JP2022035749A - Cheese product, method for preservation of cheese product and frozen cheese product - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a cheese product that prevents a container from getting a hole therein during the process of freezing and transporting it in a frozen state.SOLUTION: A cheese product has a container composed of a flexible film, the container filled with a lump of cheese and an aqueous solution. The content of the aqueous solution is an amount sufficient to immerse the whole lump of the cheese therein, which is 100 pts.mass or less relative to 100 pts.mass of the lump of cheese.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to cheese products, storage methods for cheese products, and frozen cheese products.

Mozzarella cheese is often stored soaked in a liquid to maintain its freshness and shape. As a method for preserving mozzarella cheese, there are refrigerated storage and frozen storage, and storage in a supercooled state is also being studied (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-180314

According to the study by the present inventors, when a product containing mozzarella cheese and liquid is frozen in a container made of a flexible film such as a standing pouch and transported in a frozen state, the products interfere with each other. The container may be punctured.

One aspect of the present invention is a method for storing cheese products and cheese products that are difficult to make holes in the container in the process of being frozen and transported in a frozen state, and frozen cheese in which holes are difficult to be formed in the container in the process of being transported in a frozen state. The purpose is to provide similar products.

[1] A cheese product in which a container made of a flexible film is filled with a mass of cheese and an aqueous solution.
A cheese product in which the content of the aqueous liquid is an amount capable of immersing the entire cheese mass and is 100 parts by mass or less with respect to 100 parts by mass of the cheese mass.
[2] The cheese product according to the above [1], wherein the cheeses are pasta filata cheese.
[3] A method for preserving a cheese product, which comprises a step of preserving the cheese product according to the above [1] or [2] in a frozen state.
[4] The storage method according to the above [3], which comprises a step of supercooling the cheese product before the step of storing the cheese product in a frozen state.
[5] A frozen cheese product obtained by freezing the cheese product according to the above [1] or [2].

According to the present invention, a method for preserving cheese products and cheese products that are difficult to make holes in the container in the process of being frozen and transported in a frozen state, and frozen cheeses that are difficult to make holes in the container in the process of being transported in a frozen state. We can provide products.

The perspective view of the cheese product which concerns on one Embodiment. A photograph of print rubbing that occurred in the transportation test.

In this specification, "cheese" is defined in cheese (natural cheese and processed cheese), cheese food, etc., the Ordinance of the Ministry of Milk, etc. (December 27, 1951, Ordinance No. 52 of the Ministry of Health and Welfare), the ingredient standards of the Fair Competition Code, etc. In addition to those that have been made, all of them have a normal meaning in the art. In addition, "cheese" includes foods processed containing cheese as one component, for example, various foods to which the flavor or texture of cheese is imparted by using processed cheese, cheese food, etc. as the main raw material. Is also included.
In the present specification, "cheese loaf" is also referred to as "cheese loaf".

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cheese product 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The cheese product 1 is a standing pouch 10 (a container made of a flexible film) filled with a cheese mass 20 and an aqueous liquid 30.

<Standing pouch>
The standing pouch 10 is made of a flexible film. Specifically, the standing pouch 10 comprises a pair of body films 11 and 13 (flexible films) arranged to face each other and a bottom film 15 (a bottom film 15) that connects the lower ends of the pair of body films 11 and 13. It is formed of a flexible film). The peripheral edges of the body films 11 and 13 and the bottom film 15 are sealed by a heat seal or the like, and a storage chamber S in which the cheese mass 20 and the aqueous liquid 30 are housed is formed between the films. Notches 10A and 10B for opening the standing pouch 10 are provided on both side edges of the standing pouch 10.

The flexible film (body films 11, 13 and bottom film 15) that forms the standing pouch 10 may be any flexible film, but the standing pouch 10 can be easily formed by heat sealing. , A laminated film in which a film base material layer and a sealant layer are laminated is preferable. The film base material layer and the sealant layer may be directly laminated or may be laminated via an adhesive layer.
The thickness of the entire laminated film is, for example, 94 to 180 μm.

