TW202239340A - Edible particles, manufacturing method thereof, and foods containing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an edible particle, which includes based on the total weight of the particle, 0.1% to 5% of alginate and 0.5% to 10% of microbial polysaccharide, and the balance is water. The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing the edible particle, and a food containing the edible particle.

Description

Edible particles, their production method and food containing them

The present invention relates to an edible granule, in particular to an edible granule with properties of heat resistance and pressure resistance, a method for producing the edible granule and a food containing the edible granule.

In recent years, Taiwan's beverage stores have flourished, creating an output value of over 100 billion yuan a year, and the annual export volume has doubled every year. It can be called the light of an alternative Taiwan. According to statistics from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the turnover of beverage stores has increased year by year since 2008, reaching 96.2 billion yuan in 2018, with an average annual growth rate of 8.9%. The turnover from January to April 2019 continued to increase by 4.8%. Hope to exceed 100 billion yuan.

Among the many types of beverages in Taiwan, beverages containing particles are the most popular. Adding powder balls (pearls) to milk tea, because of its special taste and variety, has been widely welcomed and echoed. It has also become one of the most representative foods in Taiwan, and has become popular from Taiwan to neighboring countries and regions and even all over the world. Bubble milk tea is not only loved by Chinese people, but the craze for precious milk tea is also sold overseas, and it can be bought as far away as East Africa. In addition, powder balls (pearls) are more widely used in other beverages, popsicles, ice cream, candy and cake desserts, etc. In recent years, the export volume of Taiwan’s rice balls has doubled every year. According to the data from the Council of Agriculture of the Executive Yuan, the export value of Taiwan’s rice balls to Japan reached US$26.79 million from January to August 2019, an increase of 10% compared to US$2.37 million in the same period in 2018. times. Taiwan’s pearl milk tea is the benchmark of the global pearl milk tea industry, leading the pulse of the industry. In the first half of 2019, it has exported more than 26,000 metric tons, with an export value of up to 49.5 million US dollars. The United States accounts for the largest proportion of exports, followed by Japan and South Korea. , the Philippines, Canada and other countries, becoming the most successful Taiwanese restaurant across the sea.

General vermicelli (pearls) are made from cassava, sweet potato or potato starch, water and sugar. Due to the characteristics of starch, cooked pearls will naturally have a Q-bomb taste. In order to make the pearls more chewy, a few stores will add wheat protein, corn starch, edible starch, etc. However, these popular beverages containing granules, because the starch in them cannot withstand high temperature, when the temperature reaches above 95°C, the starch granules will burst and disintegrate, resulting in many products that cannot be sterilized. At present, the powder ball (pearl) products sold in China cannot be sterilized by Ultra-high-temperature processing (UHT), so preservatives and sugar solution must be added before they can be stored and applied to cold chain drinks. Furthermore, due to insufficient cleanliness of processing equipment and difficult management of environmental sanitation conditions, the hygienic quality of beverages is poor and the storage time is short, so they can only be sold in the form of hand-cranked or refrigerated. Although the domestic food industry knows that particle-containing beverages are the new darling of the beverage industry, how to ensure stable quality and sterilization safety of particle-containing fluid food under continuous processing and aseptic filling is a considerable challenge in the manufacturing process.

At the same time, with the growing popularity of Taiwan’s granular beverages, when Taiwanese businessmen want to export granular beverages to the world, they are limited by the country’s huge land area or incomplete transportation. The shortcomings of poor hygienic quality and short storage time of beverages are more exposed due to the characteristics of not being resistant to heating and high temperature storage. Based on the fact that the current sales of powder balls (pearls) are difficult to meet the needs of industrial mass production, it is difficult to obtain corresponding economic benefits in the countries or regions to be promoted.

In recent years, some industry players want to use modified starch in order to solve the problem of severe disintegration of starch due to high temperature, affecting the taste and maintaining the granule configuration. However, its powder balls (pearls) can only be sterilized by using batch-type sterilizers (high temperature and high pressure steam sterilization), because the sterilizers are characterized by long-term heating and sterilization, which limits the types of pearl carrier drinks and limits the development of related particle drinks. And the sterilized powder balls (pearls) tend to absorb water and swell during storage, making it difficult to maintain the original configuration and causing problems such as softening of the mouthfeel. What's more, in order to improve the above-mentioned problems, some unscrupulous operators added unapproved maleic anhydride starch to common food, which turned into a major food safety incident, which caused great panic among the public and caused some consumers to hear that modified The discoloration of starch is discolored by hearing it, and I refuse to buy related products.

