JP2004121136A - Dry fruit and method for producing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dry fruit keeping an original structure of flesh and a structure of color, and enabling an arbitrary seasoning. <P>SOLUTION: The dry fruit is produced by a first step for carrying out the vacuum freeze-drying of the fruit, a second step for seasoning the obtained dry fruit by soaking the dry fruit in an arbitrary seasoning liquid, and a third step for carrying out the vacuum freeze-drying of the dry fruit seasoned by the soaking in the seasoning liquid again. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a dried fruit having an arbitrary taste and a method for producing the same.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Techniques for freeze-drying and storing fruits are well known. Above all, the vacuum freeze-drying method is widely used in the confectionery industry because it can dehydrate to low moisture while maintaining the original structure, color tone and flavor of the fruit as compared with other drying methods.
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a method for obtaining a dried fruit with seasoning, a method in which an arbitrary sugar, an acidulant, a coloring agent, a flavor, and the like are added after grinding the fruit, followed by freeze-drying in a vacuum is often used. In addition, when dried fruits that require the original structure of the fruits are required, the fruits are usually sliced or soaked in a flavoring liquid containing any sugars, sour agents, coloring agents, flavors, etc. Thereafter, a method of subjecting to vacuum freeze-drying has been used (for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).
However, both of the above methods have drawbacks. That is, in the former case, the seasoning can be performed arbitrarily to some extent, but the crushing destroys the original appearance structure of the fruit, that is, the so-called original fruit structure and color structure. In the latter case, a dried fruit that retains its original shape is obtained as it is, but since the seasoning is difficult to adhere to the sliced surface before drying or the surface in the same shape, the dried fruit arbitrarily seasoned cannot be used. I can't get it.
In particular, it is difficult to obtain a dried fruit having an arbitrary flavor while keeping the seed on the original surface of the fruit like a strawberry and maintaining the contrast between the white color of the flesh portion and the red color of the surface.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-18051 [Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Publication No. 45-19625 [Patent Document 3]
JP-A-2002-51696
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention provides a dried fruit that can provide an arbitrary taste while maintaining the original pulp structure and color structure of the fruit.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention relates to a dried fruit having an arbitrary taste while retaining the original pulp structure and color structure of the fruit.
Also, the present invention provides the following steps:
1) The first step of vacuum freeze-drying the fruit,
2) a second step of impregnating the obtained dried fruit with an optional flavoring liquid, and 3) a third step of vacuum freeze-drying the dried fruit impregnated with the flavoring liquid again and seasoned;
And a method for producing the dried fruit.
In one aspect, the invention relates to the dried fruit, wherein the dried fruit is in a crushed form.
Also, the present invention provides the following steps:
1) The first step of vacuum freeze-drying the fruit,
2) a second step of impregnating the obtained dried fruit with any flavoring liquid,
3) a third step of vacuum freeze-drying the dried fruits impregnated with the flavoring liquid again and 4) a fourth step of crushing the obtained dried fruits in a dry state;
The present invention relates to a method for producing a dried fruit in the above crushed shape, comprising:
[0006]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The present invention is a state in which the original pulp structure and color structure of the fruit are retained, that is, the fruit is broken and the surface and the inside are mixed, and the pulp structure and color structure representing the original characteristics of the fruit are lost It is intended to provide a dried fruit to which an arbitrary taste is added while maintaining the pulp structure and the color structure.
In the present invention, the “pulp structure” means that each part (for example, the surface, a subsurface part, the inside of the pulp, etc.) having each characteristic of the fruit constitutes a fruit while maintaining a mutual relationship. Say that Further, the “color structure” refers to a state in which the colors of the respective parts constituting the fruit are retained and their respective colors are retained without being mixed, thereby constituting the fruit.
[0007]
The dried fruit of the present invention is in a state in which one whole shape of the fruit is maintained, or may be in a state of being roughly crushed into several pieces. Here, the crushed state means that the shape of one fruit is not retained but the fruit structure and the color structure are retained, and therefore, in each crushed piece, each of the portions constituting the fruit is all It retains its original characteristics.
