JPH0928347A - Softener or food taste improver for meat and fish-and-shellfish - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a softener or food taste improver useful for softening meat texture or improving food taste, comprising a carbonate, organic salt, organic acid salt, albumen extract and soft roe extract. SOLUTION: A mixture, as meat texture softener, of (A) a carbonate and (B) an organic salt is incorporated with (C) an organic acid salt plus (D) albumen extract as osmotic pressure adjuster, and then mixed with (D) soft roe extract useful for improving flavor while suppressing the discharge of treatment liquor during cooking under heating. It is appropriate that the contents of the components D and E in this softener or improver are 2-10wt.% and 5-20wt.%, respectively.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a softening agent or taste improver for meat and seafood. The agent according to the present invention is subjected to the treatment of meat and seafood in the form of an aqueous solution, in which case the above-mentioned aqueous solution penetrates into the tissues of meat and seafood to improve the softness and taste of meat during cooking, that is, When it is untreated, it has a dry feeling and has a juicy feeling, and it has good crispness and the like, and is therefore used for processing meat and seafood.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The agent according to the present invention basically causes a carbonate and an organic acid to coexist and penetrates into meat or seafood in the form of an aqueous solution to generate carbon dioxide gas during heating. The pressure of the gas expands the meat tissue to bring about a change in the tissue structure to bring about softening, and conventional treatment agents utilizing such a principle include (a) sodium bicarbonate as a main component. Do (commercially available product A) and (b)
A product containing sodium carbonate and an organic acid as main components and mixed with dextrin to improve dispersibility (commercial product B) is known, and it does not utilize expansion by carbon dioxide gas, but it is a taste improver. As a treatment agent that permeates an aqueous solution containing as a main ingredient into the tissue and brings about softening by evaporating water, (c) Condiments such as sugar and salt, amino acids, sorbitol, skim milk powder, taste of egg white powder, etc. In order to improve the penetrability by blending an improving agent, a blend of sodium phosphate known per se (commercial item C) is known. Incidentally, the meat is immersed in the sodium citrate aqueous solution, and then boiled or the meat is put into the sodium citrate aqueous solution,
A method for suppressing the hardening of meat that is immediately heated and boiled has also been proposed (JP-A-6-121654).

[0003]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention The present inventors investigated the above-mentioned commercially available treating agents, and found that the treating agent containing sodium bicarbonate as a main component (the above-mentioned commercially available product A). When it was made into an aqueous solution, the penetration into the inside of the meat tissue was not as good as on the left, the softening ability was low, and it was found that there was almost no effect on the improvement of the taste after cooking. The treatment agent containing acid as a main component and dextrin for improving the dispersibility (the above-mentioned commercial product B) has improved permeability and somewhat higher softening ability, but the effect on improving the taste is comparable. However, the treatment agent containing the taste improver such as amino acid and sorbitol and the sodium phosphate to improve the permeability (the above-mentioned commercial product C) has higher permeability. Effects on improving taste It was found to be low. Furthermore, it was found that the method of treating with a sodium citrate solution did not have a softening effect as high as on the left and did not have a taste improving effect.

The inventors of the present invention have conducted extensive studies on the reason why the above-mentioned various treatment agents are not so effective. As a result, even if the aqueous solutions of these treatment agents penetrate into the inside of the meat tissue, they have an affinity with the meat tissue. Therefore, it is presumed that the softening ability is not sufficiently exerted because most of the treated products are spilled out early when cooked, and the effect is not sufficiently exerted even if a taste improver is added. It was

Thus, the main object of the present invention is to be used in the form of an aqueous solution, which has a high permeability to the inside of meat tissue, has an excellent affinity with meat tissue, and flows out early even when the processed product is cooked. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a softening agent or taste improving agent for meat and seafood, which has a high ability to soften meat quality and also has an effect of improving taste. An additional, but essentially important object of the present invention is to provide a softening agent or taste improver for meat and seafood, which has a simple composition and can achieve the above main object.

[0006]

In order to solve the above problems and achieve the above main purpose, the present inventor has employed sodium carbonate, dextrin, and sodium citrate,
Citric acid, sodium caseinate, salt, malic acid, egg white extract, and a powder mixture of white protein extract, a softening agent or taste improver for meat or seafood has already been proposed (patent application) (Patent No. 7-150068).

