JP3524812B2 - Manufacturing method of heat-sterilized solid 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 method for producing heat-sterilized solid food. More specifically, the product container is filled with solid food such as cooked rice, meat, and vegetables, and heat sterilization treatment is performed by directly contacting the solid food with steam without sealing the container (hereinafter, referred to as an open system heat sterilization treatment). (Hereinafter abbreviated as ") is applied to prevent water from accumulating in the product container, thereby producing a sterilized solid food product having a good texture.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, aseptic packaged foods are manufactured by filling a solid food such as cooked rice, meat or vegetables into a container, subjecting to open heat sterilization treatment, and then filling and sealing the container in a sterile atmosphere. Is being carried out. For example, the food material is placed in a container having an opening with water necessary for cooking, the container is heated to the temperature for the time required for sterilization, and after heating, the opening of the container is aseptically sealed. Method for producing storable cooked foods (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 55-960)
No. 80), or a method for processing an aseptic packaged food characterized in that a food material is filled in a container, sterilized by heating under pressure, and then aseptically sealed (JP-A-4-370081). ing.

However, the above method has not been able to obtain a solid food product having a good texture. Water accumulates in the container during heat sterilization, and the water and solid food are heated or sterilized in a state where they partially or wholly contact, the solid food is in a stewed state during heat sterilization, and the tissue of the solid food is softened, and further This is because simmering occurs.

[0004]

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a sterilized solid food, which comprises sterilizing an open system while filling the product container with the solid food, and then aseptically sealing the product.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a sterilized solid food product having a good texture without boiling down or marked softening of tissue.

[0005]

In order to solve the above problems, the present inventor has repeatedly studied the problem of poor texture of solid foods when the solid foods are filled in a product container and subjected to open system heat sterilization. It was As a result, the solid food is steamed before filling the product container with the solid food, then filled with the solid food, and until open-system heat sterilization, the product temperature of the solid food is achieved by the steaming treatment. It has been found that a method of maintaining the temperature above the temperature can solve the above problems and obtain a solid food having a good texture. Further, in the case of open system heat sterilization under pressure by the conventional method, there was a problem that the water accumulated in the product container is bumped, resulting in the product container becoming dirty, but according to the above method , I found that this problem could be solved. The present invention has been completed based on these findings, and its gist is as follows.

That is, the gist of the present invention is to perform a step of steaming a solid food, a step of filling the solid food after the steaming into a product container, and an open system heat sterilization step of directly contacting the solid food with steam. And, a method of manufacturing a sterilized solid food product having a step of sealing a product container after heat sterilization in a sterile atmosphere, until immediately before performing an open system heat sterilization process after the steaming process, after the steaming process. A method for producing a sterilized solid food, characterized in that the product temperature of the solid food is maintained at the product temperature of the solid food reached by the steaming treatment or higher.

Another feature of the present invention is that in the method for producing a solid food after heat sterilization, the steps from steaming to open heat sterilization are performed in a continuous steam atmosphere. It is a method for producing a sterilized solid food.

Another object of the present invention is, in the method for producing a solid food after heat sterilization, the temperature of the solid food after steaming is 60 ° C. immediately before the open system heat sterilization.
It is the manufacturing method of the heat-sterilized solid foodstuff characterized by being -100 degreeC.

Another subject matter of the present invention is a method for producing a solid food after heat sterilization, which is characterized in that in the method for producing a solid food after heat sterilization, a pressure heat sterilization treatment is performed.

Further, another gist of the present invention is that when the pressure heat sterilization treatment is performed in the method for producing a solid food after heat sterilization, the pressure of the pressure heat sterilization treatment atmosphere is set to 1
It is a method for producing a solid food having been sterilized by heating, which comprises reducing the pressure to normal pressure in 5 seconds to 5 minutes.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described below. The solid food targeted by the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a solid food containing water. For example, meat such as beef, pork, chicken, fish, shellfish, or root vegetables such as onions, carrots, radish, potatoes, Chinese cabbage, vegetables such as leafy vegetables such as cabbage, spices such as herbs, spices, soybeans,
Beans such as broad beans or peas, grains such as rice grains, corn grains or wheat grains, and the like. In addition, white rice,
Cooked rice such as red rice, rice, mixed rice, rice cake, noodles such as udon, buckwheat, ramen, spaghetti, pasta such as macaroni, etc., using the above solid food as a raw material,
The solid food of the present invention also includes foods that have been subjected to secondary processing such as mixing, grinding, molding, boiling treatment, cooking with heat or seasoning, and have a solid state containing water.

