CA1085225A - Frozen pecooked egg product - Google Patents

Abstract

FROZEN PRECOOKED EGG PRODUCT
Abstract of the Disclosure A frozen precooked egg product containing a thermo-gelable .beta.-1,3-glucan-type polysaccharide as evenly incorporated, when reconstituted, has good characteristics in, for example, appearance, texture and flavor.

Description

3l~8~225 Frozen Precooked Eg~ Product This invention relates to a frozen prscooked eg~
product containing a thermo-gelable ~-1,3-glucan-type polysaccharide ~hereinafter referred to as the polyæaccharide), which means a thermally gelable .;
polysaccharide composed predominantly of ~ 3-~lycosidic units 9 as evenly incorporated, and a method of producin~
a frozen precooked egg product whlch comprlses incorporating the polysaccharide evenly into the egg fluid at a level o~ about 1 to 3 weight percent based on the egg fluid, cooking the resultant mixture and freezi~g the same.
It i9 an object of this lnvention to provide a fro en precooked egg product with good characteristics in, for example~ appearance, texture and flavor.
Other ob~ects will bécome clear hereina~ter as the disclosure proceeds.
Recent years have witnessed a great array of frozen foodstuffs in the marketplace, e.g. frozen fishtpoultry products9 dairy products, eggs~ vegetablesg rruits and fruit juice~ both raw and prepared. A ~rozen ~ood is a food which may be termed 'a preserved food' in the sense that the nutritious elements and freshness of a foodstuff have been literally 'frozen in99 and subsumed in the concept of frozen food are ~rozen foods ready to be served and frozen foods for serving only after cooking , ~ /

. ,.: . ~, , , : .

~s2~

over a kitehen flre or other treatment. Because a frozen food is generally stored at the freezing temperature of water or less~ i.e. 0C to ~20C~ the moisture in the food tissues~ e.g. of a precooked e~g productg forms iee erystals at such low temperatures to ln~ure the tissue~
Upon thawing or reconstitution of the foodg the dama~ed tissue assumes a porous strueture which makes the food as a whole gritty or arid to the palate, with the reeon-stituted food further havin~ none of the flavor of the pre-frozen food any longerO
We undertook an intensive researeh to develop frozen precooked egg products which would not have the aforementioned shortcomings and which would be satisfactory in both appearance and textureg and have eompleted the present invention.
According to the present invention, the polysaccharide i9 compounded with egg ~luid.
The polysaccharide whichg as aforesaid herein~ is employed according to this invention may for example be one of the polysaccharides elaborated by microorganisms of the genu~ Alcaligenes or of the genus ~5~
Particularly~ the polysaccharide produced by A~robacterium radlobaeter (IF0-13127~ ATCC 6466) and its mutant U-l9 (IF0 13126, ATCC 21679) [U.SO Patent 39754,925~ U.S.
Patent 3J82Z,250j hereinafter referred to briefly as Polysaccharide A], the polys~ccharide produced by ', . ,' ~ ' , , .'. , : ' ' ; ' 1' ' ' .' . ' ' , , the mutant NTK-u of Alcaligenes faecalis var. m~ enes lOC3K (I~0-13140g ATCC 21680) CU.S. Patent 3g75l~g925~
U.S. Patent 3,~229250; hereinaf'ter referred to briefly as Polysaccharide B]g or the polysaccharide produced by Alcaligenes faecalis var. myxo~enes lOC3K (Agricultural Biological Chemistry, Vol. 30~ pages 196 et seq.
(1966) by Harada et al,g hereinafter referred to briefly as Polysaccharide C]g among othersg may be employed with success. The 'egg fluid ? means either a part or the whole of the contents o~ raw avian eggg and such egg ~luid may be that obtained by reconstitution of the frozen equivalentO
The avian egg includes hen's egg, duck egg~ turkey egg~
quall eggg goose egg etc.
The compounding ~n conducted by adding the poly-saccharide to egg fluid with agitation to make the mixture homogeneous.
The compounding ratio of said polysaccharide to the egg fluid may range from about 1 weight percent to about 3 weight percent based on the weight of the egg fluid. No desired effect would be obtained by such addition if the compounding ratio be less than about 1 weight percent, with the appearance and texture of the product being unsatisfactory. The addition of the polysaccharide at a level exceeding about 3 weight percent would also sacrifice the inherent delicacy of an egg foodg causing deteriorations in texture.