The present invention was developed as a result of further studies on the invention disclosed in this prior application, and includes carbonate, organic acid, organic acid salt, egg white extract, and white egg extract. It is characterized by having and as main components.

The agent according to the present invention contains a carbonate and an organic acid because carbon dioxide is generated inside the meat tissue when the meat or seafood treated with the agent according to the present invention is cooked by heating. This is because the tissue structure of meat is changed by the pressure of carbon dioxide to soften it, and the carbonate and organic acid may be of any kind as long as they are acceptable in food processing, and for example, sodium carbonate may be used as the carbonate. As the organic acid, malic acid, citric acid, succinic acid and the like can be exemplified. On the other hand, the organic acid salt adjusts the osmotic pressure of the agent of the present invention when it is used, that is, when it is made into an aqueous solution, and makes it easier for the aqueous solution to permeate into the inside of the meat tissue, and is acceptable in food processing. Any type of organic acid may be used as long as it is a salt, and salts of organic acids similar to the above, such as sodium and potassium malate, can be exemplified.
Among the various components of the agent according to the present invention, the organic acid and the organic acid salt substitute for the inorganic acid and the inorganic acid salt, for example, polyphosphoric acid (for example, triphosphoric acid) and biphosphate (for example, sodium or potassium hydrogen phosphate). However, these phosphoric acids and phosphates cannot be said to be preferable because administrative guidance has been given not to use them from the viewpoint of food hygiene. The basic characteristics of the agent according to the present invention are as described in Japanese Patent Application No.
In the same manner as the invention disclosed in the specification, the egg white extract and the white egg extract are used in combination with the above-mentioned carbonate, organic acid and organic acid salt (in the above-mentioned prior specification, "white egg extract"). Is indicated as “Shirako protein extract”, but it is not known in the present application what component in the extract will bring about the effects described below, and therefore, is indicated as “Shirako extract” in the present application). That is, when the agent according to the present invention is used as an aqueous solution, and the meat is immersed in the aqueous solution and further stimulated by rubbing, stirring, etc., the egg white extract contributes to the improvement of the permeability of the treatment liquid into the meat tissue. However, the Shirako extract suppresses the outflow of the treatment liquid (provides the trapping ability) when the treated product is cooked, and as a result, it enhances the meat softening ability of the treatment liquid and contributes to the improvement of the taste. still,
Immersing meat in an aqueous solution is not preferable because it takes a long time to process, and the reason for the above stimulation has not been clarified, but stimulation is given for a certain period of time, and then a certain rest time is given, followed by stimulation again. Is effective. The amount of egg white extract contained in the agent according to the present invention is 2-
About 10% by weight is suitable. The reason for this is that if it is 2% by weight or less, the effect of improving the permeability into the inside of meat tissue is low when it is made into an aqueous solution, and if it is set to 10% by weight or more, the cost becomes high and the permeability does not increase so much. Is. On the other hand, as the Shirako extract, any fish-derived one can be used, but salmon-derived one is preferable, and the blending amount thereof is about 5% by weight or more.
This is because if the amount is about 5% by weight or less, the ability to suppress the outflow of the treatment liquid at the time of heating the treated product is lowered and the taste improving effect is low. Although there is no upper limit to the amount of this white pickled extract, it is about 20% by weight in terms of cost.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, the present invention will be described in more detail and concretely by manufacturing examples and test examples. Production Example The following ingredients were blended to prepare a softening agent or taste improver for meat and seafood. Ingredients Blend Ratio (wt%) sodium chloride (roast salt) 15.0 sodium malate 10.0 Sodium carbonate 30.0 DL-malic acid 15.0 Dextrin 22.5 egg white extract 2.5 salmon milt extract 5.0 100.0

