JP2000316542A - Production of heat-sterilized solid food - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method by which the accumulation of water in a product container is prevented at the time of sterilization which is carried out by filling the product container with a solid food such as a boiled rice, meats and vegetables, and directly contacting the filled container with steam, to produce a sterilized solid food excellent in texture, and the product container is prevented from being made dirty under production. SOLUTION: This method for producing sterilized solid food comprises a step for carrying out a cooking treatment of a solid food, a step for filling a product container with the solid food after the cooking treatment, a step for carrying out a heat-sterilizing treatment of the solid food by a direct contact with steam, and a step for hermetically sealing the product container after the heat sterilization in an aseptic atmosphere. The temperature of the material of the solid food after the cooking treatment is kept at the temperature same as or higher than that of the material of the solid food, reached at the cooking treatment, until the time just before the application of the open heat-sterilization treatment.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for producing a heat-sterilized solid food. In more detail, a product container is filled with solid foods such as cooked rice, meat, vegetables, and the like, and the container is sealed, and the solid food is directly brought into contact with steam without being sealed, thereby performing a heat sterilization treatment (hereinafter, an open system heat sterilization treatment). (Hereinafter abbreviated as "abbreviated") to prevent water from accumulating in the product container, thereby producing a sterilized solid food having a good texture.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a solid food such as cooked rice, meat or vegetables is filled in a container, subjected to an open-system heat sterilization treatment, and then filled and sealed in a sterile atmosphere to produce aseptic packaged food. Is being done. For example, a food material is put into a container having an open portion together with water necessary for cooking, the container is heated for a time required for sterilization, and the container is heated to a temperature, and the open portion of the container is sealed under aseptic conditions after heating. Method for producing storable cooked food (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 55-960)
No. 80), or a method for processing aseptic packaged food, characterized by filling a food material in a container, sterilizing by heating under pressure, and then aseptically sealing the container (JP-A-4-37081). ing.

[0003] However, the above method has failed to obtain a solid food having a good texture. During the heat sterilization, water accumulates in the container, and the water and the solid food are heat-sterilized in contact with a part or all of the solid food, and the solid food becomes a stewed state during the heat sterilization, and the tissue of the solid food softens. This is because boiling collapse occurs.

[0004]

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a sterilized solid food product in which a solid food product is filled in a product container, sterilized in an open system, and then aseptically sealed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a sterilized solid food having a good texture without boil-down or remarkable softening of the tissue.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems To solve the above problems, the present inventor has repeatedly examined the problem of poor texture of solid food when filling the solid food into a product container and sterilizing it by open system. Was. As a result, the solid food was steamed before filling the product container with the solid food, and then the solid food was filled, and the temperature of the solid food was attained by the steaming process until sterilized by an open system. According to the method of maintaining the temperature at or above the temperature, it has been found that the above problem is solved and a solid food having a good texture can be obtained. In addition, in the case of open-system heat sterilization under pressure according to a conventional method, water accumulated in a product container is bumped, thereby causing a problem that the product container is contaminated, but according to the above method, It was found that this problem could be solved. The present invention has been completed based on these findings, and the gist is as follows.

[0006] That is, the gist of the present invention is a step of steaming a solid food, a step of filling the solid food after the steaming in a product container, and an open system heat sterilization step of bringing steam into direct contact with the solid food. And, a method for producing a sterilized solid food having a step of sealing the product container after heat sterilization in a sterile atmosphere, until immediately before performing the open system heat sterilization treatment after the steaming treatment, after the steaming treatment A method for producing a sterilized solid food, characterized in that the temperature of the solid food is maintained at or above the temperature of the solid food reached by the steaming treatment.

Another aspect of the present invention is that, in the method for producing a heat-sterilized solid food, the steps from the steaming treatment to the open-system heat sterilization treatment are performed in a continuous steam atmosphere. This is a method for producing a sterilized solid food.

[0008] Further, another gist of the present invention is that, in the method for producing a heat-sterilized solid food, the product temperature of the solid food after the steaming treatment and immediately before the open system heat sterilization is 60 ° C.
A method for producing a heat-sterilized solid food, wherein the temperature is from 100 to 100 ° C.

Further, another gist of the present invention is a method for producing a heat-sterilized solid food, which comprises subjecting the above-mentioned method for producing a heat-sterilized solid food to a pressurized heat sterilization treatment.