In the present invention, the solid food is steamed before it is filled in the product container. by this,
It is possible to suppress the accumulation of water in the product container. On the other hand, when the solid food is not subjected to the steaming treatment, or when the solid food is filled into the product container and then the steaming treatment is performed, water is accumulated in the product container, which causes deterioration of the texture of the solid food. When the solid food is subjected to the steaming treatment, the temperature of the solid food may be raised, and the condition is not particularly limited, but the temperature of the solid food is 60 ° C to 10 ° C.
It is preferable to raise the temperature to 0 ° C, and further to 80 ° C to 100 ° C. This makes it possible to prevent water from accumulating in the container and maintain the flavor and appearance of the solid food in a good condition. In addition, the solid food product temperature is 60 ℃ ~
When raising the temperature to 100 ° C, 6
It may be held for 30 seconds to 30 minutes, and further for 1 minute to 20 minutes in a steam atmosphere of 0 ° C to 100 ° C, further 80 ° C to 100 ° C. In the present invention, when the solid food is subjected to the steaming treatment, the solid food may be subjected to a pretreatment such as dipping in a seasoning liquid, heat cooking or boil treatment.

The method of subjecting the solid food to the steaming treatment is not particularly limited as long as it can raise the product temperature by directly bringing the solid food into contact with steam. For example, the solid food may be filled in a container having air permeability such as a wire netting basket and an upper opening retainer having a hole at the bottom, and the solid food may be directly steam-contacted for steaming treatment.

After the solid food is steamed, the product is filled with the solid food. The product container in the present invention is a container used for finally filling and sealing a sterilized solid food product and providing it as a product. The product container may be a heat-resistant and sealable one,
The material and shape are not particularly limited. For example, the material of the product container is polypropylene, polyethylene,
Examples thereof include synthetic resins such as polyethylene terephthalate, metals such as aluminum and steel, paper, and laminates obtained by appropriately laminating the above synthetic resins, metals or paper. Further, as the shape of the container, a conventionally known product container may be adopted.

In the present invention, after the solid food is filled in the product container, the solid food is subjected to an open system heat sterilization treatment. As a result, it is possible to obtain a sterilized solid food product having no flavor and having an excellent taste. When the solid food is subjected to the open system heat sterilization treatment, the solid food has only to reach a predetermined sterilization value, and the sterilization conditions and method are not particularly limited. The heat sterilization conditions vary depending on the storage conditions of the product. For example, in the case of a normal temperature storage type sterilized solid food, heat sterilization is performed with steam at a temperature of over 100 ° C. under a pressure atmosphere, and F =
The conditions may be set so that a bactericidal value of 4.0 or more can be achieved. On the other hand, if it is of a type that is stored under chilled conditions, it may be subjected to heat sterilization corresponding to 100 ° C. for 1 to 30 minutes. Further, as a sterilization method, for example, a retort sterilizer, a steam sterilizer such as an autoclave, or a product container containing a solid food in a pressure vessel such as a pressure cooker, which can be sealed, is placed at a predetermined temperature in the pressure vessel. It is sufficient to introduce the above steam and hold it for a predetermined time.

The present invention is suitable for an open system sterilization treatment under pressure. According to the present invention, water is not accumulated at all in the product container, or hardly accumulated even when subjected to an open system heat sterilization treatment under pressure, in which a large amount of water is accumulated in the product container. This is because the texture of solid food is maintained.

