JP2010148373A - Soymilk and method for producing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for producing soymilk which is excellent in preservation stability for a long period and feeling of drink, by producing the soymilk without disposing of bean curd lees. <P>SOLUTION: This method for producing the soymilk includes passing a soybean mixed liquid obtained by mixing soybean powder and a solvent through a narrow tube at a pressure of ≥60 MPa and/or a speed of ≥130 m/s so as to micronize the soybean powder in the soybean mixed liquid. It is preferable that an average particle diameter of solid in the soymilk passing the micronizing process is ≤20 μm and a standard deviation thereof is ≤0.35, and a flow passage cross-sectional area of the narrow tube is ≤1 mm<SP>2</SP>and a longitudinal size thereof is ≥3 mm. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a soy milk produced by refining soybean and a method for producing the same.

  Soymilk made from soybeans is a nutritious food that contains many high-quality proteins and ingredients useful to the human body. It is used in various processed foods such as tofu and fried chicken, and also as a healthy milk beverage. Is provided.

  In general, soymilk is produced by heating and grinding ground soybeans to extract soluble components and removing okara which is an insoluble component. However, in this manufacturing method, since a substantial part in soybean is separated as okara, the yield as soy milk or tofu is greatly reduced. Moreover, although some okara can be used for food, feed, fertilizer, etc., many parts are discarded due to problems such as storage stability, which is an environmental problem.

  For this reason, a method has been proposed in which soybeans are refined in water and soy milk is produced without separating and discarding okara (Patent Documents 1 to 3).

  Specifically, Patent Document 1 uses a homogenizer such as a valve-type homogenizer or a nanomizer that collides liquid with each other by crushing soy beans to a particle size of 100 μm or less with a dry crusher. The soymilk produced by this method is disclosed, and the soymilk produced by this method is said to be inferior in soymilk and flavor and quality produced by the traditional method of removing okara. Yes.

  In Patent Document 2, there is a method for producing whole-grain soy milk by pulverizing whole soybeans, dehulled soybeans or defatted soybeans to 20 μm or less dry, adding water, sterilizing by heating, and finally homogenizing with a high-pressure homogenizer or the like. It is disclosed that the soy milk produced by this method is easy to drink without a rough feeling when eaten, and that it can produce smooth tofu when used as a soy milk for tofu production. .

In Patent Document 3, whole soybeans including the outer skin are preliminarily pulverized to a particle size of 300 to 500 μm or less, and then the soybean powder suspension is adjusted by using water, and the pressure is 100 MPa or more and / or the flow rate using a wet jet mill. Disclosed is a method for producing soy milk by causing soy flour suspensions to collide with each other and / or the wall surface at 200 m / sec or more to ultrafine the solid content to about 10 μm or less, more preferably 5 μm or less. It is stated that the soy milk produced by this method can eliminate the rough feeling when drunk as soy milk or when used for the production of tofu.
JP 2004-016120 A JP 60-141247 A JP 2000-102357 A

  As described above, at the technical level at the time of filing of the present application, by refining the soy beans (round soybeans, moulted soybeans or defatted soybeans), the feeling of roughness when consumed as soy milk and eaten as tofu is eliminated. However, for that purpose, at least the particle size of the solid content is required to be 20 μm or less, and in order to completely eliminate the rough feeling, the particle size of the solid content is 10 μm to 5 μm or less. It has been known that it is necessary to reduce the size to ultrafine.

  However, according to the study by the present inventors, even soy milk in which soybeans are refined so that the average particle size is reduced to a certain extent (for example, 10 μm or less) by a conventionally known method, depending on the conditions of the refinement treatment It has become clear that, while being refrigerated for a long time (for example, 10 to 60 days), the soymilk has a problem of lacking storage stability, such as separation into two layers.

  Moreover, in order to increase the degree of miniaturization (reduce the solid particle size), it is necessary to change the apparatus and processing conditions for miniaturization according to the target particle size, In general, the higher the degree of miniaturization, the higher the technical difficulty and the less the amount of soy milk that can be produced per hour.

