JP3112516B2 - Food quality improver - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a quality improving agent used in a food production process. More specifically, the quality improving agent itself is excellent in pH retention and stability, and is used to improve the quality of foods that can be used to produce high-quality foods that have good texture and taste and can be stored at room temperature for a long period of time. It relates to the agent.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, foods such as boiled noodles, buckwheat, spaghetti, noodles, pickles, delicacies, vegetables, rice and the like have been added to foods in the manufacturing process in order to impart long-term preservability without deteriorating the quality of the foods. Numerous quality control agents and quality control methods for adding or immersing foods have been proposed [Method of packaging and boiled noodles using glucono-delta-lactone (JP-A-49-54561); ,citric acid,
A method of using one or more organic acids such as malic acid and tartaric acid (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos.
-74958, JP-B-1-25546, JP-A-1-119866, and JP-A-2-200156), a method of using these organic acids and salts thereof (JP-A-54-41340, JP-B-55-23054 and JP-B-55-23056, JP-A-60-1021
No. 58, JP-A-2-190157), a method using an ester of sucrose with stearic acid or the like (JP-A-2-190158), and a method using citric acid and ethanol (JP-A-57-86276). ), A method using an organic acid and propylene glycol (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
-86276)).

[0003] For example, the pH of noodles in a boiled liquid and an immersion liquid
There is a process that requires pH adjustment during the production of boiled noodles, such as adjustment or addition of a pH adjuster to raw materials such as flour, and pH-lowering agents such as lactic acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, and acetic acid are used as the adjusting means However, when these are used, even if the pH can be adjusted, if a certain amount is added, the bitterness and other sourness peculiar to each acid appear, and the taste itself of the food, such as texture and taste, is changed. To pH
Even if the purpose of the adjustment could be achieved, it could not be used because it degraded the quality of the food.

In addition, in the adjustment with these pH-lowering agents, the pH of the processing liquid or the like to be added must be constantly measured over time.
When boiling the boiled noodles, the pH of the boiled liquid must be constantly measured as the boiled work progresses. This is a laborious operation, and in order to adjust the pH to an appropriate level, various acids must be accurately measured. However, there is a disadvantage in that a difficult operation that must be added to the steel is accompanied. As described above, the conventional quality control methods and quality control agents have poor pH retention and stability of the quality control agents themselves, and have a good texture and taste using these quality control methods and quality control agents at room temperature. High quality foods that can be stored for a long time could not be made.

[0005]

The pH of the quality improving agent itself
To provide a food quality improving agent which is excellent in retention and stability, and which can be used to produce a high quality food which has a good texture and taste and can be stored at room temperature for a long period of time; and An object of the present invention is to provide a quality improver concentrate which can be easily prepared by diluting the quality improver.

[0006]

The present inventors have conducted intensive studies in view of the above problems, and as a result, have found that at least (1) glucono delta lactone, (2) one or more organic acids and salts thereof,
The quality improver containing (3) ethanol and (4) water at a very limited specific ratio is surprisingly excellent in pH retention and stability of the quality improver itself, and The present inventors have found that it is possible to produce a high-quality food which has a good texture and taste and can be stored at room temperature for a long period of time by using it.

The invention of claim 1 of the present invention is a food quality improving agent comprising an aqueous solution containing at least the following (1) to (4), and the quality improving agent itself treats a target food.
Use as processing solution or process target food
Food quality characterized by being used in processing solutions
It is an improver . (1) Glucono delta lactone 0.5 to 10% by weight (2) One or more organic acids and / or salts thereof 0.05 to 1% by weight (3) Ethanol 0.2 to 3% by weight (4) Water residue amount

[0008] The invention of claim 2 of the present invention is characterized in that the food is noodles,
The food quality improving agent according to claim 1, wherein the food quality improving agent is at least one food selected from pickles, favorite foods, vegetables, rice cereal foods, paste products, processed meat products, and fried products.

The invention according to claim 3 of the present invention is characterized in that the organic acid is at least one organic acid selected from acetic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, fumaric acid, adipic acid, malic acid, lactic acid and a mixture thereof. The food quality improving agent according to claim 1, which is characterized in that:

[0010] The invention of claim 4 of the present invention is characterized in that the salt of the organic acid is at least one salt of an organic acid selected from potassium salts, sodium salts, calcium salts and mixtures thereof. 2. The food quality improving agent according to item 1.

