JP7406941B2 - Vegetable protein material and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vegetable protein material and a method for producing the same.

Plant protein is often used as one of the raw materials in the field of processed foods such as processed meat foods (hamburgers, hams, sausages, gyoza, shumai, etc.) and processed seafood foods (kamaboko, chikuwa, fishballs, salmon flakes, etc.) has been done. In addition, in recent years, there has been a tendency for it to be actively used due to health considerations such as prevention of lifestyle-related diseases and an increase in the number of vegetarians.

Vegetable proteins are widely used in the field of processed foods and are defined by the Japanese Agricultural Standards (Non-Patent Document 1). According to the Japanese Agricultural Standards, raw materials for vegetable protein are selected from soybean flour, defatted soybean flour, wheat flour, wheat gluten, etc.
The types of vegetable protein are classified into powdered vegetable protein, paste vegetable protein, granular vegetable protein, and fibrous vegetable protein. Among these, granular vegetable protein is defined as ``a vegetable protein that is shaped into granules or flakes and has a meat-like structure.'' In this specification, granular vegetable protein formed into granules will be particularly referred to as granular vegetable protein in order to distinguish it from granular vegetable protein, which also includes those formed into flakes.

The above-mentioned granular vegetable protein is often used as a substitute for ground meat or as a filler for processed meat foods, and is usually produced by extrusion cooking raw materials such as defatted soybeans. Granular vegetable protein is often sold as a dried product and is used for cooking with or without rehydration.

Various attempts have been made to improve the texture of granular vegetable protein, including techniques to adjust the texture using additive materials (Patent Documents 1 and 2), and techniques to adjust the texture by extrusion conditions (Patent Documents 1 and 2). Patent Document 3), or a technique for imparting a meat-like texture by adjusting the hardness and water absorption rate of granular soybean protein after swelling and heating (Patent Document 4) are known.

International Publication 2015/029555 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-143969 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-8177 JP 2018-126094 Publication

Plant protein website (URL: http://www.maff.go.jp/j/jas/jas_kikaku/kikaku_itiran.html)

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a vegetable protein material with excellent water absorption and arbitrary hardness. To provide a vegetable protein material having a similar appearance and texture. Another object of the present invention is to provide a food product that contains the vegetable protein material and has a more meat-like appearance and texture than conventional food products.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing such a vegetable protein material.

As a result of extensive research in order to solve the above problems, the present inventor has discovered that by making split vegetable protein materials (split bodies) exist in a predetermined proportion or more with respect to the whole vegetable protein material, They discovered that by adjusting the hardness and water absorption rate, the appearance and texture become more meat-like, and the present invention was completed.
In addition, such vegetable protein materials can be manufactured by dividing extrusion-cooked granular vegetable protein before subjecting it to the drying process, and the size composition and physical properties of the vegetable protein material can be adjusted. We were able to complete a manufacturing method that can do this.

The present invention relates to the following vegetable protein materials (1) to (4) and foods (5).
(1) A vegetable protein material containing a vegetable protein material (divided body) divided by a dividing machine having vertical blades and horizontal blades , and having the characteristics of i) to iii) below.
i) The mass percentage (mass%) of the split vegetable protein material (split bodies) in the vegetable protein material that passes through a sieve with a 4.0 mm opening but does not pass through a 2.8 mm sieve. When expressed as a division ratio, this division ratio is 20% by mass or more.
ii) The mass percentage of the vegetable protein material that does not pass through a sieve with an opening of 2.8 mm is 25% by mass or more.
iii) Water absorption after 5 minutes is 240 to 340 % by mass or more.
(2) The granular vegetable protein material according to (1) above, wherein the division ratio is 30% by mass or more.
(3) The vegetable protein material according to (1) or (2) above, which has a hardness of 3.5 to 12.0 kg after swelling and heating as measured by a rheometer.
(4) The vegetable protein material according to any one of (1) to (3) above, wherein the vegetable protein material is a soybean protein material.
(5) A food containing the vegetable protein material according to any one of (1) to (4) above.

The present invention also relates to the following (6) method for producing a vegetable protein material.
(6) A method for producing a vegetable protein material according to any one of (1) to (4) above, comprising two steps: kneading and pressure extrusion of raw materials and water, and drying. 1. A method for producing a vegetable protein material, which comprises a dividing step using a dividing machine having vertical blades and horizontal blades after the kneading, pressure extrusion molding step and before the drying step.

