JP2529052B2 - Whey protein-containing solution, whey protein gel product using the same, whey protein powder, and processed food - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a whey protein-containing solution which causes gelation by the addition of salts or its ions, a gelled product obtained by gelling the solution and a dried powder, and processed foods using them. The present technology is applied in the field of food production where gelation and water retention are required.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Whey protein is a protein present in milk, is composed of lactalbumin and lactoglobulin, and has a property of being heat-denatured at a temperature of 72 to 75 ° C.

Therefore, conventionally, as a means for gelling a whey protein solution, a method of heat treatment is generally well known, but almost no other means is known.

Many studies have been conducted on gelation of whey protein by heating and thermal coagulation of whey protein (JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE Vol. 53, No. 1, 1988 p.
510-521 and Japan Society of Food Industry Vol.32, No.9,1985 p.
639-645). However, these gelled products and heat-coagulated products are heated in the presence of salts, and although there are differences depending on the amount of salts present, heat-coagulated gels have the drawbacks of decreased water retention over time and lack of smoothness. It was

In addition, since heat treatment is required for gelation, heating must be performed in a stationary state, and in industrial production, it is difficult to produce a large amount of gel in a stationary state. That is, in the case of heat-treating a block of a large unit, it takes a long time until the temperature reaches the temperature at which the center part gels, and as a result, there is a disadvantage that the peripheral part is overheated and easily burns. Moreover, since heat treatment is essential, many of its uses are only partially used as auxiliary materials for food processing.

[0006] An example of applying a whey protein gel product to a food as a filler is a fish paste product. For example, when whey protein is used as a bulking agent, it is generally accepted that it inhibits the swirling effect peculiar to marine products and, as a result, weakens the tissue, whereas whey protein is used as a stabilizer, for example, a stabilizer. Mixing with locust bean gum or xanthan gum and heating to a temperature of about 85 ° C for about 40 minutes, crushing the resulting heat-denatured gel product, and adding it to Surimi at a high rate of about 50-60% by weight as a filler. There is known a method (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-141566). However, since a large amount of whey protein is used in this method, the influence on texture and flavor is unavoidable, and since other stabilizers are added as essential components, the process is complicated, leading to higher costs. there were.

[0007]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances of the above-mentioned prior art so that whey protein having excellent nutritional value can be widely used as various food materials. It is possible to obtain a gel with good water retention and smoothness that has not been obtained with conventional heat-coagulated gels without heat treatment during gel formation. Therefore, it is possible to mass-produce industrially and form a high-quality gelled product. The purpose is to provide new technology.

[0008]

According to the present invention, a solution containing whey protein as a gelling main component is prepared in a state where it is not coagulated by heating, and then this is heat-treated to a certain degree without coagulating whey protein molecules. By denaturing to the state (soluble aggregate consisting of whey protein molecules),
It is based on the technology that enables the formation of an irreversible gel-like structured material by the addition of salts.

That is, according to the present invention, firstly, the protein concentration is 0.
5 to 20% by weight, pH of 6.0 or more and less than 7.5, ash content
Heat treatment of whey protein aqueous solution of 1.0 wt% or less
The hydrophobicity of the whey protein in the aqueous solution (FI / mg
Whey protein-containing solution (heat denaturing solution) containing at least 50 parts of protein ) , and monovalent or divalent salts
Or the addition of its ions forms an irreversible gel
Is a whey protein-containing solution. In addition,
Below, regarding whey protein concentration and ash content
Sometimes it is simply displayed as "%", but this is "% by weight"
Means

In this way, a solution is prepared so that it does not coagulate even at the heat denaturation temperature, denaturation is given to protein molecules by heating, and gelation is induced by addition of salt ions to obtain a desired gelation product on an industrial scale. Has never been known before.

In the conventional gel formed by heating in the presence of salts, the protein is aggregated to lower the water retention, whereas the gel (non-heat coagulation gel) of the present invention has high water retention and is smooth. And it has excellent transparency. Moreover, the heating as the pretreatment in the present invention does not need to stand and heat the protein solution unlike the conventional heating for gelation, and since it can be performed by stirring and heating, it is efficient, and in the case of mass production. But the whole can be treated uniformly.

Secondly, the present invention is a whey protein gel product obtained by adding a monovalent or divalent salt ion to the whey protein-containing solution.

The fact that this gel has good water retention, smoothness and excellent transparency is a characteristic revealed by the present inventors and is very useful in the food industry.

Thirdly, the present invention has a whey protein concentration of 0.5.
It is a whey protein-containing powder obtained by drying the whey protein-containing solution adjusted to 10%. This powder has a property of gelling when an aqueous solution is added with a monovalent or divalent salt or its ion, and heating or cooling is not required at all when dissolving or gelling as in the conventional case. Absent. Therefore, it is very useful as powdered instant foods.

Further, the present invention is, as a fourth aspect, processed foods utilizing the gelled product of whey protein.

According to the present invention, it is possible to solve the problems such as the generation of heating odor and the limitation of foods, which are incidental to the conventional gelling treatment, which is limited to the heating means in a stationary state. It is possible to use whey protein having a high nutritional value as an irreversible gelling material for a wide range of foods, especially foods that are served as raw foods that do not go through the cooking process and as a gel material for cooked foods. It becomes possible to provide a new processed food excellent in water resistance and the like.

The present invention will be described in detail below.

First, the whey protein of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "W
P ”. ) Also Monovalent-containing solution and the WP-containing solution
Properly divalent salts or added gelled gelled product the ion (hereinafter, referred to as salt ions derived gel.) Will be described.

Techniques for producing foods by utilizing protein denaturation are well known, but protein denaturation generally means that the structure of a protein molecule is partially changed to change its properties. . Particularly in heat denaturation, deformation, association and coagulation of protein molecules occur, resulting in heat coagulation. It is the intermolecular bonds such as hydrophobic bonds, hydrogen bonds, salt bonds, etc. that are not useful for association and coagulation, but grasp these relationships and predict the physical properties and properties of the resulting gel. Is difficult. Further, since each protein has a unique type and number of amino acids, it is not possible to expect a certain effect for all proteins. As a result of earnest research on a non-thermocoagulated gel of whey protein, the present inventors have found the possibility of a salt ion-induced gel and arrived at the present invention.

According to the prior art, first, the WP solution for forming the heat-coagulated WP gel contains a certain WP concentration (5% or more) and a certain salt concentration (ash content 0.2% or more). Need to be. If the concentration is lower than this, even if turbidity or precipitation occurs, a gel cannot be formed as a whole.
However, even under a low salt concentration at which a gel is not formed under normal conditions, the WP molecules have undergone denaturation by heating, and by heating above the WP thermal denaturation temperature without coagulation, agglomeration between WP molecules occurs. It is possible to deform the molecule without forming it to form a soluble aggregate, and to make the hydrophobicity of the surface of the molecule sufficiently high. After that, salt ions are allowed to act to promote the hydrophobic bond to form a network structure. It was found that it can be constructed and gelled uniformly. In the past, rapid agglomeration occurred between WP molecules during heating. That is, when heated under a low salt concentration, a part thereof is modified and connected in a beaded shape. After that, since salt ions are added to cause hydrophobic binding, the protein molecules do not randomly aggregate and form an appropriate network structure to form a gel having excellent transparency and water retention.

As described above, in order to induce gelation by salt ions, the WP molecule must be sufficiently deformed and have high hydrophobicity. As a measure of hydrophobicity,
The value defined below is preferably 50 (FI / mg protein) or more, more preferably 100 or more.

Hydrophobicity: An appropriate concentration of whey protein (0.
1-0.3 g / l), 8 mM of 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonic acid was added as a fluorescent probe, and excitation wavelength was 370 nm and emission wavelength was 470 n with a fluorescence spectrophotometer.
Measured at m (fluorescence amount FI) and the obtained value is shown per whey protein (mg).