, 3 -" : . - ,..... : : . ~ .. ~ . .. ... ... :- .

1~852;Z5 The polysaccharide may be added in any desired stage prior to cooking~ Upon o~ before cooking9 it is generally preferable to add water to the egg fluid~ the amount of water being up to approximately twice by weight relative to the egg fluid.
While the cooking time and temperature varies with the kind of egg productg cooking means (e.g. frylngg steaming9 boiling) etc.g the cooklng is generally carried out at a temperature from about 80C to 200C
for about 30 seconds to 1 hourO
As examples of the precooked egg product according to this invention, there may be mentioned omeletsg egg rollsg scrambled eggs9 custard puddings and so forthg and unless the ob~ect of the invention is jeopardizedg any appropriate additives may also be incorporated.
Such additives may include chemical and natural condiments such as sodium L-glutamate~ sodium 5~-inosinate, sodium 5~-guanylateg sodium chloride ~r common saltg soy sauce9 soy paste9 etc.g sweeteners such as cane sugar) glucose, etc.~ vitamins inclusive of vitamin Blg vitamin Cg etc food colorsg flavorants~ spices such as pepper) nutmeg9 etc.~ acids9 and emulsifiers such as glycerin fatty acid esters9 sucrose fatty acid esters. The solid food addenda conventionally incorporated in precooked e~g products, such as particles of vegetablesg poultry and animal meats9 fish fleshg kneaded fish productsg kneaded meat , . ~ . , . i . . . . ... . .... .. .

~0~52~:5 . ;, products~ etc. may also be added as supplemental lngredients.
Then~ the resulting precooked product is sub~ected to freezlng.
As regards the freezing methods employable in the practice of this invention, ~ood may be rapidly frozen by an instant freezing machine or ~radually frozen in a freezing chamber (deep freeze).
The frozen processed food produced ln the above manner, irrespective of the method of reconstitution employed3 e.g. room temperature reconstitution3 slow reconstitution or rapid reconstitution such as heat reconstitution and electrical reconstitution9 does not assume a porous structure on thawing3 giving both a satisfactory appearance and a delicious texture~ even with a flavor substantially as gaod as that prior to freezing. The following experimental data and working examples are intended to illustrate the method of this invention in further detail. It should be undersood that these experimental data and working examples are only illustrative of the method of this invention and should be no means be construed as limiting the invention in any manner.
In the following experimentals and examples "part(s)"
is based on weight unless otherwise noted and the relation-ship between "part(s)" and "part(s) by volume"
corresponds to that between "gram(s)" and "milliliter(s)".

. , .: : , ,, .:..- ::;. , . :, . ~: , . ;. .

Experimental 1 Procedure 100 parts of hen's egg fluid (eggs taken out from the shells)~ 50 parts of water and 1.5 parts of one of the natural gums indicated in Table 1 were evenly admixedg care being taken to prevent, foamin~O A small quantity of oil was put in an egg-f'rying pan and9 after the pan was gently tipped to spread the oil over the entire area of the inside bottom~ the surplu~
oil was returned to the oil canisterO A small amount of egg fluid was dripped onto the pan to see that the pan had been sufficiently heated to let the ~luid coagulate with sizzles andg then~ a portion of the remainlng egg fluid was poured in the pan until the inside bottom of the pan was completely covered with the spreading fluido When the fluid had been fried 'medium it was rolled up this way in the manner of a paper roll.
Theng an additional amount of oil was supplied to the part of the inside bottom of the pan where the fluid had just been and the near end of the pan was slightly raised to let the egg roll slide forwardO The part o~ the inside bottom area of the pan where the ro]l had ~ust been was supplied with an additional amount of oil and another portion of the egg fluid was poured in that area. The above procedure was repeated a few tlmes until a complete roll of egg ~as produced. This precooked food (egg roll) ~08~ZZ5 produced by the above routine manner was ~rozen in a freezing chamber (-20C) and stored as frozen for a month. The frozen ~ood was then reconstituted ln an electronic range.
Results The products produced as above were evaluated as to appearance (porosity) and texture. The results are set ~orth in Table 1. The product containing Polysaccharide B was superior in both appearance and texture.

