1. Technical Field of the Inventiom
The present invention relates to fabricated meat products like crab leg meat and a process for manufacturing the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to fabricated meat products, which are copies of the first joint portion of the king crab (Paralithodes camtchaticus) or giant spider crab, and the process for manufacturing the same.
2. Prior Art
Boiled fish paste, which is obtained by slicing ground fish meat into strip like fibers and shaping the strips into a form of crab leg meat, have been widely sold.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-42826 discloses a conventional method for forming boiled fish paste like crab leg meat, wherein fibrous materials formed in strips are gathered together and are wrapped by a thin film.
In this case, a film having an inner surface colored red may be used to package the boiled paste, and the packages thus obtained may be shipped.
Alternatively, ground fish meat may be heated while it is wrapped by a film having an inner surface colored red so that the coloring agent is printed onto the obtained fish paste. Thereafter, the film is removed, and the packages thus obtained may be shipped.
The above-described conventional products have appearances like crab leg meat when they are sold. However, the fibrous materials are readily separated from each other when they are cooked, since they are loosely bound together. Accordingly, the conventional boiled fish paste is mainly used in salad or boiled rice with assorted mixtures.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 60-43362 discloses another method for manufacturing boiled fish paste like crab leg meat, wherein ground fish meat is spread into a thin sheet, then, the sheet is incompletely sliced by parallel slits having a small distance therebetween, and thereafter, the sliced sheet is twisted into a string like twisted paper. Since the boiled fish paste is twisted into a string, it is more durable than that disclosed in the above-described Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-42826. However, the boiled fish may be relatively readily separated since the fibrous materials in the boiled fish paste are bounded by partially connected portions, which are obtained by incompletely slicing.