To deform the molecule to this extent, W
It is necessary to heat P to a temperature not lower than the WP heat denaturation temperature without thermal coagulation. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent salt ions from being present as much as possible during the heat treatment so that intermolecular reaction does not occur. In addition, since the charge state of the molecule also affects the deformation of the molecule, it is necessary to avoid a pH band that causes chemical modification even if it is not heat-denatured. The purpose of the present invention is not only to cause the precipitation of WP and the clouding phenomenon, but to form a uniform gel structure.

Here, for example, it is a known fact that the presence of metal ions is necessary for protein coagulation, but it does not coagulate without metal ions , coagulates only with metal ions, and causes uniform gelation. It should be noted that is a completely different technical knowledge from. The discovery that metal ions alone can form a homogeneous protein gel without reheating is entirely surprising. Further, the WP-containing solution of the present invention is characterized in that not only metal ions (cations) but also acid groups (anions) generated from salts cause uniform gelation.

Conventionally, the WP gel has been exclusively subjected to heat treatment in the presence of salts. It should also be noted that the WP gelled product of the present invention is not only different in the forming process from the conventional one, but also in physical properties itself. Although the gelling process is very complex and different gelling processes result in different gels, we have found that this new gel is extremely useful in the food industry.

In the present invention, as the WP contained in the WP-containing solution, any of those usually available can be used. For example, whey, such as butter and cheese, which is separated in the dairy product manufacturing process can be used after the protein is concentrated by ultrafiltration. Examples of preferable WP include whey protein concentrate (WPC) and whey protein isolate (WPI). This is because they have a relatively low ash content and easily form an elastic gel. Usually, the whey protein concentrate has a protein content of 50% or more, and the whey protein (WP) amount hereinafter means the protein content on the analytical value. Furthermore, β-lactoglobulin separated from WP can also be used as WP.

The fact that WP is diluted to a concentration at which it does not solidify by heating means that it is adjusted to a concentration at which solidification does not occur even at a WP heat denaturation temperature or higher. , WP concentration is not specified unconditionally due to pH, salt concentration and other dissolved substances. However, since this solution can be gelated by adding a monovalent or divalent salt or its ion, it is necessary to contain WP to that extent. In a preferred embodiment taking practicality into consideration, the whey protein concentration of the solution is 0.5 to 20%.
And an ash content of 1.0% by weight or less and a pH of 6.0 to 9.0.
Is. When the ash content exceeds 1.0%, WP is applied during heating.
Gelling or coagulating and settles
Is a salt io by addition of divalent salts or its ions.
However, it is impossible to form a smooth gel even when the gel is applied. In order to adjust the ash content, the ash content of the raw material WP is adjusted if necessary, but it is usually 1.4 to 6% in the purified WP.
Since the ash content is 1% or less after the solution is prepared, no particular adjustment is required. However, when WP is used at a relatively high concentration, WP is easily denatured, so the ash content of the raw material WP should be adjusted to a low level in advance, or after solution preparation, desalting treatment such as ultrafiltration or electrodialysis. Should be applied. In the ash,
In particular, calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, and the like, which can exist as monovalent or divalent salt ions, affect gelation during heat treatment, and therefore, it is preferable to adjust the concentration of these salt ions to be low. Practically, the total content of calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium should be 500 mg / 100 g or less. From this viewpoint, it is preferable to use deionized water for preparing the WP-containing solution.

When the WP concentration is less than 0.5%, salt or
Does not easily cause gelation even after adding the ions. It is preferably 2.0% or more. On the other hand, if it exceeds 20%,
May cause thickening and gelation during heating. Preferably 1
It is 5% or less. However, even if the concentration is exceeded, gelation does not occur if the ash content is at an extremely low level, so there is no problem. Although it is possible to greatly reduce the ash content, it is not industrially significant to increase the WP concentration to that level, and the desalination operation is advanced, so the above range is practically preferable. If the pH is less than 6.0, a protein cannot be formed into a smooth gel when heated, and a smooth gel cannot be formed. If the pH exceeds 9.0, lysinoalanine, which is a harmful substance, is produced by heating, and It becomes unsuitable for food because the flavor is not preferable. After the heat treatment, the lower the pH during the addition of the salt identical
It tends to coagulate quickly even with added amounts of salts or its ions .

On the other hand, in the present invention, an embodiment in which salt ions are not directly acted on the WP-containing solution can be adopted. Specifically, a WP-containing solution is dried and once powdered, a solution is prepared using this, and this solution is treated in the same manner as the WP-containing solution, but this embodiment is extremely useful for instant foods. Is. Therefore, in this embodiment, the WP concentration at the time of gelation may be about 0.5 to 20%, and the WP concentration in the WP-containing solution before pulverization does not need to be in the above concentration range. This is because the WP concentration can be adjusted as a result when the gelled product is prepared.

In this case, the WP concentration in the WP-containing solution is preferably about 0.5 to 10%. If it is less than 0.5%, solution drying is inefficient, and if it exceeds 10%, WP may be insolubilized by the heat applied during the drying process.
Unlike the heating of the solution, the heating during the drying process does not have a constant solid content, that is, the WP concentration, and continuously increases during the heating. As a result, the WP is susceptible to thermal denaturation. . However, in the WP-containing solution of the present invention, even if a drying means based on a known technique is adopted and pulverized, if the WP concentration is within the above range, insolubilization is unlikely to occur.

Therefore, the WP concentration in the WP-containing solution may be determined according to the mode of forming a gelled product from the WP-containing solution. Considering the mode of performing dry powderization and the like, the WP concentration in the WP-containing solution is preferably in the range of 0.5 to 20%.

The WP-containing solution usually means to exhibit an aqueous liquid state, but also includes a liquid state having fluidity in a broad sense. Therefore, the WP-containing solution contains WP as a main gelling component, but in addition to this, gelatin or the like as a gelling auxiliary material, saccharides, amino acids, etc. as taste components, flavoring agents, coloring materials and other gelling agents are also used. If necessary, a sub-material may be contained within a range that does not exert an essential influence.
When powdered, saccharides, dextrin and the like may be added as stabilizers or excipients. Further, since the solution is in a liquid state, it is needless to say that it is possible to add oil or the like before adding the salt or its ion and use it as an emulsified state. That is, the WP-containing solution can take a form such as an emulsified state in some cases,
The WP-containing solution of the present invention can be used regardless of its viscosity or the like as long as it has a fluid and uniform liquid state.

In the present invention, the heat treatment is to bring the temperature to a temperature above the thermal denaturation start temperature of WP. The WP heat denaturation start temperature is not a uniquely determined value but a kind of state quantity determined in relation to pH, WP concentration, salt concentration, pressure and the like. Generally, it can be said that the temperature is 65 ° C. or higher under normal pressure. Therefore, independent treatment such as high-pressure denaturation unrelated to heat denaturation is not included. However, a treatment accompanied by an equal pressure treatment for lowering the heat denaturation temperature under a certain pressure is included. It is considered that the heat-induced denaturation and the high-pressure denaturation cause different molecular deformation states. In addition, in the present invention, the term "gelable only by the addition of monovalent or divalent salts or its ions" means that the solution contains WP.
This means that gelation can basically occur only by the operation of allowing these salt ions to act . In reality, after addition, gelation can proceed in a stationary state to form a gel.