[0011]

Each component used in the present invention is a water-soluble food additive which is harmless to humans and animals. P of the quality improving agent of the present invention itself
H retention and stability are excellent. For example, the pH of the processing solution in the process of manufacturing foods such as boiled noodles to be pH adjusted can be analyzed by analyzing the pH over time, and there is no need to adjust the pH. Once the pH is adjusted at the beginning, it can be used for a long period of time, and the crystals of each component can be kept uniform without any precipitation during the use period or during storage at room temperature. , Can be saved. Further, the quality improving agent of the present invention has a very good buffering property, and almost no pH change even at a concentration change of about 1% to about 0.1%.
And the fluctuation of pH is extremely small. As shown in the examples, when the quality improving agent of the present invention was used in the boiled liquid, there was no change in pH before and after boiled, and the yield of boiled noodles was greatly improved. The finished foods such as boiled noodles have good texture and taste, and can be high-quality foods that can be stored at room temperature for a long time.

[0013] The quality improving agent of the present invention is added during the manufacturing process of foods such as noodles such as boiled noodles, buckwheat, spaghetti, pickles, delicacies, vegetables, rice, kamaboko, ham / sausage, croquettes, cutlets, tempura, and kakiage. Or can be used when immersing food,
Foods to which the quality improving agent of the present invention can be applied are not limited to these, but can be used in general foods, and the usage is not limited to these.

The glucono-delta-lactone used in the present invention is a food additive, and has been used as a leavening agent for confectionery such as bread and cake, or as a coagulant for tofu, and for the preservability of ham, sausage and Kamaboko by adjusting the pH. Those widely used for reinforcement and the like can be used. It is known that glucono delta lactone exists as an equilibrium mixture of glucono delta lactone, glucono gamma lactone and gluconic acid in an aqueous solution. If the content of glucono-delta-lactone in the food quality improving agent of the present invention exceeds 10% by weight, some foods may cause sour taste, which is not preferable.
When the content is 0.5% by weight or less, the storage effect is reduced.

The organic acids and salts thereof used in the present invention are edible acids and salts thereof which are recognized as food additives, and include acetic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, fumaric acid, adipic acid, malic acid, and the like. Organic acid salts such as lactic acid and mixtures thereof include potassium salts, sodium salts, calcium salts and the like, and mixtures thereof. Of these, lactic acid and its salts can be preferably used. If the content of the organic acid or its salt in the food quality improving agent of the present invention exceeds 1% by weight, the taste such as acidity is affected, which is not preferable. In addition, the content is 0.1.
When the content is less than 05% by weight, the texture, taste, and yield are reduced along with the preservation effect.

The ethanol used in the present invention may be ethanol or a composition consisting essentially of ethanol, which is recognized as a food additive. If the content of ethanol in the food quality improving agent of the present invention exceeds 3% by weight, the texture and taste are adversely affected, which is not preferable. When the content is 0.2% by weight or less, the preservation effect is reduced.

The food quality improving agent of the present invention has its own p
The reason why glucono-delta-lactone improves food preservability is that it has excellent H retention and stability, and can be used to make high-quality food that has good texture and taste and can be stored at room temperature for a long period of time. Organic acids and their salts contribute to improving the quality, preservability, and yield of food, and ethanol improves the solubility of glucono-delta-lactone and contribute to improving long-term storage stability. It is possible, but not limited to this reason.

The quality improving agent of the present invention may contain an antioxidant, salt, fragrance, various esters, saccharides, coloring agents and the like within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention.

As a method of using the food quality improving agent of the present invention, the following methods can be usually mentioned, but it is not limited to these methods. (1) An example of treating a target food with the food quality improving agent itself
Processing liquids such as boiled liquid, immersion liquid, pickled liquid, rice cooking liquid
To use . (2) Used in a treatment liquid such as a boiler. (3) Food is added to the liquid to be sprayed or dipped. (4) Mix in pickle liquid. (5) When making rice from rice and water, mix it with the water.

The food quality improving agent of the present invention may be prepared by mixing each component in advance, or may be separately added as needed. However, it is important to adjust the composition so as to have a predetermined composition. The treatment temperature, treatment time, and the like when using the food quality improving agent of the present invention are not limited because they vary depending on the type of food. However, it is usually desirable to treat the food so that the pH of the treated food is 3.5 to 5.5, preferably 4 to 5.

In the present invention, at least the following (1)
It is preferable to prepare a concentrated solution composed of an aqueous solution containing a high concentration of (4) in advance, and appropriately dilute it with water at the time of use to prepare and use the composition of the quality improving agent. (1) 25 to 45% by weight of glucono delta lactone (2) One or more organic acids and / or salts thereof 0.1 to 5% by weight (3) Ethanol 1 to 15% by weight (4) Remaining amount of water The food quality improver concentrate is excellent in its own pH retention and stability, can be kept uniformly without precipitating crystals of each component during storage, and can be stored stably. For example, even when the concentrated solution of the food quality improving agent of the present invention is stored at a low temperature such as 5 ° C., crystals such as glucono-delta-lactone can be kept homogeneous without precipitation.

