JP2015019641A - Fruit or vegetable, and food product containing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide fruits or vegetables having high preservability while retaining freshness.SOLUTION: Fruits or vegetables contain equal to or more than three kinds of carbohydrates selected from the group consisting of (A) sorbitol, (B) glucose, (C) xylitol, (D) erythritol, and (E) glycerine, are obtained by impregnating a carbohydrate solution, which satisfies a carbohydrate composition of [1] or [2] as below and a content of each carbohydrate to the total content of the total carbohydrates, and have a moisture content of 12-24 wt.%, and a water activity of less than 0.60. [1] At least one of (A) and (B), and (C) and (D) are included, a total percentage content of (A) and (B) is 20-80 wt.%, and a percentage content of (D) exceeds 0 wt.%. [2] Two or more kinds selected from (A)-(D), and (E) are included, a total percentage content of (A) and (B) is 80 wt.% or less, a percentage content of (C) is 75 wt.% or less, a percentage content of (D) is 33 wt.% or less, and a percentage content of (E) is above 0 wt.%, and 25 wt.% or less.

Description

  The present invention preserves a water activity of less than 0.60 under high moisture conditions, which is never obtained by conventional methods, by impregnating a fruit or vegetable with a sugar solution having a specific carbohydrate combination and content. The present invention relates to a fruit or vegetable that retains the original fresh texture of the fruit or vegetable while having properties. Moreover, this invention relates to the foodstuff containing 1 or more types of the said fruit and vegetables.

  Examples of highly preserved foods obtained by processing raw fruits and vegetables include dried foods such as dried fruits and dried vegetables. Examples of the production method include sun-drying, dehydration with sugar using osmotic pressure, frying with oil, freeze drying, and the like. Although both methods make use of the flavor of the material, the texture is not felt at all. This is because the moisture content is low. Depending on the production method, it is possible to increase the moisture content, but there is a problem that the storage stability is deteriorated due to the influence. Further, when fruits and vegetables having a high water content are kneaded into confectionery such as baked confectionery or nougat, there is a problem that the surface of the fruit or vegetable becomes sticky due to transfer of moisture of the fruit or vegetable to the confectionery.

  As means for solving the above-mentioned problems, a core material made of a water-containing edible material such as molasses pickled fruit and a pregelatinized starch which is formed so as to cover the surface of the core material and which is considered to have moisture adsorptivity, etc. A moisture barrier layer made of an edible powder agent and a coating layer formed on the surface of the moisture barrier layer and made of an edible coating material such as chocolate or cream. The coated confectionery which suppressed the water | moisture content transfer from an edible edible material is proposed (patent document 1). However, since the amount of edible powder used is relatively large at 3% by weight or more based on the weight of the hydrous edible material, there is a concern that the edible powder may adversely affect the flavor and texture of the coated confectionery. . Moreover, since a manufacturing process increases, it is not preferable.

  Moreover, as a method of wrapping the chocolate in the chocolate while maintaining the flavor, texture and taste of the raw fruit, a method in which the raw fruit is encapsulated in the chocolate and then subjected to an ultra-high pressure treatment has been proposed (Patent Document 2). . According to this method, the entire fruit is coated with chocolate, and the chocolate becomes a medium for transmitting pressure to the fruit during the ultra-high pressure treatment, so that the fruit can be used without using a special container or package for pressurization. Can be efficiently sterilized, and further, chocolate can prevent microorganisms from entering the fruit after production, thus improving the storage stability. However, this method requires special equipment and the outer shell is limited to chocolate. In addition, the improvement in storage stability by this method is due to the absence of microorganisms in the fruit that is the core material and the invasion of microorganisms into the fruit from the outside, and is due to preventing the growth of microorganisms. Absent.

