JP2023136485A - Softened food producing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a softened food producing method for producing a food product with meat as a raw material, which maintains appearance and a shape and includes a packaging process for a producing process.SOLUTION: A method of producing a softened food product consisting of meat includes: a pre-treatment process of heating meat to a prescribed temperature; a freezing-drying process of freezing and drying heated meat; a permeation process of making at least water permeate the frozen and dried meat; a packaging process of packaging meat in a state in which meat and enzyme which breaks down prescribed substrates in meat exist in a packaging container; and a heating process of heating packaged meat to an active temperature of enzyme.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for producing a softened food product made of meat.

As the population ages in recent years, the number of people with dysphagia and reduced chewing ability is increasing, so there is a need for the development of soft foods that can be easily crushed with the gums and tongue (so-called soft foods). ing. Conventional softened foods have been manufactured using techniques such as chopping ingredients into small pieces or grinding them using a mixer or the like. However, in the softened foods produced using these methods, the ingredients do not retain their original shape, and the appearance and taste are deteriorated compared to the original ingredients, which can lead to a decrease in the appetite of those who eat the softened foods. I was invited.

Therefore, in recent years, in the food industry, attention has been focused on methods of softening foods by decomposing substrates such as proteins using enzymes as a method of softening foods while maintaining their shape as much as possible. The applicant has also proposed a method for producing a softened food product described in Patent Document 1.

The softened food production method described in Patent Document 1 includes a pretreatment step of heating meat to a predetermined temperature, a freeze-drying step of freeze-drying the heated meat, an infiltration step of infiltrating the freeze-dried meat with an enzyme, and a step of infiltrating the enzyme. and heating the infiltrated meat to the enzyme activation temperature. In this softened food manufacturing method, by performing the pretreatment step, the amount of protein complexes remaining in the meat is reduced, and the proteins in the meat are appropriately decomposed. Therefore, the food obtained by the softened food production method ultimately becomes soft with suppressed deterioration in taste, appearance, and shape.

JP2020-74731A

By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional method for producing softened foods, meat is freeze-dried, enzymes are infiltrated into the freeze-dried meat, and then the meat is heated to the activation temperature of the enzyme to advance the enzyme reaction, thereby producing softened foods. Manufactured.

However, after the enzymatic reaction, the meat becomes soft and easily loses its shape due to external force. For this reason, it is difficult to transport or package meat after enzymatic reaction while maintaining its appearance and shape. There is a problem in that it is difficult to produce retort food. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the conventional softened food manufacturing method described above.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a method for producing a softened food that uses meat as a raw material and can produce a food that includes a packaging process in the production process while maintaining its appearance and shape. .

The characteristic structure of the softened food manufacturing method according to the present invention for achieving the above object is as follows:
A method for producing a softened food consisting of meat, the method comprising:
a pretreatment step of heating the meat to a predetermined temperature;
a freeze-drying step of freeze-drying the heated meat;
an infiltration step of infiltrating at least water into the freeze-dried meat;
a packaging step of packaging the meat in a state where the meat and an enzyme that decomposes a predetermined substrate in the meat are present in a packaging container;
The method includes a heating step of heating the packaged meat to the activation temperature of the enzyme.

According to the above feature, the packaging step is performed before the heating step, and the meat, which has a certain degree of hardness and has not yet been enzymatically reacted, is packaged. After the packaging process, a heating process is performed to soften the meat by decomposing the proteins in the meat through the decomposition action of enzymes. Therefore, the appearance and shape of the meat can be maintained before and after packaging. Therefore, according to the softened food production method having the above-mentioned characteristics, it is possible to produce a food (frozen food or retort food) that includes a packaging process in the production process while maintaining the appearance and shape of meat.

Further characteristic configurations of the softened food manufacturing method according to the present invention include:
The present invention is characterized in that a conveying step of conveying the meat to a predetermined location is carried out between at least one of the permeation step and the packaging step and between the packaging step and the heating step.

According to the above-mentioned characteristic configuration, the transportation step is performed before the heating step, and the meat that has a certain degree of hardness before enzymatic reaction can be transported to a predetermined location, so that the appearance and shape of the meat can be maintained. At the same time, it can be used in manufacturing processes that require transportation of meat.

