JPH0636710B2 - Sterilized heat puffed food - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a heat-expanded food that has been subjected to a pressure heat sterilization treatment.

[Conventional technology]

With the widespread use of cooking appliances such as microwave ovens and ovens in the home, instant foods or cooked foods (pre-cooked foods) that are produced by heating with these appliances are on the market.

There are various types of these foods, and there are many kinds of handmade booms. One of them is the powdered premixes for cakes, breads, cookies and biscuits. Has been done. This premix is a mixture of the necessary ingredients (flour, sugar, shortening, milk powder, dried eggs, baking powder, flavors, etc.) in advance, and water, milk or water and eggs should be added. Has been adjusted to be a batter or dough.
Therefore, the rest of this batter or dough
Simply heat and bake in an oven to make the above cake,
Cookies etc. are completed.

Thus, the premix has various advantages such as reduction of labor force, simplification of work, uniformization of quality, reduction of weighing error and material loss, and room temperature distribution.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

On the other hand, however, this premix has the following problems.

First, it is necessary to add water such as water to the premix to make a batter before heating at each home, but the adequacy of the addition of water greatly affects the condition of the finished food product. That is, to get the desired batter,
It is necessary to add a prescribed amount of water, etc. accurately and to mix the powdery premix evenly, taking care not to get fooled, but at this time, there is too much water, or conversely too little. It is easy to make mistakes, such as a lump or a lump. It goes without saying that the result is poorly baked and poor flavor. Thus, no matter how well prepared at the raw material stage, the final failure depends on the consumer's skill.

Secondly, regarding the flavor of foods, the premix uses raw materials that have been dried and powdered so that they can be distributed at room temperature, whether eggs, milk, fats and oils. Therefore, there is a drawback that it is difficult to obtain a raw flavor.

Therefore, a pre-cooked food that does not require complicated preparations at home, can be completed simply by heating, and can be distributed at room temperature is desired, but in this case, the pre-cooked food is sterilized because it is not dried. Will be required.

Normally, the sterilization treatment applied to pre-cooked food is 10
The mainstream is retort sterilization (heat sterilization) performed at a high temperature of 0 ° C or higher (for example, 120 ° C / 1 atm), but the problem here is that the batter is simultaneously burned by the heating for this sterilization. It will be done. Then, heating at home is just a warming work.
The process of changing the ingredients, such as the batter swelling and the cakes, souffles, etc. baked, disappears, and the enjoyment of cooking cannot be enjoyed.

In particular, with regard to the above-mentioned souffle, there is a strong image that it is a French dish that is difficult to cook due to the complicated composition and adjustment of its ingredients, and in addition, even if it swells once by heating, it will deflate immediately after cooling, They had to be served fresh and warm, and therefore had very few opportunities to eat.

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a pre-cooked food that has been sterilized by heating, is distributed and stored at room temperature, and is swelled at home by heating in a microwave oven or the like to produce a souffle-type food. The challenge is to provide.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

As a result of repeated studies with the above problems in mind, a batter prepared so as to expand by heating is sterilized by heating while preventing expansion by pressurization in a closed container, and this problem can be solved. Heading, it came to complete this invention.

Therefore, the sterilized heat-expanded food according to the present invention,
A sterilized food product comprising at least a heat-coagulable protein, starch, fat and oil and a natural paste, and having a swelling property, wherein the batter swells by containing a swelling agent and / or air bubbles. After being imparted with the properties, it is filled in a closed container and heat-sterilized in the container while preventing expansion due to pressure. Then, it can be expanded only by reheating after opening the container. The bubbles are easily formed by adding an emulsifier to foam.

