JPH0223147B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to preserved edible plants in which leaves and/or stems of dried edible plants are immobilized while retaining their natural form; The leaves and/or stems of the dried edible plants are added to an edible liquid such as salad oil, vinegar, honey, syrup, wine, etc. to maintain the leaves and/or stems of the edible plants in their natural form with flavor and bright green color. It can be enjoyed as a solidified food and enjoyed as food, or it can be added to liquids such as shampoo, cosmetics, liquid detergents, deodorants, etc. and used as cosmetics.

[Conventional technology]

A typical example of conventional simple dried plants is (1) dried flowers using silica gel.
In addition, (2) heat treatment (blanching) deactivates enzymes in leaves and stems to prevent enzymatic browning;
Furthermore, the bright green color is maintained by the metal ions of the coloring agent.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

The conventional dried flowers in (1) above are produced by drying general ornamental plants in a vacuum container for a long time using fine silica gel, so (a) it takes an extremely long time, and (b) the leaves The shape changes greatly, such as being easily twisted (curled). The change in (c) is large.

Furthermore, the leaves and stems of conventional plants (2) become weak due to (d) heat treatment. (e) Since the leaves and stems of the plants are dried by air, the green color of the leaves and stems are bright, but the leaves and stems of the plants shrink or curl, resulting in an extremely unfavorable appearance of the plants.

In view of the above drawbacks of conventional dried plants, the present invention provides leaves and/or stems of edible edible plants that retain their natural bright green color and aroma, and leaves and/or stems of the edible dried plants. The present invention relates to a food product with a new form aimed at providing a food product using stems added to an edible fluid substance or liquid.

[Means for solving problems]

The first aspect of the present invention is to heat-treat (blanking) leaves and/or stems of edible plants by immersing them in a hot aqueous solution or hot water suspension containing a coloring agent and a polysaccharide and/or protein with film-forming ability, followed by drying. This refers to edible dried plants that maintain their natural state by causing shrinkage or curling of leaves and/or stems by solidification, and is effective for edible dried plants that are visually elegant and ornamental. The second invention is a plant, and the second invention is the leaves and/or dried edible plants obtained according to the first invention.
or liquid or liquid foods using the stems.

The hot aqueous solution or suspension of the present invention contains a coloring agent and a polysaccharide and/or protein having film-forming ability dissolved or suspended at the same time.

By immersing them in a hot water solution, enzymes in edible plants are inactivated, enzymatic browning is prevented, and coloring is performed using a coloring agent.At the same time, by being immersed in polysaccharides and/or proteins, these Due to its film-forming properties, leaves and/or stems do not shrink or curl, and moreover, they exhibit a bright green color.

Furthermore, since soaking in proteins and polysaccharides has a high viscosity at room temperature, the leaves become intertwined and difficult to dry, and even after drying, the leaves remain on top of each other, resulting in a beautiful appearance. It becomes something lacking. On the other hand, when surface treatment with proteins and polysaccharides is performed at the same time as blanching in a hot aqueous solution, excess polysaccharides and protein solutions are also easily removed using a centrifuge, etc., due to the decrease in viscosity due to the high temperature treatment. .

The temperature of the hot aqueous solution is preferably 60°C to 95°C, the immersion time is 10 seconds to 20 minutes, preferably 30 seconds to 10 minutes,
Both the temperature of the hot aqueous solution and the immersion time must be adjusted depending on the type of plant, freshness, and maturation process.

As a coloring agent, it can be achieved by replacing Mg ions in plant chlorophyll with stable Cu, Fe, and Na ions, respectively. In that case, Cu compounds are generally highly stable and it is preferable to use sulfuric acid, but in the case of the present invention, ferrous sulfate (FeSO ₄ ) and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO ₃ ) are preferably used, but any color former used in food processing may be used.

Film-forming agents include those containing epoxy resins and amine curing agents, and vinyl acetate resin emulsions, but none of these film-forming agents are suitable for human consumption.

In the present invention, it is necessary to use a drug that has the ability to form a film suitable for edible consumption, and as a result of various studies conducted by the present inventor, it has been found that polysaccharides and proteins are
The preferred polysaccharides are pullulan, gum arabic, xanthan gum, guar gum, and tamarind gum, and the preferred proteins are soybean protein, gelatin, and casein. It has been found that among substances with film-forming ability, those with a high ash content as a trace component react with chlorophyll in plant leaves and stems during heat treatment, giving them a bright green color.

These operations involve immersing the leaves and/or stems of edible plants in a hot aqueous solution of proteins and/or polysaccharides to give them an extremely bright green color. This is an advantage of performing hot water treatment and film formation with proteins and/or polysaccharides at the same time.

