JP2010273577A - Method of manufacturing compound food - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To manufacture a compound food in which the shape is prevented from being changed by drying, the taste is uniform by enabling the inside to be sufficiently immersed in a liquid, the quality is improved and further, the storage property is excellent. <P>SOLUTION: The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a compound food wherein, as a fundamental structure, a vacuum freezing and drying device is provided in which the intake 3 of a vacuum pump 2 is connected to a pressure-resistant container 1, the condenser 5 of a freezer 4 is mounted inside the pressure-resistant container 1, and a rack 6 with a heater is provided. Further, an open container 8 capable of performing immersion treatment on a solid-state food is placed on the rack 6 and a liquid feeding path 10 capable of feeding a liquid-state food 9 under atmospheric pressure is connected so as to be opened/closed inside the open container 8. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing a composite food in which a solid food is impregnated with a liquid food and an apparatus for producing the same.

  The vacuum freeze-drying technology for food is commonly known as freeze-drying technology, and a general vacuum freeze-drying device is a frozen food that is provided with a low-temperature freezing pipe that balances the vapor pressure in a vacuum drying can. The water vapor sublimated from the water is condensed and separated on the refrigeration pipe, and the non-condensable gas that cannot be condensed is discharged out of the can with a vacuum pump. Drying is performed with the product temperature corresponding to the saturated vapor pressure.

  It is known that foods such as fruits are dried by such a freeze-drying technique, and then immersed in alcohol or sugar over time under atmospheric pressure to produce a confectionery (Patent Document 1).

  In addition, foods such as grains, meat, fish, vegetables and fruits are dried under reduced pressure while adjusting the temperature so that moisture in the food does not freeze, and then brought into contact with the liquid component under reduced pressure to impregnate the food with the liquid component. A method of seasoning them efficiently is known (Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 55-050855 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-354988

  However, the drying method by sublimation described in the above-mentioned conventional patent document 1 is preferable in that the food is dried without losing its shape by vacuum freeze-drying, and then impregnated with a liquid such as sugar at normal pressure. As a result, the food is not fully filled with liquid, it is not possible to produce a product with a uniform flavor and good taste, and the quality preservation is not sufficiently improved. There is a problem.

  Further, in the reduced pressure impregnation method described in Patent Document 2 described above, food is dried by evaporation of liquid such as water from the surface, and at that time, liquid components move through pores in the food by capillary action. At that time, there is a problem that separation or concentration occurs in the liquid component in the food, the cell contracts, the surface of the food is cured and the original shape is lost.

  Also, after drying under reduced pressure while adjusting the temperature so that the moisture in the food does not freeze, the food cannot be said to have been impregnated after being sufficiently dried to the inside by impregnation under reduced pressure. It was difficult to make sufficient substitution, and a product with sufficiently improved taste and storage stability could not be obtained.

  Therefore, the object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a high-quality composite food that does not change the shape of the food by drying, can be sufficiently impregnated with liquid to the inside, has no unevenness in taste, and It is to produce a product having good storage stability.

  In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, after solid food is freeze-dried in vacuum, the liquid component is frozen and sublimated to dry, and then the liquid food is decompressed in the pores formed by the drying. It was impregnated underneath and then pressurized, and a liquid food was permeated into the pores to produce a composite food.

  According to the method for producing a composite food of the present invention comprising the steps described above, the liquid such as moisture in the food is dried by sublimation from the frozen solid, so that no liquid movement occurs in the food during the drying process, Even after the drying treatment, the original shape of the solid food before the treatment is maintained.

  In addition, solid foods dried to the inside by sublimation have fine pores formed in every part of the whole and are uniformly made porous, so that the liquid is uniformly and sufficiently infiltrated. When the treatment atmosphere is increased after impregnating the solid food with the liquid food under reduced pressure, the liquid food can be evenly and uniformly penetrated into the whole solid food.

  Further, when the liquid food is impregnated into the solid food dried under reduced pressure in the vacuum chamber (also referred to as a chamber) of the vacuum freeze-drying machine in this way, the liquid does not touch the solid food. The state-like food penetrates evenly and easily in a short time and fills the pores. Therefore, air does not easily enter the pores filled with the liquid food, and even when exposed to the atmosphere, the pores are not easily oxidized. In other words, the composite food is less likely to deteriorate with time and has good shelf life.