Therefore, heat-resistant and pressure-resistant powder balls (pearls) are still needed in this industry to upgrade the industry.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an edible granule, which has the characteristics of heat resistance and pressure resistance, and can be processed by commercial sterilization processes such as high temperature and high pressure steam sterilization or ultra-high temperature sterilization.

Therefore, the present invention provides an edible granule, which comprises 0.1% to 5% alginate and 0.5% to 10% microbial polysaccharide by total weight, and the balance is water.

The present invention also provides a method for producing edible granules, which comprises: (a) mixing sodium alginate, microbial polysaccharides and water to form a colloidal solution, wherein the colloidal solution contains 0.1% to 5% of sodium alginate and 0.5% to 10% of microbial polysaccharides based on the total weight of the colloidal solution, and the remaining the quantity is water; and (b) dropping the colloidal solution into a solidifying solution, and standing for a sufficient period of time to allow the colloidal solution to form the edible particles in the solidifying solution, wherein the solidifying solution contains 0.1 M to 5 M of divalent metal ions and water.

The present invention also provides an edible granule prepared by the aforementioned method, which is.

The present invention further provides a food comprising the edible particles of the present invention.

The invention provides an edible granule, which comprises 0.1% to 5% alginate and 0.5% to 10% microbial polysaccharide by total weight, and the balance is water.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the edible particles can be, for example, powder circles (pearls), that is, they can be roughly spherical, and their particle diameters can range from about 4 mm to about 10 mm. Preferably, the edible particles can be solid spheres with a substantially homogeneous composition. However, the present invention does not limit the size, shape, etc. of the edible particles. For example, in other embodiments, the edible particle may be in a non-spherical shape, such as a cube, a polyhedron, or have a special shape or pattern. Alternatively, the edible particle can also be of a heterogeneous structure, for example, the aforementioned alginate and microbial polysaccharides are used to form the peripheral part, while the central part is hollow or contains any other edible components.

The "alginic acid" mentioned in this article, also known as alginic acid, alginic acid, and seaweed, is a natural polysaccharide from the cell wall of brown algae, which can be extracted from common brown algae, such as kelp, sargasso, and Ascophyllum nodosum and macroalgae etc. After the aforementioned algae are treated with sodium hydroxide, the extract is reacted with a strong acid such as sulfuric acid to obtain alginic acid. In addition, nitrogen-fixing bacteria and pseudomonads can also be used to biosynthesize alginic acid.

Alginic acid is a kind of linear unbranched polymer, the monomer contains D-mannuronic acid (D-mannuronic acid, hereinafter referred to as M unit) with β-(1→4) linkage; and L-guro Uronic acid (L-guluronic acid, hereinafter referred to as G unit) is bonded by α-(1→4). The M and G units will be connected by glycosidic bonds in a combination of MM, GG or MG to form a block copolymer. The experimental formula of alginic acid is (C ₆ H ₈ O ₆ ) _n , and its molecular weight ranges from about 10,000 to 600,000.

Alginic acid is easy to form compounds with high solubility with monovalent cations, for example, it reacts with sodium carbonate to form sodium alginate, which is also known as alginate, alginate or alginate. Alginate can cross-link with divalent metal ions (such as calcium ions, zinc ions, copper ions, etc.) to form elastic gel particles. For example, after the sodium alginate solution is dropped into the calcium chloride solution, the calcium ions in the solution will replace the sodium ions on the carboxyl group of sodium alginate, and then combine with the carboxyl group on another uronic acid molecule to form an ion bridge. Make the connection between sodium alginate molecules stronger, form a three-dimensional network structure, and then form edible particles. In one embodiment, the sodium ions in the sodium alginate solution may be partially or completely replaced by calcium ions.

Therefore, the "alginate" mentioned herein refers to the formation of the aforementioned alginic acid and cations, such as one or more salts selected from sodium alginate, ammonium alginate and potassium alginate, and/or the formation of divalent metal ions For example, one or more salts selected from calcium alginate, zinc alginate and copper alginate. The "divalent metal ions" mentioned herein include but not limited to calcium ions, zinc ions and copper ions.

The "microbial polysaccharide" mentioned herein refers to, for example, extracellular polysaccharides synthesized by bacteria and/or fungi (including molds and yeasts), which include but are not limited to one or more selected from corn sugar gum, cardlan gum and Polysaccharides of gellan gum, except for the aforementioned alginic acid and its salts.

