WO2008146057A1

WO2008146057A1 - Dehydrated food mixture

Info

Publication number: WO2008146057A1
Application number: PCT/HR2007/000019
Authority: WO
Inventors: Katarina Matijevic; Sasenka Vugrinec; Ina Matijevic
Original assignee: Podravka D.D.
Priority date: 2007-06-01
Filing date: 2007-06-01
Publication date: 2008-12-04

Abstract

Dehydrated food mixture comprising marine, dried macro algae, micro algae, fermented soy sauce, dehydrated vegetables, spices, brawn sugar and salt; for use in the preparation of food products or as a finished, dehydrated, powdery product. The product is obtained with a specific technological process and advantageously provides a nutritional value of a high level of iodine, in addition to sensoric properties.

Description

DEHYDRATED FOOD MIXTURE

Field to which the invention relates

The present invention relates to a dehydrated food mixture of entire, dried and fermented natural ingredients comprising two types of dried macro algae, micro algae, fermented soybeans, dried vegetables, spices, salt and brown sugar, the technological process of a preparation of dehydrated food mixture and use of the present mixture in a process of food preparation or as a finished, dehydrated, powder product which is used as a spice, a food additive in any phase of food preparation or food consumption. The present invention provides improvement of the overall quality of prepared food, enhancement of color, taste, smell, nutritional values and has a high level of use value.

Technical problem

A problem in modern food industry is the usage of different additives during the preparation of food products aiming to extend the expiry date of products, as well as to obtain good organoleptic properties and to improve the nutritional value of the final product. Therefore, different taste enhancers (yeast extracts, glutaminate, inosinate, guanylate and other ribonucleotides) are added in the food industry so as to improve organoleptic properties, like taste, color and smell. For a better product appearance, additives (colorants) such as curcumin, riboflavin, chlorophyllin are used. In order to increase the nutritional value of a food product, different functional preparations containing rare minerals obtained by chemical synthesis or by extraction from raw materials rich in such nutrients, are added.

Furthermore, one of the major health problems in the world is iodine deficiency in people. Problems caused by iodine deficiency are: goiter, mental retardation in children, reproduction problems, mental and psychological problems. It has been estimated that about 1.5 billion people suffer from lack of iodine. The mentioned problem may be solved by a chemical method of food iodization (salt iodization). RDA (Recommended Daily Allowances) of iodine for adults is 150 μg per day. According to the European Scientific Committee on Food on the Tolerable Upper intake level of iodine (26^th September, 2002) the tolerable intake level of iodine equals to 600 μg per day. One of the richest source of iodine is algae. Considering that only a couple of grams of algae, in form of food additive, would be sufficient to provide the normal level of iodine we need per day, the solution to the problem of iodine deficiency is in the right choice of algae and the right quantity thereof within the limits of the allowable daily dosage and tolerable level. In vitro studies have demonstrated bioavailability of iodine in algae, which is absorbed by the organism as sodium iodide through a thin intestinal membrane.

For a long period of time it has been known that nutrition can achieve both various beneficial effects for human health and also significant health damaging effects. It has become apparent that increased preference towards high-quality nutrition without the usage of additives, and thereby avoiding use of artificially synthesized additives in spices and food additives, has led to the need to invent dehydrated food products which would serve as spices and food additives. Moreover, it is also necessary that the mentioned products meet the health needs of humans and also satisfy organoleptic properties which are preferable for consumers of food products, and hence which ensure future use or nonuse of a certain product.

Obtaining dehydrated (powdery) food mixture which, among other ingredients, comprises also a liquid component, i.e. liquid fermented soy sauce, is a special technological problem that the present invention addresses. Namely, when mixing powdery (solid) raw materials with liquid it is very difficult to achieve a uniform distribution of the ingredients within the whole mass. The mixing process often leads to the separation of components. Such phenomenon of separation of particles during the mixing process itself is called segregation or demixing and is caused by physical and chemical properties of the particles being mixed. The level of mixing quality depends on the properties of the components being mixed, as well as on the type of mixer, the mixing time, mixing temperature etc. Likewise, mixing the liquid component into the dehydrated product leads to a reduced stability of products and inability of longer storage without adding preservatives. The present invention solves this problem by using a special mixing technology of liquid component into the dehydrated food mixture. Moreover, the fact that the fermented soy sauce acts as antiseptic in the product itself, due to the alcohol content created during the soy fermentation process, provides a solution to the problem of preservation of the dehydrated product having a liquid content in its package. Due to the above, even though the present invention has a liquid component, it will last for a year without adding any preservative.