Here, the monovalent or divalent salt ion means that the cation is a monovalent or divalent metal ion such as calcium ion, sodium ion or magnesium ion, or the anion thereof is sulfate ion or phosphorus ion. It means a monovalent or divalent acid group such as oxyhydrogen ion and citrate ion. Specifically, it is convenient and preferable to add an ionizable salt containing these metal ions and / or acid groups to the WP-containing solution. These salts are preferably salts that are acceptable in terms of food hygiene because the present invention mainly relates to foods. For example, usable salts include sodium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium sulfate, calcium sulfate, sodium sulfate. , Calcium chloride, potassium sulfate, sodium polyphosphate, sodium diphosphate, sodium monophosphate, sodium citrate and the like, and these salts can be used in combination with each other. Also, if salts used as taste components of foods are used, salts are added at the stage of gelation within a range that is usually used without preparing separate salts for gelation, and total salts are added in a later step. It can also be adjusted. Typical salts thereof are sodium chloride, potassium chloride and the like. In addition to the monovalent or divalent metal ions, aluminum ions can be used depending on the case.

In order for the WP-containing solution (including the WP-containing solution to be once powdered and made into a solution) to cause gelation, the salt ion concentration is the WP concentration, the WP molecule is in a denatured state,
Although it cannot be unconditionally specified depending on the temperature, the pH, the purpose of the gelled product, the application, etc., it is usually 0.02 M or more. Therefore, considering the salt amount of ions already present in the WP containing solution, salts such salts ions is the concentration
Alternatively, the addition amount of the ions may be adjusted. If it is less than this, gelation is less likely to occur. The upper limit is not particularly problematic in the normal range of use, but if the concentration is high, it will thicken and gelate immediately at the time of addition, making it difficult to handle, or the protein will aggregate and form an aqueous phase. It becomes difficult to form a gel having a water-retaining property, and at the same time, the salty taste becomes strong, so that the application to general foods is greatly limited. 0.02 to 2.0 as a normal range
M, preferably 0.05 to 2.0 M, further 0.1 to
About 1.0 M is good, and an excellent gel can be formed. For convenience, when using salt, the concentration is about 0.1 to 8%.

However, when a powdered product of the WP-containing solution is used, by adding salt or its ion at the same time when preparing the solution again, no special treatment is required thereafter, and gelation proceeds. Therefore, even if the salt ion concentration is relatively high, the above-mentioned adverse effects are small.

Since the gel property is affected by the type and concentration of the salt ion used, it is necessary to consider the effect when selecting the salt ion. Further, as long as it produces a predetermined salt ion, not only salts but also food materials can be used as a generation source. Furthermore, since the generation rate of salt ions also influences gelation, it is possible to gradually generate ions using food materials. It is also possible to generate the gel and adjust the gel properties, but these will be described later.

The above-mentioned WP-containing solution is such that WP does not undergo heat coagulation, and after the heat treatment, monovalent or divalent salts or
Is due to the addition of its ions, ie these salt ions
It can be produced by preparing a solution containing WP in a concentration range that causes gelation by the action of , and heat-treating the solution while maintaining the solution state at a temperature not lower than the WP thermal denaturation initiation temperature.

The WP concentration and the like are as described above. The heat treatment temperature is also as described above, but in the present invention,
During the heat treatment, the WP-containing solution maintains the solution state and does not gel, so that it is not necessary to heat the solution while keeping it stationary as in the conventional case. Therefore, it is possible to freely use a heating means having a high thermal efficiency such as stirring and heating, which enables industrial production of the gel. The heating means is not limited, but a Fordra tank or the like can be specifically exemplified.

As described above, the heat treatment temperature is 65 ° C. or higher, but the higher the temperature is, the more the temperature is usually 70 ° C. or higher, preferably the higher temperature, because the deformation of the WP molecule is accelerated. Good to have. Especially when the WP concentration is relatively low, a larger deformation of the WP molecule is required. The pressure of the heat treatment may be normal pressure, but in some cases, the pressure may be applied to lower the heat denaturation temperature. The pressure range that can be practically applied is about 1 to 1.2 atm.

The heat treatment time has a smaller effect than the temperature, but if it is short, sufficient denaturation cannot be exerted. If it is long, denaturation can proceed excessively, but the effect is not so great. Naturally, the appropriate time differs depending on the heating temperature, and the higher the temperature, the shorter the effect. Practical processing time may be about 2 seconds to 60 minutes after reaching a predetermined temperature.

There are roughly two modes of finally forming the WP gelled product (salt ion-induced gel) using the WP-containing solution (heat-denaturing solution) after the heat treatment. First, WP
Aspect in which salt ions are allowed to act on the containing solution to form a gel (Aspect S), and secondly, the WP-containing solution is once pulverized, and a salt ion source is mixed (or not mixed) into a powder form. This is a mode (aspect P) in which a gel is formed by preparing a mixture and then adding a liquid substance (or a salt ion-containing liquid substance) or adding the mixture into a similar liquid substance. The powdered product of the WP-containing solution returns to the original WP-containing solution by adding deionized water or the like thereto. Therefore, the redissolved solution can also be used as the aspect S. An example of the usage of the WP-containing solution is shown in FIG. 8 (above, the symbols of the usage correspond to the symbols in FIG. 8). As described above, it can be widely applied and is extremely useful in the food industry, and is particularly useful in the fields of low-calorie foods, instant foods, quality improvers and the like.

First, in the embodiment S, there is one in which salt or its ion is added to the solution to cause gelation (S-1).
In S-1, if a gel is formed in a stationary state, it becomes, for example, dessert jelly or hors d'oeuvre as it is (S-1-
1). If it is crushed after forming a gel, it can be used, for example, as a substitute for fat granules (S-1-2), and if it is applied to livestock meat such as arabiki sausage and salami, and processed foods of fish meat, the calorie is reduced. be able to.

Next, the solution of the embodiment S is fed with fat, salts or
Emulsified mixture was added to the ions, W / O type or O / W
Since a gel emulsified tissue is prepared and gelled by leaving it in a stationary state, an emulsion having a highly stable emulsified state can be obtained even if the water content is relatively large (S-2). A low-fat product can be produced because the emulsion state is stable even if the water content is large. For example, low fat butter, low fat cheese, low fat ice cream and the like.

Further, by mixing or injecting the solution of the embodiment S into a salt ion-containing raw material, gelation can be caused in the raw material (S-3). For example, it is applied to raw ham, sausage, meat loaf such as meat loaf, fish processed foods,
All of them are low in fat and can form a good tissue having shape retention.

In addition to the embodiments described above, the solution can be effectively used as an additive for food such as various adhesives for foods, extenders, water separation preventives, stabilizers and the like. In this case, salt ions may be present on either the raw material side or the solution side. This is because the gelation after adding the salt or its ion is not so rapid, and there is little trouble in working. The form used as a food additive is not limited to the heat-denaturing solution, and may be a gel-like or slurry-like one in which salt ions are allowed to act on the heat-denaturing solution. The heat-denaturing solution may be a re-dissolved product of powder, or may be a product obtained by freezing and thawing. What should be noted here is that the degree of gelation of the heat-denaturing solution can be adjusted stepwise. For example, when the solution is used as an extender, stabilizer, etc., first, a low-concentration salt ion is applied in advance. After gelling to some extent, this is mixed with the food material, and after molding, gelation is further promoted by salt ions present in the food material or separately added in the tissue, and functions sufficiently as a bulking material and a stabilizing material. Can be demonstrated. In particular, in a kneaded product or the like, when gelled to a certain extent and used in the form of a slurry as an extender, the gel strength of the product tends to be higher than in the case of using a solution.

Next, in the mode P, since a gel is formed using powder, it is convenient for handling, storage, transportation, etc., and it is very convenient because the solution can be prepared from the powder at the time of gelation. is there. The prepared solution can be used in the same manner as in the aspect S. For example, instant desserts or hors d'oeuvre can be constituted by mixing the powder with a salt ion supplying material or other raw material in advance to form a powdery mixture (or granules) (P-1). That is, mousse, milk jelly and the like can be prepared by adding milk, water and the like to the mixture. Further, if the metal ions contained in milk or the like are used, the salt ion supplying material may be added to the mixture or a small amount thereof may be added (P-2).

