JP7375745B2 - Method for producing tissue-based vegetable protein material - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for producing a textured vegetable protein material that can be used as a food material.

Various forms of protein materials, which are food materials mainly composed of proteins, have been developed. For example, powdered soy protein materials such as isolated soy protein, concentrated soy protein, soy milk powder, milk protein materials such as casein and whey protein, egg protein materials such as egg white, and wheat protein materials such as gluten are used as powdered protein materials. It is sold and used as a raw material for the production of various processed foods.
Furthermore, textured protein materials have been used for purposes such as meat substitute materials and confectionery ingredients. For example, textured soy protein materials are generally produced by introducing protein-containing food materials such as defatted soy flour or isolated soy protein, water, and other raw materials as necessary into a twin-screw extruder, and kneading them with a screw to form a water-containing dough. It is manufactured by heating the dough under pressure while extruding it under normal pressure through a slit part called a die, causing it to expand, cutting the puffed dough at regular intervals, and drying it (Patent Documents 1 to 3, etc.). ). Various types of this textured soy protein material are manufactured for uses such as meat substitute materials and confectionery ingredients.

It has been pointed out that this textured vegetable protein material has a unique odor and affects the flavor of processed foods.As a method to improve this, for example, in Patent Document 4, the produced textured soybean protein material is After adding water in the range of 10 to 75% and maintaining it at 80 to 145°C, the moist textured soybean protein material is brought into contact with a flow of superheated steam at a temperature of 105 to 160°C for about 1 to 60 minutes to remove the grassy odor. A method has been proposed to evaporate the fishy odor component.

Furthermore, Patent Document 5 proposes a method in which a textured soybean protein material (water content of approximately 20%) obtained by a conventional method is treated in a steam stream at 105 to 130° C. for 1 to 10 minutes.

Further, Patent Document 6 proposes a method in which a textured soy protein material having a moisture content of 12% by weight or more is brought into contact with water vapor for about 15 seconds to 16 minutes immediately before it is left to cool or is not completely dried. .

Special Publication No. 2007-531530 International publication WO2006/98399 International publication WO2014/156948 Special Publication No. 55-2940 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 54-37845 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-4887

Textured protein materials generally have a low-density structure created by swelling under pressure and heat using a twin-screw extruder, and their use has been expanding in recent years for applications such as meat substitute materials and confectionery ingredients. Its texture, flavor, and other qualities have been improved year by year, and the flavor has been improved to some extent by the steam contact techniques described in Patent Documents 4 to 6, but the unique odor still remains. In addition, in the conventional method, if the contact time of water vapor is short, the odor removal effect becomes weak, and it is necessary to contact the product with water vapor for a considerably long time, resulting in poor production efficiency. Additionally, as described in Patent Document 6, once a textured vegetable protein material is dried, the structure hardens and odors are trapped inside. It does not reach the fine structure, making it difficult to exhibit the deodorizing effect.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for obtaining a textured vegetable protein material with reduced unique odor more efficiently than before.

As a result of extensive research into the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors discovered a new approach of applying an airflow powder heating device to deodorize the unique odor of textured vegetable protein materials. The technical concept of the invention has been completed.