One of the problems addressed by the present invention is obtaining new and different sensoric properties of food, which previously, when prepared with ordinary food additives, would always have the same, expected organoleptic food properties.

State of the art

Until now known products which contain algae and fermented soybeans as important food ingredients did not exist in the form of dehydrated food mixture, where two types of dehydrated macro algae, dehydrated micro algae, fermented soybeans in the form of soy sauce, dehydrated vegetables, salt and sugar are mixed.

In particular, it was not previously possible to obtain all preferable aspects of additives in combination, i.e. excellent and unexpected organoleptic properties of the present mixture, with the nutritional properties obtained by adding iodine in the amount set out by the RDA according to a person's needs. Therefore, there is no need to treat the present invention or the food to which the present invention is added with additives and taste intensifiers.

Russian Patent RU2161000 describes a food product having a therapeutic and prophylactic effect, as well as high nutritional value. The product contains substances provided by the "decomposition" of soybeans, which includes soy derivatives, biologically active additives from algae and micro algae and certain amino acid present in the ingredients. It is evident that the sole purpose of RU2161000 is using the product to improve and preserve a consumer's health. However, it does not solve the problem of replacing synthetic and harmful additives in certain food products, or obtaining excellent and new organoleptic properties of food through the invention's application, or the long-term storage of the product herein without adding artificial preservatives. Patent application JP60221037 describes an ice-cream which, among others, comprises three types of algae: spirulina, wakame and kombu. Nevertheless, in this Japanese application there is no mention of their combination with fermented soy sauce, dehydrated vegetables, and especially not with salt. Nor does this document mention obtaining a dehydrated product. Likewise, the purpose of this Japanese document is to obtain the ice-cream as a finished product, containing the above mentioned algae in frozen condition. The purpose of this document is to obtain new flavor of the ice-cream by adding the above mentioned algae during the process of production of the ice-cream, which is thereafter frozen. Hence, this document does not solve the problem of obtaining the dehydrated product that can be stored at room temperature for a longer period of time and be used as a separate product or in production of various powdery food products.

Patent application JP60075244 covers the production of noodle that, among other ingredients, may contain algae such as: wakame, kombu, spirulina. Nevertheless, in this Japanese application there is no mention of their combination with fermented soy sauce. Likewise, the object of this Japanese document is to provide a noodle that, in its composition, contains a large number of combinations, some of which are mentioned above. Consequently, the algae are not prepared as a separate dehydrated product that could serve as an additive in preparing the noodle, but as one among a larger number of different ingredients. Therefore, the purpose of this Japanese document is not to obtain a dehydrated product that can be used as a separate product, or in the production of various powdery food products.

The Korean patent KR 20050015618 relates to a natural spice containing powdery fermented soybeans, laminaria and undaria. In addition to these ingredients, the mentioned natural spice contains anchovy powder. However, this spice does not contain spirulina, and is produced by heating the mixture of laminaria, undaria and anchovies in water, which are then dried, and afterwards mixed with fermented soy powder. The flavor and odor of the anchovies provide this spice with characteristic organoleptic properties, and thereby prohibit its use in a variety of foods where the flavor and odor of fish is not desirable. None of the aforementioned documents aim to provide a multi-applicable powdery mixture, which is one of the main goals of the present invention. During the preparation of the recipe of the stated universal food additive in laboratory mixing production conditions, a product was obtained that provides new sensoric properties in the food in which it was used.

Disclosure of the invention

One of the aims of the present inventions is to obtain dehydrated food mixture of entire dried and of fermented natural ingredients comprising two types of dehydrated macro algae, dehydrated micro algae, fermented soy beans in a form of soy sauce, dehydrated vegetables, spices, brown sugar and salt, which is used in the production of food products or as a separate product, i.e. separate spice to be added to the food during its preparation, as well as during consumption.

