JP2022064081A - Longevity improver for vegetable and longevity improving method for vegetable - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a longevity improver for vegetables usable safely and simply at home to vegetables just after harvesting; and to provide a longevity improving method for vegetables.SOLUTION: A longevity improver for vegetables stored in a hand spray container 1, and used to vegetables before heating after harvesting, contains antibacterial ingredients derived from food and ethanol. A longevity improving method for vegetables includes an adhesion step in which the longevity improver for vegetables containing antibacterial ingredients derived from food and ethanol is stored in the hand spray container, and the longevity improver for vegetables sprayed from the hand spray container is allowed to adhere to vegetables before heating after harvesting.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

There is an application for application of Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Law. Posted on the company's website on September 17, 2nd year of Reiwa Press release on September 17th, 2nd year of Reiwa.

The present invention relates to a vegetable shelf life improving agent for improving the shelf life of vegetables and a vegetable shelf life improving method.

So-called post-harvest agents used to prevent post-harvest crop spoilage, mold, disease, etc. are known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Patent Document 1 discloses a bactericidal composition containing protamine, polylysine, citric acid, and grapefruit seed extract. The examples of Cited Document 1 describe immersing a bactericidal composition such as strawberry or mango.

Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a bactericidal treatment agent containing soluble starch, sodium hydrogen carbonate, ethyl alcohol, and grapefruit seed extract. In the examples of Patent Document 2, it is described that radish sprouts, cucumber, lettuce and the like are immersed in a bactericidal treatment agent.

On the other hand, Patent Document 3 discloses a powdered longevity improving agent for green vegetables containing calcium acetate, glycine, and grapefruit seed extract. This Patent Document 3 describes that boiled broccoli and stir-fried cabbage have an effect of improving shelf life.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-322009 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-79924 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-212769

By the way, in recent years, the number of individuals who enjoy the vegetable garden is increasing, but in the vegetable garden, there is a tendency to concentrate on producing crops at a specific time, and the harvested crops may be left over. Therefore, there is a need to make the crops that I have grown and harvested last as long as possible.

That is, what can be said to be a post-harvest agent that can be used at home is desired, but the post-harvest agent that has been used conventionally is used by immersing crops as described above, and is suitable for easy use at home. It is hard to say that it is suitable.

In the vegetable garden, fragile vegetables such as leafy vegetables and perishable vegetables such as tomatoes are also harvested. In this respect, although it can be said that the bactericidal composition of Patent Document 1 can prevent the growth of mold, its effect on the wilting of leafy vegetables and the damage of tomatoes is unknown. Further, Patent Document 2 is only intended to remove pathogenic bacteria in a short time, and the effect of improving the shelf life of vegetables is unknown. Further, Patent Document 3 describes that it has an effect on vegetables heated as described above, but the effect on raw vegetables is unknown.

The present invention has been made in view of this point, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vegetable shelf life improving agent and a vegetable shelf life improving method that can be safely and easily used for vegetables immediately after harvesting at home. It is to be.

In order to achieve the above object, the first invention is a vegetable shelf life improver contained in a hand spray container and used for vegetables before heating after harvesting, which contains a food-derived antibacterial component and ethanol. It is characterized by doing.

According to this composition, since it contains ethanol and an antibacterial component derived from food, it is safe to use for vegetables. Since the shelf life improving agent for vegetables is contained in a hand spray container, by spraying the vegetables, not only the sterilizing effect of ethanol and the antibacterial effect of food-derived antibacterial components can be obtained, but also the shelf life is improved. The effect can be obtained. Since the vegetables after harvesting can be sprayed with a hand spray container in this way, they can be easily used at home. In particular, since it contains ethanol and an antibacterial component derived from food, a wide range of sterilizing effects can be obtained regardless of the type of food and the type of bacteria, and it is possible to eat with peace of mind. Furthermore, since the food-derived antibacterial component and ethanol are used in combination, the required amount of the food-derived antibacterial component can be reduced. The vegetables targeted by the vegetable shelf life improver are raw vegetables that have not been heat-treated after harvesting.

The second invention is characterized in that the concentration of the ethanol is 50 v / v% or more. As a result, an immediate bactericidal effect can be obtained, and the quick-drying property prevents the vegetable surface from becoming wet, which is more preferable from the viewpoint of improving the shelf life.

