WO2016155004A1

WO2016155004A1 - Method for making a fermented food composition

Info

Publication number: WO2016155004A1
Application number: PCT/CN2015/075858
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lan QIN; Li Chen
Original assignee: Nestec S.A.
Priority date: 2015-04-03
Filing date: 2015-04-03
Publication date: 2016-10-06
Also published as: CN107404917A; MY191622A; PH12017550065B1; PH12017550065A1; CN107404917B

Abstract

A method for making a fermented food composition comprises fermented beans and optionally a pickled vegetable. Further aspects of the invention are the fermented food composition obtained by said method as well as a food dish prepared with using said fermented food composition.

Description

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[根据细则26改正29.06.2015]　

Title: Method for making a fermented food composition

The present invention relates to a method for making a fermented food composition comprising fermented beans and optionally a pickled vegetable. Further aspects of the invention are the fermented food composition obtained by said method as well as a food dish prepared with using said fermented food composition.

Fermented foods have a long tradition mainly in Asian countries and are traditionally consumed either as main dish, side dish, sauce or condiment to a food dish. Typically, such products used as side dish, sauces or condiments are made from fermented beans； they are usually savoury and salty, and can be very spicy. A representative of such products is the fermented bean paste, indigenous to the cuisines of East and Southeast Asia. It is usually made from ground soybeans or broad beans and used as condiment to flavour foods such as stir-fries, stews, noodles or rice, and soups. The colour of such bean pastes ranges from light tan to red and dark brown, depending on the ingredients chosen and the conditions of the fermentation process. Due to the rich protein content of the beans, the fermentation process usually releases large amounts of free amino acids and when combined with salt, results in sauce pastes and condiments providing a strong umami taste impact. Often, various spices and/or pickled vegetables are added to such sauces. Typical such products are for example Yellow soybean paste produced in China and mainly used in the Beijing cuisine, Doubanjiang produced in China and typical to the Sichuan cuisine, Gochujang produced in Korea and usually fermented naturally over years in large earthen pots outdoors, and Miso produced in Japan still widely used in traditional and modern cooking.

Production processes of those fermented bean products are still today mainly based on traditional fermentation technologies. Generally, the beans, sometimes in combination with cereal materials, are fermented submerged or in solid state for several months up to several years under appropriate conditions. Thereafter, the fermented beans are mixed with salt and water, and further incubated for months. Sometimes other ingredients like pickled chili are added to the mixture and incubated all together.

For example, the traditional Pixian broad bean paste is made by mixing selected broad beans with flour, salt and water, and then having the mixture ferment under natural conditions for more than 6 months. Dominant micro-organisms found during such fermentations are for example Aspergillus oryzae, Amylomyces rouxii, Rhizopus oryzae, Pichia anomala, Debaryomyces hansenii (Wang et al. Food Science, 2012, Vol. 33, pages 142-146) . Thereafter, the fermented bean mixture is mixed with red chili, which was pickled in salt for ca. 3 to 12 months, and then further processed in a treatment with steps referred to as “flipping/blending – basking/sun shining – dewing/brewing” outdoors for at least one year and at the outdoor temperatures given (Yu et al., China Condiment, 2008, No. 5, pages 26-31； Zhang et al., Food and Fermentation Technology, 2011, Vol. 47, pages 35-38) . Although usually providing excellent product quality, this traditional process is very long and unstable due to the open, outdoor fermentation system.

Many attempts have been made to try to improve the traditional process of making fermented bean paste. For example a report by Li et al., China Brewing, 2012, Vol. 31, pages 30-32 discloses a way of improving the Koji fermentation by adding selected bacteria and enzymes to the koji process and using that koji for producing the Pixian broad bean paste. Du et al., Food Science, 2013, Vol. 34, pages 203-207, discloses another way of improving the Koji process by adding a mixed inoculum of Aspergillus oryzae and Monascus anka to the fermentation process. This allowed them to reduce the primary Koji fermentation to 10 days and the secondary fermentation with the added chili sauce to 15 days. Products made by similar such shorter processes are also already on the Market place. For example, a Red Oil bean paste is made by simply formulating a fermented Koji together with pickled chili and fermenting them together under ambient temperature for a short period of time. Usually, the colour of those fermented bean products is very good and dark red. However, the overall aroma and taste of those products are inferior to the organoleptic quality of a same fermented Pixian bean product made by the traditional long process.

