JP6412113B2 - Intermediate moisture food - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an intermediate moisture food in which the stickiness of the surface that occurs during long-term storage is suppressed, and more specifically, it can be easily picked and eaten by hand and can feel more juicy.

  Conventionally, the dried fruit coated has a chocolate or protein surface (eg wheat flour, soy flour, rice flour, starch, sodium caseinate, vegetable protein, egg white, egg yolk, gelatin, agar, guar gum, carboxymethyl cellulose, carrageenan, alginic acid. A coated fruit confectionery coated with a coating substance such as soda and milk solid fractions alone or in a mixture is known (Patent Document 1). The coated fruit confectionery is lyophilized to 1 to 20% of the moisture before drying, and the moisture removed by lyophilization is replaced with an aqueous solution of alcohol and / or sugar, and the film-forming ability is changed by the coating substance. And a mechanism for preventing moisture evaporation. However, it is not necessary to select a specific coating material for suppressing stickiness as long as it is freeze-dried up to 4% of moisture as described in Examples of Patent Document 1, but in particular, 15% or more. In the case of dried fruits in a high moisture range, there is a problem in that stickiness cannot be completely suppressed with most of the above-mentioned coating materials.

  In addition, stuffing of confectionery products including fruits covered with baked confectionery such as fruit pie, stuffed biscuits, and strudel is known (Patent Document 2). The fruit stuffing has a final moisture content of 40 to 50% by weight, a water activity Aw of 0.75 to 0.85 and a pH of 2.5 to 4.5, so that it is 2 to 3 months at room temperature. It gives a lifetime. Moreover, when a fruit pie using the stuffing of fruit, a biscuit with stuffing, a strudel, or the like is incorporated and baked to obtain a commercial paste confectionery product, the characteristic value of the stuffing has a moisture content of 20-30. %, Aw of 0.75 to 0.85 and pH of 3 to 5, and shelf storage life at room temperature is 10 to 12 months. However, since the fruit stuffing is used as a baked confectionery as described above, the quality is not designed in a solid form that can be directly pinched and eaten. I couldn't eat it directly.

  Next, the inventors have a water activity of 0.45 to 0.8, a water content of 10 to 30% by weight, a citric acidity of 1.0 to 3.0%, and a sucrose content in the whole saccharide. In an intermediate moisture food of 40 to 70% by weight, by applying powdered sugar or starch together with powdered fragrance to the surface of the secondary dried food, not only the surface stickiness can be suppressed, but also an intermediate where a juicy feeling can be felt more A moisture food is proposed (Patent Document 3). However, if the water activity of the intermediate moisture food is less than 0.65, it is possible to obtain a stickiness-inhibiting effect by surface application of powdered sugar or starch. There was room for improvement.

  Moreover, in the dried cut citrus fruit whose water activity is 0.8 or less, the water content is 5 to 30% by weight, and the sucrose content in the whole saccharide is 80% by weight or less, When it is coated with a component such as an organic acid or corn starch, a dry cut citrus fruit that suppresses stickiness on the surface and can be easily picked by hand has been proposed (Patent Document 4). [0023] of Patent Document 4 describes that starch, high-intensity sweeteners, proteins, and the like may be used as an auxiliary material for organic acids and corn starch. However, if the dry cut citrus fruit has a water activity of less than 0.65, surface stickiness can be suppressed. In the case of a dry cut citrus fruit of 0.65 or more, it contains organic acid, corn starch, and protein. With corn starch coating, stickiness could not be completely suppressed, and there was room for improvement.

JP-A-55-50855 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-47030 International Publication WO2009 / 057736 International Publication WO2010 / 098333

  The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances as described above, and its object is to suppress the stickiness of the surface that occurs during long-term storage. More specifically, it is easily pinched by hand. It is possible to provide an intermediate moisture food that can be more succulent and more succulent.

  The present invention is a solid intermediate moisture food having a water activity of 0.65 to 0.85, a water content of 15.0 to 30.0% by weight, and a pH of 3.0 or more, The object is achieved by an intermediate moisture food that is applied to the surface of the intermediate moisture food at 0.3 to 3.0% by weight based on the total weight of the intermediate moisture food.

  Preferably, the protein is contained in soybean protein in an amount of 85% by weight or more in terms of solid content. More preferably, the intermediate moisture food contains saccharide, and the sucrose content in the total weight of the saccharide is 60 to 90% by weight. More preferably, a high-intensity sweetener is applied to the surface of the intermediate moisture food together with soy protein. The high-intensity sweetener is preferably at least one of stevia, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium.