As the liquid or fluid food to which the leaves and/or stems of the dried edible plant obtained according to the first invention are added, salad oil, vinegar, beehive, syrups, wine, etc. are preferably used. can also be obtained by embedding dried edible plant leaves and/or leaves in jelly that maintain their natural form.

〔Example〕

Example 1 200 g of washed peppermint leaves and stems cut into appropriate sizes were immersed in heat treatment solution 10 heated to 90°C in which 100 g of ferrous sulfate and 100 g of gelatin were dissolved, and after 2 minutes, removed from the heat treatment solution. After leaving it at room temperature, dry it in a blow dryer at 50℃.

The leaves and stems of the dried peppermint thus obtained maintained their natural form to the extent that they were bright green and the veins were clearly visible.

By adding the thus obtained dried peppermint leaves and stems to salad oil, it is possible to obtain a salad oil that is elegant in appearance and has a unique aroma of peppermint, which is suitable for a new lifestyle.

Example 2 100g of washed laurel, 500g of pullulan, baking soda
The sample was immersed for 5 minutes in a 90°C hot aqueous solution containing 50g of the sample, thoroughly drained, and then dried in a blow dryer at 40°C. By adding 100 g of pullulan for every 1 kg of laurel leaves treated, a graceful dried plant similar to that of fresh leaves was obtained.

By adding the dried laurel leaves and stems thus obtained to beehive or syrup, a beehive or syrup product having a unique aroma and elegance was obtained.

Comparative example Peppermint leaves and stems used in Example 1
200g was blanched for 2 minutes in heat treatment solution 10 heated to 90℃ without using ferrous sulfate or gelatin, rapidly cooled with cold water at 5℃, centrifugally dehydrated, and then added to a 30% sorbitol aqueous solution at 60℃. The surface was immersed for 5 minutes to remove the excess aqueous solution by centrifugation, and the surface was further sprayed with an aqueous gum arabic solution to partially adhere to the surface, followed by drying with a blow dryer.

When comparing the dried peppermint leaves and stems obtained in this manner with those of Example 1, the leaves and stems of Example 1 are bright green, whereas the leaves and stems of this comparative example are dark green. In contrast to the glossy and smooth surface of the comparative example, the film does not blend well with the veins of the leaf. Moreover, it was not possible to obtain dried peppermint that was in its natural form, but instead had shrunken leaves, curled leaves, and a noticeable unnatural appearance.

〔Effect of the invention〕 The effects of the present invention are summarized as follows.

(i) The present invention reduces the shrinkage of leaves and/or stems of edible dried plants by dissolving or suspending polysaccharides and/or proteins with film-forming ability together with a coloring agent in hot water during heat treatment. To maintain the natural form of leaves and/or stems of edible dried plants without causing curling, and to obtain bright green leaves and/or stems.

(ii) Using silica gel, which significantly impairs the natural appearance of plants, for example, by impregnating them with a conventional aqueous sugar alcohol solution, and then spraying water-soluble polysaccharides and water-soluble proteins onto the surface of the plant. Even when the leaves and/or stems of the dried edible plants obtained according to the present invention are dried, the leaves and/or stems of the dried edible plants obtained according to the present invention are dry, whereas the dried plants obtained do not have the original bright green color of the plants. Despite this, it maintains its natural form, giving it an elegant appearance.

(iii) By adding the leaves and stems of the edible dried plant of the present invention to salad oil, vinegar, syrups, wine, etc., it is possible to obtain foods that have a flavor, an elegant appearance, and a new form that can be used for ornamental purposes. It will be done.

(iv) Furthermore, by embedding and using the leaves and/or stems of the edible dried plants of the present invention in jelly, it is possible to obtain jelly as a so-called natural food that maintains its natural form and has an elegant appearance. and is suitable as a food.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Leaves and/or stems of edible plants containing ferrous sulfate (FeSO ₄ ), baking soda (NaHCO ₃ ), etc. as a coloring agent, and polysaccharides and/or proteins with film-forming ability. heat treatment by immersion in a hot aqueous solution or suspension;
An edible dried plant that is dried and solidified. 2. Leaves and/or stems of edible plants are treated with a hot water solution or hot water containing ferrous sulfate (FeSO ₄ ), baking soda (NaHCO ₃ ), etc. as a coloring agent, and polysaccharides and/or proteins with film-forming ability. Heat treatment immersed in suspension,
The leaves and/or stems of edible dried plants obtained by drying and solidifying can be used as salad oil, vinegar, honey, syrup, etc.
A food product characterized by being added to a liquid or fluid such as wine.