JPH0424978B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

The present invention relates to a method of using konjac, and more specifically, in producing a konjac gel-like product with an arbitrarily determined pH, an appropriate water content of konjac material such as konjac potato or konjac flour is set as a temperature condition, and the lower limit is the water content. Adjust the upper limit to less than 50℃ at a temperature at which things do not freeze, and add caustic potash, caustic soda, potassium carbonate, soda carbonate, sodium phosphate, calcium hydroxide, calcium oxide, basic amino acids, amines, ammonia, etc. alone or Konjac viscosity that is prepared by adding two or more kinds, thoroughly mixing them, stirring, vibrating, or leaving them to stand still, and then adjusting the pH to a arbitrarily determined value by neutralization or dealkalization. konjac gel-like product by molding and heat-treating the product, or molding and heat-treating a mixture of the konjac viscous material and other substances to produce a molded product of the mixture containing konjac gel. This relates to the acquisition of. Next, the present invention will be explained in order. ◎The molded konjac gel material with arbitrarily determined pH in the present invention has the following contents. Since conventional konjac gel-like products are produced using strong alkali as a catalyst, the produced konjac gel is also strongly alkaline. The object of the present invention is to use the conventional method of producing konjac gel, that is, to arbitrarily adjust the pH range before the heat treatment in the step of heat treating strongly alkaline konjac paste. By making konjac gel slightly alkaline and heat-treating it, we can produce konjac gel, something that had never been thought of until now. ◎The konjac potato or konjac flour in the present invention has the following contents. Konnyaku potato (konnyaku yam) refers to the corm of konnyaku, a member of the taro family. Konnyaku flour is made by drying and crushing konnyaku potatoes. There are various qualities of konjac flour, but refined konjac flour is widely used as refined konjac flour. Refined Konjac Flour (Natural Products Handbook/Food and Science) Moisture 17.76% Crude protein 2.56% Crude fat 0.13% Crude fiber 1.45% Ash 3.76% Soluble nitrogen 73.36%

[Note] The present invention will be explained using purified konjac flour. From now on, it will be simply referred to as "konjac flour." ◎In the present invention, the temperature conditions for compatible hydrated substances such as konjac potato or konjac flour are set such that the lower limit is the temperature at which the hydrated substances do not freeze, and the upper limit is adjusted to less than 50°C, and caustic potash, caustic soda, potassium carbonate, etc. , soda carbonate, sodium phosphate, calcium hydroxide, calcium oxide, basic amino acids, amines, ammonia, etc. (hereinafter collectively referred to as "alkaline chemicals") are added singly or in combination of two or more and thoroughly mixed. The contents are as follows. The appropriate water content of konjac flour is in the range of 0.3 to 7.0% (weight) as solid content of konjac flour, that is, 93% to 99.7% (weight) as moisture.The solid content range is determined depending on the purpose of use, but for practical purposes Solids contents of 1% to 4% are common. In the present invention, the temperature conditions when mixing the alkaline agent have a lower limit of the temperature at which the mixture of the konjac powder appropriately hydrated and the alkaline substance does not freeze;
The upper limit is less than 50℃. The preferred temperature condition is 0 to 40°C, and the most preferred temperature condition is 10 to 30°C in terms of economy, product stability, and operability. The alkaline chemicals used in the present invention include caustic potash, caustic soda, potassium carbonate, soda carbonate, sodium phosphate, calcium hydroxide, calcium oxide,
Basic amino acids, amines, ammonia, etc.
The choice is made depending on the intended use of the konnyaku gel produced according to the present invention. In other words, while it is used separately for food and industrial purposes,
If you want to avoid calcium taste in food,
For example, using soda. The appropriate hydrated konjac powder and the alkaline agent may be mixed using any device or method that allows uniform mixing, such as a stirrer, kneader, mixer, or crusher.