Hence, there is still a need in the art and food industry to find better and/or alternative solutions, to improve the production process of making fermented bean products in order to reduce the time of production, to reduce the costs of production, and this without reducing but preferably even improving the organoleptic properties of those products compared to the traditional way of making them.

The object of the present invention is to improve the state of the art and to provide a new method for making a fermented food composition, particularly a fermented bean product, to overcome at least some of the inconveniences described above.

The object of the present invention is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. The dependent claims further develop the idea of the present invention.

Accordingly, the present invention provides in a first aspect a method for making a fermented food composition comprising the steps of:

i) fermenting beans with a micro-organism and/or an enzyme；

ii) reacting a first portion of the fermented beans from step i) in the presence of water at a temperature of 80 – 140℃ for at least 20 minutes to result in a flavor reaction product；

iii) mixing the flavor reaction product of step ii) with a second portion of the fermented beans of step i) in the presence of salt；

iv) incubating the mixture of step iii) at a temperature of 30-75℃ for at least 6 hours；

v) Optionally filling the mixture of step iv) into packaging containers.

In a second aspect, the invention relates to a fermented food compos ition obtainable by the method of the present invention.

A further aspect of the present invention is a food dish prepared with using the fermented food composition of the present invention.

It has been surprisingly found by the inventors that when first processing only a portion of the fermented beans at a high temperature and then adding this pre-reacted portion back into a mixture with the non-reacted second portion of the fermented beans together with salt and optionally pickled vegetables, a short temperature controlled second fermentation step allows to produce a fermented bean product which has on one hand an excellent color, and on the other hand a much better, excellent taste and aroma profile than what would be expected from a fermented bean product with such a short second fermentation time.

Advantageously, this new production method can now be used to produce fermented food compositions in a much shorter time, e.g. reducing the second fermentation time from months or years to hours, to reduce the cost of production as those storage tanks and long waiting periods are not needed anymore, and to improve and stabilize the product quality as to the organoleptic properties. The method of production is adequate and suitable for being used for producing fermented bean products such as broad bean paste and Pixian Doubanjiang sauces； fermented yellow soybean paste； Gochujang； and Miso products.

Detailed Description of the invention

The present invention pertains to a method for making a fermented food composition comprising the steps of:

i) fermenting beans with a micro-organism and/or an enzyme；

ii) reacting a first portion of the fermented beans from step i) in the presence of water at a temperature of 80 to 140℃ for at least 20 minutes to result in a flavor reaction product；

v) Optionally filling the mixture of step iv) into packaging containers.

The term ‘beans’ relates here to large plant seeds of several genera of the plant family Fabaceae which are used in foods for consumption by humans and animals. Preferably the beans are selected from the group consisting of soy beans, broad beans, black beans, mung beans, red beans, kidney beans and cow beans, or a combination thereof.

The term ‘micro-organism’ relates to a food grade bacterium, yeast or mold, typically used or found in fermentation processes of food products. Preferably, the micro-organism is a strain from a species selected from the genus of Aspergillus, Amylomyces, Bacillus, Debaryomyces, Monascus, Pichia, Rhizopus, or Saccharomyces.

The term ‘enzyme’ relates to enzymes usually produced by the micro-organisms and found in the fermentation processes of plant material, such as proteases and peptidases, amylases, cellulases, and lipases.

The method of the present invention relates in step ii) to a thermal reaction at a temperature from 80℃ to 140℃ for a reaction period of at least 20 minutes. Preferably, the reaction period is at least 30 minutes, more preferably at least 40 minutes. In fact, the higher the reaction temperature is chosen, the shorter the reaction time can be selected. Preferably, the reaction temperature is from 85℃ to 125℃, more preferably from 90℃ to 110℃. This selection allows an optimal balance between a short reaction time and lower temperature within the workable range of the thermal reaction, in order to optimize reaction efficiency and to minimize loss of any generated volatile substances. The result of the thermal reaction of step ii) is a flavor reaction product.

