JPH0585600B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

(Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a sterilizing detergent composition for foods, particularly to a sterilizing detergent composition suitable for vegetables and fruits to be eaten raw. (Prior Art) When supplying various processed foods to consumers, it is necessary to ensure a predetermined quality until they reach the consumers. Particularly recently, raw vegetables and fruits such as cabbage, cucumber, lettuce, and tomatoes, or prepared dishes that combine these vegetables (hereinafter referred to as fruits) with other foods, are often sold. Ensuring quality is emphasized. Microbiological quality standards have not been established for the distribution of raw vegetables for raw consumption, but standards have been set for some types of foods that use raw vegetables. For example, in the "Hygiene Standards for Lunch Boxes and Preparations" (Kanshoku No. 161, June 29, 1972), for bento boxes and various side dishes, salads, raw vegetables, and other unheated products are The number of bacteria (viable number) is
It is said that it is desirable that it is 1,000,000 or less.
Each prefecture has also established standards for general viable bacteria counts for various foods. In this way, it is necessary to sterilize various foods, such as the above-mentioned raw vegetables, in order to maintain the number of viable bacteria adhering to the raw vegetables below a standard and to provide highly fresh foods. For example, regarding the sterilization of vegetables,
In the "Hygiene Standards for Cleaning," vegetables and fruits that are to be eaten raw must be thoroughly washed, immersed in sodium hypochlorite (free residual chlorine 100 ppm or more) for about 10 minutes, and then thoroughly rinsed with running water. It is stipulated that sterilization should be carried out. Sodium hypochlorite is most commonly used to sterilize vegetables. However, the usual concentration of sodium hypochlorite (free residual chlorine 50~
200ppm) cannot be said to have a high bactericidal effect on raw vegetables. Increasing the concentration of hypochlorous acid has the disadvantage that vegetables develop a chlorine odor. Examples of disinfectants that can be used for foods other than sodium hypochlorite include various organic acids such as acetic acid. The antibacterial power of organic acids is determined by the PH
and the inherent antimicrobial properties of the acid itself. Furthermore, it is known that at low pH, the undissociated molecules of these acids increase, increasing their antibacterial activity. Regarding the bactericidal power of organic acids, there is a report by Tanaka et al. [New Food Industry, 16 (4), 44 (1974)]. Tanaka et al. used acetic acid, lactic acid, and citric acid to sterilize cabbage.
It has been reported that acetic acid exhibits the strongest antibacterial activity among them. Acetic acid (vinegar) has been known for a long time to have a food preservative effect, and in fact, vinegar for sterilizing and cleaning vegetables whose main ingredient is acetic acid is commercially available.
However, using this method has the disadvantage that an acetic acid odor will adhere to raw vegetables. Organic acids other than acetic acid (eg, lactic acid, succinic acid, malic acid, citric acid, and tartaric acid) have also been reported to have bactericidal activity, but their antibacterial activity is lower than that of acetic acid. These are mainly used as PH regulators in combination with synthetic preservatives (sorbic acid, benzoic acid, propionic acid, etc.) to improve their effects. On the other hand, neutral detergents are generally used to wash vegetables, and detergents for food products whose main ingredients are compounds that are approved as food additives are also commercially available. However, these detergents are only intended to remove dirt by cleaning, and cannot be expected to have a bactericidal effect. For example, in order to effectively sterilize and wash vegetables,
A sterilizing detergent that is a combination of a sterilizing agent and a detergent such as a surfactant is considered to be effective. However, as mentioned above, the types of disinfectants and detergents that can be used for foods are limited, and even if they are combined, a sufficient disinfectant and detergent for foods cannot be obtained. (Problems to be Solved by the Invention) The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, and its purpose is to safely and effectively sterilize and wash foods such as raw vegetables, and to It is an object of the present invention to provide a food sterilizing detergent composition that does not impair the flavor of the food. (Means and Effects for Solving the Problems) The inventors have developed a sterilizing detergent composition that safely and effectively sterilizes and cleans various foods, especially raw vegetables, and which does not impair the flavor of the foods. An attempt was made to select suitable disinfectants, detergents, and stabilizer (thickener) components from among various food additives. The inventors first focused on organic acids that can be safely used as food disinfectants. It is generally known that the antibacterial power of organic acids comes from the antibacterial power of the acid itself and the fact that microbial growth is suppressed by the acid's PH lowering effect.In organic acid solutions of the same PH, The greater the concentration of undissociated molecules of the organic acid, in other words, the smaller the dissociation constant of the organic acid, the greater the antibacterial property. However, in an aqueous solution of an organic acid, the larger the dissociation constant of the organic acid, the lower the pH and the higher the antibacterial effect. Thus, the antibacterial activity of an organic acid is determined by both the pH and the degree of dissociation when the acid is dissolved in water. Based on the above idea, the inventors investigated various organic acids and selected fumaric acid as the disinfectant. Fumaric acid has a relatively large dissociation constant among organic acids, and when made into an aqueous solution, a low pH can be obtained.