  Therefore, if the average particle size is made as small as 10 μm or less or 5 μm or less, it is certain that a soy milk having a smooth beverage feel can be produced, but it is possible to produce a large amount of soy milk with such a particle size. There is a problem that it is difficult or the cost of producing soy milk increases.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and allows the soybean mixture obtained by mixing soybean flour and a solvent to pass through the narrow tube at a pressure of 60 MPa or higher and / or a flow rate of 130 m / second or higher. A soymilk production method characterized by having a refinement step of refining soybean powder in the mixed solution (Claim 1) or a soybean mixture mixed with soybean powder and a solvent at a pressure of 60 MPa or more and / or It is a soy milk produced by passing through a narrow tube at a flow velocity of 130 m / second or more (claim 8).

  While the inventors have conducted research to solve the above problems, even if the average particle size and the standard deviation of the solid content of the soymilk that has undergone the refinement process are similar, the refinement technique or the finer It became clear that there is a difference in the beverage feeling of the produced soymilk and the storage stability over a long period of time depending on the type of apparatus used for the conversion.

  Then, by examining the soymilk production method using various refinement methods or apparatuses, the soybean mixture mixed with soybean powder and solvent is allowed to pass through the narrow tube at a pressure of 60 MPa or higher and / or a flow rate of 130 m / second or higher. It was confirmed that the stability when soymilk was stored for a long time was remarkably improved when the treatment for refining soy flour was performed. In the present invention, a more preferable pressure range of the soybean mixed liquid passing through the thin tube is 75 MPa or more, and a particularly preferable pressure range is 100 MPa or more. In the present invention, a more preferable flow velocity range of the soybean mixed liquid passing through the capillary is 150 m / m or more, a further preferable flow velocity range is 200 m / second or more, and a particularly preferable flow velocity range is 250 m / second or more.

  In addition, in the soy milk produced by the above method, even if the particle size is not so small, for example, even if the average particle size is about 15 to 20 μm, high quality soy milk that is not rough and has a good beverage feeling is obtained. Is possible. Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to produce high-quality soy milk in large quantities and / or at low cost.

  The reason why the quality of soy milk will be greatly different depending on the method of refinement is not always clear at present, but the shape and properties peculiar to the soy flour refined by the above method are storage stability. It is speculated that it contributes to improvement of the above.

  The term “soy milk” in the present specification means a milky liquid obtained by refining soybeans in a solvent, and is not necessarily limited to soy milk defined by JAS standards.

  The soybean of the present invention can use soybeans of any varieties and origins, and the soybean powder of the present invention can be obtained by removing soybean hulls and / or germs, or soybeans without removing hulls and / or germs. Can be crushed.

  The soy milk of the present invention can be used for drinking as a milk drink as it is, or can be used for drinking by adding sugar, fruit juice, emulsifier, flavoring and other components (for example, rice flour, wheat flour). Alternatively, it can be used as a raw material for secondary products such as tofu.

  The “particle size” in the present invention is a refractive index of 1.70-0.20i (i is an imaginary unit) according to JIS Z8825-1: 2001 (corresponding to particle size analysis—laser diffraction method / ISO9276-1: 1998). It means the particle size value obtained by converting data (scattered light intensity) measured under conditions using WingSALD.

  Water (reduced water, distilled water, tap water, etc.) can be used as the “solvent” in the present invention, and a solvent other than water, such as fruit juice and alcohol, is used depending on the use of the product soy milk. It is also possible. In addition, the “soybean mixture” in the present invention may contain only soybean powder and a solvent, and may contain other components such as an emulsifier, a fragrance, and a preservative in addition to the soybean powder and the solvent.

  The solid content in the soymilk that has undergone the micronization process of the present invention preferably has an average particle size of 20 μm or less and a standard deviation of particle size of 0.35 or less (Claim 2). And storage stability can be further enhanced.

  In the present specification, “average particle diameter” and “standard deviation” mean the average particle diameter and standard deviation determined as follows.