Further characteristic configurations of the softened food manufacturing method according to the present invention include:
The infiltration step includes:
a water absorption step in which the freeze-dried meat absorbs the water;
and an enzyme infiltration step of infiltrating the enzyme into the meat that has absorbed the water.

According to the characteristic structure described above, after implementing the water absorption step, for example, the meat that has absorbed water can be transported to another location, and then the enzyme can be permeated into the meat.

Further characteristic configurations of the softened food manufacturing method according to the present invention include:
The enzyme permeation step is carried out within the packaging container.

When enzymes penetrate meat, the enzymatic reaction proceeds little by little even at temperatures below the enzyme's activation temperature, and there is a risk that the meat will become softer. However, according to the above characteristic structure, the meat is stored in the packaging container before being penetrated by the enzyme, and then the enzyme is allowed to penetrate into the meat, so the meat softens before being stored in the packaging container and It is possible to avoid the situation where the appearance and shape of meat deteriorates when it is stored in a refrigerator.

Further characteristic configurations of the softened food manufacturing method according to the present invention include:
The present invention is characterized in that, between the water absorption step and the enzyme permeation step, a transport step of transporting the meat to a predetermined location is performed.

According to the above characteristic configuration, after the water absorption process is performed and before the enzyme is permeated into the meat, the meat that has not yet been softened can be transported to another location, so that the appearance and shape of the meat during transportation can be Deterioration can be suppressed.

Further characteristic configurations of the softened food manufacturing method according to the present invention include:
The permeation step is a step of permeating the water and the enzyme into the meat at the same timing.

According to the above-mentioned characteristic configuration, water permeation and enzyme permeation into meat can be performed simultaneously, and the manufacturing process can be simplified compared to a case where these are performed separately.

Further characteristic configurations of the softened food manufacturing method according to the present invention include:
The point is that the infiltration step is carried out within the packaging container.

When enzymes penetrate meat, the enzymatic reaction proceeds little by little even at temperatures below the enzyme's activation temperature, and there is a risk that the meat will become softer. However, according to the above characteristic structure, the meat is stored in the packaging container before being penetrated by the enzyme, and then the enzyme is allowed to penetrate into the meat, so the meat softens before being stored in the packaging container and It is possible to avoid the situation where the appearance and shape of meat deteriorates when it is stored in a refrigerator.

Further characteristic configurations of the softened food manufacturing method according to the present invention include:
In the infiltration step, the enzyme is infiltrated into the meat under a reduced pressure of 1 kPa or more and 80 kPa or less.

According to the above characteristic structure, in the infiltration process, the meat is placed under a reduced pressure of 1 kPa or more and 80 kPa or less, so that the enzyme can easily penetrate into the inside of the meat in a short time, and the enzyme can penetrate uniformly throughout the meat in a short time. can be done.

Further characteristic configurations of the softened food manufacturing method according to the present invention include:
After the meat is infiltrated with the enzyme in the infiltration step, the meat is maintained at a temperature below the activation temperature of the enzyme until the meat is packaged in the packaging step.

According to the above characteristic configuration, the progress of softening of the meat due to enzyme reaction can be suppressed until the meat is packaged, and deterioration of the appearance and shape of the meat can be suppressed until the meat is packaged.

Further characteristic configurations of the softened food manufacturing method according to the present invention include:
In the packaging step, the meat is packaged with the seasoning present in the packaging container.

According to the characteristic configuration described above, in the subsequent heating step, it becomes possible to simultaneously perform the softening of the meat due to the progress of the enzymatic reaction and the heating and cooking of the meat.

This is a photograph taken of a sample (Example) in a packaging container. This is a photograph taken of a sample (comparative example) in a packaging container.

Hereinafter, a method for producing a softened food product according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Preferred examples are described below, but each of these examples is described to more specifically illustrate the present invention, and various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the following description.

