JPH04158740A - Production of dried cheese capable of being reconstituted to raw cheese - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a dried cheese excellent in aroma, color tone, texture, appearance, etc., by controlling the vacuum degree, temperature for freezing, and temperature in cutting off a power source of a far infrared heater unique to raw cheese to specific conditions. CONSTITUTION:Raw cheese is initially contained in a vacuum vessel equipped with a far infrared heater in the interior thereof and then frozen at 0 to -18 deg.C to keep the interior of the vacuum vessel at 1-5Torr vacuum degree. The aforementioned freezing temperature and vacuum degree are set based on a correlation between the temperature and the partial pressure of water vapor. In vacuum-drying at low temperatures, the temperature of the raw cheese is kept so as not to exceed the prescribed low-temperature range of 0 to -18 deg.C in the primary drying period when the temperature is not raised by latent heat of evaporation of the raw cheese. When the temperature of the cheese then attains ambient temperature to +45 deg.C, the power source of the far infrared heater is cut off.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a method for producing dried cheese that can be restored to fresh cheese, and more specifically, to a method for producing dried cheese that can be restored to fresh cheese by adding hot water or boiling. This is a possible method for producing dried cheese, in which various conditions are set that are particularly effective for cheese, and it relates to a method that allows drying while maintaining the aroma and color characteristic of cheese.

<Prior Art> As is well known, freeze-vacuum drying has been used as a drying method for long-term preservation of fresh foods other than raw meat. It involved placing fresh foods other than raw meat under a vacuum and drying them at low temperatures. However, since conventional heat sources have been used, only the surface area of fresh foods other than raw meat is dried, making it difficult to dry the insides uniformly.

Therefore, a drying method using a far-infrared heater as a heat source was devised, as seen in Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-63192.

Specifically, fresh food other than raw meat is placed on a shelf in a vacuum chamber equipped with a far-infrared heater inside, and the fresh food other than raw meat is kept at a temperature of 0°C to -5°C (however, ℃), maintain a degree of vacuum in the vacuum chamber at 3 to 5 torr, and uniformly heat the food from the inside by projecting far infrared rays from the far infrared heater onto the fresh food other than the raw meat. In addition, the temperature of the fresh food other than raw meat during the primary drying period, when the temperature does not rise due to the latent heat of vaporization of the fresh food other than raw meat, is within the specified range of 0°C to -5°C (excluding -5°C).
The method was to perform low-temperature vacuum drying so as not to exceed the low temperature range of 1, and then cut off the drying power when the temperature of the dried fresh food other than raw meat reached +5°C to +40°C.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> According to the above-mentioned prior art, it is said to be effective for fresh foods other than raw meat, such as raw shrimp, raw shiitake mushrooms, raw potatoes, and green onions.

By the way, as mentioned above, there are many types of fresh foods other than raw meat, and each type has different cells, tissues, etc., so it is necessary to use a drying method that suits each type of food. Specifically, conditions such as the degree of vacuum, the freezing temperature, and the temperature at which the far-infrared heater is turned off are different.

In other words, although the above invention of Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-63192 is versatile for fresh foods other than raw meat, it can dry a single fresh food better, that is, restore it to raw without causing heat denaturation, cell destruction, etc. There was a need for a method that would improve texture, appearance, etc.

There was also a need for a drying method that could not only dry materials that are difficult to dry, such as cheese, but also retain its aroma and nine hues.

Purpose> Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to adjust the degree of vacuum unique to raw cheese.

To provide a method for producing dried cheese which can be better restored to processed cheese by controlling the freezing temperature and the temperature at which the power of a far-infrared heater is cut off to produce dried cheese and to restore it to processed cheese.