That is, the present invention includes the following inventions.
(1) A dry textured vegetable protein material with a moisture content of 10% by weight or less is introduced into an airflow powder heating device and brought into contact with superheated steam at a temperature of over 100°C for a period of 30 seconds or less under pressure. A method for producing a textured vegetable protein material,
(2) The textured vegetable protein material according to (1) above, wherein the airflow type powder heating device is a method of pressurizing and heating the textured vegetable protein material by direct heating with water vapor while dropping the textured vegetable protein material in a vertical direction. method for producing protein materials;
(3) The method for producing a textured vegetable protein material according to (1) above, wherein the pressure under pressure is 0.2 to 0.9 MPa;
(4) The method for producing a textured vegetable protein material according to (2) above, wherein the pressure under pressure is 0.2 to 0.9 MPa;
(5) The method for producing a textured vegetable protein material according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein the contact time is 0.00001 to 10 seconds;
(6) The method for producing a textured vegetable protein material according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein the contact time is 0.00001 to 0.5 seconds;
(7) The textured vegetable protein material obtained by pressurizing and heating in an extrusion molding machine using a conventional method is introduced into an air flow powder heating device in a dry state with a moisture content of 10% by weight or less, and heated to 100°C under pressure. A method for deodorizing a textured vegetable protein material, the method comprising contacting with superheated steam exceeding 30 seconds or less for a period of 30 seconds or less,
(8) The textured vegetable protein material according to (7) above, wherein the airflow type powder heating device is a method of pressurizing and heating the textured vegetable protein material by direct heating with water vapor while dropping the textured vegetable protein material in a vertical direction. How to deodorize protein materials,
(9) The method for deodorizing a tissue-like vegetable protein material according to (7) above, wherein the pressure under pressure is 0.2 to 0.9 MPa;
(10) The method for deodorizing a tissue-like vegetable protein material according to (8) above, wherein the pressure under pressure is 0.2 to 0.9 MPa;
(11) The method for deodorizing a textured vegetable protein material according to any one of (7) to (9) above, wherein the contact time is 0.00001 to 10 seconds;
(12) The method for deodorizing a textured vegetable protein material according to any one of (7) to (9) above, wherein the contact time is 0.00001 to 0.5 seconds;
(13) An air stream with a mechanism for contacting superheated steam of over 100°C under pressure for 30 seconds or less to deodorize the textured vegetable protein material obtained by pressurizing and heating with an extrusion molding machine using a conventional method. Use of type powder heating equipment,
(14) The air-flow type powder according to (13) above, wherein the air-flow type powder heating device performs pressure heating treatment using a direct heating method using water vapor while vertically dropping the textured vegetable protein material. use of heating devices;
(15) Use of the air flow powder heating device according to (13) above, wherein the pressure under pressure is 0.2 to 0.9 MPa;
(16) Use of the air flow powder heating device according to (14) above, wherein the pressure under pressure is 0.2 to 0.9 MPa;
(17) The method for deodorizing a textured vegetable protein material according to any one of (13) to (16) above, wherein the contact time is 0.00001 to 10 seconds;
(18) The method for deodorizing a textured vegetable protein material according to any one of (13) to (16) above, wherein the contact time is 0.00001 to 0.5 seconds.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a textured vegetable protein material whose odor is efficiently reduced. Further, according to the present invention, there is no need to deodorize the textured vegetable protein material immediately after production for a long period of time while keeping it in a high moisture state. Deodorizing effects can be easily obtained even with protein materials.

The method for producing a textured vegetable protein material of the present invention involves introducing a dry textured vegetable protein material with a moisture content of 10% by weight or less into an airflow powder heating device, and applying superheated steam at a temperature exceeding 100°C under pressure. It is characterized by contacting with the material for a period of 30 seconds or less. The present invention will be explained in detail below.

(Textured vegetable protein material)
Textured vegetable protein materials include those produced by conventional extrusion cooking using a twin-screw extruder, etc. For example, extruded materials containing protein, starch, and dietary fiber are mixed with water using a twin-screw extruder, etc. The internal structure is expanded by introducing it into an extruder, heating it under pressure, and extruding it from a die at the tip of the extruder. Examples include textured soybean protein materials using soybean raw materials such as soybean flour, defatted soybeans, and powdered soybean protein. Commercially available products include product groups such as "Fujinik", "New Fujinik", "Soya Puff", "Apex", "Vegetex", "Vegeplus" (all manufactured by Fuji Oil Co., Ltd.) and other similar product groups. can be mentioned. Although the particle size of the textured vegetable protein material depends on the type of airflow type powder heating device, heat treatment can be performed as long as the particle size is such that it can be transferred without any trouble from the inlet to the outlet of the device. Although not particularly limited, for example, particles with a particle size of about 1 to 20 mm, preferably about 1 to 16 mm, can be easily heat-treated.

Textured vegetable protein materials can be obtained from various vegetable raw materials, such as soybeans, peas, mung beans, chickpeas, peanuts, almonds, lupine, pigeon peas, nata beans, climbing beans, kidney beans, adzuki beans, cowpeas, Whole foods include legumes such as lentils, fava beans, and locust beans, seeds such as rapeseed (especially canola varieties), sunflower seeds, cottonseed, and coconut, and grains such as wheat, barley, rye, rice, and corn. Examples include granules and pulverized products thereof, and lees obtained by industrially extracting fats and oils and starch from these can also be used.