[0008]
The dried fruit of the present invention is typically
1) The first step of vacuum freeze-drying the fruit,
2) a step of impregnating the obtained dried fruit with an optional flavoring liquid, and 3) a step of vacuum-drying the dried fruit impregnated with the flavoring liquid again and freeze-dried. it can.
In order to produce a crushed product, a step of further crushing the obtained dried fruit in a dry state is added.
[0009]
The vacuum freeze-drying performed in the first step is preferably performed at a freezing temperature of −10 ° C. or lower, particularly −30 to −50 ° C., and a degree of vacuum of 13 to 500 Pa. Depending on the product used, vacuum drying or micro drying may be used instead of vacuum freeze drying.
The optional impregnation of the flavoring liquid in the second step is carried out simply by bringing the flavored liquid into contact with the dried fruit, since the dried freeze-dried fruit has a porous structure unique to vacuum freeze-drying. The liquid can be easily impregnated into the inside of the dried fruit and can be arbitrarily seasoned. In addition, when an arbitrary flavoring liquid is thick and impregnation takes time, the dried fruit and the flavoring liquid may be impregnated into the dried fruit by reducing the pressure and then returning to normal pressure.
[0010]
The dried fruit which has come into contact with the flavoring liquid needs to be freeze-dried again because it absorbs the water in the flavoring liquid. The vacuum freeze-drying conditions in that case are desirably frozen at −10 ° C. or less, particularly −30 to −50 ° C., and dried at a vacuum of 13 to 500 Pa. Depending on the quality, vacuum drying or micro drying may be used. Depending on the development of the product, if the moisture is adjusted and the flavor is taken in consideration of the water activity, a gummy texture can be obtained.
[0011]
The flavoring liquid used in the second step may be of any taste, for example, may be one that deepens the original taste of the corresponding fruit, or one that adds a completely different taste. Examples of the flavoring material include sugars such as sugar, glucose, and maltose, and sugar alcohols thereof; acidulants such as citric acid, lactic acid, and malic acid; and various fruit trees, yogurt, and honey if a different taste is required. , Chocolate, condensed milk, etc., but it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited thereto.
[0012]
The concentration of the flavoring liquid is desirably BRIX 30 to 80. If the BRIX is 30 or less, the viscosity of the flavoring liquid is low, so that the fruit is quickly impregnated, so that the surface pigment of the fruit is transferred inside. For example, in the case of strawberry, the color structure is impaired. When BRIX is 80 or more, the viscosity of the flavoring liquid increases, so that the impregnation rate to the fruit decreases.
In order to impregnate the dried fruit with the flavored liquid, the amount of the flavored liquid to be brought into contact with the dried fruit is desirably 100 to 300 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the dried fruit. If the amount of the flavoring liquid is less than 100 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the dried fruit, the flavoring liquid does not spread over the whole fruit, and the taste becomes uneven. In particular, sweetness and sourness cannot be strongly felt. On the other hand, if it exceeds 300 parts by weight, the fruit cannot absorb the entire amount of the flavoring liquid, and the sugar liquid becomes candy during drying and sticks to the teeth, thereby deteriorating the texture.
[0013]
The dried fruit of the present invention may be moderately watered to enjoy an unprecedented texture, or may be used as it is for food.
The dried product can be roughly crushed and used for topping cereals, kneading into chocolate, topping ice cream, etc.
[0014]
The kind of fruit for obtaining the dried fruit of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is particularly advantageous in those having a pulp structure or a color structure, for example, strawberry, blueberry, cranberry, kiwi, pineapple, grape, Particularly suitable for oranges and the like.
[0015]
Although the dried fruit of the present invention becomes a new food as it is in a dry state, it is not only a dried food, but also by absorbing a liquid such as water or alcohol into the dried food, thereby obtaining the original pulp structure or color of the fruit. The fruit can be regenerated while retaining its structure and adding any taste.
[0016]
【Example】
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail and specifically with reference to examples.
Example 　 1
10,000 g of a strawberry containing about 90% by weight of water was freeze-dried in a vacuum as it was under the following conditions.
Vacuum freeze-drying conditions (1)
Freezing conditions:
Strawberries were loaded on the tray to a thickness of about 5 cm and frozen in a freezer at -10 ° C or lower for 24 hours or more.