In the present invention, when the solid food is sterilized by heating under pressure, the pressure is reduced to normal pressure after the sterilization is completed.
In the present invention, the reduced pressure is applied for 15 seconds to 5 after the sterilization treatment.
It is preferable that the treatment is performed for a period of 30 minutes to 1 minute. This is because even if water is stored in the product container, the water does not bump and contaminate the product container. In addition, since it is possible to prevent the solid food from cracking or rupturing by reducing the pressure from a pressurized state to a normal pressure over 15 seconds to 5 minutes, for example, potatoes such as potatoes and sweet potatoes, cracks such as beans, etc. Does not impair the appearance of solid foods that tend to occur.

A feature of the present invention is that by maintaining the product temperature of the solid food product reached by the steaming process or a product temperature higher than the range from the steaming process to immediately before the open system heat sterilization process, the product temperature is maintained. It is possible to suppress the accumulation of water in the container and maintain the texture of the solid food. When the product temperature of the solid food is lower than the product temperature after the steaming process before the open system heat sterilization process, the amount of water accumulated in the product container increases,
The texture of solid foods is impaired. In the present invention, maintaining the product temperature of the solid food means that the product temperature of the solid food is from the steaming process to immediately before the open system heat sterilization process, which is the temperature raised during the steaming process or higher. Say that. Therefore, as long as this is the case, the product temperature of the solid food may change before the open system heat sterilization treatment. However, the smaller the fluctuation range of the temperature of the solid food is, the more preferable it is because water is less likely to be accumulated in the product container and the texture of the solid food is not impaired.

The temperature of the solid food product may be at least the temperature raised during the above-mentioned steaming treatment, and is preferably 60 ° C to 100 ° C, more preferably 80 ° C to 100 ° C. If the temperature is lower than 60 ° C, the amount of water accumulated in the product container during open-type heat sterilization tends to increase, and the texture of the solid food tends to deteriorate. On the other hand, when the temperature is higher than 100 ° C, the solid food is overheated, so that the flavor and appearance of the solid food tend to be deteriorated.

The method for maintaining the product temperature of the solid food after the steaming treatment is not particularly limited as long as the product temperature of the solid food can be maintained until the open system sterilization treatment, but in the present invention,
It is preferable that the steps from the steaming treatment to the open heat sterilization treatment are conducted in a steam atmosphere. Thereby, the product temperature of the solid foods can be stably maintained, and particularly when a plurality of solid foods are simultaneously processed, it is easy to make the product temperature of each solid food uniform. When performing each of the above steps in a steam atmosphere, it is possible to make the steam atmosphere one continuous steam atmosphere or an independent steam atmosphere for each step, but in the present invention, the steam in which each step is continuous It is preferably an atmosphere. The temperature of the steam atmosphere may be a temperature that can maintain the product temperature of the solid food heated by the steaming treatment, but is preferably 60 ° C. or higher, and further 8
Water vapor at 0 ° C to 100 ° C may be used.

After solid food is sterilized by open system heat treatment,
The opening of the product container is sealed under a sterile atmosphere. Aseptic atmosphere
The inside of the solid food and product containers after heat sterilization is
There is no particular limitation as long as it is not contaminated with. For example,
A cream filled with air that has been sterilized with an air filter.
Sterilization process in advance in room or steam atmosphere
The opening of the product container may be sealed with the lid material. Cover material
When sterilizing, in the container when the product container is sealed
Method of irradiating the surface to be irradiated with ultraviolet rays, or H ₂O₂Such
Method of immersing in sterilizing agent or hot water, or high temperature steam
It may be carried out by a method such as contacting. Aseptic
If the atmosphere is the above vapor atmosphere,
You may sterilize a lid material by making it contact. The lid material is
The container opening should be sealed to maintain sterility inside the container.
There is no particular limitation as long as it exists. , For example, the material of the lid
In addition, use the above-mentioned materials for the product container.
Good.

In sealing the product container, it is preferable to degas the head space in the container. This makes it possible to prevent oxidation of the solid food during storage, and to obtain a sterilized solid food having a good flavor and an excellent texture for a long period of time. The method of degassing the headspace is not particularly limited as long as it can reduce the amount of oxygen in the headspace. For example, there is a method of injecting an inert gas such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide into the head space and replacing it with air. Further, means for using, for example, a product container or a lid material using a packaging material containing an oxygen absorber, or disposing a deoxidizing material on the inner surface side of the container of the lid material, without providing a deaeration step. Therefore, deoxidation in the head space may be achieved.