Examples of the film base material layer include a plastic film, a metal foil (aluminum foil, etc.), and a vapor-deposited film in which a metal or the like is vapor-deposited on the plastic film.
Examples of the material of the plastic film include polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) and polyvinylidene terephthalate (PBT), polyolefin such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), and nylon-6. , Polyethylene (PA) such as Nylon-66, Polystyrene (PS), Polycarbonate (PC), Polyacrylonitrile (PAN), Polyethylene (PI), Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) ), Ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH), polyether sulfone (PES). The plastic film may be a stretched film or an unstretched film.
The film substrate layer may be a single layer or a multilayer layer. In the case of multiple layers, each layer may be directly laminated or may be laminated via an adhesive layer.
A printing layer may be provided on the film substrate layer.
The thickness of the film substrate layer is, for example, 9 to 25 μm.

Examples of the material of the sealant layer include low-density polyethylene resin (LDPE), medium-density polyethylene resin (MDPE), high-density polyethylene resin (HDPE), linear low-density polyethylene resin (LLDPE), and polypropylene resin (PP). Ethylene-α-olefin copolymers such as ethylene-propylene copolymer (EP), ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers (EAA), ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymers (EMAA), ethylene-methacrylic acid ester copolymers, Examples thereof include an ethylene-acrylic acid ester copolymer, an ionomer resin, and an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA).
The thickness of the sealant layer is, for example, 50 to 130 μm.

As an example of a preferable layer structure of the laminated film, a layer structure in which PET, an adhesive layer, PA, an adhesive layer, and a sealant layer are laminated in this order (hereinafter, also referred to as “PET / adhesive layer / PA / adhesive layer / sealant layer”). , Other layer structures are also described), PET / printed layer / adhesive layer / PA / adhesive layer / sealant layer, PA / printed layer / adhesive layer / PET / adhesive layer / sealant layer.
In these layer structures, the thickness of the PET layer is, for example, 9-25 μm. The thickness of the PA layer is, for example, 15 to 25 μm.
When characters or the like (for example, the date of manufacture or the expiration date) are printed on the surface of the standing pouch 10, the thickness of the PA layer is such that the occurrence of printing rubbing in the process of transporting the cheese product 1 in a frozen state can be suppressed. The size is preferably 20 μm or more. The upper limit of the thickness of the PA layer is, for example, 25 μm.

The internal volume of the standing pouch 10, that is, the volume of the storage chamber S can be appropriately set according to the amount of the cheese mass 20 to be filled, and is, for example, 150 to 500 mL per 100 g of the cheese mass 20. The internal volume of the standing pouch 10 corresponds to the total volume (4 ° C.) of the cheese mass 20, the aqueous liquid 30, and the head space in the cheese product 1.
The ratio (maximum depth / width) of the maximum depth (cm) to the width (cm) of the accommodation chamber S is, for example, 1 / 0.2 to 5.0. The width and the maximum depth are values measured in the state where the cheese mass 20 and the aqueous liquid 30 are not filled.

<Cheese chunk>
The cheese mass 20 is a mass of cheese such as natural cheese, processed cheese, and cheese food.
As the cheeses, pasta filata cheese such as mozzarella cheese, bullata cheese, blattina cheese, pizza cheese, string cheese, or process cheese containing pasta filata cheese is preferable, and natural cheese is preferable in terms of water retention. Pasta filata cheese is more preferred. Among the pasta filata cheese, mozzarella cheese is preferable.

The shape of the cheese mass 20 in this embodiment is spherical.
The mass of the cheese mass 20 is appropriately determined in consideration of the design of the cheese product 1, and is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 1 to 200 g / piece, and further 4 to 120 g / piece.

<Aqueous liquid>
The "aqueous liquid" is a liquid containing water.
The content of water in the aqueous liquid 30 is preferably 95% by mass or more, more preferably 98% by mass or more, based on the total mass of the aqueous liquid 30.

