JP4646317B2 - How to improve the taste of food - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to processing of a food material that can maintain the freshness of the food material and can control the appearance, flavor, and texture of the food material by heating during processing.

  Although cooking methods suitable for each food material have been devised for a long time, all of them have been born out of efforts to make use of the deliciousness of the material. For example, there is a cook's technique of removing the fish's head and internal organs and then laying it in a refrigerator to produce umami, because this increases the taste components by proteolytic enzymes in the fish body. The enzyme group contained in the food material has a low activity at low temperatures, but the enzyme works little by little at about 5 ° C to 10 ° C, changing the food material slightly. In general, it is difficult to perform subtle controls such as those performed by chefs, usually appearing in the direction of quality deterioration, and fish, especially with the head and internal organs, takes time even under refrigeration. It will deteriorate and the flavor and texture will deteriorate.

In general, enzymes that have the greatest effect on quality degradation of food materials include oxidases that are involved in the oxidation of lipids and polyphenols, proteases that are involved in the degradation of proteins, and amylases that are involved in the degradation of starch. From the standpoint of reducing the quality of foodstuffs, the action of oxidase causes reactions such as the production of flavor components by oxidation of lipids, browning by oxidation of polyphenols, or expression of astringency. In addition, due to the action of proteolytic enzymes, meat quality deteriorates in fresh fish during storage, leading to a decrease in freshness or boiling, leading to a decrease in commercial value. Furthermore, while heat is gradually transmitted to the inside of a solid food material due to heat applied from the outside during cooking and heating, the flavor and texture deteriorate due to the action of enzymes contained in the material. It is.
Basically, if the action of enzymes in these ingredients can be suppressed, the flavor and texture of the ingredients can be maintained or controlled. If there is a simple processing and distribution system that does not require the use of food additives and does not require the construction of a special distribution system such as ice temperature storage, or if there is a processing technology that does not impair the flavor and quality of ingredients, it will benefit consumers Is expected to lead to increased consumption.

  Microwaves are used to heat and cook various foods as microwave ovens because they generate water by the vibration of water molecules in foods. And all the utilization of microwaves to food materials so far is expected to generate heat, and there is alpha conversion of starch by heating (Patent Documents 1 to 4), but generation of sufficient heat is the point. For example, heat generation of 70 ° C. or higher is required (Patent Document 5). It is also known to physically destroy the tissue, such as cracking the cell tissue of brown rice by microwaves to accelerate water absorption (Patent Document 6). In this case, scorching for processing in a high temperature range ( In order to suppress carbonization), it is clearly stated that it is performed in a sealed space in order to prevent water from splashing. In the report (Patent Document 7) that the enzyme in the fruit is inactivated by the microwave treatment, it is said that 95 ° C. or higher is necessary for the enzyme inactivation. Moreover, although the method of inactivating a soybean containing lipid oxidase with a microwave is proposed (patent document 8), the necessary conditions require generation | occurrence | production of the heat | fever whose soybean internal temperature is 65 degreeC or more. Similarly, in the report (Patent Document 9) of irradiating microwaves to soybeans and utilizing a part of the soybean-containing enzyme, the raw soybean content is reduced from about 13% to about 5%. Obviously it is aimed at drying using the heat generated by microwaves. Therefore, the irradiation time by the microwave needs 10 minutes to 40 minutes. Even in a report (Patent Document 10) that a protein solution is heated to a denaturation temperature or less by microwave irradiation, the temperature of the protein solution is 40 ° C to 65 ° C, preferably 45 ° C to 55 ° C. . In the method for maintaining the freshness of seafood and livestock (Patent Document 11), it is specified that the heat treatment between 40 ° C. and 70 ° C. is performed in a very short time using far infrared rays and microwaves.

  Furthermore, citrus fruits after low-temperature storage at 5 to 10 ° C. were controlled under limited conditions, such as raising the internal temperature to about + 13 ° C. in a short time and aging as it is (Patent Document 12). Some are also known for the purpose of increasing the temperature of fruits and expecting ripening in that temperature range. In addition, it is reported that fruits and vegetables are frozen after being processed by microwaves at a temperature not exceeding 45 ° C. (Patent Document 13), but the purpose of processing by microwaves is 5 to 40% by weight of water removal, It is then very limited usage of freezing after microwave treatment. In addition, what is known as means for preventing freezing of food by irradiating the freezing point storage food with appropriate microwaves or the like to give vibration (Patent Document 14) is known. It is only used as a vibration means for preventing freezing.