  In addition, if the liquid food used in the impregnation process is adjusted so that the water activity value is low so that the growth of microorganisms can be suppressed, the storage period of the food can be further extended. Is stable over time and has excellent storage stability.

  Further, in the above production process, when the solid food is impregnated with liquid food under reduced pressure, the method for producing a composite food that heats the solid food to a temperature higher than the freezing temperature, the surface of the solid food is liquid. Even foods with high viscosity such as fats and oils can be soaked quickly, that is, in a short time without freezing the food, and a high-quality composite food can be produced efficiently and uniformly.

  Further, in order to solve the same problem as described above, a vacuum freeze-drying in which an intake passage of a vacuum pump is connected to a pressure resistant container, a condenser of a refrigerator is provided inside the pressure resistant container, and a shelf with a heater is provided. In the apparatus, an open container that can be impregnated with solid food is placed on the shelf, and a composite food product in which a liquid supply path capable of supplying liquid food under atmospheric pressure is connected to the open container so as to be openable and closable. It can be a device.

  The apparatus for producing a composite food of the present invention configured as described above separates liquid vapor such as water vapor sublimated from a frozen state of a solid food placed in a pressure-resistant container decompressed by a vacuum pump. The liquid vapor condenses and adheres to the condenser of the refrigerator and is removed from the reduced-pressure atmosphere. At that time, the temperature of the solid food decreases due to deprivation of sublimation heat, and therefore the saturated water vapor pressure decreases and the sublimation rate gradually decreases. When heated above, sublimation is sustained and sufficient drying can be achieved.

  The solid food dried in this way is supplied with liquid food under atmospheric pressure from the liquid supply path in an open container, so that the liquid food is impregnated and at the same time penetrates with a pressure difference, and from the surface of the food. Liquid food can be evenly filled up to the inside, and high quality composite food can be produced without unevenness.

  The invention relating to the method for producing the composite food of the present application impregnates the liquid food into the solid food made porous by sublimation under reduced pressure, and then pressurizes to sufficiently infiltrate the liquid food into the pores. Thus, there is an advantage that the shape of the food is not changed, the liquid can be sufficiently impregnated to the inside, the quality of the food is excellent without unevenness of the taste, and the food of good preservation can be produced.

  Further, the invention relating to the composite food production apparatus of the present application is such that the liquid supply path capable of supplying liquid food under atmospheric pressure is connected to the open container in the vacuum freeze-drying apparatus so as to be openable and closable. Liquid foods under atmospheric pressure can be supplied to solid foods in a vacuum freeze-dried state, and liquid foods can be filled evenly from the surface to the inside of the food. There is an advantage that a simple complex food can be manufactured.

Outline explanatory drawing of the apparatus used for the manufacturing method of the embodiment The front view which shows the principal part of the manufacturing apparatus of embodiment The perspective view which shows the open container and solid food of the manufacturing apparatus of embodiment

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments relating to a method for producing a composite food of the present invention and a production apparatus used therefor will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the complex food manufacturing apparatus connects the intake passage 3 of the vacuum pump 2 to the pressure resistant container 1, and installs the condenser 5 of the refrigerator 4 inside the pressure resistant container 1. The basic structure is a vacuum freeze-drying apparatus provided with a shelf 6 with a heater, and an open container 8 that can be impregnated with solid food 7 (see FIG. 3) is placed on the shelf 6. It is the manufacturing apparatus of the composite foodstuff which consists of the structure which connected the liquid supply path 10 which can supply the liquid food 9 under atmospheric pressure inside so that opening and closing is possible.

  The pressure-resistant container 1 described above can be normally used in a vacuum freeze-drying apparatus for foods, and general-purpose containers can be used for the vacuum pump 2 and the refrigerator 4 as well. As shown in FIG. 2, the pressure-resistant container 1 has a lid 11 on the front surface, which can be manually opened and closed by a hinge 12 and a screw-type handle 13 to allow the processing object to be taken in and out.