Means for Solving the Problems〉〈Operation〉In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following technical means. That is, the present invention is a method for producing dried cheese that can be restored to cured cheese. In its production method, first, the cured cheese is placed in a vacuum chamber equipped with a far-infrared heater. Then, the cured cheese is frozen to O'C~=18°C, and the inside of the vacuum chamber is maintained at a degree of vacuum of 1 to 5 torr. These freezing temperatures and degrees of vacuum are set based on the correlation between temperature and water vapor partial pressure.

Next, low-temperature vacuum drying is carried out, but at this time, the temperature of the cured cheese during the first drying period, where the temperature does not rise due to the latent heat of vaporization of the cured cheese, exceeds a predetermined low temperature range of 0℃ to -180℃. Make sure not to. After that, the temperature of the cheese will be between room temperature and +
When the temperature reaches 45℃, the power to the far infrared heater is cut off.

As an example, the components of cheddar cheese and gouda cheese are shown below.

A vacuum chamber is used as a means for producing dried cheese that can be restored to the above-mentioned dried cheese. This vacuum chamber is equipped with a far-infrared heater and a plate on which the cured cheese is placed. Then, dry cheese is produced according to the procedure described above. At this time, in the state of curdled cheese, the water content is 3
What used to be 5-40% becomes dry cheese with 0 moisture content.
~10%. If the moisture content exceeds 10%, it becomes impossible to suppress the activities of microorganisms, bacteria, mold, yeast, etc. for long-term storage. Therefore, in order to obtain the above-mentioned dried cheese, the conditions are set as follows.

Freezing temperature: 0°C to -180°C Vacuum degree: 1 to 5 Torr Sample temperature: Room temperature to +45°C When dried cheese is produced under the above conditions, it has the moisture content described above and is suitable for long-term storage, as well as fresh cheese. When restored, it has an excellent texture and appearance, retains the 9 shades of aroma unique to raw cheese, and is heat denatured.

It does not cause cell destruction.

However, lowering the freezing temperature too much can cause cell destruction, raising the sample temperature too much can cause thermal denaturation, and cheese, in particular, has a high fat content, so it tends to melt and deteriorate its texture and appearance. there were.

In addition, if the degree of vacuum is outside the range for the freezing temperature, or the freezing temperature is outside the range for the degree of vacuum, the latent heat of evaporation due to the correlation between temperature and water vapor partial pressure cannot be used, and therefore low-temperature vacuum drying would have become impossible.

Note that the above-mentioned sample temperature is the temperature of the cheese when the far-infrared heater is turned off.

<Example> Next, Examples and Comparative Examples of the present invention will be described in detail.

In Examples and Comparative Examples, the setting conditions are changed and the respective results are investigated. The setting condition is sample temperature.

Check the heater temperature, degree of vacuum, texture, appearance, moisture, drying time, etc. in the restored raw state.

First, an example will be described. In this example, the sample temperature is set within the range of 25°C to 45°C, the heater temperature is set within the range of 45°C to 65°C, and the degree of vacuum is set within the range of 1 to 5 Torr.

The setting conditions are listed below.

In Examples 1 to 3, the degree of vacuum was set at 3 Torr, and the sample temperatures were set to 25°C, 35°C, and 45°C, respectively.

In Example 1, both the texture and appearance were excellent when restored to raw form. In addition, nine shades of the cheese-specific aroma were retained. The moisture content is said to be suitable for long-term storage10.
% or less was longer than in Example 2.3, which will be described later, but it was possible to dry in a relatively short time. Example 2 had excellent texture and appearance similar to Example 1, and had a characteristic cheese aroma.

I was able to retain the color as well. Furthermore, the time was shorter than in Example 1. In Example 3, Example 1. Although it was similar to No. 2, discoloration was observed in a very small area of the surface.

From the above example, it seems that the optimal sample temperature is around 35°C.

Further, in Example 4.5, the sample temperature was set at 35° C., and the degree of vacuum was set to 1 Torr and 5 Torr, respectively.

These Examples 4 and 5 also had excellent texture and appearance,
It was able to retain one color of the characteristic cheese aroma and was able to dry in a relatively short time.

