JP2024148891A - Dry food manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a production method of a dried food which can cause the dried food to have more improved water absorbability at restoration before eating.SOLUTION: A dried food which is caused to absorb restoration liquid to be restored to an edible state is produced by performing: a kneading step S2 of kneading minced meat and an ingredient to produce a kneaded foodstuff; a baking step S3 of baking the kneaded foodstuff in a molded state to produce a baked foodstuff; and a freeze-drying step S4 of freeze-drying the baked foodstuff, in this order. In the production, the water content of the kneaded foodstuff is adjusted in the kneading step S2 so as to cause the water content of the baked foodstuff at a start time point of the freeze-drying step S4 to be 65% or more.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a method for producing a dried food that is made using minced meat as the main ingredient and can be restored to an edible state by absorbing a reconstituting liquid.

As a method for producing this type of dried food, the applicant has disclosed a method for producing "dried food of hamburger steak and demi-glace sauce" in the following patent document. In this method, the hamburger steak is freeze-dried to produce a first food block, and the demi-glace sauce is freeze-dried to produce a second food block, and both food blocks are placed in a container and sealed to produce a "demi-glace hamburger steak" as a "dried food that can be restored to an edible state by absorbing moisture."

In this case, in this "demi-glace hamburger", both food blocks are contained within the container body so that the first block is located closer to the inlet/outlet side of the container body than the second block. Therefore, in this "demi-glace hamburger", when liquid is injected into the container body from the inlet/outlet to restore it to an edible state, the injected liquid comes into contact with the first food block contained on the inlet/outlet side first, and the injected liquid can be preferably absorbed by the first food block. This makes it possible to preferably restore the first food block to an edible state.

JP 2022-147879 A (Pages 6-12, Figures 1-6)

However, the manufacturing method disclosed by the applicant in the above patent document has the following issues that need to be improved:

Specifically, the dried food manufacturing method disclosed by the applicant is characterized in that the first food block, which has a lower water absorption rate than the second food block when restored to an edible state, is stored closer to the inlet/outlet in the container body, so that the liquid injected from the inlet/outlet comes into contact with the first food block before the second food block, allowing the liquid to be absorbed well by the first food block. This makes it possible to restore the first food block, which has low water absorption, more effectively than dried foods that do not use such clever storage positioning.

However, it has been confirmed that in dried foods (demi-glace, hamburger, etc.) produced according to this dried food production method, the water absorption of the first food block decreases when the temperature of the liquid injected into the container during reconstitution is low. Also, after the reconstitution liquid (hot water) is injected from the inlet/outlet, it takes a certain amount of time for the liquid to be sufficiently absorbed into the center of the first food block. For this reason, when the temperature of the injected liquid (hot water) is low or when eating shortly after the start of reconstitution, the center of the first food block may not absorb enough of the liquid, resulting in a dry feeling. Therefore, it is preferable to further improve the water absorption of this first food block.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems that need to be improved, and its main objective is to provide a method for producing dried foods that can further improve water absorption during reconstitution before consumption.

To achieve the above object, the method for producing dried food described in claim 1 performs a kneading process in which minced meat and ingredients are kneaded to produce a kneaded food ingredient, a baking process in which the kneaded food ingredient is molded and baked to produce a baked food ingredient, and a freeze-drying process in which the baked food ingredient is freeze-dried in that order to produce a dried food ingredient that is restored to an edible state by absorbing a restoring liquid, and adjusts the moisture content of the kneaded food ingredient in the kneading process so that the moisture content of the baked food ingredient at the start of the freeze-drying process is 65% or more.

The dried food manufacturing method described in claim 2 is the dried food manufacturing method described in claim 1, in which the kneaded ingredients are baked in a state where they are contained in a mold during the baking process.

Furthermore, the dried food manufacturing method described in claim 3 is the dried food manufacturing method described in claim 2, in which in the baking step, the kneaded ingredients are placed in the annular mold placed on a tray and the kneaded ingredients are baked in a baking chamber.

In the method for producing dried food described in claim 1, a kneading process for producing kneaded ingredients, a baking process for producing baked ingredients, and a freeze-drying process for freeze-drying the baked ingredients are carried out in this order to produce dried food that is restored to an edible state by absorbing a restoring liquid, and the moisture content of the kneaded ingredients is adjusted in the kneading process so that the moisture content of the baked ingredients at the start of the freeze-drying process is 65% or more.

Therefore, in the method for producing dried food described in claim 1, the moisture in the baked ingredients freezes and sublimes in the freeze-drying process, forming countless small gaps and pores in the dried food, and the size and number of these gaps and pores are sufficient according to the amount of moisture contained in the baked ingredients, so that the water absorption during reconstitution can be sufficiently improved. This makes it possible to provide a dried food with high commercial value that can be reconstituted into a food that has a good texture without being dry, by allowing the entire dried food to absorb sufficient moisture.

