JP2010158232A - Food and method for processing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a food having a visual effect of inducing the human sense of beauty. <P>SOLUTION: The food as a crystalline body having a smooth surface and shininess is produced by wetting the surface of a food as a water soluble crystalline body by water or coloring water solution, and removing at least part of moisture from the surface of the crystalline body. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a food and a processing method thereof.

  A tableware such as a fork or a spoon has been proposed in which a fluorescent substance is filled in an edge portion of tableware and the fluorescent light is emitted from the edge portion (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-125831

  However, it has been difficult to give the food itself a visual effect that helps create an atmosphere in various situations such as parties.

  Then, this invention makes it a solution subject to provide the foodstuff which has the visual effect which can induce human aesthetics.

  The food processing method according to the first aspect of the present invention for solving the above-described problem is to wet the surface of an edible crystal with a solvent, and to remove a part or all of the solvent from the surface of the crystal. Features.

  According to the method of the first aspect of the present invention, the surface of the crystal is dissolved and washed by wetting with a solvent and removal of the solvent to make the surface of the crystal smooth, and fine powder and the like from the surface of the crystal. Can be removed or washed away. For this reason, the foodstuff as a crystal | crystallization can be given transparency and glossiness.

  After the dye is contained in the solvent, the surface of the crystal body may be wetted with the solvent. In this case, the dye particles enter a slight crack or the like formed on the surface of the crystal when wetting with the solvent, and the solvent particles are precipitated in the crack or the like when the solvent is removed. For this reason, in addition to a transparent feeling and a glossy feeling, the foodstuff as a crystal | crystallization can be given to a color feeling. Since the solvent dissolves a part of the crystal and the fine powder adhering to the crystal when the surface is wetted by the solvent, a small amount of the fine powder is deposited again on the crystal surface in the drying step, and the transparency is somewhat lowered. On the other hand, a large amount of deposited pigment is adhered between fine powders, between fine powders and crystal planes, or in gaps such as cracks. This is the process of reprecipitation of fine powder from the residual solvent adhering to the crystal surface, and since the dye is difficult to be taken into the fine powder crystal, the dye adhesion is thin on the flat crystal surface. The crack portion and the like are darkly colored and increased in contrast, thereby enhancing the transparency and glossiness of the light-colored crystal flat portion.

  When removing the solvent from the surface of the crystal body, a hygroscopic object may be pressed against the surface of the crystal body. The hygroscopic material can suitably remove the solvent from the surface of the crystal. Further, when the solvent is removed, the surface of the crystal body is polished by an object, so that the surface can be sufficiently smoothed from the viewpoint of giving the crystal body a glossy feeling.

  After removing a part of the solvent from the surface of the crystal, the crystal may be moisturized. Thereby, the glossiness of the foodstuff as a crystal | crystallization can be improved, and the glossiness can be maintained over a long time.

  As the crystal, a crystal mainly composed of sodium chloride, a sugar crystal, or an agate may be used. Thereby, the sodium chloride etc. which have transparency, a glossiness, or a transparency, a glossiness, and a color feeling can be manufactured as a foodstuff. “Main component” means that the weight content is 80% or more.

  In the food processing method as the second aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problem, a transparent or translucent food having an optical critical angle α with air of (1/4) π or less, a first plane, (1/6) .pi. + (1/3) .alpha..ltoreq..theta..ltoreq. (1/2) .pi .-. Alpha., So as to have a pair of second planes facing the first plane and having an angle of 2.theta. It is characterized by that.

  According to the method as the second aspect of the present invention, the light incident on the food from the first plane can be retroreflected by the pair of second planes, so that the food has an original transparency or translucency. , Glossiness can be given to food.

  The food of the present invention for solving the above problems is characterized by being processed by any one of the methods described above.

  As described above, the food of the present invention has a sense of transparency and gloss, or a sense of transparency, gloss and color, so that it can be used in various situations to cause human aesthetics and create an atmosphere. Can contribute.

Explanatory drawing of the procedure of the processing method of the foodstuff of this invention. The schematic explanatory drawing of the foodstuff (1st Example) of this invention. Schematic explanatory drawing of the foodstuff (2nd Example) of this invention. Structure explanatory drawing of a food sorter.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of a food product and a processing method thereof according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
First, a crystal body mainly composed of sodium chloride (NaCl) is prepared as a crystal body. In addition to sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, iron, potassium, and the like may be contained in the crystal. The sodium chloride crystal may be formed into a desired shape by melting purified high-purity sodium chloride, placing it in a ceramic mold, and cooling and solidifying it. The crystal may be either single crystal or polycrystal. As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the sodium chloride crystal 100 is normally a regular hexahedron. However, if the crystal structure is regular enough to produce a transparency by processing described later, Tremy Or it may be flakes. A fine crack C exists on the surface of the crystal body 100.