The vegetable protein material of the present invention can improve water absorption and yield by containing a predetermined proportion or more of a vegetable protein material (split bodies) in which granular vegetable protein is divided. The hardness has been adjusted, resulting in an excellent vegetable protein material with a texture and appearance more similar to meat.
Alternatively, the extrusion-cooked granular vegetable protein can be produced by wet-dividing it before being subjected to a drying process. Therefore, there is an effect that a vegetable protein material having arbitrary size configuration and physical properties can be obtained without going through the trouble of replacing the die part of the extruder main body.

As the protein which is the main raw material of the vegetable protein material of the present invention, soybean protein, wheat protein, etc. can be used, and soybean protein is preferably used because it is excellent in nutrition.
In particular, defatted soybean flour obtained by pulverizing defatted soybeans can be suitably used, and powders of concentrated soybean protein, isolated soybean protein, and soymilk can also be used.

In addition, optional ingredients may be appropriately blended into the raw materials of the vegetable protein material as raw materials other than the main raw material, which is the plant-derived protein. Optional ingredients to be added to the raw materials are not particularly limited, and include, for example, non-plant-derived proteins (e.g., milk protein, egg protein), edible oils and fats, starch, dietary fiber, seasonings, inorganic salts, and vitamins. , antioxidants, emulsifiers, and pigments, and one or more of these may be used as appropriate.

Vegetable protein materials are prepared by adding water to the above raw materials, kneading them with an extruder, pressurizing and heating them, and extruding them under normal pressure or reduced pressure to expand the raw material composition. be done.
The water added to the raw materials is not particularly limited, as long as it does not impair the effects of the present invention, and aqueous solutions containing fermented seasonings such as soy sauce, coloring agents, etc. can also be used. The amount of water added is adjusted so that the water content in the raw materials is 5 to 60% by mass.

The pressure and heating conditions for producing the vegetable protein material are preferably 2 to 6 MPa, more preferably 3 to 5 MPa. The tip barrel temperature is preferably 120-220°C, more preferably 140-180°C. Further, the heating time is preferably 10 to 200 seconds, more preferably 30 to 90 seconds. The rotation speed of the screw may be adjusted as appropriate depending on the pressure and heating conditions.

A known extruder can be used as the extruder, and it may be a single-shaft extruder or an extruder with two or more shafts, but a two-shaft extruder is preferable. The extruder may be of any type as long as it has a mechanism in which the raw material input into the raw material supply port is fed by a screw in the barrel, kneaded, pressurized, heated, and extruded by a die attached to the tip.

In the present invention, the granular vegetable protein extruded from the die can be divided by an arbitrary cutting head in the next dividing step to form divided vegetable protein materials (split bodies). At the same time, the size structure can be adjusted.
As a splitting machine, for example, a splitting machine such as a commit roll can be used. When the granular vegetable protein is introduced into the cutting head, the rotation of the impeller causes the granular vegetable protein to be divided into vertical blades and horizontal blades. Vegetable protein that contains a certain amount of vegetable protein material (split body) that is produced by colliding with a cutting head with a blade, cutting some of the granular vegetable protein, and dividing the granular vegetable protein. Materials are obtained. By adjusting the type and rotation speed of the cutting head of the dividing machine, it is possible to produce a vegetable protein material with a desired size and shape. Furthermore, a sieving step may be provided after this.

The vegetable protein material of the present invention contains a divided vegetable protein material (split bodies). A split vegetable protein material (split body) is a granular vegetable protein that has been split, with the split surface exposed on at least a portion of the surface, and two or more pores observed on the split surface. It refers to vegetable protein in a state in which it can be identified by visual inspection. Among the vegetable protein materials that pass through a sieve with an opening of 4.0 mm and do not pass through a sieve with an opening of 2.8 mm, the mass proportion (mass %) of the divided vegetable protein material (split body) is divided. The presence of a segmented body whose division ratio is 20% by mass or more, preferably 30% by mass or more, not only improves the water absorption rate, but also brings the appearance closer to ground meat, giving it a natural appearance. This results in a good appearance and texture.