Preferably, the percentage of alginate in the total weight of the edible particles is 0.1% to 5%, such as 0.5% to 5%, 1% to 5%, 2% to 5%, 3% to 5%, 0.5% to 4%, 0.5% to 3% or 1% to 3%; and the percentage of the microbial polysaccharide in the total weight of the edible particle is 0.5% to 10%, such as 1% to 10%, 3% to 10%, 5% % to 10%, 0.5% to 8%, 0.5% to 6%, or 3% to 7%. Under these ratio ranges, the edible granules of the present invention not only have good shape, but also have good taste, and will not be brittle or inelastic.

By the use of these alginates and these microbial polysaccharides, and by the above-mentioned ratio range, the edible granules of the present invention can have a Q-bouncing mouthfeel similar to starch flour balls (pearls), and have heat resistance and pressure resistance. characteristic. The edible granules of the present invention can still maintain the taste and the integrity of the granules after being sterilized by high-temperature and high-pressure steam (sterilizer) and/or ultra-high temperature sterilization and other commercial sterilization procedures. Therefore, the edible granules of the present invention can not only effectively kill microorganisms in the shortest time by ultra-high temperature sterilization, but also maintain the original flavor, quality and heat-sensitive nutrients of the edible granules, and have a long storage time and maintain a good appearance advantages of stability. The edible granules of the present invention can be stored at room temperature for a long time after sterilization, and can still maintain good quality and stability.

That is to say, the edible granules of the present invention can be used in continuous or batch thermal processing and aseptic filling, providing stable product quality and sterilization safety, thereby achieving better commercial practical value. It is beneficial for the industry to create new types of products to expand the market scope and promote industrial upgrading. In addition, it can also help the industry to sell products to countries around the world, especially those countries with a large land area, and can solve the problems of transportation construction and/or incomplete cold chain equipment, so as to reduce production and transportation costs and improve the industry. Market competitiveness and the effect of increasing output value.

In this paper, the determination of the texture of the Q bomb is mainly based on the improved method of Szczeniak et al (1963) Texture Profile Analysis (TPA). Judgment basis. Elasticity refers to the degree of rebound after the probe is pressed twice. The higher the value, the higher the degree of springiness and the better the taste. In addition, brittleness can be further included as an auxiliary judgment value for the degree of Q bomb. If the degree of Q bomb is higher, the value of brittleness will be lower. On the contrary, if the value of brittleness is higher, it means that the degree of Q bomb is lower and it is easy to be brittle. crack.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the elasticity of the edible particles is above about 50%, such as about 50% to about 60%, about 50% to about 55%, about 51% to about 58%, about 53% to about 60% or about 55% to about 59%. In addition, the edible particles have a crispness of about 33% or less, such as about 5% to about 33%, about 15% to about 33%, about 10% to about 30%, about 12% to about 28%, or From about 5% to about 10%.

The present invention further uses the aforementioned TPA method to detect the "hardness" to show the texture tolerance of the edible granules (that is, the test probe is pressed down to the extent that the granules are deformed by 70%). Compared with other taste indicators (such as the aforementioned elasticity, crispness, etc.), the change in hardness value can best reflect the change in the texture and structure of edible particles. The greater the degree of bactericidal destruction, the greater the decrease in hardness.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the hardness of the edible granules after the sterilization treatment may be more than 50% of the hardness of the edible granules before the sterilization treatment. Preferably, the hardness of the edible particles after the sterilization treatment may be greater than or equal to the hardness of the edible particles before the sterilization treatment. That is to say, after being sterilized by high-temperature, high-pressure steam and/or ultra-high temperature, the structure of the edible particles of the present invention will not be destroyed and the hardness will be greatly reduced. In some embodiments, after the edible particles are sterilized by high-temperature, high-pressure steam and/or ultra-high temperature sterilization, the hardness will gradually increase, which shows that the texture and structure of the edible particles with specific composition ratios in the present invention will be more stable during the sterilization process , so that the hardness increases.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the edible granules preferably do not contain starch and/or modified starch. The modified starch includes but not limited to dextrin (Dextrin), acid-treated starch (Acid-treated starch), alkaline-modified starch (Alkaline-treated starch), bleached starch (Bleached starch), oxidized starch (Oxidized starch) , Starches, enzyme-treated, Monostarch phosphate, Distarch phosphate, Phosphated distarch phosphate, Acetylated distarch phosphate , Starch acetate, Acetylated distarch adipate, Hydroxypropyl starch, Hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate, Hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate ( Hydroxypropyl distarch glycerol), octenyl succinate starch (Starch sodium octenyl succinate) and acetylated oxidized starch (Acetylated oxidized starch), etc.