  If the size of the crystal is too small, the ratio of the crystal dissolved in the solvent increases when wetted with the solvent described later, and the yield of the manufactured food may deteriorate. On the other hand, if the size of the crystal is too large, the distance through which light passes through the crystal increases, and the absorption and scattering of photons in the crystal increase and the transparency decreases. Also, large crystals often have more cracks, and there is a high possibility that transparency will be difficult to process. Therefore, by using a sieve or the like, a crystal group of sodium chloride of, for example, about 3 to 7 [mm], preferably about 2 to 4 [mm] may be selected.

  In a crystal having a critical angle with air of 45 ° or less, a corner of the crystal may be broken, polished, or dissolved to be deformed to be less than the critical angle. For example, as shown in FIG. 2B, a crystal body 100 in which the corners of the hexahedron position are deformed may be prepared.

  Subsequently, the surface of the crystal is wetted with a dye-containing solvent (FIG. 1 / STEP 100). Specifically, the surface of the crystal body is wetted by the solvent by applying or spraying the dye-containing solvent on the crystal body or immersing the crystal body in the dye-containing solvent. As the solvent, a solvent that is not saturated is used so that the crystalline substance that is a solute can be dissolved.

  Water is used as the solvent. As the dye, a natural dye, an artificial dye or a combination thereof, which is confirmed or guaranteed to be harmless or safe for the human body, is used. For example, the dye-containing solvent is adjusted by mixing 100 to 300 [ml] of a dye solution prepared by mixing a dull pigment as an dye and an ethanol solution in a weight ratio of 4: 1 with 3 [l] of water. .

  Then, a part or all of the solvent is removed from the surface of the crystal (FIG. 1 / STEP 200). Specifically, a part of the solvent is removed from the crystal by using a centrifugal dehydrator or by pressing a hygroscopic sheet (cloth or paper) against the surface of the crystal. It is preferable that the sheet is pressed against the crystal body by an elastic member such as a human hand so that the crystal body does not break or chip. The sheet may be pressed against the crystal group so that the crystal group is sandwiched between the sheets. At this stage, the crystal is still slightly wet. And the remaining solvent is removed from the surface of a crystal body by ventilation drying.

  The attached crystals are separated by vibration or pressure during drying. It is desirable to adjust the air volume, temperature, crystal interval, and the like so that the drying time is as short as possible.

(Second embodiment)
The surface treatment method is the same as the procedure in the first embodiment except that a sucrose (C ₁₂ H ₂₂ O ₁₁ ) crystal is prepared as a crystal instead of a sodium chloride crystal.

  In the superheated steam or superheated alcohol steam heated to around 160-170 ° C, the sucrose crystals filled in the mold are melted and solidified by cooling, so that browning due to caramelization is suppressed and the transparency is high. A sucrose crystal having a different shape can be produced. By changing the heating time and / or the ratio of air to superheated steam, the color concentration of solid sucrose can be adjusted. When sucrose is exposed to oxygen for a long time in the melted and liquefied state, oxidation proceeds, so if you want to reduce the color of the sucrose crystals, suppress the superheated steam temperature as much as possible and heat the time It is desirable to shorten the length.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a sucrose crystal body 200 formed of a rectangular plate-shaped portion 220 and a triangular prism-shaped portion 210 standing on the bottom surface of the rectangular plate upper portion 220 is formed. Is done. The height h of the sucrose crystal body 200 is adjusted to about 4 to 5 mm.

  The bottom surface shape of the triangular prism-shaped portion 210 is an isosceles triangle having an apex angle 2θ [rad], and a first side surface (first plane) 211 corresponding to the base of the triangle and a pair corresponding to the other two sides of the triangle. The second side surface (second plane) 212 is formed. θ satisfies the following relational expression in which the optical critical angle α [rad] of the crystal with respect to air is used.

(1/6) π + (1/3) α ≦ θ ≦ (1/2) π−α
Accordingly, the light incident on the crystal body 200 from the first side surface 211 is retroreflected by the pair of second side surfaces, thereby giving the crystal body a glossiness sufficient to cause human aesthetics.

  In addition, the crystal structure has regularity, or a transparent or translucent food, in addition to the shape shown in FIG. You may form in the arbitrary shapes which have the 2nd plane which makes an angle. For example, the food product may be partially or wholly formed into a right prism, a diagonal prism, an anti-prism, a pyramid, or a double pyramid. The food product may be partially or wholly formed into a conical or elliptical cone. In addition, about the edible crystal body or foodstuff from which it has glossiness from the beginning, the wetting by a solvent and the removal process of a solvent may be abbreviate | omitted.

  After the sucrose crystal is processed as described above, when it is used as a decoration for a cake coated with chocolate or whipped cream, the triangular prism-shaped portion 210 is erected with the rectangular plate-shaped portion 220 facing down. Thus, a glossy feeling due to retroreflection or the like in the triangular columnar portion 210 can be given to the portion decorated with the sucrose crystal.

