JP2009095270A - Freeze-dried cheese and method for producing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide freeze-dried cheese usable as an ingredient in instant food such as instant noodle or instant soup, and also excellent in reconstitution with hot water when used as an ingredient in liquid food such as chinese noodle, soup, Miso soup or pan-cooking food. <P>SOLUTION: The freeze-dried cheese contains 2-40% of insoluble fibers. The method for producing the freeze-dried cheese comprises using cheese containing 1-20% of insoluble fibers suitable for production of the freeze-dried cheese, crushing the cheese, adding water to the crushed cheese, and heating and kneading the cheese mixture followed by packing the heated and kneaded cheese mixture in a mold, and subjecting the cheese mixture to freeze dry, or cutting the cheese mixture as it is, crushing the cut cheese mixture, and freeze-drying the crushed cheese mixture. Alternatively, the method comprises crushing cheese as raw material, adding water to the pulverized cheese, adding 1-20% of insoluble fibers to the water-added crushed cheese, heating and kneading the cheese mixture followed by packing the cheese mixture in a mold, and freeze-drying the cheese mixture. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to freeze-dried cheeses excellent in hot-water removability and a method for producing the same. Moreover, this invention relates to the raw material cheeses suitable for manufacturing the said freeze-dried cheeses. The freeze-dried cheeses of the present invention are useful as ingredients for instant foods such as instant noodles and instant soups, and as ingredients for other general food groups, mainly liquid food groups such as ramen, soup, miso soup and pots. . In addition, cheeses as used in the field of this invention mean the cheese-like food which uses processed cheese, cheese food, milk, etc. as a main raw material.

  Cheese is gradually taking root in the current Japanese diet, and the opportunity to climb the table is increasing. Along with this, as with other foods, the need for cheese is gradually increasing in instant foods that can be easily used. Dried foods such as instant noodles and instant soups, retort foods such as curry roux that can be stored at high temperature and pressure and stored at room temperature, soups and risottos that can be eaten by range up, drying, retort etc. There is a demand for the development of cheeses that can maintain the same flavor, physical properties, shape and the like as in normal use.

  There are three major problems in dry cheese and freeze-dried cheese. The first is to eliminate the squeaky feeling often found in conventional freeze-dried products and give a light texture as the texture when eating as it is. The second is that the hot water rewinding property (restorability) is good at the time of hot water returning operation in use as an ingredient in the instant food group which is raised as a main use. The third is to have the stringiness after hot water rejuvenation while having the second problem of hot water rewinding.

  Regarding the first texture without creaking, freeze-dried cheese added to the raw material cheese by appropriately combining a molten salt, a stabilizer and an emulsifier is known before this application (Patent Document 1). This technology is not refining the obtained freeze-dried cheese, but it is shown that freeze-dried cheese with a light texture can be obtained even if it is eaten as it is, and the obtained product should be reheated. However, since it is intended to eat directly, there is no description related to hot water rewinding property and stringiness after hot water refining.

  The second hot water reversibility is known before the present application, and its manufacturing method is also known. For example, freeze-dried cheese is known that uses a special manufacturing method in which raw cheeses are heated while stirring at low speed and gas is bubbled to foam the aerated cheeses under vacuum (Patent Document 2). . This technology requires special manufacturing equipment for implementation, and causes cost problems such as new equipment investment.

  Also known is a solution in which sodium polyphosphate and sodium metaphosphate are added as molten salts, the product moisture is adjusted to 45 to 50% by weight, and the rewinding property is improved by making the tissue porous by slow freezing (Patent Document) 3). This technique requires special manufacturing equipment and food additives other than molten salt, which are conventionally required, as in the technique of Cited Document 2, and takes much labor in manufacturing with ordinary equipment and labor. It has improved hot water reversibility. Patent Document 3 describes freeze-dried cheeses that have been freeze-dried after an additive is added to the raw material cheese and emulsified, but the freeze-dried cheeses obtained by this method have a product moisture of 45-50. When the product moisture is high, especially when the product moisture is close to 50% by weight, there is a problem that the hardness of the cheeses cannot be sufficiently secured and the suitability for secondary processing such as cutting and shredding is lowered.

  The natural cheese of the technology of Patent Document 2 can be cited as the third thing having stringiness after reconstitution, but with this technology, rejuvenation after freeze-drying and reconstitution for natural cheese. A product that satisfies both later stringiness properties can be obtained, but special production facilities are required for implementation, and cheese-like foods made mainly from processed cheese, cheese food, milk, etc. are foamed. Among these, there is no product with excellent stringiness after reconstitution with hot water.

