JP2009124980A - Konjak mannan foaming agent - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a konjak mannan foaming agent that is usable as food and is superior in foaming power and retainability of the foaming power. <P>SOLUTION: The konjak mannan foaming agent is obtained, by mixing konjak mannan and methylcellulose at (90:10)-(10:90), by weight basis. The methylcellulose comprises water-soluble cellulose ether and has no foaming power in itself, but produces a foaming agent which generates retainable foam by being mixed with the konjak mannan. The foam made via the foaming agent is maintained for a long time, because the konjak mannan has lower concentration and higher viscosity than those of other thickening agents. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a foaming agent comprising a mixture of konjac mannan and methylcellulose, particularly a foaming agent for foods.

  Examples of foaming agents and whipping agents for foaming food include natural products such as egg white, ovalbumin, casein, sodium caseinate, gluten degradation products, soybean phospholipid, glycerin fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester, sorbitan fatty acid ester, etc. There is a surfactant and it is used in various foods.

  Konjac mannan is a polysaccharide present in konjac potato tubers, and irreversible gel obtained by treating the sol of this with alkali is konjac. Konjac mannan is used in food as a thickener because it dissolves in water to give a highly viscous solution.

  Patent document 1 describes using glucomannan for the manufacture of a frozen ice confectionery. Specifically, add glucomannan to water, add calcium hydroxide suspension to it, heat to make a gel of mannan hydrate, whisk this gel and egg white in a mixer, put it in a mold and freeze it. To obtain a bubble snowy ice confectionery.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a method for producing an aerated konjac, which comprises stirring and foaming a mixture of konjac powder, water and eggs, and then solidifying the mixture into a predetermined shape by adding a coagulant (calcium hydroxide). Is described.

  Patent Document 3 discloses a method for producing an aerated konjac comprising adding a carbonate or alkali bicarbonate to a sol obtained by swelling a konjac powder with water, adding an organic acid to the sol, foaming, and solidifying by heating in that state. Is described.

  None of these prior art uses konjac mannan as a foaming agent, and foaming uses eggs or egg whites and carbon dioxide generated by chemical reaction.

JP-A-8-84561 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-9888 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-215474

  In general, a foaming agent is required to have foaming power and sustainability of the foam. However, konjac mannan (glucomannan) itself has almost no foaming power, and there is a strong thickening action.

  The present inventors have found that a mixture of konjac mannan and methylcellulose, which does not itself have foaming power, is useful as a persistent foaming agent. Based on this finding, the present invention provides a foaming agent obtained by mixing konjac mannan and methyl cellulose in a ratio of 90:10 to 10:90 (the same applies below on a weight basis). In order to increase the sustainability of the generated foam, a mixture rich in konjac mannan, for example, a mixing ratio of 90:10 to 50:50 is preferable.

  Methylcellulose is a water-soluble cellulose ether and is also used in foods as a water-soluble gum. However, since it does not have foaming power, a foaming agent that produces a sustainable foam by mixing it with konjac mannan is used. It was unexpected to be obtained.

  The feature of the foaming agent of the present invention is the long-lasting foam. This is presumed to be related to the fact that konjac mannan gives an aqueous solution having a low concentration and a high viscosity compared to other thickeners. That is, it is considered that bubbles are not broken for a long time due to high viscosity.

  As mentioned earlier, konjac mannan is present in konjac potato tubers. Konjac potatoes are washed with water, sliced, dried, pulverized, and further separated from impurities such as starch, which is called konjac flour. The konjac flour contains about 75 to 85% of konjac mannan.

  A high-purity konjac mannan obtained by further removing impurities from the konjac flour is also commercially available. For example, there is a high-purity konjac mannan provided by the applicant under the trade names “Propol A”, “Roleex RS”, and “Roleex LM”. Konjac flour can be used, but it is preferable to use high-purity konjac mannan from which impurities have been further removed.

  The other raw material, methylcellulose, is commercially available as a food additive. This generally has a methoxy group content in the range of 26 to 33%, and the number of moles of methoxy groups per glucose unit (degree of substitution) is in the range of 1.65 to 2.2. A product having a methoxy group content of 29% and a substitution degree of about 1.8 is commercially available.

  The mixing ratio of konjac mannan and methylcellulose can vary in the range of 90:10 to 10:90, but it is generally preferred that the mixing ratio of konjac mannan is in the range of 90:10 to 50:50. The specific mixing ratio depends on the foaming degree of the target product, and when high foaming is required, a mixing ratio of 60:40 is suitable. Since the foaming agent of the present invention contains konjac mannan, the sol of the foamed mixture using alkali (calcium hydroxide) can be irreversibly gelled in a foamed state.

  The addition amount of the mixture varies greatly from 0.1% to 10% depending on the type of food. Generally, a food containing a lot of water needs a small amount of addition, and a food containing a lot of fat needs to add a large amount. So far, foaming agents (eg egg whites, nonionic surfactants, etc.) are used in foods that require foaming, so if you decide based on the amount of these foaming agents Good.

  As an addition method, the mixture is dissolved in water heated to a temperature of up to 90 ° C. to obtain an aqueous solution, which is added to the food raw material and stirred with a mixer to be foamed.

  The foaming agent of the present invention can be used for producing foamed or foamed foods such as soft cream, mousse dessert sauce, cake dough, and whipped top. In addition, it can be applied to the production of diet foods that normally produce foam-free foods that give a feeling of fullness due to expansion of volume, and foods that give soft textures by containing bubbles. Furthermore, it can be used for cosmetics that are foamed immediately before use using a propellant, such as shaving cream, hair mousse, and general industrial applications.

  The invention is illustrated by the following non-limiting examples. In the examples, “parts” and “%” are based on weight unless otherwise specified. In addition, the raw materials used were high-purity konjac mannan with the trade name Propol A and commercially available food additive standard methylcellulose.

Example 1
The remaining state of bubbles was compared using egg white as a control group.
40 parts of sugar was added to 60 parts of egg white and stirred for 2 minutes using a hand mixer (manufactured by TOSHIBA, HM-20S).
In the test group, konjac mannan and methylcellulose were added at a ratio of 6: 4, and a 1% solution thereof was used. 60 parts of this solution and 40 parts of sugar were added as in the control, and the mixture was stirred with a hand mixer for 2 minutes.
With respect to the obtained specimen, the change in the bubble residual ratio (volume after foaming and standing) / total volume was examined. The results are shown in Table 1 and the graph of FIG.

There was no difference in remaining bubbles immediately after the test and after 1 hour, but after 5 hours, the control group showed a 13% decrease and after 3 days, the decrease was about 23%.

Example 2
As mayonnaise-like foods using soy milk, raw materials were blended according to the following formulation, stirred using a hand mixer (manufactured by TOSHIBA, HM-20S), and whipped.

It was confirmed that the test group increased in volume by about 10% compared to the control group.

Example 3
An aerated konjac mannan gel was prepared using a mixture of konjac mannan and methylcellulose.
1. An aqueous solution containing 3% konjac mannan and 1% methylcellulose was bubbled, 5% calcium hydroxide was added to the konjac mannan, placed in a mold, heated, cooled and frozen (-35 ° C.).
No.2. The first operation was repeated except that an aqueous solution containing 5% konjac mannan and 2% methylcellulose was used.
A konjac mannan gel prepared by the same operation without foaming a 3% aqueous solution of konjac mannan containing no methylcellulose was used as a control, and the volume expansion rate (percentage) of the gel obtained in 1 and 2 with respect to the control gel was calculated.
As a result, with respect to the control, the volume of the foamed gel obtained in Part 1 expanded to 151%, and the part 2 gel expanded to 139%.
In addition, a fine cavity was observed in an enlarged photograph of the cross section of the bubble-containing gel.

The graph of the time-dependent residual rate of the bubble of Example 1 compared with the control group.

Claims (4)

  A foaming agent obtained by mixing konjac mannan and methylcellulose in a ratio of 90:10 to 10 to 90 on a weight basis.   The foaming agent according to claim 1, wherein the mixing ratio of konjac mannan and methylcellulose is 90:10 to 50:50 on a weight basis.   A method for producing an aerated food product, comprising dissolving the foaming agent of claim 1 or 2 in preheated water, adding the solution to a food material, and foaming using a mixer.   A method for producing an aerated konjac comprising adding calcium hydroxide to a hydrosol of a foaming agent according to claim 1 or 2, placing the mold in a mold, heating and cooling.

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