The third invention is characterized by containing a citrus seed extract as an antibacterial component derived from the food. As a result, a long-lasting antibacterial effect can be obtained, and an effect of improving shelf life can be obtained.

The fourth invention is characterized by containing at least one of citric acid and lactic acid. According to this configuration, the sterilization effect can be further enhanced.

In the fifth invention, a vegetable shelf life improver containing a food-derived antibacterial component and ethanol is stored in a hand spray container, and the vegetable shelf life improver sprayed from the hand spray container is heated after harvesting. It is a method for improving the shelf life of vegetables, which is characterized by having an attachment step of attaching to the previous vegetables.

A sixth aspect of the invention is characterized in that the method for improving the shelf life for vegetables includes an ethanol volatilization step of volatilizing ethanol for a predetermined time after the adhesion step, and closing the container for accommodating the vegetables after the ethanol volatilization step. ..

That is, the ethanol odor is reduced by providing a time for volatilizing ethanol. In addition, after ethanol volatilizes for a predetermined time, antibacterial components derived from food remain and exert bacteriostatic and antibacterial effects. The antibacterial component derived from this food maintains the antibacterial effect, and by closing the container, the invasion of new bacteria and the like can be prevented, so that the shelf life effect can be further sustained.

According to the present invention, a vegetable shelf life improver containing a food-derived antibacterial component and ethanol can be sprayed from a hand spray container and adhered to the vegetables, so that it is safe and easy for vegetables immediately after being harvested at home. Can be used for.

It is a perspective view which shows an example of the hand spray container used in the method for improving the shelf life for vegetables which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows the infectious titer measurement test result of the feline calicivirus. It is a graph which shows the infectious titer measurement test result of influenza virus. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the shelf life improvement method for vegetables.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the following description of the preferred embodiment is essentially merely an example and is not intended to limit the present invention, its application or its use.

(Hand spray container)
Before explaining the vegetable shelf life improving agent and the vegetable shelf life improving method according to the embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of the hand spray container 1 containing the vegetable shelf life improving agent will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a hand spray container 1 that can be used in the method for improving the shelf life of vegetables according to the embodiment of the present invention. By using the hand spray container 1 and the vegetable shelf life improving agent contained in the hand spray container 1, the vegetable shelf life improving method can be performed.

The hand spray container 1 includes a container body 2 in which a vegetable shelf life improving agent is housed, and a spray nozzle portion 3. The spray nozzle portion 3 is detachably attached to a mouth portion (not shown) provided on the upper portion of the container main body 2 by a screw member 3a. A trigger 4 is attached to the front side of the spray nozzle portion 3 so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction. The trigger 4 is constantly urged toward the front side by an urging member (not shown). A conventionally well-known pump mechanism 5 is housed inside the spray nozzle portion 3. A suction pipe (not shown) extending to the bottom of the container body 2 is connected to the suction side of the pump mechanism 5. A spray port 6 is connected to the discharge side (front side) of the pump mechanism 5. The user can move the pump mechanism 5 by holding the container body 2, the spray nozzle portion 3, and the like and pulling the trigger 4 with a finger.

By moving the pump mechanism 5, the vegetable shelf life improving agent sucked up from the suction pipe can be ejected from the spray port 6 to the outside. The diameter of the particles discharged from the spray port 6 can be arbitrarily set, and may be any particle size as long as it can evenly adhere the vegetable shelf life improver to the vegetables.

The hand spray container 1 is not limited to the one having the above-mentioned structure and shape, and a bottle having another structure and shape can also be used. Although not shown, it may be, for example, a hand spray container provided with a push-type button that reciprocates in the vertical direction.

(Vegetable shelf life improver)
Next, the shelf life improving agent for vegetables will be described. The vegetable shelf life improver is a liquid containing at least a food-derived antibacterial ingredient and ethanol as active ingredients, and can be used in ordinary households. Since vegetables are foods and antibacterial components derived from foods and ethanol have a sterilizing effect, a shelf life improving agent for vegetables may be called a sterilizing agent for foods.

As the antibacterial component derived from food, for example, citrus seed extract or the like can be used. As an example of the citrus seed extract, for example, grapefruit seed extract and the like can be mentioned. Grapefruit seed extract is extracted and purified from the seeds of grapefruit fruit and is generally accepted as a food additive. When the grapefruit seed extract is obtained from grapefruit, seeds can be taken out from the harvested grapefruit, the extracted seeds can be crushed, and the crushed one can be extracted. At this time, the grapefruit seed extract may be extracted from the undried ground product, or the grapefruit seed extract may be extracted from the freeze-dried ground product.