[Note] The present invention will be explained using a screw kneader and a stirrer. In the present invention, since neutralization or dealkalization is involved in the process, a large amount of alkaline chemicals can be used if economic efficiency is ignored. While konjac flour has different acidity levels, it may also behave differently towards alkaline chemicals. The following is an example (average of 6 types) Konjac powder solid content (weight) 2g Water (distilled water) (weight) 98g Caustic soda (1st grade solid content for chemical use)
(Weight) 0.03g Average PH range 6.8 to 8.0 The purpose of the present invention can be achieved even if the PH range is as wide as 6.8 to 8.0. Therefore, in the description of the present invention, the amount of the alkaline agent to be added is determined by the number of grams of the alkaline agent, as long as the physical properties of the final target product meet the purpose of the present invention. Furthermore, there is no upper limit to the amount of alkaline agent used in the present invention. Regarding the relationship between the amount of alkali and the standing time, using the above example, the average standing time is 2 to 6 hours, but when 1 g to 5 g of caustic soda is added, the appropriate standing time ranges from countdown to several minutes. In other words, this idea is effective if you want to reach your goal in a short amount of time. However, even if there is no upper limit on the amount, unnecessarily increasing the amount of alkaline chemicals used poses problems in terms of deterioration of the quality of konnyaku and economic efficiency. ◎In the present invention, an alkaline drug may be used alone or in combination with two
After adding the above seeds and mixing thoroughly, it is stirred, vibrated, left standing, etc., and then arbitrarily determined by neutralization or dealkalization, etc.
The contents of the konnyaku viscous substance adjusted to pH are as follows. A mixture of a suitable hydrated konjac powder and an alkaline agent is easy to stir when the solid content of konjac powder is usually less than 2.5%, so it is necessary to use acid neutralization in adjusting the slightly alkaline range from the acidic range.
Dealkalization is easy, but when the solid content exceeds 2.5%, it is not easy to stir, let alone knead, due to the relationship between the quality and quantity of the alkaline agent. Therefore, in principle, no special method is used if the solid content of konjac flour is less than 2.5% when mixing konjac flour with an appropriate water content and an alkaline agent, but if the solid content is 2.5% or more, mechanical It is made into a paste by breaking it with strong force, kneading it, vibrating it, or leaving it for a long time. After doing this, a process such as neutralization is performed to obtain a viscous paste-like material. For reference, the implementation method of neutralization, etc. of the present invention will be described as follows.

[Table] Treatment or several hours at room temperature
After leaving it for 48 hours,
Normally after
by stirring, crushing machine, etc.
Perform neutralization etc.
In the present invention, the process of using a mixture of a suitable hydrated konjac and an alkaline agent as is or adjusting the pH from an acidic range to a slightly alkaline range can be summarized as follows. The time required for the mixture to enter the next step after thorough mixing of the appropriate hydrated konjac and alkaline antidote is that if the mixture is highly alkaline, it is possible to enter the next step within 60 seconds. On the other hand, if the alkalinity is weak, you can leave it for 48 hours before proceeding to the next step. Therefore, it is preferable to consider the alkalinity of the mixture depending on the flow of the process. In addition, carrying out an unnecessarily highly alkaline reaction is not a desirable method because the reaction time is too short and the amount of neutralizing acid used increases, and it is not economical to leave the reaction for a long time in a low alkaline environment. Therefore, it is preferable to determine the alkali concentration of the mixture according to the process by small experiments or the like. In addition, the practical amount of alkali varies depending on the amount of water, referring to an example of the implementation of the present invention.
For 100g of refined konjac flour, the amount is 1.5g to 25.0g in terms of caustic soda (1st class chemical grade), and in this range, the average time of leaving is between 30 minutes and 12 hours. In the present invention, by neutralization or dealkalization
The contents of the viscous substance with adjusted pH are as follows. Viscous substances range from liquid to paste-like, and their pH value can easily reach an extreme value of 2.0 unless deterioration is taken into account, but in practical terms, the pH value is 4.0 to 7.5.
The preferred pH range for edible use is within the range of
Values are 5.5-6.8. In the case of edible use, the neutralizing acid may be used as long as it is edible. For example, vinegar,
These are organic acids such as fruit acids, acetic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, alginic acid, gluconolactone, and gluconic acid, or inorganic acids such as sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and phosphoric acid.
Dealalization can be easily done by applying a viscous substance dialyzer. ◎In the present invention, a viscous material whose pH is adjusted is made into a gel-like molded product by molding and heating treatment as follows. The viscous substance with adjusted pH forms a gel by simple heating. To put it simply, when a paste-like viscous substance is heated, it becomes a food commonly known as konnyaku. Heating methods include hot water bath, steam, and oven. That is, when the viscous material is placed in a mold and heated in a hot water bath or steam, a gel molded product conforming to the mold is produced. Furthermore, when the viscous material is applied to the surface of cloth, lumber, food, etc. and sprayed with steam, or the surface is heated in a hot water bath or oven, a gel film is formed on the surface. ◎In the present invention, when producing a molded konjac gel-like product with an arbitrarily determined pH, the lower limit is the temperature at which the hydrated material does not freeze, using a suitable hydrated material of konjac material such as konjac potato or konjac flour as the temperature condition. Adjust the upper limit to less than 50℃,
To this, add caustic potash, caustic soda, potassium carbonate, soda carbonate, sodium phosphate, calcium hydroxide, calcium oxide, basic amino acids, amines, ammonia, etc. alone or in combination of two or more, mix thoroughly, and stir or vibrate or After processing such as allowing it to stand still, the konjac viscous substance is adjusted to a arbitrarily determined pH by neutralization or dealkalization, and then the konjac viscous substance is mixed with other substances. The process of molding and heat-treating the mixture to obtain a molded mixture containing konjac gel is as follows. That is, the viscous substance (