The aqueous liquid 30 may consist only of water, but preferably further contains sodium chloride. When the aqueous solution 30 contains sodium chloride, it is possible to impart saltiness to cheeses and, when cheeses have saltiness, it is possible to suppress the saltiness from becoming light.
When the aqueous solution 30 contains sodium chloride, the content of sodium chloride is preferably 0.1% by mass or more, more preferably 0.4% by mass or more, based on the total mass of the aqueous solution 30.
The content of sodium chloride is preferably 2.0% by mass or less, preferably 1.5% by mass or less, based on the total mass of the aqueous liquid 30 from the viewpoint of preventing the surface of the cheese mass 20 from becoming slimy and maintaining a good appearance. Is more preferable, and 1.2% by mass or less is further preferable.

The aqueous solution 30 may further contain calcium chloride. When the aqueous liquid 30 contains calcium chloride, the surface of the cheese mass 20 is prevented from becoming slimy, and it becomes easy to maintain a good appearance.
When the aqueous solution 30 contains calcium chloride, the content of calcium chloride is preferably 0.05% by mass or more, more preferably 0.08% by mass or more in terms of dihydrate, based on the total mass of the aqueous solution 30. It is preferably 0.10% by mass or more, more preferably 0.10% by mass or more.
The calcium chloride content is preferably 0.25% by mass or less, more preferably 0.20% by mass or less, based on the total mass of the aqueous liquid 30 from the viewpoint of suppressing the influence on the flavor of the cheese mass 20. , 0.15% by mass or less is more preferable.

The aqueous solution 30 may further contain components other than the above.
For example, the pH of the aqueous solution 30 may be adjusted to the same pH as that of the cheese to be stored by using a pH adjuster such as lactic acid or citric acid.
The content of lactic acid is preferably 0.3% by mass or less, more preferably 0.1% by mass or less, based on the total mass of the aqueous solution 30.
The content of citric acid is preferably 0.3% by mass or less, more preferably 0.1% by mass or less, based on the total mass of the aqueous solution 30.
Other components that may be contained in the aqueous solution 30 include acetic acid, phosphoric acid, malic acid, fumaric acid, gluconic acid, succinic acid, carbonic acid, tartaric acid, gluconodeltalactone, calcium lactate, and whey (acid whey). Be done.

In the cheese product 1, the content of the aqueous liquid 30 is an amount that allows the entire cheese mass 20 to be immersed. If a part of the cheese mass 20 is not immersed in the aqueous solution 30, the unimmersed portion may be discolored. If the content of the aqueous liquid 30 is such that the entire cheese mass 20 can be immersed, the entire cheese mass 20 can be immersed in the aqueous solution 30 to suppress discoloration.
The amount that can be immersed in the entire cheese mass 20 varies depending on the internal volume of the standing pouch 10, the amount of the cheese mass 20, the shape of the standing pouch 10 and the cheese mass 20, and the like, but for example, with respect to 100 parts by mass of the cheese mass 20. It is 50 parts by mass or more, preferably 60 parts by mass or more, and more preferably 65 parts by mass or more.

The content of the aqueous liquid 30 is 100 parts by mass or less, preferably 95 parts by mass or less, and more preferably 70 parts by mass or less with respect to 100 parts by mass of the cheese mass 20.
When the content of the aqueous liquid 30 is 100 parts by mass or less, it is difficult to make a hole in the standing pouch 10 in the process of transporting the cheese product 1 in a frozen state.
If the content of the aqueous liquid 30 is too large, the lower portion of the cheese product 1 swells and large wrinkles are formed on the standing pouch 10, and in this state, the aqueous liquid 30 freezes to form hard irregularities on the surface. When the aqueous liquid 30 freezes, it may become a weapon-like (projection). Further, when the volume of the aqueous liquid 30 increases due to freezing, the film constituting the standing pouch 10 is stretched and thinned. When the cheese products 1 come into contact with each other or the case (corrugated cardboard, etc.) containing the cheese products 1 comes into contact with each other in such a state, the uneven convex portion or the horn-shaped portion hits the standing pouch 10. Easy to make holes.