The method of the present invention relates in step iii) to a presence of salt. Salt refers herein to normal common salt typically used in the food industry, i.e. composed primarily of sodium chloride. Preferably, the concentration of salt in the resulting mixture of step iii) corresponds to 10-25 wt％, more preferably 15-25 wt％, or even 18-24 wt％. In order to achieve the desired salt concentration, salt can for example be directly added into the mixture of step ii) and/or step iii) . Alternatively, the salt can originate from the fermented bean portion which has been salted before mixing it into step iii) . As a still further alternative solution and pertaining to a separate embodiment, the salt or part thereof can originate from adding a pickled vegetable into the mixture of step iii) .

The method of the present invention relates in step iv) to a second fermentation step, where the mixture resulting from step iii) is incubated at a temperature from 30℃ to 75℃ for at least 6 hours. Preferably, the mixture is not incubated for longer than 72 hours, preferably not longer than 48 hours. In a further preferred embodiment, the mixture in step iii) is incubated at a temperature from 50℃ to 70℃. More preferably, the mixture in step iii) is incubated at a temperature from 50℃ to 70℃ for a time period from 8 – 24 hours.

The method of the present invention further optionally refers to filling the mixture of step iv) into packaging containers. Such packaging allows a better handling, storage and commercialization of the fermented food composition to consumers. Packaging containers as of the present invention can be glass or plastic j ars, bottles, bags, tubes or cans. Alternatively, the fermented food composition can also be used as an intermediate product in the food industry e.g. as an ingredient in another food manufacturing process and this with or without the need for the fermented food composition to be packaged separately into containers such as e.g. bags.

In one embodiment, the method of the present invention comprises as part of step ii) , an addition of sugar to the first portion of the fermented beans and then reacting the mixture of sugar, fermented beans and water at the higher temperature for the indicated time. It has been found by the inventors that addition of sugar extra to the indigenous sugar already present in the fermented beans markedly improves the generation of flavor and flavor precursor molecules generated by this reaction step. Consequently, the aroma and taste profile of the finished fermented food composition is better when sugar is added to the step ii) reaction mixture. Preferably, the added sugar is selected from the group consisting of xylose, dextrose, glucose, fructose, ribose and rhamnose, or a combination thereof. The sugar can be added in an amount of 1-20 wt％, preferably of 2-10 wt％ or 4-10 wt％, per total amount of first portion of the fermented beans and sugar.

In an embodiment, the present invention relates to a method, wherein the first portion of the fermented beans in step ii) represents 10-90 wt％ of the fermented beans of the total amount of fermented beans present in the fermented food composition. Preferably, the first portion of the fermented beans represents 20-80 wt％ of the fermented beans of the total amount of fermented beans present in the fermented food composition； more preferably at least 25 wt％, 30 wt％ or 35 wt％.

In a further embodiment, the present invention relates to a method further comprising a step of adding a pickled vegetable to the mixture in step iii) . Without this step of adding a pickled vegetable, the present invention provides a solution for making for example a plain version of a Doubanjiang or a Miso product. However, with incorporating this step of adding a pickled vegetable into the present method, also spicy versions of Doubanjiang products such as e.g. typical Pixian Sichuan chili-broad bean products can be produced.

A “pickled vegetable” is defined herein as a vegetable which has been immersed for preservation and/or flavoring purposes in a brine or vinegar solution typically comprising salt. Typically, the brine or vinegar solution is acid due to the presence of lactic acid, citric acid and/or acetic acid.

A “vegetable” as for the present invention is defined as the edible part of a plant that is consumed for food and that is not a seed, grain or nut. Included in this definition are mature fruits that are eaten as part of a main meal, such as for example tomatoes； not included under the term “vegetable” as for the present invention are beans.

Accordingly, the pickled vegetable is preferably selected from the group consisting of pickled chili, pickled pepper, pickled cabbage, pickled radish, pickled cucumbers, pickled carrots, pickled tomatoes, pickled onions, pickled garlic, pickled ginger, pickled mustard leaf or a combination thereof. Typically, the added pickled vegetable represents 20-80 wt％ of the total fermented food composition. In a preferred embodiment, the added pickled vegetable represents 40-75 wt％, more preferably 50-70 wt％ of the total fermented food composition.