When extracting the grapefruit seed extract, a solution such as water or alcohol can be used. Examples of the alcohol used as the solvent for extraction include ethanol and the like. When extracting the grapefruit seed extract, the seeds may be heated to, for example, 30 ° C. or higher. Grapefruit seed extract contains fatty acids, flavonoids and the like. The grapefruit seed extract is preferably food grade.

As the grapefruit seed extract, those supplied as an aqueous solution can be used. The aqueous solution of grapefruit seed extract is obtained by dissolving the grapefruit seed extract in ion-exchanged water or the like. The concentration of the grapefruit seed extract in this aqueous solution can be set, for example, in the range of 5% by mass to 40% by mass. The lower limit of the concentration of the grapefruit seed extract in the vegetable shelf life improver is preferably 0.1% by mass, more preferably 0.15% by mass. The upper limit of the concentration of the grapefruit seed extract in the vegetable shelf life improver is preferably 3.0% by mass, more preferably 0.8% by mass.

The ethanol content is preferably 40 v / v% or more, more preferably 50 v / v% or more, from the viewpoint of quick-drying. If it dries too quickly, a sufficient sterilizing effect may not be obtained. Therefore, the upper limit of the ethanol content is preferably 95 v / v% or less.

The vegetable shelf life improver may contain citric acid. The content of citric acid can be, for example, 1.0% by mass or less, more preferably 0.5% by mass or less. Further, the shelf life improving agent for vegetables may contain lactic acid. The content of lactic acid can be, for example, 1.0% by mass or less, more preferably 0.5% by mass or less. The content of lactic acid may be lower or higher than the content of citric acid. Further, the content of lactic acid and the content of citric acid may be the same. By using a vegetable shelf life improver containing at least one of citric acid and lactic acid, the bactericidal action can be maintained even if the concentration of ethanol is lowered, so that the influence of alcohol odor can be further reduced. ..

The vegetable shelf life improver may contain carbonized tea. The content of the carbonization of tea can be, for example, 0.2% by mass or less, more preferably 0.1% by mass or less. Tea carbonization is obtained by carbonizing tea branches and leaves and extracting their components. The rest of the shelf life improving agent for vegetables can be water such as ion-exchanged water or normal water.

(How to improve the shelf life for vegetables)
Next, a method for improving the shelf life of vegetables using the above-mentioned longevity improving agent for vegetables will be described. The method for improving the shelf life of vegetables includes at least an adhesion step of adhering the shelf life improving agent for vegetables to vegetables in ordinary households. Examples of vegetables include various vegetables harvested in the vegetable garden, but in addition to the vegetable garden, for example, various vegetables harvested in a vegetable garden rented to an individual are also subject to the method for improving the shelf life for this vegetable. The type of vegetables is not particularly limited, but may be leafy vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, Japanese mustard spinach, spinach, edamame, Chinese cabbage, green onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, carrots, radishes, okra, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. , Green soybeans, bitter gourd, corn, peppers and the like.

Vegetables may be stored in an container, and in this case, the vegetable shelf life improving method may include an ethanol volatilization step of volatilizing ethanol for a predetermined time after the adhesion step. As a result, the ethanol odor can be reduced by volatilizing ethanol for a predetermined time. Even if ethanol is dissipated in this way, sufficient antibacterial action is maintained because the antibacterial component derived from food remains (described later). The vegetable shelf life improving method may include a step of closing the container containing the vegetables after the ethanol volatilization step. Further, the attachment step may be performed before the vegetables are stored in the container, or may be performed after the vegetables are stored. When the above-mentioned attachment step is performed after the vegetables are housed in the container, ethanol in the container can be vaporized in a predetermined amount or more and released to the outside of the container.

The container is a container, bag, box or the like that can store the vegetables. Examples of containers and boxes include cardboard boxes, wooden boxes, bottles, resin containers, storage containers, and the like. Examples of the bag include those made of resin or paper. The container may be a container or bag that can be sealed in a closed state, or may be a container or bag that allows some outside air to flow in a closed state. Further, the container, the bag, and the box may have small holes. Further, the container may be in the form of a thin film such as a wrap or in the form of a sheet.