JP-A-3-123458 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-152878 JP-A-5-23161 JP-A-5-317022 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-294579 JP-A-10-210940 Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-17621 JP 2004-357621 A Japanese Patent No. 3318048 Japanese Patent No. 331808 JP-A-1-202242 JP-A-6-343442 JP-A-8-308487 JP-A-8-252082

  As a result of intensive studies, the present inventors reduced or deactivated the activity of enzymes contained in the food material without damaging the appearance, flavor and texture by irradiating the food raw material with a minute amount of microwave. We have developed a processing method for food materials that can maintain the freshness and control the appearance, flavor, and texture of food by heating during cooking.

  By irradiating a very small amount of microwaves as in the present invention, it does not involve cell destruction and basically suppresses the temperature rise of the food material, and stops the activity of a specific enzyme in the food material, so that the freshness There has never been a way to control quality during maintenance or cooking.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for improving the taste of a food that can maintain the freshness of the food material and can control the appearance, flavor, and texture of food by heating during cooking. To do.

  The present inventor reduces the activity of various enzyme systems contained in food materials without destroying cells, suppresses quality deterioration during storage and distribution, and further suppresses quality deterioration during cooking, flavor, We have completed a system that can provide cooked products with good texture.

How to improve the taste of the food of the present invention, the food material to a method of improving the taste of foods by processing after microwave irradiation at a predetermined condition, the temperature of the food material before microwave irradiation in the range of 0 ° C. to 40 ° C., and a range where the temperature difference between the food material before and after the microwave treatment does not exceed 20 ° C., for the purpose of reducing the activities of various enzyme system contained in the food material, In addition, the microwave irradiation is performed within a range that does not involve denaturation due to the generated heat or destruction of tissues and cells, and the microwave irradiation amount is 1 W · sec / g or more and 60 W · sec / g or less, and the food The material is rice or soybean .

  Depending on the type of food material, the purpose is to reduce or inactivate the activity of various enzyme systems contained in the food material, and within a range that does not involve denaturation by heat generated or destruction of tissues and cells. It is preferable to perform wave irradiation.

  Examples of the food material include cereals, livestock meat, seafood, seaweed, and processed products thereof.

  In other words, an enzyme contained in a food material is irradiated with microwaves but does not cause a temperature rise that changes the quality of the food material, and does not cause changes in the structure of the food material or destruction of cells. It acts on the group and reduces its activity. Since the cereals, livestock, seafood, seaweed, and processed products thereof, which are food materials used in the present invention, are subjected to the treatment of the present invention, the ripening is stopped at that time, so this method is performed at the time of microwave treatment. This means that the quality of the product is maintained, improved, or controlled. That is, quality deterioration after microwave processing is prevented and the commercial value is improved.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, subsequent aging cannot be expected at all by the microwave treatment. Therefore, it is important to suppress the temperature rise before and after the treatment as much as possible for the purpose of preventing the direct degradation of the target food material by the microwave. Basically, the microwave irradiation is finished in a range not exceeding 20 ° C., preferably not exceeding 10 ° C., and more preferably not exceeding 8 ° C. Moreover, the temperature conditions at the time of microwave irradiation are the range of 0 degreeC-40 degreeC, Preferably they are 1 degreeC-35 degreeC. As processing conditions for that, for example, in the case of a microwave frequency of 2450 MHz and an output of 100 to 500 W, the irradiation time per 100 g of the target food material is 1 second to 120 seconds, preferably 90 seconds or less, more preferably 60 seconds or less, Is preferred.

According to the present invention, it is possible to achieve the appearance due to heating during processing it is possible to maintain the food material freshness, flavor, a remarkable large effect that can be controlled texture.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the illustrated examples are illustrative only, and various modifications can be made without departing from the technical idea of the present invention. .