[Action]

The heat-coagulable protein contained in the batter has a foaming effect and traps the gas at the time of expansion and becomes the texture of the sponge tissue. Starch adjusts the solid content (dry weight of all components other than water) in the batter component to improve the mouthfeel such as softness and texture.
Like starch, fats and oils have the action of forming a flour-like structure, and are added to adjust the solid content in the batter component and improve the mouthfeel and flavor. In addition, holding and stabilizing air bubbles, maintaining dispersibility, homogenizing the structure,
In addition, a natural sizing agent having a function of imparting a body feeling and improving mouth feel is also added. The action of this natural paste suppresses the precipitation of starch before gelatinization.

The batter containing these essential components is given a swelling property by the above-mentioned means, and becomes swellable by heating. The expanding agent has a function of expanding the batter by decomposing by heating to generate carbon dioxide gas or ammonia gas. The emulsifier is added to assist the foaming property and cause the batter to have foaming.

When such batter is subjected to heat treatment for sterilization,
At the same time when the heat-coagulable protein coagulates and changes such as gelatinization of starch occur, the batter usually swells and solidifies. However, in the present invention, since heat sterilization is performed while pressurizing in a closed container, the container does not burst even if internal pressure is applied, and therefore the batter in a confined state expands to increase its own volume. I can't. That is, by this heat sterilization, the batter solidifies while leaving the expandability, the shape of the container is maintained as it is, and the pre-cooked food product can be stored at room temperature and stored at room temperature. Then, the souffle-type food product is completed by inflating only by reheating after opening the container.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to its embodiments.

Examples of the heat-coagulable protein include egg white, lactalbumin, gluten, soybean protein, etc., but are not particularly limited. These are used alone or in combination of two or more, and the blending amount thereof is not particularly limited, but if it is too small, bubbles may not be uniformly stabilized, and a watery and sticky structure may result. On the contrary, if the amount is too large, it tends to not swell when heated after opening. Therefore, although it depends on the kind of the heat-coagulable protein to be used, it is generally appropriate to add about 0.5 to 10% by weight based on the total amount of the batter.

As the starch, for example, common ones such as corn starch, waxy starch, cane starch, potato starch, wheat starch, rice starch and tapioca starch can be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds. The added amount is preferably about 0.1 to 10% by weight based on the total amount of the batter. If added in excess of this range, the peculiar odor of starch comes out, the texture becomes sticky and sticky, and swelling due to heating after opening may be insufficient, so the addition amount is less than the above value. In some cases, sponge-like texture and flavor may not be obtained.

Examples of fats and oils include vegetable fats and oils such as soybean oil, coconut oil, olive oil and safflower oil, animal fats and oils such as lard and butter,
There is no particular limitation on blended fats and oils such as margarine and shortening. Further, it goes without saying that the properties thereof can be arbitrarily selected such as a fluid type like vegetable oil, a plastic type like margarine, a hard type like hard butter, a powder type like powdered oil and fat. The amount of the above-mentioned fats or oils used alone or in combination of a plurality of types is preferably about 1 to 50% by weight based on the total amount of the batter in order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose of addition.

Examples of the natural paste include arabia gum, tragacanth gum, guar gum, locust bean gum, quince seed mucilage, pectin, alginic acid, carrageenan, xanthan gum, etc. , Or a plurality of types can be used in combination. Although the amount of the batter is not limited, it is preferably about 0.01 to 1% by weight based on the total amount of the batter. If the amount is less than this, the purpose of adding the natural paste is not achieved, and on the contrary, if the amount exceeds the range, the viscosity becomes too high and the foaming property is lowered. There is a possibility that a proper batter specific gravity may not be obtained.

To the above essential ingredients, add water and water such as milk and stir,
A homogenized batter can be obtained by mixing, but it is appropriate that the solid content is adjusted to 20 to 70% by weight including the following other components. . However, the solid content is not limited to this because it depends on the type and amount of the heat-coagulable protein.

The obtained batter is placed in a closed container in a state that it contains an expanding agent and / or bubbles, that is, as a heat-expandable material.