The method of using this as a disinfectant is not generally adopted. Fumaric acid has been used as a pH regulator in combination with synthetic preservatives such as sorbic acid, benzoic acid, and propionic acid. As a result of various experiments, the inventors discovered that fumaric acid has a sufficient effect as a food disinfectant.The inventors also conducted research on surfactants that can be used in combination with fumaric acid, and developed the present invention. I was able to complete it. The food disinfectant cleaner of the present invention contains fumaric acid, a surfactant, and xanthan gum, thereby achieving the above object. As the surfactant contained in the composition of the present invention, any surfactant permitted as a food additive may be used. These include, for example, glycerol fatty acid ester, sorbitan fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester, and polyglycerol fatty acid ester. Monocaprin (capric acid monoglyceride) is particularly suitable, and is effective in combination with fumaric acid against coliform bacteria. The surfactant is contained in an amount of 2 to 100 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of fumaric acid.
If the amount is too low, no cleaning effect will be obtained. If it is in excess, the relative concentration of fumaric acid will decrease, resulting in poor bactericidal effect. The compositions of the present invention are usually supplied in suspension in water or alcohol-containing water. The fumaric acid has a low solubility in water (0.63 g per 100 g of water) and tends to precipitate in a suspended state. In order to maintain the suspension containing fumaric acid and a surfactant as a stable suspension, the composition of the present invention contains a stabilizer (thickener). Xanthan gum is used as this stabilizer. Xanthan gum is a microbial gum produced outside the microorganism by fermenting glucose by the microorganism Xanthomonas campestris, and exhibits pseudoplastic properties.
It has characteristics such as excellent acid resistance and temperature resistance, and low temperature dependence of viscosity. Compared to thickeners such as lithium sodium silicate and tara gum, xanthan gum functions even in solutions in a low pH range such as aqueous solutions of fumaric acid and is highly effective. The amount of xanthan gum required to stably disperse fumaric acid varies depending on the amount of fumaric acid, and the larger the fumaric acid content, the smaller the amount of xanthan gum required. Usually, the amount is 0.6 to 40 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of fumaric acid. For example, to stably disperse 5 to 50% by weight of fumaric acid in water or alcohol-containing water, 2.0 to 0.3
Weight percent xanthan gum is used, preferably 1.6 to 0.6 weight percent. A portion of the xanthan gum may optionally be replaced with other known water-soluble polymers to alter the rheological properties of the suspension. The weight ratio of other water-soluble molecules to xanthan gum is preferably 1 or less. When this ratio is 1 or more, the stability of the fumaric acid suspension decreases. As such a water-soluble polymer, for example, a nonionic water-soluble polymer such as methylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, or hydroxypropylcellulose is suitable. On the other hand, ionic water-soluble polymers such as carboxymethyl cellulose and sodium polyacrylate are not preferred because they significantly reduce the stability of the fumaric acid suspension. The composition of the present invention may contain other organic acids, inorganic acids such as phosphoric acid, solvents, fragrances, dyes, abrasives, inhibitors, etc. that are acceptable as food additives. The compositions of the present invention are typically supplied as a disinfectant detergent stock solution suspended at a relatively high concentration in water or water containing an alcoholic solvent. This stock solution has, for example, the following composition.