In one embodiment, the edible particles may further contain one or more food additives. The "food additive" mentioned herein refers to edible additives that can maintain, adjust or enhance the color, smell, taste or nutritional value of the edible particles, such as preservatives, bactericides, antioxidants, nutritional additives, colorants, Spices, flavorings, sweeteners, etc. It is better to meet the scope of use of food additives and the limit and specification standards. For example, the edible granules of the present invention may contain 0.01% to 10% of food additives based on the total weight of the edible granules. For example, the content of the food additive can be 0.1% to 10%, 1% to 10%, 3% to 10%, 5% to 10%, 0.01% to 8%, 0.01% to 6%, 0.1% to 8%, or 1% to 5%. In one embodiment, the edible granules contain flavoring agents, sweeteners, spices, pigments and plant fibers.

The present invention also provides a method for producing edible granules, which comprises: (a) mixing sodium alginate, microbial polysaccharides and water to form a colloidal solution, wherein the colloidal solution contains 0.1% to 5% of sodium alginate and 0.5% to 10% of microbial polysaccharides based on the total weight of the colloidal solution, and the remaining the quantity is water; and (b) dropping the colloidal solution into a solidifying solution, and standing for a sufficient period of time to allow the colloidal solution to form the edible particles in the solidifying solution, wherein the solidifying solution contains 0.1 M to 5 M of divalent metal ions and water.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the weighed sodium alginate and microbial polysaccharides are added into water and uniformly mixed to form the colloidal solution. In addition, heating can be used to help dissolve, and one or more food additives can be selectively added to the colloidal solution. The weight percentage of sodium alginate in the colloid solution is 0.1% to 5%, such as 0.5% to 5%, 1% to 5%, 2% to 5%, 3% to 5%, 0.5% to 4%, 0.5% % to 3% or 1% to 3%; the weight percentage of the microbial polysaccharide is 0.5% to 10%, such as 1% to 10%, 3% to 10%, 5% to 10%, 0.1% to 8%, 0.1% to 6% or 3% to 7%.

In the present invention, after the sodium alginate is mixed with the microbial polysaccharide having the above ratio in the above ratio, the edible particles formed in the solidification liquid are roughly spherical (Figure 1a), and still present spherical shape after sterilization (Figure 1a). 1b). Conversely, if sodium alginate and microbial polysaccharides are mixed at a lower ratio, the formed colloidal solution will be too dilute; if sodium alginate and microbial polysaccharides are mixed at a higher ratio, the formed colloidal solution will be too thin. Too thick, neither of them can form edible particles in the solidified liquid. In addition, if the ratio of any one of sodium alginate and microbial polysaccharide is mixed in a ratio range different from that of the present invention, the obtained edible particles are easily deformed. For example, if sodium alginate is used in the ratio range of the present invention (for example, 2%), and microbial polysaccharides are used in a lower ratio range (for example, less than 0.5%), the obtained edible particles are likely to form long strips, which are difficult to obtain. Form spherical spheres (Figure 2a); or, if the proportion of microbial polysaccharides is adjusted to be higher than 10%, the obtained edible particles will be flat and trailing (Figure 2b).

In the present invention, the divalent metal ions can be calcium ions, zinc ions and copper ions, etc., so the divalent metal ions in the solidification solution can be provided in the form of soluble salts containing the divalent metal ions. For example, the chloride of the aforementioned divalent metal ions can be used to prepare the solidified solution.

In one embodiment, a forward titration method is adopted, that is, the colloid solution is dropped into the solidification solution and left to form the edible particles. For example, the colloid solution can be dropped into the solidification liquid using a single-screw extruder. At the same time, the particle size of the formed edible granules is adjusted by adjusting the drop amount. In the present invention, the standing time can be from about 10 minutes to about 60 minutes, from about 15 minutes to about 20 minutes, from about 16 minutes to about 26 minutes, from about 17 minutes to about 27 minutes or from about 20 minutes to about 30 minutes .

After the edible particles are formed in the solidified liquid, the edible particles can be separated from the solidified liquid, such as filtered, to obtain the edible particles. The edible particles can be directly used in food or drink, but preferably can be sterilized, such as high-temperature and high-pressure steam sterilization (ie, using a sterilizer) or ultra-high temperature sterilization. The edible granule can be sterilized independently, or can be added to food or drink first, and then sterilized.