  There are several problems to impart good hot-water reversibility to freeze-dried cheeses. In general, in freeze-dried foods, it is considered that the higher the moisture content before drying, the more porous it becomes after drying, and the more easily water is absorbed. It is also possible to promote the formation of a porous material. However, in the case of cheeses, when it is prepared to have a high water content, it becomes a soft tissue, and the processing suitability is impaired. Further, the size of the surface area per unit volume is also cited as a factor, and the hot water reversibility is improved as the contact area with hot water during hot water refining is larger. From this, also in cheeses, when trying to improve hot-water removability, it was necessary to make it small and thin shape like small dice cheese or shred cheese. In addition, foods or food additives such as starches and gums that are typically used in the manufacture of cheeses are very useful in making cheese tissue, but their use can be attributed to dry cheeses. There was a problem that there was a tendency to deteriorate the hot water reversibility (restorability).

JP 2004-290087 A Japanese Patent Publication No.7-114629 Japanese Patent No. 3581976

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said prior art, and makes it a subject to provide the freeze-dried cheeses which have favorable hot-water removability. Moreover, this invention makes it a subject to provide the manufacturing method suitable for preparation of the said freeze-dried cheeses.

  The present inventors have found that freeze-dried cheeses obtained by containing insoluble fibers in freeze-dried cheeses have good hot-water reversibility, and have completed the present invention. That is, this invention is freeze-dried cheese characterized by containing insoluble fiber in freeze-dried cheese. The present invention also relates to freeze-dried cheeses characterized in that the freeze-dried cheeses contain 2% to 40% insoluble fiber (based on the weight percent of freeze-dried cheeses, hereinafter the same). Moreover, this invention is a manufacturing method suitable for preparation of the said freeze-dried cheeses.

  In the present invention, by adding a large amount of insoluble fiber having an effect of increasing the apparent moisture content in cheeses before drying and paste-like cheeses that have been hydrated and kneaded, the hot water reversibility better than before is obtained. Successfully granted.

  Examples of the raw material natural cheese used in the present invention include Gouda cheese, cheddar cheese and the like, which are usually used for the production of cheeses. Although not particularly limited, it is preferable to use hard or semi-hard natural cheese. The kind and ripeness of the raw material natural cheese are not particularly limited as long as the final freeze-dried cheeses and the properties and flavors necessary for the production process can be obtained. . Two or more kinds of raw material natural cheese may be mixed and used.

  Examples of the molten salt used in the present invention include citrates and phosphates that are generally used in the production of cheeses. These may be designed and blended so as to obtain finally obtained freeze-dried cheeses and physical properties, flavors and the like necessary in the production process, and are not particularly limited. One or two or more molten salts having characteristics such as strength of ion exchange, strength of peptization, and presence or absence of antibacterial effect may be used in combination. Moreover, the molten salt which mix | blended them previously can also be used.

  The amount of molten salt added in the present invention depends on the conditions such as the type of raw natural cheese, the ripeness, the physical properties of the final freeze-dried cheese, the flavor, the moisture content of the final product, the presence or absence of secondary processing, etc. What is necessary is just to determine suitably.

  Examples of insoluble fibers used in the present invention include water-insoluble dietary fibers used as food grades, such as cellulose used as food additive grades and classified as stabilizers. These may be blended at the time of raw material cheese preparation, or may be added when the raw material cheeses are hydro-kneaded in the freeze-drying process. Whatever method is selected, the final lyophilized cheese is prepared to contain 2 to 40% insoluble fiber. More preferably, it is prepared so as to contain 5 to 20% of insoluble fiber as freeze-dried cheeses.

  Various forms are conceivable as the secondary processing of the freeze-dried cheeses of the present invention. For example, a method of directly freeze-drying block-shaped cheese, and further, a method of cutting into strips, slices, dice, or cutting or crushing into shreds, pulverizing into powders, freeze-drying, The secondary processing method, size, shape, freeze-drying conditions, etc., such as a method of freeze-drying after filling into various shapes after hydro-kneading, may be appropriately set according to the situation.

  It should be noted that the hot water reversibility is better when the surface area per unit volume, which is generally considered as a factor affecting the hot water reversibility, is as large as possible. However, according to the present invention, even when a thick and large block or cut product is freeze-dried, it has a good hot-water retentivity to such an extent that it can withstand use in a normally considered dried food group.

