JP2016029931A - Dry fruit-like food product and production method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive food product that has a dry fruit-like flavor and texture without having a fruit-pulp as the main raw-material.SOLUTION: We have obtained a dry fruit-like food product having a texture and flavor similar to dry fruit by impregnating seasoning liquid comprising fruit juice and sugar or the like to textured soybean protein and boiling down the same. By adjusting the degree of boiling down of the food product, a dry type having a low water activity and an excellent storage stability, and a semi-dry type having a high water activity and a soft texture and juicy melt-feeling in the mouth can be produced.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

  The present invention relates to a food having a dry fruit-like texture and flavor without using pulp as a raw material, and a method for producing the same.

  Dried fruit is an old preserved food made by methods such as drying in the sun or a drier or dehydrating with sugar in order to preserve the fruit for a long period of time. In recent years, the demand for dried fruits as confectionery materials and natural foods has increased, and prices have risen. Therefore, there is a demand for a method for inexpensively producing a food having the same texture, flavor and appearance as dried fruits without using the main ingredient, pulp.

In the past, various attempts have been made to produce pulp-like foods without using pulp as the main ingredient. In JP-A-2002-119225, a gel with fresh water separation is produced by cold-thawing a gel with a specific combination of gelling agents. Table 01/095742 produces imitation fruits with a special texture that are rough in combination with gelling agents and auxiliary ingredients. However, both are different from the texture of dried fruits, and when mixed in foods with relatively low water content such as bread and baked confectionery, problems such as moisture transfer and breakage during kneading occur.
In JP-A-2001-327254, a dry material using nata de coco or aloe mesophyll is produced, which produces a texture for pulp due to moisture transfer from the surroundings when mixed with candy. However, there are problems such as the inability to predict the finished texture, the taste of fresh confectionery, and the limited size.

JP 2002-119225 A No. 01/095742 JP 2001-327254 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a food having a dried fruit-like flavor and texture without using pulp as a main ingredient.

  As a result of intensive research on the above problems, the present inventors have surprisingly found that when a textured soybean protein is impregnated with a seasoning liquid containing fruit juice and sugar, a food having a texture close to that of dried fruit is obtained. I found out that I can do it. The textured soy protein is a dried protein food obtained by heat-treating a raw material containing soy protein and water under high pressure using an extruder and expanding and molding the extruded material from a die at the tip. Conventionally, it is generally reconstituted or soaked in a seasoning liquid containing seasonings such as soy sauce or dashi, then cooked and used as a meat substitute, and seasoning containing fruit juice and sugar It was never impregnated with liquid and used as a substitute for dried fruits. Moreover, when used in that way, it has not been known to have a texture similar to that of dried fruits.

  Furthermore, the present inventors made a trial product of a dried fruit substitute by impregnating a seasoned solution containing fruit juice and sugar with a conventional textured soybean protein for meat substitute. Although it is very similar to dried fruit, I have found the problem that the mouth feels bad when chewing. In addition, after further diligent investigations, a good mouthfeel such as dried fruit can be obtained by impregnating a seasoned soy protein containing a moderate amount of starch with a seasoning liquid containing fruit juice and sugar. The present invention was completed.

That is, the present invention is 1. A dried fruit-like food in which textured soybean protein is impregnated with any one of the following (1) to (3) seasonings.
(1) Containing fruit juice (2) Containing 30% by weight or more of sugar (3) Containing fruit juice and containing 30% by weight or more of sugar 2, Structured soy protein contains 2 to 17 parts by weight of starch The dried fruit-like food according to 1, characterized in that
3. A method for producing a dried fruit-like food, characterized in that the structured soy protein is immersed in a seasoning liquid containing fruit juice and then dehydrated.
4. The production method according to 3, wherein the dehydration means is boiling heating,
A food or drink containing the dried fruit-like food according to 5, 1 or 2,
6. The food or drink according to 5, wherein the food or drink is a baked confectionery,
It is about.

  According to the present invention, a food having a dried fruit-like flavor and texture can be prepared without using pulp as a raw material.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described.

(Dried fruit food)
The dried fruit-like food in the present invention is a food having the same appearance, flavor and texture as dried fruit obtained by dehydrating fruits. The food can be eaten as it is, or mixed with baked confectionery, bread, yogurt, cereal or the like, as in the case of ordinary dried fruits.