  The present invention will be specifically described below. The food material used in the present invention may be any material such as cereals, livestock meat, seafood, seaweeds and processed products thereof. That is, the effects of the present invention on each food material are improvement of storage stability, improvement of flavor, improvement of texture, improvement of water retention, etc., depending on the storage form, distribution form, processing form, and product form. , The desired effect can be combined. For example, by irradiating polished rice with a minute amount of microwaves, physical properties such as hardness and stickiness of cooked rice can be controlled, and the taste can be improved. This tendency of the physical properties can be maintained even after a lapse of time, and the improved texture and taste are maintained even after 24 hours. When adding additives, etc. to change the physical properties, it is necessary to adjust the amount of additives to the deterioration of the cooked rice because it adds the desired physical properties to the cooked rice, such as stickiness. In particular, the amount of additive tends to increase, and immediately after cooking, the amount of additive is too much and the phenomenon of being too sticky can occur. However, in the present invention, protease and amylase in rice can be targeted and the activity level can be adjusted by irradiation with a small amount of microwaves, so the hardness and stickiness of cooked rice can be controlled. Therefore, the characteristics of the physical properties immediately after cooking and those that have passed for a long time after cooking are essentially the same. Of course, if the microwave treatment is performed at the stage of glutinous rice or brown rice, quality deterioration during storage can be suppressed, and further, physical properties of the polished rice can be controlled. Moreover, by irradiating livestock meat and fresh fish with a minute amount of microwaves, the protease activity contained in the material is reduced, and the freshness can be maintained. Furthermore, if a so-called processed food processed from the food material targeted by the present invention is irradiated with a minute amount of microwaves, aging after that point can be controlled, and quality during storage or distribution can be controlled. It can be maintained.

  As the microwave used in the present invention, an electron beam having a frequency of 0.1 GHz to 1000 GHz is generally used. The output and irradiation time are determined by the expected effect on each food material, the amount of food material irradiated at one time, or the shape. However, in any case, it is a range where there is no change in the appearance, color and flavor of the object, and the food material itself avoids a state of large heat generation, and the temperature change before and after treatment does not become plus 20 ° C. or more. Thus, it should be preferably not higher than 10 ° C., more preferably not higher than 8 ° C. Therefore, the temperature of the target food material for microwave irradiation must be in the range of 0 ° C to 40 ° C, preferably in the range of 1 ° C to 35 ° C. In addition, if heat denaturation occurs, the cells are destroyed at that time, so that the material itself is not denatured. Therefore, it is desirable that the microwave irradiation time be 1 second or more and 120 seconds or less, preferably 90 seconds or less, and more preferably 60 seconds or less. The point is to irradiate the molecular structure of the food material with microwaves to the extent that the vibration is given.

  The present invention was developed for the purpose of deactivating various enzyme systems contained in food materials, but the microwave irradiation is not aimed at denaturation or destruction of substances that occur as a result of heat generation due to friction of water molecules, The purpose is to change a part of a material by vibration of molecules. Therefore, it is completely different from the conventional method of using microwaves, and it is possible to control some properties while leaving the essential properties of the foodstuff. Therefore, by applying the present invention to the processed food products of the subject food of the present invention, it is possible to improve the texture and flavor of each food, and process various foods regardless of powder, solid or liquid. The product has the potential. For example, by treating wheat flour, it is possible to modify amylase activity in the flour to modify it suitable for noodles, confectionery, roux, and to reduce the protease activity, bread texture can be modified It is. Furthermore, it is also possible to increase the oil inclusion capacity by directly changing the physical properties of the flour. Moreover, by irradiating the processed food fermented and brewed with the subject food according to the present invention with a minute amount of microwaves, it is possible to control the degree of flavor, texture and taste (depth), respectively. Prevents deterioration and enables stabilization. In the case of agar powder processed from seaweed, the gelation power and texture can be improved by changing physical properties by irradiating a minute amount of microwave.

  The present invention will be described more specifically with reference to the following examples. However, it is needless to say that these examples are shown by way of illustration and should not be construed in a limited manner.

  The effect of the present invention is proved by the following experimental example.

(Experimental example 1)
Test 1: 5 seconds (test 1-1), 10 seconds (test 1-2), 15 seconds (test) in a 200-watt home microwave oven per 158g of polished white rice (Fusaoto from Chiba Prefecture) 1-3), microwaves were irradiated for 20 seconds (test 1-4), and after washing 2 pairs each, a predetermined amount of water was added and immersed for 60 minutes, and then cooked in an electric rice cooker with immersion water.
Control 1: After washing the same 2 rice grains as in Test 1, a predetermined amount of water was added and immersed for 60 minutes, and then cooked in an electric rice cooker with the immersion water.

  Table 2 shows the physical property measurement of cooked rice (using Takeshimo Electric Tensipressor) and the results of tasting with a panel of 13 people, with a maximum score of 5 points. The test products 1-1 and 1-2 increased in hardness and decreased in stickiness as compared with the control product, and the taste score also increased. Test product 1-3 was reduced in hardness and stickiness was close to that of the control, but the taste score was higher than that of the control. Test product 1-4 had reduced hardness and extremely increased stickiness, and had the lowest taste score. Test products 1-1 and 1-2 are preferable ranges, and test product 1-4 has a result that seems to cause extreme changes in both hardness and tenacity due to the progress of cell destruction by microwaves ( FIG. 1).