Likewise, there is a current nutritional trend towards avoiding the application of additives in food industry, where possible, and towards the usage of fresh or processed food, rich in nutritional substances, without subsequently adding functional additives. One of the purposes of the present invention is to improve the nutritional value of food products in relation to lack of iodine in every day food intake, by using a food mixture of dried macro algae, especially those macro algae containing a high iodine level.

One of the subsequent purposes of the present invention is to provide a quality flavor of food products. This was achieved in the present invention by using a fermented soy and algae mixture so as to obtain a specific sweet-salty flavor. Using micro algae, a pleasant, natural green color of the product was obtained.

The present invention also provides for a technological process of obtaining the food product of the present invention, i.e. set up the mixing process of dehydrated food mixture that contains, as one of the ingredients, a liquid component, and ensuring, in spite of the mentioned problem, the creation of a well homogenized and stable mixture. Moreover, a goal is to define the method of use of the food mixture that can be used as an ingredient in food product, as well used as an individual product.

Consequently, the present invention relates to a dehydrated food mixture, a technological process of obtaining the dehydrated food mixture and a method of using the dehydrated food mixture.

More precisely, the present invention relates to a dehydrated food mixture comprising from 0,5 to 20% of marine, dried macro algae calculated on the mass of the finished product, with up to 300% of iodine on the recommended product dosage according to RDA needs, from 0,5 to 35% of dried micro algae calculated on the total mass of the product, from 1 to 10% of fermented soy sauce, from 1 to 40% of dried vegetables calculated on the total mass of the product, spices, brown sugar and salt.

It is preferable that the present invention comprises from 0,5 to 15% of marine, dried macro algae, from 0,5 to 15% of micro algae, from 1 to 5% of fermented soy sauce, from 1 to 35% dried vegetables, from 1 to 5% of spices, from 30 to 60% of salt and from 1 to 30% of brown sugar, all calculated on the mass of the finished product.

It is preferable that the macro algae comprised in the present invention belongs to macroalgae class Phaeophycae, order Laminariales. It is particularly preferable that macro algae in the present invention are comprised of species Laminaraia Japonica and/or Laminaraia saccharina and/or Undaria Pinnatifida and/or Undaria crenata.

The dimensions of dried macro algae vary from 0,5 mm to 10 mm, which would be most preferable during mixing. It would be also preferable that macro algae are in a powdery, dried form so as to improve mixing.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the micro algae comprised in the present invention belongs to the group of Bacteria and division of Cyanobacteria. It would be most preferable that the micro algae used in the present invention are comprised of Spirulina majori and/or Spirulina crispi and/or Spirulina platensis. Fermented soy sauce used in the production of the present invention may be a liquid or dehydrated form of Tamari soy sauce or Shoyu soy sauce.

Likewise, it is preferable that the dried vegetables used in the present patent would be comprised of dried onion, carrot, celery, parsley, leek, broccoli, cauliflower, choped red paprika, choped green paprika and parsnip.

The present invention also relates to the technological process of mixing of dehydrated food mixture. When dehydrated soy sauce is used in the food mixture, it is mixed during the first mixing phase.

Nevertheless, in the case where liquid soy sauce is added to the dehydrated food mixture, the technological process is more demanding and soy sauce is mixed during the second mixing phase as the last raw material. Such technological process of producing dehydrated food mixture, which is an object of protection of the present invention herein and which, unlike the standard mixing process of dehydrated ingredients only, has obtained excellent results in terms of organoleptic properties, will be described in more detail below.

The mixing process of the abovementioned components is carried out in a Lδedige® mixer using a dry-mixing technology. In the first phase components with similar properties and weight are mixed, to this mixture components of different size and/or smaller amounts and shorter mixing time are added in the second and/or third phase. Detailed description of the technological procedure will be provided hereinafter.

The present dehydrated food mixture is used as admixture in powdery food products which comprise - dehydrated soups of all sorts, dehydrated finished food, dehydrated sauces, dehydrated food additives, dehydrated substances for pouring the food. Moreover, the food mixture may be used as a finished product as a spice for food and salads during their preparation as well as during the consumption of the food. Moreover, the present dehydrated food mixture has a pleasant green color, and specific sweet- salty flavor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AT LEAST ONE METHOD OF PRODUCING THE PRESENT INVENTION

Producing a dehydrated, powdery food mixture is a special technological problem which has been successfully solved by the present invention. The main purpose of mixing is to obtain uniform distribution of ingredients throughout the mixture. In a perfectly mixed medium, even the infinitely small amount of the mixture will contain equally mixed ingredients of the same temperature. The ingredients are combined by mixing in order to obtain different functional properties or sensoric characteristics of the product.

