JP5643917B2 - Method for producing softened food - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing a softened food including performing an enzyme treatment, and further relates to a method for improving the texture and water retention of an enzyme-treated food.

The elderly population is increasing year by year, and about 1 in 3 people is expected to be over 65 years old in 2030, and the number of people requiring care is estimated to be 5.12 million in 2013. There is a high need for nursing foods (product for people with difficulty in chewing) that retain the taste, color, shape, and nutrients of the raw materials and have softness suitable for the elderly and those who need care, whose chewing and swallowing functions have declined. The development of food that meets the needs is desired.
Degrading enzymes such as proteolytic enzymes (proteases) and pectinases are mainly used for the production of softened foods for nursing foods (Patent Documents 1 and 2). In the case of livestock meat and fish meat, a method of degrading hard protein and muscle protein using a proteolytic enzyme or the like, and in the case of vegetables or fruits using a pectinase or the like, a method of degrading and softening pectin is used. However, when these degrading enzymes are applied, there are the following problems.
(1) Shape retention is reduced or lost.
(2) Water retention capacity decreases. Liquefaction occurs due to a decrease in water retention capacity, and nutrient components are eluted.
(3) Since it does not become soft when the amount of enzyme is small, it is necessary to use a large amount of enzyme.
In addition, most of the meat processed for elderly people is currently mousse. Mousse-processed meat is suitable for the elderly from the point of softness, but it does not maintain the shape of the meat, the texture of the original meat is lost, and enjoying the enjoyment of eating Can not. At present, there are no products on the market that are hard enough for the elderly to bite, maintain the shape of the meat, and remain textured.
As a method for softening food, there is also a method in which water is added to increase the water content of the food. However, only with the hydration treatment, the muscle portion becomes soft, but it is difficult to chew because the portion of the streaky meat whose main component is collagen remains hard. In the method using the above proteolytic enzyme treatment, it is possible to soften even the portion of the flesh meat by increasing the amount of the enzyme. However, such treatment causes problems such as liquefaction of meat, yield reduction due to reduced water retention, fat leakage and retention during heat cooking using processed meat, cracking of fat, and melting of chicken skin. was there.
On the other hand, processed foods using protein cross-linking enzymes such as transglutaminase to improve the strength of processed foods such as ham and eggs of seafood and to prevent softening of heat-treated vegetables The method of doing is also known (patent documents 3 to 7).

JP 2011-92216 A Special table 2007-525144 gazette Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-154 JP-A-6-113793 JP 2004-89181 A JP-A-8-116930 JP 2008-17770 A

While the present invention softens food,
1) Has shape retention,
2) There is little elution of the ingredients in the original food,
3) There is water retention and the yield is improved,
4) A method for producing food, characterized by retaining the degrading enzyme in the food during the treatment with food degrading enzyme, and 5) retaining foreign food components such as seasoning liquid in the food, and the method. The purpose is to provide food.
The present inventors have intensively studied to solve the problem that the shape retention property and water retention property of food are lowered when the food is softened by using a degrading enzyme such as a proteolytic enzyme.
By treating the food with a degrading enzyme, the present inventors have an effect opposite to the degrading action, that is, by causing the enzyme having a crosslinking action to act simultaneously in combination, thereby re-crosslinking while decomposing the food, It was found that the food can be softened and the shape retention and water retention of the food can be maintained. As a combination of enzymes, when the target food is livestock meat or fish meat whose main component is protein, a combination of proteolytic enzyme (protease) and transglutaminase was suitable.
That is, the present invention is as follows.
[1] A method for producing a softened food, comprising causing a food raw material to act on an enzyme that decomposes a main ingredient of the food raw material and an enzyme having an action of crosslinking the main ingredient.
[2] The method for producing a softened food according to [1], wherein an enzyme that decomposes a main component of the food raw material and an enzyme that has a function of cross-linking the main component simultaneously act on the food raw material.
[3] The main component of the food material is decomposed by the degrading enzyme, and at the same time, the decomposed or non-decomposed main component is cross-linked to prevent the food material from being deformed while softening the food material. And the manufacturing method of the softened food of [1] or [2] which can prevent a drip.
[4] including a step of impregnating a food material with an enzyme that decomposes the main component of the food material and a mixed enzyme solution of an enzyme having a function of crosslinking the main component, and a step of allowing the enzyme to act. 3] The method for producing a softened food according to any one of 3).
[5] The step of impregnating the food material with an enzyme that decomposes the main component of the food material and a mixed enzyme solution of an enzyme that has a function of cross-linking the main component includes the injection treatment of the enzyme solution into the food material, and the tenderization of the food material [4] The method for producing a softened food according to [4], which is performed by at least one treatment selected from the group consisting of treatment, reduced pressure treatment, and tumbling treatment.
[6] The step of impregnating the food material with an enzyme that decomposes the main component of the food material and a mixed enzyme solution of an enzyme that has a function of cross-linking the main component includes the injection treatment, tenderization treatment and decompression of the enzyme solution into the food material [5] The method for producing a softened food according to [5], which is performed by tumbling treatment below.
[7] The food raw material is livestock meat or seafood meat, the enzyme that degrades the main ingredient of the food raw material is a proteolytic enzyme, and the enzyme that acts to crosslink the main ingredient of the food raw material is transglutaminase. The manufacturing method of the softened food in any one of 1]-[6].
[8] Any of [1] to [6], wherein the food material is vegetable or fruit, and the enzyme that decomposes the main component of the food material is at least one selected from the group consisting of cellulase, pectinase, and hemicellulase A method for producing such softened food.
[9] Any of [2] to [8], wherein the enzyme solution contains an enzyme that decomposes 0.001 to 10% by mass of the main ingredient of the food material and an enzyme that has an action of crosslinking the main ingredient of the food material Method for producing softened food.