By adjusting the vegetable protein material of the present invention to a specific size configuration, it is possible to obtain a good meat-like appearance and texture. Specifically, the mass percentage of the vegetable protein material that does not pass through a sieve with an opening of 2.8 mm is 25% by mass or more, preferably 30% by mass or more, and more preferably 40% by mass or more. , more preferably 50% by mass or more.
In addition, it is preferable to have a large proportion of food that passes through a sieve with a mesh size of 4.0 mm and does not pass through a sieve with a mesh size of 2.8 mm, as this results in better meat-like appearance and texture. The mass percentage of what passes through and does not pass through a 2.8 mm sieve is 15% by mass or more, preferably 20% by mass or more, more preferably 30% by mass or more.

The water absorption after 5 minutes of the vegetable protein material of the present invention is 240% by mass or more, preferably 340% by mass or less, and more preferably 310% by mass or less. By setting the water absorption rate to this condition, the yield of foods using the vegetable protein material of the present invention can be improved, and the appearance and texture can be made closer to those of meat.

Further, the hardness of the vegetable protein material of the present invention after swelling and heating is preferably 3.5 to 12.0 kg as measured by a rheometer. More preferably 4.0 to 5.8 kg, still more preferably 4.2 to 5.6 kg. By setting the hardness to this condition, the texture can be made closer to that of meat.

The vegetable protein material of the present invention can be used as a raw material for various foods. In particular, it has a hardness and fiber texture similar to that of ground meat, and a texture that blends well with other food ingredients, so it can be used as an alternative to ground meat, which is the raw material for minced meat, hamburgers, meatballs, sausages, cabbage rolls, etc. It is particularly suitable for use. It can also be used as a substitute for fish meat, which is a raw material for fish flakes, and by including it in processed foods such as salmon flakes, it can give the food a meat-like appearance and texture.

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail based on Examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following Examples.

<Measurement method>
The measurement method used in the present invention is shown below. In addition, in this example, various measurements were performed and results were obtained by the following methods.
(1) Measurement of size structure Using test sieves with an opening of 4.0 mm (4.7 mesh) and an opening of 2.8 mm (6.5 mesh), a low-tap type sieve shaker (manufactured by Kuwabara Test Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd.) was used. A 120 g sample is sieved for 10 minutes, and the mass of the vegetable protein material on each sieve section is measured. When the total amount of vegetable protein material subjected to the low-tap type sieve shaker is 100% by mass, the mass percentage of the material that passes through a sieve with a 4.0 mm opening but does not pass through a sieve with an opening of 2.8 mm, and The mass percentage of the material that does not pass through a sieve with an opening of 2.8 mm is calculated.

(2) Measurement of splitting ratio Split vegetable protein material (split Measure the mass proportion (mass%) of the body). A split vegetable protein material (split body) is a vegetable protein in which the split surface is exposed on at least a portion of the surface, and two or more holes are observed on the split surface, and the split surface is visually inspected. Specify by.

(3) Measurement of water absorption rate 30 g of a sample of vegetable protein material is placed in a 500 mL beaker, 300 g of 20°C water is added thereto, and the mixture is allowed to stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. The entire amount of vegetable protein material rehydrated using the above method is placed on a mesh basket with openings of 850 μm (20 mesh) for 5 minutes to drain water. After draining, measure the weight (W) of the rehydrated product on the mesh basket.
The water absorption rate (X)% is calculated using the following formula.
X (%) = (Wg/30g) x 100

(4) Measurement of hardness after swelling and heating 30 g of a sample of vegetable protein material was rehydrated in 60 g of boiling water. The rehydrated sample is packed into a 50 mm diameter casing (Kurehalon Seam (manufactured by Kureha Trading Co., Ltd.)) and both ends are sealed. The sealed casing is heated in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes and then cooled in a water bath. After cooling, the casing is opened and the swollen and heated vegetable protein material is adjusted to approximately 25°C.
20 g of the pretreated vegetable protein material described above was placed in a cylindrical container with a diameter of 50 mm and a height of 26 mm, and the surface was smoothed.
Using a rheometer (SUN RHEO METER COMPAC-100II (manufactured by Sun Scientific Co., Ltd.)) having a smooth plunger with a diameter of 40 mm, the hardness of the vegetable protein material after swelling and heating is measured as follows.
<1> Push a smooth plunger (Φ48 mm) into the swollen and heated vegetable protein material in the cylindrical container to a depth of 18 mm from the bottom of the cylindrical container (at a speed of 180 mm/min), Hold in that state for 2 minutes. Then, remove the smooth plunger from the sample, being careful not to let the sample adhere to it.
<2> Next, push the smooth plunger (Φ40mm) to a depth of 9mm from the bottom of the cylindrical container (at a speed of 180mm/min), and measure the maximum load (unit: kg) when pushed to this 9mm depth. value.