According to the method for producing dried food described in claim 2, in the baking process, the kneaded ingredients are baked while contained in a mold, so that the moisture content immediately before the start of the freeze-drying process is 65% or more. In the baking process, the kneaded ingredients are made to contain a large amount of moisture, and the kneaded ingredients are baked while maintaining the desired shape to produce baked ingredients. This can significantly improve the aesthetics of the produced dried food.

According to the method for producing dried food described in claim 3, in the baking process, the kneaded ingredients are placed in a ring-shaped form placed on a tray and baked in the baking chamber, so that not only can the ingredients be baked while maintaining the desired shape, but the baked ingredients can be produced without browning the parts of the kneaded ingredients that are in contact with the tray or form during the baking process. This improves the water absorption of the parts that are not browned (the parts that were in contact with the tray or form), and as a result, the water absorption of the entire dried food at the time of reconstitution can be further improved.

1 is a flow chart of a dried food manufacturing process 1.

Below, an embodiment of the "dried food manufacturing method" will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

In the "dried food manufacturing method" according to the present invention, as an example, a "dried food that is restored to an edible state by absorbing a restoring liquid" is manufactured by the dried food manufacturing process 1 shown in Figure 1. Below, as an example, a method for manufacturing a "hamburger steak" as a "dried food" (a dried food corresponding to the "first food block" disclosed by the applicant in the aforementioned patent document) by this dried food manufacturing process 1 will be described.

1-1. Ingredients used: Minced meat Pork and beef minced meat (50.00%)
・Ingredients: Sautéed onions (14.98%)
White wine (7.48%)
Bread crumbs (6.99%)
Water (5.00%)
Eggs (5.00%)
Milk (5.00%)
Beef extract (3.00%)
Lard (1.50%)
Onion powder (0.60%)
Spices (0.20%)
Yeast extract (0.10%)
Salt (0.10%)
Antioxidants (0.05%)
(The numbers in parentheses indicate the ratio of each ingredient.)

1-2. Cooking process S1
For example, when making "sauteed onions" from raw onions, the onions are chopped and fried (heated). In this example, the frozen sauteed onions that have already been made are thawed and used as an ingredient. Use (an example where no actual "cooking" is performed).
When using ingredients that require various cooking processes, different from the ingredients described above, the necessary operations are carried out in this cooking step S1.

1-3. Kneading process S2
The ingredients are kneaded together so that they are evenly dispersed throughout the minced meat to produce a "kneaded food ingredient."

1-4. Firing process S3
A circular mold (ring) is placed on a tray, and the "mixed ingredients" are filled (contained) in this mold, and then, as one example, it is baked for 12 minutes in a baking chamber (oven) heated to about 200°C to produce "baked ingredients" (an example of a process of "baking the mixed ingredients while they are contained in a mold" as opposed to a process of "baking the mixed ingredients in a shaped state").
In addition, when the shape of the "mixed ingredients" can be maintained without being held by a mold, the "mixed ingredients" that have already been formed into a "hamburger shape" can be placed on a tray and baked without using a mold.

In this example, in which the ingredients were used in the above ratio and baked under the above conditions, it was confirmed that approximately 6% of the moisture contained in the "mixed ingredients" was released from the ingredients in the baking step S3. As a result, in this example, the moisture content of the resulting "baked ingredients" was approximately 69%.

When the moisture content of the resulting "baked ingredients" falls below 65%, the necessary amount of moisture (such as water) is added in the kneading step S2 described above. If too much moisture is added, the "kneaded ingredients" become too fluid, making it difficult to maintain the "hamburger shape" until the completion of the baking step S3. Therefore, it is preferable to adjust the moisture content in the kneading step S2 so that the moisture content of the "baked ingredients" does not exceed 80%.

1-5. Freeze-drying process S4
The mold is removed from the "baked food material" produced in the baking step S3, and the material is set in a freeze-drying device and freeze-dried. This completes the "hamburger steak" with a moisture content of 4% or less.
The specific contents (processing procedures) of this freeze-drying step S4 are publicly known, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

1-6. Packaging process S5
The "hamburger steak" is placed in a container and sealed.
In this case, when the "hamburger steak" and the "demi-glace sauce" are packaged together as in the "dried food" disclosed by the applicant in the above-mentioned patent document, the "hamburger steak" will be larger than the "demi-glace sauce" in the container. It is preferable to house these so that they are located close to the entrance and exit of the device.
Through the above steps, the "hamburger steak" is completed as a "dried food."