[10] The softened food to be manufactured has a load value of 500,000 N when a φ20 mm cylindrical plunger is pushed to 70% of the sample thickness at a speed of 10 mm / sec into the heat-cooked softened food using a texture analyzer. / M < ² > The manufacturing method of the softened food in any one of [1]-[9] which has the characteristic that it is below.
[11] The method for producing a softened food according to any one of [1] to [10], wherein the food to be produced has improved shape retention and water retention compared to when the food is softened only with a degrading enzyme.
[12] A softened food produced by any one of [1] to [11].
This specification includes the contents described in the specification and / or drawings of Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-217423 which is the basis of the priority of the present application.

It is a figure which shows the shape retention of the softened food raw material manufactured with the method of this invention. It is a figure which shows the water retention of the softened food raw material manufactured with the method of this invention by the yield after an enzyme process. It is a figure which shows the water retention of the softened food raw material manufactured with the method of this invention by a heating yield. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the enzyme impregnation amount to a food raw material, and the hardness of the food raw material after an enzyme process.

In the method of the present invention, food raw materials such as livestock meat, fish meat, vegetables and fruits are treated with at least two kinds of enzymes having conflicting properties, have shape retention and water retention. Produces softened food.
1. Food raw material The food raw material to be applied may be a fresh raw material or a frozen and thawed raw material. In the present invention, the food material may be referred to as a food material. The target is foodstuffs that are raw materials for foods, which are all foodstuffs that are hard and difficult to chew, are not suitable for the elderly, infants, etc., and are edible. Preferred are meat of seafood such as livestock meat and fish meat, fruits and vegetables, etc., more preferably meat of seafood, particularly preferably fish meat. Vegetables and fruits refer to vegetables and fruits. There are no restrictions on seafood species, livestock species, varieties, and fruit and vegetable species. Specifically, for example, fish and shellfish such as red sea bream, mackerel, hoki, abalone, turban shell, shrimp, crab, octopus, squid, sea cucumber, jellyfish and other marine animals, etc. Examples of livestock include chicken, beef, pork and lamb. Examples of vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower, carrot and radish, examples of fruits include apples and pears, and examples of potatoes include potatoes and sweet potatoes. Moreover, there is no restriction | limiting in particular also about the form of a foodstuff raw material, Any forms, such as a fillet and a block, can be selected.
Moreover, the food raw material softened by the method of the present invention using the food raw material as a raw material is referred to as a softened food raw material or a softened food. Specifically, for example, softened fish meat, softened livestock meat, softened fruit and vegetables, and the like.
2. Enzyme In the method of the present invention, the enzyme treatment uses both a degrading enzyme that decomposes the main ingredient of the food material and an enzyme that has a function of crosslinking the main ingredient. Preferably both of the enzymes are used simultaneously. Here, using simultaneously means using each enzyme so that reaction with respect to the food raw material may occur simultaneously. For example, both enzymes may be allowed to act simultaneously, for example, a food material is treated with an enzyme solution containing both enzymes. In addition, even when each enzyme solution is prepared and the timing of adding each enzyme solution is different, it is said that both enzyme activities are used simultaneously.
(1) When the target food material is a protein such as livestock meat or fish meat As the proteolytic enzyme (protease) used for the enzyme treatment, for example, the genus Bacillus (for example, Bacillus subtilis), Bacillus Proteolytic enzymes produced by Thermoproteoticus (Bacillus thermoproteolyticus), Bacillus licheniformis (Bacillus licheniformis, etc.), Aspergillus sp. (Eg, Aspergillus sp. , Aspergillus melens And the like, and proteolytic enzymes produced by the genus Rhizopus (for example, Rhizopus niveus, Rhizopus delmar), pepsin, pancreatin, papain, bromelain and the like. These proteolytic enzymes may be used singly or in combination of two or more.The proteolytic enzyme is used as an enzyme solution diluted in a solvent and varies depending on the type of target food material. An enzyme concentration of 0.001 to 10% by mass is added and suspended well, and commercially available enzyme preparations can be used for these proteolytic enzymes, such as Bromelain F (Amano). Enzyme), Protex 6L Genencor), orientase 22BF (HIBI), protin SD-AY-10 (Amano Enzyme), biolase SP-15FG (Nagase ChemteX), Alcalase 2.4LFG (Novozymes), Sumiteam MP (Shin Nippon Kagaku Kogyo), Alloase XA -10 (Yakult Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.), etc. The solvent for preparing the enzyme solution is not particularly limited as long as the enzyme is not denatured or deactivated and has no problem in food hygiene.
Transglutaminase which is a protein crosslinking enzyme is mentioned as an enzyme which has the effect | action which bridge | crosslinks the protein used with a proteolytic enzyme. Transglutaminase refers to an enzyme that has the activity of catalyzing the cross-linking between glutamine and lysine residues in proteins and peptides, and has various origins such as those derived from mammals, fish, and microorganisms. Things are known. The enzyme used in the present invention may be any enzyme having this activity, and any origin may be used. Transglutaminase is used as an enzyme solution diluted in a solvent, and varies depending on the type of target food material, but is added so that the concentration of transglutaminase in the enzyme solution is 0.001 to 10% by mass and well suspended. Use. For transglutaminase, a commercially available enzyme preparation can be used. As the enzyme preparation, for example, Activa TG-S (Ajinomoto Co., Inc.) can be used. The solvent for preparing the enzyme solution is not particularly limited as long as the enzyme is not denatured or deactivated and does not cause any problem in food hygiene.
Proteolytic enzyme and transglutaminase are preferably mixed and used as a mixed enzyme solution to treat food ingredients. That is, it is preferable that the proteolytic enzyme and transglutaminase simultaneously act on the raw material meat, and the proteolytic enzyme treatment and the transglutaminase treatment are performed simultaneously.