[0010] Another gist of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a heat-sterilized solid food, wherein the pressure of the pressurized heat-sterilization atmosphere is reduced to 1 when the heat-sterilization treatment is performed.
A method for producing a heat-sterilized solid food, comprising reducing the pressure to normal pressure in 5 seconds to 5 minutes.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below. The solid food targeted by the present invention may be any solid food containing water, and is not particularly limited. For example, meat such as beef, pork, chicken, fish, shellfish, or vegetables such as onions, carrots, radish, root vegetables such as potatoes, Chinese cabbage, leafy vegetables such as cabbage, spices such as herbs and spices, soybeans,
Beans such as broad beans or peas, grains such as rice grains, corn grains or wheat grains. In addition, white rice,
Red rice, rice, rice rice such as mixed rice, rice cakes, udon, soba, noodles such as ramen, spaghetti, pasta such as macaroni, the above solid food as a raw material,
The solid foods of the present invention include foods that have been subjected to secondary processing such as mixing, milling, molding, boiling, cooking or seasoning, and that exhibit a solid state containing water.

In the present invention, the solid food is steamed before filling the solid food into the product container. by this,
The accumulation of water in the product container can be suppressed. On the other hand, in the case where the solid food is not subjected to the steaming treatment, or in the case where the solid food is filled in the product container and then subjected to the steaming treatment, water accumulates in the product container and causes deterioration in the texture of the solid food. In performing the steaming treatment on the solid food, the temperature of the solid food may be raised, and the conditions are not particularly limited.
The temperature is preferably raised to 0 ° C., more preferably 80 ° C. to 100 ° C. As a result, the accumulation of water in the container can be suppressed, and the flavor and appearance of the solid food can be favorably maintained. In addition, the temperature of the solid food is 60 ° C.
When raising the temperature to 100 ° C., the solid food
What is necessary is just to hold | maintain in the steam atmosphere of 0 degreeC-100 degreeC, Furthermore, 80 degreeC-100 degreeC for 30 second-30 minute, Furthermore, 1 minute-20 minutes. In the present invention, when performing the steaming treatment on the solid food, the solid food may be subjected to a pretreatment such as immersion in a seasoning liquid, heating cooking, or boiling treatment.

The method of applying the above-mentioned steaming treatment to the solid food is not particularly limited as long as the solid food can be brought into direct contact with steam to raise the product temperature. For example, the solid food may be filled in a gas-permeable basket, an air-permeable container such as an upper opening retainer having a hole at the bottom, or the like, and the solid food may be subjected to a steaming treatment by directly contacting steam.

After steaming the solid food, the solid food is filled into a product container. The product container in the present invention is a container used to fill and seal a finally sterilized solid food product and provide it as a product. The product container may be a heat-resistant sealable one,
The material and shape are not particularly limited. For example, as the material of the product container, polypropylene, polyethylene,
Examples thereof include a synthetic resin such as polyethylene terephthalate, a metal such as aluminum and steel, paper, and a laminate obtained by appropriately laminating the above synthetic resin, metal, or paper. Moreover, what is necessary is just to employ | adopt the shape of a container conventionally well-known as a product container.

In the present invention, after the solid food is filled in a product container, the solid food is subjected to an open system heat sterilization treatment. This makes it possible to obtain a sterilized solid food having no smell and excellent flavor. When the solid food is subjected to the open system heat sterilization treatment, the solid food only needs to reach a predetermined sterilization value, and the sterilization conditions and methods are not particularly limited. The heat sterilization conditions vary depending on the storage conditions of the product. For example, in the case of a sterilized solid food of a normal temperature storage type, heat sterilization is performed with steam exceeding 100 ° C. under a pressurized atmosphere, and F =
What is necessary is just to set conditions so that a sterilization value of 4.0 or more can be achieved. On the other hand, in the case of a type that is stored under chilled conditions, heat sterilization corresponding to 100 ° C. for 1 minute to 30 minutes may be performed. As a sterilization method, for example, a retort sterilizer, a steam sterilizer such as an autoclave, or a product container containing solid food in a sealable pressure container such as a pressure cooker is disposed, and a predetermined temperature is set in the pressure container. May be introduced and held for a predetermined time.

