WO2023033092A1

WO2023033092A1 - Method for curing vanilla beans and method for manufacturing cured vanilla beans

Info

Publication number: WO2023033092A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/032892
Authority: WO
Inventors: 健二斎藤; 忠浩平本; 紀根岸
Original assignee: 高砂香料工業株式会社
Priority date: 2021-09-01
Filing date: 2022-08-31
Publication date: 2023-03-09

Abstract

The present invention has the objective of providing a method that uses less labor to obtain cured vanilla beans having a high vanilla content, which is the most important flavor component, while minimizing the risk of spoilage by microorganisms. The present invention relates to a method, for curing vanilla beans, having a step for either sterilizing green vanilla beans and then filling a bag with the green vanilla beans or filling the bag with the green vanilla beans and then sterilizing the green vanilla beans, and a step for sealing the bag and then performing drying.

Description

Method for curing vanilla beans and method for producing cured vanilla beans

The present invention relates to a method for curing vanilla beans and a method for producing cured vanilla beans.

Vanilla beans are fruits obtained from the genus Vanilla in the family Orchidaceae. Freshly harvested green vanilla beans (green vanilla beans) have almost no fragrance, but as they ripen, many aromatic components, mainly vanillin, are produced, resulting in vanilla beans with a unique sweet fragrance. However, leaving the fruit to ripen naturally runs the risk of rotting the fruit due to microorganisms. In addition, as the fruit matures, the fruit splits into two, causing pod cracking.

In order to prevent these, at commercial production sites, green vanilla beans immediately after harvesting are subjected to cell destruction treatment such as hot water immersion treatment and freeze-thaw treatment, followed by repeated fermentation and drying, a process called curing. is being done. The most widely used traditional curing method involves immersing green vanilla beans in hot water at 55-80° C. for 10 seconds to 4 minutes, wrapping the warm vanilla beans in a cloth and keeping them warm for 24 to 48 hours. Next, the work of drying in the sun for 2 to 5 hours and then wrapping it in a cloth and storing it until the next day is repeated for 1 to 3 weeks. Next, it is dried in a well-ventilated room for 1 to 2 months. Finally, they are placed in a container such as a wooden box and aged for 2 to 3 months to obtain cured vanilla beans, that is, cured vanilla beans. It takes five to six months to complete the entire curing process.

During this curing process, glucovanillin contained in vanilla beans associates and reacts with β-glucosidase also contained in vanilla beans to produce vanillin. Vanillin is an absolute index for determining the quality of cured vanilla beans, and the higher the quality and value of the cured vanilla beans, the higher the vanillin concentration. Cured vanilla beans are used as they are as a raw material for confectionery and cosmetics, and are also widely used as a raw material for natural flavors such as vanilla extract.

As mentioned above, traditional curing methods require a lot of time and effort. In addition, the setting of the conditions for each process, such as the temperature of the hot water, the immersion time, and the timing of shifting from drying in the sun to drying in the shade, largely depends on experience, and this is one of the causes of inconsistent quality as a result. ing. Microbial contamination may occur during the long-term process and deteriorate the quality. Therefore, it is necessary to frequently check whether contamination by microorganisms has occurred in each process, which is one of the factors that make the work complicated. In addition, part of the vanillin produced is volatilized and lost at the site of the drying process, as can be seen from the sweet scent that wafts all over the place.

Various improvement efforts have been made to resolve these issues. For example, in Patent Document 1, vanilla beans are placed in a partially openable and breathable container, and the container is opened and closed in an aseptic environment to reduce the risk of microorganisms during the process and to the product. is described.

In addition, Non-Patent Document 1 describes a curing method that significantly shortens the manufacturing period by drying in a dryer set at 50°C instead of drying in the sun, which takes time.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-26431

However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to open and close the lid in an aseptic environment at the beginning of the drying process, which requires equipment to create an aseptic environment and regular work under that environment, which is costly. There was a problem of load on the surface and work surface.

In addition, the technique described in Non-Patent Document 1 has the problem that the cost of introducing a dryer for drying all the harvested vanilla beans is very expensive for producers, and the cured beans obtained by this method There is a problem that vanilla beans have a peculiar cooked smell.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and is a method for obtaining cured vanilla beans having a high vanillin content, which is the most important flavor component, with less labor while suppressing the risk of spoilage due to microorganisms. The problem to be solved is to provide

As a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, the present inventors have found that green vanilla beans are sterilized and then filled into bags, or green vanilla beans are filled into bags and then sterilized and then sterilized. The present inventors have found that the above problems can be solved by drying in a state of being sealed in a bag, and have completed the present invention.

That is, the present invention relates to the following <1> to <7>.
<1> Green vanilla beans having a step of sterilizing and then filling a bag, or filling a bag with green vanilla beans and then sterilizing, and a step of drying after sealing the bag. curing method.
<2> The method for curing vanilla beans according to <1>, wherein the bag has a water vapor transmission rate of 0.3 g/day or more at 40° C. and 90% relative humidity.
<3> The vanilla beans according to <1> or <2>, wherein the value obtained by dividing the fresh weight (g) of the vanilla beans to be filled in the bag by the water vapor transmission rate (g / day) per bag is 55 or less. curing method.
<4> The method for curing vanilla beans according to any one of <1> to <3>, wherein the green vanilla beans are not subjected to cell destruction treatment.
<5> The method for curing vanilla beans according to any one of <1> to <4>, further comprising a step of drying at 10°C to 50°C after sealing the bag.
<6> The vanilla bean curing method according to any one of <1> to <5>, wherein the sterilization is performed under conditions that do not deactivate β-glucosidase present in the green vanilla beans.
<7> A method for producing cured vanilla beans, comprising the method for curing vanilla beans according to any one of <1> to <6>.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for obtaining cured vanilla beans with a high content of vanillin, which is the most important flavor component, with less labor while suppressing the risk of spoilage by microorganisms.