Since fermented soy bean has been in various experiments used in both dehydrated and liquid state, it has been shown that the technological problem of mixing is particularly specific for dry mixing technology during which a liquid component, that is difficult to mix into, is added. During this type of mixing granulating or solidification of the mixture occurs, which leads to problems in obtaining the well mixed dehydrated product which as one or more components contains a liquid component. Thus, it is very important to precisely determine:

• The time

• The speed of mixing

• The sequence of adding the raw material.

Namely, while mixing powdery (solid) raw materials with liquid, major problems will occur when trying to achieve equal distribution of the ingredients throughout the whole mixture. Mixing often leads to the separation of the components. Such phenomenon of separation of the particles during the process of mixing itself is called segregation or demixing, and it is caused by differences in physical and chemical properties of the particles being mixed. The quality of mixing is influenced by the properties of the components being mixed, the size and shape of its particles, as well as the type of mixer, the time, the temperature of mixing and numerous other parameters.

However, after a long-term examination, the process described in the example disclosed below has proved to be unexpectedly efficient. One of the experimental recipes contained liquid Tamari soy sauce, and following the organoleptic analysis of the meal, a new, sweet-salty, characteristic flavor of the food was accomplished, which so far is unknown in the production of dehydrated food products, and which can be used separately or as admixture in the production of food products. The technological mixing process that had to be solved during the production of the present invention, in order to obtain a quality product, is completed in two phases.

During the preparation of the dehydrated food mixture using the production technology described below, the following raw materials were used:

Table 1. Content of components in the dehydrated food mixture

Mixing of the abovementioned raw material was performed in two phases in the Lδdige® mixer, the capacity of which is 25kg. In order to achieve an optimal mixer capacity, which amount to 60% of working area, a batch of 18 kg has been mixed for the purpose of excluding undesired segregation of the materials. The mixing parameters described herein have demonstrated highest quality sensoric properties of the food product and industrial applicability in laboratory mixing.

Due to differences in density, size and physical properties of the ingredients, it is very difficult to obtain a homogeneous mixture of the food product aiming to obtain the same sensory properties as in the product mixed in the laboratory.

First mixing phase

The first mixing phase comprises weighting of all components from the Table 2, followed by their manual or automatic addition into the mixer for grain products provided with blades. Mixing of the aforementioned components is performed at the speed of 130 turns per minute (hereinafter t/min), 120 sec, without blades.

Table 2. Technical parameters of the first mixing phase

Second mixing phase

The second mixing phase includes weighting of all components from Table 3 and adding them manually and/or automatically into the mixer. Multiple experiments have shown that only the components listed in Table 3, due to their physical and chemical properties, should be mixed during the second mixing phase in order to obtain optimal sensoric properties of the product. It is preferred for the second mixing phase that mixing is carried out at the speed of 65 t/min, 30 sec, with blades. At the end of mixing, during the second mixing phase, liquid soy sauce is added. Table 3. Technical parameters of the second mixing phase

The food obtained in accordance to the abovementioned example has a natural green color deriving from chlorophyll from micro algae and a tasty sweet-salty flavor of the soy sauce.

When the mixing is completed, dehydrated food mixture is poured in big-bags in which it can be kept for one week, before being placed on the packaging machines specially made for grained dehydrated mixtures. At the very end of the process, volume or mass weighing of the food product on the packaging machine is carried out as well as packaging of the food product in containers for loose products.

On the basis of the food product dosage, 4g/meal, the consumer gets 0,376 mg of iodine or 376μg of iodine which equals to 250% according to the RDA.

Technical parameters of mixing arranged in this way provide an excellent sensoric quality of the product.