[0022]

Next, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Examples, but it should not be construed that the invention is limited thereto without departing from the gist of the present invention. Example 1 A concentrate of the quality improving agent of the present invention was prepared according to the following steps 1 to 5. 1. Measure distilled water into the tank. 2. After the glucono delta lactone is weighed, the glucono delta lactone is poured into the tank with stirring to completely dissolve the glucono delta lactone. 3. After the ethanol and sodium lactate are weighed, they are charged and sufficiently stirred to dissolve. Raw material composition Glucono delta lactone 30% Sodium lactate 3% Ethanol (primary) 10% Distilled water 57%

FIG. 1 shows the relationship between the pH and the concentration of an aqueous solution obtained by diluting the above-mentioned concentrate of the quality improving agent to various concentrations with distilled water. As can be seen from FIG. 1, the concentrate of the present invention has a very good buffering property, shows almost no change in pH even when the concentration changes from about 0.1% to about 1% or more. Is extremely small. FIG. 2 shows the above-mentioned concentrate of the quality improving agent at 40 ° C.
Fig. 4 shows a change in pH when stored for a long time at temperatures of 25 ° C and 5 ° C. After storage at 40 ° C. for 9 weeks, some color changed slightly, but most of the color changed without any problem in the quality of the quality improver concentrate itself. No discoloration, no precipitation of crystals, etc. were observed at all at 25 ° C. and 5 ° C. for 10 weeks, and there was no change in the quality of the quality improver concentrate.
As described above, the concentrate of the present invention has excellent long-term storage stability at any storage temperature, and from these results, it can be seen that practically, it can be stored at 25 ° C. or lower for 6 months or more.

(Examples 2 to 4 and Comparative Examples 1 to 9) As shown in Table 1, 5 types of the quality improver concentrates of various concentrations were prepared in the same manner as in Table 1.
The stability when stored at 25 ° C, 25 ° C and 40 ° C is shown.

[0025]

[Table 1]

(Examples 5 to 8 and Comparative Examples 10 to 16) The quality improver concentrates of the present invention prepared in the same manner were diluted with distilled water so as to have the composition shown in Table 2, and the quality improver solution was prepared. made. Then, the dried noodles are processed according to the following 1 to 5, and the pH changes before and after the processing, the yield of the boiled noodles, the storage stability of the quality improver solution, the pH of the noodles, the preservability such as the taste of the processed noodles and the texture (20 ° C.) , Shelf life) was tested. The yield of boiled noodles was relatively expressed as 100 in Comparative Example 10 in which no quality improver solution was used. The storage stability of the quality improver solution indicates the stability when left at 25 ° C. (○: good, ◎: very good). Table 2 summarizes the results. 1. After measuring the dried noodles, it was boiled for about 10 to 15 minutes. 2. Cooled with cold water. 3. Dipped in the quality modifier solution for 30-60 seconds. 4. The plastic bag was filled and sealed with a small amount of oil to prevent the adhesion of noodles. 5. Heat sterilization at 80 to 110 ° C for 20 to 35 minutes.

[0027]

[Table 2]

Using the quality improver solution of Example 7, the following treatment was carried out to test the stability. 1. After measuring the dried noodles, it was boiled for about 10 to 15 minutes. 2. Cooled with cold water. 3. Dipped in the quality modifier solution for 30-60 seconds. 4. The above steps 1 to 3 were repeated, and the pH of the noodle quality improving agent solution was measured every 15 minutes. The results are shown in FIG. The quality improvers of Examples 5 to 8 did not change pH before and after the treatment, the yield of boiled noodles was high, the storage stability of the quality improver solution itself was very good, and the pH stability of the treated noodles was good. It can be seen that the processed noodles have excellent texture and taste, and that the texture and taste are maintained for a long period of time. On the other hand, in the case of Comparative Examples 10 to 16, there was a pH change before and after the treatment, the yield of boiled noodles was poor, the pH stability of the treatment solution, the long-term storage stability was slightly inferior, and the texture of the treated noodles was poor. It can be seen that the taste is inferior and the storage stability of the noodle is also poor.

