JPH0260566A - Preparation of spice containing small number of bacterium - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prepare spice containing small number of bacterium with safety in food sanitation with little loss of flavor by sterilizing with heat spice in which ethanol solution of at least specific volume % is added in sealed vessel. CONSTITUTION:Spice as complete grain or roughly crushed to about 2-4 pieces is set in a sealable vessel and ethanol solution having about >=75vol.% concentration is added to the spice in an amount of 2-15wt.% of the spice. Next, the vessel is sealed, heat-treated at about 100-140 deg.C temperature in the vessel for about 60-1500sec preferably with stirring, cooled, dried and crushed, as necessary.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Field of Application 1] The present invention relates to a method for sterilizing spices, and more specifically, to sterilize spices, and more specifically, to sterilize spices that are commonly attached to the skin of spices without substantially impairing the flavor of the spices. This article relates to a method for producing spices that are food hygienically safe and have a small number of bacteria by sterilizing all or most of the bacteria.

[Prior Art 1] Ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, alcohol, etc. are generally used as disinfectants for spices. In particular, since it is well known that alcohol has a sterilizing effect, foods can also be sterilized by, for example, adding or spraying alcoholic liquid onto food and then heating it or immersing the food in alcoholic liquid. I was worried.

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention 1 Among the conventional techniques, ethylene oxide and propylene oxide are themselves harmful and there are safety concerns. In addition, when alcohol is used, there is a drawback that the quality of the spice itself is significantly deteriorated due to changes in the aroma and color of the spice itself.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned drawbacks, and is a technology related to a method for obtaining spices with a small number of bacteria without substantially impairing the flavor of the spices despite using ethanol.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The method of the present invention involves sterilizing spices by heating a sealed container to which an ethanol solution has been added, and the sterilization method of the present invention will be described in detail below.

Spices that can be used in the method of the present invention include, but are not limited to, cilantro, coriander, cardamom, nutmeg, mace, anise, allspice, caraway,
These include cumin, fenugreek, cloves, laurel, cinnamon, turmeric, and marjoram. The spices may be whole grains without being crushed, or they may be coarsely crushed into 2 to 4 pieces. For coarse crushing, use conventional means such as a cutter or roll.

The ethanol solution used should contain at least about 75% ethanol by volume. It does not matter if some impurities such as sugar or inorganic salts are mixed in. The amount used is not particularly limited, but it seems to be sufficient to add about 2 to 15% by weight based on the spice.

A sealed container or tank (hereinafter collectively referred to as a container)
by. The material used is usually stainless steel, metal such as iron coated with heat-resistant and chemical-resistant plastic, or heat-resistant plastic. The capacity of the container is arbitrary, and a stirrer may be attached if necessary. The amount of spices to be added can be changed or determined depending on stirring capacity, heat exchange efficiency, etc.

In the present invention, ethanol is added to the spices in the container and then the container is sealed. Of course, it is also possible to mix the spices and ethanol and then place the mixture in a container and seal it. This is heated, and it is also advantageous to stir it moderately with a stirring blade or the like during heating to make the temperature uniform.

Heating is performed indirectly using a direct flame or a heating medium inside the jacket. Approximate temperature inside the container: 100-140℃, 60-1500℃
Heat for seconds, then heat and pressurize if necessary, and cool. Cooling may be done by a conventional method, such as by supplying cold water to the jacket. Ethanol and water are removed by a normal drying method such as hot air drying, taking into consideration the quality maintenance and drying efficiency of cold-weaved spices.

Thereafter, the spices are cooled by a conventional method using cold air or the like, and crushed if necessary. The sterilization conditions are preferably 120 to 140° C. for 60 to 600 seconds in the container.

Effect 1 Ethanol is placed under pressure and high temperature in a closed container, so in addition to the normal sterilizing effect of alcohol, it also has a moist heat effect, a pressurizing effect, and a high temperature effect, so the sterilizing effect is enhanced overall. Moreover, since the process is carried out in a closed container, the flavor of the spices is hardly lost or deteriorated.

[Example 1] The method for sterilizing spices of the present invention will be explained based on one example.

Add 125 g of 75% by volume spirit (edible ethanol) to whole grained black pepper 11 K'j, place it in a jacket-type pressure cooker (with stirring blades), and mix 1 to 2 times so that the black pepper is evenly wetted with the spirit. Stir for 1 minute. After the container was sealed, steam was passed through the jacket to heat it, and the atmospheric temperature in the container was brought to 120° C. and maintained for 600 seconds. Meanwhile, continue stirring with a stirring blade so that the entire black pepper is heated evenly. Next, pass water through the jacket and bring the temperature to 40.
After rapidly lowering the temperature to around 50°C, open the lid and return to normal pressure. Place the sterilized black pepper in a dryer at 85℃ for 15 minutes.
Leave for a minute to evaporate excess ethanol. Thereafter, the temperature of the product was lowered to approximately 25°C by cold air to obtain a sterilized black pepper, which was crushed to obtain a sterilized powdered black pepper.

Table 1 below shows the results of tests conducted at various settings of ethanol concentration, addition rate, sterilization temperature, and sterilization time in the above examples.

Table 1 Test Conditions Table 2 Test Results The number of viable bacteria was measured using a standard method for measuring the number of viable bacteria using a standard agar medium. In the sensory evaluation, each sample was powdered and evaluated by a panel of eight experts for the aroma of black pepper.

As the results in the table above show, heating alone or adding ethanol alone (without heating) has almost no sterilizing effect. Heat sterilization using only the addition of water has only a slight sterilization effect, and the aroma of black pepper root is significantly altered. In addition, sample numbers (4) to (9) also have a bactericidal effect, but
There is a sensory problem, or there is no sensory problem,
There are problems such as inferior sterilizing effect. However,
Sample numbers A to E treated with this Komei had zero viable bacteria, had excellent sensory evaluations, and were sufficiently usable for practical use.

In addition, comparative experiments showed similar trends not only for black pepper but also for other spices.

[Effects of the Invention] The present invention is an epoch-making method that satisfies flavor maintenance and sterilization at the same time.

The milder the sterilization conditions are, the weaker the sterilization effect is, and conversely, the more severe the sterilization conditions are, the more likely the flavor of the spice will be impaired, and it is not easy to satisfy both at the same time.

Therefore, under the Food Sanitation Act, the number of spore bacteria in meat spices is set at 1000 cases/g or less, so in the past, in order to keep the number of spore bacteria below the limit, flavor was sacrificed, in other words, under fairly harsh conditions. It was heat sterilized underneath.

According to the present invention, it is an extremely excellent method of sterilizing spices because the flavor does not deteriorate and the number of bacteria is less than the limit, and
Since it uses ethanol, it is highly safe from a food hygiene perspective.

Patent applicant: Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A method for producing spices with a small number of bacteria, characterized in that spices to which an ethanol solution having a concentration of about 75% by volume or more is added are sealed in a sealed container, heat treated, and then dried. (2) The amount of ethanol liquid to be used is approximately 2 to 1 part per spice.
The method for producing spices with a small number of bacteria according to claim 1, characterized in that the content is 5% by weight. (3) As a condition for heat treatment, the temperature inside the container is approximately 100 to 1
The method for producing spices with a small number of bacteria according to claim 1, characterized in that the temperature is 40°C and the holding time is about 60 to 1500 seconds.