The present invention also provides an edible granule prepared by the aforementioned method.

The present invention further provides a food comprising the edible granules of the present invention. For example, the food can be beverages, popsicles, ice cream, candy and cake desserts, etc., and the beverages can be animal and plant milk products, coffee, cocoa, honey water, fruit juice, tea, sparkling water, carbonated beverages or beverages containing Alcoholic beverages and the like are not limited in the present invention. As mentioned above, due to the heat-resistant and pressure-resistant characteristics of the edible granules of the present invention, they can be made into PP boxes (cans), soft bags, cans, treasures, etc. Food (beverage) finished or semi-finished products in special bottles, carton packs, and aluminum foil packs, which can be stored at room temperature and can be opened and eaten immediately.

The following examples are provided for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Embodiment 1 :

(1) The preparation of the colloidal solution is to mix 0.5% seaweed gel and 5% microbial polysaccharide evenly, add warm water and stir to dissolve, and then add seasoning powder (chocolate powder), plant fiber (wheat fiber) and other ingredients to the above Prepare a colloidal solution from the solution.

(2) For the preparation of the solidification solution, dissolve the calcium-containing component (calcium chloride) in water to a concentration of 0.5M.

(3) Using the forward titration method, drop the aforementioned colloidal solution into the aforementioned solidification solution with a uniaxial extruder, and let it stand for 30 minutes to form edible granules with a particle size of about 5 mm to about 7 mm.

(4) The edible particles are separated from the solidification liquid, and the edible particles are collected (Figure 1a).

(5) The edible granules were commercially sterilized at 121°C by high-temperature and high-pressure steam sterilization (sterilizer) separately to obtain ready-to-eat granules (Figure 1b).

(6) Add the aforementioned edible granules sterilized by high-temperature and high-pressure steam to related drinks (milk tea) for UHT commercial sterilization, and a drink (bubble milk tea) containing the edible granules can be obtained. Comparative Examples 1 to 4 :

(1) Comparative Example 1: Tapioca starch was used to form balls, boiled in hot water (Figure 3a), and then commercially sterilized at 121°C (Figure 3b). commercial sterilization.

(2) Comparative example 2: The commercially available Aizhiwei pearl balls are edible granules made of sodium alginate and modified starch (Figure 4a). After being commercially sterilized at 121°C (Figure 4b), the particles obviously absorbed water and became twice as moist as before, and could no longer be added to beverages for UHT commercial sterilization.

(3) Comparative example 3: Commercially available Chengen popping pearls (mango flavor), the calcium-containing liquid was dropped into the colloidal solution by reverse titration to produce particles (Figure 5a), and then commercially sterilized at 121 °C (Figure 5a) 5b), the particles are broken after sterilization, and can no longer be added to beverages for UHT commercial sterilization.

(4) Comparative Example 4: The same manufacturing process as the edible granules of the present invention, the only difference in formula is that microbial polysaccharides and colorants are not added (Figure 6a), and the granules become significantly smaller after commercial sterilization at 121°C (Figure 6b).

The changes in hardness of Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4 before and after commercial sterilization at 121°C are shown in Table 1 below. As mentioned above, the change in hardness value can best reflect the change in the texture and structure of edible particles, that is, the greater the degree of sterilization damage, the greater the degree of decrease in hardness. In Comparative Examples 1 to 4, the hardness decreased significantly after sterilization. On the contrary, the edible granule of Example 1 can pass the commercial sterilization test and its hardness change gradually increases, showing that the composition ratio used in the present invention can make the obtained edible granule more stable in its texture and structure during the sterilization process, so that the hardness increases . Table 1: Changes in hardness of Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4 before and after sterilization at 121°C hardness Example 1 Comparative example 1 Comparative example 2 Comparative example 3 Comparative example 4 Before sterilization 2792.1 6291.5 2595.5 574.63 1152.9 After sterilization 3264.2 1029.3 769.3 rupture 556.6