Table 1 Sensory evaluation Additive agent _ Appearance Texture .
None Polysaccharide B
~-karrageenan - -~-karrageenan - -Starch Gelatln Guar gum - -Xanthan gum - -Xanthan gum locust bean gum Dextrin - ~
Skim milk - -M~crocrystalline cellulose ~ : Good - : Poor ~08~;ZZ5 Experimental 2 Procedure Precooked egg foods (egg rolls) were produced from 100 parts of hen's egg fluid (whose e~gs taken from the shells), 50 parts of water and a varying amount of Polysaccharide B in the s~ne manner as in Expermental lo The amount o~ Polysaccharide B used were 0~ ~59 loO~
1.59 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 parts respectively. The foods were frozen and stored in a freezer (-20C) for a month. Then~ the frozen foods were reconsti~uted in an electronic range.
Results Table 2 shows the results of sensory evaluatlons of the above product. As will be seen from Table 29 the additlon of 1.0 to 3O0 parts of Polysaccharide B to each 100 parts of egg fluid resulted in the production of fried egg rolls which were satisfactory in both appearance and texture after reconstit~tion. Tests with Polysaccharide A and Polysaccharide C produced results similar to the result obtained with Polysaccharide B.

~ 8 ~

' :::. ', . . .,:, :: ' ' `: ' . ' . : ': .:: .~; .: .!.'::'' ' ::": ~ : ,. ' Table 2 Level of addition ~
o~ Polysaccharide B
(unit: part) _p~earance Texture O . .
.5 1.0 ~ .,, 1.5 ~ .

2.0 +~
2.5 ~ .

3.0 9 Good 9 + ~ Fair; w, Poor Experimental 3 Procedure 100 parts o~ hen's egg fluid (whose eggs taken out o~ the shells)~ 50 parts of water and 1.5 parts o~
Polysacchar~de B were compounded and~ by a routine cooking procedure 9 precooked egg products (egg rolls~
were preparedO mese food products were sub~ected to the alternatives of rapid freezing ~-45C) and slow freezing (-20C~ in a freezer) and stored as ~rozen for one month. Then9 the frozen foods were reconstitutèd by the alternatives of slow thawing and rapid thawin~.
Results Table 3 shows the results obtained when the above "

1a~85Z2~

products were reconstituted by various methods. The quality ratings of the products given are based on appearance (porosity) and texture as taken together. The products incorporating Polysaccharide B were satisfactory, irrespective o~ the methods of reconstitution used.

Table 3 _ iRapid freezing Slow freezing Freezing method (-45C) (-25C) __ saccharide, added or not added ~ Nadded Added added Added Method of re-constitution ~
~ ......... . _ Refrigerator t5C) _ +~ _ +
Slow Room temperature (25C) _ +~ _ ~
Running water (15C) _ ~ _ ~+
. _ ~ , Hot air current (~0C) + ~ _ +~

Steam (100C) _ ~ _ Rap- Boiling water ~100C) + ~ _ id Heated oil (160C) _ ++ _ +

Hot plate ~200C) _ ~ _ +

_ ElectFonic range _ * _ ~

+~: Good +o Falr +: Rather poor - Poor -- 10 ~
., .

. ,.... ..... , . . ., .. .... ., . , ~ . . ..... .,.. ,.. " ,,.,.,.,.. ".,~ . .. ... . .... .... .. . .. .. . .

,. .,. .. . . . . . .. : . . . :: , ,.. :... .. :.,.; . . , ;,: .; ., :: , . . .

1~085Z~5 Experimental 4 Prooedure 1000 parts of whole hen~s eg~s were taken and mixed with 1800 parts by volume of milk. Separately 350 parts of sugar and 22 part.s of Polysaccharide B were mlxed in a mortar and the resultant m~xed powders were added to the above mixture. The entire mixture was stirred to homogeneity and passed through a gauze. It was then poured into pudding molds (approx.
70 ml)~ the inside surfaces o~ which were coated with a samll amount of vegetable oilO The molds were put in a steam oven and caused to set over a mild fire for about 20 minutes. After cooling, the puddings were removed from the molds 9 placed on a tray made of aluminum and frozen at -40C for 6 hours. Each of the puddings was put in a polyethylene pouch which waa then closed by heat-sealing~ Using the same quantities of whole egg9 mllk and sugar as aboveg puddings were prepared by the same procedureg except that Polysaccharlde B was not added~
The products were stored in a freezer (-20~2C).
Results At the intervals of half a month, 2 months, 4 months and 6 months, respectiYelyg the stored products were taken out from the freezerg five pouches per group each time, and were allowed to stand~ln the respective polyethylene ;225 pouchesg whereby they were reconstitutedO The results are shown in Table 4. The products obtained with the addition of Polysaccharide B were good in both appearance and texture even aft~!r a storage period o~
6 months, Table 4 ;.