(Examples 9 to 14, Comparative Example 17) The quality improving agent concentrate of the present invention produced in the same manner was diluted with distilled water so as to have the composition shown in Table 3 to prepare a quality improving agent solution. Was. Then, in a normal room, the rice was processed according to the following 1 to 8, and the preservability (expiration period) of the taste and texture of the rice was tested (Examples 9 to 14). Table 3 summarizes the results.
Comparative Example 17 was performed in the same manner as in Example except that the quality improving agent was not used, and the results are shown in Table 3. 1. Weigh 500 g of rice. 2. Wash the rice. 3. Immerse in water for 1 hour. 4. Drain the water. 5. 600 ml of the quality improving agent solution is added to the immersed rice, and the rice is cooked with a home electric rice cooker. 6. After cooking rice, leave at room temperature and let cool for 5 minutes. 7. Fill 100g of rice in a transparent plastic container and seal. 8. Store at 25 ° C, open the seal of the plastic container every day, and inspect the appearance, taste, color, smell, etc. of the rice. The rice used for the inspection was discarded together with the plastic container.

[0030]

[Table 3]

The rice of Examples 9 to 14 using the quality improver solution has a long shelf life, whereas Comparative Example 17 has a short shelf life of 2 days. The rice of Examples 9 to 14 was determined to be equivalent to the rice of Comparative Example 17 in which no quality improving agent solution was used.

(Examples 15 and 16, Comparative Example 18) The quality improver concentrate of the present invention produced in the same manner was diluted with distilled water so as to have the composition shown in Table 4, and the quality improver solution (salt) was prepared. And with sodium glutamate). Wash the well-washed cucumber with 3% saline in the refrigerator (5-
(10 ° C.) overnight. 200 ml of the above quality improving agent solution was added to the two cucumbers, sealed in a plastic bag, stored in a refrigerator (5 to 10 ° C.), and the shelf life (tested for taste, color, smell, texture, etc.) Was tested. Table 4 shows the results. Comparative Example 18 was conducted in the same manner as in Example except that no quality improving agent was used, and the results are shown in Table 4.

[0033]

[Table 4]

Examples 15-16 using quality improver solutions
The seasoning period of a single pickled cucumber is long, but in the case of Comparative Example 18, the seasoning solution (containing salt and sodium glutamate, no quality improving agent) begins to become cloudy in about three days, and the seasoning period is also short, three days.

[0035]

Industrial Applicability The quality improving agent of the present invention using a specific water-soluble food additive which is harmless to humans is excellent in its own pH retention and stability. It is not necessary to adjust the pH of the processing solution in the process of manufacturing foods by analyzing the pH over time, and it is not necessary to adjust the pH once at the beginning of use, and it can be used for a long period of time. Crystals of each component do not precipitate during storage at medium or normal temperature, and can be kept uniform, and can be stably used or stored. When the quality improver of the present invention is used in the boiled liquid, there is no change in pH before and after boiled, the yield of boiled noodles is greatly improved, and the finished foods such as boiled noodles have a texture and taste. It can be a high-quality food that can be stored for a long time at room temperature. The quality improving agent of the present invention can be used in the same manner for rice, pickles, favorite foods, vegetables, rice foods, pasted products, meat processed products, fried products, and other foods, and the effect can be improved. The above utility value is enormous.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows the relationship between the pH and the concentration of an aqueous solution obtained by diluting the concentrate of the present invention with distilled water in various concentrations.

[FIG. 2] The quality-improving agent concentrate of the present invention is used at 40 ° C. and 25 ° C.
And pH changes upon long-term storage at a temperature of 5 ° C.

FIG. 3 shows a change in pH when the quality improving agent of the present invention is repeatedly used.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-57-86276 (JP, A) JP-A-54-41341 (JP, A) JP-A-50-123839 (JP, A) 15351 (JP, A) JP-A-50-19950 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A23L 1/16 A23L 1/03

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A food quality improving agent comprising an aqueous solution containing at least the following (1) to (4), wherein the quality improving agent itself is used as a treatment liquid for processing a target food,
Alternatively, a food quality improving agent characterized by being used in a treatment liquid for treating a target food. (1) Glucono delta lactone 0.5 to 10% by weight (2) One or more organic acids and / or salts thereof 0.05 to 1% by weight (3) Ethanol 0.2 to 3% by weight (4) Water residue amount 2. The food according to claim 1, wherein the food is at least one food selected from noodles, pickles, favorite foods, vegetables, rice cereals, paste products, processed meat products, and fried products. Quality improver. 3. The organic acid according to claim 1, wherein the organic acid is at least one selected from the group consisting of acetic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, fumaric acid, adipic acid, malic acid, lactic acid and a mixture thereof. Food quality improver. 4. The food quality improvement according to claim 1, wherein the salt of the organic acid is at least one salt of an organic acid selected from a potassium salt, a sodium salt, a calcium salt and a mixture thereof. Agent.