  In order to prevent the growth of microorganisms, it is necessary to reduce the water activity of food. Water activity (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “Aw”) is a measure of the amount of free water that a microorganism can use for its growth. Is known to grow. The numbers vary slightly depending on the material. For example, Salmonella, Clostridium botulinum, Escherichia coli, etc., which are famous for food poisoning, generally have Aw ≧ 0.90, and Staphylococcus aureus, which is famous for its extremely high toxicity, has Aw ≧ 0.80. Multiply. Foods with a short expiration date have at least Aw ≧ 0.80, and most have Aw ≧ 0.90. Therefore, it is very important to reduce water activity in terms of reducing food safety and disposal risk. Note that when Aw <0.60, the microorganisms cannot grow.

  In addition, it is known that the water activity depends on the molecular weight of the solute dissolved in water, and a substance having a smaller molecular weight has a higher effect of reducing the water activity. A typical solute is sugar alcohol, which is contained in many foods aimed at reducing water activity. For example, a decoration cake (Patent Document 3) containing one or more sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, xylitol, erythritol, a chewing gum (Patent Document 4) containing a sugar alcohol, a jelly-like composition (Patent Document 5), Examples include water-in-oil type water-containing chocolate (Patent Document 6).

  There are many other food examples in which water activity is reduced using sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, xylitol, and erythritol as in Patent Documents 3 to 6. This is because, as described in Non-Patent Documents 1 to 3, in the food industry, technical common sense that the sugar alcohol is more effective in reducing water activity than sucrose is widely used. It is believed that there is. However, none of the literature has so far described any significant decrease in water activity due to the combined use of two-component or three-component sugar alcohols and glucose at a certain ratio. There has been no method of use for impregnating raw materials as in the invention.

JP 2001-57850 A JP 2004-357647 A JP 09-037717 A Japanese Patent No. 2997472 JP 2002-238475 A JP 2002-306077 A

Monthly Food Chemical, 2009, Vol. 25, no. 11, p19-21 Monthly Food Chemical, 2009, Vol. 25, no. 11, p34-38 Water Activity in Poly Systems, Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, 45, 2000, p654-660.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a fruit or vegetable having excellent storability and retaining freshness, and a food containing at least one of the fruit and vegetable.

  As a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, the present inventors have surprisingly found that at least three specific carbohydrates selected from the group consisting of sorbitol, glucose, xylitol, erythritol, and glycerin. By impregnating a sugar solution containing a predetermined amount (weight basis) with a material such as fruit or vegetable, the material has a high moisture content and maintains its freshness, but its preservability Has been found to be significantly improved, and the present invention has been completed. In addition, the present inventors have found that, by combining the fruits and vegetables with various food materials having a water activity of less than 0.60, it is possible to suppress moisture transfer than before without any particular treatment, The present invention has been completed.

That is, the present invention is a fruit or vegetable impregnated with a sugar solution, wherein the sugar solution is (A) sorbitol, (B) glucose, (C) xylitol, (D) erythritol, and (E) glycerin. 3 or more sugars selected from the group consisting of the following, [1] or [2] carbohydrate composition, and satisfying the content of each carbohydrate relative to the total content of (F) total carbohydrates, The present invention relates to a fruit or vegetable having a water content of 12 to 24% by weight and a water activity of less than 0.60.
[1] It comprises one or more of (A) and (B) and (C) and (D), and the total content of (A) and (B) is 20% by weight to 80% by weight, and (D ) Content of more than 0% by weight and 25% by weight or less.
[2] It comprises two or more of (A) to (D) and (E), the total content of (A) and (B) is 80% by weight or less, and the content of (C) is 75% by weight. Hereinafter, the content of (D) is 33% by weight or less, and the content of (E) is more than 0% by weight and 25% by weight or less.

  Moreover, this invention relates to the foodstuff which consists of 1 or more types of the said fruit and vegetables, and the foodstuff material other than the said fruit and vegetables whose water activity is less than 0.60.

  According to the present invention, by impregnating a sugar solution having a specific carbohydrate composition or content of each carbohydrate, it is possible to provide fruits and vegetables that are excellent in storage stability but retain freshness, Combining one or more fruits and vegetables with various food materials having a water activity of less than 0.60 can provide foods with an unprecedented texture and taste.

