Appeal No. 2002-2215
Application No. 08/952,475
As pointed out by the examiner (answer, pages 3-4), Giese
describes low-fat meat products that are believed to lower
plasma-cholesterol levels in consumers. (Page 100.)
Specifically, Giese teaches ground beef patties containing 0 to
30% fat and isolated soy protein. (Pages 101, 103.) According
to Giese, various binders and extenders, including soy proteins
and plant (e.g., soybean) oils, may be added to compensate the
loss of juiciness and mouth feel when fat is reduced. (Pages
102-03.) The advantages of soy protein are said to be its ease
of use and familiarity, as well as its ability to provide a
nutritionally complete protein. (Page 103.) With respect to
plant oils, Giese teaches (id.):
The replacement of beef fat with partially hydrogenated
plant oils was evaluated by Liu et al. (1991). The
rational of this replacement is that hydrogenated plant
oils have the advantage of being cholesterol-free and
contain higher ratios of saturated to unsaturated fats
compared to beef fat. Corn, cottonseed, palm, peanut,
and soybean oils were partially substituted for beef
fat in low-fat ground beef patties to improve
nutritional content. The samples containing
hydrogenated corn or palm oil were comparable to all-
beef patties in cook loss and overall acceptance.
Giese does not teach the relative amounts for each of the
components as recited in appealed claim 11. Nevertheless, the
examiner held that “[f]inding the optimum amount and ratio of
vegetable oil, animal fat and soybean protein to be included in
the meat products would require nothing more than routine
3
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007