JPH11269003A - Dried plant body having excellent stability and its production - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain dried plant bodies that have reduced molecular mobility and lowered hygroscopic properties, and shows storage stability for a long period of time by allowing the plant to keep a prescribed shape and replacing a specific amount of water in the living plant body with trehalose. SOLUTION: Dried plant bodies are obtained by replacing the water in living plant bodies with trehalose by >=20%, preferably by >=50%, more preferably by >=70%. The dried plant bodies is obtained by bringing the plant bodies having a prescribed shape into contact with a trehalose solution to replace the moisture in the plant bodies with trehalose more than 20%, preferably more than 50%, and more preferably more than 70% followed by drying. The plant bodies are preferably in cut forms for this purpose and, for example, trees, sea weeds, mushrooms, vegetables, flowers, fruits and the like. The trehalose to be used in this purpose is produced from starch through the enzymatic process and is preferably crystalline trehalose hydrate of high purity.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dried plant having excellent stability and a method for producing the same, and more particularly, to a dried plant having excellent stability in which a predetermined percentage or more of water in an active material is replaced with trehalose. The present invention relates to a plant and a method for producing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Dried plants are usually used as wood materials that can be used stably for a long period of time in civil engineering, construction, shipbuilding, furniture, miscellaneous goods, and the like. On the other hand, it is used for various purposes as feeds, foods, medicines, luxury goods, etc. that can be stored for a long time, and various dried flowers, fruits, leaves, stems, roots, etc. are mainly used for ornamental purposes. There are not a few scenes that are used for a long time in various forms.

[0003] As described above, the dried plant is utilized for a wide range of applications by taking advantage of its characteristic that it can be used stably for a long period of time, and is a useful one that is indispensable to our daily lives. As water molecules move into and out of the swelling area existing in the cell membrane of the plant due to changes in environmental humidity, the form and physical properties of the dried plant change, and in the case of wood, it causes distortion and cracking, In this case, the long-term storage stability of the dried plant was a major drawback. For example, the ornamental plant caused a remarkable change in texture, and the ornamental plant caused deformation and color change. In addition, it is a familiar experience that the color tone of the dried plant gradually changes due to oxygen, light, heat, and the like in the air. It is known that the stability of pigments in plants depends not only on the stability of the pigment molecules themselves, but also on the surrounding environment of the pigment molecules, that is, the molecular mobility around the pigment molecules. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce the molecular mobility around the dye molecule.

In general, long-term stabilization of wood and wood materials includes a formalization method, an acetylation method, a cyanoethylation method, an alkyl ketene dimer reaction method, an ethylene oxide treatment method, a high-temperature heat treatment method, a swelling region filling method and the like. Although known, each method except the swelling region filling method has disadvantages such as weakening of wood or difficulty in implementation and a large increase in cost, and has not been put to practical use. The only method of filling the swelling zone with polyethylene glycol has been put to practical use, but polyethylene glycol, which can be used to stabilize wood, is a liquid or semi-solid at room temperature, so that the surface of the treated wood becomes "wet". Phenomena appear, such as (1) the color of wood becomes a blackish hue as if it is wet, (2) remarkable decrease in adhesive strength, (3) coating becomes difficult, etc. was there.

[0005] As a method of solving such a drawback of the swelling region filling method using polyethylene glycol, a method in which a commercially available polyvinyl alcohol having a molecular weight of 2000 or less obtained by depolymerizing polyvinyl alcohol is used in place of polyethylene glycol has been proposed. 49-43125
Further, a method using low polymerization degree polyvinyl alcohol having an average degree of polymerization of 200 or less obtained by a specific method has been proposed in JP-A-59-70504, but none of them has been put to practical use. The reason is that it takes a long time to fill the swelling area in the plant cell membrane with these polymers, and it is possible to overcome disadvantages such as the inevitable coloring during the treatment reaction and the subsequent aging reaction. Because there is no.

[0006] In the case of feeds, foods, medicines, and luxury goods, it is not possible to use drugs having safety problems due to the nature of the application, so efforts have been made to maintain a dry state and preserve in a dark place. That is the current situation. In the case of dried flowers, fruits, leaves, stems, roots, etc. used for ornamental purposes, various treatment methods are permitted, but as a simple method, acrylic that embeds dry plants in transparent resin Other than the embedding method, it has hardly been put to practical use. According to this method, a glossy transparent plastic film is formed on the surface, so that the surface has a characteristic of being brilliant, and there is a limitation in use. Therefore, in the case of these ornamental uses as well, for the long-term storage of dried flowers and pressed flowers, the present invention is the only versatile method of preventing moisture absorption by using airtight packaging and a desiccant in combination.

Under such circumstances, there is a strong demand for a dried plant which can maintain long-term stability in a normal living environment, and a new method which is effective in stabilizing the dried plant, which is inexpensive and simple, has emerged. Is desired.