It is a graph which shows the water activity in 75 weight% of solid content conditions of the sugar liquids 1-6. It is a graph which shows the example of the multistage concentration of the sugar liquid in the impregnation process of this invention.

  The fruits and vegetables of the present invention specify three or more specific carbohydrates selected from the group consisting of (A) sorbitol, (B) glucose, (C) xylitol, (D) erythritol, and (E) glycerin. The greatest feature is that the sugar solution is impregnated at a content (weight ratio) in the range of. The impregnation referred to here means both the case where only the sugar contained in the sugar solution penetrates into the fruit or vegetable and the case where the sugar solution itself penetrates into the fruit or vegetable.

  Sorbitol, xylitol, erythritol, and glycerin used in the present invention belong to sugar alcohols produced by reducing the carbonyl group of aldose or ketose to a hydroxyl group. Sugar alcohol is frequently used for the purpose of reducing the water activity of foods, but the largest factor for reducing the water activity is a low molecular weight. Sucrose, which is most frequently used as a carbohydrate, has a molecular weight of 342.30, whereas the molecular weights of the four sugar alcohols are sorbitol 182.17, xylitol 152.15, erythritol 122.12, and glycerin 92.09. Yes, even if it is large, the molecular weight is nearly half that of sucrose. Glucose is a monosaccharide having a cyclic structure, and its molecular weight is 180.16, which is a saccharide similar to sorbitol.

  Considering only the molecular weight, the four types of sugar alcohols are considered to have a great effect of reducing water activity in the order of glycerin> erythritol> xylitol> sorbitol, but in reality, such a result is not obtained. This is because erythritol and xylitol tend to produce crystals, and when crystals are produced, moisture is released and the water activity becomes extremely large. Therefore, depending on the solid content ratio of the aqueous solution, it cannot be said that the water activity generally decreases in proportion to the small molecular weight. In addition, glycerin (glycerol), which has the smallest molecular weight among sugar alcohols, has a very high ability to reduce water activity, and the water activity of glycerin aqueous solution has a solid content ratio of about 71.5% by weight or more (water content). The content is less than 0.60 under the condition of about 28.5% by weight or less. However, since glycerin is not preferable in terms of flavor, the amount of addition is substantially limited, so it is difficult to fully utilize its ability to reduce water activity.

  According to the researches of the present inventors, specific three or more selected from the above-mentioned four types of sugar alcohols and a carbohydrate group consisting of glucose, which are known to be excellent in reducing the water activity of foods When the saccharides are used at a specific content, a water activity reducing effect that cannot be obtained even if each of the saccharides is used alone is obtained, and the reducing effect is not an additive effect. , Turned out to be a synergistic effect. In particular, by using one or more types of sorbitol and glucose and one or more types of xylitol and erythritol at a specific content, sorbitol and glucose suppress crystallization of xylitol and erythritol, and their water activity is reduced. It has been clarified that the reducing effect is synergistically exhibited. Moreover, it became clear by adding glycerin to the said combination saccharide | sugar that not only water activity falls very much but can mask the flavor of glycerin.

  Moreover, although the molecular weight of glucose is slightly smaller than the molecular weight of sorbitol, the water activity as a single substance is higher than that of sorbitol, particularly in a region where the solid content ratio in the aqueous solution is high (the water content is low). However, studies by the present inventors have revealed that a water activity reducing effect equivalent to that of sorbitol can be obtained by containing glucose at a specific content together with xylitol, erythritol, and glycerin. In addition, although fructose, which is a monosaccharide having a cyclic structure similar to glucose, has the same molecular weight as glucose, a synergistic water activity reducing effect cannot be obtained.

  In the present invention, the fruit liquid or vegetable is impregnated with the sugar liquid [1] or the sugar liquid [2]. In addition, in this specification, the content rate of each saccharide | sugar in sugar liquid [1] or sugar liquid [2] is respectively [A], [B], [C], [D], and [E]. May be described. The content rate of each saccharide | sugar is the weight of content of each saccharide | sugar of said (A)-(E) with respect to (F) total content of all the saccharide | sugar in sugar solution [1] or sugar solution [2]. Base percentage.

