfacefacing uppermost. In a seventh step, following steam cooking the stuffedlobster product is subjected tospray irrigation with cold water to eliminate overcooking and maintaintextural and sensory integrity of theproduct. The product is subsequently frozen. In an eighth step, either of raweviscerated lobster, stuffedraw lobster and stuffed cooked lobster are subject optionally to bi-sectionalcutting along the longitudinalaxis or remaining as intact product and packaged preferably by means of vacuumsealing in a flexiblebarrier pouch. The raw stuffed product so prepared is subsequently thawed andpreferably steam cookedprior to utilization. The cooked stuffed product so prepared is subsequentlythawed and presented eitheras whole lobster, bi-sectional split lobster as two halves, or can be bi-sectioned at point of presentation.The cooked product so prepared can be served either cold or subjected towarming-over as desired.