(Baked confectionery)
The baked confectionery in the present invention is a confectionery prepared by heating dough containing wheat flour, egg, rice flour, soy protein powder, etc., for example, pound cake, sponge cake, tart, pie, muffin, protein bar, donut, cookie Can be given.

(Textured soy protein)
The textured soybean protein in the present invention is obtained by organizing soybean protein raw material as a main raw material and using a single or twin screw extruder (extruder) at high temperature and high pressure. The soy protein raw material is a group consisting of materials containing soybean-derived proteins such as full-fat soybeans, reduced-fat soybeans and defatted soybeans, concentrated soybean protein, separated soybean protein, or soy milk powder, and hydrolysates thereof. A food ingredient containing at least one or more. Among them, it is preferable to use defatted soybeans from the viewpoint of cost. As auxiliary materials, other proteins such as gluten, egg white, and casein, starch, polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, dietary fibers, gelling agents, alkaline earth metals, and other known additives can be added.
The textured soy protein used in the present invention may be changed in size and shape as necessary. For example, a granular product having a diameter of about 5 mm to 10 mm is suitable for obtaining a fruit similar to a dried fruit of a small granular fruit such as blueberry or raisins. In addition, if a flat plate having a size of about 2 cm to 5 cm is used, a model simulating dried fruit sliced from the pulp can be obtained.

(starch)
Of the above auxiliary materials, it is particularly preferable to use starch. By using starch together, the texture of the soy protein becomes porous, and the flavor and mouthfeel of the dried fruit-like food become more similar to the dried fruit.
As the above-mentioned starch, cereals such as rice, wheat and corn, root vegetables, potatoes, starch obtained from these, and those physically and chemically treated such as pulverized products, pregelatinized products, and decomposed products. The raw material containing at least 1 or more raw material among the group which consists of can be utilized. For example, corn starch, wheat starch, rice starch, potato starch, tapioca starch and rice flour. Corn starch is particularly preferable.

  The amount of starch added is 2 to 17%, preferably 5 to 14%, and most preferably 7 to 13%. When the amount of starch is too small, it is difficult to obtain an effect on the texture, and when the amount is too large, the shape retention of the dried fruit-like food obtained is lowered.

(Seasoning liquid)
The seasoning liquid of the present invention imparts fruit taste, color and texture to textured soy protein. For this reason, the seasoning liquid contains fruit juice or sugar, and preferably contains fruit juice and sugar. In addition, oils and fats, organic acids, western liquors, fragrances, and pigments may be included. The ratio of the blending weight of the seasoning liquid and the structured soy protein varies depending on the water retention and shape of the structured soy protein, but is approximately 1: 5 to 1:10, preferably about 1: 6 to 1: 9. . If the amount of the seasoning liquid is too large, it takes time for dehydration, and if it is too small, a sufficient flavor cannot be imparted. In addition, if the viscosity of the seasoning liquid is too high, the inside of the textured soybean protein is not impregnated, which is a problem.

(Fruit juice)
The fruit juice that can be used in the present invention may be any fruit juice or vegetable juice generally obtained from the type of fruit or vegetable from which dried fruits are produced, concentrated fruit juice, transparent fruit juice from which fibers have been removed, and fruit paste. It may be pureed. Concentrated fruit juice is preferable because it shortens the time for the step of removing moisture. Examples of fruits used include blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, pineapples, apples, peaches, mangoes, melons, grapes, prunes, apricots, figs, oranges, kiwi, cassis, cherry, papaya, kumquats, tomatoes, carrots And pumpkins.

  The amount of fruit juice in the seasoning liquid is equivalent to 1-100 wt%, preferably 20-90 wt%, more preferably 30-80 wt%, most preferably 40-80 wt% in terms of raw fruit juice. .

(Sugar)
As the sugar that can be used in the seasoning liquid of the present invention, any of polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, oligosaccharides, and sugar alcohols can be used as a sweetener, and does not exhibit strong viscosity or gel property even when dissolved in water and heated. Examples thereof include sugar, white sugar, glucose, maltose, fructose, trehalose, erythritol, maltosyl trehalose, various liquid sugars, honey, caramel syrup, and maple syrup. The blending amount of the saccharide in the seasoning liquid is 1 to 60% by weight, preferably 30 to 55% by weight, and most preferably 38 to 50% by weight.