Hereinafter, a method for improving the shelf life for vegetables will be described in detail based on the flowchart shown in FIG. In step S1, a vegetable shelf life improver contained in the hand spray container 1 is prepared, and a person who uses the hand spray container 1 prepares vegetables. As described above, various vegetables can be targeted as vegetables, and the method for improving the shelf life of vegetables can be applied to a plurality of vegetables at one time. The vegetables may be those immediately after harvesting or those that have been harvested for several hours to several days. The vegetables to be prepared are raw vegetables, that is, unheated vegetables. Here, heating means baking, boiling, steaming, and the like. Further, the vegetables to be prepared may be cut vegetables or uncut vegetables. Further, the vegetables to be prepared may be vegetables that have been washed with water or vegetables that have not been washed.

After step S1, the process proceeds to step S2 to open the housing. If the container is a container or box with a lid, open the lid, and if it is a bag, open the mouth. The container may be opened wide or small. After that, the vegetables are stored in the open container. However, the vegetables may not be accommodated in this step S2, and the vegetables may be accommodated in step S5 described later. If the vegetables are not contained in the container in either step S2 or step S5, the corresponding step can be omitted.

Then, the process proceeds to step S3. In step S3, the spray port 6 of the hand spray container 1 shown in FIG. 1 is directed toward the vegetables, and then the trigger 4 is operated to directly spray the vegetable shelf life improver onto the vegetables. When the vegetables are contained in the container in step S2, the vegetables in the container are sprayed. In the case of a bag, the trigger 4 may be operated after the spray port 6 is put in the mouth of the bag, or the trigger 4 may be operated with the spray port 6 directed from the outside of the mouth to the inside of the bag. This is the adhesion process. When the container is a box, the vegetable shelf life improving agent can be sprayed from the top of the box to the inside. By using the hand spray container 1, it is possible to attach the vegetable shelf life improver to a plurality of vegetables at once. Through the adhesion step, the antibacterial effect of ethanol and antibacterial components derived from food is exhibited, and the bacteria adhering to the vegetables are eradicated. In particular, since it contains ethanol and an antibacterial component derived from food, a wide range of sterilizing effects can be obtained regardless of the type of vegetables and the type of bacteria, and it is possible to eat with peace of mind.

It is preferable to spray while moving the spray port 6 so that the shelf life improver for vegetables adheres evenly to the vegetables, but if the spray range of the spray port 6 is sufficiently wide, spray with the spray port 6 fixed. May be good. The vegetable shelf life improver may be sprayed on the same spot of vegetables at least once, but may be sprayed twice or more. If the vegetables can be moved, the vegetable shelf life improver may be sprayed while moving the vegetables. As a result, the longevity improving agent for vegetables can be attached to the whole vegetable, and the longevity improving agent for vegetables can also be attached to the vegetables hidden under a certain vegetable.

The vegetable shelf life improver may be attached to the inner surface of the container. When the shelf life improving agent for vegetables is sprayed using the hand spray container 1, it can be attached to the inner surface of the container other than vegetables, and the inner surface of the container can be sterilized. Adhesion to vegetables and attachment to the inner surface of the container can be performed in the same process, which is efficient.

After spraying the shelf life improving agent for vegetables, the process proceeds to step S4, and the container is left open and waits for a predetermined time. If the vegetables are not contained in the container, this step S4 and step S5 described later are omitted.

In step S3, the shelf life improving agent for vegetables containing ethanol adheres to the inner surface of the vegetables and the container. Therefore, if the container is left open and waits for a predetermined time, the ethanol adhering to the vegetables is vaporized by a predetermined amount or more. Even when the vegetables are contained in the container, since the container is open, ethanol is released from the open portion to the outside of the container. This step is an ethanol volatilization step (also referred to as an ethanol emission step), and by going through the ethanol volatilization step, the odor of alcohol when eating vegetables can be suppressed. In addition, since ethanol dries quickly, it has little effect on the texture of vegetables.