  Table 3 shows the results of comparing the physical properties after 24 hours between the control product 1 and the test product 1-2. According to this, both the control product 1 and the test product 1-2 were increased in hardness and strain, but the test product 1-2 was close to the ideal value of 50 except for stickiness. Comparing these results with the physical property evaluation charts (FIGS. 2 and 3), the physical property after 24 hours of the test product 1-2 approximates a regular square, which is ideal for evaluating physical properties. Moreover, the test product 1-2 obtained high evaluation also in terms of taste score.

(Experimental example 2)
Test 2-1: 3 tails (total length 29-31 cm, visceral temperature 2 ° C.) stored at 2 ° C. are wrapped in a plastic film and irradiated with microwaves (200 W household microwave oven) for 10 seconds (internal organs) After the temperature of 4 ° C., each was dropped into three pieces to make sashimi.
Test 2-2: Three fishes having the same size as test 2-1 were subjected to microwave treatment under the same conditions as in test 2-1, and stored in a refrigerator at 2 ° C. as they were. After 48 hours, the head was dropped, the internal organs were taken out and placed in a boiled seasoning liquid, dropped and covered, and cooked for 25 minutes.
Control 2-1: Three sharks of the same size as test 2-1 were dropped into three pieces as they were to make sashimi.
Control 2-2: Three tails of the same size as in Test 2-1 were wrapped in a plastic film, stored in the same refrigerator as Test 1, and boiled in the same manner as in Test 1 after 48 hours.

  The results are described in Tables 4 and 5, and the average evaluation of each of the three fish was described. The test 2-1 and the control 2-1 had similar results, and the texture and taste of the sashimi by microwave treatment were all the same as those of the untreated. In other words, it was proved that the microwave treatment in this experiment did not apply heat that would change the meat quality of the salmon. In the state after 48 hours of refrigeration, the control 2-2 had a lot of drip mixed with blood during the refrigeration period. In the boiled state, Test 2-2 was tight and had a feeling of pre-preparation and was delicious. On the other hand, the control 2-2 was soft and untightened in the boiled state, and it was not delicious with a sense of loss of taste.

(Experimental example 3)
Using two types of commercially available agar powder (A, B) (agar powder temperature 15 ° C.), each 50 g was treated as a single treatment, and microwave (200 W household microwave oven) was applied for 10 seconds (agar powder temperature 22 .5 ° C.) and irradiation for 20 seconds (agar powder temperature 28 ° C.). Each 5 g including untreated agar was dissolved in 500 cc of water and heated to 80 ° C. with stirring. This was transferred to a plastic container, cooled to about 40 ° C., cooled in a refrigerator overnight, and measured for physical properties with a tensipresser (manufactured by Taketomo Electric). The agar temperature at the time of measuring physical properties was 15 ° C.
The results are shown in Table 6. In Sample A, the stickiness and adhesion do not change significantly by performing microwave treatment for 10 seconds and 20 seconds with respect to untreated, but hardness, breaking strength, brittleness, biting The response has greatly increased. In Sample B, the microwave treatment was performed for 10 seconds and 20 seconds with respect to the untreated sample. However, the ratio of the stickiness to the hardness was 44 for the untreated sample and 44 seconds for the untreated sample. It rose to 68. It was proved that it is possible to change the physical properties of both samples A and B by performing microwave treatment on the original properties.

(Experimental example 4)
A microwave (200 W household microwave oven) was irradiated for 10 seconds (temperature 28 ° C.) using 50 g of commercially available thin wheat flour (temperature 20 ° C.) as a single treatment. 50 cc of water was added to each 50 g including untreated wheat flour and stirred sufficiently, and then the amount of salad oil added was changed to observe the emulsified state. The results are shown in Table 7. Untreated flour emulsified 20 g of salad oil, but 25 g of salad oil could not be emulsified. On the other hand, the wheat flour irradiated with microwaves for 10 seconds was able to completely emulsify 40 g of salad oil. Thus, the inclusion effect of the oil improved by irradiating the flour with microwaves.

  Examples are shown below.

