JPH0473976B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention relates to a method for freezing and preserving spicy vegetables, and more particularly to a method for long-term preservation of spicy vegetables in which the moisture content is adjusted.

(Conventional technology) Conventional methods for preserving spicy vegetables include drying them to a moisture content of 5% or less and storing them at room temperature, that is, storing them in a completely dry state in a sealed container; Generally known methods include quick freezing immediately after harvesting and freezing preservation, and drying to a specified moisture content and preserving at a low temperature of 0°C or higher.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, the above conventional method for preserving spicy vegetables has the following problems.

In other words, the complete drying method and the freezing preservation method preserve the color, aroma, and aroma inherent in spicy vegetables.
It is difficult to preserve the flavor while preserving the flavor, and the color often fades during the drying or storage process, the aroma decreases, and the taste changes.

In particular, when storing frozen food, it is processed by thawing before use, but during the thawing process, tissues may be destroyed, nutrients may leak out, and scents may be released. may be severely damaged. In addition, if processed as is without thawing, the characteristics such as color, aroma, and taste will not be affected so much, but due to the running cost of the freezer, it is preferable to immediately freeze and preserve the raw state with a high moisture content. I can't say that. Also, when processed while frozen, some foods contain a lot of water, so
It is difficult to control the moisture content of the product, which may be unfavorable in terms of product processing. Furthermore, in the case of frozen storage, when sterilization treatment using chemicals or blanching or coloring treatment is performed as pre-treatment for freezing, there is a problem in that the chemicals must be sufficiently removed.

On the other hand, when using the vacuum freeze-drying method, color, aroma,
Although the change in taste is relatively small, it is still not sufficient, especially in the case of green-yellow spicy vegetables, there is a problem that the color easily fades during the drying and storage process, and the accompanying volatile aroma This method is not suitable in terms of taste and nutritional value.

In addition, in the case of low-temperature storage, it is not suitable for long-term storage due to spoilage, etc., and if you want to preserve it for a long time, it must be dried to a state close to complete dryness, which is the same as above. The problem arises.

Therefore, the present invention was made to solve the above problems, and its purpose is to preserve the original color, aroma, and taste of spicy vegetables while reducing the water content. To provide a method for freezing and preserving spicy vegetables, which can reduce storage costs, facilitate moisture control of products, and easily remove chemicals in the drying process when chemicals are used as a pretreatment for drying. be.

(Summary of the invention) In the present invention, after adjusting the moisture content of post-harvested spicy vegetables such as wasabi, horseradish, ginger, garlic, and chili pepper to a range of 20% to 50%,
It is characterized by being stored frozen at -16°C or lower.

As mentioned above, by storing at room temperature using a complete drying method or storing at a low temperature using a drying method close to completely drying, it is not possible to preserve the color, aroma, and taste inherent in spicy vegetables. The reason is that the water content is 20
% or less, bound water in cells begins to dehydrate,
At the same time, the components that make up the color, aroma, and taste that are mixed in the cells are dehydrated, and the water content is less than 20%, which is what is called lapse rate drying, and it takes a long time to dry. It is thought that this long-term heating causes significant changes in color, aroma, and taste.

In the present invention, the moisture content of dried spicy vegetables is 20%.
By adjusting it within the range of ~50%, it is possible to eliminate the adverse effects during the drying period.

That is, in the present invention, since drying is stopped before the decreasing rate drying period, the heating time is short and efficient, and the above-mentioned disadvantages caused by long-term heating can be prevented. In particular, since drying stops when the water content is in the range of 20% to 50%, bound water within the cells is not released.
Cell tissue is not destroyed by heating and drying, and color, aroma, and taste are not impaired.

In addition, even if the volume of frozen bound water expands due to freezing, since the total water content is originally low at 20% to 50%, cell tissue is hardly destroyed due to expansion, and cryopreservation color, aroma, and taste are not affected.

To freeze spicy vegetables from raw, the water content must be 90%
%, so it usually requires quick freezing at -40℃ or below, but in the present invention, the moisture content can be reduced to 20% to 50%.
Since it is frozen after being adjusted to a temperature of -16℃ or lower, it can be frozen sufficiently without becoming stuffy inside.

If something with a high moisture content, such as wasabi stems, is frozen from raw, the color will change due to self-heating during frozen storage unless it is quickly frozen at -40℃ or below. No color change will occur even if it is not twisted.

Processing may be carried out by crushing or cutting in a frozen state, or after thawing.

In processing after freezing, unlike when frozen raw, the water content is low, so the water content can be easily adjusted by adding water as appropriate.

Furthermore, even when used after thawing, it can be thawed in a short time, so that the outflow of the original components can be reduced.

As a pretreatment before starting drying, an aqueous solution of disinfectants, bleaches, antioxidants, edible salts, etc., either singly or in combination, can be used. It is safe to use because it disappears after it exerts its efficacy.

(Example) After separating real wasabi potatoes, stems, and fine roots, approximately 1 cm
Cut to length. 0.2% sodium hypochlorite, 0.3% L-sorbic acid, 0.3% of water used
% of sodium bicarbonate for 20 minutes, remove surface water using a dehydrator, then place in a dryer and dry for 2 hours and 30 minutes at an ambient temperature of 70°C. do. It is preferable to dry with a constant temperature vacuum dryer at a reduced pressure of -360 mmAq, so that the moisture content of the dried material is
Within the range of 24% to 28%, immediately store in a freezer at -16℃ or below.

The wasabi preserved by the method described above was directly pulverized in a pulverizer without being thawed, and it was possible to prepare the wasabi in a state extremely close to that of grated wasabi.

Furthermore, after thawing frozen wasabi, they were able to prepare similar grated wasabi.

When the moisture content is 50% or more, the moisture content is so high that the flavor and spiciness are lost when thawed.

In addition to wasabi, horseradish, ginger, garlic, and chili peppers were also stored in the same way as above, and as a result, they could be preserved without losing their color, aroma, or taste.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, since drying is stopped before the decreasing rate drying period, drying can be completed in a short time, preventing the harmful effects of long-term heating, and reducing drying costs. In addition, the bound water inside the cells is not released, but on the other hand, the overall water content is reduced, which prevents destruction of cell tissue both during drying and freezing, and because there is little water content, when thawing This can be done in a short time, and as a result of suppressing the outflow of ingredients, it is possible to preserve spicy vegetables without losing their color, aroma, or taste.

Furthermore, by significantly removing water from raw materials, the amount used in products can be increased, and the quality of the products can be improved.

Furthermore, since the weight and volume are reduced, transportation costs and storage costs can be reduced.

The present invention has been variously explained above with reference to preferred embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and it goes without saying that many modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. That's true.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A method for freezing and preserving spicy vegetables, which comprises adjusting the moisture content of the spicy vegetables to a range of 20% to 50% after harvesting, and then storing the vegetables frozen at -16°C or lower. 2. The method for freezing and preserving spicy vegetables according to claim 1, wherein the spicy vegetables are real wasabi, horseradish, ginger, garlic, and chili pepper.