JPH034752A - Preparation of sterilized honey - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prepare the subject honey free from heat-resistant sporogenous yeast and safe even to a baby by keeping honey at or above a specific temperature for a short time and sealing the heat-treated honey in a vessel after cooling. CONSTITUTION:The objective honey is prepared by keeping honey at >=130 deg.C (preferably 132-135 deg.C) for <=34sec (preferably 21-12sec) and sealing the heat- treated honey in a vessel after cooling.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a method for producing sterilized honey that does not contain heat-resistant spore bacteria. More specifically, the present invention maintains honey at a temperature of at least 130° C. or higher for a period of 34 seconds or less, cools it,
This is a method for producing sterilized honey that does not contain heat-resistant spore bacteria, which is characterized by filling a container and sealing it.

[Technical Background and Description of Prior Art] Since honey has long been valued as a natural agricultural product, the collected honey has traditionally been processed to the extent of separating out foreign substances in a furnace, resulting in significant browning. Conventionally, heat sterilization treatment at temperatures higher than ℃ has not been performed at all.

However, honey contains a small amount of common bacteria (
10 to 100° per Ig (same), heat-resistant spore bacteria (0
~100), yeast, and mold are known to exist.

Although it is desirable that honey be free of bacteria, it is generally believed that when honey is ingested by children over 2 years of age and adults, the presence of the above-mentioned bacteria will not cause any hygiene problems. Ta. However, in 1976, an outbreak of infant botulism caused by honey was confirmed in the United States, and since then outbreaks have been reported in countries around the world, including Japan, and it has become a major social problem.

In Japan, a review committee on measures to prevent infant potulism has been established.
In response to this report, preventive measures were strengthened in a Ministry of Health and Welfare notification dated October 20, 1986. According to the report, infant potulinosis is a disease specific to infants under one year of age, and instructions were given to avoid giving honey to infants under one year of age. For this reason, honey, which had been popular as a natural and safe nutritional food, became known as unsafe, and this became a major problem for the industry.

Clostridium botulinum in honey lives as spores, 12
It is known that it will not die unless it is heated at 0°C for 4 minutes or more. On the other hand, when honey is heated under such harsh conditions, the main ingredient, sugar, turns brown significantly, produces a strong burnt odor, and impairs its characteristics as honey.

As mentioned above, if heat-resistant spore-forming bacteria such as Clostridium botulinum that exist as spores with almost no change in color or flavor even when heated and have commercial value as honey can be killed, it will be possible to prevent infant potulism. It is an effective countermeasure and makes honey a safe nutritional food for infants.

The present inventors have been conducting research on ultra-high temperature instant heat treatment of milk and soy milk for many years, and have also conducted research on honey, and have completed the present invention.

[Object of the Invention and Summary of the Invention] An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing sterilized honey that does not contain heat-resistant spore bacteria.

Another object of the invention is to provide honey that is safe especially for infants.

The present invention is a method for producing sterilized honey, which comprises maintaining honey at a temperature of at least 130° C. or higher for a period of 34 seconds or less, cooling, filling a container, and sealing the container. [Detailed Description of the Invention] The raw material honey used in the method of the present invention may be any commercially available honey. Raw honey (usually Brix sugar content 75-80) is heated to around 40°C in a hot water dissolution tank and sent to a mixing tank to remove foreign substances. Next, it is heated to around 50°C and passed through a 60-120 mesh filter to remove impurities. Separate them from house to house and transfer them to storage tanks. If necessary,
Impurities can also be removed by performing low-temperature concentration in a vacuum pot and then filtering under pressure with a 200-mesh filter.

The obtained clean honey is sterilized using an ultra-high temperature short-time sterilizer. The ultra-high temperature short-time sterilizer used for sterilization in the method of the present invention can be used to sterilize milk and cream.

A plate-type or tube-type steam injection direct heating method, which is widely used for sterilizing cheese sauce, etc., or an indirect heating method of steam hot water heating may be used, but the F value is 4, which is a necessary condition to kill heat-resistant spore bacteria. A device that can strictly maintain .0 is required. Note that some devices require preheating, but as is clear from the test results described below, the temperature was 80°C.

Preheating for 30 minutes has no negative effect on honey.

Heat sterilization conditions are at least 130°C, preferably 132°C.
~135°C, and the holding time is 34 seconds or less, preferably 21 to 12 seconds, and from the relationship between heating temperature and holding time, it is 34 seconds at 130°C to 4 seconds at 140°C.

Then cool to 70°C or less, preferably 60 to 70°C,
Fill containers of appropriate size and seal to obtain sterilized honey. Note that it is desirable to fill the containers in a place as free from contamination by fallen bacteria as possible, such as in a clean booth.

Next, the present invention will be explained in detail by showing test examples.

(Test Example) (1) Sample and Apparatus 1) A commercially available honey sample (sugar content: 80.6, Akita prototype) was used. As a heat-resistant spore bacteria, C1osl+idiom +po+ogen! s (I
M A 19235 (this bacterium is listed in the JFCC catalog and is easily available) was used.

2) The device sterilizer is Neepy Buoy Crepaco (APV-CREP).
This is a steam injection sterilizer made by ACO), which is equipped with a holding tank, steam injection nozzle, static mixer, variable holding tube, flash chamber, and fully automatic control device to heat honey at the required temperature and time. This method uses a flash chamber to remove moisture equivalent to the injected steam. For comparison, a batch-type retort sterilization bag rIl (manufactured by Tomy Seiko Co., Ltd.) and a batch-type steam indirect sterilization device (Kussner (NiU)) were used to examine the influence of preheating.
(manufactured by STNER) was used.

(2) Test method 1) Microbiological test General bacteria, heat-resistant spore bacteria, coliform bacteria, staphylococcus, mold, and yeast were measured according to conventional methods.