[Table] When the composition of the present invention is supplied as a sterilizing detergent stock solution as described above, the amount of fumaric acid, surfactant, and the above additives added as necessary is 60% by weight or less of the entire stock solution. It is preferable. If it exceeds this range, xanthan gum and the water-soluble polymer compound added as necessary become difficult to dissolve in water or a water-alcohol mixture. The upper limit of the surfactant content is determined by the fumaric acid content and the like. For example, it is not necessary that all of the surfactant be dissolved in the above-mentioned sterilizing detergent stock solution. For example, glycerin fatty acid esters are insoluble in water, but stable suspensions are obtained. The germicidal detergent stock solution exists as a stable suspension over a relatively long period of time. This stock solution is diluted as necessary and used for cleaning and sterilizing foods. For example, a diluted solution with a fumaric acid concentration of 0.1 to 0.6% by weight is suitably used for washing and sterilizing vegetables. Normally, raw vegetables are contaminated with about 10 ⁴ to ^{10 5} viable bacteria per gram, but when treated with a sterilizing detergent (diluted solution) containing the composition of the present invention, this number of viable bacteria can be reduced to 10. The number decreases to about ² . (Example) Reference examples and examples of the present invention will be described below. Reference example 1 Slice a cucumber and use 30g of it as a sample.
Ten types of organic acids (ascorbic acid, citric acid, gluconic acid, succinic acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid,
acetic acid, malic acid, phytic acid and fumaric acid)
Each sample was immersed in 150 ml of a 0.3 w/v% aqueous solution for 10 minutes. Remove the specimen, rinse with running water for 30 seconds, drain thoroughly, add 100 ml of physiological saline, and rinse for 30 seconds.
Homogenized at 10,000 rpm for 2 seconds. This was filtered (30 meshes), and the number of viable bacteria in the filtrate was measured by the following method. The order of the experiments was randomized and 2
The experiment was conducted based on a one-way design of experiments with multiple iterations. Measurement of the number of viable bacteria in the sample solution: Serially dilute the sample solution with phosphate buffer and incubate in a pour culture (37°C, 48°C).
time) to determine the number of viable bacteria, which is expressed as the number of bacteria per 1g of sample (cucumber).
For culture, general bacteria are cultured on bouillon agar medium, and Escherichia coli is cultured on deoxycholate agar medium. The logarithmic value of the measured number of viable bacteria is shown in FIG. In Figure 1, a to k represent the following organic acids: a: distilled water (control) b: ascorbic acid c: citric acid d: gluconic acid e: succinic acid f: tartaric acid g: lactic acid h: acetic acid i: apple Acid j: phytic acid k: fumaric acid From FIG. 1, it can be seen that fumaric acid has a high bactericidal effect against general bacteria, and lactic acid, fumaric acid, malic acid, and phytic acid have a relatively high bactericidal effect against coliform bacteria. Reference example 2 60g of sliced cucumber and 100ml of physiological saline
was added, homogenized at 10,000 rpm for 30 seconds, filtered (30 mesh), and used as a test bacterial solution.
A v% aqueous solution and a 0.2w/v% aqueous solution were prepared. The same amount of the above test bacterial solution was added to each organic acid aqueous solution and held at 20°C for 10 minutes. This was serially diluted with phosphate buffer, and the number of bacteria was determined in the same manner as in Reference Example 1. A 0.6 w/v% aqueous solution of the above organic acid was used for measuring general bacteria, and a 0.2 w/v% aqueous solution was used for measuring coliform bacteria. Randomization of the experiment was also performed according to Reference Example 1.