The present invention is suitable for an open system sterilization treatment under pressure. According to the present invention, even when subjected to an open system heat sterilization treatment under pressure in which the amount of water accumulated in the product container is particularly large, no water is accumulated in the product container, or almost no water is accumulated in the product container. This is because the texture of the solid food is maintained.

In the present invention, when the solid food is subjected to pressure heat sterilization, the pressure is reduced to normal pressure after the sterilization is completed.
In the present invention, the pressure reduction is performed for 15 seconds to 5 seconds after the sterilization treatment.
Minutes, and more preferably for 30 seconds to 1 minute. This is because even if water accumulates in the product container, the water does not bump and contaminate the product container. Further, by reducing the pressure from the pressurized state to the normal pressure over 15 seconds to 5 minutes, it is possible to prevent the solid food from cracking or bursting. For example, potatoes such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, cracks such as beans, etc. The appearance of the solid food which is likely to occur is not impaired.

A feature of the present invention is that the product temperature of the solid food reached by the steaming treatment or higher is maintained from the above-mentioned steaming process to immediately before performing the open-system heat sterilization process, whereby the product is maintained. The point is that the accumulation of water in the container can be suppressed, and the texture of the solid food can be maintained. If the temperature of the solid food drops below the temperature after the steaming treatment before the open system heat sterilization treatment, the amount of water stored in the product container increases,
The texture of the solid food is impaired. In the present invention, maintaining the food temperature of the solid food means that the food temperature of the solid food is from the steaming process to immediately before the open-system heat sterilization process, the temperature raised during the steaming process or higher. That means. Therefore, the temperature of the solid food may fluctuate before the open system heat sterilization treatment. However, the smaller the fluctuation range of the product temperature of the solid food is, the more preferable it is that water hardly accumulates in the product container and the texture of the solid food is not impaired.

The temperature of the solid food may be at least the temperature raised during the above-mentioned steaming treatment, and is preferably from 60 ° C to 100 ° C, more preferably from 80 ° C to 100 ° C. If the temperature is lower than 60 ° C., the amount of water accumulated in the product container at the time of open system heat sterilization increases, and the texture of the solid food tends to decrease. On the other hand, if the temperature is higher than 100 ° C., the solid food is overheated, and the flavor and appearance of the solid food tend to deteriorate.

The method of maintaining the temperature of the solid food after the steaming treatment is not particularly limited as long as the temperature of the solid food can be maintained until the open system sterilization treatment.
It is preferable that the process from the steaming process to before the open system heat sterilization process is performed in a steam atmosphere. Thereby, the product temperature of the solid food can be stably maintained. In particular, when a plurality of solid foods are processed simultaneously, it is easy to make the product temperature of each solid food uniform. When performing each of the above steps in a steam atmosphere, the steam atmosphere may be a continuous steam atmosphere or an independent steam atmosphere for each step. Preferably, it is an atmosphere. The temperature of the steam atmosphere may be any temperature that can maintain the product temperature of the solid food heated by the steaming treatment, but is preferably 60 ° C. or more, and more preferably 8 ° C.
Steam at 0 ° C to 100 ° C may be used.

After the solid food is subjected to an open system heat sterilization treatment,
The opening of the product container is sealed under a sterile atmosphere. Above sterile atmosphere
The inside of the solid food and product container after heat sterilization
It is not particularly limited as long as it is not contaminated. For example,
Cree filled with air that has been sterilized by an air filter
Sterilization in advance in a room or steam atmosphere
The opening of the product container may be sealed with the provided lid material. Lid material
When sterilizing, keep the product
A method of irradiating the surface to be a surface with ultraviolet light, or H _TwoO_TwoSuch
Immersion in hot water or disinfectant or hot steam
It may be performed by a method such as a method of contacting. In addition, aseptic
When the atmosphere is the above-mentioned steam atmosphere, the steam is
The lid may be sterilized by contact. The lid material is
Seals the container opening to maintain sterility inside the container.
There is no particular limitation. For example, with the material of the lid material
Use the above-mentioned material for the product container.
I just need.