  That is, the present inventors, in general dried foods such as dried fruits and dried vegetables, have a moisture content of less than 15.0% by weight. Because it is difficult, as a solution, the moisture content is adjusted to 15.0% by weight or more, and the water activity is set to a relatively high water content of 0.65 to 0.85, which is soft and juicy. Thought that it would become more felt and easier to eat.

  However, when an intermediate moisture food with a high water activity and water content is stored for a long period of time, there is a problem in terms of quality because stickiness occurs due to the expression of the moisture content. Therefore, the intermediate moisture food having a water activity of 0.65 or more, a water content of 15.0% or more, and a high moisture content is coated with a coating component that has been conventionally known to have a stickiness-inhibiting effect. However, stickiness could not be completely suppressed with most components.

  Thus, when intensive studies were made on the suppression of stickiness during long-term storage, surprisingly, it is preferable to coat with 0.3 to 3.0% by weight of soy protein in the total weight of the intermediate moisture food. It was found that the surface stickiness of the intermediate moisture food produced during long-term storage can be suppressed by coating with soy protein containing 85% by weight or more of protein in terms of conversion. This stickiness-inhibiting effect is presumed to be due to the fact that soy protein is poorly soluble in water but rich in water absorption.

  In addition, as a result of intensive studies on factors other than moisture that cause intermediate moisture foods to become sticky during long-term storage, sucrose in intermediate moisture foods decomposes into fructose and glucose when stored for a long period of time, and the fructose produced by this decomposition It was considered that the appearance of was a sticky factor. Thus, it has been found that by adjusting the intermediate moisture food to pH 3.0 or higher, it is possible to suppress the stickiness of the carbohydrate-derived surface that occurs during long-term storage.

  From this, compared with general dry food, even as an intermediate moisture food in a relatively high region of water activity 0.65 to 0.85 and water content 15.0 to 30.0% by weight, pH 3.0 or more With a specific amount of soy protein surface applied, the stickiness of the water and sugar-derived food surface that occurs during long-term storage is completely suppressed, and it can be easily pinched by hand and eaten softly before being processed It was found that a more juicy feeling can be imparted, and the present invention has been achieved.

  In the intermediate moisture food of the present invention, the stickiness of the surface that occurs during long-term storage is suppressed, and it can be easily pinched by hand, and it is soft and more succulent.

The present invention will be described in detail.
Conventionally, as a general intermediate moisture food, a food having a water activity of 0.45 to 0.90 and a water content of 50.0% by weight or less is known. However, in the case of an intermediate moisture food having a water activity of less than 0.65 or a water content of less than 15.0% by weight, it is hard and lacks a juicy feeling. On the other hand, in the case of an intermediate moisture food having a water activity exceeding 0.85 or a water content exceeding 30.0% by weight, the surface becomes sticky due to the appearance of water during long-term storage. Therefore, the intermediate moisture food of the present invention has a water activity of 0.65 to 0.85 and a water content of 15.0 to 30.0 in order to make the texture and flavor closer to the softness and juiciness of the unprocessed food. The weight is adjusted to%.

  Moreover, adjusting the intermediate moisture food of the present invention to pH 3.0 or more is important in terms of suppressing the stickiness of the carbohydrate-derived surface that occurs during long-term storage. When the pH is less than 3.0, decomposition of sucrose into fructose is promoted during long-term storage, resulting in stickiness. Preferably, pH 3.0 to 6.0 is suitable in terms of stickiness suppression and flavor.

  The pre-processing food used for the intermediate moisture food of the present invention is a generally known vegetable food having fiber such as edible fruits and edible vegetables, preferably raw food or thawed product of IQF (individual quick-frozen). is there. For example, peach, pineapple, apple, pear, mango, banana, strawberry, orange, grape, apricot, fig, jujube, sandstone, dates, persimmon, prunes, papaya, blueberry, cranberry, cherry, guava, litchi, kiwifruit, melon , Aloe, tomato and the like, and may be appropriately selected and used. Among these, peach, pineapple, apple, and pear are particularly preferable because the effects of the present invention can be remarkably exhibited.

  In addition, it is important that the intermediate moisture food of the present invention is in a bite-sized solid form with the surface being dried. This is because a plurality of pieces can be accommodated and sealed in a container without being individually packaged, and can be pinched and eaten by hand at the time of eating, and stickiness is suppressed during long-term storage. That is, the solid form as described above is different from fruit jam and filling having a sticky surface and gel or sol fluidity.