The gelled product according to any of the embodiments does not require heat treatment, and has excellent freezing resistance and heat resistance.
It can be applied to any of raw products, frozen products and cooked products. Such a property has not hitherto been known and is extremely specific.

Each mode will be described below.

First, in order to produce a gelled product (embodiment S) using a WP-containing solution, the temperature of the WP-containing solution is adjusted to 65 ° C., which is higher than the freezing temperature, and monovalent or divalent salt ions are added thereto. Is added, and the gel may be gelled while maintaining the stationary state in the temperature range of 65 ° C. which exceeds the freezing temperature.

The salt ions to be added are as described above. However, since the gelation rate is affected by the type of ion, this point is taken into consideration. For example, sodium ions and potassium ions cause gelation relatively slowly even when added to a solution of whey protein in a form with a high dissociation degree, such as sodium chloride or potassium chloride. On the other hand, calcium ions tend to stop the association of proteins and form a state like aggregation, so either mix a dispersion of a sparingly soluble calcium salt with a whey protein solution, or partly like calcium in milk powder. It is desirable to gradually react the whey protein with calcium ions, for example, by adding them to a solution of whey protein in a form bound to the protein in milk. When the gel is gradually formed in this way, the gel structure becomes denser, so that the strength, elasticity, water separation, and transparency of the gel can be improved.

In addition to the above, food materials containing various salts, such as whole milk powder and skim milk powder, from the viewpoint of adjusting the feed rate of salt ions into the solution and from the viewpoint of increasing the value of the gel itself as food. As long as the content of salts such as cheese, concentrated milk, spices, and surimi is relatively high, and salt ions of 0.02M or more can be finally supplied by adding it, it will be limited as long as a constant WP concentration is maintained. Can be used without. Here, the constant WP concentration is the same as the preferable range of 0.5% or more in the WP-containing solution, but there is no upper limit. Therefore, when the total volume is substantially affected by adding a salt-dissolved solution to the WP-containing solution, the WP-containing solution may be adjusted in advance so that the WP concentration does not fall below 0.5%.

Since the molar concentration of salt ions is also related to the dissociation rate and may not be a practical display, it may be converted to 0.1% or more of salt for the sake of convenience. A preferable range is 0.1 to 12% in terms of salt concentration in the solution. When a highly soluble food material such as skim milk powder is used as the salt ion source, it is convenient to use the ash content as an index. As a rule of thumb, it can be said that in skim milk powder, 20 to 55% of the ash concentration derived from skim milk milk in the solution functions as the salt.

The type of ions also affects the strength of the gel, so this point is also taken into consideration. That is, the divalent salt ion generally promotes gelation and imparts strength more than the monovalent salt ion. Therefore, when it is desired to form a strong gel, for example, MgSO ₄ , CaSO ₄ or the like may be used. Also, even with the same Na, K
If Na ₂ SO ₄ and K ₂ SO ₄ are used, the gel will tend to be harder if the salt has the same molar concentration as when NaCl and KCl are used, since the ion concentration will increase (the ionic strength will increase).

Next, the salt ion concentration affects the physical properties of the gel, and the higher the concentration, the better results are obtained in terms of gel strength, elasticity, and water separation. This tendency is in contrast to conventional gels. In the case of heat-coagulated gel by general heating, if the added salt concentration increases, aggregation of protein molecules will be excessively promoted and an appropriate network structure will not be formed, resulting in deterioration of gel strength, elasticity, and water separation. To do. That is, in the conventional one, since agglomeration between molecules and network formation simultaneously occur during heating, the agglomeration of molecules hinders the growth of a sufficient network structure. In the WP-containing solution of the present invention, the presence of a salt, that is, a salt ion is significantly low, so that the aggregation of WP molecules does not proceed excessively and the molecules are connected in a beaded shape to some extent. As a result, the mesh structure is gradually formed. Therefore, the network matrix is expected to be large and strong, which can be observed as a property of the gel. Further, in comparison with the conventional heat-coagulated gel, the salt-ion-derived gel is also characterized by extremely good transparency. Clarity is improved under conditions where gelation is gradual. For example, the salt ion concentration is lowered, the temperature at the time of gelation is lowered, or the salt ion supply rate is lowered. The transparency is a great advantage when the gel is used as a food material, and in this respect, it is in marked contrast to the conventional gel.

Next, the temperature of the WP-containing solution at the time of adding the salt or its ion is preferably 65 ° C. or lower and higher than the freezing temperature.

If the standing temperature after the addition of the salt or its ion is 65 ° C. or lower, preferably 60 ° C. or lower and higher than the freezing temperature, gelation occurs at any temperature. However, in this temperature range, the higher the temperature, the faster the gel formation.

When the addition temperature of the salt or its ion and the standing temperature become 65 ° C. or higher, heat denaturation occurs in the presence of the salt, and a cloudy gel having a lot of separated water is produced.

The heat-treated WP-containing solution is cooled to a temperature above the freezing temperature of 65 ° C. or lower, but salt ions can be added at any time after cooling. That is, since the WP change due to heating is irreversible, once it is changed, it is not necessary to act the salt ions immediately. Therefore, it is also possible to store in a state of the heat-treated WP-containing solution, and in some cases, it may be stored in a frozen state,
These forms can be put on the distribution process. However, in the case of cryopreservation, it may undergo freezing denaturation, so it is recommended to consider components other than WP and prevent denaturation.

Salts or ions thereof are added to the heat-treated WP-containing solution according to the time of use. After the addition, the mixture is homogenized and then basically kept in a stationary state. The time required for gelation depends on the temperature, and the higher the time, the faster the progress, so it can be adjusted as desired. However, gels with faster gelation are inferior to gels with slower gel transparency, elasticity, strength, and water separation.
This will also be taken into consideration because it affects the physical properties such as sex . Usually, it takes about 1 minute to 24 hours for gelation. The properties of the gel change with time, and the strength tends to increase even after gelation, but it stabilizes after 1 to 7 days.

Next, a mode (mode P) of once pulverizing the WP-containing solution and using it to form a gelled product will be described.

Since WP of this powdered WP is not substantially insolubilized, the solution prepared using it can be handled in the same manner as the above-mentioned WP-containing solution. That is, a gelled product can be formed under the same conditions as described above regarding the relationship between the WP temperature and the concentration of salt ions. However, in this embodiment, pulverization causes a new effect. First, in the powder processing, the powder is usually heated in the powdering process, and the WP concentration increases as it dries, making it more susceptible to heating. Therefore, the WP concentration in the WP-containing solution is preferably 0.5 to 1 as described above.
It is about 0%.

However, it is not necessary to adjust the WP concentration according to the powdering treatment that does not cause overheating. For example, the freeze-drying means can minimize the influence of heating.

Any powdering means can be used without limitation as long as it does not cause overheating of WP (a temperature of about 90 ° C. or higher). For example, spray drying means, continuous vacuum drying means,
A freeze-drying means can be mentioned. Even in the case of spray-drying means, the powder itself is kept at about 90 ° C. for several seconds. On the other hand, by means such as a drum dryer, W
It easily causes overheating of P, causing thermal denaturation and insolubilization of WP.

Upon drying, saccharides, dextrin and the like may be added to the WP-containing solution in advance in order to prevent excessive denaturation of WP and facilitate redissolution. The addition amount of these is usually about 10 to 60% per unit weight of WP. The shape of the obtained powder (referred to as WP powder) can be arbitrarily designed according to the application and the like. The particle size is also not particularly limited and may be granular. Granules are preferred from the viewpoint of solubility. As the granulating means, a known technique such as a fluidized bed or a drum can be adopted.

As described above, since the WP-containing solution can contain various additives in advance, it is possible to impart a desired taste, flavor and color tone to the powdered WP powder, which is of practical value. Can be uplifted. In addition, an auxiliary material can be freely mixed into the WP powder separately within the range where the purpose of gelation can be achieved. The WP powder thus obtained, unlike the WP-containing solution, can be easily put into the distribution process and is extremely easy to handle. In addition, the quality does not change over time and can be stored for a long period of time. If the packaging form is optimized, it can be stored for a longer period of time.