Examples of the expanding agent include sodium bicarbonate (sodium hydrogen carbonate), potassium hydrogen carbonate, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate,
Common ones such as alum, baked alum, tartaric acid, glucono delta lactone, potassium hydrogen tartrate, and monobasic calcium phosphate can be used without any particular limitation. Alternatively, a commercially available baking powder prepared by adding an auxiliary agent such as corn starch to a combination of these components may be used. The amount added is also not particularly limited, but when it is used for a batter containing no bubbles, for example, it is preferably about 0.2 to 3% by weight as an active ingredient with respect to the total amount of the batter. Here, the active ingredient is, for example, an ingredient excluding an auxiliary agent and the like contained in the prepared expanding agent, that is, an ingredient which generates the gas. If the amount added is too small, swelling due to heating after opening is not sufficiently obtained, while if it is too large, the bitterness and astringency peculiar to the swelling agent may appear, and the flavor may be impaired.

Emulsifiers include glycerin fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester, sorbitan fatty acid ester, propylene glycol fatty acid ester, soybean phospholipid (lecithin)
Etc., and an emulsifier blend in which these are mixed and powdered can be used. These are used alone or in combination of plural kinds, and the kind and combination thereof and the addition amount are not particularly limited, but it is possible to achieve a foaming force such that a batter specific gravity as described below can be obtained. ,
It is important to set it appropriately.

That is, the batter in this invention has a batter specific gravity.
It is necessary to foam until it becomes about 0.7 or less. If the batter specific gravity is large, bubbles in the tissue are too small, and the expansion may be insufficient. On the other hand, even if there are too many bubbles, the mouthfeel becomes too light, and the bubbles tend to be connected to each other to cause a so-called "su", so that a batter specific gravity of 0.4 to 0.7 is preferably selected.

In addition, as another ingredient to maintain the flavor,
Various sweeteners, flavors, colorings, spices, seasonings and the like may be added to the batter as required. In addition, various meat, seafood, vegetables, cheese, and other ingredients can be added as needed to make an hors d'oeuvre type that is not sweet at the end. Sweeteners, jams, custard cream, You can also add fruits to make a sweet dessert souffle.

The batter prepared as described above is heat-sterilized after being filled in a closed container. This sterilization treatment is performed in a retort kettle, etc.
Although not particularly limited, 1.0 to 3.0 atm is suitable. If the applied pressure is less than 1.0 atmosphere, expansion of the batter cannot be suppressed and expansion may occur in the container and the container may burst.If it exceeds 3.0 atmosphere, the pressure applied to the container is too high and the container is pushed. There is a tendency to be crushed. Regarding the sterilization temperature, the retort condition of 100 ° C or higher (usually 1
There is no particular limitation as long as it satisfies 20 ° C.

Since the sterilization is performed while applying pressure as described above, the closed container filled with this food must be able to withstand the application of pressure. Any material such as plastic, metal, or pottery can be selected as long as the material satisfies such conditions. In addition, a container that can be put in a microwave oven, an oven or the like as it is when it is heated again before meals is convenient and convenient. Further, the shape thereof is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the lid portion has a convenience that can be easily opened even by a hand or the like.

Finally, by opening the container and reheating, the solidified pre-cooked food product swells and a souffle type food product is completed. As described above, this reheating may be performed by using a steamer or the like as well as using a microwave oven or oven. In particular, heating in an oven until the surface is browned gives a soup with a very good taste.

Next, prior to the implementation of the present invention, examples and comparative examples for experiments performed for setting more appropriate conditions will be described.

(Experimental Example 1: Puffing agent and / or foaming effect) Composition consisting of the following components; (Hereinafter,% represents “% by weight”) Egg white 2.0% Waxy starch 5.0% Refined coconut oil 20.0% Guar gum 0.5% Degreasing Prepare 1.0% powdered milk, add the amount of expanding agent (baking powder; hereinafter abbreviated as "BP") and emulsifier (hereinafter abbreviated as "EM") shown in Table 1, and then add water to make the whole. It was set to 100. However, the composition of BP and EM is as follows.