The softened food production method according to the embodiment is a method for producing a softened food made of meat, which includes a pretreatment step of heating the meat to a predetermined temperature, a freeze-drying step of freeze-drying the heated meat, and a freeze-drying step of freezing the heated meat. an infiltration step in which at least water is infiltrated into the meat; a packaging step in which the meat is packaged in a state in which the meat and an enzyme that decomposes a predetermined substrate in the meat are present in the packaging container; a heating step of heating to an activation temperature. Moreover, in the softened food manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, a transport step of transporting the meat to a place where the next step is performed is performed as appropriate. In addition, although the case where a substrate is a protein is demonstrated below as an example, a substrate is not restricted to a protein.

That is, in the softened food production method according to the present embodiment, proteins in the meat are appropriately denatured and decomposed by heating the meat to a predetermined temperature (for example, 90° C.) in the pretreatment step. Thereafter, the meat in which the protein has been appropriately denatured and decomposed is freeze-dried, thereby drying the meat while maintaining the state in which the protein has been denatured and decomposed. Thereafter, at least water is allowed to permeate the freeze-dried meat, and the meat is packaged with the meat and enzyme present in the packaging container. The packaged meat is then heated to the enzyme activation temperature. As a result, the proteins in the meat are decomposed by the decomposition action of the enzyme, and the meat becomes soft. In the softened food manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, the above-mentioned series of manufacturing steps are performed while appropriately transporting the meat.

In the pretreatment step, specifically, the meat is heated using a heating method such as steaming, boiling, or stir-frying to appropriately denature and decompose proteins in the meat. In addition, by steaming and heating the meat, drippings during cooking are reduced, and the taste of the softened food is less likely to deteriorate. Therefore, in the pretreatment step, it is preferable to heat the meat to a predetermined temperature by steaming it. In addition, from the viewpoint of appropriately denaturing and decomposing proteins, the predetermined temperature is preferably 70°C or more and 130°C or less, and more preferably 90°C or more and 120°C or less.

Here, in this softened food production method, by implementing the pretreatment step, there are the following advantages. In other words, by carrying out the pretreatment process, the protein complexes in meat can be properly separated into multiple subunits in advance, making it difficult for the protein complexes to remain in the softened food. This makes it easier for enzymes to break down proteins. Furthermore, by carrying out the pretreatment process, the proteins in the meat are in a moderately denatured state, and since the enzymes do not act on the denatured proteins, the undenatured proteins are degraded by the enzymes. . As described above, according to this method for producing a softened food, by performing the pretreatment step, the amount of protein complexes remaining in the meat is reduced, and the protein is appropriately decomposed. Therefore, the finally obtained softened food is soft and the deterioration of taste is suppressed.

In the freeze-drying process, the meat after the pretreatment process that is appropriately transported is frozen using, for example, an ultra-low temperature refrigerator or liquid nitrogen, and then the frozen meat is dried using a known freeze-drying device. As a result, the meat is dried while the protein is maintained in a moderately denatured and decomposed state, making it possible to store it for a long time. Furthermore, in this application, "freeze-drying" does not necessarily mean freeze-drying to the limit where no noticeable decrease in the moisture content of meat can be seen even if the meat is continued to be freeze-dried. It also includes freeze-drying until the water content is reduced to some extent.

In this embodiment, the infiltration process includes a water absorption process in which water is absorbed into the freeze-dried meat, and an enzyme infiltration process in which the enzyme is infiltrated into the water-absorbed meat.

Specifically, in the water absorption step of this embodiment, the freeze-dried meat that is transported as appropriate is immersed in water to make the meat absorb water. Note that the degree of water absorption of meat in the water absorption step may be appropriately set.

In the enzyme infiltration step of this embodiment, the water-absorbed meat to be transported as appropriate is stored in a packaging container, a treatment liquid containing an enzyme is added to the packaging container, the meat is immersed in the treatment liquid, and the meat is placed inside the packaging container. The enzyme is permeated into the meat by reducing the pressure.

Here, if the enzyme penetrates into the meat, the enzymatic reaction will proceed little by little even below the activation temperature of the enzyme, and there is a possibility that the meat will become softer. However, in this embodiment, the meat is appropriately transported and stored in the packaging container before performing the enzyme infiltration process, so the appearance and shape of the meat may deteriorate before being stored in the packaging container. You can avoid the situation.