In the "hamburger steak" produced by this dried food manufacturing process 1, the large amount of water contained in the "baked ingredients" is turned into small ice chunks in various parts of the ingredients in the freeze-drying process S4, and then sublimated and removed from the ingredients. As a result, the produced "hamburger steak" has numerous small gaps (small spaces) where the ice chunks used to be, and numerous small holes that are created when the ice chunks are removed from the food. Therefore, when a reconstituting liquid (for example, hot water heated to 85°C or higher) is poured onto the "hamburger steak" produced by the dried food manufacturing process 1 when it is eaten, the hot water quickly penetrates into the inside of the "hamburger steak", and the hot water spreads throughout the entire food, allowing it to be restored to a state with a good texture.

Next, we will explain the relationship between the moisture content of the "baked food material," the reconstitution of the produced "dried food," and the texture after reconstitution.

Using a procedure similar to that of dried food manufacturing process 1 described above, various "dried foods (hamburgers)" with different "moisture content of baked ingredients" were produced, and their reconstitution and post-reconstitution texture were evaluated. The results of the evaluation are shown in [Table 1]. Note that the types of ingredients used and the sequence of steps from cooking process S1 to freeze-drying process S4 in dried food manufacturing process 1 are the same as those in the above example, so duplicate explanations will be omitted. Also, in this example, which is intended for evaluation, packaging process S5 will not be performed.

In this case, the "moisture content before the freeze-drying process (after the baking process)" of each of the dried foods A to D was adjusted by varying the amount of water blended in the kneading process S2. As for the "moisture content before the freeze-drying process," "water absorption rate upon reconstitution," and "evaluation (texture)" shown in [Table 1], as an example, 10 test specimens (hamburger steaks) were produced using the same manufacturing procedure for each of the dried foods A to D, and the average values of the individual values of these 10 test specimens are shown in [Table 1].

Here, the "moisture content before the freeze-drying process" was calculated based on the difference between the "weight of the test specimen (baked foodstuff) before the freeze-drying process began" and the "weight of the test specimen after the freeze-drying process was completed (moisture content 4%)" (i.e., the amount of moisture removed in the freeze-drying process), as well as the moisture content of the completed test specimen (dried food) (4%). The "water absorption rate upon reconstitution" was calculated based on the difference between the "weight of the test specimen after the freeze-drying process was completed" and the "weight of the test specimen (hamburger steak restored to an edible state) reconstituted by absorbing the reconstitution liquid" (i.e., the amount of moisture absorbed by the test specimen during reconstitution). As an example of the "reconstitution liquid", "hot water at 85°C" was used.

Regarding the "evaluation (texture)", each test specimen of each of the dried foods A to D was eaten and evaluated by multiple people.
in particular,
- Test specimen in which the food as a whole did not have a "dry" texture: 5 points; - Test specimen in which the food only had a "dry" texture in the top part (the part where browning occurred in the baking process S3): 4 points; - Test specimen in which the food only had a "dry" texture in the top and centre (inner part): 3 points; - Test specimen in which the food as a whole had a "dry" texture: 2 points; - Test specimen that hardly absorbed water (was not restored): 1 point, and the average score for each of the 10 test specimens was calculated.
In this case, "4.5 points or more" was rated as "◎: Excellent", "4 points or more but less than 4.5 points" was rated as "○: Commercializable", and "less than 4 points" was rated as "×: Uncommercializable", and the average of the assigned points was calculated.

In the above evaluation, the term "top and center of the food" refers to the "areas that were the top and center of the kneaded ingredients when they were baked in the baking chamber in baking step S3." In this case, in each of the dried foods A to D produced according to the above-mentioned manufacturing method, browning does not occur on the "surface (bottom) of the lower part of the food" that was in contact with the tray in baking step S3, or on the "surface (side) of the center of the food" that was in contact with the mold, but on the "surface (top) of the upper part of the food." Therefore, the "lower and center of the food" where no browning occurs has better water absorption than the "upper part of the food" where browning occurs, and the "lower part of the food" which has a larger area in contact with the reconstituting liquid has better water absorption than the "center of the food." It is presumed that such "differences in water absorption due to location" are the same for all of the dried foods A to D.

On the other hand, as shown in Table 1, dried food D, which had an average moisture content before the freeze-drying process (moisture content at the start of the freeze-drying process) of 63.1%, which is below 65%, had an average water absorption rate of 212.1% when reconstituted. Many testers felt that the texture of this dried food D was "dry" throughout the test specimens after reconstitution, with the average texture score being 2.41 points. Therefore, dried food D was not evaluated as having the reconstitution properties to be shipped as a product.