The predetermined time of the ethanol volatilization step can be, for example, the time required to dissipate 20% or more of the ethanol adhering to the vegetables to the outside of the container. That is, for example, when the process shifts to the ethanol volatilization step after performing the above-mentioned adhesion step in an atmosphere where the temperature is 25 ° C. and the humidity is 60%, it takes time for 20% or more of the adhered ethanol to be released to the outside of the container. It can be measured in advance and the time can be set as the predetermined time. Since the vaporization rate of ethanol varies depending on the temperature and humidity, it is more preferable to measure the above time after reproducing the average room temperature and humidity in the winter and summer of ordinary households, and set the longest time to the above-mentioned predetermined time. .. The predetermined time may be, for example, 10 seconds or more, preferably 20 seconds or more.

In the ethanol volatilization step, 50% or more of the ethanol adhering to the vegetables may be dissipated to the outside of the container, or 80% or more may be dissipated to the outside of the container. This makes it possible to further reduce the alcohol odor when the container is opened.

However, in terms of bacteriostatic effect, it is preferable that some ethanol remains inside the container. Further, in the ethanol volatilization step, the emission rate of ethanol gradually slows down with time, so that the effect of dissipating ethanol is high in the first few tens of seconds. That is, even if the predetermined time is made too long, there is little merit. Therefore, the upper limit time can be set so that the residual amount of ethanol is such that the alcohol odor is reduced and the bacteriostatic effect is obtained. The upper limit time is, for example, 1 minute or less, preferably 30 seconds or less.

After that, the process proceeds to step S5 to close the container. If the vegetables are not stored in step S2, the vegetables are stored in step S5 and then the container is closed. If the container is a container or box with a lid, close the lid, and if it is a bag, close the mouth. At this time, the housing may be sealed so that the outside air does not flow, or may be closed to the extent that the outside air does flow to some extent. By closing the container, the bactericidal and sterilizing effect of the remaining ethanol can be obtained.

In addition, after the volatilization of ethanol, antibacterial components derived from food remain and exert bacteriostatic and antibacterial effects. This makes it possible to prevent the growth of bacteria even when the container is not hermetically sealed, such as a cardboard box, or when the container is opened and closed a plurality of times. Furthermore, since the food-derived antibacterial component and ethanol are used in combination, the required amount of the food-derived antibacterial component can be reduced.

(Antibacterial test)
Next, the antibacterial test results of the above-mentioned vegetable shelf life improver will be described. First, the method of antibacterial test will be described. As the test agent, Examples and Comparative Examples shown in Table 1 were prepared. The comparative example sets the concentration of ethanol higher than that of the example, but does not contain grapefruit seed extract.

Table 2 shows the antibacterial test results on the surface of the plastic plate. In this antibacterial test, each test agent shown in Table 1 is spray-treated on the surface of the plastic plate. After spraying, the mixture was allowed to stand for 24 hours, and then the Escherichia coli solution was dropped on the surface of each plastic plate, and the number of bacteria after 18 hours was counted. When the E. coli solution is dropped, the total amount of ethanol is volatilized.

In the examples, an antibacterial effect of 99.99% or more was observed, but in the comparative example, no antibacterial activity was observed. In the case of the example, it is mainly due to the fact that the antibacterial component derived from food can be sterilized, and it can be seen that the antibacterial component derived from food is the active ingredient.

(Antibacterial test)
Next, the results of the efficacy test on Escherichia coli will be described. The prepared vegetables are peppers, cucumbers, and eggplants. Each vegetable was cut into a size of 2 cm × 2 cm to prepare a test vegetable. 100 μL of ¹⁰⁸ cfu / mL E. coli solution was applied to the surface of the test vegetables and left for 1 hour to dry the surface of the test vegetables. Then, after adhering the vegetable shelf life improvement of the example to the surface of the test vegetable by the hand spray container 1 and leaving it for 30 seconds, the test vegetable was washed out with physiological saline, and the number of Escherichia coli present on the surface of the test vegetable was measured. .. A 99.9% sterilizing effect was confirmed for bell peppers, and a 99.99% sterilizing effect was confirmed for cucumbers and eggplants.

(Confirmation of shelf life improvement effect)
Next, the effect of improving the shelf life of actual vegetables will be described. First, a case where the shelf life improving agent for vegetables is evenly adhered to Japanese mustard spinach with a hand spray container 1 will be described. The treated komatsuna to which the vegetable shelf life improver of the example was attached and the untreated komatsuna to which the vegetable shelf life improver was not attached were stored in a plastic bag at room temperature for one week. After 1 week, the treated Komatsuna had almost no wilting leaves compared to 1 week ago, whereas the untreated Komatsuna had multiple leaves that were significantly wilted compared to 1 week ago. rice field.