  The condenser 5 is also known as a cold trap as a heat exchanger in a refrigerator, and has a well-known structure. For example, a pipe line in which a plurality of straight pipes are connected via a U-shaped pipe and folded back and forth at a predetermined length. The thing which consists of can be illustrated.

Moreover, the shelf 6 with a heater can adjust the temperature by electric heating or circulation of the heat medium by providing a sheathed heater or a heat medium (oil etc.) circulation pipe integrally with the shelf body. What provided the heater 14 together also above is preferable.
Reference numeral 15 in FIG. 1 is an ice melting device for injecting water in order to melt and remove the condensate such as ice, reference numeral 16 is a drain pipe, reference numeral 17 is a Pirani vacuum gauge, and reference numeral 18 is It is a shelf temperature controller.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the liquid supply path 10 has a liquid storage container 19 outside the pressure resistant container 1, and the liquid food 9 stored in the liquid supply path 10 is opened and closed by opening and closing the stoppers 20 and 21. It is comprised by the tubular thing which can be introduce | transduced inside the open container 8 of 1 inside. The open container 8 has an upper surface and an upper part that are open to the atmosphere, has air permeability, can store liquid, and can immerse the solid food 7.

The liquid supply path 10 is provided so as to be able to supply liquids appropriately through the open / close plugs 20 and 21. When the pressure-resistant container 1 is depressurized, the open / close plug is not required even if there is no pump means. The liquid can be supplied by the position energy difference due to gravity by opening 20 and closing the opening / closing stopper 21. Further, if necessary, the opening / closing stopper 21 is opened to be appropriately opened to the atmospheric pressure, and the liquid food 9 is rapidly injected or injected into the open container 8 by the pressure difference between the pressure resistant container 1 and the injecting. Is possible.
The liquid supply path 10 including the liquid reservoir 19 is formed of a material for food machinery such as a metal such as stainless steel or a silicone resin.

  In order to produce a composite food using the production apparatus having such a structure, first, the solid food 7 is frozen using the vacuum freeze-drying function of the production apparatus, the liquid component is sublimated and vacuum freeze-dried, Next, this is impregnated with a liquid food, and after the impregnation is completed or impregnated, the pressure is increased from the reduced pressure atmosphere during vacuum drying to the external pressure (usually atmospheric pressure) of the pressure-resistant container 1.

  The solid food produced in this invention is a food or its material and can be used without particular limitation as long as it is a solid that can be freeze-dried. For example, livestock (beef, pork, chicken, Lamb etc.), edible eggs (eg chicken eggs), seafood (eg fish, shrimp, squid etc.), vegetables (onions, tomatoes, potatoes, garlic, leeks, beans etc.), fruits, seaweeds, etc. If it is an edible material, a well-known material can be widely used.

  The liquid food used in the present invention is a water-soluble, oil-soluble or emulsified component containing a known sweetener such as sorbitol, an acidulant such as citric acid, fruit juice or flavor oil, spice, colorant, and soup stock. It is a well-known food that can be liquefied and impregnated when it is impregnated, such as a seasoning liquid made from foods, soup, vegetable or animal oils, tea, alcoholic beverages, alcohol, water, and the like.

  The vacuum freeze-drying process may be performed according to a normal procedure. For example, a solid food is pre-frozen to about −10 to −50 ° C. and placed on the shelf 6 in the pressure-resistant container 1 of the vacuum freeze-drying apparatus. It is accommodated in a pallet-shaped open container 8 and the vacuum pump 2 is operated, and the refrigerator 4 is operated to make the condenser 5 a cold trap, which condenses vapors such as moisture.

At this time, the temperature of the condenser 5 is made as low as possible and the temperature on the shelf 6 in the pressure-resistant container is raised as much as possible in order to increase the drying speed by increasing the saturated water vapor pressure. Preferred for supply.

  On the other hand, separately from such a vacuum drying step, the liquid food 9 described above is held in advance in a liquid storage container 19 provided outside the pressure-resistant container 1. The liquid reservoir 19 is opened with an open / close stopper (cock) 21 to introduce an appropriate amount of liquid food 9 from the outside, and thereafter, the open / close stopper 21 is closed and normally sealed.