  The sugar liquid [1] has a carbohydrate composition composed of (A) one or more of sorbitol and (B) glucose, (C) xylitol, and (D) erythritol. That is, the sugar liquid [1] is composed of saccharides (A) to (D), saccharides (A), (C) and (D), and saccharides (B) to (D). Includes form.

  In the sugar liquid [1], the total content [A] + [B] is 20 to 80% by weight, preferably 20 to 60% by weight, and more preferably 25 to 35% by weight. In addition, when using both (A) sorbitol and (B) glucose, the content rate of (A) and (B) should just be selected suitably within the range of the above-mentioned total content rate.

  By setting the total content [A] + [B] in the above range, crystallization of (C) xylitol and (D) erythritol, and cool feeling can be suppressed, respectively. When the total content [A] + [B] is less than 20% by weight, either (C) xylitol or (D) erythritol may easily form crystals. When the total content [A] + [B] exceeds 80% by weight, the effect of reducing water activity is weakened, and when (A) sorbitol is mainly contained, (A) unpleasant sweetness derived from sorbitol is present. It may become stronger and the flavor may be impaired.

  In the sugar liquid [1], the content [D] exceeds 0 and is 25% by weight or less, preferably 6 to 25% by weight, more preferably 15 to 25% by weight. When the content [D] exceeds 25% by weight, crystals of (D) erythritol may be easily generated. The content [C] is preferably the remainder after selecting the total content [A] + [B] and the content [D] from the above ranges.

  Among the sugar solutions [1], the total content [A] + [B] is 20 to 60% by weight, the content [D] is 6 to 25% by weight, and the content [C] is the balance. Preferably, the total content [A] + [B] is 25 to 35% by weight, the content [D] is 15 to 25% by weight, and [C] is 40 to 60% by weight. The content ratio [A] + [B]: [C]: [D] is more preferably 25:50:25. Further, by using the above three or four kinds of sugars at a preferable ratio, not only the effect of reducing the water activity is increased, but also the cool feeling derived from sugar alcohol and the suppression of unpleasant sweetness become more remarkable. .

  The sugar liquid [2] is composed of two or more of (A) to (D) and (E) glycerin. That is, sugar liquid [2] consists of 3 or more types of saccharides containing (E) glycerin. More specifically, the sugar liquid [2] is composed of five types of carbohydrates (A) to (E); (A) to (C) and (E), (A) and (B) (D) and (E), (A), (C), (D), and (E), (B), (C), (D), and the form which consists of (D) and 4 types of carbohydrates; A) and (B) and (E), (A) and (C) and (E), (A) and (D) and (E), (B) and (C) and (E), (B) And (D) and (E), and (C), (D), and (E) are composed of three types of carbohydrates.

  In the sugar liquid [2], the content [E] is more than 0% by weight and 25% by weight or less, preferably 5 to 15% by weight, more preferably 7.5 to 12.5% by weight. When content [E] exceeds 25 weight%, the flavor of (E) glycerin will become strong and is unpreferable.

  When the sugar solution [2] contains one or more of (A) sorbitol and (B) glucose, the total content [A] + [B] is 80% by weight or less, preferably more than 0% by weight. It is 80 weight% or less, More preferably, it is 12.5-60 weight%. When (C) xylitol is contained, the content [C] is 75% by weight or less, preferably more than 0% by weight and 75% by weight or less, more preferably 15 to 60% by weight. (D) When erythritol is contained, the content [D] is 33.3% by weight or less, preferably more than 0% by weight and 33.3% by weight or less, more preferably 5 to 25% by weight.

  If at least one of the content ratios [A] + [B], [C] and [D] exceeds the above range, the synergistic effect of reducing water activity is weakened, or crystals of (C) xylitol and (D) erythritol Or the like, the same problem as the sugar solution [1] occurs. Moreover, as a preferable aspect of the sugar liquid [2] for preventing crystallization, the total content [A] + [B] + [E] of (A) sorbitol, (B) glucose and (E) glycerin is 20. Embodiments that are greater than or equal to weight percent are included. In addition, what is necessary is just to select each content rate numerical value from which the total amount of each content rate of each saccharide | sugar becomes 100 weight% from the range of content rate of each saccharides mentioned above, and to use each saccharide.