Next, a case where the longevity improving agent for vegetables is evenly adhered to the carrot by the hand spray container 1 will be described. The treated carrots to which the vegetable shelf life improver of the example was attached and the untreated carrots to which the vegetable shelf life improver was not attached were stored in a plastic bag at room temperature for one week. After 1 week, the treated carrots did not show any brownish parts as compared with 1 week ago, whereas the untreated carrots had more brownish parts.

Next, a case where the shelf life improving agent for vegetables is evenly attached to the petit tomatoes by the hand spray container 1 will be described. The treated petit tomatoes to which the vegetable shelf life improver of Examples was attached and the untreated petit tomatoes to which the vegetable shelf life improver was not attached were stored in a plastic bag at room temperature for one week. After 1 week, the treated petit tomatoes showed almost no change compared to 1 week ago, while the untreated petit tomatoes had moldy parts, which was actually yellow. The liquid was leaking. In the test of Japanese mustard spinach, carrot, and petit tomato, an ethanol volatilization process is performed.

As described above, by spraying the vegetable shelf life improving agent on the vegetables before heating with the hand spray container 1, not only the sterilizing / antibacterial effect but also the shelf life improving effect can be obtained. By using a hand spray, the shelf life improving agent for vegetables can be evenly adhered to the vegetables, and it can be easily used even in ordinary households. An immediate sterilizing effect can be obtained with ethanol, and the odor of alcohol can be reduced by going through an ethanol volatilization step. Further, since the quick-drying property can be obtained by containing alcohol, the surface of the vegetables does not become wet after the use of the longevity improving agent for vegetables, and the vegetables are less likely to be damaged. After the ethanol volatilization step, the antibacterial effect is maintained by the food-derived antibacterial component remaining on the vegetable surface. It is thought that these combined actions improve the shelf life of vegetables. And since the antibacterial component derived from food is used, vegetables can be eaten with peace of mind after using the longevity improving agent for vegetables.

(Antibacterial effect and shelf life improvement effect in other foods)
As described above, the longevity improving agent for vegetables not only has a high antibacterial effect on the vegetables before heating after harvesting, but also has an effect on improving the shelf life, but various types other than the vegetables before heating after harvesting. It also has a high antibacterial effect and a shelf life improving effect on foods. For example, Table 3 shows the antibacterial test results on the food surface at room temperature. In this test, each of the test agents shown in Table 1 is sprayed on the surfaces of the strawberry and the hamburger. After spraying, leave it in the air for 10 minutes and let it stand still. This is to allow airborne bacteria to adhere to food. During this period, most of the ethanol is volatilized.

With the lid of the container containing each food closed, the mold was stored in a sealed container at a temperature of 28 ° C. for one month, and the degree of mold growth was confirmed.

In the examples, the growth of mold in strawberry was suppressed and only mold was generated in the region of less than 1/8 of the total surface area. In the examples, there was no mold growth on the hamburger. This is mainly due to the fact that the growth of mold could be suppressed by the antibacterial component derived from food. In other words, even if the entire amount of ethanol is dissipated in the ethanol dissipating step, the sterilizing effect can be obtained by the remaining food-derived antibacterial component. On the other hand, in the comparative example, mold was generated on the whole of the strawberry and the hamburger.

Next, Table 4 shows the food preservation test in the refrigerated storage. In this test, each of pork belly (raw) and shredded cabbage (raw) is placed in a container and allowed to stand in the air for 10 minutes. This is to allow airborne bacteria to adhere to food. Then, after spraying each test agent shown in Table 1 on the surface of each food, it is allowed to stand for about 20 seconds. During this 20 seconds, a part of ethanol of each of Examples and Comparative Examples is vaporized and released to the outside of the container (some ethanol remains in the container). After about 20 seconds, the lid of the container containing each food was closed, and the food was stored in a sealed container at a temperature of 5 ° C for one week, and the degree of deterioration of the food was confirmed.

Discoloration of pork belly (raw) was suppressed in both Examples and Comparative Examples. In addition, discoloration of shredded cabbage (raw) was suppressed in both Examples and Comparative Examples. In this way, it was confirmed that the shelf life of refrigerated foods was improved. In the examples, although the ethanol concentration is lower than that in the comparative example, the shelf life improving effect comparable to that in the comparative example can be obtained. It is considered that this is because the growth of various germs was suppressed by the antibacterial component derived from food together with the ethanol partially remaining in the container.