  According to the above method, since the surface of the crystal body is dissolved in the solvent by wetting the surface of the crystal body with a solvent (see FIG. 1 / STEP 100), the level difference of the unevenness existing on the surface is reduced. Further, the fine particles adhering to the surface of the crystal body are dissolved in the solvent, or flow away to the solvent to leave the surface of the crystal body. Furthermore, cracks in which the dye particles contained in the solvent are present on the surface of the crystal (see FIG. 2 (a)), or fine particles of crystals that are not dissolved in the solvent, and fine powder crystals and crystals that are reprecipitated solute Enters the gap with the body surface.

  Part or all of the solvent is removed from the surface of the crystal body (see FIG. 1 / STEP 200). The solvent can be appropriately removed from the surface of the crystal body by the hygroscopic sheet. Further, when the solvent is removed, the surface of the crystal body is polished by the fibers of the sheet, so that the surface can be sufficiently smoothed from the viewpoint of giving the crystal body a glossy feeling to the food. During drying, due to capillary action such as cracks on the surface of the crystal, the solvent remaining in the vicinity of the cracks, while entraining the fine particles that are dye particles or reprecipitated solute on the crystal surface, the cracks, etc. It is thought that it precipitates after gathering.

  For this reason, in addition to a transparent feeling and glossiness (due to retroreflection on the surface of the crystal body), a color feeling can be given to the food as the crystal body. For example, beautiful sodium chloride crystals and sucrose crystals are produced, such as jewelry fragments, which have a faint red, blue, yellow, green or brown color and are transparent and glossy. The sodium chloride crystal group is, for example, sprinkled on the surface of grilled fish, grilled eggs or the like as a seasoning or decoration, attached to tempura, or attached to a dessert dish. For example, the sucrose crystal group is sprinkled on a confectionery as a decoration. This adds color to the dish and, in addition, gives the dining table a glamorous atmosphere.

  The sodium chloride or sucrose crystal processed as described above is shipped as a manufactured food after being contained in an airtight transparent bag or container together with a desiccant.

  Prior to storage in the bag or container, the crystal may be screened by visually checking for the presence or absence of transparency or glossiness at the same time as removing foreign matter.

  According to the automatic sorting apparatus shown in FIG. 4, the white disaccharide 403 is dropped from the shooter 404, the reflected light irradiated by the laser 402 is received by the optical sensor 401, and the one with low intensity due to the difference in reflection intensity is used. The air is blown from the air nozzle 405 and collected in the second container 407. Only the high reflection intensity remains in the first container 406.

  In addition, the operator visually confirms the level of glossiness of the crystal, and the operator sucks the crystal with high glossiness with a suction machine, while the operator blows off the crystal with low glossiness with an air gun. May be. White disaccharide is a sucrose crystal having a rectangular parallelepiped with a crystal size of about 3 to 7 mm. The crystal part of this size may be cut off at a high probability during the manufacturing and transporting process, and the selection process may be omitted because the ratio of the crystal where incident light is retroreflected and totally reflected from the cut surface is very high.

  The solvent may be removed from the surface of the crystal after the surface of the crystal is wetted with a solvent that does not contain the dye. In this case, although the crystal cannot be given color, the crystal can be given a sense of transparency and gloss by smoothing the surface of the crystal.

  After only a part of the solvent is removed from the crystal body, the crystal body as a food may be moisturized by being housed in an airtight transparent bag or container together with a humectant. A desiccant such as silica gel that absorbs moisture until just before the saturation state may be used as a humectant. Thereby, the glossiness of the foodstuff as a crystal | crystallization can be improved, and the glossiness can be maintained over a long time.

  In addition to crystals based on sodium chloride or sucrose crystals, the surface of sugar crystals other than sucrose (such as fructose), and the surface of koji crystals made of a mixture of sugar and starch syrup are treated according to the above procedure. May be. Thereby, the koji with increased transparency and gloss can be produced as a food. By pouring a large amount of sucrose into a syrup and pouring it into a mold, it is possible to produce a shining jewel-like food with a sense of transparency, gloss and color.

  100 Crystalline body. 200 Crystalline. 210 ... 1st side surface (1st plane). 220 ... 2nd side surface (2nd plane).

Claims (7)

Wetting the surface of the edible crystals with a solvent,
A food processing method, wherein a part or all of the solvent is removed from the surface of the crystal. The method of claim 1, wherein
A method comprising adding a dye to the solvent and then wetting the surface of the crystal with the solvent. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
A method of pressing a hygroscopic object against the surface of the crystal when removing the solvent from the surface of the crystal. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
A method of moisturizing the crystal after removing a part of the solvent from the surface of the crystal. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein
A method comprising using a crystal containing sodium chloride as a main component, a sugar crystal, or an agate as the crystal.   A transparent or translucent food having an optical critical angle α with air of (1/4) π or less, a first plane, and (1/6) π + (1/3) α ≦ θ ≦ (1/2) A food processing method, wherein π-α is shaped to have a pair of second planes that face the first plane and form an angle of 2θ.   The food processed by the method as described in any one of Claims 1-6.

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