JPS6342676A - Preservation of food - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the proliferation of decaying fungi and mildew, etc., prevent the emission of chlorine smell and enable the long-term preservation of a food in fresh state, by treating a food with hypochlorous acid (salt) and hermetically sealing the treated food together with a dechlorination agent. CONSTITUTION:A food (e.g. rice cake, dried fish, etc.) is treated with hypochlorous acid (salt) (e.g. bleaching powder, sodium hypochlorite, etc.) and hermetically sealed together with a dechlorination agent (e.g. activated carbon, activated clay, etc.). Since the food is sterilized with hypochlorous acid (salt), the proliferation of decaying fungi and mildew in the package can be prevented. The chlorine smell is eliminated or highly suppressed by the sealed dechlorination agent to prevent the lowering of the commercial value caused by chlorine smell. When a disoxidation agent (e.g. iron powder, ascorbic acid, etc.) is sealed together with the dechlorination agent, the oxidative deterioration of the food can be prevented and the proliferation of aerobic bacteria can be suppressed.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] 〔Technical field〕 The present invention relates to a method for preserving food.

[Prior art]

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, a method has been used in which food products are tightly packaged in airtight bags or containers in the presence of an oxygen absorber. The interior of the package formed in this way is maintained in an oxygen-free state due to the action of the enclosed oxygen absorber, and as a result, the packaged food is protected from oxygen and oxidized. It has the advantage of not being subject to deterioration or discoloration, inhibiting the growth of aerobic bacteria, and preventing the growth of mold.

However, among these oxygen-free packaged foods, foods with a high moisture content, such as kamaboko, chikuwa, dried fish, side dishes, vegetables, boiled foods, and steamed foods, do not develop mold, but due to the action of anaerobic bacteria, they can become moldy. There were problems such as the occurrence of water and fermentation.

On the other hand, hypochlorous acid, and hypochlorous acid-based processing agents such as white powder and sodium hypochlorite are known as food disinfectants. Although such hypochlorous acid-based treatment agents exhibit strong sterilizing power, they have the drawback of producing a chlorine odor, making it difficult to use them as sterilizing agents for packaged foods and the like.

〔the purpose〕

The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems found in conventional food preservation techniques.

〔composition〕

According to the present invention, as a first invention, there is provided a method for preserving food, characterized in that food treated with hypochlorous acid or hypochlorite is hermetically packaged together with a dechlorination agent,
As a second invention, there is provided a method for preserving food, characterized in that food treated with hypochlorous acid or hypochlorite is hermetically packaged together with a dechlorinator and an oxygen absorber.

The term food referred to herein is broadly interpreted and includes various sweets,
This includes boiled foods, steamed foods, dried foods, side dishes, vegetables, fruits, fresh seafood, etc. Foods that can be used in the present invention generally suffer from quality deterioration due to the action of aerobic bacteria or anaerobic bacteria.

In the present invention, the food is treated with hypochlorous acid or hypochlorite in advance before being sealed and packaged. in this case,
Examples of the hypochlorite include conventionally known ones, such as highly refined white powder, white raw powder, sodium to lithium hypochlorite, and the like. Such hypochlorite is usually used in the form of an aqueous solution, and its concentration is equivalent to the amount of available chlorine.
About 10 ppm to 1% by weight, preferably 50 to 1100
It is in the range of 0pp.

Moreover, an organic acid such as citric acid, malic acid, or maleic acid can be added to this aqueous solution as an action promoter of hypochlorite.

In the present invention, an aqueous hypochlorous acid solution may also be used, and this aqueous hypochlorous acid solution can be obtained by dissolving chlorine in water. For the treatment of foods with hypochlorous acid or hypochlorite (hereinafter simply referred to as a chlorine agent), in addition to the immersion method, a spray method or the like can be employed. When processing by a spray method, the food can be placed in a packaging container or bag and then the inside thereof can be sprayed.

Next, the chlorinated food is sealed and packaged together with a dechlorinator in a sealable bag or container. In this case, any dechlorination agent can be used as long as it exhibits adsorption or reactivity to chlorine gas. Examples of such dechlorinating agents include, in addition to activated carbon, activated clay, diatomite, silica, alumina, magnesia, silica-alumina, silica-magnesia, calcium oxide,
Metal oxides or metal hydroxides such as calcium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, iron oxide, iron hydroxide (n), hydrogen carbonates, carbonates, hydrogen sulfites, sulfites, pyrosulfites,
Examples include thiosulfate, iron sulfate (n), and the like. When using the above-mentioned bicarbonate, carbonate, sulfite, bisulfite, pyrosulfite, thiosulfate, iron sulfate, etc. as a dechlorination agent,
It is desirable to add an appropriate amount of moisture, for example 10 to 50% by weight, and it is also preferable to use it in the form of a mixture with an adsorbent containing about 10 to 50% by weight of moisture. Furthermore, an aqueous solution of carbonate, hydrogen carbonate, sulfite, hydrogen sulfite, pyrosulfite, thiosulfate, iron sulfate, etc. is used as an adsorbent for 10 to 30 minutes.
It is also preferable to use it by impregnating it with a concentration of about 50% by weight.