(moisture)
In the present invention, the textured vegetable protein material to be subjected to the following heat treatment is in a dry state with low moisture content. ``Low moisture dry state'' means that the moisture content has been dried to a level that allows it to maintain fluidity to the extent that it can be introduced into an airflow type powder heating device and transferred to the area where it will be heated without problems without adhering to the inside of the device. This refers to a state in which the water content is dried to 10% by weight or less, 8% by weight or less, 6% by weight or less, or 5% by weight or less.

(Air flow type powder heating device)
In the textured vegetable protein material of the present invention, the above-mentioned textured vegetable protein material is introduced into an air flow powder heating device in a dry state with low moisture content, not in a high moisture state, and heated to a temperature exceeding 100°C under pressure. It is characterized by contact with superheated steam. Airflow type powder heating devices are generally used for heat sterilization of grain powders such as wheat flour and insoluble powders such as tea leaves. However, until now there has been no idea of applying it to granular materials such as textured vegetable protein materials.
Through this process, the odor unique to the vegetable tissue protein material is efficiently reduced, and the influence on quality caused by flavor when used in various processed foods can be minimized.

The airflow type powder heating apparatus used in the present invention employs a direct heating method in which the object powder is brought into contact with superheated steam exceeding 100° C. under pressure. Examples of airflow powder heating equipment that can perform such pressurized heat treatment include "KPU" (Okawara Seisakusho Co., Ltd.), "SKS-50" (Seishin Enterprise Co., Ltd.), and "Sonic Stera" (Co., Ltd.). ) manufactured by Fujiwara Techno Art) and improved types thereof can be used.

In a preferred embodiment, the airflow type powder heating apparatus used in the present invention performs a direct heating method of pressurized heating treatment by directly heating the vegetable tissue protein material with water vapor while dropping it vertically. A pressure and heat treatment method is adopted. The heating and pressurizing equipment used to implement this type of heating method is equipped with a closed system heating space in which the powder introduced into the equipment can fall vertically; It is preferable to use an apparatus having a mechanism for bringing water vapor into contact in a pressurized state between the two. In the present invention, such a pressurizing and heating device is referred to as a "vertical type". As a vertical type embodiment, a powder sterilizer disclosed in International Publication No. WO2009/145198 can be applied to a pressure heating device. ) manufactured by Fujiwara Techno Art) can be used.
Thereby, the heat treatment can be carried out in an extremely short time without the textured vegetable protein material sticking to the inside of the apparatus.

(pressure)
The pressure during pressurization of the airflow type powder heating device in the present invention can be appropriately set so that the textured vegetable protein material has the desired quality, but it is usually preferably 0.2 to 0.9 MPa; More preferably, the lower limit can be set to 0.3 MPa or more or 0.4 MPa or more. Moreover, the upper limit of the pressure can be 0.8 MPa or less, 0.7 MPa or less, 0.6 MPa or less, 0.5 MPa or less, or 0.4 MPa or less. In a further preferred embodiment, a range of 0.3 to 0.7 MPa can be selected.

The temperature in the pressure heat treatment changes depending on the pressure, and since it is a pressurized state, the temperature may exceed 100°C, and depending on the embodiment, it may exceed 120°C, 130°C or higher, 140°C or higher, 150°C or higher, or 160°C. ℃ or higher or 170℃ or higher. Although no upper limit is set for the temperature, it is usually below 250°C.

(contact time)
The contact time between the superheated steam and the target object in the airflow powder heating device can be appropriately set in consideration of the combination with the heating temperature so that the textured vegetable protein material has the desired quality. A short time is preferable, and can be 30 seconds or less, 20 seconds or less, 10 seconds or less, 5 seconds or less, 2 seconds or less, 1 second or less, 0.5 seconds or less, or 0.3 seconds or less. Further, the contact time can be 0.00001 seconds or more, 0001 seconds or more, or 0.001 seconds or more. Furthermore, as a preferred embodiment, a range of 0.00001 to 2 seconds, 0.0001 to 1 second, or 0.001 to 0.5 seconds can be selected.
By bringing superheated steam into contact with the material under pressure in a short period of time using an air flow powder heating device, odors can be instantly removed from the dried and hardened textured vegetable protein material. I can do it.