In addition, the mouthfeel analysis of Example 1 and Comparative Example 4 after sterilization at 121° C. was carried out, as shown in Table 2 below. The hardness of Comparative Example 4 decreased after sterilization, while the hardness of Example 1 increased, indicating that the addition of microbial polysaccharides can effectively improve the sterilization tolerance and maintain the original appearance of the particles. In addition, compared with Comparative Example 4 in which no microbial polysaccharides were added, the edible granules of Example 1 had a lower brittleness and better Q-bomb texture (crispness decreased by 4.2%, and elasticity increased by 14.1%). That is to say, the addition of microbial polysaccharides can improve the original brittleness of alginate crystal balls and increase the Q-elasticity of the particles. Table 2: Mouthfeel analysis of Example 1 and Comparative Example 4 after sterilization at 121°C Retort Hardness (g) elasticity(%) Brittleness (%) Example 1 3264.2 55.9 30.2 Comparative example 4 556.6 41.8 34.4

The mouthfeel of the edible granules of Example 1 after UHT commercial sterilization was further analyzed, as shown in Table 3 below. After the edible granules in this case were sterilized by UHT at 135°C, their elasticity increased by 19.7%, and their brittleness decreased, indicating that they had a Q-bomb texture closer to starch-based flour balls (pearls). In addition, its hardness further increased, showing that the edible particles in this case have a more stable texture and structure during the sterilization process. Table 3: Mouthfeel analysis of Example 1 after UHT commercial sterilization at 135±2°C for 40 seconds UHT sterilization Hardness (g) elasticity(%) Brittleness (%) Before sterilization 3264.2 55.9 30.2 After sterilization 3330.6 75.6 28.4

The above-mentioned embodiments are only to illustrate the principles and effects of the present invention, but not to limit the present invention. Modifications and changes made by those skilled in the art to the above embodiments still do not violate the spirit of the present invention. The scope of rights of the present invention should be listed in the scope of patent application described later.

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Figures 1a and 1b show the shapes of the edible granules of Example 1 before and after sterilization, respectively.

Figure 2a shows that the proportion of microbial polysaccharides is too low and the edible particles are long strips; Figure 2b shows that the proportion of microbial polysaccharides is too high and the edible particles are flat and trailing.

Figures 3a and 3b show the shapes of the edible granules of Comparative Example 1 before and after sterilization, respectively.

Figures 4a and 4b show the shapes of the edible particles of Comparative Example 2 before and after sterilization, respectively.

Figures 5a and 5b show the shapes of the edible particles of Comparative Example 3 before and after sterilization, respectively.

Figures 6a and 6b show the shapes of the edible particles of Comparative Example 4 before and after sterilization, respectively.

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Claims (18)

An edible granule, which contains 0.1% to 5% of alginate and 0.5% to 10% of microbial polysaccharide by total weight, and the balance is water. The edible granule according to claim 1, wherein the alginate is selected from the group consisting of sodium alginate, ammonium alginate, potassium alginate, calcium alginate, zinc alginate, copper alginate and any combination thereof. The edible granules as claimed in item 1, wherein the microbial polysaccharide is selected from the group consisting of corn sugar gum, cardlan gum, gellan gum and any combination thereof. The edible granule according to claim 1, further comprising one or more food additives. The edible granule according to claim 1, which does not contain starch and/or modified starch. As the edible granule of claim 1, it is a homogeneous granule. The edible granule according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the elasticity of the edible granule is more than 50%. The edible granule according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the brittleness of the edible granule is 33% or less. The edible granule according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the hardness of the edible granule after sterilization is more than 50% of the hardness of the edible granule before sterilization. A method for producing edible granules, comprising: (a) mixing sodium alginate, microbial polysaccharides and water to form a colloidal solution, wherein the colloidal solution contains 0.1% to 5% of sodium alginate and 0.5% to 10% of microbial polysaccharides based on the total weight of the colloidal solution, and the remaining the quantity is water; and (b) dropping the colloidal solution into a solidifying solution, and standing for a sufficient period of time to allow the colloidal solution to form the edible particles in the solidifying solution, wherein the solidifying solution contains 0.1 M to 5 M of divalent metal ions and water. The method according to claim 10, wherein in step (a), one or more food additives are further added. The method according to claim 10, wherein in step (b), the standing time is about 10 minutes to about 60 minutes. The method according to claim 10, wherein in step (b), the divalent metal ion is calcium ion, zinc ion or copper ion. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, further comprising: (c) separating the solidified liquid from the edible particles. The method of claim 14, further comprising: (d) Sterilize the edible particles. The method according to claim 15, wherein the sterilization treatment is high-temperature and high-pressure steam sterilization or ultra-high temperature sterilization. An edible granule, which is prepared by the method according to any one of claims 10-16. A food comprising the edible granules according to claim 1 or 17.

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