_ _ _ Test item Appearance Texture , _ Polysaccharide, \ added or not added time \ Nadded Added Ndded Added ~ .__ 1/2 month + +~ + +~
2 months ~ ~ + *
~ months . + ~ ~
6 months _ + _ _ Good~ +: Fair~ +: Rather poor~ -: Poor Example 1 100 parts of hen7s eg~ fluld (whole eggs taken out of the shells), 50 parts of water9 1.5 parts of Poly-saccharide B3 0.16 part of condiment (a mixture of sodium L~glutamate 98.5 parts~ sodium 5'-inosinate 0.75 part and sodium 5' guanylate 0.75 part)g 1.56 parts - 12 ~

....

.

~L015 52~:5 o~ common salt and 4~68 parts o~ cane sugar were mixed well andg in a routine mannerg an egg roll was prepared.
This food was frozen and stored in a freezer (-20C) for one month. It was then reconstituted in an electronic r~nge. The above procedure provided an egg roll which wa~ satisfactory in appsarance~ texture and flavor.
E~
200 parts of henls egg fluid (whose eggs taken from the shells)~ lO0 parts of water~ 4.0 parts of Polysaccharide A9 0.32 part of condiment~ parts of common salt and 9.36 parts of cane sugar were mixed well and9 in a routine mannery a scrambled egg was preparedO This ~ood was ~rozen and stored in a ~reezer for one monthj after which time it was reconstituted in an elec~ronic range. By the above procedure was obtained a scrambled egg which was satisfactory in appearance~
texture and flavor~
Example 3 500 parts of whole hen~s egg was gentl~ beated and mixed with ~00 parts by weight of milk. Separatelyg 175 parts of sugar was mixed well with ll parts of Polysaccharide B. The resultant mixed powders were added to the above mixture of egg and milk, followed by thorough stirring. The resultant homogeneous mixture was passed through a gauze-~filter and cast into pudding ~L~38~ii22~i molds (approx. 70 ml~ 9 the inner walls of which had been coated wlth a small quantity o~ vegetable oilO
The molds were put in a steam cooker and heated over a mild fire for 20 minutes. After coolingg the puddings i~
were released ~rom the moldsg placed on an aluminum plate and ~rozen at 40C for 6 hours. The frozen puddings were independently put in polyethylene pouches, which were then respectively closed by heat sealing. The packed pouches were stored in a freezer at -20C for one month~ after which period the products were reconstituted in waterO The above procedure provided custard puddings which were satisfactory in both appearance and texture.
Example 4 100 parts o~ hen's egg flu~,d twhole eggs taken out of the shells) 9 1 . 0 part of Polysaccharide Bg 0.1 part of condiment (a mixture of sodium L~glutamate 98~5 parts, sodium 5~inosinate 0.75 part~and sodium 5~-guanylate 0.75 part)g 1.04 parts of common salt and 3.12 parts o~ cane su~ar were mixed well andg in a routine manner3 an egg roll was prepared. This food was ~rozen and stored in a freezer for half a month. It was then reconstituted in an electronic range. The above procedure provided an egg roll which was satisfactory in appearance and ~lavour.

Claims (3)

What we claim is:

1. A frozen precooked egg product incorporated with a thermo-gelable .beta.-1,3-glucan-type polysaccharide in about 1 to about 3 weight percent relative to the material egg fluid.

2. A method for producing a frozen precooked egg product which comprises incorporating a thermo-gelable .beta.-1,3-glucan-type polysaccharide into egg fluid, the amount of the thermo-gelable .beta.-1,3-glucan-type polysaccharide relative to the egg fluid being about 1 to about 3 weight percent a subjecting the mixture to cooking procedure and then freezing the same.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein water in an amount up to about twice as much weight as the egg fluid is also added to the egg fluid.