In the present invention, before the product container filled with the sterilized solid food is sealed in a sterile atmosphere, it is heated or sterilized separately from the solid food, and the liquid or paste such as sauce, soup or seasoning liquid is used. It may be provided as an aseptic packaged food in which food is filled and solid-liquid is mixed.

According to the method for producing a sterilized solid food product of the present invention including the above steps, it is possible to provide a sterilized solid food product having an excellent texture. Or a solid food produced by the method of the present invention as a ingredient, other curry, a solid-liquid mixed food obtained by mixing with sterilized food such as stew or pasta sauce, especially the texture of the solid food Good ones can also be provided.

[0025]

[Embodiment 1] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to an embodiment. In this example, the following manufacturing line was used.
That is, a steam room for steaming solid foods, and a mechanism located downstream of the steam room for introducing a product container,
A filling chamber for filling the product container with solid food, located on the downstream side of this filling chamber, connected by a steam generator and piping, and a pressure heating sterilization chamber for sterilizing the solid food,
It is located on the downstream side of the pressure heat sterilization chamber, and comprises a sealing chamber provided with an ultraviolet sterilization device for sterilizing the lid material and a seal supply mechanism for sealing the product container. And
A belt conveyor that conveys a product container containing a solid food is arranged in the cooking chamber, the filling chamber, and the sterilization chamber. A steam atmosphere is formed between the steaming chamber, the filling chamber, and the pressure heating and sterilizing chamber.

First, the carrot is 25 mm × 25 mm ×
Cut into 25mm dice to make carrot pieces,
Ten pieces of this carrot piece were filled in a retainer having an upper opening having a plurality of small holes at the bottom. Next, put the carrot pieces stored in the retainer in the steaming room and at 100 ° C under atmospheric pressure.
The carrot was steamed by keeping it under saturated steam. When the product temperature of the carrot piece reaches 98 ° C, the steaming process is terminated, then the retainer containing the carrot piece is transported to the filling chamber and transferred from the retainer to the synthetic resin product container with the upper opening. I changed it. After this transfer, the product container filled with carrot pieces was conveyed and introduced into a pressure heating sterilization chamber. The steam from the cooking chamber to the pressure sterilization chamber was filled with 100 ° C. steam, and the product temperature of the carrot pieces was maintained at 98 ° C. during the process from the cooking chamber to the pressure sterilization chamber.

Next, steam is introduced into the sterilization chamber to pressurize the sterilization chamber to a pressure of 0.12 MPa and a temperature of 120 ° C. in a steam atmosphere. After reaching 120 ° C., the carrot pieces are held for 19 minutes, It was sterilized by heating under pressure. After the above sterilization is completed, the pressure in the sterilization chamber is changed from 0.12 MPa to atmospheric pressure 6
The pressure was reduced over 0 seconds.

After depressurizing the pressure heat sterilization chamber to atmospheric pressure,
The sterilized product container and carrot pieces were transported to the sealing chamber. A sealing material made of synthetic resin, which had been sterilized by irradiation with ultraviolet rays in advance, was introduced into the sealing chamber, and the opening of the product container was hermetically sealed in the sealing chamber. Thus, heat-sterilized carrot in a container was obtained.

Next, when the container was opened, almost no water remained in the container and the outer surface of the container was not soiled at all. Further, the carrot pieces had a sufficient chewy texture. The carrot pieces did not have a strange odor.

[0030]

[Example 2] Solid food is 25 mm x 25 mm x 25 m
Sterilized beef in a container was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the beef was cut into a m-shaped die. Next, the heat-sterilized beef contained in the container was evaluated. It was confirmed that water was slightly accumulated in the container, but there was no stain on the outer surface of the container. When the cut beef in the container was eaten, it had a well-balanced texture of moderate softness and sufficient chewy, and was juicy. There was no offensive odor such as a muffled odor.

[0031]

Example 3 In the production line used in Example 1,
Further, a heat-sterilized curry in a container containing carrot, potato and beef as ingredients was produced using a production line in which a liquid material filling chamber was provided between a pressure heating sterilization chamber and a sealing chamber. In addition, potato and beef are both 25 mm
A die cut to a size of 25 mm x 25 mm was used.