In a second aspect, the invention relates a fermented food composition obtainable by the method of the present invention.

In one embodiment, the fermented food composition of the present invention has a salt concentration of 10-25 wt％, preferably of 15-25 wt％, or even 18-24 wt％. This salt concentrations allows on one hand to provide the salty taste to the fermented food composition as expected by consumers of such products, and on the other hand to serve as a safety hurdle for ensuring microbial safety against spoilage and product stability.

In a further embodiment, the fermented food composition of the present invention has a content of 40-50 g/100g solid material. This solid material typically originates from the plant raw materials used in the production process such as the fermented beans and/or the pickled vegetables. Consumers prefer to have a fermented bean product which has a consistency and appearance relating to a composition having about 40-50 g/100g solid material.

A particular embodiment of the present invention relates to a fermented food composition comprising 15-40 wt％ fermented beans, and 50-70 wt％ pickled vegetables, preferably pickled chili. The total salt concentration of this particular embodiment is preferably 15-25 wt％.

The fermented food composition of the present invention is preferably in the form of a paste. Alternatively, the fermented food composition can also be dehydrated and can be provided to consumers in the form of a powder, granules or a pressed or extruded tablet.

A further aspect of the present invention is a food dish prepared with using the fermented food composition of the present invention. Such a food dish can be for example a stir-fried vegetable dish, a rice or noodle dish for example in the form of an instant rice or noodle dish to be prepared by the consumer as a quick meal, a fried tofu or meat dish, a cold salad dish, or a soup such as a miso soup e.g. in liquid, concentrated or dried format.

Those skilled in the art will understand that they can freely combine all features of the present invention disclosed herein. In particular, features described for the method for making a fermented food composition of the present invention may be combined with the products of the present invention and vice versa. Further, features described for different embodiments of the present invention may be combined. Further advantages and features of the present invention are apparent from the figures and examples.

Example 1:

Method of preparation of fermented broad bean paste 1

Fermented broad beans containing naturally occurring micro-organisms Aspergillus oryzae, Amylomyces rouxii, Rhizopus oryzae, Pichia anomala and Debaryomyces hansenii were purchased on a local market in Sichuan, China.

In a first step, a mixture consisting of 40wt％ of the fermented broad beans, 6.5wt％ dextrose, 40wt％ water and 13.5wt％ salt was heated to a temperature of 93℃ for 60 minutes in a closed reaction vessel, in order to obtain a flavour reaction product.

In a second step, a composition consisting of 20wt％ of the flavour reaction product from the above first step, 20wt％ of unreacted fermented broad beans (as indicated above) and 60wt％ pickled chili (containing 80％ fresh chili and 20％ salt, purchased on a local market in Sichuan, China) was admixed. The mixture was then incubated at 70℃ for 8 hours, and thereafter cooled to room temperature.

The total solids and salt content of the mixture were then determined according to the official method provided by the Chinese National Standard GB/T 5009.3 oven method for total solids and GB/T 12457 titration method for the salt content. Sensory evaluation of the final products was carried out by five trained sensory panelists in a blind tasting test. As references, a commercial product “Red oil bean paste” , bought on the local market in Shanghai, China, and a commercial product “old bean paste” bought on the local market in Shanghai, China, were included. The product characteristics of the samples as to taste, flavor and color were then evaluated i) directly in the form of a bean paste, and ii) in a cooked dished which has been prepared with the use of the bean paste. The dish was “twice-cooked pork” which is a very popular and traditional dish in Sichuan, China. A ranking from 1 to 10 was then given to the overall performance of the samples as to the appearance of color, fermented flavor, over-all flavor, and spicy and salty taste. A higher score means an overall better performance as to taste and color. The results are shown in Table 1.