Drying conditions:
Drying was performed at a vacuum of 13 Pa or less and a temperature of 40 ° C. or less.
1,000 g of the freeze-dried strawberry thus obtained was impregnated as uniformly as possible with 2,000 g of an aqueous solution having a sugar concentration of BRIX70.
The sugar-absorbed strawberries were freeze-dried under vacuum under the following conditions to produce sugar-flavored dried strawberries.
Vacuum freeze-drying conditions (2)
Freezing conditions:
Strawberries were loaded on the tray to a thickness of about 5 cm and frozen in a freezer at -10 ° C or lower for 24 hours or more.
Drying conditions:
Drying was performed at a vacuum of 13 Pa or less and a temperature of 40 ° C. or less.
[0017]
When the dried strawberry produced as described above was eaten as it was, any sugar was flavored, and the sweetness promoted the secretion of saliva, thereby enhancing the juicy feeling of the strawberry. This was also a good snack.
When the dried strawberry produced above was cut in half and the inside was observed, both the original pulp structure and the color structure of the pulp were similar to those of the raw fruit.
[0018]
Example 　 2
In Example 1, sugar-flavored dried strawberries obtained by performing vacuum freeze-drying (2) were used to crush one strawberry into 5 to 8 pieces using a crusher.
Each of the strawberries also retained the original flesh structure and color structure of the strawberry.
[0019]
Example 　 3
100 parts by weight of dried strawberries were impregnated with 250 parts by weight of sweetened condensed milk adjusted to BRIX40. It was frozen again at -10 ° C or lower and vacuum freeze-dried at a vacuum of 13 Pa or lower and a temperature of 40 ° C or lower. The condensed milk-impregnated strawberry dried product became a milk-flavored strawberry, which was preferable as a snack. The fruit structure of the strawberry was retained, and the color structure was clear with a clear red surface, and a strawberry with the expected image was obtained.
[0020]
Example 　 4
The crushed and dried strawberries obtained in Example 2 were made to absorb 5 times (weight ratio) of water. As a result, after 3 minutes, strawberries having the same color and texture as those of the raw fruit were regenerated, and the taste was originally stronger than that of strawberries.
This regenerated strawberry also had a clear red and white contrast with respect to the fruit structure and the color structure, as if raw strawberry pulp was cut.
It was confirmed that this regenerated strawberry was suitable as jam.
[0021]
Example 　 5
One dried strawberry (in the form of a hole) obtained in Example 1 was floated on 350 ml of shochu (alcohol content: 7%) and restored. Three minutes later, the same color tone and texture as those of the raw fruit were reproduced. It was also confirmed that the taste was stronger than the original sweetness of strawberries.
Shochu was added with aroma, sweetness and sourness from strawberries, and gave the eater a satisfaction of eating the fruit itself.
[0022]
【The invention's effect】
The dried fruit of the present invention not only retains the original pulp structure and color structure of the fruit, but can also be added with any flavor and can provide a new fruit product. This opens up new uses for preservative and fruit.

Claims (6)

A dried fruit that has an arbitrary taste while retaining its original fruit structure and color structure. The dried fruit according to claim 1, wherein the dried fruit is in a crushed form. Next steps:
1) The first step of vacuum freeze-drying the fruit,
2) a second step of impregnating the obtained dried fruit with an optional flavoring liquid, and 3) a third step of vacuum freeze-drying the dried fruit impregnated with the flavoring liquid again and seasoned;
The method for producing a dried fruit according to claim 1, comprising: Next steps:
1) The first step of vacuum freeze-drying the fruit,
2) a second step of impregnating the obtained dried fruit with any flavoring liquid,
3) a third step of vacuum freeze-drying the dried fruits impregnated with the flavoring liquid again and 4) a fourth step of crushing the obtained dried fruits in a dry state;
The method for producing a dried fruit according to claim 2, comprising: The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the concentration of the flavoring liquid is BRIX 30 to 80. The method according to claim 5, wherein the amount of the flavoring liquid is 100 to 300 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the dried fruit.