  The sugar solution impregnated in the fruits and vegetables of the present invention has a water activity reducing effect, in particular, (A) sorbitol, (B) glucose, and (E) glycerol inhibits crystallization of (C) xylitol and (D) erythritol. As long as the effect is not impaired, various additives conventionally known to reduce water activity, other general food additives, carbohydrates other than the above five types, etc. can be added, It is preferable that 80% by weight or more of the solid content of the sugar liquid to be used is the above-mentioned five kinds of carbohydrates.

  The sugar solution [1] and the sugar solution [2] can be prepared by dissolving the above-mentioned sugars in water at a predetermined content. In the dissolution in water, for example, a method such as concentration by heating or addition of water can be appropriately employed to adjust the content of each saccharide.

  In addition to the sugar solution [1] and the sugar solution [2], there are sugar solutions having an effect of remarkably reducing water activity, such as a sugar solution containing sorbitol and xylitol and a sugar solution containing sorbitol and erythritol. There is a possibility that crystals will be deposited later, which is not surprising as freshness and texture, or that the water activity cannot be reduced to less than 0.60 depending on the material.

The fruits and vegetables of the present invention can be obtained, for example, by a production method including an impregnation step and a drying step that is performed as necessary.
In the impregnation step, the sugar liquid [1] or [2] is impregnated with the sugar liquid [1] or [2] (hereinafter referred to as “impregnated material”) and the sugar liquid [1] or [2] is impregnated with the sugar liquid [1] or [2]. A liquid-impregnated material is obtained.

  The impregnated material used in the impregnation process is not particularly limited, and any edible fruit and vegetable can be used. For example, strawberry, muscat, cherry, blueberry, flamboise, strawberry, cranberry, lemon, orange, grapefruit, eggplant , Fruits such as apples, pears, peaches, pineapples, kiwis, vegetables such as watermelons, carrots, peppers, paprikas, bursels, eggplants, radishes, potatoes, tomatoes, ginger and the like. Among these, an impregnated material whose structure is not easily broken by heat is preferable. Moreover, it is preferable to cut and use it for arbitrary sizes about the impregnation raw material with a big individual | organism | solid like an apple or a citrus type. The impregnated material includes not only edible portions but also non-edible portions such as cores and seeds that are normally discarded. Further, two or more kinds of fruits and vegetables may be used in combination as the material to be impregnated.

  As a method of impregnating the material to be impregnated with the sugar liquid [1] or the sugar liquid [2], any of the conventionally known methods of impregnating the liquid into the water-containing solid material can be used. For example, it is used for normal molasses pickling. For example, a method of impregnation by osmotic pressure, a method of impregnation under a high-pressure condition or a reduced-pressure condition using an apparatus capable of adjusting pressure, and the like can be mentioned. Among these, a method using osmotic pressure is preferable from the viewpoint of maintaining the flavor and texture of the material to be impregnated at a higher level.

  The method using the osmotic pressure is performed, for example, by immersing the material to be impregnated in the sugar liquid [1] or [2]. When the material to be impregnated is impregnated with the sugar liquid by dipping, it is considered that the sugar contained in the sugar liquid is mainly impregnated into the material to be impregnated. The immersion is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected from a wide range according to the type and amount of the material to be impregnated, the sugar composition of the sugar liquid, the content of each sugar, the use of the sugar liquid-impregnated material, etc. For example, it is carried out at a temperature of 10 to 60 ° C., preferably 20 to 40 ° C., and is completed in 2 to 5 days, preferably 2 to 3 days. In particular, depending on the use of the sugar liquid-impregnated material, the immersion time may be shorter or longer than the above range, and the immersion temperature may be lower or higher than the above range. At this time, by appropriately adjusting the sugar content (or solid content) of the sugar solution during the immersion, it is possible to promote the impregnation of the sugar solution into the material to be impregnated while maintaining the flavor and texture of the material to be impregnated. .