The ingredients, recipe and the preparation instruction for making the “twice-cooked pork” dish are as follows:

Ingredients: 300g of pork belly, 100g green pepper, 100g green garlic sprout, 10g soya oil, 3 pieces of ginger, 5g dark soy sauce, 8g granulated chicken bouillon, 8g sugar, 5g cooking wine, 30g broad bean pastes.

Preparation:

1.Add ginger pieces to 1 L water in a pot with big fire and bring to boiling.

2.Add cleaned pork belly and simmer for 10 minutes with small fire.

3.Cool the pork belly with running water.

4.Slice the pork belly.

5.Clean green pepper and cut it into diamond pieces. Clean green garlic sprout and cut into chunks.

6.Add in soya oil into the pan. Fry the sliced pork belly until the fat slightly curved.

7.Add in broad bean paste and fry until fragrant.

8.Add in cooking wine, sugar, dark soy sauce, granulated chicken bouillon, green pepper, and green garlic sprout and fry until fragrant.

9.Serve the dish for evaluation.

The total solids, salt content value and sensory evaluation results are indicated in Table 1.

Table 1

Results of total solid, salt content value and sensory evaluation

It is evident from the above results, that the method of the present invention was effective for the preparation of a fermented broad bean paste. Particularly, it is evident from the sensory evaluation results that the processed mixture of the present invention performed much better in providing a fermented bean flavor and more full body and meaty notes than the commercial red oil bean paste. On the other hand, the sample of the present invention was very similar and close to the positive standard reference of the commercial old bean paste, which however takes at least 2 years for its making. Consequently, the present method allows producing a fermented bean paste product with a short production time and similar in its organoleptic characteristics as a traditional product which takes years for its production.

Example 2:

Method of preparation of fermented broad bean paste 2

Fermented broad beans fermented with Aspergillus oryzae were purchased on a local market in Sichuan, China.

In a first step, a mixture consisting of 60wt％ of the fermented broad beans, 2wt％ xylose, 30wt％ water and 8wt％ salt was heated to a temperature of 90℃ for 80 minutes in a closed reaction vessel, in order to obtain a flavour reaction product.

In a second step, a composition consisting of 40wt％ of the flavour reaction product from the above first step, 10wt％ of unreacted fermented broad beans (as indicated above) and 50wt％ pickled chili (the same as used in Example 1) was admixed. The mixture was then incubated at 60℃ for 12 hours, and thereafter cooled to room temperature.

Thereafter, the total solids content and the salt content of the mixture after the second step were determined in the same way as reported in Example 1. Sensory evaluation was also carried out in the same way as reported in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 2.

Table 2

Results of total solid, salt content value and sensory evaluation

It is evident from the above results, that the method of the present invention was effective for the preparation of a fermented broad bean paste. Particularly, it is evident from the sensory evaluation result, that the processed mixture performed better in the fermented bean flavor, even more full body and meaty flavor than a commercially available product.

Example 3:

Method of preparation of fermented soy bean paste 3

Fermented soy beans fermented with Aspergillus oryzae were purchased on a local market in Shanghai, China.

In a first step, a mixture consisting of 30wt％ of the fermented soy beans, 4wt％ fructose, 50wt％ water and 16wt％ salt was heated to a temperature of 105℃ for 40 minutes in aclosed reaction vessel, in order to obtain a flavour reaction product.

In a second step, a composition consisting of 20wt％ of the flavour reaction product from the above first step, 30wt％ of unreacted fermented soy beans (as indicated above) and 50wt％ pickled radish (containing 85％ fresh radish and 15％ salt, purchased on a local market in Shanghai, China) was admixed. The mixture was then incubated at 65℃ for 10 hours, and thereafter cooled to room temperature.

Thereafter, the total solids content and the salt content of the mixture after the second step were determined in the same way as reported in Example 1. Sensory evaluation was also carried out in the same way as reported in Example 1. As a reference sample, a non-proces sed fermented soy bean sample was used, which was produced by mixing 36wt％ fermented soy beans, 3.2wt％ salt, 0.8wt％ fructose, 10wt％ water and 50wt％ pickled radish, without going through the two step process of the present invention. This process is similar to the manufacturing process for making the commercial Red oil bean paste. The results are shown in Table 3.