(dehydration)
The dehydration as used in the present invention refers to removing a part of the water from the seasoning liquid in which the structured soy protein is immersed. Thereby, the solid content contained in the seasoning is impregnated in the textured soybean protein. The means for dehydration includes boiling heating, hot air drying, sun drying, and freeze drying. Of these, boiling heating is preferred. The boiling heating includes a method in which the pan is heated with a gas fire and the moisture is removed, and a method in which the kneader is heated with steam and the water is stirred while stirring. Further, the water activity of the obtained dried fruit-like food can be adjusted by the degree of dehydration. If it dehydrates by boiling heating, compared with other methods, it can dehydrate in a short time and there exists an advantage that water activity can be adjusted easily.

  The water activity of dried fruit-like foods can be adjusted to a water activity of about 0.5 to 0.6 in the same way as normal dried fruits to make foods suitable for long-term storage. It may be a food that enjoys a softer and fresher texture than fruit. In the latter case, the water activity is generally 0.6 to 0.9, preferably 0.65 to 0.8.

An example of the method for preparing the dried fruit-like food of the present invention is as follows.
The textured soy protein to be used can be prepared by a known method using a uniaxial or biaxial extruder, and a soy protein raw material, starch, alkaline earth metal and other auxiliary raw materials are extruded. It is preferable to form a structure while adding water so as to be expanded.
At this time, the content of soybean protein in the raw material used for the extruder is preferably 40 to 85% by weight in terms of dry matter. Moreover, the starch content in the raw material used for an extruder is preferably 2 to 17% in terms of dry matter. If the alkaline earth metal is, for example, calcium, it is preferably contained in an amount of 0.01 to 3% by weight, preferably 0.1 to 2% by weight, more preferably 0.5 to 1.5% by weight, in the raw material used for the extruder in terms of dry matter.

The structured soy protein obtained in the above step is put into a seasoning liquid mixed with water, fruit juice, saccharides, organic acid, pigment, fats and oils, and mixed so that the whole becomes familiar, and left for a while. At this time, it is preferable that the whole seasoned soy protein is impregnated with the seasoning liquid, and the time required for this depends on the viscosity and temperature of the seasoning liquid and the size of the textured soy protein. Time, preferably 3-4 hours are required.
A mixture of this structured soy protein and seasoning liquid is heated to evaporate the moisture, and finally flavor and western liquor are added and simmered to the point where there is no liquid to obtain a dried fruit-like food. The water activity of the dried fruit-like food can be freely adjusted by the degree of heating at this time.

  The embodiment of the present invention will be described more specifically by the following examples. Unless otherwise specified, “%” and “part” mean “% by weight” and “part by weight”.

(Example 1) Preparation of dry roux berry-like food / textured soybean protein 90 parts of defatted soybean, 10 parts of corn starch (manufactured by Sanwa Starch Co., Ltd.), 1.5 parts of calcium carbonate (manufactured by Kokuko Flour Milling Co., Ltd.) Then, a hydrated slurry (water content of about 20%) is supplied to the extruder, heated and flowed under pressure, discharged through a die with a hole diameter of 4 mm, organized, and dried, so that about 1 cm grain of structured soybean Protein was produced.
-Preparation of dried fruit-like food The ingredients of the seasoning liquid of the recipe 1 were mixed, heated and boiled, and 13.9 parts of the structured soy protein obtained in the above step was added and stirred to familiarize the whole. After 3 to 4 hours as it is, it is boiled with light agitation, added with fragrance ingredients, mixed and simmered to the extent that no liquid remains, to obtain a dried fruit-like food imitating dry roux berries. The dried fruit-like food after boiling had evaporated about 7% by weight of water relative to the total weight before boiling.
The resulting dried fruit-like food was in the form of firm grains. With a water activity of 0.60, there was a moderate chewing response and fiber feeling, it was very similar to the texture of dry roux berry, and the mouthfeel when chewing was good.