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the sugar content of the sugar solution is preferably adjusted so that the sugar content of the sugar solution gradually increases, and the sugar content of the sugar solution is finally preferably 55 to 70, more preferably. Is preferably adjusted to be 60 to 65. By making the sugar content, the sugar solution sufficiently penetrates into the material to be impregnated, and it becomes easy to make the final water activity after drying less than 0.60.

  Examples of a method for increasing the sugar content of a sugar solution include a method of heating and concentrating a sugar solution, and a method of further adding a sugar to the sugar solution and dissolving it. These methods may be performed while the material to be impregnated is immersed in the sugar solution, or the material to be impregnated may be once taken out from the sugar solution. When taking out the material to be impregnated once, after increasing the sugar content of the sugar solution, the material to be impregnated is immersed again in the sugar solution. When the sugar content of the sugar solution is increased by heating and concentrating while the material to be impregnated is immersed in the sugar solution, the texture of the material to be impregnated changes due to heating. It is preferred to select a method. The sugar content of the sugar solution is preferably increased once or more in the impregnation step, and more preferably a plurality of times as shown in FIG.

  The sugar liquid-impregnated material obtained in the impregnation step can be directly used as the fruit or vegetable of the present invention as long as the water content is in the range of 12 to 24% by weight and the water activity is less than 0.600. The fruit or vegetable of the present invention can be obtained by subjecting it to a drying step as necessary and adjusting the water content. Through the drying process, water is volatilized to a final water content of 12 to 24% by weight, preferably 16 to 24% by weight. The drying process is not particularly limited, such as natural drying in a cool and dark place or drying using a drying cabinet. When the water content is less than 12% by weight, freshness is lost and a large amount of crystals are precipitated, so that the texture is not surprising. On the other hand, if the water content exceeds 24% by weight, the possibility that the water activity exceeds 0.60 becomes very high.

  Even when the water content exceeds 24% by weight, the water activity is set to less than 0.60 depending on the sugar composition of the sugar solution and the content of each sugar, such as increasing the glycerin content [E]. Although it may be possible, it is highly likely that the flavor is undesirable. In addition, even if the sugar composition of the sugar liquid used and the content of each sugar are the same, details are unknown, but the water activity is less than 0.60 because the degree of sugar liquid impregnation varies depending on the material to be impregnated. The water content is different. Therefore, it is preferable to change the sugar composition of the sugar solution and the content of each sugar depending on the degree of impregnation of the material to be impregnated.

  The fruits and vegetables of the present invention can be eaten as they are, and can also be combined with other food materials. The food containing the fruit and vegetable of the present invention uses a food material having a water activity of less than 0.60, preferably 0.50 to 0.60, excluding the fruit and vegetable of the present invention as the food material. It is a feature. Usually, when two or more kinds of food materials are combined, a phenomenon in which moisture moves from the contact surface until it reaches an equilibrium state is observed, which is considered to be caused by a difference in water activity. Therefore, by using a food material having a water activity of less than 0.60 as the food material, the moisture in the fruits and vegetables of the present invention is maintained, and the freshness and texture are maintained, and the storability is maintained. High food quality.

  The food material is not particularly limited as long as the water activity is less than 0.60. For example, low moisture content mainly composed of candy such as hard candy, soft candy, nougat and caramel, and wheat raw materials such as cookies and rusks. Baked confectionery, chocolate, oily confectionery and the like. Among these, nougat, baked confectionery, chocolate, and the like are preferable, and chocolate is more preferable from the viewpoint of ease of combination of flavors with fruits or vegetables and the fun of changing the texture.

  The chocolate is not particularly limited. For example, cacao materials such as cacao mass, cacao powder and cocoa butter, sugars and other sugars, powdered milk, fats and oils, etc. are used, and these are rolled as usual and conching as desired. Chocolate dough obtained by doing, cacao raw material simple substance etc. are mentioned. Moreover, it is also possible to contain cocoa butter substitute fat as fats and oils.