BP composition; EM composition; The batter consisting of the above components was subjected to a mixing treatment for 3 minutes using a homomixer (manufactured by Tokushu Kika Kogyo Co., Ltd.), and then subjected to high-speed stirring at 25 ° C / 5 minutes with a Shinagawa universal stirrer. After foaming, the batter's foaming degree (whipped degree) was observed.

This batter was filled in a canned container, sealed, and pressurized to an external pressure of 2.6 atm (additional pressure of 1.6 atm) for retort sterilization at 120 ° C. for 20 minutes.

After cooling, the cans that had been left for one day and one night were opened and placed in the oven for 1
Firing was performed at 80 ° C. for 10 minutes, and the state of expansion during firing was observed.

The above results are also shown in Table 1. The evaluations of observations in all the following tables are as follows.

◎… Excellent ○… Good △… Slightly inferior ×… Not possible As seen in Table 1, Experimental Example 1a containing a sufficient amount of BP
˜1c and that of Experimental Example 1d containing a large amount of bubbles to which a sufficient amount of EM was added, the expandability during firing was excellent and good results were obtained. On the other hand, in Experimental Comparative Examples 1a to 1c in which the BP addition amount is insufficient, and in Experimental Comparative Example 1d in which the EM addition amount is insufficient and the foaming degree is insufficient,
Sufficient expansion was not obtained.

(Experimental Example 2: Non-pressurizing effect at the time of sterilization) A composition containing the same components as in Experimental Example 1
EM was not added and the amount of BP added was set to 1.5%), and a batter treated in the same manner as above was filled in an easy open tin can (manufactured by Toyo Seikan Co., Ltd.).

This was subjected to retort sterilization at 121 ° C. for 20 minutes under the external pressure shown in Table 2, and the state of the can was observed.

Furthermore, those that did not burst during sterilization were fired in the same manner as above, and the swelling property was observed.

The above results are also shown in Table 2.

The normal vapor pressure at a sterilization temperature of 121 ° C. is 1.0 atm, but by applying an additional pressure of 1.0 atm or more to this external pressure (Experimental Examples 2a to 2d), good shape retention is achieved. Sterilization was possible while keeping the batter in the container. These exhibited good swelling properties when fired. on the other hand,
When the applied pressure is zero or insufficient (Experimental Comparative Examples 2a, 2)
In b), the score of the easy open can expired, the can burst, and the filling material popped out. In addition, in Experimental Example 2d to which an additional pressure of 3.0 atm was applied, some of the cans were dented in a concave shape, so the upper limit of the additional pressure is:
Around 3.0 bar is a guide.

(Experimental Example 3: Effect of component blending amount) As shown in Table 3, various compositions (100 total amount after addition of water) were prepared using various heat-coagulable proteins, natural paste and the like. Sterilization and firing were performed in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1, and the swelling during firing and the structure of the obtained souffle were observed.
evaluated.

The results are also shown in Table 3.

As shown in Table 3, in Experimental Examples 3a to 3h, the respective components were appropriately blended and good results were obtained, but since Experimental Comparative Example 3a does not contain a thermocoagulable protein,
Swelling did not occur during firing, and it exhibited a soft paste shape even after firing, and no souffle-like structure was obtained. Further, in Experimental Comparative Example 3b, since the natural paste was not contained, starch was precipitated in the lower part during sterilization heating, and the finished structure became non-uniform.

(Experimental Example 4: Effect of solid content) As shown in Table 4, compositions with various solid contents (total amount after addition of water: 100) were prepared, and sterilized and fired as in Experimental Example 1 below. The swelling during baking and the texture and flavor of the resulting souffle were observed and evaluated.

The results are also shown in Table 4.