(Bacterial growth suppression test in other foods)
Next, a bacterial growth suppression test in other foods will be described. As shown in Tables 5 to 8, the prepared foods are boiled broccoli, boiled noodles (cup yakisoba noodles), bacon, and omelet. The test method is as follows.
1. 1. Weigh 10 g of each food into a plastic cup.
2. 2. Leave each food in the air for 10 minutes without the lid of the cup. This is to allow airborne bacteria to adhere to food.
3. 3. Spray the vegetable shelf life improver evenly over the whole food (adhesion process). Then, let stand for about 20 seconds (ethanol emission step). During this ethanol dissipating step, part of the ethanol is vaporized and dissipated to the outside of the cup. After about 20 seconds, cover the cup. For untreated, cover the cup without spraying the vegetable shelf life improver.
Leave it for a certain period of time (4 hours, 8 hours) under the temperature condition of 4.35 ° C. to grow the bacteria.
5. 90 g of physiological saline is added to each food, and the food is crushed and stirred with a hand mixer.
Each suspension obtained in 6.5 is serially diluted and seeded in 0.2 ml each on SCDLP agar medium or Mannit salt agar medium for confirming the effect of the bactericide.
7. Count the number of bacteria after culturing for 2 days.

It can be seen that for all the foods, the examples have a high sterilizing effect as compared with the untreated food. In addition, broccoli has some growth of bacteria in the examples, but it is considered that this is because broccoli has a complicated shape and is complicated, so that it could not be sprayed evenly on the surface.

(Food flavor after processing)
Next, the flavor test of the food after the sterilization treatment with the vegetable shelf life improver will be described. The prepared foods are as shown in Table 9, which are sausage, omelet, and pineapple (raw).

The test method is as follows.
1. 1. Make each food bite-sized and place it in a plastic cup.
2. 2. Spray the vegetable shelf life improver evenly over the whole food (adhesion process). Then, let stand for about 20 seconds (ethanol emission step). During this ethanol dissipating step, part of the ethanol is vaporized and dissipated to the outside of the cup. After about 20 seconds, cover the cup. For untreated, cover the cup without spraying the vegetable shelf life improver. When the lid is closed, it is almost sealed and ethanol remains inside.
3. 3. After 2 to 4 hours had passed after the lid was put on, the monitor was asked to continue eating the example without treatment and to evaluate the taste in 5 stages. The untreated and the examples were eaten in the same manner, but the test was conducted without telling the monitor which was the example. The number of monitors was twelve. If you feel it is very delicious, you will get 5 points, and if you feel it is not delicious, you will get 1 point. The average value of the points is shown in Table 9.

As shown in this table, there was almost no difference in taste between the untreated one and the treated one according to the examples. That is, it is possible to prevent the taste of each food from deteriorating by going through the ethanol dissipating step.

(Confirmation of ethanol emission amount)
When the shelf life improver for vegetables of the example was sprayed on a 600 mL plastic container (without a lid) evenly in a room temperature environment and the amount of decrease in the mass of the liquid was measured, about 90% by weight was obtained after 20 seconds. After 1 minute, the residual rate was about 80% by weight, and after 4 minutes, the residual rate was about 55% by mass. That is, after 20 seconds, about 10% by weight of the examples were released to the outside of the container. Here, since 52.3% by weight of ethanol was originally contained in the examples, if the total amount of the emitted mass is ethanol, it means that about 20% of the original ethanol is emitted. .. After 1 minute, about 20% by weight of the examples were released, but if the total amount of the released components was ethanol, about 40% of the original ethanol was released.

That is, in the above-mentioned "flavor of food after treatment" test, it was allowed to stand for about 20 seconds in the ethanol volatilization step, and it is considered that about 20% of the ethanol was released at this time. In this way, it is possible to prevent the taste of each food from deteriorating by going through an ethanol dissipating step of dissipating about 20% of ethanol.

(Efficacy against feline calicivirus)
Next, the virus infectivity titer measurement test before and after the treatment with the virus inactivating agent will be described. Feline calicivirus is used in this test, and this feline calicivirus is used in the test as an alternative to norovirus, which has a similar structure. This is because norovirus is difficult to culture and an easy method for evaluating the infectious titer has not yet been established. That is, it is generally considered that any agent that exhibits sufficient antiviral property in a test using feline calicivirus is also considered to exhibit sufficient antiviral property against norovirus.