If dehydrated soy sauce is used in the food mixture, then the sauce is mixed during the first mixing phase. However, long-term research and laboratory tests have revealed that mixing of liquid Tamari sauce during the second phase of mixing, and using blades, is one of the main factors which led to achieving of an unexpectedly delicious sour-sweet flavor of the present invention, as well as a good homogeneity of the product, which previously was very difficult to achieve when mixing solid (rigid) systems with liquid.

Granulometric Analysis

Granulometric analysis is carried out in order to determine the composition of the present invention's mixture, i.e. the separation of the present invention in fractions of particles of certain size ranges with the use of sieves of specific size apertures, and it was carried out through a sieving process. During the sieving process, passed particles, i.e. part of a smaller size than the sieve's apertures, pass through the sieve, and retained particles, i.e particles having a larger diameter than the sieve's apertures remain on the sieve.

In this occasion, vibratory sieve shaker Analysette® 3 PRO, Retsch has been used. Sieves: 0.800 mm, 0.630 mm, 0.500 mm, 0.400 mm, 0.315 mm, 0.200 mm. Sieving time: 10 min Amplitude: 2

Table 4 Distribution between sieves

Description of one method of application of the present invention Use of the food mixture as finished product - food additive/spice

100 g of dehydrated food mixture (Laminaria Japonica/Saccharina, Undaria Pinnatifida/Creata, Spirulina Platensis/Majori, Tamari/Shoyu soy sauce, dried vegetables, spices, salt and brawn sugar)

Dosage: 4g per 250 ml of meal.

Pleasant green color of the meal, with the sweet-salty flavor of Tamari and iodine in range of 250% RDA.

Claims

1. A dehydrated food mixture, characterized in that, said mixture comprises from 0,5 to 20% of marine, dried macro algae, from 0,5 to 35% of dried micro algae, from 1 to 10% of fermented soy sauce, from 1 to 40% of dried vegetables, from 1 to 5% of spices, from 30 to 60% of salt and from 1 to 30% of brown sugar, all calculated on the total mass of the product; said mixture having a pleasant green color, a sweet-salty flavor and a nutritional value as an excellent source of iodine.

2. The dehydrated food mixture according to claim 1, characterized in that, said mixture comprises from 0,5 to 15% of marine, dried macro algae, from 0,5 to 15% of dried micro algae, from 1 to 5% of fermented soy sauce and from 1 to 35% of dried vegetables, all calculated on the total mass of the finished product.

3. The dehydrated food mixture according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, the macro algae are from the class Phaeophycae, Laminariales order, the micro algae are from the group of Bacteria and division of Cyanobacteria, and the fermented soy sauce is a liquid or dehydrated form of Tamari soy sauce or of Shoyu soy sauce.

4. The dehydrated food mixture according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, the macro algae are from the Laminaraia Japonica and/or Laminaraia saccharina and/or Undaria Pinnatifida and/or Undaria crenata species, the micro algae are from the Spirulina majori and/or Spirulina crispi and/or Spirulina platensis species, and the fermented soy sauce is a liquid form of Tamari soy sauce or a liquid form of Shoyu soy sauce and that dried vegetables comprises dried carrots and onions.

5. The dehydrated food mixture according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, the size of dried micro algae are from 0,5 mm to 10 mm.

6. A process for preparation of the dehydrated food mixture as claimed in any of claims from 1 to 5, characterized in that, the mixing of the raw materials is carried out in two phases, wherein the dried micro algae, the dried vegetables, the salt and the brown sugar are mixed during the first mixing phase; and wherein the liquid fermented soy sauce, the dried micro algae and the spices are mixed during the second mixing phase.

7. The process of preparation of dehydrated food mixture according to claim 6, characterized in that, the first mixing phase is performed at the speed of 130 t/min, 120 sec, without blades.

8. The process of preparation of dehydrated food mixture according to claim 6, characterized in that the second mixing phase is performed at the speed of 65 t/min, 30 sec, with blades.

9. A use of dehydrated food mixture according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is for use as a finished product, a spice to be added to meals and salads when prepared or when consumed, and for providing meals and salads with a pleasant green color, with a specific sweet-salty flavor, and with nutritional value as an excellent source of iodine.

10. The use of dehydrated food mixture according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is for use as an admixture in the production of food products, and by which a pleasant green color, a specific sweet-salty flavor of powdery food products, and a nutritional value of powdery food products as an excellent source of iodine are obtained.