<Manufacturing method of cheese products>
The cheese product 1 can be produced, for example, by filling a standing pouch 10 with a cheese mass 20 and a specific amount of an aqueous liquid 30.
The filling method of the cheese loaf 20 and the aqueous liquid 30 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include conventionally known filling methods.
The order in which the cheese loaf 20 and the aqueous liquid 30 are filled is not limited, and the cheese loaf 20 may be filled first, or the aqueous liquid 30 may be filled first.

The method for producing the cheese loaf 20 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include conventionally known production methods.
For example, the method for producing a cheese mass of natural cheese is as follows.
Raw milk such as milk is heated at an arbitrary temperature to sterilize it. Add a starter to the pasteurized raw milk to make it acidic. A milk-clotting enzyme is added to the acidified raw milk to obtain curd. Drain whey from the card to get cheese. The methods for squeezing whey from the card are cutting, stirring, heating (cooking) and temperature holding (holding), whey discharge, deposition, cutting (milling), salting, stirring and deposition (mellowing). ), Molding and pressing. The obtained cheese is divided into desired sizes and molded into an arbitrary shape as needed to obtain a cheese mass of natural cheese.

For example, the method for producing a cheese mass of processed cheese is as follows.
All raw materials including natural cheese, molten salt and optionally used additives or auxiliary materials are heated and emulsified (heat emulsification treatment). The molten salt is, for example, a phosphate such as a monophosphate (sodium orthorate, etc.), a diphosphate (sodium pyrophosphate, etc.), a polyphosphate (sodium polyphosphate, etc.); Potassium acid, etc.). The stirring conditions in the heat emulsification treatment are, for example, a rotation speed of 100 to 1500 rpm. The heating temperature in the heat emulsification treatment is, for example, preferably 70 ° C. or higher, more preferably 80 to 90 ° C. The emulsion obtained in the heat emulsification step is formed into an arbitrary size and cooled to form a cheese mass of processed cheese. Alternatively, the emulsion is formed into blocks or flat plates, cooled, and then cut into arbitrary sizes to make cheese chunks of processed cheese.

<How to store cheese products>
As a method for preserving the cheese product 1, a method including a step of preserving the cheese product 1 in a frozen state (freezing storage step) is preferable. As a result, the storage period of the cheese product 1 can be extended.
Before the cryopreservation step, a step of supercooling the cheese product 1 (supercooling step) may be included. As a result, the time required for the frozen state can be shortened as compared with the case where the refrigerated state is changed to the frozen state, for example.
After the cryopreservation step, a step of thawing the frozen cheese product 1 (thawing step) may be included.

(Croze storage process)
The method for freezing the cheese product 1 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include known freezing methods. For example, there is a method in which the cheese product 1 is stored in a freezer having a temperature T ₁ lower than the freezing point of each of the cheese loaf 20 and the aqueous liquid 30, and the cheese loaf 20 and the aqueous liquid 30 are cooled to the temperature T ₁ .
In general, the freezing point of food is almost fixed for each food. For example, the freezing point of mozzarella cheese is −0.3 ° C. The freezing point of water is 0.0 ° C. The freezing point of the 0.6 mass% sodium chloride aqueous solution is −0.4 ° C.
It is preferable to keep the cheese product 1 in a stationary state during cooling. For example, it is preferable to cool the cheese product ₁ by statically storing it in a freezer set to a predetermined temperature T1. The cheese product 1 may be transported to another place together with the freezer during cooling.
By maintaining the frozen cheese product 1 at a temperature lower than the freezing points of the cheese loaf 20 and the aqueous liquid 30, the cheese product 1 can be stored in the frozen state. The storage period in the frozen state can be, for example, 1 to 730 days. The cheese product 1 may be transported to another location during storage.