Recipe 1 Formulation of dry roux-like food

(Example 2) Lamb raisin-like food The ingredients of the seasoning liquid of Formulation Table 2 were mixed, heated and boiled, and 10.7 parts of the textured soy protein prepared in Example 1 was added and agitated to adjust the whole. . After 3 to 4 hours as it is, it is boiled with light agitation, fragrance and rum are added and mixed, and simmered to the extent that no liquid remains, to obtain a dried fruit-like food imitating rum raisins.
The resulting ram raisin-like food was in the form of firm grains. It had a water activity of 0.71 and a freshness and softness similar to raisins soaked in rum. Appropriate bite response, fiber feel, and good mouthfeel when chewed.

Recipe 2 Blend of ram raisins

(Example 3)
A dried fruit-like food simulating dry roux berry in the same manner except that the ingredients in the preparation process of the structured soy protein of Example 1 are changed to 85 parts of defatted soybeans, 15 parts of corn starch and 1.5 parts of calcium carbonate. Got.
The obtained dried fruit-like food was soft and granular, although there was some boil in the simmering process. The water activity was 0.60, moderate chewing, a feeling of fiber, and good mouthfeel when chewed.

Example 4
A dried fruit-like food imitating dry roux berry was obtained in the same manner except that the composition of the raw materials in the production of the textured soy protein of Example 1 was changed to 100 parts of defatted soybeans and 1.5 parts of calcium carbonate.
The obtained dried fruit-like food had a solid grain shape, and although a small piece was likely to remain in the mouth, it was very similar to the texture of dry roux berry.

(Comparative Example 1)
A structured soy protein was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the ingredients were changed to 80 parts of defatted soybean, 20 parts of corn starch, and 1.5 parts of calcium carbonate. The seasoning liquid was mixed with the same composition as in Example 1, heated and boiled, and the above-described textured soy protein was added and allowed to acclimate after 3 to 4 hours. When this was tasted as it was, a soft dry fruit-like flavor texture was obtained. Subsequently, when boiling and heating was performed in order to eliminate moisture, the shape of the textured soy protein grains collapsed into a paste, and a dried fruit-like food could not be obtained.

(Example 5) Muffin with dry berry-like food A muffin was prepared using the dried fruit-like food produced in Example 1.
The ingredients in Formulation Table 3 were weighed, confectionery fats and oils, compound margarine and sugar were mixed, then warmed eggs and salt were mixed little by little, and then powders were added and mixed. Further, warmed cream, lemon mince, lemon juice and flavor were mixed. Finally, the dry roux-like food prepared in Example 1 was added and mixed lightly. The crumble dough was prepared by mixing all the raw materials into a rag and placing it on a muffin dough and baking it at 160 ° C.
The obtained muffin was a moist baked confectionery having a water activity of 0.76. The dried roux berry-like food after baking was baked firmly in the baked confectionery in the same manner as when ordinary dried fruits were used, and was moist, soft and rich in flavor.

Formulation 3 Formulation of muffins with dry roux berry food

(Example 6) Cookie bar with dry roux berry-like food The ingredients shown in Formulation Table 4 were weighed, and sugar, liquid sugar, and flavor were mixed in margarine, and powder and eggs were further mixed. Finally, the dried berry-like food prepared in Example 1 and almonds were added and mixed. It was formed into a stick shape and fired at 180 ° C.

Formulation 4 Formulation of cookie bar with food roux berry food

  The baked cookie bar has a water activity of 0.65, which is similar to the dried fruit-like food, and a baked confectionery suitable for long-term storage was obtained. In addition, the dry roux-like food in the baked confectionery remained well baked in the same manner as when ordinary dried fruits were used, and it was soft, flavorful and good.

Claims (6)

A dried fruit-like food in which textured soybean protein is impregnated with any of the following seasonings (1) to (3).
(1) Contains fruit juice.
(2) Contains 30% by weight or more of carbohydrates.
(3) Contains fruit juice and contains 30% by weight or more of carbohydrates. The dried fruit-like food according to claim 1, wherein the textured soy protein contains 2 to 17 parts by weight of starch. A method for producing a dried fruit-like food, comprising dehydrating a structured soy protein after immersing it in a seasoning solution containing fruit juice. 4. The production method according to claim 3, wherein the dehydration means is boiling heating. A food or drink containing the dried fruit-like food according to claim 1 or 2. 6. The food or drink according to claim 5, wherein the food or drink is a baked confectionery.