That is, a particle size range (maximum particle size: x ₁ , minimum particle size: x _{n + 1} ) to be measured is divided into n on a logarithmic scale, and each particle size interval is represented by [x _j , x _{j + 1} ] (j = 1, 2,... N), the representative particle diameter in each particle diameter section is expressed by the following formula (1) based on a logarithmic scale.

Further, qj (j = 1, 2,..., N) is set as a relative particle amount (difference% / volume basis) corresponding to the particle diameter section [x _j , x _{j + 1} ], and the total of all the sections is 100%. Then, the average value μ on the logarithmic scale is expressed by the following equation (2), and the standard deviation on the logarithmic scale is expressed by the following equation (3).

Then, 10 ^μ (10 to the power of 10) when x ₁ = 500 μm, x _{n + 1} = 1 μm, and n = 50 is the “average particle size” in the present specification, and σ is the standard deviation (logarithmic scale) of the present invention. Standard deviation above).

Moreover, it is preferable that the cross-sectional area of a thin tube in this invention is 1 mm < ² > or less, and that the longitudinal direction dimension is 3 mm or more (Claim 3), thereby, the soymilk excellent in a drink feeling and storage stability is obtained. It is possible to manufacture more stably. In addition, the “channel cross-sectional area” in the present specification means a cross-sectional area of the channel (opening in the narrow tube) when cut along a plane perpendicular to the flow direction of the soybean mixed liquid in the narrow tube.

  In the present invention, it is preferable to further include a heat sterilization step for heat sterilizing soybean powder before the refinement step (Claim 4).

  In this invention, since the heat sterilization of soybean powder is performed before the micronization process, the beverage feeling of the soy milk is reduced by reaggregation of solids in the soymilk that may occur when the heat sterilization is performed after the micronization process. It is possible to prevent inconvenience.

  In the present invention, the average particle size of the soybean powder before passing through the refining step is 30 μm or less (Claim 5), or in the refining step of the present invention, the pressure of the soybean mixed liquid passing through the thin tube is 60 MPa. As described above, it is preferable that the temperature is continuously maintained within a range of ± 10% (Claim 6). Thus, it is possible to more stably produce soymilk having excellent beverage feeling and storage stability.

  In the present invention, a temperature adjusting step for adjusting the temperature of the soybean mixed solution to 20 ° C. or lower is further included before the finening step (Claim 7), or the soybean mixed solution that passes through the thin tube in the miniaturizing step. It is preferable to maintain the temperature at 60 ° C. or lower (Claim 8), thereby preventing inconveniences such as reaggregation of solid content in the soymilk or deterioration due to temperature increase during the refinement process. Is possible.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a soymilk producing apparatus 1 used in a method for producing soymilk according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 2 denotes soybean powder and a solvent crushed by a crusher (not shown). A supply tank for supplying the soybean mixture obtained by mixing, 3 is a pipe for guiding the soybean mixture in the supply tank 2 to the micronizer 6. A heat exchanger 5 is provided for adjusting the temperature of the soybean mixture by performing heat exchange.

  The micronizer 6 includes a pressurizing chamber 7 having a predetermined volume, a pressure pump 8 capable of applying a stable pressure of 60 MPa or more to the soybean mixed liquid guided from the pipe 3 to the pressurizing chamber 7, and a taper. At the tip end of the pressurizing chamber 7, at least the inner wall communicating with the pressurizing chamber 7 is received with a thin tube 9 formed of a hard material such as a super steel alloy, and the soy milk refined by passing through the thin tube 9 is received. The soy milk in the product room 10 is guided by the pipe 11 and stored in the product tank 12.

  In the soymilk production apparatus 1, when the soybean mixture is refined under the condition that the pressure in the pressurizing chamber 7 is 60 MPa or more and / or the flow rate of the soybean mixture in the narrow tube 9 is 130 m / second or more, Due to the cavitation that occurs between the soybean mixture that passes through the thin tube 9 and the inner wall of the tube and the shearing force that is caused by the difference in flow rate of the soybean mixture depending on the distance from the inner wall of the tube, the solid content in the soybean mixture is fine and sharp. A soy milk that is pulverized with a fine particle size distribution and excellent in beverage feeling and storage stability can be obtained.