In addition, dried food C, which like dried food D had an average moisture content before the freeze-drying process (moisture content at the start of the freeze-drying process) of 64.7%, below 65%, had an average water absorption rate at reconstitution of 222.1%. This dried food C had higher water absorption at reconstitution than dried food D, and while the lower part of the test specimen, which was immersed in the reconstitution liquid, was well reconstituted and few testers felt that it had a "dry" texture, the upper part of the center was felt by many testers to have a "dry" texture, with the average texture score being 3.30 points. Therefore, dried food C was not evaluated as having the reconstitution properties necessary for shipment as a product.

On the other hand, dried food B, which had an average moisture content of 66.6% before the freeze-drying process (moisture content at the start of the freeze-drying process) of more than 65%, had an average water absorption rate of 236.0% when reconstituted. This dried food B has even higher water absorption when reconstituted than dried food C, and although a few testers noted a "dry" texture in the upper part of some of the multiple test specimens, most testers did not note a "dry" texture in most of the multiple test specimens, and the average texture score was 4.16 points. Therefore, dried food B was evaluated as having reconstitution properties that allow it to be shipped as a product.

In addition, dried food A, which like dried food B had an average moisture content of 68.6% before the freeze-drying process (moisture content at the start of the freeze-drying process) of more than 65%, had an average water absorption rate of 251.3% when reconstituted. This dried food A had even higher water absorption when reconstituted than dried food B, and many testers did not feel that the texture of the majority of the test specimens was "dry," with the average texture score being 4.70 points. Therefore, dried food A was evaluated as having very good reconstitution properties that make it suitable for shipping as a product.

As is clear from the above examples of dried foods A to D, the lower the moisture content before the freeze-drying process, the lower the water absorption when reconstituted, and the higher the moisture content before the freeze-drying process, the higher the water absorption when reconstituted. This is because when the baked food is processed in the freeze-drying process, the moisture contained in the baked food freezes to produce small ice blocks in the food, and as these ice blocks sublimate, small gaps are formed in the areas where the ice blocks were present, and as the ice blocks sublimate and leave the food, pores are formed in the paths, making it easier for moisture to be absorbed into the pores and gaps when reconstituted. In other words, the more moisture that becomes ice blocks in the early stages of the freeze-drying process, the more gaps and pores are formed in the food, and the larger they are, which leads to the above tendency. Therefore, in order to produce a dried food (hamburger) with good water absorption, it is preferable to adjust the moisture content in the kneading process so that the moisture content at the start of the freeze-drying process is 65% or more.

Although not shown in Table 1, a test specimen prepared so that the moisture content of the baked ingredients was higher than that of dried food A could be made to have good water absorption at the time of reconstitution, as with dried food A. However, if the moisture content was too high, moisture could leak out of the mixed ingredients before and during baking, or from the baked ingredients after baking, making it impossible to give the food a nice browned mark, and the food's appearance was reduced, and the water absorption of the completed dried food at the time of reconstitution was not significantly improved. Also, although this is not a problem in this example in which the mixed ingredients are filled into a form placed on a tray during the baking process, when a form is not used and the mixed ingredients are placed directly on a tray to be baked, the high moisture content of the mixed ingredients increases their fluidity, and the ingredients may not be able to maintain their hamburger shape until baking is complete.

Therefore, in order to efficiently produce a dried food (hamburger steak) that has good water absorption and good appearance, it is preferable to adjust the water content in the kneading process so that the water content at the start of the freeze-drying process is in the range of 65% to 80%. The upper limit of the water content at the start of the baking process can be set higher depending on the ingredients used and the cooking procedure, but as mentioned above, even though the water absorption at the time of reconstitution cannot be improved significantly, it takes a long time to freeze and sublimate the large amount of water contained in the baked ingredients in the freeze-drying process, so by setting the water content within the above range, it is possible to efficiently produce dried food.

In this case, the applicant produced various "minced meat formed foods" using ingredients different from the above examples, and confirmed the relationship between the baked ingredients at the start of the freeze-drying process and the water absorption at the time of reconstitution. Specifically, finely chopped (ground) ingredients such as "beef," "pork," "lamb," "venison," "chicken," and "fish meat," or ingredients that were any mixture of these (another example of "minced meat"), were kneaded with ingredients to produce kneaded ingredients, which were then subjected to the baking and freeze-drying processes to produce dried foods and evaluated. In these dried foods, by setting the moisture content of the baked ingredients to 65% or more, evaluation results similar to those of the above "hamburger steak" were obtained.