Next, the obtained WP powder was mixed with WP in the solution.
Dissolve in an aqueous solvent to a concentration of 0.5 to 20%,
Gelation is easy if salt ions are applied. The principle of gelation is the same as that described in Aspect S above. However, in this embodiment, even if the dilution degree of the WP powder is small and the temperature is high,
Since no technical problem occurs, there is no problem even if the concentration is adjusted to over 20% depending on the target gel. Further, if other raw materials such as sugar are dissolved in the diluted solution, the gelling power becomes weak. Therefore, in this case, the WP concentration should be increased. There are two in the present embodiment, salts after preparing a solution or
Alternatively, it is a mode in which the ions are added and a mode in which solution preparation and gelation with salt ions are simultaneously advanced. The former can be treated in exactly the same manner as the above-described aspect S, and can be left still to form a smooth and transparent gel.

The latter can be designed so that the progress of gelation can occur from the beginning, and since it is possible to increase the concentration of WP, it is possible to form a unique gel-like substance, but if the rate of gelation is too fast, WP powder is formed. This will be taken into consideration because it will hinder the dissolution of and reduce the gelling ability.

Therefore, it is preferable that the salt ions are allowed to act after the WP powder is sufficiently dissolved, but if the granulation is optimized, all the components may be mixed to form granules.

The WP powder is dissolved in an aqueous solvent, and the salts or ions thereof described above can be used. However, if the granules and the like are appropriate, for example, if milk is used as the aqueous solvent, milk is added to the WP powder. A gel-like substance can be prepared by adding (P-2). Since skim milk powder can also supply calcium ions and the like, a similar gel-like substance can be prepared by mixing WP powder and skim milk powder into a composition and adding water thereto (P-1).

Aspect P is suitable for instant desserts. That is, the gelled dessert can be easily prepared without heating or cooling.

The following is an example of compounding a salt ion-containing composition using WP powder for a dessert.

WP powder (WP content 50-100%,
Moisture 3 to 7%) 20 to 65 parts by weight Non-fat dry milk (ash content 7.9%, milk solid content 87.3%, moisture 3.8%) 20 to 55 parts by weight Sugars 15 to 60 parts by weight Perfume, Colorant A little above, sodium citrate or phosphate may be used instead of or together with skim milk powder, and sucrose is a typical sugar, but glucose, palatinose, etc. may also be used. . Other substances may be added if necessary. Further, gelling agents such as pectin, carrageenan, guar gum and casein may be used together as a gel auxiliary material. However, the main skeleton of the gel structure needs to be WP.

In the embodiment P-2, the metal ion-containing component is not mixed with the WP powder, but in this case as well, it may be converted to the weight of the solid content and the mixing ratio may be the same. still,
The ash content in the skimmed milk powder is calcium, sodium, magnesium, etc., but for the sake of convenience, it is considered that 20 to 55% of the ash content is salts as described above, and a considerable amount may be added.

As described above, in the present invention, no heat treatment is involved in the gelation process. In this respect, it is common with gelatin gel and agar gel, but what is essentially different from these gels is that the gel is irreversible, and once gelled, the gel does not change even if it is subjected to heat treatment. The point is not. Therefore, once the gelled product is further heated as necessary, for example, in the manufacturing process of ham, sausage, etc., the heated WP-containing solution is poured and mixed with salted meat, and then W
After the gel of the salt of P is formed, it can be heat-treated to coagulate the meat protein, and as a result, there is less syneresis and the yield is improved, which is a merit unlike the prior art.

Next, processed foods using the WP gelled product of the present invention will be described. These foods have the above-mentioned aspect S-
1 to P-2.

First, as an example of the embodiment S-2, a WP-containing solution is allowed to contain oils and fats, and monovalent or divalent salts or salts are added.
Others were obtained by adding the ion, W / O
Alternatively, a processed food consisting of an O / W type emulsion may be mentioned.
Since the WP-containing solution is liquid, it can be mixed with various auxiliary materials, and a gel structure is constructed by adding salts or its ions. When used on an emulsified system,
It has been found to have a unique effect. That is, even if it is difficult to manufacture in the prior art due to problems such as water separation, it is possible to effectively prevent water separation by using the WP-containing solution of the present invention. This is because the WP-containing solution gently polymerizes and gels in a stationary state and solidifies in a state having a high affinity with other raw materials. The processed food can be easily produced, for example, by mixing and emulsifying a WP-containing solution with fats and oils, monovalent or divalent salts.
Alternatively, a processed food comprising the W / O or O / W type emulsified system can be produced by adding the ions, further emulsifying with stirring, and refrigerating.

Specifically, low fat butter, low fat cheese and the like can be produced.

For example, in the production of low-fat butter having a fat content of about 40%, if the fat content is lowered, W / O is conventionally used.
There remains an unsolved problem that it becomes difficult to disperse water in the emulsification system of the mold, resulting in a leaky structure. To this high-moisture, low-fat butter system, it was difficult to disperse water finely in the butter tissue simply by adding casein or whey protein, but the WP-containing solution of the present invention was added and emulsified, By further adding saline and emulsifying with stirring, the water retention increases as the whey protein thickens and gels.
It is possible to obtain low-fat butter with a smooth texture without leaky.

Next, a low-fat low-calorie processed food containing a WP gelled substance as a fat substitute component can be mentioned.
For example, firstly, low-fat raw ham and low-fat bean sprouts, etc., and secondly, low-fat sausage, etc., and in the former, WP gel instead of fat enters the meat tissue and becomes a unit. (Aspects S-1 and S-3), the latter contains WP gel fragments (Aspect S-1-2) instead of the fat granules.

The processed foods of the former type are various low-fat low-calorie processed foods by injecting a WP-containing solution into the main raw material and then refrigerating without heating to fix the gelation in the main raw material. Can be manufactured.
In the latter type of processed food, various low-fat low-calorie processed foods can be produced by cutting the WP gelled product into a desired size and mixing it with the main raw material.

For example, by injecting a WP-containing solution into raw meat used for raw meat, raw ham, etc., the injection liquid can be gelled and immobilized inside the meat simply by refrigerating without heating. . This gel-fixed meat becomes low-fat low-calorie prosciutto, and the gel-fixed raw ham also becomes low-fat low-calorie ham. When a WP liquid containing fat is infused, a flavor of fat is imparted, and the product becomes similar to ordinary marbling meat. In addition, this gelled composition is crushed into pieces with a silent cutter, and then put into sausages to obtain a rough type low-fat low-calorie sausage.

Since the WP gelled product has excellent transparency, it can be used, for example, in place of an agar gel or a gelatin gel (S-1-1). While it was difficult to use the conventional heat-coagulated gel in desserts which are strongly clouded and require transparency, the WP gelled product of the present invention can be used in an extremely wide range without any restrictions.

Furthermore, the WP gelled product of the present invention also functions as a hamburger for frozen foods, a binder for meatballs, a filler, a water separating agent, and gels even in raw food without heating. Tissue formation of food can be easily performed.

Therefore, the WP gelled product of the present invention is also suitable for refrigerated foods or frozen foods, and is particularly applicable to processed foods that are served as raw foods that are not cooked by heating. On the other hand, since the WP gelled product has heat resistance and hardly undergoes heat shrinkage or the like, it is also suitable for cooked and served at a table.