In sealing the product container, it is preferable to evacuate the head space in the container. Thereby, oxidation of the solid food during storage can be prevented, and a sterilized solid food having good flavor and excellent texture for a long period of time can be obtained. The method of degassing the head space is not particularly limited as long as the amount of oxygen in the head space can be reduced. For example, there is a method of injecting an inert gas such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide into the head space and replacing it with air. Further, without providing a degassing step, for example, using a product container or a lid material using a packaging material containing an oxygen scavenger, or a means such as disposing a deoxidizing material on the container inner surface side of the lid material Thus, deoxygenation in the head space may be achieved.

In the present invention, before the product container filled with the sterilized solid food is sealed in an aseptic atmosphere, a liquid or paste such as a sauce, a soup or a seasoning liquid which is heat-sterilized separately from the solid food is sealed. The food may be filled and provided as aseptic packaged food mixed with solid and liquid.

According to the method for producing a sterilized solid food of the present invention comprising the above steps, a sterilized solid food having an excellent texture can be provided. Alternatively, the solid food manufactured by the method of the present invention is included as an ingredient, and other solid curry, a solid-liquid mixed food mixed with a sterilized food such as stew or pasta sauce. Good things can also be provided.

[0025]

[Embodiment 1] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments. In this example, the following production line was used.
That is, a steaming chamber for steaming solid food, and a mechanism for introducing a product container, which is located downstream of the steaming chamber,
A filling chamber for filling the solid food into the product container, and a pressurized heat sterilization chamber located downstream of the filling chamber and connected to the steam generator and the pipe to sterilize the solid food,
It is located on the downstream side of the pressurized heat sterilization chamber, and comprises a seal chamber provided with an ultraviolet sterilizer for sterilizing the lid material and a seal supply mechanism for sealing the product container. And
The steaming room, the filling room, and the sterilizing room are provided with a belt conveyor that transports a product container containing solid food. Further, a steam atmosphere is provided between each of the steaming room, the filling room and the pressurized heat sterilization room.

First, carrots are sized 25 mm × 25 mm ×
Cut into 25mm dies to make carrot pieces,
Ten carrot pieces were filled in a retainer having an upper opening having a plurality of small holes at the bottom. Next, the carrot pieces stored in the retainer are put in a steaming room, and are heated at 100 ° C. under atmospheric pressure.
The steamed carrots were steamed by holding under saturated steam. When the temperature of the carrot pieces reaches 98 ° C., the steaming process is completed, and then the retainer containing the carrot pieces is transported to the filling chamber, and is transferred from the retainer to a synthetic resin product container having an upper opening. I changed. After this transfer, the product container filled with carrot pieces was transported and introduced into the pressurized heat sterilization chamber. The steam from the steaming room to the autoclave was filled with steam at 100 ° C., and the temperature of the carrot pieces was maintained at 98 ° C. during the process from the steaming room to the autoclave.

Next, steam was introduced into the sterilizing chamber and pressurized, the inside of the sterilizing chamber was set to a steam atmosphere at a pressure of 0.12 MPa and a temperature of 120 ° C. After the temperature reached 120 ° C., the carrot pieces were held for 19 minutes. It was subjected to pressure heat sterilization. After the above sterilization, the pressure in the sterilization chamber is increased from 0.12 MPa to atmospheric pressure by 6
The pressure was reduced over 0 seconds.

After the pressure in the pressurized heat sterilization chamber is reduced to atmospheric pressure,
The sterilized product container and the carrot pieces were transported to the sealing chamber. A sealing material made of a synthetic resin, which was sterilized by irradiating ultraviolet rays in advance, was introduced into the sealing chamber, and the opening of the product container was hermetically sealed in the sealing chamber. As a result, carrots that had been heated and sterilized in a container were obtained.

Next, when the container was opened, little water remained in the container, and the outer surface of the container was not dirty at all. In addition, the carrot pieces had a sufficient texture. And no off-flavor was felt in the carrot pieces.

[0030]

[Example 2] The solid food is 25 mm x 25 mm x 25 m
m in a container was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the beef was cut into a m-shaped beef. Next, the heat-sterilized beef in the container was evaluated. It was confirmed that water was slightly accumulated in the container, but there was no dirt on the outer surface of the container. When the cut beef in the container was eaten, the beef had a moderate softness and a sufficient chewy balanced texture and was juicy. In addition, there was no unpleasant smell such as muffled smell.