<Manufacture of soy protein material>
A soybean protein material was produced as an example of a vegetable protein material. Comparative Example 4 is a commercially available flaky soy protein. In Examples 1 to 6 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3, defatted soybean flour was used as the raw material, and a structured product (granular soy protein) was obtained by extrusion cooking using a twin-screw extruder while observing the swelling status. Ta. In Example 7, defatted soy flour and isolated soy protein were mixed as raw materials (defatted soy flour: isolated soy protein = 80:20 ratio). The amount of water added is adjusted between about 30 to 40%, and the following (a) to (c), which affect the organization, are adjusted: (a) The pressure during heating is within the range of 3 to 6 MPa, (b) The tip barrel temperature was adjusted to be within the range of about 140 to 180°C, and (c) the heating time was adjusted to be within the range of 30 to 90 seconds, and extrusion was performed from the die.
The resulting structured product (granular soybean protein) passed through a sieve with an opening of 5.6 mm (3.5 mesh), but did not pass through a sieve with an opening of 4.0 mm (4.7 mesh). The samples were subjected to Comparative Examples 2 and 3 and Examples 1 to 4 and 7, and passed through a sieve with an opening of 6.7 mm (3 mesh), but did not pass through a sieve with an opening of 5.6 mm (3.5 mesh). The sample was used in Example 6.

Next, the textured products of Examples 1 to 4, 6, and 7 were divided using a dividing machine (Comparative Examples 2 and 3 were not divided). The types of cutting heads listed in Table 1 were used for the dividing machine. Details of the cutting head are shown in Table 2.
Next, using a dryer, the soybean protein material was dried with hot air at 80°C until the moisture content was 8% by mass to obtain the soybean protein material of Examples 1 to 4, 6, and 7 and Comparative Examples 2 and 3. Ta.
The soybean protein material of Example 2 was passed through a sieve with an opening of 2.8 mm, and the soybean protein material that passed through the sieve was designated as Comparative Example 1.
The soybean protein material of Example 2 was passed through a sieve with an opening of 2.8 mm, and the soybean protein material that did not pass through the sieve was designated as Example 5.

The division ratio, water absorption rate, and hardness after swelling and heating of the soybean protein materials of Examples 1 to 7 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4 were measured using the above-mentioned measuring method, and the results are shown in Table 1.
Note that the splitting ratio of Comparative Example 1 could not be measured because there was no soybean protein material that passed through a sieve with an opening of 4.0 mm and remained on a sieve with an opening of 2.8 mm. Further, the splitting ratio of Comparative Example 4 could not be measured because there was no splitting plane because of the flaky soybean protein.

As shown in Table 1, the mass percentage of the material that does not pass through a sieve with an opening of 2.8 mm is 25 mass% or more, and the division ratio is 20 mass% or more. It was found that a vegetable protein material with hardness could be obtained.
It was also found that the size structure and division ratio can be adjusted by changing the cutting head.

Cooking tests were conducted using the soybean protein materials of Examples 1 to 7 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4, and the appearance and texture of foods using each soybean protein material were evaluated.
<Evaluation method>
A method for evaluating the appearance and texture of foods containing soybean protein materials of Examples 1 to 7 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4 will be shown. In this example, minced chicken and hamburgers were prepared using soybean protein material, which is the vegetable protein material of the present invention, and were evaluated by a panel of five people based on the following evaluation criteria.

(1) Appearance (score)
5 The grains are not noticeable and blend very well with the meat.
4 The grains are not noticeable and blend well with the meat.
3 The grains are not very noticeable and blend into the meat.
2 The grains are slightly noticeable and do not mix well with the meat.
1 grain stands out and doesn't mix well with the meat.