As shown in Table 4, the solid content mainly affected the tissue state after expansion, and when the solid content was low, the tissue became watery (Experimental Comparative Example 4a). The preferable value is influenced by the amount of thermocoagulable protein (egg white), and when the egg white concentration is low (2%), good tissue cannot be obtained unless the solid content is increased to some extent (Experimental Example 4a). ~ 4
e and Experimental Comparative Example 4a) have a high egg white concentration (5%).
In this case, a good texture was obtained even if the solid content was low (Experimental Example 4f). In Experimental Comparative Example 4a, the degree of swelling was good, but since the solid content was low, it deflated immediately after swelling. On the other hand, when the solid content is too high, the workability is deteriorated, and the swelling property tends to be poor because the structure becomes heavy. In Experimental Example 4e, the swelling property was slightly decreased. This solid content value cannot be determined because it depends on the type of heat-coagulable protein used, but from the above, a solid content of 20 to 70% generally gives satisfactory results.

In addition, the oil and fat content affects the flavor of the finished souffle, and when the oil and fat content is low, the souffle feeling tends to be slightly lacked (Experimental Examples 4a and 4f), and the experimental comparative example 4a containing no oil and fat content, In 4b, no souffle feeling was obtained.

Next, an example constructed based on the above experimental results will be described.

-Example 1-A composition comprising the following components; egg white 2.0% gluten 1.0% waxy starch 6.0% butter 25.0% guar gum 1.0% BP 2.0% EM 3.0% cream cheese 10.0% nonfat dry milk 2.0% peeled shrimp 20.0% tomato puree 15.0 % Spices 0.6% Sodium glutamate 0.5% Salt 0.2% (total amount after water addition 100) All ingredients except peeled shrimp were uniformly mixed with a homomixer, and then with a Shinagawa universal stirrer at 25 ° C / 3
High speed stirring for 1 minute was performed to cause foaming. The batter specific gravity after foaming was 0.7.

After adding chopped shrimp to this, it was filled in a canned container and sealed, and retort sterilization was performed at an external pressure of 2.6 atm and 120 ° C. for 20 minutes.

After cooling, the cans that had been left for one day and one night were opened and placed in the oven for 1
It was baked at 80 ° C. for 10 minutes to obtain a shrimp-type souffle.

-Example 2-In Example 1, the shrimp are removed and meat is replaced with no tomato puree.
Foaming (batter specific gravity 0.6), sterilization and firing were performed to obtain chicken-type souffle. However, xanthan gum 0.5% was used as the natural paste, and the waxy starch addition amount was 4%.

-Example 3-A composition comprising the following components; egg white 2.0% waxy starch 2.0% butter 15.0% guar gum 0.6% BP 2.0% EM 3.0% skim milk powder 3.0% egg yolk 15.0% sugar-cooked mixed fruit 20.0% lamb syrup 5.0% sugar Of 15.0% fragrance 0.6% (total amount after water addition 100), all components except mixed fruit were mixed and foamed in the same manner as in Example 1 (batter specific gravity 0.6),
After adding the chopped mixed fruit, it was sterilized and baked in the same manner to obtain a fruit-type souffle.

Each of the souffles obtained in the above examples had good swelling degree, texture state and flavor, and were delicious. In addition, since wheat flour is not included in the ingredients, there is no fishy smell peculiar to wheat flour, and there is no problem of aging of wheat flour.

〔The invention's effect〕

As has been described above, the sterilized heat-expanded food according to the present invention is a novel pre-cooked food that easily expands by heating and becomes souffle.

Raw materials are used as raw materials and are supplied to each household in a freshly baked state, so in addition to obtaining an excellent flavor, the final process of expansion accompanied by heating operation. Because it is left, you can fully enjoy the enjoyment of cooking at home.

Furthermore, since it has been sterilized and can be stored at room temperature for long-term storage, it is easy to manage and hygienic.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A sterilized food product which comprises at least a heat-coagulable protein, starch, oil and fat, and a natural paste, and which is a swelling batter, wherein the batter contains a swelling agent and / or air bubbles. It is given a swelling property by being exposed, and is sterilized by heating while preventing swelling by pressurization in a closed container, and sterilized by being able to swell by reheating after opening the container Heat puffed food.