[0031]

Embodiment 3 In the production line used in Embodiment 1,
Further, using a production line provided with a liquid filling chamber between the pressurized heat sterilization chamber and the seal chamber, heat-sterilized curry in a container containing carrots, potatoes and beef as ingredients was manufactured. In addition, potato and beef were both 25 mm
What was cut into a die shape of × 25 mm × 25 mm was used.

First, 20 parts by weight of the cut carrot, 40 parts by weight of potato, and 40 parts by weight of beef were filled in the retainer used in Example 1, and steamed under the same conditions as in Example 1 to obtain a product container. And sterilized in an open system under pressure and heat under the same conditions as in Example 1. After sterilization, 60 to normal pressure
The pressure was reduced in seconds. Next, the product container containing the carrot, potato and beef was conveyed to a liquid filling chamber, and in this filling chamber, 300 parts by weight of curry sauce which had been sterilized by a separate tube sterilizer was filled into the product container. After filling the curry sauce, the product container is transported to a seal chamber filled with steam at 100 ° C, and nitrogen gas is injected into the head space to degas, and then the opening of the product container is sterilized by an ultraviolet sterilizer in advance. Then, 400 parts by weight of sterilized curry in a container was obtained.

Next, the product of Example 2 was evaluated.
The outer surface of the container was not dirty at all. In addition, the carrot and the potato in the curry sauce had a sufficient chewy texture, had no off-flavor, and had a good texture. In addition, beef was not collapsed, had moderate chewyness, and had a good flavor.

[0034]

According to the present invention, the solid food is steamed before being filled into the product container, the product temperature reached by the steaming process is maintained, and the solid food is introduced into the heat sterilization treatment step. Water can be suppressed from accumulating in the solid food, so that the solid food does not become stewed. Therefore, a sterilized solid food having good texture and flavor can be obtained.
In addition, when the open system heat sterilization treatment is performed under pressure, the texture of the solid food can be maintained well, and the product container is not stained due to bumping of water accumulated in the product container.

In maintaining the temperature of the solid food, the temperature of the solid food can be stably maintained by performing the open system heat sterilization process from the steaming process to the open system heat sterilization process in a continuous steam atmosphere. In addition, the amount of water accumulated in the product container can be further reduced, and a solid food with excellent texture can be obtained. In addition, even when a plurality of solid foods are subjected to the open system heat sterilization treatment at the same time, the temperature of each solid food does not vary.

Further, after the steaming treatment and immediately before the open system heat sterilization treatment, the solid food is kept at a temperature of 60 ° C to 100 ° C.
By maintaining the temperature at ° C., it is possible to suppress the accumulation of water in the product container, so that it is possible to provide a sterilized solid food having an excellent texture.

Further, according to the present invention, even when pressure and heat sterilization is performed, which tends to cause a particularly large amount of water to accumulate in the product container, the accumulation of water in the product container can be suppressed. A sterilized solid food which can be stored for a long period of time and has a good texture can be provided.

Then, after the pressurized heat sterilization treatment is performed, the pressure is reduced to normal pressure in 15 seconds to 5 minutes, so that even if a small amount of water is accumulated in the product container, this water is removed. Since bumping can be prevented, contamination of the product container due to the bumping can be prevented.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A step of steaming a solid food, a step of filling the solid food after the steaming into a product container, an open system heat sterilization step of bringing steam into direct contact with the solid food, and A method for producing a sterilized solid food having a step of sealing the product container after heat sterilization, wherein the temperature of the solid food after the steaming treatment is from the steaming treatment until immediately before the open system heat sterilization treatment, A method for producing a sterilized solid food, wherein the temperature is maintained at or above the temperature of the solid food reached by the steaming treatment. 2. The method for producing a sterilized solid food according to claim 1, wherein the steps from the steaming treatment to the open system heat sterilization treatment are performed in a continuous steam atmosphere. 3. The heat sterilization according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the solid food after the steaming treatment and immediately before the open system heat sterilization treatment is 60 ° C. to 100 ° C. Manufacturing method of used solid food. 4. The method for producing a heat-sterilized solid food according to claim 1, wherein the heat sterilization treatment is a pressure heat sterilization treatment. 5. The heat-sterilized solid food product according to claim 4, wherein the pressure of the pressure-heat sterilization atmosphere is reduced to normal pressure in 15 seconds to 5 minutes after the pressure-heat sterilization treatment. Production method.