  In the soymilk producing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, an example in which the straight thin tube 9 is used is shown. However, the thin tube 9 can be bent or bent. The solid content in the soybean mixture is refined with a sharper particle size distribution or smaller particle size than or equal to that of the soymilk producing apparatus 1 by causing a change in the direction of travel or a collision with the inner wall of the tube. Is possible. Moreover, the cross-sectional shape of the opening of the thin tube 9 can be any shape such as a circle, an ellipse, and a rectangle, and the pressurizing chamber 7 and the product chamber 10 are communicated with each other by a plurality of thin tubes 9. Is also possible.

The narrow tube 9 in the soymilk producing apparatus 1 preferably has a cross-sectional area S of 1 mm ² or less and a longitudinal dimension L of the thin tube 9 of 3 mm or more. Thus, the cross-sectional area of the flow channel is small and the aspect ratio R By using the thin tube 9 having a large value (a value obtained by dividing the longitudinal dimension by the channel cross-sectional area), it is considered that a preferable shape or property is imparted to the soybean powder in improving storage stability and the like. A more preferable range of the channel cross-sectional area S is 0.8 mm ² or less, and a particularly preferable range is 0.5 mm ² or less. A more preferable range of the longitudinal dimension L is 5 mm or more, a further preferable range is 10 mm or more, and a particularly preferable range is 20 mm or more. A preferred range for the aspect ratio R is 5 or more, a more preferred range is 15 or more, and a particularly preferred range is 30 or more.

The narrow tube 9 does not necessarily have a constant flow path cross-sectional area S over its entire length, but in that case, the total extension of the portion where the flow path cross-sectional area S is 1 mm ² or less is 3 mm or more. In addition, when the pressurizing chamber 7 and the product chamber 10 are communicated with each other by a plurality of thin tubes 9, at least one thin tube 9 has a total extension of 3 mm or more of a portion having a flow path cross-sectional area S of 1 mm ² or less. It is preferable that

  As a particularly preferable form of the refinement device 6 or the thin tube 9 in the soymilk production apparatus 1, a configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-249289 can be exemplified.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration around the thin tube 9 ′ in the miniaturization apparatus 6 disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-249289.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, in the miniaturization device 6, a narrow tube 9 ′ is formed by the first flow path element 91, the second flow path elements 92, 93 and the third flow path element 94. ing.

  Each of the first to third flow path elements 91 to 94 has a diameter of 12 to 16 mm and a thickness of 1 to 1.5 mm, and has a substantially square planar sintered diamond substrate 95 and an outer periphery thereof. The metal ring member 96 is integrally fitted.

  The substrate 95 of the first flow path element 91 has two through holes 91a and 91b having a radius r = 0.1 to 1 mm at positions spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance D1 = 3 to 10 mm. , 93 has elongated holes 92a, 93a having a width dimension w that is about the same as r1 and a length D2 that is about the same as D1, and the substrate 95 of the third flow path element 94 is about the same as D1. Through holes 94a and 94b having a radius about three times r are provided at positions separated by a distance, and four pin insertion holes are formed in the metal ring member 96 of the first to third flow path elements 91 to 93. 96a are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

  FIG. 2B shows the first to third flow path elements 91 to 94 in a cross-sectional view attached to the miniaturization device 6, and the first to third flow path elements 91 to 94 pass through. The pins 91a and 91b communicate with both ends of the long hole 92a, the long hole 92a and the long hole 93a communicate with each other at the crossing positions, and the both ends of the long hole 93a communicate with the through holes 94a and 94b, respectively. The pins are stacked in a state of being positioned with respect to each other with pins inserted into the insertion holes 96.