(Supercooling process)
The supercooled state is a state in which the food is not frozen even at a temperature below the freezing point of the food.
The method for supercooling the cheese product 1 is not particularly limited, and known methods can be mentioned. For example, the temperature of the cheese product 1 exceeds −0.5 ° C./h from a temperature higher than the freezing point of each of the cheese mass 20 and the aqueous liquid 30 to a temperature below the freezing point of each of the cheese mass 20 and the aqueous liquid 30. A method of cooling to a supercooled region where each of the cheese mass 20 and the aqueous liquid 30 is in a supercooled state through a step of cooling at a cooling rate of −5.0 ° C./h or less can be mentioned.
In general, the supercooled region of a food is almost fixed for each individual food as well as the freezing point. For example, the supercooled region of mozzarella cheese is −0.3 to −5.0 ° C. The supercooled region of water is 0.0-5.0 ° C.
By maintaining the temperature of the supercooled product 1 in the supercooled region in this way, the cheese product 1 may be stored in the supercooled state. The storage period in the supercooled state can be, for example, 1 to 20 days. The cheese product 1 may be transported to another location during storage.

By forcibly stimulating the cheese product 1 in the supercooled state, the supercooled state can be released and the cheese product 1 can be frozen. For example, by cooling the supercooled cheese product 1 at a cooling rate of −15 ° C./h or higher, the supercooled cheese product 1 can be frozen.

<Frozen cheese products>
By freezing the cheese product 1, it can be made into a frozen cheese product. The method of freezing the cheese product 1 is the same as the above-mentioned method of freezing the cheese product 1.
The cheese product 1 may be supercooled before the cheese product 1 is frozen. The method for supercooling the cheese product 1 is the same as described above.

The frozen cheese product in which the cheese product 1 is frozen is a standing pouch 10 containing a frozen cheese mass 20 and a frozen aqueous liquid 30, and the whole frozen cheese mass 20 is contained. However, it is covered with the frozen aqueous liquid 30, and the content of the frozen aqueous liquid 30 is 100 parts by mass or less with respect to 100 parts by mass of the frozen cheese mass 20.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Each configuration in the above embodiment and a combination thereof are examples, and the configuration can be added, omitted, replaced, and other changes are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, the container filled with the cheese loaf and the aqueous liquid may be any as long as it is made of a flexible film, and is not limited to the standing pouch 10. The container may be a standing pouch other than the standing pouch 10, a four-way seal bag, a three-way seal bag, deep-drawn packaging, or the like. In terms of shape retention of the cheese mass, the container is preferably a standing pouch.
The shape of the cheese mass is not limited to a spherical shape, and may be a shape other than the spherical shape, for example, a flat plate shape, a columnar shape, or a prismatic shape.
The container may be filled with a plurality of cheese chunks. The number of cheese lumps filled in the container is, for example, 1 to 50.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples.

<Test Example 1>
This test was conducted for the purpose of evaluating the effect of the material of the container and the amount of filled water on the occurrence of pinholes during the transportation process in the frozen state.

(container)
The following containers 1 to 3 were prepared. These containers differ only in the films that make up the containers, and are the same in shape and size. Each container has an open upper edge, and the contents are filled from the opening of the upper edge, and the internal volume after heat-sealing the upper edge is about 305 mL. It was used.
Container 1: A standing pouch made of a laminated film having a layer structure of PET12 / printing layer / DL / ONy15 / DL / LLDPE100.
Container 2: A standing pouch made of a laminated film having a layer structure of PET12 / printing layer / DL / ONy25 / DL / LLDPE80.
Container 3: A standing pouch made of a laminated film having a layer structure of PET12 / printing layer / DL / ONy15 / DL / LLDPE80.
The abbreviations in the above layered structure indicate the following.
PET: Polyethylene terephthalate.
DL: An adhesive layer formed from a dry lamination adhesive.
ONy: Stretched nylon.
LLDPE: Linear low density polyethylene (sealant layer).
In the above layer structure, the numerical values attached after each of PET, ONy, and LLDPE indicate the thickness (unit: μm) of each layer.