The treatment liquid can be one in which an enzyme is dispersed in an aqueous solvent containing water or alcohol. , mirin, sugar, sauce, etc.), thickeners, and other various additives. In this embodiment, the processing liquid contains seasonings.

The concentration of the enzyme in the treatment solution is not particularly limited, but if the concentration of the enzyme is less than 0.001% by mass, the decomposition effect of the enzyme becomes too weak and the time required for treatment increases. . On the other hand, if the content is higher than 1% by mass, the taste of the enzyme itself will appear too strongly in the taste of the softened food produced, or the decomposition action of the enzyme will become too strong, making it difficult to maintain the shape. Therefore, the concentration of the enzyme in the treatment liquid is preferably 0.001% by mass or more and 1% by mass or less.

The enzyme used is not particularly limited as long as it can decompose any substrate in meat, but if the substrate is a protein, protease is used. In addition, the proteases include Bromelain F (active temperature 65-75°C), papain W-40 (active temperature 70-90°C), Aloase (registered trademark) XA-10 (active temperature 60-75°C), Aroase AP- 10 (active temperature 50-65°C), Protin NY100 (active temperature 50-55°C), Protin SD-AY10 (active temperature 70-80°C), Nucleisin (registered trademark) (active temperature 55-65°C), Alcalase ( (registered trademark), Bioplase (registered trademark) OP (active temperature 50-60°C), Bioplase SP-20 (active temperature 60-70°C), Orientase (registered trademark) 22BF (active temperature 60-70°C), Orientase AY (active temperature 50-60°C), orientase OP, protease A "Amano" SD (active temperature 40-50°C), protease P "Amano" SD (active temperature 40-50°C), protease M "Amano" G , Sumiteam (registered trademark) AP, Sumiteam ACP-G, Sumiteam LP-G, Sumiteam FP-G, Sumiteam FLAP-G, Sumiteam DPP-G, Denapsin 2P, Denazyme (registered trademark) Protease YP-SS, Denazyme AP (active) Temperature: 45-55°C), Denazyme PMC SOFTER (Active temperature: 40-60°C), Panchidase (registered trademark) NP-2 (Active temperature: 50-60°C), Samoase (Active temperature: 50-60°C), Collagenase (Active temperature: 50-60°C) 30-50℃), Neurose F3G (Activity temperature 40-50℃), Gluczyme AF6 (Activity temperature 58℃), Hemicellulase "Amano" 90 (Activity temperature 50℃), Cellulase T "Amano" 4, (Activity temperature 45°C), Protease M "Amano" SD (activity temperature 50°C), Protease P "Amano" 3SD (active temperature 40°C), Protin SD-NY10 (active temperature 50°C), Flavourzyme (registered trademark) 1000 L (activity Flavourzyme 500 MG (active temperature 40-50°C), Proteax (active temperature 70°C), Peptidase R (active temperature 37°C), Kiwifruit enzyme manufactured by Biocorp Japan Co., Ltd. (active temperature 40-50°C), temperature of 50 to 70°C). Furthermore, the enzymes may be used alone or in combination of two or more enzymes that do not inhibit each other. Furthermore, enzymes may be derived from plants or microorganisms, and enzymes derived from plants and microorganisms may be used in combination.

Further, in the enzyme permeation step included in the permeation step, it is preferable that the enzyme is permeated into the meat under a reduced pressure of 1 kPa or more and 80 kPa or less (preferably 5 kPa or more and 40 kPa or less). That is, in this embodiment, it is preferable to reduce the pressure within the packaging container to a pressure within the above range to allow the enzyme to permeate the meat. In this way, the enzyme can easily penetrate into the inside of the meat in a short period of time, and the enzyme can be uniformly permeated throughout the meat in a short period of time.

In the packaging process of this embodiment, meat is packaged with meat, enzymes, and seasonings contained in a packaging container by sealing the packaging container while reducing the pressure inside the packaging container using a vacuum packaging machine. That is, in this embodiment, the enzyme infiltration process and the packaging process are performed in parallel using vacuum packaging technology.

In addition, while the enzyme infiltration process and the packaging process are performed in parallel (in other words, after the meat is infiltrated with the enzyme and before the meat is packaged), the meat is kept at a temperature below the activation temperature (for example, 60°C). It is preferable to maintain the In this way, the progress of softening of the meat due to the enzymatic reaction can be suppressed until the meat is packaged, and deterioration of the appearance and shape of the meat can be suppressed before the meat is packaged.

Specifically, the heating process involves heating the packaged meat impregnated with enzymes to a predetermined temperature (for example, about 60°C), and then maintaining the predetermined temperature for a certain period of time (for example, about 1 minute to 120 minutes). It softens meat by breaking down proteins through enzymatic decomposition reactions. Further, in this embodiment, since the seasoning is contained in the packaging container, the meat is softened and the cooking of the meat progresses. A method of heating meat to a predetermined temperature and maintaining the temperature for a predetermined period of time includes a method of leaving a packaging container containing enzyme-impregnated meat in a constant temperature bath at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined period of time.

In this manner, in this embodiment, the heating step is performed after the meat impregnated with the enzyme is packaged. Therefore, during the series of manufacturing processes up to the end of the packaging process, it is possible to maintain the meat in an almost unsoftened state (a state with a certain degree of hardness in which the enzymatic reaction has not progressed), and it is possible to maintain the meat in an almost unsoftened state (a state with a certain degree of hardness in which the enzymatic reaction has not progressed), and to transport and package the meat. However, the appearance and shape of the meat are unlikely to deteriorate. Therefore, while maintaining the appearance and shape of meat, it can be used in manufacturing processes that include the transportation process of meat and the packaging process of meat, and it is possible to manufacture foods (frozen foods and retort foods) that include these processes in the manufacturing process. .

Note that by performing retort sterilization treatment (heating at 120° C. or higher) after the heating step, a retort food using softened foodstuffs can be produced as a softened food. Further, by performing heat sterilization treatment (heating at 90° C. or higher) after the heating step and then freezing, a frozen food using the softened food material can be produced as a softened food.

In this application, "meat" is a concept that includes the meat of birds and animals such as chicken, duck, beef, horse, mutton, and wild boar, as well as the meat of seafood such as fish, crustaceans, and shellfish.

[Another embodiment]
[1] In the above embodiment, the enzyme infiltration process is performed in the packaging container in parallel with the packaging process, but the invention is not limited to this. After the meat is infiltrated with the enzyme, the meat is packaged. (a mode in which the enzyme infiltration step is performed outside the packaging container and then the meat is placed inside the packaging container and packaged). In this case, from the perspective of suppressing the progress of softening of the meat due to the enzymatic reaction before packaging, the meat is stored in a packaging container after the enzyme infiltration process, and the meat is kept at the enzyme activation temperature until the meat is packaged. It is preferable to keep it below.

[2] In the above embodiment, a water absorption process and an enzyme permeation process are performed as the infiltration process, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, in the infiltration process, meat after freeze-drying is placed in a packaging container, and a processing liquid consisting of water, enzymes, seasonings, etc. is poured into the packaging container, and the water, enzymes, and seasonings are infiltrated into the meat. The process, that is, the water absorption process and the enzyme permeation process may be performed at the same timing.

[3] In the above embodiment, the series of manufacturing steps are performed while transporting the meat as appropriate, but the method is not limited to this, and the transport step may be performed as appropriate. For example, in the above embodiment, the meat is stored in a packaging container after the water absorption process, and a transportation process is performed between the water absorption process and the enzyme permeation process, but the meat is frozen before the water absorption process. The dried meat may be transported and housed in a packaging container, and these steps may be performed sequentially without performing the transport step between the water absorption step and the enzyme permeation step. Further, as described above, in the case where the water absorption step and the enzyme penetration step are performed at the same timing, there is no need to perform the conveyance step between the water absorption step and the enzyme penetration step. In this case, the infiltration step may be performed within the packaging container or outside the packaging container.

[4] In the above embodiment, meat is packaged with seasoning present in the packaging container in the packaging process, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the processing liquid does not contain seasoning, etc. There may be no seasoning in the packaging container at the time of packaging the meat.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail based on examples. It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the examples.