The dechlorinator used in the present invention is usually made of a breathable film such as paper, synthetic paper, or a laminated film of paper and perforated polyethylene film.
It is applied by filling and sealing into sachets. The amount of dechlorinator used varies depending on the degree of chlorine treatment applied to the food, but in general, the odor of chlorine in the package is reduced to 1 to 1 within one week, preferably within 1 to 3 days after packaging. - It is best to set the proportion to such a level that you can no longer feel it. In the case of food products that are delivered to consumers within about one day after packaging, it is preferable that the chlorine odor in the packaging is completely removed within 12 hours after purchase.

Food packaging materials include plastic containers and bags,
Alternatively, a glass bottle or the like is generally used.

In the present invention, when chlorinated food is sealed and packaged together with a dechlorinator, an oxygen absorber can be further enclosed within the package. In this case, various conventionally known oxygen scavengers can be used, such as those containing iron powder, hydrosulfide, ascorbic acid, catechol, or pyrogallol as oxygen scavenging active ingredients. This oxygen scavenger is usually commercially available sealed in a breathable film. When this oxygen absorber is sealed together with chlorinated food and the dechlorinator, the package must be completely airtight. If a pinhole exists in the packaging container or bag, the oxygen concentration within the package will not fall below 1%, making it impossible to obtain an oxygen removal effect. On the other hand, when chlorinated food is sealed and packaged with only the chlorine agent, the package does not necessarily have to be completely airtight, and even if there are pinholes, the effect of the chlorine treatment is not particularly impaired.

In addition, when chlorinating food, dechlorinating agent, and oxygen absorbing agent are sealed and packaged, it is not necessary to seal the dechlorinating agent and oxygen absorbing agent separately in packaging containers or bags; The agent and the oxygen scavenger can be filled and sealed in the same breathable bag.

〔effect〕

According to the present invention, since the food is treated with chlorine, that is, sterilized, there is no spoilage or growth of bacteria such as mold inside the package, and the freshness of the food is maintained over a long period of time. . Moreover, in the case of the present invention, since a dechlorination agent is enclosed, the chlorine odor is removed or significantly suppressed, and there is no problem of low commercial value due to the chlorine odor. Furthermore, when a de-M agent is present inside the package, the inside of the package can be maintained in an anoxic state, thereby preventing oxygen deterioration of the food]-1 Propagation of aerobic bacteria It can also have a suppressive effect of 1:).

〔Example〕

Next, the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to Examples.

Example 1 (A) Preparation of dechlorination agent 5 parts by weight of powdered sodium thiosulfate was uniformly mixed with 10 parts by weight of sandy activated carbon having a moisture content of about 45%, and 6 g of this mixture was prepared.
was sealed in a paper bag to prepare a dechlorinator-filled bag opening).

(B) Food preservation test Approximately 20 g of cut rice cakes as a food were immersed in 200 cc of sodium hypochlorite aqueous solution containing 0.1% by weight of available chlorine for 5 minutes, the surface water was wiped off with a filter paper, and the internal volume was Approximately 50
The product was placed in a 0 cc plastic bag, and then the dechlorinator filling bag (1) was placed therein and sealed to produce a food package (A).

For comparison, a food package (B) was made in the same manner except that the dechlorination agent filling bag (1) was not enclosed.

Furthermore, for comparison, 5 pieces were prepared in the same manner except that the cut rice cakes were not treated with chlorine and the dechlorination agent filling bag (1) was not sealed.
A food package (C) was made.

-7= Next, the food package obtained above was stored at room temperature for 10 days, and as a result, mild mold was observed on the surface of the cut mochi in the food package (C). No mold growth was observed in A) and (11). When these packages were opened and the chlorine odor inside the packages was checked, it was found that there was almost no chlorine odor inside the food package (A) according to the present invention in which the dechlorinator bag (1) was enclosed. However, a chlorine odor was felt inside the food package (B) for comparison, and it was worthless as a product.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A method for preserving food, which comprises sealing and packaging food that has been treated with hypochlorous acid or hypochlorite together with a dechlorination agent. (2) A method for preserving food, which comprises sealing and packaging food treated with hypochlorous acid or hypochlorite together with a dechlorinator and an oxygen absorber.