[Note] The viscous substance is hereinafter referred to as the ``viscous substance of the present invention''), other substances in the mixture with other substances, foods, and other substances. Since the list of contents is enormous, some representative ones are listed below. -Foods- Grains, potatoes and starches, sweeteners, oils and fats,
Seeds, beans, fish and shellfish, animals, birds, whale meat, eggs, milk, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, algae,
Seasonings and spices, cooked and processed foods - other than food - Paints, films, paper, fibers, metal powders, activated carbon, diatomaceous earth These can be summarized as follows. Each item will be described in detail in the examples, but will be explained by citing several examples so that the outline of the present invention can be understood.

[Note] “The viscous substance of the present invention” used in the explanation of this section
The content is 2% solid content of konjac flour.
(by weight), and the alkaline agent is the solid content of caustic soda based on the weight of konjac flour.
2.5% was used, reaction time was 3 hours, citric acid was used as a neutralizing agent, and konnyaku viscous substance with an adjusted pH of 6.3 to 6.5 was used. ◎Food related 100g of salted walleye and 300g of the viscous substance of the present invention
Mix it with g, fill it into a plastic film tube with a diameter of 20 mm, and seal both ends.
Heat treatment in a 95℃ water bath for 30 minutes, then cool in water. The filling inside the tube is a strong gel-like molded product with the texture of a pumpkin. Mix 100 g of tofu and 300 g of the viscous material of the present invention, fill it into a plastic film tube with a diameter of 20 mm, seal both ends, and place in a 95°C water bath.
After heat treatment for 30 minutes, cool in water. The filling inside the tube is a strong gel-like molded product with the texture of a pumpkin. Mix 500 g of raw salmon surimi and 500 g of the viscous material of the present invention, fill it into a plastic film tube with a diameter of 20 mm, seal both ends, heat in a 95°C water bath for 30 minutes, and then cool with water. The filling inside the tube is a gel-like molding with the texture of ham. ◎Non-food related Mix 50g of activated carbon and 200g of the viscous material of the present invention, make it into a sheet with a thickness of 2mm, and steam it to form a gel-like activated carbon sheet (wet) with a thickness of 2mm. . 500 g of wood flour (wet) and 200 g of the viscous material of the present invention are mixed to form a prism with a 20 mm square surface, which is heat treated in an oven to recover a prismatic gel of wood flour. When the multi-celled material is dried, a light wood powder prismatic material is obtained. After applying a thin layer of the viscous material of the present invention to a cotton cloth, it is placed in boiling water for 3 minutes and taken out, resulting in a waterproof cotton cloth. As described above, the viscous material of the present invention can be mixed with other substances regardless of whether they are acidic, neutral, or alkaline, and can easily form a gel when heated. That is, the viscous material of the present invention easily forms a gel-like material in acidic, neutral, and slightly alkaline conditions without much difference in properties. Its behavior is very similar to that of heat-coagulated proteins, so even when mixed with other substances, the entire mixing system is supported by the gel-like substance produced by heating. The details of the present invention have been described above, and the features of claims 1 and 2 can be summarized as follows. In the conventional method for producing konjac gel, it is produced under strong alkalinity, and the produced konjac gel is naturally also strongly alkaline. In the method of the present invention, konjac gel formation can be performed in any acidic, neutral, or alkaline conditions.
Therefore, its range of applications is extremely wide. Conventionally, when trying to add other substances to strongly alkaline konnyaku gel, only alkali-resistant substances could be added. If we take food as an example, it would be difficult to add it to most foods, but according to the method of the present invention, it is difficult to find foods to which it cannot be added. In addition, its physical properties are similar to those of thermocoagulable proteins, and its application increases the diversity of foods. In the present invention, the viscous material of the present invention of any pH can be used as an intermediate for konjac gel. It has remarkable processing characteristics such as being easy to mold, easily mixed with other substances, easily emulsified with oils and fats, and easily diluted with water. The details of the present invention have been described above, and the content of the present invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to Examples.

[Note] Examples (1) to (4) are used as text examples, and Examples (5) to (21) with similar operations and content to the text examples are summarized in the table. Further, examples (22) to (26) are taken as example sentences, and examples (27) to (52) with operations and contents similar to the example sentences are summarized in a table.