Example 1
A microwave of 2450 MHz (average output 200 W / h) was irradiated for 8 seconds at room temperature of 15 ° C. on a conveyor that continuously flowed to polished rice (Hitomebo from Chiba Prefecture). The temperature of the polished rice before irradiation was 15 ° C., and the temperature after irradiation was 20 ° C. After rinsing with water, it was immersed in water for 60 minutes and cooked with an electric rice cooker. The cooked rice immediately after cooking had hardness and stiffness, had an appropriate stickiness and adhesion, and was slightly sweet and delicious when chewed. This was packed in a container as a lunch box and eaten 12 hours later. The hardness increased slightly, and there was a strain, but it was sticky, there was no significant change in adhesion, and it was delicious even in a cold state. In addition, when this bento was warmed with a microwave oven, the texture was firm, soft and delicious.

(Example 2)
A microwave of 2450 MHz (average output 200 W / h) was irradiated for 10 seconds at a room temperature of 20 ° C. on a conveyor that continuously flowed to whole soybeans (produced in Hokkaido). The temperature of soybean before irradiation was 20 ° C., and the temperature of soybean after irradiation was 26.5 ° C. The lipoxidase activity in the microwave-treated soybean was equivalent to 100 for L-1 and L-2 with the activity of untreated soybean being 100, but L-3 was reduced to 50. This soybean was immersed in water at 16 ° C. for 16 hours and then ground with a horizontal grinder while adding cold water to obtain a ground product (1000 L / h). Steam was blown into the pipe and heated to 115 ° C. to 1.5 Hold for a minute. After cooling this to 85 ° C., soy milk was separated into soy milk and okara using a screw type separator. This soy milk had a protein concentration of 5.6%, had a little green bean odor, and was easy to drink. About this soymilk, when measuring the peroxide value and measuring n-hexanol which is a component of green soybean odor, the peroxide value was 6 meq / Kg and n-hexanol was 0.7 ppm. On the other hand, the peroxide value of untreated soymilk was 9 meq / Kg, n-hexanol was 1.2 ppm, and the oxidation in soybean soaking and grinding was clearly suppressed by microwave treatment.

( Comparative Example 1 )
400 g of beef slicing (about 2 cm square, 10 ° C.) was irradiated with microwaves (200 W household microwave oven) for 3 seconds (beef temperature 12 ° C.). Lightly fry this beef in a pan heated with salad oil, add cumin and further fry, then add 1600cc water, potato, carrot, pepper, black pepper, cinnamon and simmer. Add the curry powder, chili pepper, pepper, salt, galan masala, cinnamon, rosemary, basil, cumin seed, paprika, nutmeg, bay leaf and simmer lightly. This was put in an aluminum pouch bag and sealed, and then subjected to a retort treatment at 120 ° C. for 30 minutes. The obtained retort curry was delicious with a firm shape and texture of beef. As a control, the above-mentioned beef slicing was used as it was, and curry was similarly produced and subjected to the same retort treatment. However, the beef was broken and the texture was soft.

( Comparative Example 2 )
A microwave of 2450 MHz (average output 200 W / h) was irradiated for 5 seconds at a room temperature of 10 ° C. on a conveyor that continuously flows in a cocoon (total length: about 30 cm, internal organ temperature: 1 ° C.). The part temperature was 2 ° C. After removing the internal organs of the cocoon and immersing it in 3% saline for 30 minutes in an open state from the belly, it was dried for half a day in the sun to make an open dried cocoon. The dried fish had moderate elasticity in the meat quality, and when baked and eaten, the meat quality was smooth and the taste was firm and strong.

It is a graph which shows the result of the texture change with respect to the processing time of Experimental example 1. FIG. 3 is a graph showing the results of physical property evaluation of a control product 1 of Experimental Example 1. It is a graph which shows the result of a physical-property evaluation of test article 1-2 of example 1 of an experiment.

Claims (1)

A method of improving the taste of food by processing after irradiating the food material with microwaves under predetermined conditions,
The temperature of the food material before microwave irradiation is in the range of 0 ° C. to 40 ° C., and the temperature difference of the food material before and after the microwave treatment is in a range not exceeding 20 ° C. ,
For the purpose of reducing the activity of various enzyme systems contained in the food material, and performing microwave irradiation in a range that does not involve denaturation by generated heat or destruction of tissues and cells, and
The microwave irradiation amount is 1 W · sec / g or more and 60 W · sec / g or less,
A method for improving the taste of food, wherein the food material is rice or soybean .

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