  In the present invention, there are mainly two methods for blending insoluble fiber with freeze-dried cheeses, depending on the secondary processing method. The first is a method of blending insoluble fibers when preparing raw cheeses, and secondary processing such as cutting, cutting and grinding can be performed as it is before the freeze-drying step. In the present invention, insoluble fiber is blended to improve the hot water reconstitution property after lyophilization, but the addition of the insoluble fiber shifts the physical properties of the raw cheese to a slightly soft and elastic direction, As the amount of insoluble fiber added increases, the suitability for secondary processing decreases. Therefore, in this method, the final freeze-dried cheese contains 2 to 40% insoluble fiber, more preferably 5 to 20%, that is, about 1 to 20% insoluble fiber is contained in the raw cheese before drying. More preferably, it is preferable to prepare a material containing about 2.5% to 10%, and cut, cut, pulverize, and freeze-dry.

  The second method is a method that is used when taking a step of filling the mold after it has been hydrolyzed when secondary processing the raw cheese produced by the usual method. When the raw cheese is hydrolyzed Insoluble fibers can be added. This method can also be used when additional insoluble fibers are added when cheeses added with insoluble fibers are used as raw cheeses. In this method, since the steps of mold filling and freeze-drying are performed after the step of adding the insoluble fiber, there is no restriction on the addition rate of the insoluble fiber in terms of processability. However, when the final freeze-dried cheeses are restored, in order to give a texture and presence as cheese, the freeze-dried cheeses contain 2 to 40% insoluble fiber, more preferably Needs to be prepared to contain 5 to 20%. In other words, as the insoluble fiber content increases, the reconstitution property of freeze-dried cheeses is improved, but on the other hand, the suitability for secondary processing is reduced, the texture of the insoluble fiber itself is felt, Cheese may be scattered, and it may not be in a lump as cheese. These can be solved by adjusting the addition rate according to the shape of the freeze-dried cheese itself of this patent, the final product to be used, the application, the purpose, etc., but in any case it is insoluble in a form according to the purpose It is desirable to prepare the fiber to contain in the range of 2-40%.

  According to the present invention, dairy products such as skimmed milk powder, milk ingredients, stabilizers, emulsifiers, starch, processed starch, vegetable fats, carbohydrates, spices, fragrances, etc., processed cheese, cheese food, milk Can be selected according to the purpose such as physical property adjustment and flavor adjustment, and even when these are used, good reconstitution Can be obtained. Of course, it may not be used, but by using these and the molten salt in appropriate combination, freeze-dried cheeses having good stringiness even after reconstitution with hot water can be obtained.

  In the emulsification treatment in the present invention, normally, an emulsifier and a stabilizer used for emulsification of cheeses are appropriately used, and stirring is performed at a low speed of 50 to 200 rpm using an emulsifier, for example, a low-speed shearing emulsifier. Stirring at a medium to high speed from 400 to 1500 rpm using a shearing emulsifier or the like can be mentioned, but it is not particularly limited. After passing through the above blending and the above steps, it is sufficiently cooled in the same manner as ordinary cheeses, and ordinary cheeses or cheeses suitable for the freeze-dried cheese raw material of the present invention can be obtained. In addition, as a secondary processing, in the case of normal cheeses, the required amount of insoluble fiber is added at the next step of hydration and kneading, and after freeze-drying, the freeze-dried cheese of the present invention Can be obtained. In the case of cheeses suitable as raw materials for freeze-dried cheese, the freeze-dried cheeses of the present invention are obtained by cutting, cutting, pulverizing, freeze-drying or hydration, kneading and then mold-freezing and lyophilization. be able to.

  The hot water used in restoring the freeze-dried cheeses obtained by the present invention is not particularly limited in the temperature range, but a hot water having a higher temperature is advantageous in order to develop good hot water reversibility. This is also related to the softness imparted to the cheeses after restoration, and it is possible to impart a more melt-like feeling like cheese. When used as ingredients such as cup soups and instant noodles, which are listed as the main uses of freeze-dried cheeses, boiling water and hot water are used, so that sufficient hot water reversibility can be expressed without any problems.

  According to the present invention, freeze-dried cheeses with good hot-water reversibility can be obtained. The freeze-dried cheeses of the present invention have a good reconstitution property in a short time, so that they have sufficient restorability even in instant food groups, and have the same physical properties, flavors, etc. as ordinary natural cheeses and processed cheeses. Can be provided.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to examples.