The results are shown in FIG. In Figure 2, a to k
indicates the same meaning as Reference Example 1. From FIG. 2, it can be seen that fumaric acid exhibits the most bactericidal activity among the organic acids tested. In Reference Example 1, phytic acid, malic acid, and lactic acid showed almost the same effect on coliform bacteria as fumaric acid, but in this reference example, all of them were found to have inferior bactericidal effects than fumaric acid. It was done. This is thought to be because fumaric acid is less affected by the components contained in cucumber than other organic acids. It is thus clear that fumaric acid can be used as a fungicide without being degraded by vegetable ingredients. Reference Example 3 A solution was prepared by adding various fatty acid esters at a ratio of 0.3 w/v% to a 0.3 w/v% fumaric acid aqueous solution. Add sliced cucumber to this at 30℃, 10
The sample was immersed under the conditions of 10 minutes, and the number of viable bacteria was measured according to Reference Example 1. The results are shown in FIG. Third
In the figure, A to F indicate the following fatty acid esters: A: (control) B: Decaglycerin laurate C: Decaglycerin myristate D: Sucrose laurate E: Monolaurin F: Monocaprin FIG. Therefore, the synergistic effect of the combined use of fumaric acid and fatty acid ester was hardly observed on general bacteria. However, for coliform bacteria, a significant effect was observed when monocaprin was used. Reference Example 4 A suspension containing 1% by weight of the 13 types of thickeners shown below and 10% by weight of fumaric acid was prepared,
The suspension was stored at 50°C for one week, and the dispersion stability of the suspension was examined. (Thickener) ・ Lithium sodium silicate (Laponite 455, Sancrystal) ・ Xanthan gum (KeltrolT, Dainippon Pharmaceutical) ・ Tara gum (SPINO GUM, Sancrystal) ・ Carrageenan (GENUGEL CJ, Sancrystal) ・ Guar gum (EMCO GUM) , Sansho) ・Hydroxypropylated gum (JAGUAR HP
-60, Sancrystal) ・Methylcellulose (Metrose SM-
8000, Shin-Etsu Chemical) - Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (Metrose 90SH-30000, Shin-Etsu Chemical) - Hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC-H,
Nippon Soda) ・Hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC QP-
52000H, Daicel Chemical) ・Sodium polyacrylate (Rheozyk
835H, Sancrystal) ・Polyethylene oxide (PEO-3, Seitetsu Kagaku Kogyo) As a result, only the suspension of the system containing xanthan gum was stable, and the suspension of the system containing the other 12 types of thickeners was 50% Separation of the suspension (sedimentation of fumaric acid in the lower layer) was observed within one week at °C. Reference Example 5 Fumaric acid was added to water in proportions of 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% by weight, and xanthan gum was added in proportions of 0.4 to 2.0% by weight (0.2% by weight) for each concentration of suspension. to prepare a fumaric acid suspension. These samples were stored at 50°C for one month, and the separation stability of fumaric acid was examined. As a result, the amount of xanthan gum required for stabilization varies depending on the fumaric acid content; the higher the amount of fumaric acid, the smaller the amount needed; It was found that it was within the range of (compatible). Even if xanthan gum is contained in an amount exceeding this minimum required amount by 0.4% by weight or more, the dispersion stability itself is good. However, when this mixture is further diluted with water during use, the mixture has a high viscosity and therefore has very poor dispersibility. Therefore, the optimum amount of xanthan gum to be added is, for example, 0.6 to 1.0% by weight for a fumaric acid content of 50% by weight, and 1.6 to 2.0% by weight for a fumaric acid content of 5% by weight. Reference Example 6 It has become clear from Reference Example 5 above that a suspension containing 30% by weight of fumaric acid is stabilized when xanthan gum is contained in an amount of 1.0% by weight or more. In order to improve the rheological properties of this 30% suspension, the thickener tested in Reference Example 4 was added, and the dispersion stability and fluidity of the suspension were examined. When each compound was blended at a ratio of 1.2% by weight, the fluidity of the suspension was improved when methylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, and hydroxypropylcellulose were blended, and the fluidity of the suspension was improved when dissolved in water. It was found that the dispersibility was improved. However, when the blending ratio to xanthan gum exceeded 1, the dispersion stability of the suspension deteriorated. All other thickeners significantly reduced dispersion stability. Example A sterilizing cleaning agent having the following formulation was prepared. When this sterilizing detergent (undiluted solution) was stored at 50°C for 30 days, it remained as a stable suspension without separating. The sterilizing effect on vegetables was investigated using a 100-fold dilution of this sterilizing detergent stock solution with water, and compared with the sterilizing effect of an existing sterilizing agent, an aqueous sodium hypochlorite solution (available chlorine concentration 200 ppm).