  Next, the soy protein used in the present invention is a powder containing 50% by weight or more of protein in terms of solid content in soy protein by processing a soybean or soybean defatted product. The water content is 6.5% or less. It is important in terms of suppressing stickiness that the soybean protein is applied to the surface of the intermediate moisture food at 0.3 to 3.0% by weight based on the total weight of the intermediate moisture food. If the soy protein is less than 0.3% by weight, the stickiness-inhibiting effect cannot be obtained, and if it exceeds 3.0% by weight, the flavor and texture of the intermediate moisture food are deteriorated.

  In addition, it is preferable that the soy protein contains 85% by weight or more of protein in that the stickiness-inhibiting effect can be exhibited more remarkably. Examples include “Fitness S” and “Harmony A100” manufactured by Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd. In general, soybean protein containing 50 wt% or more and less than 60 wt% of protein in terms of solid content is “defatted soybean flour”, and soybean protein containing 60 wt% or more and less than 85 wt% is “concentrated soybean protein”, 85 What contains more than% by weight is called “isolated soy protein”.

  In addition, other powder raw materials may be appropriately selected together with the soy protein and applied in combination. Examples of the powder raw material include high-intensity sweeteners, powder flavors, acidulants, saccharides, powdered fruit juice, starch, dextrin, dietary fiber, and seasonings. Examples of high-intensity sweeteners include stevia, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, neotame, etc. Preferably, at least one of stevia, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium is masking the blue odor of soy protein, when eating It is suitable in terms of imparting sweetness at the top.

Furthermore, the intermediate moisture food of the present invention contains sugars (sucrose, glucose, fructose, etc.), and the sucrose content in the total weight of the sugars is 60 to 90% by weight. It is suitable in terms of suppressing crystallization. If it is less than 60% by weight, it tends to be sticky, and if it exceeds 90% by weight, sucrose in the intermediate moisture food tends to crystallize. Calculation of the sucrose content in the total weight of saccharides may be performed as follows.
(Calculation method of sucrose content)
Weighed about 10 g of intermediate moisture food to 10 times the amount, pulverized and homogenized with a homogenizer, etc., and further diluted 1000 times with a sugar analyzer SU-300 manufactured by Toa DKK Corporation. And the sucrose content is measured, and the sucrose content in the whole saccharide is calculated from both.

  Next, although the intermediate moisture food of this invention is manufactured as follows, for example, it is not limited to the following method. First, a raw food is prepared as a pre-processed food and cut into an appropriate size. In addition, what is necessary is just to remove suitably, when raw food has non-edible parts, such as a skin and a sticker. Further, after cutting, IQF (individual quick freezing) and thawing may be used. For example, in the case of peach, the skin and the seed part are removed and cut into a substantially bite size (diameter 20 to 40 mm × 20 to 40 mm, thickness 20 to 40 mm).

  Thereafter, the cut raw food is treated with a bleach as necessary. By treating with a bleach, browning prevention or quality safety (storage stability, etc.) of each process and product can be obtained. In particular, it is suitable for a pre-processing food that contains a large amount of polyphenol and easily browns.

Examples of the bleaching agent include sulfur dioxide, potassium pyrosulfite, and sodium pyrosulfite, which are known as sulfites, and may be appropriately selected from these. Examples of the bleach treatment method include soaking the pre-processed food in a bleach solution or spraying the pre-process food on the pre-processed food. The bleach can be uniformly applied in a short time. It is preferable to immerse in a bleach solution in view of the capability. The amount of bleaching agent applied is such that the amount of bleaching agent added to the raw food is preferably 50 to 10,000 ppm, more preferably 1,000 to 5,000 ppm in terms of SO ₂ concentration. However, it is suitable in terms of prevention of browning and flavor.

  Next, the bleached food is primarily dried. By performing the primary drying, it is preferable in that the seasoning liquid is not diluted in the seasoning step described later, and the seasoning can be sufficiently permeated into the food.

  The drying method is not particularly limited, but drying by fluid heating is preferable in terms of easy adjustment of water activity and water content without impairing the food texture. Drying by fluid heating is a general hot air drying device that circulates hot air, as well as a device that blows hot air directly on the object from above and below (for example, a jet zone system (continuous type) manufactured by Arakawa Seisakusho, Jet roast system (batch type, etc.), hot air convection device used for coffee roasting, fans, dryers, hot air fans, hot air shelf drying, air conditioners, etc. It is a method of drying. As drying conditions, for example, in the case of hot air shelf drying, drying is performed at 70 ° C. for about 3 hours.