In Embodiment S-1, a fish paste product can be used as an example of the filler. When a WP solution is used as an extender in the production of a fish paste product, the quality of a whey protein is not impaired even if it is added at a high rate, and a fish paste product that gives a texture better than that of a conventional fish paste product can be easily obtained. It can be manufactured. For example, 5 to 15% WP is 70 to 100 ° C.
Heat to a temperature of 0 to 30 minutes to increase the hydrophobicity to 50 (FI
/ Mg protein) or more, and then heat-denaturing the prepared WP heat-denatured solution during the manufacturing process of a fish paste product, for example, salt is added to kneaded (salt-free slime) crushed with a silent cutter and kneaded (salted), then starch , Egg white, mirin, sugar, and other auxiliary materials, and water are added, and after kneading, the mixture is added, and then heated at a temperature of about 85 ° C. for about 40 minutes to obtain a product. In this case, even if no salt ion is added to the WP solution, the salt added to the surimi serves its function, and thus the WP solution undergoes the action of salt ion during the kneading of the auxiliary material to cause gelation.

When a gelled substance or a slurry substance is used as the extender instead of the solution, it may be prepared in advance, for example, from 0.1 to 1.
A 5% salt (monovalent or divalent) solution may be added to obtain the desired properties, or the heat denaturing solution may be frozen,
Thawed product, or 0.5 to 3.0% phosphate, 1 to 20% oil and fat added, frozen, and thawed (gel to slurry) is used as an extender for fish paste products. You can also When a gel-like or slurry-like one is used as a filler in this way, it is uniformly dispersed in the raw material during kneading, and the salts present in the raw material further promote gelation, which effectively functions as a filler. To do. When using a solution type, mixing with other components during kneading, dilution may proceed too much, and subsequent gelation may be hindered. Since it already has a structural property, subsequent gelation can be carried out smoothly even if it is kneaded into another component. In the case of excessive gelation, the structure may be broken during kneading and reorganization may not be possible.

As described above, the fish paste product produced by adding the heat-denaturing solution of WP has good elasticity and gel strength (foot), and the quality deterioration due to the addition of WP as in the conventional case. Can't be seen. In addition, the process is simpler and the raw material cost is lower than in the case of using the WP thermosetting gel.
In addition, this WP heat denaturing solution was added to a fish paste product at 7
Even if added at a high rate of up to about 0% by weight, the elasticity and gel strength of the product are not impaired. That is, it does not hinder the formation of a network structure by actomyosin or the like. Therefore, according to this aspect, since WP, which is a good protein source and which can be obtained at a low cost, is added as a single extender to a fish paste product at a considerably high rate, a good texture can be obtained. There are advantages that the nutritional value can be significantly increased, the production cost can be reduced, and the palatability can be improved. Furthermore, WP
Before the heating, the surimi mixture to which the heat denaturing solution was added is left at around 5 ° C. overnight to cause so-called “sit”, and then heated to produce a product, which has remarkable elasticity and gel strength. It is also possible to obtain improved fish paste products.

[0089]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be specifically described with reference to the following examples.

Example 1 The influences of the amount of added salt on the salt ion-induced gel and the heat-induced gel (conventional gel) were compared in terms of the gel texture properties, water retention, transparency, etc. according to the following procedures, and the characteristics of each gel were compared. Revealed.

The amount of salt added was in the range of 0 to 0.5M after mixing. Since sodium chloride is completely dissolved, the molar concentration of sodium ion in this case can be considered to be the same as the molar concentration of sodium chloride.

Preparation of Salt Ion-Derived Gel 100 g of WPI (BIO-ISOLATES LTD.BIPRO, 2% ash based on 97% dry weight of protein, 2% ash) was dissolved in deionized water,
The amount was 1000 g (WP concentration 10%, ash content 0.2%, pH 7). This was heated with stirring in a hot water bath and held for 25 minutes after the liquid temperature reached 85 ° C. Cool it to 20 ° C,
Take 85g of each in a beaker, and add 15g of saline solution of the specified concentration
Was mixed. 25m inside diameter with wrap film on the bottom
A WP solution mixed with saline solution was quickly charged into a glass tube with a height of 15 mm and a m of 15 mm, and the glass plate was covered with a WP solution at 20 ° C for 24 hours.
Allowed to stand for a time to form a gel.

WPI similar to the preparation of heat-induced gel was dissolved in deionized water to a concentration of 10%,
85 g of each was placed in a beaker, and 15 g of saline having a predetermined concentration was mixed. A glass plate was pulled into a glass tube similar to that described above, a WP solution mixed with saline was filled, another glass plate was placed on the tube, and the upper and lower glass plates were fixed with a thread. This glass tube is put in a water bath at 40 ° C., the temperature of the hot water is raised to 85 ° C. for 20 minutes and kept for 20 minutes, and then tap water is gradually poured into the water bath for 4 minutes in about 20 minutes.
It was brought to 0 ° C. Remove the glass tube from the hot water, and let it stand at 20 ℃ for 2 hours.
Let stand for 4 hours. After standing, the gel was measured.

[Measurement of Texture Properties] Measuring instrument: Rheometer (Fudo Kogyo Co., Ltd.) Clearance: 5 mm Plunger diameter: 50 mm Compression speed: 2 cm / min. Number of compressions: 2 Measurement temperature: 20 ° C. Parameter calculation method Gel Strength: Maximum load (g) at the first compression Elasticity: Distance from the detection of the stress at the second compression to the clearance of 5 mm (mm) [Measurement of water separation] Filter paper (Toyo Filter Paper No. 2, 5.5cm diameter) 5
The gel was placed in a Petri dish that had been ground and left at 20 ° C. for 3 hours, and the amount of water removed was calculated from the amount of water absorbed by the filter paper.

Water separation amount (%) = (weight of water absorbed in filter paper / gel weight) × 100 Texture characteristics, and measurement results of water separation amount are shown in FIG.
At 0 M salt addition, neither gel formed.

In the salt ion-induced gel, the gel strength and elasticity increased as the salt concentration increased.

In the heat-induced gel to which salt was added before heating, the elasticity did not change much with the salt strength, but the gel strength decreased with the increase of the salt concentration.

The amount of water separation was low in the salt ion-inducing gel without being affected by the salt concentration. On the other hand, in the heat-induced gel, it was shown that the amount of water separation increased and the water retention of the protein decreased as the salt concentration increased. That is, in the heat-induced gel, aggregation between WP molecules progresses during the heat treatment,
When the salt concentration becomes high, the aggregation becomes excessive, and as a result, it becomes impossible to form a dense matrix. On the other hand, in the salt ion derivatized gel, the WP molecules do not aggregate at the heat treatment stage and the molecules are already formed at the salt addition stage. Since it is in a posture of forming a loose and dense matrix, the higher the salt concentration, the more dense the matrix is formed.

When the respective gels were compared in appearance, the salt ion-induced gels showed a slight decrease in transparency with an increase in the salt concentration, but they all formed transparent gels. All of the heat-induced gels were completely cloudy.

From the above, it was shown that, unlike the heat-inducing gel, the salt ion-inducing gel is excellent in water retention and forms a transparent to translucent gel.

Example 2 The effect of the type of salt ions was examined by using KCl, NaCl, MgSO ₄ 7H ₂ O, CaSO ₄
It was confirmed by using a solution in which 2H ₂ O, Na ₂ SO ₄ and K ₂ SO ₄ were dissolved or dispersed in deionized water to a concentration of 0.2M. It was considered that those that were not completely dissolved were dissolved by the end of gelation, and the molar concentration of salt was defined as the molar concentration of each ion. However, the one that produces 0.4M salt ions from 0.2M salt has a salt concentration of 2
Double the ion concentration.

80 g of each WPI solution heated in the same manner as in Example 1 and cooled to 20 ° C. was placed in a beaker, and 20 g of an aqueous solution or dispersion of each of the above salts was mixed (final WP concentration 8%, salt concentration 0.2 M). Quickly fill a glass tube with an inner diameter of 25 mm and a height of 15 mm with a wrap film stretched on the bottom surface with WP solution mixed with salt, cover with a glass plate, and 2
A gel was formed by standing at 0 ° C. for 24 hours.