[Note] Terms used in examples

[Table] Example 1 After mixing 20 g of konjac flour and 1000 c.c. of water and allowing sufficient swelling, 4 c.c. of a 10% (by weight) sodium hydroxide aqueous solution was added and kneaded until uniform. After kneading, leave it at room temperature for 12 hours, then neutralize the pH with citric acid.
After adjusting the pH to 5.8 or less, fill it in a plastic film tube with a diameter of 20 mm, seal both ends, heat it in a 95℃ water bath for 30 minutes, cool it with cold water, and adjust the pH to 5.8 or less. Obtain a konjac gel-like substance that is stable at high temperatures. Example 2 After mixing 20 g of konjac flour and 1000 c.c. of water and allowing sufficient swelling, 8 c.c. of a 10% (by weight) sodium hydroxide aqueous solution was added and kneaded until uniform. After kneading, leave it at room temperature for 2 hours, then neutralize the pH with citric acid.
After adjusting to 6.5 to 7.0, height 150mm, width 70mm, thickness 20mm
Use a stainless steel box container as a formwork, fill it with the pH adjuster, and then steam it in a steamer (at least 95℃ for 20 minutes).
After the heat treatment, the produced konjac gel is released from the mold and cooled in water to obtain a konjac gel-like material whose pH is adjusted to 6.5 to 7.0 and is stable under cold and hot conditions. Example 3 After mixing 40 g of konjac flour and 1000 c.c. of water and allowing it to swell sufficiently, add 10 c.c. of a 20% (by weight) sodium hydroxide aqueous solution and knead quickly, then use a stirrer for 2 hours. It becomes a paste. After neutralizing the paste with citric acid and adjusting the pH to 6.5 to 6.8,
Use a stainless steel box container with a length of 150 mm, a width of 70 mm, and a thickness of 20 mm as a formwork, fill it with the pH adjuster, and then steam it in a steamer (at least 95°C for 20 minutes). After heat treatment, the produced konjac gel is released from the mold and cooled in water to adjust the pH.
Obtain a konjac gel-like material that is stable during cooling and heating, and is adjusted to a temperature of 6.5 to 6.8. Example 4 After mixing 4 g of konjac flour and 1000 c.c. of water and allowing it to swell sufficiently, 4 c.c. of a 10% (by weight) sodium hydroxide aqueous solution was added and stirred at room temperature for 2 hours, followed by citric acid. Neutralize and adjust the pH to around 7.

[Note] The product of this example is liquid and is mainly used for mixing with other substances. The gel formed by heating the product of this example tends to cause precipitation.

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[Table] Example 22 related to Claim 2 [Food-related] 100 g of SA grade walleye salted minced meat and 300 g of the konnyaku viscous material of Example 16 were mixed using a crusher, and a mixture of 20 mm in diameter was prepared. Fill a plastic film tube, seal both ends, heat in a 95℃ water bath for 30 minutes, and cool with water. The filling in the tube obtains a gel-like molded product having an elastic, pumpkin-like texture. Example 23 [Food-related] 100g of firm tofu and konnyaku viscous product of Example 17
Mix 300g with a crusher and make a 20mm diameter
The tube is filled with plastic film, both ends are sealed, heated in a 95°C water bath for 30 minutes, and then cooled with water. The filling in the tube obtains a gel-like molded product having an elastic, pumpkin-like texture. Example 24 [Food-related] Mix 1000 g of strong wheat flour and 500 g of the konnyaku viscous material of Example 21, mix thoroughly with a kneader while adding 10 g of salt, and then boil to make noodles. The noodles of this example have a firm texture and do not crumble easily when boiled. Example 25 [Non-food related] Mix 50 g of activated carbon (powder) and 200 g of the konnyaku viscous material from Example 9, knead the mixture thoroughly, form a sheet with a thickness of 2 mm, and steam the sheet. After steaming for 10 minutes, it becomes a gel-like activated carbon sheet with a thickness of 2 mm. The activated carbon sheet is shaped into noodles and used as a medicine for drinking. Example 26 [Non-food related] The konnyaku viscous material of Example 11 was applied to a cotton cloth by pressing it thinly, then immersed in hot water (around 95°C) for 20 minutes and then taken out. The texture on the surface and in the hand is similar to that of tanned leather, and when dry, it feels like leather.

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Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. When producing a molded konjac gel-like product with an arbitrarily determined pH, a suitable hydrated material of konjac material such as konjac potato or konjac flour is used, and the lower limit is a temperature at which the hydrated material does not freeze.
The upper limit is adjusted to less than 50℃, and caustic potash, caustic soda, potassium carbonate, soda carbonate, sodium phosphate,
Calcium hydroxide, calcium oxide, basic amino acids, amines, ammonia, etc. are added alone or in combination of two or more, mixed thoroughly, and then stirred, vibrated, left standing, etc., and then neutralized. Alternatively, obtain a konjac viscous substance adjusted to a arbitrarily determined pH by an operation such as dealkalization, and mold the konjac viscous substance as it is or by mixing it with other substances,
A method for utilizing konjac, which comprises heat-treating to obtain a konjac gel-like substance or a mixture containing a konjac gel-like substance.