Test Example 1 (Softening treatment and taste test of imported beef) Imported beef peaches were cut into appropriate sizes, divided into 3 groups, and weighed 223 g, 240 g and 231 g, respectively.
Met. On the other hand, the agent according to the production example is dissolved in tap water to prepare a 6% by weight aqueous solution thereof, which is used as a treatment liquid. The cut meat pieces of each group are put in a polyethylene bag, a treatment liquid having almost the same weight as the meat weight is introduced, air is removed, and the mouth of the bag is tied. Pour water into it, put ice pieces in it, and
Place in a washing tub that has been cooled to around 5 ℃ and stir for 20 minutes-1
Pause for 0 minutes-Process for 10 minutes with stirring (hand rubbing at room temperature is acceptable, but lowering the water temperature to prevent deterioration of meat as much as possible). Then pull up the bag to open it,
The meat was drained sufficiently and weighed to give 309, 327 and 314 g, respectively, 86, 87 and
It was found that 83 g of the treatment liquid penetrated inside the meat tissue. This treated meat (total weight: 950 g) or untreated control meat (weight: 240 g) and a seasoning base were used to prepare a simmered bonito by a conventional method. The weight of the obtained Kakuni was 836 g (reduced amount: 114 g, reduction rate: 1
2%), but 175 g (reduction: 65 g, reduction rate: 27%) when untreated control meat was used.
Regarding the color tone of these cooked products, the test product using the treated meat had a reddish brown color and was found to be good, while the control product was dark. Furthermore, when a sensory test was performed by an expert panelist, the test product was judged to be tender in meat quality and delicious, while the control product was judged to be hard and unpalatable.

Test Example 2 (softening treatment of chicken and taste test) Chicken breast meat was cut into bite-sized pieces, and three groups (weights 501, 514 and 507 g, respectively) were added in the same manner as in Test Example 1. (500g) -Meat was weighed after treating with the same concentration of treatment liquid, 644g, 659g and 618g respectively.
It was found that 143 g, 145 g and 111 g of the treatment liquid penetrated inside the meat tissue, respectively. This processed meat
(Gross weight: 1921g) or untreated control meat (Weight: 508g)
Was used to prepare a fried chicken by a conventional method. The weight of the fried chicken obtained was 1955 g for the test product (increase: 34 g, increase rate: about 0.2%), while the weight of the control product was 423 g (reduction:
It was 85g, and the reduction rate was about 17%. When these cooked products were subjected to a sensory test by an expert panelist, the test products were judged to be very soft and juicy, while the control products were judged to be hard and unpalatable. In addition, when some of the cooked products corresponding to the test product were cut and the internal tissue structure was observed, many fine cavities existed almost uniformly, but the untreated control product had cavities uniformly. It did not exhibit a cross-sectional tissue structure. Furthermore, a part of the cooked product corresponding to the test product and the control product was left unattended, and after eating when it became cold, the test product had a soft meat quality, whereas the control product had hardened. , It did not soften even when fried again.

Test Example 3 (softening treatment of squid and taste test) Squid squid was separated into a body and legs to remove offal and the like,
The body was cut into a ring shape, washed with water, and drained to obtain a sample. The weight of each sample (3 groups) is
It was 390, 350 and 378 g. These were treated in the same manner as in Test Example 2 with a treatment liquid having almost the same weight and concentration as the meat weight and then weighed to give 409, 367 and 402 g, respectively.
It was found that the treatment liquids of 19, 17 and 24 g permeated the inside of the meat tissue, respectively. These treated samples (total weight: 1178g) or untreated torso (weight: 405g)
Using g), seasoned and battered, the treated sample weighed 1272 g and the untreated sample weighed 433 g. When these were fried in salad oil by the conventional method, the weight of the test product was 1241 g (reduction: 31 g, reduction rate: about 2.5%), while the control product was 394 g (reduction: 39 g, reduction rate: about 2.5%).
3%). The color tone of these cooked products was observed, and the results of sensory tests by panelists were as follows. Test product: Brown / good, soft and delicious meat quality, Control product: Whitish, medium hardness and normal taste,

Test Example 4 (Treatment of shrimp) Frozen mud shrimp were thawed and the thawed mud shrimp were divided into 3 groups (weights were 120 g, 122 g and 120 g, respectively). A 5% by weight aqueous solution of the agent obtained in the Production Example was added to the samples in each of these groups in an amount approximately equal to that of the thawed mud shrimp, and treated in the same manner as in Test Example 1.The weights were 167 g, 165 g and 1 respectively.
It became 40 g, and it was found that 47, 43 and 20 g of the treated liquids permeated inside the tissue of the musk shrimp, respectively. 6 weight
If it is a% solution, the treatment time can be set shorter. Using these treated products or untreated control products and various kinds of vegetables cut appropriately, stir-fried vegetables were cooked by a conventional method. In these cooked products, the shrimp mixed in the stir-fried food obtained by using the processed products had the same size as before cooking except that they were all in a round shape. As a result, although the meat quality was soft, the shrimp in the stir-fried food obtained using the control product was in a dehydrated state and the size was remarkably small, and the meat quality was also hard.