(2) Texture (score)
5 It is elastic and has a texture very similar to that of meat.
4 Slightly elastic, similar in texture to meat.
3 It is somewhat elastic and has a texture somewhat similar to that of meat.
2 Slightly soft and does not resemble the texture of meat.
1. Soft and does not resemble meat in texture.

<Cooking test 1: Minced chicken>
Using the chicken minced raw materials shown in Table 3, including the soybean protein materials of Examples 1 to 7 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4, minced chicken was produced according to the following procedure.
After mixing the ingredients other than the soy protein material, the soy protein material was added and further mixed. This was placed in a frying pan over medium heat and stir-fried for 8 minutes while stirring with a wooden spoon to obtain each minced chicken (Test Examples 1 to 11). Table 4 shows the results of evaluating them using the above-mentioned appearance and texture evaluation methods.

As shown in Table 4, Test Examples 2 to 8 (Examples 1 to 7) using soybean protein material, which is a vegetable protein material of the present invention, produced minced chicken with excellent appearance and texture. Obtained. Test Examples 1, 9 to 11 (Comparative Examples 1 to 4) resulted in minced chicken that was inferior in both appearance and texture.

<Cooking test 2: Hamburger>
Using the hamburger raw materials shown in Table 5, including the soybean protein materials of Examples 1 to 7 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4, hamburgers were produced according to the following procedure.
I chopped onions in advance and stir-fried them to remove the heat. The soybean protein material was rehydrated for 15 minutes before use. After mixing the ingredients other than the soy protein material with a mixer for 2 minutes, the rehydrated soy protein material was added and further mixed. The hamburger dough was divided into about 80 g each and formed into an oval shape of about 1 cm thick and 10 cm x 5 cm. The hamburger dough was baked at 180° C. for 10 minutes using a convection oven (FMI Co., Ltd.) to obtain each hamburger (Test Examples 12 to 22). Table 6 shows the results of evaluating them using the method described above.

As shown in Table 6, Test Examples 13 to 19 (Examples 1 to 7) using the soybean protein material, which is the vegetable protein material of the present invention, produced hamburgers with excellent appearance and texture. Obtained. Test Examples 12 and 20 to 22 (Comparative Examples 1 to 4) resulted in hamburgers that were inferior in either appearance or texture.

The vegetable protein material of the present invention maintains a certain hardness while having excellent water absorption. Therefore, foods using the vegetable protein material of the present invention have an excellent meat-like appearance and texture. It has been shown that it will become a reality.

Granular vegetable protein has the advantage of having a consistency closer to that of meat than flake vegetable protein, but it has poor water absorption and its spherical appearance makes it stand out in food. There were drawbacks. The vegetable protein material of the present invention contains a predetermined amount of split vegetable protein material (split bodies), thereby improving water absorption while maintaining hardness. The food will have a more meat-like texture and appearance.
In addition, the production method of the present invention can produce this vegetable protein material by adding a wet splitting step, and it becomes easy to adjust the size structure and physical properties of the vegetable protein material.

Claims (6)

A vegetable protein material containing a vegetable protein material (divided body) divided by a dividing machine having vertical blades and horizontal blades , and having the characteristics of i) to iii) below.
i) The mass percentage (mass%) of the split vegetable protein material (split bodies) in the vegetable protein material that passes through a sieve with a 4.0 mm opening but does not pass through a 2.8 mm sieve. When expressed as a division ratio, this division ratio is 20% by mass or more.
ii) The mass percentage of the vegetable protein material that does not pass through a sieve with an opening of 2.8 mm is 25% by mass or more.
iii) Water absorption rate after 5 minutes is 240 to 340 % by mass. The vegetable protein material according to claim 1, wherein the division ratio is 30% by mass or more. The vegetable protein material according to claim 1 or 2, which has a hardness of 3.5 to 12.0 kg after swelling and heating as measured by a rheometer. The vegetable protein material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vegetable protein material is a soybean protein material. A food containing the vegetable protein material according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A method for producing a vegetable protein material according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising at least two steps: kneading and pressure extrusion of raw materials and water, and drying. A method for producing a vegetable protein material, which comprises a dividing step using a dividing machine having vertical blades and horizontal blades after the kneading pressure extrusion molding step and before the drying step.