  As cocoa butter substitute fat, it is used in place of part or all of cocoa butter for the purpose of improving the physical properties of chocolate and saving manufacturing costs. There are abundant in triunsaturated type fats and oils and a lauric or high elaidic acid type called CBR. As fats and oils for cocoa butter substitute oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, rice bran oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, kapok oil, sesame oil, evening primrose oil, palm oil, shea fat, Vegetable fats and oils such as monkey fat, palm oil and palm kernel oil; animal fats and oils such as milk fat, beef tallow, lard, fish oil and whale oil; two or more mixed fats and oils of these fat raw materials; Examples include processed oils and fats obtained by subjecting the above mixed oils and fats to curing, fractionation, transesterification, and the like.

Next, although a reference example, an example, and a comparative example explain the present invention in detail, the present invention is not restrict | limited at all by these examples. In the following examples, “part” and “%” mean “part by weight” and “% by weight”, respectively, unless otherwise specified.
In addition, a water activity isothermal measuring device (trade name: LabMASTER-aw BASIC, manufactured by Novasina) was used for water activity measurement, and a sugar content meter (trade name: REFRACTOMETER PAL-2, Manufactured by Atago Co., Ltd.).

(Preparation of sugar solutions 1-6)
First, sugar solutions 1 to 6 having the composition shown in Table 1 were prepared and adjusted to a sugar content of 50. Moreover, the water activity value under the solid content of 75% of the sugar solutions 1 to 6 is summarized in FIG. Sugar solutions 1, 2, and 4 belong to sugar solution [1], and sugar solution 3 belongs to sugar solution [2]. Sugar solutions 5 and 6 are comparative sugar solutions.

(Examples 1-5 and Comparative Examples 1-2)
Next, the peeled koji (Kyoho) is put into the sugar solutions 1 to 6, and the concentration process is performed five times as shown in the sugar content record shown in FIG. 2. The final sugar content of each sugar solution is 62 to 64. It was adjusted to become. The numbers “1” to “5” shown in FIG. 2 indicate a total of five concentration steps.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the soak immersed in the sugar solution absorbs the sugar in the sugar solution and releases water, so that the sugar content of the sugar solution decreases, and the sugar does not easily transfer to the bag. Become. Here, by performing the first concentration to increase the sugar content of the sugar solution, the smooth transition of the sugar to the cocoon by osmotic pressure is resumed. Then, when the sugar content of the sugar solution decreases again and it becomes difficult for the sugar to migrate to the koji, the sugar solution is concentrated five times so that the flavor of koji, which is the material to be impregnated, is increased. In addition, the preservability can be remarkably enhanced while maintaining good sweetness without dislike and a fresh texture.

  The concentration process is of the type (hereinafter referred to as “IN”) performed with the soot in the sugar solution and the type performed after removing the soot from the sugar solution (hereinafter referred to as “OUT”). Two types were carried out. Thereafter, the koji was taken out from each sugar solution and dried in a drying cabinet at 60 ° C. for 3 to 5 hours to obtain koji impregnated with the sugar solutions of Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2. The final water content, water activity, and production method (concentration step) results for this koji are shown in Table 2. In addition, the liquid temperature of each sugar solution at the time of immersing the koji was adjusted to around 25 ° C. The concentration of each sugar solution was performed by heating at a temperature of about 100 to 120 ° C.

  Each of the produced Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Examples 1 to 2 had a refreshing texture, but as can be seen from Table 2, any of the koji impregnated with the sugar solutions of Examples 1 to 5 was used. While the water activity was less than 0.60, the soot of Comparative Examples 1 and 2 resulted in a water activity greater than 0.60. In addition, Comparative Example 2 using the sugar solution 5 which is an aqueous solution of sugar as the sugar solution was left undisturbed for 1 week, but a lot of sugar crystals were deposited on the surface, resulting in an unpleasant texture with a lot of roughness. On the other hand, in Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Example 1, although some crystals were confirmed, it was not unpleasant texture. Furthermore, the examples 1 and 3 to 5 produced in the “IN” concentration step and the strawberries of Comparative Examples 1 and 2 had a pectin jelly-like texture, whereas the examples produced with “OUT”. The cocoon of No. 2 retained the texture of the cocoon.

(Examples 6 to 11)
Next, the fruits or vegetables of Examples 6 to 11 manufactured by the same method as in Example 1 and impregnated with the sugar liquid for various fruits and vegetables in addition to persimmons. Got. Table 3 shows the results of the types of fruits and vegetables used, the water content, and the water activity. In addition, the orange used what cut the peel thinly, the lemon used what was sliced in the shape of a slice about 1-2 mm in thickness, and the apple used what was sliced in arbitrary shapes about 1-2 mm in thickness.

  As can be seen from Table 3, even when various fruits and vegetables are used, the water activity is less than 0.60 under a high water content. And even when the same sugar liquid 1 is used, it turns out that the numerical relationship of a water activity and water content changes with kinds of fruit and vegetables. For example, the orange of Example 6 has a water activity of about 0.59 under the condition of a water content of 17.2%, whereas the water content of cherry tomato of Example 9 close to the water activity is 14.3%. The water content of the blueberry of Example 10 is 20.3%, and a difference in water content of 14 to 20% occurs in the same water activity. The details are unknown, but the degree of impregnation of the sugar solution differs depending on the structure of the fruit and vegetable, that is, the penetration amount (content) of the sugar used in the sugar solution in the fruit and vegetable is different. it is conceivable that.

(Example 12)
66 parts of egg white and 200 parts of honey heated to 124 ° C. were mixed and stirred to obtain meringue. To this meringue, a nougat having a water activity of 0.55 was obtained by adding and kneading a mixture of 400 parts of sugar, 66 parts of starch syrup, and 60 parts of water to 148 ° C. 84 parts of this nougat and 8 parts each of finely cut oranges or lemons impregnated with the sugar solutions obtained in Examples 6 and 7 were kneaded to obtain the food of Example 11. Although this food was allowed to stand for 2 weeks at room temperature and humidity, no noticeable stickiness or change in the texture of the fruit occurred.

(Example 13)
The orange impregnated with the sugar solution obtained in Example 6 was coated with bitter chocolate (trade name: Extra Bitter, water activity: 0.40, manufactured by Varona) to obtain the chocolate of Example 13. This chocolate was allowed to stand for 2 weeks under normal temperature and humidity conditions, but no change occurred on the surface.

(Example 14)
The candy impregnated with the sugar solution obtained in Example 2 was coated with bitter chocolate (trade name: Extra Bitter, manufactured by Varona) using a sugar-coated bread, and the confectionery of Example 14 was obtained. The confectionery was allowed to stand for 2 weeks under normal temperature and humidity conditions, but no change occurred.

Claims (2)

A fruit or vegetable impregnated with a sugar solution,
The sugar solution contains three or more carbohydrates selected from the group consisting of (A) sorbitol, (B) glucose, (C) xylitol, (D) erythritol, and (E) glycerin, and the following [1] Or satisfy the content ratio of each saccharide with respect to the saccharide composition of [2] and the total content of (F) of all saccharides,
A fruit or vegetable having a water content of 12 to 24% by weight and a water activity of less than 0.60.
[1] It comprises one or more of (A) and (B) and (C) and (D), and the total content of (A) and (B) is 20% by weight to 80% by weight, and (D ) Content of more than 0% by weight and 25% by weight or less.
[2] It comprises two or more of (A) to (D) and (E), the total content of (A) and (B) is 80% by weight or less, and the content of (C) is 75% by weight. Hereinafter, the content of (D) is 33% by weight or less, and the content of (E) is more than 0% by weight and 25% by weight or less.   A food comprising one or more of the fruits and vegetables according to claim 1 and a food material having a water activity of less than 0.60 other than the fruits and vegetables.

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