When performing a virus infectivity titer measurement test, first, cells are monolayer-cultured in a cell culture microplate (96 holes) using a cell proliferation medium. The cells are CRFK cells. Then, the monolayer cultured cells were inoculated with a diluted virus suspension solution of feline calicivirus (FCV) and adsorbed to the cells in a carbon dioxide incubator (CO2 concentration: 5%) at 37 ° C ± 1 ° C for 1 hour. After that, the virus inoculum is removed, a cell maintenance medium is added, and the cells are cultured for 4 to 7 days. Then, the cells are stained with amide black, the life and death of the cells are confirmed, and the 50% tissue culture infectious titer (TCID ₅₀ / ml) is calculated by the Reed-Muench method. The lower the value, the lower the infectivity.

In general, non-enveloped viruses such as feline calicivirus have stronger resistance to various disinfectants and antibacterial agents than enveloped viruses such as influenza virus. Therefore, any agent that is effective against non-enveloped viruses is likely to be effective against enveloped viruses in a shorter time.

The results of the feline calicivirus infectious titer measurement test are shown in FIG. In the graph, "10 seconds" indicates that the contact time between the test agent and the virus is 10 seconds, and "30 seconds" means that the contact time between the test agent and the virus is 30 seconds. Is shown. In the case of "10 seconds", it can be called a short-time contact test, and in the case of "30 seconds", it can be called a long-time contact test. The value in the graph is a log value (log TCID ₅₀ / ml) having an infection value of TCID ₅₀ / ml. As a control, sterilized water was used. It can be said that the lower the logTCID ₅₀ / ml of the test agent is compared to the control, the higher the antiviral property. From the results shown in FIG. 2, it can be seen that the examples are also effective against feline calicivirus, which is difficult to be effective even in the comparative examples.

(Effectiveness against envelope virus)
When confirming the efficacy against enveloped virus, the efficacy test procedure against feline calicivirus may be changed as follows. That is, an influenza virus (A / Udon / 72 (H3N2)) is used, and trypsin is added to the cell maintenance medium using the cells as MDCK cells.

The results of the influenza virus infectious titer measurement test are shown in FIG. From the results shown in FIG. 3, it can be seen that the examples are also effective against feline calicivirus, which is difficult to be effective even in the comparative examples.

(Action and effect of the embodiment)
As described above, according to this embodiment, a vegetable shelf life improver containing a food-derived antibacterial component and ethanol can be sprayed from the hand spray container 1 and adhered to various vegetables at home. Safe and easy to use for freshly harvested vegetables.

The above embodiments are merely exemplary in all respects and should not be construed in a limited way. Further, all modifications and modifications belonging to the equivalent scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention.

As described above, the vegetable shelf life improving agent and the vegetable shelf life improving method according to the present invention can be used, for example, for vegetables harvested in a vegetable garden.

1 Hand spray container 2 Container body 3 Spray nozzle 4 Trigger 5 Pump mechanism 6 Spray port

Claims (6)

In a vegetable shelf life improver that is housed in a hand spray container and used for vegetables after harvest and before heating.
Antibacterial ingredients derived from food and
A shelf life improver for vegetables characterized by containing ethanol. In the vegetable shelf life improving agent according to claim 1,
A longevity improving agent for vegetables, wherein the concentration of ethanol is 50 v / v% or more. In the vegetable shelf life improving agent according to claim 1 or 2.
A longevity improving agent for vegetables, which contains a citrus seed extract as an antibacterial component derived from the food. In the vegetable shelf life improving agent according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
A longevity improver for vegetables characterized by containing at least one of citric acid and lactic acid. A vegetable shelf life improver containing food-derived antibacterial ingredients and ethanol is stored in a hand spray container.
A method for improving the shelf life of vegetables, which comprises an adhesion step of attaching the longevity improving agent for vegetables sprayed from the hand spray container to the vegetables before heating after harvesting. In the method for improving the shelf life for vegetables according to claim 5.
After the adhesion step, an ethanol volatilization step of volatilizing ethanol for a predetermined time is provided.
A method for improving the shelf life of vegetables, which comprises closing the container for accommodating the vegetables after the ethanol volatilization step.

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