  Next, the food primarily dried as described above is seasoned. A seasoning contains saccharides etc., for example. Examples of the saccharide include sucrose, glucose, fructose, isomerized sugar, tagatose, trehalose, lactose, maltose, isomerized lactose, oligosaccharide, sugar alcohol (sorbitol, maltitol, xylitol, etc.), reduced starch saccharified product, etc. In addition to saccharide sweeteners, non-saccharide sweeteners such as stevia, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, and the like can be used. These can be selected appropriately from these and used alone or in combination. Among these, sucrose is preferably used in terms of flavor and profitability.

  The seasoning may contain a sour agent. Examples of the acidulant include organic acids such as citric acid, malic acid, fumaric acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, and acetic acid, and organic acid salts such as sodium citrate. , Fruit vinegar, fruit juice, and the like. These may be selected as appropriate and used alone or in combination. Among these, the acidulant similar to the organic acid contained in the unprocessed food itself is preferably used in terms of uniform flavor quality.

  In addition, in order to make the intermediate moisture food obtained into pH3.0 or more, a seasoning liquid is adjusted to pH2.8 or more. For example, an organic acid and an organic acid salt may be used in combination, but the method is not limited to this method. Specifically, when a citric acid and sodium citrate are used in a seasoning in a ratio of 10: 7, a seasoning liquid having a pH of 3.7 is obtained.

  In addition, examples of the auxiliary ingredients for the seasoning include flavorings, dairy products, pulp, alcoholic beverages, stabilizers, emulsifiers, coloring agents, various nutritional components (vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, etc.). May be used by appropriately selecting from the above.

  The seasoning adhesion amount in the total food weight after seasoning is preferably 0.1 to 40.0% by weight in terms of solid content in the total food weight after seasoning application, It is suitable in terms of texture. In addition, when a saccharide and a sour agent are contained as the above-mentioned seasoning, the saccharide is set to 10 to 70% by weight, and the sour agent is set to 0.1 to 3.0% by weight so that the seasoning penetrates into the food. It is desirable in terms of facilitating and imparting a juicy feeling.

  Examples of the seasoning method include a method of immersing in a seasoning liquid, which is preferable in that the seasoning liquid penetrates uniformly and obtains a good flavor. The immersion in the seasoning liquid may be performed either once or multiple times.

  Next, the seasoned food is secondarily dried. The drying method may be the same method as the primary drying described above. As for the drying conditions, it is important in terms of flavor, texture and juiciness to adjust the water activity in the food to 0.65 to 0.85 and the water content to 15.0 to 30.0% by weight. .

  Next, the intermediate moisture food of the present invention can be obtained by applying soybean protein to the surface of the secondary dried food. It is important that the application amount is 0.3 to 3.0% by weight based on the total weight of the intermediate moisture food in terms of suppressing surface stickiness that occurs during long-term storage. Examples of the method for applying the soy protein include coating the soy protein powder on the intermediate moisture food using a revolving pan, or directly mixing the intermediate moisture food and the soy protein powder. That is, the surface of the secondary dried intermediate moisture food is sticky with moisture, sugar, etc., and when the soybean protein is applied, the intermediate moisture food is suitably bound to the intermediate moisture food surface, and the Since the stickiness generated from the inside to the surface of the intermediate moisture food during storage can be suppressed, the soybean protein does not peel off even if it is pinched by hand, and adheres substantially uniformly so as to be in a state suitable for pinch eating. In addition, as above-mentioned, other powder raw materials, such as a high sweetness degree sweetener, etc. may be suitably selected with soy protein, and you may apply together.

  When the intermediate moisture food obtained as described above is used as a product in a sealed container, an appropriate number of intermediate moisture foods to which the soy protein is applied may be accommodated and sealed in a packaging container. . Examples of the packaging container include an aluminum pouch having a gas barrier property, an aluminum vapor deposition pouch, a pouch having a deoxidizing function, a can, a bottle, and the like. In addition, if necessary, attachment of an oxygen scavenger, alcohol transpiration agent, etc., oxygen substitution with an inert gas, etc. may be performed at the time of accommodation.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described based on examples.
<Example 1>
(1) First, raw peach was prepared as a pre-processing food. After removing the skin and seeds, it was cut in half. (Water content 90.0% by weight)
(2) Next, the cut peach pieces were immersed in a 1% sodium pyrosulfite solution for 24 hours and then drained.
(3) Next, the peach piece was primarily dried with a hot air shelf dryer at 70 ° C. for 3 hours, so that the water content was 85.0 wt%.
(4) Next, the peach piece was immersed in water at 100 ° C. for 5 minutes, and then poured into the seasoning liquid 1 shown in Table 1 below and immersed at room temperature (20 to 30 ° C.) for 24 hours. Thereafter, it was further immersed in seasoning liquid 2 at room temperature for 24 hours. After immersion, the peach piece was placed on a wire net and drained for about 10 minutes. The seasoning adhesion amount (solid content conversion value) at this time was 30.0% by weight.
(5) Next, secondary drying was performed in a hot air shelf dryer at 75 ° C. for 15 hours.
(6) After taking the rough heat of the peach piece, it is put into a revolving pan together with soy protein “Harmony A100” (manufactured by Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd.) and rolled, and 1.0% by weight based on the total weight of the peach piece Of soy protein was applied to the surface.
(7) The above five peach pieces were housed in an aluminum vapor deposited pouch together with an oxygen scavenger and heat sealed to obtain an intermediate moisture peach food in a sealed container.