Depending on the type of ingredients and the type of food being produced, the moisture content of the baked ingredients may be less than 65%. In such cases, the moisture content of the baked ingredients can be increased to 65% or more by adding "water (or hot water)" as an "ingredient" during the kneading process and kneading. In this case, when producing foods in which the ingredients are heated for a long time or at a high temperature during the baking process, a large amount of moisture will volatilize from the kneaded ingredients, so it is necessary to adjust the amount of moisture added during the kneading process taking this volatilized moisture into account.

In this way, in this dried food manufacturing method, the kneading process S2 in which minced meat and ingredients are kneaded to produce a kneaded ingredient, the baking process S3 in which the kneaded ingredient is molded and baked to produce a baked ingredient, and the freeze-drying process S4 in which the baked ingredient is freeze-dried are carried out in that order to produce a dried food (dried hamburger steak, etc.) that is restored to an edible state by absorbing a restoring liquid, and the moisture content of the kneaded ingredient is adjusted in the kneading process S2 so that the moisture content of the baked ingredient at the start of the freeze-drying process S4 is 65% or more.

Therefore, in this dried food manufacturing method, the moisture in the baked ingredients freezes and sublimes in the freeze-drying process, forming countless small gaps and pores in the dried food, and the size and number of these gaps and pores are sufficient in accordance with the amount of moisture contained in the baked ingredients, so that the water absorption during reconstitution can be sufficiently improved. This makes it possible to provide a dried food with high commercial value that can be reconstituted into a food that has a good texture without being dry, by allowing the entire dried food to absorb sufficient moisture.

In addition, according to this dried food manufacturing method, in the baking step S3, the kneaded ingredients are baked while contained in a mold, so that the moisture content immediately before the start of the freeze-drying step is 65% or more. The kneaded ingredients are made to contain a large amount of moisture in the kneading step S2, and the kneaded ingredients are baked in the baking step S3 while maintaining the desired shape to produce baked ingredients. This can significantly improve the aesthetics of the dried food produced.

Furthermore, according to this dried food manufacturing method, in the baking process S3, the kneaded ingredients are placed in a ring-shaped form placed on a tray and baked in the baking chamber. This not only makes it possible to produce baked ingredients by baking while maintaining the desired shape, but also makes it possible to produce baked ingredients in the baking process S3 without browning the parts of the kneaded ingredients that are in contact with the tray or form, thereby improving the water absorption of the parts that are not browned (the parts that were in contact with the tray or form), thereby further improving the water absorption of the dried food as a whole when reconstituted.

The "dried food manufacturing method" is not limited to the examples of manufacturing methods mentioned above.

For example, in the baking step S3, a manufacturing method was described in which the "mixed ingredients" are filled (molded) in a form placed on a tray and baked in a baking chamber. However, other manufacturing methods can be used, such as a manufacturing method in which the "mixed ingredients" are filled (molded) in a container-shaped form with an open top and baked in a baking chamber, a manufacturing method in which the "mixed ingredients" are filled (molded) in a form placed on a heat source such as a baking plate and baked in a "baking mold" that covers the entire ingredients and baked in a state where the "mixed ingredients" are filled (molded). Also, when the "mixed ingredients" whose moisture content has been adjusted in the kneading step S2 so that the moisture content before the freeze-drying step S4 is 65% or more is fluid enough to maintain the desired shape without the need for a form in the baking step S3, they can be molded into the desired shape and baked in the baking step S3 without using a form.

In addition, in the baking step S3, a manufacturing method in which the kneaded ingredients are baked in a baking chamber with an elevated temperature has been described as an example, but a manufacturing method in which the kneaded ingredients are baked by applying a flame to the kneaded ingredients placed on a tray or by placing a heat source near the kneaded ingredients placed on a tray to heat the kneaded ingredients (so-called "roasting") can also be used.

1 Dry food manufacturing process S1 Cooking process S2 Kneading process S3 Baking process S4 Freeze-drying process S5 Packaging process

Claims (3)

A kneading step of kneading the minced meat and ingredients to produce a kneaded food ingredient;
A baking step of baking the kneaded food material in a shaped state to produce a baked food material;
and a freeze-drying step of freeze-drying the baked food material in this order to produce a dried food that is restored to an edible state by absorbing a reconstitution liquid.
A method for producing a dried food, comprising adjusting the moisture content of the kneaded food material in the kneading step so that the moisture content of the baked food material at the start of the freeze-drying step is 65% or more. The method for producing dried food according to claim 1, wherein the kneaded ingredients are baked in a mold during the baking process. The method for producing dried food according to claim 2, wherein in the baking process, the kneaded ingredients are baked in a baking chamber while being contained in the annular mold placed on a tray.

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