Yuba film containing pine needle extract as an active ingredient and its use as a casing for meat products

Plant-based sausage casing that delays rancidity by adding pine needle extract and glycerol to soy milk film

This technology is a method for manufacturing yuba casings for meat products by adding glycerol and pine needle extract to soy milk (obtained by grinding soybeans and removing the pulp), heating it, and collecting and drying the yuba film that forms on the surface. It also includes yuba casings produced in this manner, as well as meat products such as ham, sausage, bacon, and sundae filled with raw meat.

Natural casings used for sausages are edible and breathable but have poor shelf life, while artificial casings like collagen or gelatin can feel unnatural, have weak barrier properties, and lack antioxidant or antimicrobial functions, leading to consumer resistance. Although yuba is a protein-rich, highly digestible soy food, it is brittle when dried and has high moisture permeability, which has limited its use as an edible film.

This technology uses glycerol as a plasticizer to improve the physical properties and moisture barrier of the yuba film, adds pine needle extract for antioxidant power, and ensures consistent casing quality by selecting only specific yuba layers collected at set intervals and temperatures. Sausages made with this casing show less oil absorption and moisture loss during cooking, slower rancidity during storage, and better sensory quality compared to commercial gelatin casing products. It can be applied to casings for meat products like sausages and ham, as a replacement for pork intestine in sundae, and for clean-label meat products, allowing for both packaging and antioxidant functions using a single soy protein film without animal collagen.

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Key Features:

• A step of soaking soybeans, grinding them with water to create a slurry, and removing the pulp to obtain soy milk
• A step of adding glycerol as a plasticizer and pine needle extract for antioxidant properties to the soy milk to prepare a soy milk mixture
• A step of pouring the soy milk mixture into a yuba mold and collecting the 6th or 7th yuba layer formed at set intervals in a constant-temperature water bath
• Ham, sausage, bacon, or sundae meat products filled with raw meat using the yuba casing produced by this method

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning for the development of functional yuba edible films and their application to meat product packaging.

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