2) Measurement of oxymethylfurfural (HMF) Winkler method (supervised by the Environmental Health Bureau, Ministry of Health and Welfare:
[Food Hygiene Inspection Guidelines I], page 555, published by Japan Food Hygiene Association, 1972).

3) Using a chromaticity volumetric flask, dilute 10 ml of sample with distilled water to exactly 20 ml, filter through filter paper (Toyo Roshi No. 5), and measure the absorbance value of the filtrate using a spectrophotometer (newly manufactured by Hitachi). It was measured at 430 mg.

4) Color Tone The appearance of the test sample was observed with the naked eye by a panel of 10 people, and the most frequent comments were recorded in the table.

5) Flavor The test samples were sensually evaluated by 10 panelists, and the most frequent comments were recorded in the table.

6) Physical Properties Changes in properties were visually observed to see if the honey could be squeezed out of the outlet of the container with the unique viscosity of honey.

7) Preparation of samples■ In a retort sterilizer, 4°10 and 20
Heated for minutes and cooled to 70°C.

■ Indirect steam sterilizer: 50℃ for 30 minutes and 80℃
The mixture was heated for 30 minutes and cooled to 70°C.

(2) In the steam blowing sterilizer, the material was heated at 130°C for 34°50 seconds, 132°C for 21.50 seconds, 135°C for 12.50 seconds, and 140°C for 4 seconds, and then cooled to 70°C.

Samples were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 below.

81 Measurement of F value The F value of the above bacteria was measured by a conventional method.

(3) Test results The results of this test are shown in Tables 1 to 3, and the heating temperature and time corresponding to the F value of the bacteria 4.0 (heated at 120°C for 4 minutes) was 33°C at 130°C. .7 seconds, 21.0 seconds at 132℃, 11.2 seconds at 135℃, 3.7 seconds at 140℃
It was hot in seconds.

Closjridium 5poroHeIts (I
120℃ to kill MA 19235)
Although heat treatment for 4 minutes is sufficient, as is clear from Table 1, it was found to be unsuitable for treating honey in terms of HMF, color tone, and flavor.

On the other hand, 130℃ has the same sterilization effect as 20℃ for 4 minutes.
, 34 seconds, 132°C, 21 seconds, 135°C, 12 seconds and 1
As is clear from Table 2, under heating conditions of 40° C. and 4 seconds, there was almost no difference in HMF, color tone, and flavor from unheated honey (control), and it was recognized that the honey was suitable for sterilizing honey.

On the other hand, as is clear from Table 3, heating conditions of 130°C, 50 seconds, 132°C, 50 seconds, and 135°C, 50 seconds, which have a sterilization effect equal to or higher than the heating condition of 120°C for 4 minutes, In both cases, there is almost no difference in flavor from the heating conditions of 130℃ and 34 seconds, but it is close to the limit of 5% or less, which is generally said to be the HMF content of honey, and it was found that it is not desirable for honey sterilization. did.

In general, excessive heat treatment causes an increase in HMF and chromaticity, so in carrying out the present invention, the sterilization conditions are kept at 130°C or higher and 34 seconds or less, at the lowest possible temperature and shortest heating time that satisfies the F value of 4.0. This is desirable. Further 50℃
, 30 minutes and heat treatment at 80°C for 30 minutes, HM
F1 There is almost no change in chromaticity, color tone and flavor, 130
It was found that there was no problem even if it was employed as a preliminary heat treatment step when heat sterilizing at a temperature of ℃ or higher.

Below, remaining white Next, the present invention will be explained in further detail by showing examples.

Example 1 100 tons of commercially available honey (sugar content 80.6.■ Akita original type) was placed in a hot water bath dissolving tank, heated to 40°C, and transferred to a mixing tank. Next, the mixture was heated to 50° C., foreign matter was removed using a 100-mesh filter, and the mixture was transferred to a storage tank.

Next, steam was injected into the honey that had been preheated to 80°C using a sterilizer (manufactured by Neep Buoy Crepaco) in a heating tube.
It was heat sterilized at 130°C for 34 seconds, then degassed in a flash chamber, and cooled to 70°C. The mixture was filled into 1 kg bottles in a clean booth and sealed to obtain 92 containers of sterilized honey. This sterilized honey was tested in the same manner as in the test example, and the IMF was 4.0%, the chromaticity was 0.164, and both flavor and physical properties were good.

Example 2 100 pieces of commercially available honey (sugar content 80.6.■ Akita original type) were placed in a hot water bath dissolving tank, heated to 40°C, and transferred to a mixing tank. Next, the mixture was heated to 50° C., foreign matter was filtered out using a 100-mesh filter, and the mixture was transferred to a storage tank.

Next, using a sterilizer (manufactured by Neep Buoy Crepaco), steam was injected into the honey preheated to 80°C in a heating tube, sterilized by heating at 140°C for 4 seconds, and then degassed in a flash chamber and heated to 70°C. Cooled. In a clean booth, 500 g of plastic containers with pore caps were filled and sealed to obtain 182 containers of sterilized honey.

As a result of testing this sterilized honey using the same method as the test example, H
MF is 4.18%, chromaticity is 0.167, flavor,
Both physical properties were good.

[Effect of the invention] The effects achieved by the present invention are as follows.

(1) Honey that does not contain heat-resistant spore bacteria can be obtained.

(2) Despite high-temperature heat sterilization, honey with almost the same quality as honey that is not heat sterilized can be obtained.

(3) Safe honey can be provided to infants under 1 year old.

(4) Honey can be sterilized using conventional equipment without the need for new equipment.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A method for producing sterilized honey, which comprises maintaining honey at a temperature of at least 130° C. or higher for 34 seconds or less, cooling it, filling it into a container, and sealing it.