  5 kg of cheddar cheese and 5 kg of gouda cheese were used as raw material natural cheese and pulverized and mixed. 10 kg of mixed cheese is put into a high-speed shearing emulsifier, 50 g of sodium diphosphate as a molten salt, 150 g of sodium polyphosphate, and 100 g of soybean white squeezed oil as vegetable fat are added, and the final moisture content is 45 wt. Water was added so that it might become%, and it heated and stirred at 1000 rpm to 80 degreeC. About the heated cheese, it filled with 350g carton, and it cooled in the 5 degreeC refrigerator for 24 hours or more, and obtained cheese food. The obtained cheese food is crushed, and with respect to cheese food 200g, just fiber BH200FCC (IFC) 2.5g (2%), 6g (5%), 28g (20%), 47g (30%), 73 g (40%) was added, and 140 to 200 g of water was added so as to form a paste, and the mixture was kneaded with a mixer. The obtained cheese paste was poured into a 1 cm square freeze-drying tray, frozen at −40 ° C., and freeze-dried at 0.2 Torr to obtain freeze-dried cheeses. As a control, an insoluble fiber-free product was prepared in the same manner.

(Test Example 1)
About the hot-warmability of the freeze-dried cheeses obtained in Example 1, the test was done by the following method.
(1) Hot water reversibility 5 g cups of freeze-dried cheeses were collected, and 100 ml of 90 ° C. hot water was added to observe the state of restoration for 3 minutes.
The results are shown in Table 1.

なお、表中の記号は、次の意味を示す。（以下同様）
◎：非常に良好
○：良好
△：やや不良
×：不良

In addition, the symbol in a table | surface shows the following meaning. (The same applies hereinafter)
◎: Very good ○: Good △: Somewhat bad ×: Bad

  From the results shown in Table 1, hot water reversibility is not lost even when no insoluble fiber is added, but by adding 2% of insoluble fiber, the hot water reversibility is improved, and as the amount of addition increases, further hot water reversibility is achieved. Improved. On the other hand, when 20% or more of insoluble fiber is added, the hot water reversibility is sufficient, but the restored cheese food spreads on the water surface, and when 40% or more is added, the hot water rewind property is sufficient. However, as a restored cheese food, it did not form one lump but scattered on the surface of the water. In addition, when 20% or more of insoluble fiber is added, fiber texture begins to appear in the texture of the restored cheese food itself, and when 40% or more is added, the cheese feeling becomes weak and unsatisfactory as freeze-dried cheeses. It was.

  Using 5 kg of Gouda cheese and 5 kg of Mozzarella cheese as raw material natural cheese, they were pulverized and mixed. 10 kg of mixed cheese is put into a high-speed shearing emulsifier, and 60 g of sodium citrate as a molten salt, 80 g of sodium polyphosphate, 50 g of sucrose fatty acid ester as an emulsifier to stabilize emulsification and impart shred suitability. After adding 600 g of Just Fiber BH200FCC (IFC) and 30 g of locust bin gum as stabilizers, water was added so that the final moisture content was 44% by weight, and the mixture was heated and stirred at 1000 rpm to 80 ° C. About the heated cheese, it filled with 350g carton, cooled in the 5 degreeC refrigerator for 24 hours or more, and the process cheese which is the raw material cheeses for freeze-dried cheeses of this invention was obtained. The obtained processed cheese was shredded to 4 mm × 15 mm, frozen at −40 ° C., and freeze-dried as it was to obtain freeze-dried cheeses of the present invention. The obtained freeze-dried cheeses were collected in 5 g cups, and 100 ml of 90 ° C. hot water was poured. As in the case of the insoluble fiber-added product of Example 1, it had good hot-water reversibility.

(Use effect on instant foods using freeze-dried cheeses)
When the freeze-dried cheese obtained in Example 1 and Example 2 was put into a commercially available cup-type dry ramen and poured with hot water, it was restored after 3 minutes, with moderate oil-off (separation of fat), The organization was also smooth. Furthermore, the taste was very tasty, matched well with ramen, and added cheese, making it an instant food with excellent nutritional value.

Claims (5)

  A freeze-dried cheese comprising an insoluble fiber.   The freeze-dried cheese according to claim 1, which contains 2 to 40% of insoluble fiber.   The method for producing freeze-dried cheeses according to claim 2, wherein 1 to 20% of insoluble fiber is added to the raw cheeses and dried.   The raw cheese for freeze-dried cheeses according to claim 2, comprising 1 to 20% of insoluble fiber.   A food or drink comprising the freeze-dried cheese according to claim 1 or 2.