  Next, with respect to the solid food 7 freeze-dried in the above process, the open / close stopper 20 is opened while the open / close stopper 21 of the liquid supply path 10 is closed, so that the liquid food 9 is gravity inside the open container 8 of the pressure-resistant container 1. The solid food 7 is impregnated with the liquid food 9 under reduced pressure while being fed.

  After the liquid supply was continued, the liquid food 9 disappeared from the liquid supply passage 10 and the liquid storage container 19, and after the liquid food 9 penetrated into the pores of the solid food 7, the opening / closing stopper 21 was opened, and the liquid food 9 was released to the atmosphere. Air flows into the pressure-resistant container 1 through the liquid supply path 10. In addition, before the liquid food 9 disappears from the liquid supply path 10 and the liquid reservoir 19, it is possible to introduce the atmosphere into the pressure resistant container 1 using an open / close stopper provided separately in the pressure resistant container 1. Of course.

  In this way, the liquid food 9 penetrates deeply into the pores due to the atmospheric pressure, and is uniformly filled from the surface to the inside of the solid food with no unevenness, and a complex food with stable quality and good storage stability is produced. The liquid food used at this time is preferably used in a state adjusted to a low temperature so as not to impair the quality of the solid food.

  In this way, the liquid food penetrates the inside of the solid food earlier than the air, so that it does not come into contact with the air and has a good preservation property, for example, a complex food such as a moist snack that can be stored at room temperature. Can be manufactured. Moreover, high-viscosity oils, fats and oils can be permeated, and liquid foods that are easily heat-denatured can be permeated into solid foods without altering them to produce composite foods.

  Moreover, if a concentrated soup is prepared as a liquid food, and its water activity value is adjusted to, for example, 0.8 aw or less, preferably 0.75 aw or less, more preferably 0.6 aw or less, the storage stability is extremely good. Can produce complex foods. For example, by impregnating meat that has been vacuum-dried with a concentrated soup having a water activity adjusted to a predetermined value, if hot water is poured before the meal, a composite instant food becomes an instant soup with meat.

[Manufacture of strawberry containing condensed milk]
(i) After washing fresh strawberry fruit (Toyonoka) with water, the forehead part (cut) was cut off and sliced into 3 to 5 mm, and relatively small ones were used as they were.
(ii) The sample was stored in a freezer at a temperature of −30 ° C. and pre-frozen.
(iii) This was accommodated in a composite food manufacturing apparatus with a vacuum freeze dryer having the structure described in the embodiment, placed in an open container on a shelf, and dried by applying a vacuum freeze drying function.
(iv) A pre-adjusted seasoning liquid (condensed milk + salt + sorbitol + water, adjusted to a water activity of 0.8 aw or less) is poured into the strawberry after the drying process, and the mixture is introduced through the introduction tube. The pressure-resistant container was opened to atmospheric pressure, and the pressure was increased to perform impregnation and infiltration.
(v) After visually confirming that the permeation was completed, the strawberry was taken out from the composite food production apparatus to produce a strawberry containing condensed milk that can be stored at room temperature.

[Manufacture of orange-flavored apple snacks]
(i) Fresh apple fruits were washed with water, peeled and sliced into 3 to 5 mm.
(ii) The sample was stored in a freezer at a temperature of −30 ° C. and pre-frozen.
(iii) This was accommodated in a composite food manufacturing apparatus with a vacuum freeze dryer having the structure described in the embodiment, placed in an open container on a shelf, and dried by applying a vacuum freeze drying function.
(iv) A pre-adjusted seasoning liquid (concentrated orange juice + sorbit + salt, adjusted to a water activity of 0.8 aw or less) is injected into the apple after the drying process, and the introduction tube The pressure-resistant container was opened to atmospheric pressure via the pressure, and the pressure was increased to impregnate and permeate.
(v) After visually confirming that the permeation was completed, the apple was taken out from the composite food production apparatus to produce an orange-flavored apple snack that can be stored at room temperature.