[0008]

An object of the present invention is to provide a dried plant having excellent stability and a method for producing the same.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have penetrated into the swollen area of cells in a plant,
We have been studying substances that can provide stability to dried plants by substituting a part of water inside the structure. As a result, it has been found that a dried plant obtained by substituting trehalose for a certain percentage or more of the water content in the active material of a plant has low molecular motility and excellent hygroscopicity and excellent long-term storage stability. Thus, the present invention has been completed.

That is, the present invention relates to (1) the method of
0% or more, preferably 50% or more, more preferably 70% or more.
% Or more of which is replaced with trehalose and has excellent stability. (2) The plant is brought into contact with a trehalose-containing solution, and all or part of water in the plant is replaced with a trehalose solution and then dried. (3) a dried plant having excellent stability, wherein the plant is brought into contact with a trehalose-containing solution by an appropriate means, and a certain amount of water in the plant is replaced with a trehalose solution, and then dried. The main content is a method for producing an excellent dried plant.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Trehalose used in the present invention is:
Any α, α-trehalose can be used as long as it penetrates the cell membrane and penetrates into the swollen area in the plant to improve the molecular motility and humidity sensitivity in the dried plant. The origin and manufacturing method are not limited. For example, JP-A-7-170977, JP-A-7-213
A water-containing or anhydrous crystal powder of trehalose produced by the method disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 283 or the like can be appropriately employed.
More specifically, for example, high-purity hydrous crystal trehalose (manufactured by Hayashibara Corporation, registered trademark “Trehaose”) industrially produced from starch by an enzymatic method can be advantageously used.

In order to exhibit the effects of the present invention to a high degree,
It is desirable that most of the water that can be present in the plant is replaced with trehalose, but in order to ensure the effects of the present invention, at least 20% or more of the water in the active material of each plant is required. It is suitable that at least 50%, more preferably at least 70%, is substituted with trehalose.

[0013] As components other than trehalose,
A small proportion of antioxidants, ultraviolet absorbers, coloring dyes and pigments, flavors, seasonings, flavors, various physiologically active substances, salts, polysaccharides, water-soluble polymers, surfactants, penetrants, preservatives, Insect repellents, trehalose derivatives such as trehalose fatty acid esters, various sugars and their derivatives can be optionally used in combination,
The proportion is within a range that does not increase the hygroscopicity of the dried plant,
Alternatively, it should be kept within a range that does not reduce the storage stability of the dried plant.

The plants used in the present invention include cedar, cypress,
Woods such as pine, zelkova, beech, oak, bamboo, bark, cork,
Woody materials such as bamboo, vine, natural precious wood such as cedar, cypress, zelkova and other thin wood, seaweed, seaweed, kelp, hijiki, laver, Amakusa, etc., shiitake mushrooms, rock mushrooms, abalone mushrooms, maitake mushrooms, etc. Mushrooms, carrots, radish, burdock, lotus root, yam, sweet potato, potato, onion, garlic, ginger, cucumber, pumpkin, eggplant, pepper, tomato, cabbage, spinach, vegetables, rose, lavender, gypsophila, Ornamental flowers such as pansies, safflowers, hydrangeas, ears of wheat, tokusa, rush, cotton seeds, persimmons, apples, peaches, kiwi, pears, bananas, mango, papaya, pineapple, quince, melon, melon, watermelon , Strawberries, blueberries, grapes, plums, apricots and other fruits,
And the like.

The solvent for dissolving trehalose used in the present invention includes water, chloroform, dichloromethane,
Examples thereof include dimethylformamide, acetonitrile, dimethylsulfoxide, morpholine, and a mixed solvent thereof. Water is usually the safest, cheapest and simplest solvent.

As a method of contacting a plant with a trehalose-containing solution and replacing all or a part of water in the plant with a trehalose solution, a method of immersing a whole target plant in a trehalose-containing solution for a certain time period The most convenient method is to immerse a part of the plant tissue in which trehalose is exposed, such as a cut surface of a stem with flowers and leaves or a cross section of a wood log, where many conduits that easily penetrate water are exposed. Method, a method of continuing to bathe the trehalose-containing solution from the upper part of the plant can be adopted, but it is not limited thereto, and various devices and combinations can be used depending on the size and properties of the target plant, and the intended use. It is possible. In some cases, heating, decompression, and pressurization are extremely effective in improving the processing speed. Depending on the type of plant, it is effective to remove the permeation inhibitor such as rubber, resin, and tannin by appropriate pretreatment to improve the treatment speed.

Since the process in which trehalose permeates into a plant is a diffusion process, the time required for permeation increases nonlinearly as the distance increases. The diffusion coefficient decreases when the cross section is a dense structure, and increases when the cross section is a sparse structure. Also,
In general, the diffusion coefficient increases as the concentration difference increases and the temperature increases. For this reason, when treating the plant with the trehalose solution, the plant is made as thin as possible to increase the specific surface area, preferably cut so that the surface perpendicular to the fiber is more exposed, and It would be desirable to process with. From this viewpoint, it is possible to say that a square wood or a plate cut out from a tree log, a ginseng or a lotus root slice or the like is a very preferable target plant of the present invention from this viewpoint.

In order to obtain a dried plant having excellent stability, if all of the water adsorption seats present in the plant are replaced with trehalose, the dried plant will no longer adsorb moisture, It is assumed that the humidity sensitivity originally possessed by the plant is completely lost, and that the molecular motility does not change with the change in humidity. However, 100% substitution is an ideal case that is difficult to realize, and in reality, 20% or more, preferably 50%, of the
It is necessary that at least%, more preferably at least 70%, of the water be replaced by trehalose in order to achieve excellent long-term storage stability. If this is less than 20%, a remarkable stability improving effect cannot be obtained.

The stability improving effect specifically imparted to the dried plant obtained by the present invention is as follows. In the case of woody materials and natural precious wood, the dimensional change due to humidity change is significantly reduced.
Practical effects such as (1) reduction of cracking, (2) reduction of adhesion peeling, (3) reduction of corrosive insect food, and (4) maintenance of color tone can be obtained.

2. In the case of seaweeds, mushrooms, vegetables, and fruits, rigidity is maintained even when placed in a high-humidity environment, and it is not settled. In connection with that, (1) maintenance of texture ,
Practical effects such as (2) maintaining quality, (3) maintaining color tone, and (4) preventing sticking can be obtained.

3. In the case of botanicals, by replacing part of the water in the living object with trehalose, the color development of leaves and flowers is improved, the rigidity of dried plants is clearly increased, and furthermore, high temperature and high humidity environment There is an effect that it does not become soft even underneath, and accompanying it, (1) improvement of color development,
Practical effects such as (2) improvement of storage durability and (3) improvement of commercial value can be obtained. And so on.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to specific examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0023]

Example 1 <Experimental Method for Dimensional Stabilization of Wood Material> Air-drying material of Mizumezakura (4 × 4 × 0.5 cm) was used as test wood. Five test pieces, each of which was individually measured in absolute dry weight (W1) in advance, were placed in a beaker in a filtration bell, restrained at the bottom using a stainless steel mesh so as not to float even if water entered, and evacuated with a vacuum pump for 30 minutes. After pulling, a trehalose solution having a predetermined concentration (Cx) was injected from a measuring flask placed above the filtration bell, allowed to stand at normal pressure for 30 minutes, sealed in a polyethylene bag while being wet, and kept at a predetermined temperature (T
x).

Next, the surface of the test piece taken out of the bag was thoroughly wiped with a filter paper to remove the liquid adhering to the surface, and then immersed in weight (W).
2) was measured. From the values of W1, W2 and Cx, the amount of trehalose impregnated in wood can be estimated.
Next, the test piece after the impregnation and wiping was air-dried and conditioned for 2 weeks in a thermo-hygrostat at 20 ° C. and 65% RH, and the dimensions in the r and t directions were measured. The dimensions were measured using a screw micrometer and read to two decimal places. Next, the test piece was dried at 105 ° C. for 8 hours to obtain a completely dried sample.

Next, the test piece was transferred to a desiccator of 90% RH and conditioned for 2 weeks. Then, the dimensions of the wood in the r and t directions were measured in the same manner, and then the temperature and humidity of 25 ° C. and 30% RH were measured. After transferring to a room and adjusting the humidity for 10 days, the dimensions were measured. Thereafter, in the same manner, the dimension measurement after humidity control at 90% RH for 10 days and the dimension measurement after humidity control at 30% RH for 10 days were repeated.
Defining the dimensional change rate when shifting from the low humidity condition to the high humidity condition as the expansion rate Psw, and defining the dimensional change rate when shifting from the high humidity condition to the low humidity condition as the shrinkage rate Psh, P
sw and Psh are respectively represented by the following equations. Psw = (L2-L1) / L1 × 100 Psh = (L2-L1) / L2 × 100 where L1 and L2 represent the low-humidity side dimension and the high-humidity side dimension, respectively, measured in each humidity control cycle. .

The anti-shrinkage rate (ASE) and the anti-expansion rate (AE) are represented by the following equations, respectively. ASE = [Psw (0) -Psw] / Psw (0) × 1
00 AE = [Psh (0) -Psh] / Psh (0) × 10
0 Here, the suffix (0) represents the numerical value of the untreated material (blank) that has not been subjected to the dimensional stabilization processing. The values of the anti-shrinkage rate (ASE) and the anti-expansion rate (AE) obtained by such a procedure are summarized in Table 1 as the results of the dimensional stabilization test of the wood material.

The cellotape test is based on the adhesion of treated wood,
This is a measure of paintability, and a commercially available cellophane tape is strongly adhered to the surface of the test piece and peeled off after 24 hours to determine the adhesive strength and the material breakage state. The hue is to visually determine the difference from the untreated wood, and the color with little change is marked with ○, and the one with large change is marked with x. The comparative experimental example shows the result of using a conventionally known polyethylene glycol (PEG-1000) instead of trehalose. The anti-shrinkage and anti-expansion rates are good, but the cellotape test and hue results are poor.

[0028]

[Table 1]

[0029]

[Example 2] <Production of dried sliced ginseng> Commercially available 5 inch ginseng (one weight of about 150 g) was thoroughly washed with water, and then commercially available sodium hypochlorite (Ebisu Chemical Co., Ltd., available chlorine 12%) ) Was immersed in a 1,000-fold solution for 15 minutes to perform a sterilization treatment.
Next, after cutting off the bottom and the fine root portion of the tip, the sliced carrot was sliced to a thickness of about 0.5 mm from the bottom using a household slicer. Each of the sliced carrots was subjected to the following experiment as one lot.

The initial weight W1 of the sliced ginseng of each lot (= 1)
100 g) was measured with a precision balance, immersed in 500 ml of a trehalose aqueous solution adjusted to a predetermined concentration (Cx) (= 5 times the initial weight of ginseng), kept at a predetermined temperature (Tx) for a predetermined time (Hx), and Part or all of the water (about 90%) in the active material was replaced with a trehalose aqueous solution. next,
After transferring the whole to a stainless steel wire mesh colander and draining the liquid, the ginseng was spread on a paper towel, the paper towel was also held down from above, the surface adhering liquid was removed as much as possible, and the weight (W2) was measured after immersion. When fresh ginseng is used, the value of W2 / W1 is approximately between 0.7 and 1.0.

Next, a shallow stainless steel bat (size 2) laid with a home cooking sheet (Lion sales, Reed hot cooking sheet) of known weight in advance.
Ginseng ginseng was spread on three pieces (5 × 35 cm) so as to minimize overlap, and the weight (W3) before drying was measured. Next, it is pre-dried by a 70 ° C. hot air drier for 90 minutes, and furthermore, a blast drier (Unimac, cold air drier “Minican”).
After drying under a condition of 40 ° C. and 40% RH for 16 hours, the weight (W4) of the dried product after drying was measured.

From the comparison between the measured values of W1 to W4 when the trehalose concentration is 0% (blank) and the measured values of W1 to W4 when the trehalose concentration is finite, the amount of trehalose contained in the dried product can be estimated. In other words, when the sliced ginseng is immersed in a trehalose aqueous solution at a high temperature for a long time,
The water of the whole system, which is a combination of the water contained in the body of the sliced ginseng and the water contained in the aqueous trehalose solution, contains trehalose at almost the same concentration and is contained in the aqueous solution of trehalose present inside the body of the sliced ginseng. It is believed that the trehalose was eventually stored in the dried ginseng.

The dried shredded carrots were evaluated on a scale of five on three items: shrinkage during drying, discoloration during drying, and morphological stability. Among the evaluation items, regarding the shrinkage during drying, the case where the cross-sectional shape kept almost the original size was set to 5 points, and when contracted and deformed by drying, it was deducted according to the degree, and 3 points or more were accepted. . Regarding discoloration during drying, 4 points were given a color tone equivalent to that of raw, 5 points when the color became vivid due to drying, and deduction when the color tone deteriorated due to fading or browning, and 3 points or more were judged as acceptable. For morphological stability, 20 ° C, 6
The amount of bending deformation under the condition of 5% RH was evaluated by tactile sensation.
One point was determined to be flexible enough not to break even when it was bent at 0 degrees, and five points were determined to be strong enough to be broken by 20 to 30% bending deformation. The morphological stability was also evaluated after standing in a 90% RH atmosphere for 10 days. Each item is evaluated on a five-point scale, and each item is scored 3 or more for a total of 10 items
The points or more were evaluated as passing the comprehensive evaluation (O). Table 2 summarizes the results of the experimental examples of dried sliced ginseng.

From these results, it can be seen that the dried plant body in which a substantial part of the water in the body has been replaced with trehalose retains its original shape better due to less shrinkage during drying, has excellent humidity stability, and has high humidity. It was found that, even under the condition, the composition was excellent in morphological stability without softening, and not only retained a vivid color close to freshness even when dried, but also excellent in color stability over time.

[0035]

[Table 2]

[0036]

Embodiment 3 <Experimental Example of Dried Flower> An experimental example in which a dried flower is prepared using red or pink carnation, vetch, and cattleya flowers is described below. The bud immediately before flowering was cut at the flower neck, immersed in a 30% trehalose aqueous solution placed in a square aluminum vat through a perforated plate, and allowed to stand at room temperature for 16 hours to perform a trehalose substitution treatment. During this time most buds have blossomed. Next, the plate was immersed in a 10% aqueous citric acid solution for 1 hour in the same manner as above to carry out citric acid treatment and develop color.

The flowers thus pretreated are embedded in powdered silica gel by a conventional method and allowed to stand at room temperature for 7 days.
Dried flowers were made. The results obtained when the same operation as in the example was performed using water to which nothing was added in place of the 30% trehalose aqueous solution are shown as comparative examples. Table 3 summarizes the results of preparing dried flowers. The score in Table 3 is an absolute score out of 10, and the higher the score, the better the level.

In each of the examples in which the trehalose substitution treatment was performed, color development was excellent in any of the flowers as compared with the comparative example. Further, when the completed dried flower was left at room temperature and observed for color change, the comparative example showed remarkable fading in about three months, whereas the examples were all vivid even after one year. Color was maintained, and the effect was clear. Also, the dried flower of the comparative example,
While the petals tended to sag softly and softly under high humidity, the trehalose-treated example was crisper and more rigid than the comparative example, even in the case of any flower. There was no softening and petal dripping.

[0039]

[Table 3]

[0040]

Embodiment 4 <Experimental Example of Dried Pressed Flower> An example in which the present invention is applied to an eustoma which is very sensitive to moisture among dried pressed flowers will be described below. Two days before flowering, cut flowers of Eustoma were inserted in a 30% trehalose aqueous solution, and allowed to stand at room temperature for 40 hours to perform a trehalose substitution treatment. During this time most buds have blossomed. It was observed that trehalose microcrystals slightly precipitated around the stoma on the back side of the leaf. The cut flowers of eustoma pretreated in this way were cut vertically in about one-third vertically, the ovary was cut in about half, and the stamens and pistils in the flowers were removed. , And dried while being gently pressed with a 120 ° C iron between sandwiches between rayon nonwoven fabrics.

Both the flowers and leaves were brightly colored. 30%
A comparative example shows a case in which water to which nothing was added was used instead of the trehalose aqueous solution, and the other operations were performed in exactly the same manner as in the example. At first glance, both the flowers and the leaves were finished in vivid colors, comparable to the examples.

The dried pressed flower thus prepared was stuck on colored paper, dried overnight with silica gel, carefully covered with a vinylidene chloride film, sealed with mending tape, and allowed to stand in a room not exposed to direct sunlight. The change over time in hue was observed. In the comparative example, the white blur started in one month, the remarkable fading was observed in three months, and almost no color was observed after six months.On the other hand, the example in which the trehalose substitution treatment was performed showed almost no change in three months. After 6 months, the degree of slight blurring started, and even after one year, the vivid color was preserved, and the effect of the trehalose treatment was clear.

[0043]

Example 5 <Experimental example of dried nori> One piece of commercially available dried nori was put into 500 ml of a 30% trehalose aqueous solution,
After allowing to stand overnight (16 hours), the seaweed was dispersed well by gentle stirring, and then transferred to a 18 cm-diameter circular stainless steel sieve, taking care to make the whole as uniform as possible. One hour later, the laver sheet is transferred to a household cooking sheet (lion sales, reed hot cooking sheet), put in a blow dryer (Unimac, cold air dryer "Minican"), and dried at 40 ° C and 40% RH for 24 hours. Dried for hours. In this way, “Example dried seaweed sheet” was prepared. A "comparative laver sheet" was prepared in the same manner as in Example except that water to which nothing was added was used instead of the 30% trehalose aqueous solution.

[0044] Such a laver sheet is prepared at 20 ° C and 65% RH.
After being left in a constant temperature and humidity room for 3 days, the degree of flexibility was measured. For the measurement of the softness, the apparatus used for measuring the softness of the fabric is applied mutatis mutandis, a circular laver sheet is placed on a metal cylinder with a diameter of 3 cm with its center aligned, and a metal weight of the same diameter is placed on it and held for a certain period of time. The sagging distance of the end of the sheet after the passage is measured, and the maximum strain rate is expressed in% by the same formula as the strain rate of the cantilever. Table 4 shows the results of measuring the softness of the dried nori sheet at 20 ° C. and 65% RH. The larger the number, the greater the flexibility, and the smaller the number, the greater the rigidity.

[0045]

[Table 4]

After laminating 10 sheets of seaweed sheets prepared in the same manner and leaving them in a thermo-hygrostat at 20 ° C. and 65% RH for 3 days, a load of 2 g per square centimeter was applied, and the sheets were allowed to stand for another 2 weeks. The load was removed and the state of agglutination between the laver sheets was examined. In the case of the dried laver sheet, almost no sticking was observed, and the sheets were easily separated one by one, whereas in the case of the comparative laver sheet, the laver sheet was firmly stuck and was to be peeled off. The situation itself was broken, and the difference between the example and the comparative example was obvious.

[0047]

Example 6 <Experimental example 1 of dried sliced carrot snack> After washing a commercially available five-size carrot (one piece weighing about 150 g) with water, a commercially available sodium hypochlorite (Ebisu Chemical Co., Ltd., available chlorine) (12%) in a 1000-fold diluted aqueous solution for 15 minutes for sterilization. Next, after cutting off the spatula of the head and the fine root at the tip, the sliced carrot was sliced to a thickness of about 1 mm from the spatula using a household slicer. Wrap 100 g of the sliced carrots in a wrap and wrap it in a microwave (Inverter, oven, drill range, ER-CS8, Toshiba, 1300 power consumption)
W, high-frequency output of 650 W) and heated at the maximum output for 2 minutes for steaming.

[0048] The trehalose concentration was 10
%, 40% aqueous solution at 500C
The immersion liquid was immersed with gentle stirring (the immersion liquid trehalose concentration was 40% for SET40 and 10% for SET10). This is drained sufficiently with a stainless steel wire netting, spread to a shallow stainless bat (size 25 x 35 cm) covered with a household cooking sheet (Lion sales, Reed hot cooking sheet) so that there is as little overlap as possible, and blast drying Machine (made by Unimat, cold air dryer "Minican"), 40 ℃, 40%
It was dried under RH conditions for 16 hours to obtain dried carrots.

The dried carrots obtained were evaluated for dry weight, color, taste, texture and shrinkage, and dried carrots (SE) which were not immersed in the trehalose solution, and control products which were neither steamed nor immersed in the trehalose solution ( S). Among the evaluation items, regarding the color, 4 points of the color tone equivalent to the raw color were given, 5 points if the color became vivid by drying, and 5 points if the color tone deteriorated due to fading or browning, and 3 points or more were passed. And About taste,
The original taste of vegetables and the sweetness of trehalose are moderately harmonized and the passing line judged as appropriate as a snack food is set to 3 points. If the bitterness is emphasized and it is not preferable as a snack-style food, it will be deducted, and further trehalose immersion Points were added when it became delicious.

Regarding the texture, the passing line having excellent snack feeling was given 3 points, and the one having excellent softness and crispness was given a high score. Points which were too hard or had a strong stuffy feeling were deducted. Regarding shrinkage, 5 points are given when the cross-sectional shape retains almost the original size and the original taste of ginseng is visually felt, and when it shrinks and deforms ugly due to drying, it is deducted according to the degree, and 3 points The above was passed.
Each item is evaluated on a 5-point scale, and each item is scored 3 or more, and 4 items total 1
Five or more points were judged to pass the comprehensive evaluation.

Table 5 summarizes the evaluation results of Experimental Example 1 of the dried carrot snack.

[0052]

[Table 5]

From these results, it was determined that SET 40 was acceptable as a snack food in terms of color, taste, texture and the like. From the dry weight of S and SE, the dry solid content in 100 g of fresh carrot was 10 g, the water content was about 90 g, and SET4
23 g obtained by subtracting 10 g from 33 g of the dry weight of 0 is presumed to be trehalose which has been replaced by body water and has remained in the carrot tissue. This is about 25% of the water in the raw carrot tissue.
%, Equivalent to about 70% in dry carrots. SET10
Although some improvement was seen for each item as a snack-style food compared to the untreated dried product, it was not recognized as a passed product.

[0054]

[Example 7] <Experimental example 2 of dried sliced carrot snack> In the same manner as in Example 6, using a commercially available five-sized carrot, washing with water, sterilization, slicing, steaming, and immersion in an aqueous trehalose solution were performed. Moisture in carrots (9
(0%) was replaced with an aqueous trehalose solution. Further, the carrot was dried and dried, and the resulting dried carrots were evaluated for dry weight, color, taste, texture, and size in five steps according to the same criteria as in Example 6. A score of 3 or more for each item and a total score of 15 or more for 4 items was regarded as a pass of the comprehensive evaluation. Table 6 summarizes the results of Experimental Example 2 of the dried sliced carrot snack.

When starting from 100 g of fresh carrot, the dry weight of the sliced carrot is not less than 30 g, that is, trehalose is not less than 20 g (when about 20% of the water in the active material in the fresh carrot tissue is replaced by trehalose), and the crispness is more crisp. A good snack food with good quality was obtained. To satisfy this condition, the concentration of the immersed trehalose solution should be 3
It was necessary to exceed 0%. In the case of a 1 mm-thick sliced carrot, the trehalose content in the carrot almost reached equilibrium in about 8 hours when the trehalose aqueous solution concentration was 60% and the temperature was 60 ° C.

[0056]

[Table 6]

[0057]

Example 8 <Experimental example 3 of dry sliced carrot snack> In the method of Example 6, the thickness (Cx) of the trehalose aqueous solution was changed to 60% by changing the thickness of the sliced carrot in the range of 0.5 to 3 mm. Dried carrots were prepared and evaluated at an immersion temperature (Tx) of 60 ° C. and an immersion time (Hx) of 16 hours. Example 3 of dried carrot snack
Table 7 summarizes the evaluation results. Trehalose penetrates into carrots faster as the sliced carrots are thinner, and greatly affects the improvement of color, taste, especially texture. This is considered to be related to the diffusion rate of trehalose into the carrot tissue, and a sufficiently good snack food having a thickness of 3.0 mm or less was obtained.

[0058]

[Table 7]

[0059]

Example 9 <Experimental example 4 of dried sliced carrot snacks>
[Comparison of Various Sugars]> In the method of Example 2, the thickness of the sliced carrot was 0.5 mm, and sucrose, maltose, and maltitol were used instead of trehalose, and the concentration (Cx) of the aqueous solution was immersed in 60%. Temperature (Tx) 60
C. and a dipping time (Hx) of 16 hours, dried carrots were prepared and compared and evaluated using trehalose. Table 8 summarizes the results of Experimental Example 4 [Comparison of various saccharides] of dried carrot snacks.

In the case of trehalose, the trehalose penetrated well into the carrot slices, and had a remarkable effect on improving the color and taste, particularly the texture, and a good snack food was obtained. On the other hand, in the case of sucrose, it browned and colored during drying, and further hardened to have a poor texture, and was not suitable as a snack food. In addition, when maltitol or maltose was used, the resulting dried carrot had a stuffy feeling, which was also not suitable as a snack food.

The usefulness of trehalose in the preparation of dried sliced carrots is considered to be based on the stabilizing effect of trehalose on food components, low sensitivity to humidity, high crystallinity, and the physical and morphological stabilizing effects of these combined effects. Can be

[0062]

[Table 8]

[0063]

Example 10 <Experimental example of dry wheel cucumbers> Cucumbers were washed with water and immersed in a 1000 times diluted aqueous solution of commercially available sodium hypochlorite (Ebisu Chemical Co., Ltd., effective chlorine concentration 12%) for 15 minutes. A sterilization treatment was performed. Then, the sliced cucumbers were sliced to a thickness of about 1 mm using a slicer. Next, 100 g of the sliced cucumbers were boiled in a 0.3% aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate at 80 ° C. for 3 minutes, and drained with a stainless steel wire mesh colander.
The sample was immersed in the solution and kept at a temperature of 60 ° C. for 2 hours. this,
Drain with a stainless steel wire mesh colander, spread it as little as possible to a shallow stainless steel vat lined with a household cooking sheet, put it in a blow dryer, 40 ° C, 40% RH
Was dried for 16 hours under the conditions described above to obtain 54 g of a dried sliced cucumber, which had almost the same size as the original sliced cucumber.

When the solid content of the cucumber was measured, it was 4 g.
Out of 54g of dried cucumbers,
g is considered to be trehalose. This is equivalent to that trehalose replaces 52% of the water of 96 g of live cucumber and 93% of dried cucumber (54 g). This product was very good in color, taste and texture as a snack food.

[0065]

Example 11 <Experimental example of dried green peppers> In the same manner as in Example 10, using commercially available green peppers, washing with water, treatment with an aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate, sterilization, slicing, and immersion in an aqueous trehalose solution were performed. A part or all of the moisture (about 90%) in the active material of the pepper was replaced with the trehalose aqueous solution. Further, the liquid was drained and dried in the same manner as in Example 10 to obtain 43 g of dried green sliced green peppers having substantially the same size as the original green sliced green peppers.

The solid content of the green pepper was measured to be 6
Approximately 37 g in 43 g of dried green sliced green peppers is considered to be trehalose because it was wt%. Moisture in 100 g of fresh green pepper is 94 g, and 39
%, 86% of the dried green peppers (43 g) were replaced with trehalose. The dried green peppers thus obtained were evaluated for dry weight, color, taste, texture and size in five steps according to the same criteria as in Example 6. As a result, this product was extremely excellent in color, taste and texture as a snack food.

[0067]

Example 12 <Experimental examples of various dried sliced vegetables, fruits and mushrooms: ginger, lotus root, potato, red paprika,
Yellow paprika, persimmon, apple, shiitake mushroom> In the same manner as in Example 6, commercially available ginger, lotus root, potato, red paprika, yellow paprika, persimmon, apple (kodama), and shiitake mushroom are washed with water, and commercially available hypochlorite. 1 in 1000 times diluted aqueous solution of acid soda
It was sterilized by immersion for 5 minutes, and sliced to a thickness of about 1.0 mm using a slicer to prepare a sliced product (note that shiitake mushroom, red paprika and yellow paprika had a thickness of 2.0 mm,
Ginger was 0.5 mm).

100 g of each sliced product was treated with a trehalose concentration of 6
Each was placed in 500% 0% aqueous solution and immersed at 60 ° C. for 16 hours. (However, for apples, it was 2 hours.) After draining this well, wrap it in household wrap, put it in a microwave oven, and heat it for 2 minutes to cook. (However, for apples, cook before immersion in trehalose.) Was done.) Spread it out so that it does not overlap as much as possible, and dry it in a blow dryer at 40 ° C and 40% RH for 16 hours to obtain a dried sliced product that is almost the same size as the original sliced product. Obtained. These dried products retained the characteristics and flavor of the original active material in color, taste, and texture, and were extremely excellent as snack foods.

The solid content in the active material, the water content in the active material, the weight of the dried product, the estimated trehalose weight in the dried product, the trehalose substitution ratio of the water in the active material, the trehalose ratio in the dried product, etc. Table 9 shows the results of experimental examples of dried sliced vegetables, fruits, and mushrooms.

[0070]

[Table 9]

[0071]

Example 13 <Experimental example of dried round eggplant> In the same manner as in Example 6, commercially available eggplant was washed with water, sterilized and sliced.
100 g of the round slices were boiled in a 0.15% sodium ferrous citrate aqueous solution at 95 ° C. for 2 minutes, drained with a stainless steel wire netting monkey, and treated with a trehalose weight concentration 60% aqueous solution 500
and immersed at 60 ° C. for 3 hours. After draining the solution, wrap it in a wrap, heat it in a microwave for 2 minutes and cook it, spread it on a household cooking sheet so that there is no overlap as much as possible.
It was dried for 16 hours under the condition of% RH to obtain 50 g of a dry sliced product which had almost the same size and color as the original sliced sliced product.

The dried solid content of the raw eggplant was measured to be 6% by weight.
g is considered to be trehalose. 100g of raw eggplant
47% of the water 94g present in the inside, dry sliced eggplant (5
This corresponds to 88% of Og) being replaced by trehalose. This product was excellent in color, taste and texture as a snack food.

[0073]

Example 14 <Experimental example of dried cut spinach> A commercially available spinach was washed with water and sterilized in the same manner as in Example 6. Next, 100 g of the trehalose solution was boiled in a 0.3% aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate at 80 ° C. for 3 minutes and sufficiently drained with a stainless steel wire mesh.
0 ml and immersed at 60 ° C. for 2 hours. This was drained with a stainless steel wire mesh colander, wrapped in wrap, placed in a microwave oven, and heated at the maximum output for 2 minutes to cook. Spread the spinach leaves on the home cooking sheet as little as possible, and use a blow dryer, 40 ° C, 40 ° C.
Drying was carried out for 16 hours under the condition of% RH to obtain 57 g of dried spinach having a size close to the original spinach.

When the solid content of raw spinach was measured, it was 1
Since it was 0 g, about 47 g of dried spinach is considered to be trehalose. 5 of 90g of raw spinach moisture
2%, 82% of the dried spinach (57g) has been replaced with trehalose. This product was excellent in color, taste and texture as a snack food.

[0075]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, it is possible to relatively easily obtain a dried plant having excellent stability by partially replacing the water in the active material with trehalose. Became possible.

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] July 19, 1999

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Claims]

2. A plant having a predetermined form and a trehalose solution are brought into contact with each other to allow the trehalose solution to penetrate into the plant, so that the water content in the active substance of the plant is at least 20%, preferably at least 50%, more preferably at least 70%. %. A method for producing a dried plant having excellent storage stability, wherein the dried plant is dried after trehalose is substituted for trehalose.

Wherein plant trees such, seaweeds, mushrooms, vegetables, flowers奔類a fruit, and the like, more preferably dry plant of claim 1 wherein the cleavage of these plants.

4. The dried plant according to claim 2 , wherein the plant is a seaweed, a mushroom, a vegetable, a fruit, or the like, and a step of cooking the plant in a feedable state is included as a part of the manufacturing process. Manufacturing method.

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0009

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have penetrated into the swollen area of cells in a plant,
We have been studying substances that can provide storage stability to dried plants by substituting a part of water inside the structure. As a result, it has been found that a dried plant obtained by substituting trehalose for a certain percentage or more of the water content in the active material of a plant has low molecular motility and excellent hygroscopicity and excellent long-term storage stability. Thus, the present invention has been completed.

[Procedure amendment 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0010

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

That is, the present invention has (1) a predetermined form.
20% or more, preferably 50% of the water content in the active material of the plant
The above, more preferably 70% or more is substituted with trehalose, and is a dried plant excellent in storage stability, ( 2 ) a predetermined form
A plant having excellent storage stability characterized by contacting a plant having a trehalose solution with a trehalose-containing solution by a suitable means, replacing a certain percentage of water in the plant with a trehalose solution, and drying. The main content is the manufacturing method.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A dried plant having excellent stability in which 20% or more, preferably 50% or more, more preferably 70% or more of water in an active substance is substituted with trehalose. 2. The dried plant according to claim 1, wherein the plant is brought into contact with a trehalose solution to allow the trehalose solution to penetrate into the plant and then dried. 3. Contacting a plant with a trehalose solution to allow the trehalose solution to penetrate into the plant, and to remove 20% or more, preferably 50% or more, and more preferably 70% or more of the water in the active material of the plant. A method for producing a dried plant having excellent stability, characterized in that the plant is substituted with and dried. 4. The dried plant according to claim 2, wherein the plant is a tree, a seaweed, a mushroom, a vegetable, a flower, a fruit, or the like, and more preferably a cut product of these plants. 5. The dried plant according to claim 3, wherein the plant is a seaweed, a mushroom, a vegetable, a fruit, or the like, and a step of cooking the plant in a feedable state is included in a part of the manufacturing process. Manufacturing method.