Food preservation: Kerry delves into US patent for plant-based curing agent

19 Aug 2021 --- Kerry has recently been granted a US patent protecting its process for curing meat or meat products using a natural, plant-based curing agent. The company speaks with FoodIngredientsFirst about how the patent is a crucial addition to Kerry’s growing intellectual property portfolio and reaffirms Kerry’s global position in food preservation.

US Patent No. US 11,071,304 for “Method and composition for preparing cured meat products” provides the legal protective foundation for Kerry’s extensive history of original research work that led to the development of a natural curing process for preserving traditional meats and meat products, such as deli meats, bacon, hot dogs and sausage. 

“This patent will further protect and expand Kerry’s market for clean label preservation solutions for meat products. It joins a family of pending and approved patents that Kerry holds for this technology in all global regions,” Kelly Mullarkey, vice president for meat in North America explains.

The patent had been pending since it was first applied for in 2008.

In North America, this US patent joins the Canadian patent, which was granted in 2014. Kerry also has patents granted and pending for this technology in Europe, Latin America and the region of the APMEA (Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa).

The patent technology was initially developed from Kerry’s expertise in live cultures and fermentation with its deep understanding of the meat industry. 

This natural curing process enabled the company to create patented technology to use cultured celery juice product lines such as Accel to protect many different types of meat and meat products without applying conventional curing agents. 

Kerry has developed an innovative process for preserving various meat or meat products using cultured celery juice.Enhancing processed meats
Meanwhile, Brian Nevin, global vice president for product management for food protection and preservation, says: “Curing is defined as the addition to meats of some combination of salt, sugar, nitrite and nitrate for preservation, flavor and color.”

Curing can be used in processed meats, deli meats, meat snacks, fermented sausages, fresh and cooked sausages, bacon, and meat products for pets to provide natural cure color and texture and shelf life benefits, he outlines. 

Mullarkey goes on to explain how the US processed meats industry is characterized by “declining consumption rates for meat in general and an increase in interest for healthier options among consumers.”

Further, sales growth of processed lunch meat is predicted to grow at 2 percent, he details. 

Moreover, Innova Market Insights shows a stable number of cured meat product launches globally, but that product launched with an uncured mention grew by 18.23 percent from 2016-2019.

Products that have been produced with a natural curing agent will bear the label uncured in some regions. 

Today, around 12.5 percent of cured/uncured products launched globally bear the uncured label indicating a natural curing agent was used, according to Mullarkey.

He says Innova’s new product launch data shows the most significant popularity for cured meats in North America and Western Europe, followed by Latin America. 

“Deli meat is the strongest subcategory followed by meat products such as bacon and hot dogs. The love of cured meat taste has also traveled across into the pet food space,” Mullarkey notes. 

Pathogen-free foods highlighted 
Food safety has been in the spotlight through the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Last September, Kerry observed a rising trend in meat products with cleaner, shorter labels. More consumers are actively working to eliminate unrecognizable and artificial ingredients from their diets. 

Notably, Kerry’s 2021 Food Safety Fundamentals proprietary research showed that 60 percent of consumers are more concerned about food safety because of the pandemic. 

“When we probed which categories were top of mind for retail and foodservice, meat held the top spot in both purchase environments with fresh meat slightly more of a concern than processed meat,” adds Nevin. The innovation for the natural replacement of conventional curing agents was recognized with the award of US Patent No. US 11,071,304.

“Thanks to continuous innovation, there will be better choices available to food and beverage manufacturers who are looking for more cost-effective, sustainable, performant or clean label preservation methods.”

Kerry continues to co-create with customers to solve the most complex safety, shelf life, taste, nutrition and appeal challenges they face as part of their preservation strategies.

“We see huge interest in low and no sodium solutions for preservation in meat and the preservation process replacement in beverages with a focus on consumer-friendly ingredients. There are extra safety hurdles to allow products to move away from being frozen,” Nevin explains. 

In June, Kerry agreed to acquire Niacet to strengthen its food protection and preservation strategy. It was reported that Niacet’s capabilities would enhance Kerry’s food protection and preservation strategy to offer new products and technologies in a broader market. 

By Elizabeth Green