[Production of moist-taste apple snacks]
(i) Fresh apple fruits were washed with water, peeled and sliced into 3 to 5 mm.
(ii) The sample was stored in a freezer at a temperature of −30 ° C. and pre-frozen.
(iii) This was accommodated in the composite food manufacturing apparatus with a vacuum freeze dryer having the structure described in the embodiment, placed in an open container on a shelf, and dried by applying a vacuum freeze drying function.
(iv) A pre-adjusted seasoning liquid (concentrated apple juice + sorbit + salt + citric acid, adjusted to a water activity of 0.8 aw or less) is injected into the apple after the drying process and introduced. The pressure-resistant container was opened to atmospheric pressure through a tube, and the pressure was increased to perform impregnation and infiltration.
(v) After visually confirming that the permeation was completed, the apple was taken out from the composite food production apparatus to produce a moist-taste apple snack.

[Manufacture of cooked tofu]
(i) Tofu was cut into 1 to 2 cm square cubes, so-called diced, and heated in boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes.
(ii) This was stored in a freezer having an internal temperature of −30 ° C. and pre-frozen.
(iii) This was accommodated in a composite food manufacturing apparatus with a vacuum freeze dryer having the structure described in the embodiment, placed in an open container on a shelf, and dried by applying a vacuum freeze drying function.
(iv) A pre-adjusted seasoning liquid (dashi soup + soy sauce + seasoning liquid with sugar) is injected into the tofu after the drying process, and the pressure-resistant container is opened to atmospheric pressure via the introduction pipe. The impregnation and infiltration were performed by increasing the pressure.
(v) After confirming that the permeation was completed by visual observation, the tofu was taken out from the composite food production apparatus to produce instant cooked tofu. The tofu thus obtained became 78 g of seasoned tofu from 100 g of tofu, and when this was used as ingredients such as soup, when hot water was poured, it became a tofu dish boiled in soup stock. Or delicious food was obtained even if it was eaten as it was.

[Manufacture of cooking onions]
(i) The onion was so-called diced into a 1 to 2 cm square cube and heated in boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes.
(ii) This was stored in a freezer having an internal temperature of −30 ° C. and pre-frozen.
(iii) This was accommodated in a composite food manufacturing apparatus with a vacuum freeze dryer having the structure described in the embodiment, placed in an open container on a shelf, and dried by applying a vacuum freeze drying function.
(iv) A flavor oil prepared in advance was injected into the onion after the drying step, and the pressure-resistant container was opened to atmospheric pressure via the introduction tube, and the pressure was increased and impregnation and infiltration were performed.
(v) After visually confirming that the infiltration had been completed, the onion was taken out from the composite food production apparatus, and the oil on the surface was wiped off to produce a cooking onion. The obtained cooked onion became 70 g of onion of 100 g of raw material, and when this was used as ingredients such as soup, it floated on the surface and became a delicious ingredient. Or a delicious cooking onion that left a firm texture even when eaten as it was.

  The composite foods of the examples obtained as described above are excellent in storage stability, can maintain quality of one month or more at room temperature, and can be used for several months if used in combination with vacuum packaging or nitrogen-filled packaging. It was possible to maintain a good quality for more than 1 year.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pressure-resistant container 2 Vacuum pump 3 Intake path 4 Refrigerator 5 Condenser 6 Shelf with heater 7 Solid food 8 Open container 9 Liquid food 10 Supply path 11 Lid 12 Hinge 13 Handle 14 Heater 15 Ice melting device 16 Drain 17 Pirani gauge 18 Shelf temperature controller 19 Liquid reservoirs 20, 21

Claims (3)

  The solid food is freeze-dried by vacuum freeze-drying, sublimated and dried, and then the pores formed in the solid food are impregnated with the liquid food under reduced pressure, and then the pressure is increased. A method for producing a composite food product comprising impregnating a liquid food product into the pores.   The method for producing a composite food according to claim 1, wherein when the liquid food is impregnated into the pores of the solid food under reduced pressure, the solid food is heated to a freezing temperature or higher. In a vacuum freeze-drying apparatus in which an intake passage of a vacuum pump is connected to a pressure-resistant container, a condenser of a refrigerator is provided inside the pressure-resistant container and a shelf with a heater is provided,
An open container capable of impregnating solid food is placed on the shelf, and a liquid supply path capable of supplying liquid food under atmospheric pressure is connected to the open container so as to be openable and closable. Manufacturing equipment.

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