Table 3

Results of total solid, salt content value and sensory evaluation

It is evident from the above results, that the process of the present invention was more effective for the preparation of a fermented soy bean paste. Particularly, it is evident from the sensory evaluation result, that the processed mixture performed better in the fermented bean flavor, even more full body, and more balanced and meaty flavor than non-processed sample.

Example 4:

Method of preparation of fermented black bean paste 4

Fermented black beans fermented with Aspergillus oryzae were purchased on a local market in Shanghai, China.

In a first step, a mixture consisting of 40wt％ of the fermented black beans, 7.5wt％ glucose, 40wt％ water and 12.5wt％ salt was heated to a temperature of 80℃ for 120 minutes in a closed reaction vessel, in order to obtain a flavour reaction product.

In a second step, a composition consisting of 20wt％ of the flavour reaction product from the above first step, 10wt％ of unreacted fermented black beans (as indicated above) and 70wt％ pickled mustard leaves (containing 82％ fresh mustard leaves and 18％ salt, purchased on a local market in Shanghai, China) was admixed. The mixture was then incubated at 55℃ for 16 hours, and thereafter cooled to room temperature.

Thereafter, the total solids content and the salt content of the mixture after the second step were determined in the same way as reported in Example 1. Sensory evaluation was also carried out in the same way as reported in Example 1. As a reference sample, a non-processed fermented black bean sample was used, which was produced by mixing 18wt％ fermented black beans, 2.5wt％ salt, 1.5wt％ glucose, 8wt％ water and 70wt％ pickled mustard leaves, without going through the two step process of the present invention. This process is similar to the manufacturing process for making the commercial Red oil bean paste. The results are shown in Table 4.

Table 4

Results of total sol id, salt content value and sensory evaluation

Claims

Method for making a fermented food composition comprising the steps of :

i) fermenting beans with a micro-organism and/or an enzyme；

ii) reacting a first portion of the fermented beans from step i) in the presence of water at a temperature of 80–140℃ for at least 20 minutes to result in a flavor reaction product；

iii) mixing the flavor reaction product of step ii) with a second portion of the fermented beans of step i) in the presence of salt；

iv) incubating the mixture of step iii) at a temperature of 30-75℃ for at least 6 hours；

v) optionally filling the mixture of step iv) into packaging containers.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the beans are selected from the group consisting of soy beans, broad beans, black beans, mung beans, red beans, kidney beans and cow beans, or a combination thereof.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the micro-organism is a strain from a species selected from the genus of Aspergillus, Amylomyces, Bacillus, Debaryomyces, Monascus, Pichia, Rhizopus, or Saccharomyces.
The method according to one o f the claims 1-3, wherein in step ii) sugar is added to the first portion of the fermented beans and then reacted at the higher temperature.
The method according to claim 4, wherein the added sugar is selected from the group consisting of xylose, dextrose, glucose, fructose, ribose and rhamnose.
The method according to one of the claims 1-5, wherein the first portion of the fermented beans in step ii) represents 10-90 wt％ fermented beans of the total amount of fermented beans present in the fermented food composition.
The method according to one o f the claims 1-6, further comprising a step of adding a pickled vegetable to the mixture in step iii).
The method according to claim 7, wherein the pickled vegetable is selected from the group consisting of pickled chili, pickled pepper, pickled cabbage, pickled radish, pickled cucumbers, pickled carrots, pickled tomatoes, pickled onions, pickled garlic, pickled ginger, pickled mustard leaf or a combination thereof.
The method according to one of the claims 7-8, wherein the added pickled vegetable represents 20-80 wt％ of the total fermented food composition.
A fermented food composition obtainable by one of the claims 1-9.
The fermented food composition according to claim 10 having a salt concentration of 10-25 wt％, preferably of 15-25 wt％.
The fermented food composition according to claim 10 or 11, having 40-50 g/100g solid material.
The fermented food composition according to one of the claims 10-12, comprising 15-40 wt％ fermented beans and 50-70 wt％ pickled vegetables.
The fermented food composition according to one of the claims 10-13, which is in the form of a paste.
A food dish prepared with using the fermented food composition according to one of the claims 10-14.