〔Example〕
100 g of beef thigh meat was used as a sample, and the sample was steamed in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes and heated to at least 100° C. (pretreatment step), and then dried for one day using a freeze-drying device (freeze-drying step). The dried sample and water in which 0.1% by mass of papain W-40 (manufactured by Amano Enzyme Co., Ltd.) was dissolved were placed in a vacuum packaging container, allowed to absorb water for 1 hour (water absorption process), and then vacuum packaged. Using a machine, the pressure inside the container was reduced to approximately 5 kPa or more and 20 kPa or less, and the container was sealed while allowing the enzyme to penetrate into the sample (enzyme permeation step, packaging step). Thereafter, the container containing the sample was immersed in a constant temperature bath at 60° C. for 30 minutes to cause an enzyme reaction (heating step). Thereafter, it was subjected to retort sterilization treatment or heat sterilization followed by freezing treatment.

[Comparative example]
The freeze-drying process was carried out in the same manner as in the example, and the dried sample was placed in water containing 0.1% by mass of papain W-40 (manufactured by Amano Enzyme Co., Ltd.), allowed to absorb water for 1 hour, and then heated to 5kPa. It was allowed to penetrate inside under reduced pressure (infiltration process). Thereafter, the sample was placed in a zippered storage bag and immersed in a constant temperature bath at 60° C. for 30 minutes to cause an enzyme reaction (heating step). Thereafter, the sample was placed in a vacuum packaging container, and the container was sealed using a vacuum packaging machine while reducing the pressure within the container to approximately 5 kPa or more and 20 kPa or less (packaging step). Thereafter, it was subjected to retort sterilization treatment or heat sterilization followed by freezing treatment.

1 and 2 are photographs of the sample in a packaging container after the packaging process, with FIG. 1 relating to an example and FIG. 2 relating to a comparative example. As can be seen from the figure, the shape of the meat is maintained in FIG. 1, whereas in FIG. 2, the shape of the meat is distorted and broken into pieces due to the packaging process.

From the above, it is possible to maintain the appearance and shape of the meat before and after packaging by performing the packaging process before the heating process, that is, by packaging the enzyme-infiltrated meat before the heating process. I was able to confirm that.

The method for producing a softened food product of the present invention can be used to produce a softened food product using meat as a raw material.

Claims (10)

A method for producing a softened food consisting of meat, the method comprising:
a pretreatment step of heating the meat to a predetermined temperature;
a freeze-drying step of freeze-drying the heated meat;
an infiltration step of infiltrating at least water into the freeze-dried meat;
a packaging step of packaging the meat in a state where the meat and an enzyme that decomposes a predetermined substrate in the meat are present in a packaging container;
A method for producing a softened food product, comprising: heating the packaged meat to the activation temperature of the enzyme. 2. A transport step of transporting the meat to a predetermined location is performed between at least one of the permeation step and the packaging step and between the packaging step and the heating step. method for producing softened foods. The infiltration step includes:
a water absorption step in which the freeze-dried meat absorbs the water;
3. The method for producing a softened food product according to claim 1, comprising an enzyme infiltration step of infiltrating the enzyme into the meat that has absorbed the water. The method for producing a softened food product according to claim 3, wherein the enzyme permeation step is performed within the packaging container. 5. The softened food manufacturing method according to claim 3, further comprising carrying out a transportation step of transporting the meat to a predetermined location between the water absorption step and the enzyme permeation step. 3. The softened food manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the infiltration step is a step of infiltrating the meat with the water and the enzyme at the same timing. The method for producing a softened food product according to claim 6, wherein the infiltration step is performed within the packaging container. The method for producing a softened food according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein in the infiltration step, the enzyme is infiltrated into the meat under a reduced pressure of 1 kPa or more and 80 kPa or less. Any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the meat is maintained at a temperature below the activation temperature of the enzyme after the meat is infiltrated with the enzyme in the infiltration step and until the meat is packaged in the packaging step. The softened food production method described in . The method for producing a softened food product according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein in the packaging step, the meat is packaged in a state where a seasoning is present in the packaging container.