(Manufacturing of cheese products)
From the opening of the upper edge of the container shown in Table 1, one 100 g of spherical mozzarella cheese and the amount of filling water shown in Table 1 were filled, and the upper edge was heat-sealed to obtain a cheese product. .. As the filling water, 0.6% by mass saline solution was used. When the obtained cheese products were visually observed in an upright position, the entire mozzarella cheese was immersed in the filled water in all the examples.
A total of 48 bags of the same cheese product were produced and 12 bags each were placed in 4 cardboard cases. In each case, each product was housed in a 4 × 3 arrangement in an upright position. Although the head space was not particularly controlled, it was about 0 to 10 mL.

(Transport test)
The cardboard case was stored in a freezer at -18 ° C for 48 hours to sufficiently freeze the cheese products in the cardboard case. Next, use a general frozen courier service (Yamato Transport) to use this cardboard case from Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd. (Hokkaido) ⇒ Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd. (Kanagawa) ⇒ Kumamoto Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd. (Kumamoto) ⇒ Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd. ) (Kanagawa) was transported.
After that, cheese products were taken out from the cardboard case, the presence or absence of pinholes was confirmed, and the number of bags with pinholes in the container was counted among the 48 bags. The results are shown in Table 1.

As shown in Table 1, in Examples 1 to 3, pinholes did not occur during transportation in the frozen state.
On the other hand, in Example 4 in which the amount of filled water was more than 100 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of mozzarella cheese, pinholes were generated during transportation in the frozen state.

<Test Example 2>
This test was carried out for the purpose of evaluating the influence of the material of the container and the amount of filled water on the generation of pinholes and the rubbing of printing during the transportation process in the frozen state.

(container)
The same containers 1 and 2 used in Test Example 1 were prepared.

(Manufacturing of cheese products)
From the opening of the upper edge of the container shown in Table 2, 24 pieces of 4 g of spherical mozzarella cheese (total 96 g) and the amount of filling water shown in Table 2 are filled, and the upper edge is heat-sealed to make cheeses. Got the product. As the filling water, 0.6% by mass saline solution was used. When the obtained cheese products were visually observed in an upright position, the entire mozzarella cheese was immersed in the filled water in all the examples. The expiration date was printed on the surface of the container of the obtained cheese product.
A total of 768 bags of the same cheese product were produced and 12 bags each were housed in 64 cardboard cases. In each case, each product was housed in a 4 × 3 arrangement in an upright position. Although the head space was not particularly controlled, it was about 0 to 10 mL. After that, 64 cardboard cases were placed on one pallet.

(Transport test)
The above pallets were stored in a refrigerator (Kanagawa) operated by a contractor in a freezer at -18 ° C for one week, and were transported by a freezer container car for a transportation distance of about 2,000 km (Kanagawa-Fukuoka round trip).
After that, the cardboard case was removed from the pallet, cheese products were taken out from the cardboard case, and the presence or absence of pinholes and print rubbing was checked. I counted the number. The results are shown in Table 2.

As shown in Table 2, in Example 5 using the container 1, print rubbing as shown in FIG. 2 occurred during transportation in a frozen state, but pinholes did not occur. In Example 6 using the container 2, no pinholes or print rubbing occurred during transportation in the frozen state.

1 Cheese products 10 Standing pouch (container made of flexible film)
11, 13 Body film 15 Bottom film S Storage room 20 Cheese loaf 30 Aqueous liquid

Claims (5)

A cheese product in which a container made of a flexible film is filled with a mass of cheese and an aqueous solution.
A cheese product in which the content of the aqueous liquid is an amount capable of immersing the entire cheese mass and is 100 parts by mass or less with respect to 100 parts by mass of the cheese mass. The cheese product according to claim 1, wherein the cheeses are pasta filata cheese. A method for preserving a cheese product, which comprises the step of preserving the cheese product according to claim 1 or 2 in a frozen state. The storage method according to claim 3, further comprising a step of supercooling the cheese product before the step of storing the cheese product in a frozen state. A frozen cheese product obtained by freezing the cheese product according to claim 1 or 2.

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