(2) When the target food material is pectin such as vegetable, fruit, etc. and cellulose as the main component Degrading enzymes used in the enzyme treatment include cellulase, pectinase and hemicellulase, and at least one of these three types Use enzyme containing. Specifically, for example, Trichoderma viride, Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus genus (Rhizopus niveus), Rhizopus de lemar, h Examples include enzymes produced by Bacillus subtilis, Vibrio arginolyticus, and the like. In the present invention, an enzyme having cellulase activity is called a cellulase enzyme, an enzyme having pectinase activity is called a pectinase enzyme, and an enzyme having hemicellulase activity is called a hemicellulase enzyme. That is, in the method of the present invention, an enzyme containing at least one of three types of cellulase enzyme, pectinase enzyme and hemicellulase enzyme is used. Enzymes are diluted in a solvent as an enzyme solution, and differ depending on the type of the target, but are added so that the enzyme concentration in the enzyme solution is 0.001 to 10% by weight, and are well suspended. Commercially available enzyme preparations can be used for these degrading enzymes. Examples of enzyme preparations include hemicellulase “Amano” 90 ((main) hemicellulase, (sub) cellulase / pectinase) (Amano Enzyme); Viscozyme L ((main) hemicellulase, (sub) pectinase) (Novozyme) ); PECLYVELI (Higuchi Shokai) ((main) pectinase hemicellulase, (sub) cellulase); Rapidase ADEX-G (DSM Japan) ((main) pectinase hemicellulase); Rapidase Pineapple (DSM Japan) ((main) Rapidase FC (DSM Japan) ((main) pectinase cellulase); Rapidase TF (DSM Japan) ((main) pectinase hemicellulase); Cellulase XL-531 (Nagase Sangyo) (( (Main) cellulase); Sumiteam SPC (Shin Nippon Chemical Co., Ltd.) ((main) pectinase, (sub) cellulase / hemicellulase) and the like can be used. The solvent for preparing the enzyme solution is not particularly limited as long as the enzyme is not denatured or deactivated and does not cause any problem in food hygiene.
An enzyme having an action of crosslinking pectin or the like used with the above-described degrading enzyme is used as an enzyme solution diluted in a solvent and varies depending on the type of the target, but the enzyme concentration in the enzyme solution is 0.001 to 10% by weight. Add it so that it is well suspended. The solvent for preparing the enzyme solution is not particularly limited as long as the enzyme is not denatured or deactivated and does not cause any problem in food hygiene.
It is preferable to mix the above-mentioned degrading enzyme and pectin or the like with an enzyme to mix and use it as a mixed enzyme solution to treat food raw materials.
A foreign food ingredient may be added to a solution of a degrading enzyme that degrades the main ingredient of the food material and an enzyme that crosslinks the main ingredient. Foreign food ingredients include seasonings, colorants, fragrances, pH adjusters, physical property improvers (swelling agents, gelling agents, etc.), preservatives, antioxidants, nutrient enhancers, etc. Sugar, salt, vinegar, soy sauce, ponzu, fish sauce, miso, bean sauce, XO sauce, shiba hemp sauce, touchijan, Minoh sauce, gochujang, sauce, noodle soup, sake, mirin, Worcester sauce (medium sauce, thick sauce), ketchup , Oyster sauce, chili sauce, mustard, mayonnaise, fats and oils, chili oil, spices, herbs, curry powder, umami seasonings and the like.
3. Enzyme treatment 3-1. Enzyme impregnation treatment The food material to be softened is impregnated with the above enzyme solution. In the present invention, this treatment is called enzyme impregnation treatment.
The enzyme impregnation treatment can be performed, for example, by any one of injection treatment, tenderization treatment, decompression treatment, tumbling treatment, or a combination of two or more of these steps.
(1) Injection process The injection process refers to a process of injecting (injecting) an enzyme solution into a food material. Injection refers to puncturing a food raw material with a hollow needle and injecting an enzyme solution into the food raw material through the needle. The injection process can be performed using, for example, an injector. The injector has a large number of hollow needles, sends an enzyme solution through a tube, and injects the enzyme solution into the food material through the needle. As the injector, for example, PokomatInjector manufactured by POKOMAT can be used.
(2) Tenderization processing Tenderization processing refers to processing that punctures a needle-like instrument and causes physical damage such as cutting hard streaks and fibers of food ingredients while maintaining the original shape. In addition to physically damaging the fish meat, the tenderization treatment is performed for the purpose of efficiently introducing the enzyme solution from the damaged portion by the tenderization treatment into the food material in the subsequent decompression treatment process and tumbling treatment process. The higher the perforation density in the tenderization process, the more effective the softening process is possible. The tenderization process can be performed using a thin needle-like instrument having a sharp point, and for example, a toothpick, a driver, a cone, a threader, or the like can be used. Moreover, in order to open a plurality of holes at a time, a household fork used as tableware, a sword mountain for ikebana, a tenderizer, or the like can also be used. Further, it includes an automatic drilling machine including cutters, drills, sewing machines, etc., blades such as knives, scratching processing using laser, ultrasonic waves, wind pressure, water pressure, and the like.
In the present invention, the tendering process can also be called a jacquard process, a drilling process, or a physical process including a drilling process.
(3) Depressurization treatment The decompression treatment is a method of treating under reduced pressure, and is maintained under reduced pressure for 5 minutes or more in a state where the residual pressure is 0.02 MPa or less, preferably 0.01 MPa or less, and then returned to normal pressure. This is done by performing an operation. Here, the residual pressure refers to the absolute pressure when the inside of the vacuum desiccator is decompressed. The depressurizing operation for depressurizing and returning to normal pressure may be repeated twice or more. By this treatment, when the reduced pressure state is returned to normal pressure, the enzyme solution penetrates a large amount into the food material. Although it varies depending on the type of food material, it is preferable that the food material is impregnated with about 1% to 20% by weight of an enzyme solution based on the weight of the food material.
(4) Tumbling treatment The tumbling treatment is a treatment that imparts a physical treatment to the food raw material by rotation or the like and uniformly infiltrates the seasoning liquid into the food material tissue. By the tumbling treatment, the enzyme solution can be uniformly dispersed and permeated in the food material. The tumbling process can be performed using a rotating drum (tumbling massage machine) generally used for processing livestock meat. The tumbling process may be performed in combination with the above-described decompression process, or a tumbling process may be performed instead of the decompression process. That is, the tumbling treatment may be performed under normal pressure or reduced pressure. When the tumbling process is performed under reduced pressure, a vacuum tumbler using a tumbling massage machine having a reduced pressure function may be used. The tumbling treatment impregnates about 0.1 wt% to 50 wt% of the enzyme solution with respect to the weight of the food raw material, depending on the type of the food raw material.
In the tumbling treatment, the food raw material is effectively softened for a long time, but cracking may occur even if the treatment time is too long. The tumbling processing time can be appropriately set from, for example, a processing time of 10 minutes or longer according to the type of food raw material or the intended product application.
One or more processes selected from the group consisting of the above injection process, tenderization process (Jacquard process), decompression process, and tumbling process are performed. That is, an enzyme impregnation treatment for permeating the enzyme into the food material is performed by these treatments alone or in combination of two or more treatments. The enzyme may be infiltrated into the food material by injection treatment, or may be infiltrated into the food material by immersing the food material in the enzyme solution after performing the tenderization treatment on the food material. Here, “immersion” means that the entire food material is immersed in the enzyme solution, and the enzyme solution and the food material may be put together in a container used for immersion. In the present invention, whatever the method, the treatment for allowing the enzyme solution to penetrate into the food material is called enzyme impregnation treatment.
Examples of combinations of the above processes include a combination of performing a tumbling process while performing a decompression process by performing an injection process and a tenderization process. In addition, the food material subjected to the tenderization treatment may be immersed in the enzyme solution, and placed under reduced pressure while being immersed, and subjected to a decompression treatment or a tumbling treatment. At this time, the decompression treatment and the tumbling treatment may be performed simultaneously.
3-2. Enzyme reaction Through the above treatment process, the enzyme solution is permeated into the food material to cause the enzyme reaction. The enzyme reaction may be performed under any conditions as long as the object can be achieved. The pH during the reaction is preferably an optimum pH or a pH close to the optimum pH. The reaction temperature is from a low temperature (about 4 ° C.) to a high temperature (60 ° C.). It may be a reaction at about ° C. What is necessary is just to select processing time according to the kind of enzyme to be used, the kind of food raw material to be used, the physical property requested | required of the target softening product, etc. For example, the enzyme treatment may be performed for several minutes to several hours in the vicinity of the optimum temperature of the enzyme, and for several hours to several days in the reaction at a low temperature below the optimum temperature.
In the present invention, an enzyme impregnation treatment is performed on a food material, and an enzyme reaction is further performed to soften the food material.
By the above method, at least two kinds of enzymes having conflicting properties, an enzyme having an action of decomposing the main ingredient of the food material and an enzyme having an action of cross-linking the main ingredient, are permeated into the food material, By performing both enzyme reactions preferably at the same time, the main component of the food material is decomposed by the degrading enzyme, and at the same time the decomposed or undegraded main component is crosslinked. By adjusting the conflicting enzyme titers, the degree of degradation and crosslinking that can occur simultaneously can be controlled. As a result, the food ingredient becomes soft due to the decomposition of the main component, and the decomposed or undecomposed main component is cross-linked. By cross-linking, the shape of the food material can be prevented from being lost, and the shape of the food material can be preserved. Further, the cross-linking prevents excessive dissolution in the food material, and the perforations formed by the tenderization process are performed. Since it can block | close, it can prevent that a water | moisture content is discharged | emitted from a food raw material, and can improve the water retention of a food raw material. By improving the water retention of the food material, it is possible to prevent drip from flowing out of the food material, and to improve the yield of the food material. Moreover, by preventing the outflow of moisture from the food material, it is possible to prevent the components such as nutritional components originally contained in the food material from flowing out. By improving the shape retention and water retention of the food material, it is possible to maintain the original texture of the food material.
In addition, by using an enzyme that has a crosslinking action simultaneously with the degrading enzyme, it is possible to prevent leakage of the degrading enzyme that has penetrated into the food material, so that it can be efficiently and uniformly performed without using a large amount of enzyme. Softening can be performed. In addition, when a foreign food ingredient such as a seasoning liquid is added during the enzyme treatment, the foreign food ingredient can be retained in the food material.
According to the method of the present invention, the disadvantages of the conventional softening method using only the degrading enzyme, which are the disadvantages of the shape retention and water retention of the food material, are eliminated, and a good softened food can be produced.
In order to obtain a food having good quality by decomposing food raw materials while decomposing, it is necessary to use a mixture of a degrading enzyme and an enzyme having a crosslinking action at an appropriate titer ratio.
4). Physical properties and uses of enzyme-treated food materials The degree of softening of the softened food produced by the method of the present invention can be represented by the hardness as a physical property. Hardness can be measured, for example, by the universal design food (UDF) voluntary standard method of the Japan Nursing Food Council or a method according thereto. The method of the universal design food voluntary standard of the Japan Nursing Food Council is as follows.
A sample is filled in a 40 mm diameter container to a height of 15 mm, and measured with a plunger having a diameter of 20 mm at a compression rate of 10 mm / sec and a clearance of 5 mm. The measurement is performed at 20 ± 2 ° C. However, it is confirmed that there is no hindrance to the measurement of those whose physical properties change, those that cannot be transferred to the measuring container, and those that are indeterminate by moving to the measuring container, and the clearance is measured directly with a sample thickness of 30%. May be. The material of the plunger is not specified, and as the measuring instrument, a device capable of measuring the compressive stress of the substance by linear motion is used.
For example, a texture analyzer (for example, TA Xt plus (manufactured by Eiko Seiki Co., Ltd.)) is used as a device capable of measuring the compressive stress of a substance by linear motion, and a φ20 mm cylindrical plunger is applied to a cooked food at 10 mm / What is necessary is just to measure the load value at the time of pushing down to 70% of the sample thickness at a speed of sec. Here, for example, the cooking is performed by steam heating under the condition that the center temperature of food such as livestock meat and fish meat is 70 ° C. The load value can be expressed by N / m ² , and when the softened food of the present invention is cooked by heating, it is softer than the hardness of the original food material not subjected to the enzyme treatment. The load value when measured is a lower value than the original food material.
The Japan Nursing Food Council has divided nursing food into four categories according to the ease of chewing. That is, “Easy to bite” is classified as Category 1, “Crushable with gums” is classified as Category 2, “Things that can be crushed with the tongue” are classified as Category 3, and “Can be bitten” are classified as Category 4. The upper limit of hardness when measured by the above method of Category 1 to Category 4 is 5 × 10 ⁵ N / m ² for Category 1, 5 × 10 ⁴ N / m ² for Category ² , and 1 × 10 ⁴ N for Category 3 / M ² (in the case of sol), Category 4 is 3 × 10 ³ N / m ² (in the case of sol). The softened food produced by the method of the present invention can be adjusted in hardness (load value) by enzyme treatment so as to belong to each of the above categories.
The softness of the softened food that is the final processed product obtained by performing the above enzyme treatment is uniform, for example, when measuring the hardness of the softened food at multiple points by the above method, there is little variation in the measured value, for example, The coefficient of variation (standard deviation / average × 100) of the measurement values at a plurality of points is 100% or less.
In the present invention, the weight ratio of the food material before and after the enzyme treatment is referred to as the yield after the enzyme treatment. The yield after the enzyme treatment indicates how much the water retention of the food material is improved by the enzyme treatment. The yield after the enzyme treatment of the food material subjected to the enzyme treatment can be expressed by the following formula. It can be determined that the higher the yield after the enzyme treatment, the better the enzyme treatment. The yield when the food raw material is treated with the enzyme according to the method of the present invention is, for example, 105% or more, preferably 110% or more, more preferably 115% or more, more preferably 120% or more, and particularly preferably 125% or more. is there.
The yield after the enzyme treatment may be referred to as the meat yield after the enzyme treatment from the raw material or the water addition rate.
Yield after enzyme treatment (%) = 100 × food material weight after enzyme treatment (g) / food material weight before enzyme treatment (g)
Moreover, the softened food which is the final processed product obtained by performing the above-mentioned enzyme treatment has improved water retention and suppresses water release during cooking. In the present invention, the degree to which moisture is released from food when the softened food, which is the final processed product subjected to the enzyme treatment, is cooked by heating, is referred to as the heating yield. Here, the heat cooking refers to steam heating so that the center temperature of food such as livestock meat and fish meat is 70 ° C. or higher. The heating yield can be expressed by the following equation. The higher the heating yield, the less moisture is released from the enzyme-treated food, and the heating yield when the food raw material is enzyme-treated and cooked by the method of the present invention is the yield when the treatment is not performed. For example, it is 105% or more, preferably 110% or more, more preferably 115% or more, further preferably 120% or more, and particularly preferably 125% or more.
Heating yield (%) = 100 × Food material weight after cooking (g) / Food material weight before enzyme treatment (g)
In addition to the weight of food ingredients after cooking with respect to the weight of food ingredients before enzyme treatment, the weight of food ingredients (g) after cooking with respect to the weight of food ingredients after enzyme treatment (g) varies in the heating stage. And is an index for judging the effect of the method of the present invention. This yield is referred to as the yield of the meat after heating from the enzyme-treated meat, or the heating yield (%) with respect to the raw meat after the enzyme treatment. The heating yield (%) for the raw meat after the enzyme treatment can be expressed by the following formula. The heating yield for the raw material meat after the enzyme treatment is preferably 60% or more, and preferably 70% or more.
Heating yield (%) for raw material meat after enzyme treatment = 100 × Food raw material weight after cooking (g) / Food raw material weight after enzyme treatment (g)
When the yield (%) after the enzyme treatment is A, the heating yield (%) for the raw material meat after the enzyme treatment is B, and the heating yield (%) is C, C = A × B.
Since the enzyme solution remains in the softened food, which is the final processed product obtained by performing the above-described enzyme treatment, the enzyme protein used or a fragment thereof is detectably contained in the softened food. Here, “detectable” means that each component can be detected when it is measured by a physicochemical measurement method such as chromatography or a biochemical measurement method such as an antigen-antibody reaction.
After the enzyme treatment, the food material subjected to the enzyme treatment by the method of the present invention can be vacuum-packed as it is, or frozen and stored or distributed. It can also be sliced after enzyme treatment and stored or distributed as IQF. Further, after the enzyme treatment, it can be shaped and frozen with a tube or a retainer so as to be easily processed, and stored or distributed.
The food processed by the method of the present invention can be further processed by baking, heating such as steam heating, canning, and the like. For example, a processed fish meat product can be obtained by subjecting the fish meat to a baking process, a heating process such as steam heating, and a canning process. That is, the present invention includes a method for producing a processed product of softened food such as softened fish meat.
The present invention will be specifically described by the following examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Verification of shape retention and water retention using pork loin (a) Sample Pork loin (frozen product) was used as food raw material meat. Bromelain F (Amano Enzyme, Inc .; Bromelain, 85% by weight, lactose, 15% by weight) as a proteolytic enzyme, Activa TG-S (Ajinomoto Co., Inc., transglutaminase, 1% by weight, sodium polyphosphate as a protein cross-linking enzyme -5 wt%, sodium pyrophosphate (anhydrous)-5 wt%, sodium L-ascorbate-0.5 wt%) were used. The enzyme solution was 0.1% by mass of bromelain F (degrading enzyme only: test group 1), and a mixture of 0.1% by mass of bromelain F and 0.5% by mass of Activa TG-S (degrading enzyme + crosslinking enzyme: test group 2). )It was used. Each enzyme solution contains SO-2 (FC Chemical; sodium bicarbonate 65% by weight, trisodium citrate 20% by weight, sodium carbonate (anhydrous) 3% by weight, citric acid (anhydrous) 2 as a pH adjuster. 2% by weight of 10% by weight of food material). The pH of the seasoning liquid was about 8.0, and the pH in the meat after the enzyme treatment was 6.3.
(B) Method The above enzyme solution is injected into about 1 kg of the food material (model: SP20 / 300 manufactured by POKOMAT, number of needles: 2 vertical x 10 horizontal, between needles: about 2.8 cm x 2.8 cm) , Pressure: 1.5 memory, number of injections: 2 times). After tenderizing treatment (Jacquard; wire diameter: 1 mm, needle interval: 1 cm × 1 cm), left at 4 ° C. for 45 minutes, and then treated with a vacuum tumbler at 4 ° C. for 4 hours (rotated for 20 minutes → allowed to stand for 10 minutes) Cycle repeated). The enzyme impregnation rate was adjusted to 35% (350 g of water added to 1 kg of raw meat) by a series of enzyme impregnation processes including injection → tenderization treatment → tumbler treatment step under reduced pressure. After standing at 4 ° C. for 15 hours, molding → freezing → slicing treatment (thickness of about 6 to 8 mm). The enzyme impregnation rate is expressed by the following formula.
Enzyme impregnation rate = (weight after tumbling (g) −raw meat weight (g)) / raw meat weight (g) × 100
(C) Physical property evaluation After cooking by steam heating, the degree of softening was quantified by using a texture analyzer TA-XTplus (manufactured by Stable Micro Systems). The plunger used a cylindrical shape with a diameter of 20 mm, and the stress (N / m ² ) was calculated from the load (N) when the sample was crushed to 70% at an approach speed of 10 mm / sec (canned time signal, Vol. 90, No. .1, 71-73 (2011)).
Category 1 of the Universal Design Food (UDF) set by the Japan Nursing Food Council is stress 500,000 N / m ² or less, category 2 is stress 50,000 N / m ² or less, and category 3 is 20,000 N / m ² or less. To do.
(D) Results The shape retention was confirmed visually. That is, it was confirmed whether cracking or dissolution of the body was observed. The results are shown in FIG. FIG. 1B shows the state of a slice treated with only a degrading enzyme (n = 6), and FIG. 1C shows the state of a slice treated with both a degrading enzyme and transglutaminase (TGase) (n = 6). FIG. 1A shows an enlarged photograph of a slice surrounded by a square frame in FIG. 1B, and a part surrounded by a round frame in FIG. 1A shows a part where the body is cracked. As shown in FIG. 1, the fat portion of pork melts and breaks only with the degrading enzyme. The appearance was not maintained. On the other hand, in the combined test group of the degrading enzyme and the enzyme having a crosslinking action, the fat portion remained and shape retention was recognized.
The yield after enzyme treatment after a series of enzyme treatments is shown in FIG. 2-1, and the data on the heating yield when cooking after heating (steam heating) after enzyme treatment is shown in FIG.
The yield after enzyme treatment and the heating yield were calculated by the following equations.
Yield after enzyme treatment (%) = 100 × food material weight after enzyme treatment (g) / food material weight before enzyme treatment (g)
Heating yield (%) = 100 × Food material weight after cooking (g) / Food material weight before enzyme treatment (g)
It was found that all yields were improved in the combination test group of the decomposing enzyme and the enzyme having a crosslinking action as compared with the degrading enzyme alone. From the above results, it was confirmed that water retention was improved by the combined use of enzymes.

Relationship between amount of enzyme solution impregnation using pork loin and hardness of pork loin after enzyme treatment (a) Sample Pork loin (frozen product) was used as food raw material meat. The enzyme solution used was a mixture of Bromelain F 0.1% by mass and Activa TG-S 0.5% by mass, and 2% by mass of SO-2 (FC Chemical) was added as a pH adjuster.
(B) Method The above enzyme solution is injected into the food material from the injector (manufactured by POKOMAT, number of needles: 2 vertical x 10 horizontal, between needles: about 2.8 cm x 2.8 cm, pressure: 1.5 memory) The number of injections was 2). After the jacquard treatment, the mixture was allowed to stand at 4 ° C. for 45 minutes, and then treated with a vacuum tumbler at 4 ° C. for 4 hours (repetition of rotation for 20 minutes → remaining for 10 minutes was repeated). A series of enzyme impregnation treatment including injection → jacquard treatment → tumbler treatment step under reduced pressure was adjusted, and the enzyme impregnation rate was adjusted to 20 to 50%. After standing at 4 ° C. for 15 hours, molding → freezing → slicing treatment was performed.
(C) Physical property evaluation After cooking by steam heating, the degree of softening was quantified by using a texture analyzer TA-XTplus (manufactured by Stable Micro Systems). The plunger used a cylindrical shape with a diameter of 20 mm, and the stress (N / m ² ) was calculated from the load (N) when the sample was crushed to 70% at an approach speed of 10 mm / sec (canned time signal, Vol. 90, No. .1, 71-73 (2011)).
Category 1 of the Universal Design Food (UDF) set by the Japan Nursing Food Council is stress 500,000 N / m ² or less, category 2 is stress 50,000 N / m ² or less, and category 3 is 20,000 N / m ² or less. To do.
(D) Results FIG. 3 shows the relationship between the amount of enzyme impregnation into the food material and the hardness of the food material after the enzyme treatment. It was found that the greater the amount of enzyme impregnation, the softer the meat (FIG. 3).

Influence on the yield and physical properties of the enzyme used The influence on the yield and physical properties of the enzyme used for the enzyme treatment by injection was examined in the following three test zones.