The textured vegetable protein material that has been heat-treated and modified using the above method to reduce odor and have a good flavor can be used as a substitute for meat, raw material for confectionery, and other conventional textured vegetable protein materials. It can be used for similar food applications.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Examples. Note that "%" and "parts" in the examples indicate "% by weight" and "parts by weight" unless otherwise specified.

(test)
As shown below, a dry textured vegetable protein material was introduced into an airflow powder heating device and brought into contact with superheated steam under pressure to confirm the deodorizing effect.
As a sample of the textured vegetable protein material, commercially available granular soybean protein "New Fujinic 51" (manufactured by Fuji Oil Co., Ltd., moisture 6.9%, particle size approximately 5 mm) was prepared.
As the air flow powder heating device, a commercially available “Sonic Stera” (manufactured by Fujiwara Techno Art Co., Ltd.) was used. This device is a vertical type device that can perform pressurized heat treatment by directly heating the powder with water vapor while dropping the powder vertically in a heating space.
The heat treatment conditions were as shown in Table 1, and the granular soybean protein was introduced into an air flow powder heating device and was brought into instant contact with superheated steam under pressure to obtain a treated product (Examples 1 and 2). As a comparative example, the flavor of the obtained treated product was evaluated in comparison with the untreated granular soybean protein described above. Furthermore, as a reference example, flavor evaluation was also performed on a sample that had been deodorized with steam during the production of the commercially available granular soybean protein, according to the method described in Patent Document 6.

○ Flavor evaluation We asked five experienced panelists to evaluate the flavor of textured soybean protein materials in-house, and using Comparative Example 1 as a control, we conducted a relative evaluation of the flavor of each textured vegetable protein material when it was put into the mouth as it was. Based on the following evaluation criteria, we asked them to give a rating from A to E based on the evaluation criteria below.
○Evaluation criteria A: Even less odor and better flavor than B B: Less odor and better flavor than the control C: Control and the same odor as the control D: More odor than the control Bad flavor E: Even more odor and worse flavor than D

(Table 1)

As mentioned above, if a textured vegetable protein material is introduced into an airflow powder heating device and brought into contact with superheated steam under pressure, even a dry textured vegetable protein material with low moisture content can be processed in an extremely short time. Over time, the unique odor was removed and the material was modified into a textured vegetable protein material with a good flavor.
On the other hand, when compared with a reference example in which the textured vegetable protein material was brought into contact with water vapor in a hydrated state immediately after being extruded from a twin-screw extruder rather than an airflow powder heating device, Examples 1 and 2 had no odor. tended to be reduced to the same or higher level even in a very short period of time.

Claims (7)

A dry , swollen textured vegetable protein material with a water content of 10% by weight or less , produced by extrusion cooking , is introduced into an airflow powder heating device and heated with superheated steam at a temperature exceeding 100°C for 30 seconds under pressure. A method for producing a textured vegetable protein material, characterized by contacting it for the following period of time.
Here, the airflow type powder heating device is a method in which the textured vegetable protein material is dropped in a vertical direction and subjected to pressure heat treatment by direct heating with water vapor. The method for producing a textured vegetable protein material according to claim 1, wherein the contact time is 0.00001 to 2 seconds. The method for producing a textured vegetable protein material according to claim 1, wherein the contact time is 0.00001 to 0.5 seconds. The method for producing a textured vegetable protein material according to claim 2, wherein the water content is 8% by weight or less. The method for producing a textured vegetable protein material according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the pressure under application is 0.2 to 0.9 MPa. The swollen textured vegetable protein material produced by extrusion cooking is introduced into an air flow powder heating device in a dry state with a moisture content of 10% by weight or less, and heated with superheated steam exceeding 100°C under pressure for 30 seconds. A method for deodorizing a textured vegetable protein material, characterized by contacting the material for the following period of time.
Here, the airflow type powder heating device is a method in which the textured vegetable protein material is dropped in a vertical direction and subjected to pressure heat treatment by direct heating with water vapor. Use of an air flow powder heating device having a mechanism for contacting superheated steam of over 100°C under pressure for 30 seconds or less to deodorize expanded textured vegetable protein material produced by extrusion cooking. .
Here, the airflow type powder heating device is a method in which the textured vegetable protein material is dropped in a vertical direction and subjected to pressure heat treatment by direct heating with water vapor.