  Therefore, in this miniaturization apparatus 6, four pores 9 ', that is, (1) a route that enters the through hole 91a from the pressurizing chamber 7 and passes through the long holes 92a and 93a to the product quality 10 from the through hole 94a. (2) The pore 9 'of the route that enters the through hole 91a from the pressurizing chamber 7 and passes through the long holes 92a and 93a and exits from the through hole 94b to the product quality 10, (3) the pressurizing chamber 7 From the through hole 94a to the product quality 10 through the long holes 92a and 93a, and (4) the through hole 91b from the pressurizing chamber 7 to enter the through hole 91b. The root pores 9 'that pass through the through holes 94b to the product quality 10 through 93a are formed.

In the thin tube 9 ′ shown in FIG. 2, in any one of the above four routes, it is preferable that the total extension of the portion where the flow path cross-sectional area S is 1 mm ² or less is 3 mm or more.

In the above-described soymilk producing apparatus 1, soymilk was produced using the micronizer 6 shown in FIG. In this miniaturization device 6, the flow path cross-sectional area S is 0.0314 mm ² (inner diameter 0.2 mmφ) over the entire length of each of the four routes of the thin tube 9 ′. The longitudinal dimension (total extension) L was 3.8 mm for any of the routes.

  The raw material is whole soybeans (product name: soybean flour (binton), production area: USA), soy flour and drinking water crushed to an average particle size of approx. Was mixed with 1092 g to 5208 g, and this was stirred with a high-speed mixer, and further a soybean mixture solution subjected to pressurized steam sterilization at 120 ° C. was used. The pressure conditions in the pressurizing chamber 7 were three conditions of 50 MPa, 100 MPa, and 200 MPa (hereinafter, the soy milk produced under the pressure conditions of 50 MPa, 100 MPa, and 200 MPa is expressed as soy milk 1 to 3, respectively).

  Table 1 below shows the flow rate of the soybean mixture in the narrow tube 9 calculated from the time required for the production of the soy milk, the amount of the produced soy milk, and the cross-sectional area of the flow channel of the thin tube 9 for each of the above pressure conditions.

<Evaluation of beverage feeling>
When each of the soymilks 1 to 3 was sampled, it was confirmed that all had a smooth mouthfeel with no roughness.

<Average particle size and standard deviation>
The average particle size and standard deviation of the solid content of soy milk 1-3 and commercially available soy milk (Otsuka chilled food soy milk “Sugoi soy”) were measured using a laser diffraction particle size distribution analyzer SALD-7000 manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation. It is shown in Table 2 below.

<Storage stability evaluation>
Soy milk 1 to 3 and Otsuka chilled food soy milk “Sugoi soy” were each collected 20 mL in a centrifuge tube, sealed, and placed in a thermostat kept at 4 ° C. and stored.

  10, 20, 30, 40 days after the start of storage, 1 mL of each sample is collected at the position of 15 mL (upper layer) and 5 mL (lower layer) on the scale of the centrifuge tube, and a laser diffraction particle size distribution analyzer manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation The particle size distribution was measured using SALD-7000 type.

  3 and 4 show the results of the above storage stability evaluation, and FIG. 3 shows the measurement results of the particle size distributions of soy milk 1 to 3 and “smooth soybean” in the initial state (storage start date). FIG. 4 shows the particle size distributions of the upper and lower samples collected from each centrifuge tube after the lapse of a predetermined period (10 days for soymilk 1, 40 days for soymilk 2 and 40). The measurement results are shown.

  As can be seen from Table 2 and FIG. 3, in the soy milks 2 and 3 in which the pressure in the pressurizing chamber 7 is 100 MPa and 200 MPa, the standard deviation of the particle size is small and the particle size distribution is smaller than that of the soy milk 1 and “smooth soybean”. It turns out to be sharp.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in soybean 1 and “great soybean”, the particle size distribution of the upper layer and the lower layer is caused by precipitation of large particles in the lower layer at 10 and 40 days after the start of storage, respectively. On the other hand, it can be seen that in the soy milks 2 and 3 produced according to the present invention, no dissociation of the particle size distribution occurred even after 40 days from the start of storage.

  Furthermore, when the samples of soy milk 2 and 3 on the 40th day after the start of storage were sampled, a smooth mouthfeel with no rough feeling was maintained, and no change in beverage feeling or taste occurred.

  As described above, it was confirmed that the soy milk produced according to the present invention has extremely high storage stability.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the soymilk production apparatus 20 capable of performing the soymilk production method according to the present invention in-line.

  As shown in the figure, the soymilk producing apparatus 20 generates a soybean mixture by adding water to a dry grinder 21 that grinds dried soybeans to a predetermined particle size or less, and soy flour pulverized by the dry grinder 21. Sterilization treatment is performed by heating the soybean mixture by heat exchange with the high-speed mixer 22, the filter device 23 for removing soybean powder or foreign matters and the like having a predetermined size or more, and the high-temperature steam generated in the boiler 24. The heat sterilization processing unit 25, a deaerator 26 that performs deaeration and deodorization, a cooler 27 that cools the soybean mixed liquid by heat exchange with cold water, and the like, and substantially the same configuration as the micronizer 6 shown in FIG. A cooling device 29 for cooling the soy milk produced in the miniaturizing device 28 by heat exchange with cold water or the like, and a filling device 30 for packing the soy milk in a predetermined capacity container. Filling device 30 from the high speed mixer 22 is enabled the continuous production of soybean milk is connected by a pipe 31.

Soymilk production apparatus capable of performing the method for producing soymilk according to one embodiment of the present invention Explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the exemplary refinement | miniaturization apparatus used for the soymilk manufacturing apparatus of this invention. Measurement results of particle size distribution of soymilk in the initial state Measurement results of particle size distribution of soymilk after a predetermined period from the start of storage Soymilk production apparatus capable of performing the method for producing soymilk according to one embodiment of the present invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Soymilk manufacturing apparatus, 2 ... Supply tank, 3 ... Piping, 4 ... Constant temperature bath, 5 ... Heat exchanger, 6 ... Refinement | miniaturization apparatus, 7 ... Pressurization Chamber, 8 ... Pressure pump, 9 ... Thin tube, 10 ... Product room, 11 ... Piping, 12 ... Product tank, 20 ... Soy milk production device, 21 ... Dry grinder 22 ... High-speed mixer, 23 ... Filter device, 24 ... Boiler, 25 ... Heat sterilization processing unit, 26 ... Dearator, 27 ... Cooler, 28 ... Refinement device , 29 ... cooler, 30 ... filling device, 31 ... piping

Claims (9)

  The refinement | miniaturization process which refines | miniaturizes the soybean powder in the said soybean mixed liquid by allowing the soybean mixed liquid which mixed soybean powder and the solvent to pass through the inside of a thin tube at the pressure of 60 MPa or more and / or the flow velocity of 130 m / second or more. A method for producing soymilk, comprising:   2. The method for producing soymilk according to claim 1, wherein the average particle size of solids in the soymilk that has undergone the refinement step is 20 μm or less, and the standard deviation is 0.35 or less. The method for producing soymilk according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cross-sectional area of the thin tube is 1 mm ² or less, and the longitudinal dimension of the thin tube is 3 mm or more.   The method for producing soymilk according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a heat sterilization step of heat sterilizing soybean powder before the refinement step.   The method for producing soymilk according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the average particle size of the soybean powder before undergoing the refinement step is 30 µm or less.   In the said refinement | miniaturization process, the pressure of the said soybean liquid mixture which passes through the said thin tube is 60 Mpa or more, and is continuously maintained in the range of +/- 10%, The any one of Claims 1-5 characterized by the above-mentioned. The method for producing soymilk according to item.   The method for producing soymilk according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a temperature adjusting step of adjusting the temperature of the soybean mixed liquid to 20 ° C or less before the refinement step.   The method for producing soymilk according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a temperature of the soybean mixed liquid that passes through the thin tube is maintained at 60 ° C or lower in the miniaturization step.   Soy milk produced by passing a soybean mixed liquid obtained by mixing soybean powder and a solvent through a capillary tube at a pressure of 60 MPa or more and / or a flow rate of 130 m / second or more.

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