(1) No injection (2) Proteolytic enzyme (bromelain) injection only (3) Proteolytic enzyme and transglutaminase (Activa TG-S) injected simultaneously (a) Method The test was conducted using pork loin meat block . The composition of each enzyme injection solution (enzyme solution) and the method of injection, tenderization treatment, and tumbler treatment were the same as in Example 1. In the test section 1, the hardness was measured after heating in the test section 1 without injection. In test group 2, an injection solution (containing 2% by mass of SO-2 as a pH adjuster) containing 0.1% by mass of proteolytic enzyme was injected and tumbled. In test group 3, an injection solution (containing 2% by mass of SO-2 as a pH adjusting agent) containing 0.1% by mass of proteolytic enzyme and 0.5% by mass of transglutaminase was subjected to tumbling. After completion of the above treatment, it was quickly frozen and stored frozen. The frozen meat was half-thawed and then sliced to a thickness of 1 cm with a slicer, stored in a refrigerator at 10 ° C. for 1 hour, and then heated in a steam oven. After heating, heat was dissipated, weight check and hardness were measured.
(B) Results In each test section, the yield of meat after enzyme treatment from the raw meat (yield after enzyme treatment), the yield of meat after heating from the enzyme-treated meat (heating yield for the raw meat after enzyme treatment), raw materials Table 1 shows the yield (heating yield) and hardness (N / m ² ) of meat after heating from meat.
As shown in Table 1, when transglutaminase and proteolytic enzyme were used at the same time, the yield was significantly increased compared to the case where only proteolytic enzyme was used. As a result, the softening by the proteolytic enzyme and the softening effect by the water became softer than those using only the proteolytic enzyme. That is, by using a proteolytic enzyme and transglutaminase at the same time, the yield was improved and the softness was also consistent with the UDF2 standard.

Tests on timing of acting on proteolytic enzyme and transglutaminase The following three test zones with different timings at which proteolytic enzyme (bromelain) and transglutaminase (Activa TG-S) act upon were examined.
(1) Simultaneous injection of transglutaminase and proteolytic enzyme (2) Injection of proteolytic enzyme 4 hours later, transglutaminase injection (3) Injection of transglutaminase 4 hours later, injection of proteolytic enzyme (a) Method Pork loin Tests were performed using meat blocks. The injection solution was used by dissolving each enzyme in a solution containing a pH adjuster (SO-2, 2% by mass). In the test group 1, the enzyme solution used was a mixture of bromelain F 0.1% by mass and activa TG-S 0.5% by mass (degrading enzyme + crosslinking enzyme). In the test groups 2 and 3, bromelain F 0.1% was used. % (Degrading enzyme only) and Activa TG-S 0.5% by mass (crosslinking enzyme only) were used. The injection was performed at the timing of the above test section. The injection, tenderizing and tumbler methods were the same as in Example 1.
After injection, it was tumbled, frozen by rapid freezing, and stored frozen. The frozen meat was half-thawed and then sliced to a thickness of 1 cm with a slicer, stored in a refrigerator at 10 ° C. for 1 hour, and then heated in a steam oven. After heating, heat was dissipated, weight check and hardness were measured.
(B) Results In each test section, the yield of meat after enzyme treatment from the raw meat (yield after enzyme treatment), the yield of meat after heating from the enzyme-treated meat (heating yield for the raw meat after enzyme treatment), raw materials Table 2 shows the yield (heating yield) and hardness (N / m ² ) of meat after heating from meat.
The appearance of the meat obtained in each test section was as follows.
(1) The shape of the meat was maintained. There is little variation in softness and cracks in the meat.
(2) The meat was cracked as a whole. Some places were liquefied.
(3) The meat was cracked. In addition, there were some places that were not softened, and the softening varied as a whole.
From this result, it was found that simultaneously injecting and acting on transglutaminase and proteolytic enzyme contributed to the improvement of the yield, and the hardness also conformed to the universal design 2 standard. It was also found that the timing of using each enzyme is consistent with the UDF2 standard, although either yields a difference in yield. Furthermore, it has been found that the yield is dramatically improved by using it simultaneously. What was used at the same time was the appearance of the resulting meat. In other words, it was found that the simultaneous use of both enzymes is most preferable.

Softening of chicken and beef (a) Method As raw material meat, chicken skin was used as chicken (200 g), Australian shoulder loin was used as beef, and roast beef test raw material was used (200 g / fence).
Both target meats were infiltrated with enzyme solution by injection. The composition of the injection solution (enzyme solution) used was as shown in Table 3.
The chicken breast was applied to the injector four times and the beef was applied six times to the front and back (pressure and speed were the same). After the tenderizing treatment, the tumbler treatment was performed, and the tumbler treatment time was 2 hours (5 minutes rotation, 2 minutes standing). After the treatment, the casing was packed, refrigerated overnight (5 ° C.), and then frozen. After lightly thawing, the slices were 10 mm wide. Steamed at 100 ° C. for 10 minutes, and after cooling, the hardness was measured.
(B) Results Table 4 shows the results. In Table 4, test group 1 is chicken treated with proteolytic enzyme and transglutaminase, test group 2 is chicken treated only with proteolytic enzyme, test group 3 is beef treated with proteolytic enzyme and transglutaminase, test group 4 shows the beef processed only with the proteolytic enzyme.
The yield after the enzyme treatment after the enzyme treatment by injection was better when treated with the proteolytic enzyme and transglutaminase than when treated with the proteolytic enzyme alone. The yield after heating was higher in chicken treated with proteolytic enzyme and transglutaminase than that treated with proteolytic enzyme alone. On the other hand, beef was not so different between the one treated with proteolytic enzymes and transglutaminase and the one treated only with proteolytic enzymes. Both chicken and beef treated with proteolytic enzymes and transglutaminase were uniformly soft.
This result shows that chicken and beef can be effectively softened by treating with proteolytic enzyme and transglutaminase, similar to pork.