[Table] Used as an adjuvant.
Add 30g of 9 types of vegetables (onion, parsley, cucumber, bean sprouts, carrot, radish, lettuce, cabbage) chopped using a food processor to 150ml of the above 100-fold diluted solution at 30°C.
Soaked for 10 minutes. Remove each soaked vegetable;
Hereinafter, the number of viable bacteria was measured according to Reference Example 1. As a control disinfectant, an aqueous solution of sodium hypochlorite (available chlorine concentration 200 ppm) was used and the test was conducted under the same conditions. The results are shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, the shaded area indicates the number of E. coli bacteria, and the other areas indicate the number of general bacteria. Fourth
The figure shows that the disinfectant detergent containing fumaric acid has the strongest disinfecting effect on all vegetables. Thus, it is clear that the sterilizing and cleaning agent of the present invention containing fumaric acid exhibits strong sterilizing and cleaning effects not only on cucumbers but also on other vegetables. When this disinfectant containing fumaric acid was used, the number of general bacteria was reduced by more than 90% on eight types of vegetables, excluding cabbage. On the other hand, in the case of sodium hypochlorite aqueous solution, the reduction of general bacteria was 90%.
The only vegetable that showed % or more was carrots. (Effects of the Invention) According to the present invention, a food sterilizing detergent composition containing fumaric acid as a main component can thus be obtained. When foods such as raw vegetables are washed and sterilized with a sterilizing detergent using this composition, the number of adhering bacteria is significantly reduced. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in freshness during handling stages such as transportation and processing of raw vegetables. The composition is supplied as a homogeneous suspension that is stable over time. Fumaric acid, surfactant, etc. in the composition are compounds approved as food additives, so they are safe for the human body and do not impair the flavor of foods.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a graph showing the bactericidal effect of various organic acids on raw vegetables (cucumber), Figure 2 is a graph showing the bactericidal effect of various organic acids on homogenized liquid of raw vegetables (cucumber), and Figure 3 is a graph showing the bactericidal effect of various organic acids on raw vegetables (cucumber). FIG. 4 is a graph showing the sterilizing effect of fumaric acid in the presence of various fatty acid esters, and FIG. 4 is a graph showing the sterilizing effect of an example of the food sterilizing detergent composition of the present invention on various vegetables.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A food sterilizing detergent composition containing fumaric acid, a surfactant, and xanthan gum. 2 For 100 parts by weight of the fumaric acid, xanthan gum is 0.6 to 40 parts by weight, and surfactant is 2 parts by weight.
The composition according to claim 1, which is contained in a proportion of ~100 parts by weight. 3. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the fumaric acid is diluted in water or an alcohol-containing aqueous solution so that the fumaric acid is contained in a proportion of 5 to 50% by weight. 4. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the surfactant is at least one selected from the group consisting of glycerin fatty acid ester, sorbitan fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester, and polyglycerin fatty acid ester.