<Examples 2-3 and Comparative Examples 1-2>
An intermediate moisture peach food product in a sealed container was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the drying conditions for secondary drying in step (5) of Example 1 were as follows.
Example 2; 75 ° C for 20 hours Example 3; 75 ° C for 10 hours Comparative Example 1; 75 ° C for 25 hours Comparative Example 2; 75 ° C for 5 hours

<Examples 4-5, 8-11, Comparative Example 3>
Instead of seasoning liquid 2 in step (4) of Example 1, seasoning liquids 3 to 9 shown in Table 1 (Example 4 is seasoning liquid 3, Example 5 is seasoning liquid 4, Example 8 is seasoning liquid 5, Example 9 is a seasoning liquid 6, Example 10 is a seasoning liquid 7, Example 11 is a seasoning liquid 8, and Comparative Example 3 is a seasoning liquid 9). Got food.

<Examples 6-7, Comparative Examples 4-5>
An intermediate moisture peach food in a sealed container was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the amount of soybean protein applied in step (6) of Example 1 was as shown in Table 2.

<Examples 12-15, Comparative Examples 6-14>
An intermediate moisture peach food in a sealed container was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the surface application component was applied as shown in Table 3 instead of the soybean protein in Step (6) of Example 1.

  About each Example and comparative example obtained as mentioned above, water activity, water content, pH, and sucrose content in the total weight of saccharides were measured. In addition, sensory evaluation was conducted by five specialized panelists on stickiness, flavor and texture after long-term storage. The above results are shown in Tables 2 and 3. In addition, the stickiness by long-term storage was evaluated after storing the samples of Examples or Comparative Examples in an aluminum pouch together with an oxygen scavenger and storing them under conditions corresponding to normal temperature storage for 1 year.

  As a result of the evaluation, the example was an intermediate moisture peach food in which the stickiness of the surface generated during long-term storage was suppressed, and it could be easily pinched by hand and soft and more succulent. In particular, Examples 1, 13, and 14 were generally highly evaluated, but among them, Examples 13 and 14 had excellent sweetness spread in the mouth at the initial stage of eating, and very good intermediate moisture peach food. Met. Further, from Example 1 and Example 12, Example 1 to which soybean protein having a protein content of 85% by weight or more was applied could suppress the surface stickiness more remarkably.

  On the other hand, in the comparative example, one of the three evaluation items was defective. For proteins other than soybean, Comparative Example 6 (milk protein) is sticky and has a burnt flavor of milk, and Comparative Example 7 (wheat protein) is sticky and has a flavor that emphasizes the grain odor characteristic of wheat. It was bad. Others commonly used as coating ingredients for dried foods, but occur during long-term storage in the case of intermediate moisture foods with high water activity (0.78) and high water content (22% by weight) The stickiness of the surface could not be completely suppressed.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be suitably used for an intermediate moisture food in which the stickiness of the surface generated during long-term storage is suppressed, which can be easily pinched by hand and can be felt more succulent.

Claims (3)

Water activity 0.65 to 0.85, the moisture content of 15.0 to 30.0 wt%, and pH Ri der 3.0 or higher, with intermediate moisture food solids with fruit as before processed foods Soy protein powder containing sucrose in the total weight of saccharides of 60 to 90% by weight and protein in an amount of 85% by weight or more is present on the surface of the intermediate moisture food at 0.3 to 3.0 in the total weight of intermediate moisture food. An intermediate moisture food characterized by being applied by weight. Intermediate moisture food surface, according to claim 1 Symbol placement intermediate moisture foods of high-potency sweeteners with soybean protein powder is being applied. The intermediate moisture food according to claim 2 , wherein the high-intensity sweetener is at least one of stevia, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium.