JPS63294738A - Preparation of frozen cut vegetables - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To keep the chewy feeling, taste and flavor of vegetables in a state close to those of raw cut vegetables, by cutting vegetables in contact with water, exposing to water and immediately freezing the vegetables. CONSTITUTION:Vegetables such as onion, Welsh onion, carrot, green pepper or cabbage or fruits such as persimmon or avocado are washed with water and, if necessary, processed to remove the root, skin, seed, etc. The vegetables, etc., are cut into prescribed size and shape with an Arshell cutter or food slicer, etc. The cutting is carried out in a state of contacting the cut surface with water e.g. by constantly charging water into a raw-material hopper. The cut raw material is immediately immersed in water or exposed to water after showering or after a combination of immersion and showering. After the exposure, the material is drained and frozen. The freezing is carried out preferably by quick deep-freezing process.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a method for producing cut vegetables that are frozen in a cut state and require freezing.

[Conventional technology]

BACKGROUND ART Frozen vegetables frozen in cut form have become popular due to demands for stable supply throughout the year and ease of PIP processing.

Conventionally, frozen cut vegetables have been produced by washing raw materials, cutting them, blanching them, and freezing them.

Vegetables have strong enzymatic activity and retain their activity even at temperatures as low as -20°C, and this activity reduces quality even during frozen storage, so these enzymes must be deactivated when freezing vegetables. No.

Therefore, in the production of frozen cut vegetables, blanching as a pretreatment step, that is, inactivation of enzymes by heat, is considered essential.

Blanching is usually done by lightly heating the food with boiling water or steam at around 80-100°C, but the blanching temperature and time should be selected appropriately, taking into account quality preservation during freezing as well as quality when finally thawed. . Other effects of blanching include killing of microorganisms attached to the surface of the raw material, removal of air in the tissue, softening of the tissue and reducing cell destruction during freezing.
Examples include removing the bitterness of raw flavors and changing the green color of raw materials to a beautiful dark green color.

In this way, blanching helps preserve the quality of frozen vegetables.
However, on the other hand, the heat treatment softens the tissue and loses its so-called crispness, and soluble components such as minerals and vitamin C1 protein are inevitably leaked out. In particular,
Softening of the tissue impairs the freshness of vegetables, and may impede their use depending on the intended food type and cooking method.

In other words, tissue softening due to blanching is not so much of a problem for foods that are cooked for a long time, such as so-called stewed foods, but for foods that are cooked for a short time, such as stir-fried or baked. This results in a significant decrease in product value.

In order to suppress this kind of deterioration in quality caused by blanching, vegetables are rapidly cooled after blanching to minimize overcooking. It is difficult to obtain small amounts of frozen cut vegetables.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

The present invention solves the problem of the conventional frozen cut vegetables mentioned above, namely, the deterioration of texture due to softening of the tissue.
To produce high-quality frozen cut vegetables that do not deteriorate in quality during frozen storage, have good texture, and are free from unpleasant tastes such as bitterness.

[Means for solving problems]

As a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, the inventors of the present invention discovered that when cutting vegetables, instead of supplying water to the cut surface, the cut surface is cut in contact with water, and then exposed to water. It has been found that by freezing immediately after freezing, it is possible to surprisingly obtain frozen cut vegetables that are crisp and free from unpleasant tastes such as bitterness and other unpleasant tastes, with almost no quality deterioration during frozen storage. This has led to the completion of the present invention.

Vegetables targeted by the present invention include vegetables such as onions, green onions, carrots, green peppers, cabbage, and chives, and fruits such as oysters and agogado.

Before cutting these vegetables and fruits, wash them with water and remove the roots, skins, and seeds as necessary.

Cut using a cutter such as an Urschel cutter (RA, GK, etc.) or food slicer to the desired size.
The vegetables are cut into shapes, but at this time, the vegetables, especially the cut surfaces, can be cut by pouring water onto the cutter blade, i.e. by constantly flowing water into the hole into which the vegetables to be cut are put. The cutting process is carried out in contact with water.

Immediately soak cut vegetables in water to prevent air from coming into contact with the cut surface.

At this time, instead of soaking in water, it is possible to use showering or a combination of soaking in water and showering. Occurrence can be prevented.

In addition, it is desirable to carry out the above-mentioned cutting and water-bleaching treatments consecutively or simultaneously.If the cut vegetables are left as they are for a long time, enzymes will be activated, resulting in a change in color and luster.
This is not desirable because it causes an off-taste. Regarding the time and water temperature of water exposure, it is carried out at a temperature of about 5 to 15° C. for 3 to 10 minutes, preferably about 6 minutes, by immersion in a water tank, showering, etc. When soaking, showering, etc., a certain amount of new water is poured in to prevent changes in water quality.

Vegetables that have been exposed to water should be frozen immediately after draining. For freezing, it is preferable to perform rapid deep freezing using liquid nitrogen or the like.

〔Effect of the invention〕

The frozen cut vegetables obtained by the method of the present invention are as follows.

Various foods as fresh cut vegetables that do not show tissue softening like conventional products and have a texture, flavor, and taste similar to raw cut vegetables even when thawed at 3gIK after frozen storage. Applicable to

Example Onion skins, roots, etc. were removed, and the onions were washed with water, and then the onions were cut into small pieces using an Ursher cutter (made by Ursher Japan (manufactured by Willow)) while pouring water directly onto the cutter blade.Cut onions The mixture was immediately put into water at 5 to 15°C, exposed to water for 6 minutes, drained, immediately frozen at -45°C, and then packed in bags.

As a control, onion skins, roots, etc. were removed, washed with water, cut into pieces using an Urschel cutter, blanched for 1 minute in boiling water, immediately cooled and frozen, and packed in bags.

The two types of frozen chopped green onions obtained were heated to 18°C and 21°C.
After storing for several days, a number of sautéed onions were taken out and subjected to sensory evaluation as an ingredient in omelettes. Results first. It is shown in Table ■.

) Heat 5.5 I of salad oil in a sautéed onion preparation frying pan over low heat.
A sensory test was conducted by adding frozen onions, stirring well, and frying until the water evaporated (about 2 minutes).

Table I B) Preparation of Omelette An omelet was prepared in a conventional manner using frozen onions lightly fried in salad oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.

■Table Number of people: preferred number of people

Claims (1)

[Claims] A method for producing frozen cut vegetables, which comprises cutting the vegetables in contact with water, soaking them in water, and immediately freezing them.