First, 20 parts by weight of carrot, 40 parts by weight of potato and 40 parts by weight of beef cut as described above were filled in the retainer used in Example 1 and steamed under the same conditions as in Example 1 to obtain a product container. And sterilized under open pressure and heat under the same conditions as in Example 1. After sterilization, up to atmospheric pressure 60
The pressure was reduced in seconds. Next, the product container containing carrots, potatoes and beef was transported to a liquid material filling chamber, and 300 parts by weight of curry sauce sterilized by a separate tube sterilizer was filled in the product container in the filling chamber. After filling the curry sauce, the product container is transported to a sealing chamber filled with 100 ° C steam, and nitrogen gas is injected into the head space to degas it, and then the opening of this product container is pre-sterilized by an ultraviolet sterilizer. It was sealed with the lid material thus obtained to obtain 400 parts by weight of sterilized curry in a container.

Next, the product of Example 2 was evaluated.
The outer surface of the container was completely clean. The carrots and potatoes in the curry sauce had a sufficient chewy texture, had no offensive odor, and had a good texture. In addition, the beef did not show any crumble, had an appropriate chewy texture, and had a good flavor.

[0034]

According to the present invention, the solid food is steamed before being filled into the product container, and the product temperature reached by this steaming process is maintained and introduced into the heat sterilization process, whereby Since it is possible to prevent water from accumulating in the solid food, the solid food will not be cooked. Therefore, a sterilized solid food product having a good texture and flavor can be obtained.
Further, when the open system heat sterilization treatment is performed under pressure, the texture of the solid food can be maintained well, and the product container is not contaminated due to bumping of water accumulated in the product container.

In order to maintain the product temperature of the solid food, the product temperature of the solid food can be stably maintained by performing the steaming process and the open system heat sterilization process in a continuous steam atmosphere. Further, the amount of water accumulated in the product container can be further reduced, and a solid food having an excellent texture can be obtained. Further, even when a plurality of solid foods are simultaneously subjected to the open-type heat sterilization treatment, the product temperature of each solid food does not vary.

Further, after the steaming treatment and immediately before the open system heat sterilization treatment, the temperature of the solid food is kept at 60 ° C to 100 ° C.
By maintaining the temperature at ℃, it is possible to suppress the accumulation of water in the product container, it is possible to provide a sterilized solid food excellent in texture.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent water from accumulating in the product container even when pressure sterilization, which tends to accumulate a large amount of water in the product container, is performed. It is possible to provide a sterilized solid food product that can be stored for a long period of time and has a good texture.

After the pressure heat sterilization treatment, the pressure is reduced to normal pressure for 15 seconds to 5 minutes, so that even if a small amount of water is stored in the product container, Since bumping can be prevented, it is possible to prevent the product container from being contaminated due to the bumping.

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A step of steaming a solid food, a step of filling the solid food after the steaming into a product container, an open system heat sterilization step of directly contacting the solid food with steam, and a sterile atmosphere. A method for producing a sterilized solid food product having a step of sealing a product container after heat sterilization, until after the steaming treatment and immediately before the open system heat sterilization treatment, the product temperature of the solid food product after the steaming treatment, A method for producing a sterilized solid food, which is characterized by maintaining at a temperature equal to or higher than the temperature of the solid food reached by the steaming treatment. 2. The method for producing a sterilized solid food according to claim 1, wherein the steps from the steaming treatment to the open system heat sterilization treatment are performed in a continuous steam atmosphere. 3. The heat sterilization according to claim 1, wherein the solid food has a product temperature of 60 ° C. to 100 ° C. after the steaming treatment and immediately before the open system heat sterilization treatment. Method for producing used solid food. 4. The method for producing a solid food after heat sterilization according to claim 1, wherein the heat sterilization treatment is a pressure heat sterilization treatment. 5. The heat-sterilized solid food product according to claim 4, wherein the pressure of the heat-sterilization treatment under pressure is reduced to normal pressure in 15 seconds to 5 minutes after the heat-sterilization treatment under pressure. Production method.