The texture characteristics were measured in the same manner as in Example 1.

The measurement results of the texture characteristics are shown in FIG. Good gels were obtained with all the salts carried out, and differences in gel strength depending on the type of salt appeared. Since divalent salt ions formed gels with stronger gel strength than monovalent salt ions, and sulfate salts showed stronger gel strength than Cl salts, it was considered that higher ion concentrations formed stronger gels. .

Example 3 The effects of the WPI solution temperature at the time of adding sodium chloride and the holding temperature after the addition of sodium chloride on the textural properties of the gel were investigated.

The WPI solution was heated in the same manner as in Example 1, 95 g of each was placed in a beaker, and 5 g of saline was added when the liquid temperatures of the WPI solution reached 65, 35, and 5 ° C., respectively. The salt concentration after addition corresponds to 0.2M.

As in Example 1, the WPI solution was charged and the temperature was 5 ° C.
Alternatively, it was allowed to stand at 20 ° C. to form a gel. The texture properties of the gel were measured after 24 hours. The gel, which was allowed to stand at 20 ° C., was measured for texture properties even after 48 hours.

FIG. 3 shows the results of texture measurement.

When the mixture was allowed to stand at 5 ° C. for 24 hours, the gel strength became stronger as the temperature of the WPI solution during salt mixing increased. However, what was allowed to stand at 20 ° C. for 24 hours and 48 hours had little influence of the temperature difference at the time of mixing salt, and the gel strength was good at any mixing temperature. Further, the longer the standing time, the greater the gel strength. From these, it was shown that the gel formation progressed faster when the temperature at the time of salt addition and the standing temperature were higher, and the gel strength increased with time.

When the salt addition temperature is relatively high, gelation can sufficiently proceed after that without adjusting the static temperature, but when the salt addition temperature is low, the static temperature should be high. It can promote gelation. Example 4 Low-fat butter-like spread WPI (same as in Example 1) was dissolved in tap water to a concentration of 6% (WP concentration 6%, ash content 0.13%, pH 6.9) and 95 ° C.
Heated for 25 minutes. 2705 g of this WPI solution, 6
Mix 1840 g of butter oil melted at 0 ° C and mix
3000rp with a homomixer (TOKUSHU KIKA KOGYO)
After emulsifying for 10 minutes, the mixture was cooled to 5 ° C. and kept overnight.

This emulsion was applied to a pin shaft machine (Schr
(Oder Kombinator) stirred at 1000 rpm for 11 minutes, and after confirming that the phase was changed to a water-in-oil emulsion,
Add 55g of salt (0.2M to the product), and add 3 more
Stir for minutes. After the stirring was completed, the mixture was filled in a polyethylene container of 200 ml and cooled to 5 ° C. to obtain a butter-like product.

Evaluation of the product was carried out after storage at 5 ° C. for 2 weeks.

The evaluation results are shown in Table 1. In addition, as a comparative example, a product was manufactured in the following manner, and the results thereof are shown together in Table 1.

Comparative Example 1 An emulsion was prepared in the same manner as in Example 4 except that the heat-treated whey protein was replaced with an untreated whey protein solution having the same concentration. Evaluation of the product was carried out after storage for 2 weeks at 5 ° C.

Comparative Example 2 4545 g of 40% fat fresh cream was worked in the same manner as in Example 4 above, and 55 g of sodium chloride was added to prepare an emulsion. Evaluation of the product was carried out after storage for 2 weeks at 5 ° C.

[Water Separation Test] 10 g of each sample was placed on a petri dish having a diameter of 10 cm, a spreading operation was repeated 10 times with a spatula, and then the presence or absence of water droplets was visually confirmed.

[Heat-melting test] Bread was baked at 230 ° C. for 5 minutes in an oven, and 10 g of each sample was applied onto the bread for tasting to evaluate the melting condition and the melting in the mouth.

[0118]

[Table 1] From the above results, the products of Examples have high water content of 60%, water droplets are stably retained in the oil phase, and the heat melting property is also good, which does not affect the mouth feel. It has been shown.

Example 5 168 g of marbled roast beef WPC (EXPRESS FOOD TYPE 7502, 75% protein, 5% ash) was dissolved in water to 1866 g (WP
Concentration 9%, ash 0.27%, pH 6.9), 87 ° C, 25
Stirring and heating were performed for a minute. Water was added to this to make 2000 g.
800 g of purified beef tallow was melted at 60 ° C., added to the WPC solution, preliminarily emulsified, homogenized by a high-pressure homogenizer, and immediately cooled to 5 ° C. by a cooling plate.

28 g of sodium chloride and 2 g of sodium triphosphate were dissolved in water to 400 g, which was injected into 4000 g of beef thigh meat and left at 2 to 3 ° C. for 4 hours. Then, 800 g of the above WPC emulsion was injected into meat, the surface was marked with a gas fire, cooled to 5 ° C., and left overnight. The sodium ion concentration in this case was considered to be present as ions even after the salt used was completely dissolved and was injected into the meat, and was calculated to be about 0.4 M with the specific volume of the emulsion being 1. . During heating, the inside of the meat was kept at 50 ° C. or lower in order to avoid discoloration due to heating inside the meat. When the processed meat was sliced to a thickness of 3 mm, the injected WPC emulsion liquid was solidified and fixed inside the meat, resulting in a marbling roast beef in which fat was appropriately dispersed.

Example 6 Ham A heated WPI-containing solution was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, 10% was added to meat salted to a salt concentration of 2%, the mixture was filled in a casing, and allowed to stand at 5 ° C. overnight. did. The sodium ion concentration at this time corresponds to approximately 0.3M. After the whey protein gelled, it was dried and smoked by a conventional method to produce ham, and good ham was obtained, and the heat stability of the gel was high, so the yield after heating was higher than that of the conventional method. 20%
Rose.

Example 7 Dessert Food 82.4 kg of a heated WPI-containing liquid prepared in the same manner as in Example 1.
At a temperature of 45 ° C, 6.8 kg of skim milk powder, 10.6 kg of granulated sugar and 0.1 kg of almond flavor were mixed and allowed to stand for 2 hours to obtain a gel. The salt ion in this case was supplied from skim milk powder, but its concentration was estimated to be 0.5%. This was cut into about 2 cm ³ dice shapes and mixed with syrup and syrup-pickled pulp to obtain a dessert food. The whey protein gel was smooth and tasty.

Example 8 WPI Powder WPI (Whey Protein Isolate, BIO-ISOLATE)
S LTD, BIPRO, 97 protein per dry weight
%, Ash 2%) and dissolve it in deionized water to adjust its concentration to 3,
A 7% and 11% solution was prepared. Each solution was heat-treated under heating conditions of 72 ° C. and 82 ° C., and the obtained WPI solution was freeze-dried to obtain WPI powder. Deionized water was added to each of the obtained WPI powders (20 g).
80g was added and dissolved, and skim milk powder (ash content 7.9%)
(17 g) was mixed, dissolved, and left standing at 20 ° C. for 16 hours.

In the above operation, the results of visually inspecting the solubility and gelling ability of the WPI powder are shown in Table 2 (solubility) and Table 3 (gelling ability).

[0125]

[Table 2]

[0126]

[Table 3] In the table, ◯ means good, × means bad, and Δ means border. That is, although the WPI concentration in the solution was 11%, the powder was not sufficiently soluble, and it was presumed that denaturation occurred during heating. However, 3% and 7% showed good solubility. It was Also, W
When the PI concentration was 7%, a good gel was formed regardless of the heat treatment temperature of the solution, but when the PI concentration was 3%, a good gel was not formed unless the heat treatment temperature was sufficient.
This indicates that a lower concentration requires more sufficient deformation of the WP molecule.

All the gels had an apparently uniform structure.