Incidentally, the drying time was about 4 to 6 hours in all cases.

Next, a comparative example will be described. In this comparative example, the sample temperature was set outside the range of 25°C to 45°C, and the heater temperature was set outside the range of 45°C to 65°C.

The setting conditions are listed below.

In Comparative Example 1, the sample temperature was set to 10°C and the predetermined range was 25°C to
The temperature was lower than 45°C. As a result, although there was almost no difference in both texture and appearance from the above example, a considerable amount of water content was observed. This far exceeded the 10% that is considered suitable for long-term storage. Moreover, if the cheese is dried for a long time to remove this moisture, it will take more than 8 hours, and the commercial advantage of dried cheese will be lost.

In Comparative Example 2, the sample temperature was set to 50°C and the predetermined range was 25°C to
Measurements were made at temperatures higher than 45°C. As a result, although the texture was good, the appearance was discolored and some melted parts were observed. This appears to be due to thermal denaturation.

In addition to the above comparative example, the relationship between freezing temperature and degree of vacuum was also measured.

First, when the freezing temperature was 0° C. and the degree of vacuum was set to 6 torr, the water did not reach the boiling point and low-temperature vacuum drying was not possible. Also. When the freezing temperature is 1180℃, the degree of vacuum is 0.5
If it was made to be too tall, the water would thicken (exceed) its boiling point, causing cell destruction.

As described above, the dry cheese manufacturing method of the present invention prevents thermal denaturation and cell destruction by setting the setting conditions to a freezing temperature of 0°C to -18°C, a degree of vacuum of 1 to 5 torr, and a sample temperature of room temperature to 45°C. When dried cheese with a moisture content suitable for long-term storage is obtained in a relatively short period of time without causing any damage, and when it is restored to fresh cheese,
It has excellent texture and appearance. It also has a characteristic cheese aroma.

Can retain color.

On the other hand, if the above setting conditions are outside the range, for example, if the freezing temperature is below -18°C, cell destruction may easily occur, and if the sample temperature is below room temperature, there may be too much moisture or it may take too long. If the sample temperature is 45°C or higher, thermal denaturation may easily occur and melting may begin.
An ideal dry cheese cannot be obtained.

<Effects of the Invention> As detailed above, according to the present invention, raw cheese can be dried by setting the freezing temperature, degree of vacuum, and sample temperature ranges suitable for drying raw cheese according to the conditions specific to raw cheese. It has the advantage of being able to obtain dried cheese with a moisture content suitable for long-term storage without thermal denaturation or cell destruction, and having excellent texture and appearance, as well as retaining the characteristic aroma and color of cheese.

Representative Patent Attorney: Hiroshi Ike 1)

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A material to be dried is housed in a vacuum chamber equipped with a far-infrared heater inside, the material to be dried is frozen to a predetermined temperature, and the inside of the vacuum chamber is maintained at a predetermined degree of vacuum, By projecting far infrared rays from the far infrared heater onto the material to be dried, it is uniformly heated from inside, and the temperature of the material in the first drying period where the temperature does not rise due to the latent heat of evaporation of the material to be dried is reduced. In the manufacturing method for obtaining dried food, low-temperature vacuum drying is performed so as not to exceed the low temperature range of the predetermined temperature, and when the temperature of the material to be dried reaches the predetermined temperature, the power to the far-infrared heater is cut off. The material to be dried is raw cheese, the freezing temperature of the raw cheese is 0°C to -180°C, and the degree of vacuum is 1 to 5.
The temperature of the material in the first drying period is 0℃, where the temperature does not rise due to the latent heat of vaporization of raw cheese.
It can be restored to raw cheese by vacuum drying at a low temperature so as not to exceed the low temperature range of -18℃, and when the temperature of the cheese reaches room temperature to +45℃, the power to the far infrared heater is cut off. method for producing dried cheese.