Next, the treating agent according to the production example, a commercially available treating agent or 2% by weight in accordance with the description of JP-A-6-121654.
A comparative test using an aqueous sodium citrate solution will be described. The commercial treatment agents for comparison are (a) those containing sodium bicarbonate as a main component (commercial product A), (b) those containing sodium carbonate and an organic acid as main components, and dextrin for improving dispersibility. (Commercially available product B) and (c)
Containing flavor enhancers such as amino acids, sorbitol, skim milk powder, egg white powder, etc. in seasonings such as sugar and salt, and sodium phosphate known per se to improve permeability (commercially available product C) Was used.

Comparative Test Example 1 ( Test of Penetration of Treatment Liquid into Meat Tissue) One group of chicken breast meat was used, and an aqueous solution of a treatment agent (6% by weight aqueous solution, approximately the same weight as the meat weight of each group) was prepared. However, sodium citrate was placed in a polyethylene bag of 1 liter capacity together with 2% by weight aqueous solution) as described above, and rubbed by hand for 15 minutes. Next, the contents were poured into a colander, the treatment liquid was drained, and the weight of the remaining meat mass was measured. The results are shown in Table 1 below.
It was found that the weight increase was observed with any of the treatment agents and that the treatment liquid penetrated into the meat tissue.

[0016]

[Table 1]

Comparative Test Example 2 ( Test for Confirming Outflow Suppressing Effect of Treatment Liquid) Treated product obtained by the above Comparative Test Example 1 (agent according to production example, three kinds of commercial products and one treated with sodium citrate aqueous solution) ) And untreated products were dressed with starch and water and fried with salad oil.
(Weight of untreated product: 219.3g). Weight of cooked food and initial weight
The change in the weight of the cooked food relative to (weight of raw meat) is shown in the table below.
It was as shown in 2.

[0018]

[Table 2] *: Initial weight

Comparing the results shown in Comparative Test Examples 1 and 2, the solutions of any of the treating agents penetrate into the inside of the meat tissue, but the solutions of the treating agents according to the present invention are excluded and the meat tissue is cooked. It turned out to escape from the inside. On the other hand, the solution of the treating agent according to the present invention has a high affinity with the meat tissue as 1 part remains inside the meat tissue even after heating, and as a result, the effect of softening the meat quality and improving the taste are improved. It was presumed that the effects would be fully exerted.

Comparative Test Example 3 (Boiled Treatment and Comparison of Taste) A 6% by weight aqueous solution or 2% by weight of the treating agent obtained in the Production Example was applied to peach meat of imported beef cut into bite-sized pieces.
Using an aqueous citric acid solution, boiled according to the method disclosed in Example 1 of JP-A-6-121654,
It was washed with water, drained, and then fried according to Comparative Test Example 2, and then subjected to a tasting test. Initial weight of sample meat,
The weight change and weight change rate of the cooked product with respect to the weight after treatment, the weight after cooking, and the initial weight (weight of raw meat) were as shown in Table 3 below.

[0021]

[Table 3]

The surface color tone of both the test product and the control product obtained by the deep-fried treatment was dark brown when the treatment agent according to the production example was used, while the one using sodium citrate as the treatment agent and the control product. Had a light brown color. When subjected to a sensory test by an expert panelist on these test products and control products, the test products using the treatment agent according to the production example have slightly soft texture and good taste, and sodium citrate as a treatment agent is used. The test article used was somewhat soft, but taste-normal, whereas the untreated control article was judged to be very hard and tasteless. In addition, the test product using the treatment agent according to the production example maintained the softness and taste almost unchanged from the time of preparation even if it was left to cool, but other cooked products became hard and the taste was obviously deteriorated. Was there.

[0023]

When meat or seafood is treated with the aqueous solution of the agent according to the present invention and the treatment liquid is allowed to penetrate into the inside of the meat tissue, the meat quality becomes soft when the treated product is cooked,
The taste, such as umami and crispness, is improved, and these effects persist even when the cooked product becomes cold.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A softening agent or taste improver for meat or seafood, which comprises a carbonate, an organic acid, an organic acid salt, an egg white extract, and an egg white extract as main components. 2. The meat or seafood according to claim 1, characterized in that the content of egg white extract is 2-10% by weight, and the content of egg white extract is 5% by weight or more. Softening agent or taste improver. 3. The softening agent or taste improver for meat or seafood according to claim 1, wherein the Shirako extract is derived from salmon.