Fish softening Swordfish was used as a raw material for food. The swordfish was used after thawing a frozen product. 100 g of swordfish is tenderized, and the fish meat is immersed in an enzyme solution of the composition (mass%) shown in Table 5 at a weight ratio of 1: 1 of fish meat: enzyme solution, and the remaining pressure is 0.02 MPa four times every 5 minutes while immersed. The pressure was reduced to the following, then refrigerated for 15 to 20 hours, and then the yield and hardness were measured after heating.
The test plots for each formulation shown in Table 5 were designated as test plots 1-5.
(B) Results The results are shown in Table 6.
○ and × in the enzyme column of Table 6 indicate that the enzyme was used and not used, respectively, and the numerical value% after ○ of transglutaminase indicates the enzyme concentration mass% in the immersion liquid.
As shown in Table 6, those treated with both proteolytic enzymes and transglutaminase had higher yields after heating than those treated with only proteolytic enzymes. In addition, the fish meat after the treatment was sufficiently softened, both treated with both proteolytic enzyme and transglutaminase and treated with only proteolytic enzyme.
(Comparative example) Enzyme impregnation amount and hardness (a) method when only proteolytic enzyme was allowed to act and transglutaminase was not acted Pork loin (frozen product) was used as food raw material meat. Bromelain F (Amano Enzyme, Inc .; bromelain, 85% by weight, lactose, 15% by weight) was used as a proteolytic enzyme. The enzyme solution used contained 0.1% by mass of bromelain F and 2% by mass of SO-2 (FC Chemical; sodium bicarbonate) as a pH adjuster. 1 kg of pork loin was subjected to injection treatment, tenderization treatment, and tumbler treatment in the same manner as in Example 1. Injection was performed once (test group 1), twice (test group 2), or six times (test group 3).
The injection, tenderization and tumbler methods were carried out in the same manner as in Example 1, and then the yield of the meat after enzyme treatment from the raw meat (yield after the enzyme treatment), the yield of meat after heating from the enzyme-treated meat ( The yield of the heated meat after the enzyme treatment), the yield of the heated meat from the raw meat (heated yield), and the hardness (N / m ² ) were measured.
The results are shown in Table 7.
As shown in Table 7, when only a proteolytic enzyme was allowed to act, the yield after the enzyme treatment had a limit, and the maximum was 125%. If the yield after the enzyme treatment is about 125% or less, the processed meat becomes too soft and the shape retaining property is lost.

In the method for producing a softened food according to the present invention, an enzyme treatment is performed using simultaneously an enzyme having a conflicting action, that is, an enzyme that degrades the main ingredient of the food material and an enzyme that has an action of cross-linking the main ingredient of the food ingredient. The softened food obtained by the method of the present invention is not only soft, but also has shape retention and water retention. Moreover, the elution of the component in the food which a food raw material originally has is also small. In addition, when a seasoning liquid or the like is added to the food material during the softening treatment, the seasoning liquid or the like is held in the food material. Furthermore, when an enzyme having a crosslinking action is used at the same time as a degrading enzyme, the degrading enzyme that has penetrated into the food material due to cross-linking becomes difficult to leak out, so the degrading enzyme is retained in the food material and efficiently with a small amount of enzyme. Can be softened.
According to the method of the present invention, it is possible to solve the problems of shape retention and water retention in the conventional softening method using only a degrading enzyme.
According to the method of the present invention, it is possible to provide a nursing food (product for people with difficulty in chewing) that retains the deliciousness, color, shape, nutrients, and the like of the raw material of the food.
In addition, the method of the present invention makes it possible not only for elderly people but also for people who have difficulty eating hard food such as infants, to provide soft foods that retain the texture of food, and respond to various needs. It is possible to enhance the assortment of nursing foods that can be used.
All publications, patents and patent applications cited herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Claims (3)

A method for producing a softened food, comprising causing a food ingredient that is livestock meat to act on a proteolytic enzyme that is an enzyme that degrades a main ingredient of the food ingredient and a transglutaminase that is an enzyme that crosslinks the main ingredient. A mixed enzyme solution of an enzyme that decomposes the main ingredient of the food raw material and an enzyme having an action of cross-linking the main ingredient into a food raw material, the enzyme and the food raw material for decomposing the main ingredient of 0.001 to 10% by mass of the food raw material A step of impregnating a mixed enzyme solution containing an enzyme having an action of cross-linking the main component, and a step of causing the enzyme to act, and an action of degrading the main component of the food raw material and the main component of the food raw material The step of impregnating the mixed enzyme solution of the enzyme having is carried out by injection treatment of the enzyme solution into the food material, tenderization treatment and tumbling treatment under reduced pressure. The method for producing a softened food, wherein the softened food has the following characteristics:
(1) Using a texture analyzer, the load value when a φ20mm cylindrical plunger is pushed down to 70% of the sample thickness at a speed of 10mm / sec into softened food cooked by heating is 50,000 N / m ² or less. ;
(2) The property that the softened food to be produced has improved shape retention and water retention compared to when it is softened only with a degrading enzyme;
(3) Yield after enzyme treatment (%) = 100 x Food material weight after enzyme treatment (g) / Food material weight before enzyme treatment (g) 125% yield after enzyme treatment The characteristics of being above;
(4) Heat yield (%) = 100 × heat raw material weight after cooking (g) / heat raw material weight before enzyme treatment (g) (%) The characteristic that the heat yield (%) is 125% or more; as well as
(5) Heating yield for enzyme-treated raw meat (%) = 100 x Food raw material weight after cooking (g) / Food raw material weight after enzyme treatment (g) Heating yield for enzyme-treated raw meat The characteristic that (%) is 70% or more.   The method for producing a softened food according to claim 1, wherein an enzyme that decomposes a main ingredient of the food raw material and an enzyme that has a function of cross-linking the main ingredient simultaneously act on the food raw material.   The main component of the food material is decomposed by the degrading enzyme, and at the same time, the decomposed or non-decomposed main component is cross-linked to prevent the food material from being deformed while softening the food material. The method for producing a softened food according to claim 1 or 2, which can be prevented.