FIG. 4 shows the flow of this embodiment.

Example 9 WPI Powder-Containing Mixture A WPI solution was prepared in the same manner as in Example 8. The WPI concentration was 5%, and the heat treatment conditions were 72 ° C. and 30 minutes (heating with stirring in a Fordler tank). 20l WPI solution is 2
When cooled to 0 ° C., 1 kg of dextrin (NSD230, Nippon Shokuhin Kogyo Co., Ltd.) was added and dissolved, and this was pulverized using a spray dryer (Niro atomizer-production minor type, Niro Co.).

3.5 kg of granulated sugar and 10 g of flavor were added to 2 kg of the obtained powder (50% WPI) to obtain a mixture.

This mixture was dissolved in deionized water to a WPI concentration of 10%, and the solubility was visually examined. After that, skim milk powder (ash content 7.9%) was further added so that the concentration became 10%, and the mixture was allowed to stand at 20 ° C. for 6 hours, and the gelling ability was visually examined. As a result, the WPI powder-containing mixture had excellent solubility and a good gel was obtained by adding skim milk powder.

FIG. 5 shows the flow of the procedure of this embodiment.

Example 10 Fish paste product A WP heat-denaturing solution and the like were prepared in the following manner, and a fish paste product was produced using them.

Preparation of denaturing WP solution: Whey protein concentrate WPC (protein 75%, Sanlacto N-12 (trade name), Taiyo Kagaku) adjusted to 6.5% protein content (WPC 8.7%) ( (B) was heated at 80 ° C. for 20 minutes to obtain a WPC heat denaturing solution having a hydrophobicity of 140 (FI / mg protein) (referred to as (C)). Also, the above WP
A powder obtained by pulverizing the C heat denaturing solution with a hot air spray dryer was obtained. Similarly, a WPI heat denaturation solution (WPI 6.9%) was obtained using a WPI solution (95% protein, Sanlacto I-1 (trade name), Taiyo Kagaku) ((e)) ((f) and I call it). Preparation of WP heat-denatured slurry and gelled product: WPC heat-denatured solution (c), or powdered 6.5% of this protein dissolved in water, added with 1.5% of salt, 30 ° C., 4 hours The mixture was left to stand to give a WPC heat-modified slurry (referred to as (d)). On the other hand, the WPI heat denaturation solution (f) was used to gel in the same manner to obtain a pulverized product (referred to as (g)).

Manufacture of fish paste products: Special grade surimi (no salt)
After crushing 700g for 5 minutes with a silent cutter,
After adding 21 g of sodium chloride and stirring for 5 minutes, the above solution etc. ((b), (c), (d), (e), (f),
(G)) 210 g, water 210 g, and starch 35 g as an auxiliary material, egg white 35 g, mirin 7.5 g, and sugar 7.5.
g, and stirred for 6 minutes to mix.

Then, about 160 g of the obtained mixture was packed in a casing and allowed to stand at 5 ° C. overnight (seating process).
Then, the product was heated at 85 ° C. for 40 minutes. As a result, the fish paste product obtained using (c), (d), (f) and (g) has good elasticity and gel strength (foot), and has a high taste and taste. there were. The gel strength of the obtained product and the results of sensory evaluation are shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Figure 6
The gel strength of indicates the average value ± standard deviation of 5 samples (risk rate 5%). The sensory evaluation of FIG. 7 shows the average value of the evaluation results by 5 expert panelists, and is shown by a 10-point method with 7 points as a reference point (standard quality).

The use of WPI was generally superior to that of WPC, which is considered to be due to the higher purity of whey protein in WPI. The sensory evaluation of FIG. 7 was carried out as follows.

Example 11 Fish paste product A denaturing solution of WP prepared in Example 10 (c),
(F) or 6.5% as powdered protein
1.5% sodium chloride or 2.0% phosphate (Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) was added to a solution prepared by dissolving in water and allowed to stand at 30 ° C. for 4 hours,
The gelated product obtained by freezing and thawing the obtained WP heat-modified slurry (the slurry gels by freezing and thawing) was made into a product by the process of Example 10. The elasticity and gel strength (foot) of the obtained fish paste were as good as those of Example 10 (d) and (g).

[0139]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In gel formation using WP, gelation can be achieved by induction of salt ions instead of heat induction. In addition, the gel structure of the obtained WP gelled product is irreversible, has heat resistance and cold resistance, and has excellent properties such as transparency and water retention. Therefore, the WP gelled product of the present invention can be used as a variety of food materials over a wide range, and it is possible to produce novel foods which have never been obtained. Furthermore, since the WP-containing solution has a unique property of causing gelation only by the addition of salts or its ions, it can be freely used in the liquid state together with other food materials, and it is fixed by gelation after standing. As a result, it becomes possible to provide a new food product integrated by WP. Further, if the WP-containing solution is pulverized, the practical value can be increased and it is useful as an instant dessert or the like.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the influence of the amount of added salt of a salt ion-induced gel and a heat-induced gel formed in Example 1 of the present invention, where (a) is gel strength, (b) is elasticity, and (c) is ) Indicates the relationship with the water separation rate.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the influence of salts on a salt ion-induced gel formed in Example 2, (a) showing the relationship with gel strength, and (b) showing the relationship with gel elasticity.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a relationship between a salt addition temperature and a standing temperature of a salt ion-inducing gel formed in Example 3.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic flow of the procedure performed in Example 8.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic flow of the procedure performed in Example 9.

FIG. 6 shows the gel strength of the fish paste product obtained in Example 10.

FIG. 7 shows the results of sensory evaluation of the fish paste product obtained in Example 10.

FIG. 8 is a chart showing an example of a usage mode of the WP solution of the present invention.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical display location A23J 3/00 511 A23J 3/00 511 A23L 1/06 A23L 1/06 1/325 101 1/325 101D (56) Reference JP-A-56-26159 (JP, A) JP-A-62-269644 (JP, A) Journal of Japan Food Industry Society, 32 (9) (1985) P. 639-645

Claims (11)

(57) [Claims] 1. A protein concentration of 0.5 to 20% by weight, pH
Is 6.0 or more and less than 7.5, and the ash content is 1.0% by weight or less.
The whey protein solution in water
-At least the hydrophobicity of protein (FI / mg protein)
A whey protein-containing solution with more than 50, monovalent also
To the addition of divalent salts or its ion is properly
A whey protein-containing solution capable of forming an irreversible gel . 2. A whey protein concentration of 0.5 to 10 % by weight.
A whey protein-containing powder obtained by subjecting the whey protein-containing solution according to claim 1 prepared as above to a drying treatment. 3. A gelled whey protein product obtained by adding a monovalent or divalent salt or an ion thereof to the whey protein-containing solution according to claim 1. 4. A whey protein gel product obtained by redissolving the whey protein-containing powder according to claim 2 and adding a monovalent or divalent salt or an ion thereof . 5. The whey protein gel product according to claim 3 , wherein the concentration of monovalent or divalent salt or its ion is 0.02 M or more. 6. A processed food containing the gelled whey protein product according to claim 3 or 4 as one of a fat substitute, a binder, a bulking material and a water separation preventing material. 7. The whey protein-containing powder according to claim 2 , 20 to 65% by weight, skim milk powder 20 to 55% by weight, saccharide 1.
A whey protein-containing powder composition comprising at least 5 to 60% by weight. 8. A monovalent or divalent monohydric or divalent compound obtained by emulsifying and mixing the whey protein-containing solution according to claim 1 and fats and oils .
A processed food comprising a W / O or O / W type gel emulsion obtained by adding salts or ions thereof . 9. The whey protein according to claim 3 or 4.
Processed meat or fish meat food containing gelled products. 10. The whey protein according to claim 3 or 4.
Dessert food containing high quality gel. 11. The whey protein according to claim 3 or 4.
A fish paste product containing high quality gel.