Although the present invention will be described in detail below, these are examples of preferred embodiments, and the present invention is not limited to these contents. In this specification, proportions based on weight (percentages, parts, etc.) are the same as proportions based on mass (percentages, parts, etc.).

[How to cure vanilla beans]
The vanilla bean curing method of the present invention comprises:
A step of sterilizing green vanilla beans and then filling them into a bag, or filling a bag with green vanilla beans and then sterilizing them, and drying after sealing the bags.

The vanilla plant from which the vanilla beans used in the present invention can be harvested is not particularly limited as long as it is a cultivar that produces vanillin. Examples thereof include Vanilla planifolia, Vanilla xtahitensis, Vanilla pompona, and hybrids thereof. Harvesting is preferably carried out when 8 to 10 months have passed since pollination and when the color of the pods begins to change from green to yellowish. It is preferable to cure the beans immediately after harvesting, but green vanilla beans that have been harvested for a certain period of time may be used as long as they are not spoiled.

The green vanilla beans used in the curing method of the present invention may have a fresh weight of 5-40 g and a dry weight of 0.5-10 g per green vanilla bean. In addition, the dry solid content per one green vanilla bean used in the curing method of the present invention may be 10 to 25% by mass, and the moisture content may be 90 to 75% by mass.
The vanilla bean fresh weight is the weight of the vanilla bean containing moisture. The vanilla bean dry weight is the weight of the vanilla bean after water has been removed. The dry solids content of vanilla beans is the dry weight divided by the fresh weight multiplied by 100. The moisture content of vanilla beans is the value obtained by subtracting the value obtained by dividing the dry weight by the fresh weight and multiplying the value by 100. These values can be measured, for example, by the methods described in Examples below.

The reason why green vanilla beans are sterilized is to prevent the growth and spoilage of microorganisms during long-term curing. Sterilization methods include hot water immersion, flame sterilization, sterilization by heat such as low-temperature heating, sterilization by chemicals such as ethanol, sodium hypochlorite, peracetic acid preparations, ozone water, and acidic electrolyzed water, ultraviolet rays, microwaves, and gamma rays. In addition to sterilization by electromagnetic waves such as sterilization, supercritical carbon dioxide sterilization and the like can be mentioned, and there is no particular limitation as long as it is a means that can obtain a sterilization effect. Moreover, you may select and combine several sterilization methods from these.

However, sterilization by immersion in hot water transfers heat to the inside of the green vanilla beans, so depending on the conditions, it may be accompanied by the deactivation of enzymes inherent in vanilla beans such as β-glucosidase, which is important for aroma generation during curing. . Therefore, it is preferable to perform the sterilization treatment under conditions that do not deactivate the β-glucosidase present in the green vanilla beans. In order to prevent the enzyme from being completely inactivated, when performing sterilization by hot water immersion, if the temperature of the hot water is less than 60 ° C, it will be shorter than 10 minutes, and if it is 60 ° C or higher and lower than 70 ° C, 8 It is desirable to treat for a time shorter than 5 minutes if the temperature is 70°C or higher and lower than 80°C, and for a time shorter than 2 minutes if the temperature is 80°C or higher and lower than 90°C.

All the harvested green vanilla beans can be used as they are, or in order to lower the risk of microbial contamination, before or after sterilization, two green vanilla beans on the petal side and the flower axis side, which are likely to be the invasion route of microorganisms, are treated. You can cut the part. The length to be excised is not particularly limited, but for example, 3 mm to 10 mm can be excised.

The sterilization treatment is preferably carried out immediately before filling the bag with green vanilla beans or after filling the bag with green vanilla beans.

The green vanilla beans may be subjected to cell disruption before or after sterilization. As a result, pod cracking during curing can be prevented, and by destroying the cells, the association between β-glucosidase and glucovanillin is promoted to increase the production efficiency of vanillin.

As the cell destruction treatment, for example, green vanilla beans are immersed in hot water at 55 ° C. to 80 ° C. for about 10 seconds to 4 minutes, green vanilla beans are spread on a black cloth or tray and exposed to sunlight for several days. Sun heat treatment, bundling green vanilla beans and wrapping them in cloth and heating them in an oven at 60°C for 36 to 48 hours, green vanilla beans in a freezer at 0°C to -80°C for 2 hours or more. Alternatively, freeze-thaw treatment can be exemplified by freezing by immersing in liquid nitrogen at −196° C. for about 5 minutes, then holding at room temperature or refrigeration conditions, or thawing by immersing in water.

When sterilization is performed by immersion in hot water, the temperature and time conditions overlap, so sterilization and cell destruction can be combined.

However, in the present invention, since the vanilla beans are packed in a bag and cured in a sealed state, volatilization of aromatic components due to cracking of the pods and deterioration of quality due to oxidation are less likely to occur. Therefore, in the method of the present invention, vanilla beans need not be subjected to cell disruption treatment.

In the present invention, the vanilla beans are sterilized and then filled into the bag, or the vanilla beans are filled into the bag and then sterilized. The bag filled with vanilla beans is preferably tightly sealed from the viewpoint of preventing invasion of microorganisms. A heat seal, a zipper, an adhesive tape, or the like can be used as a means for sealing, but it is preferable to seal without gaps in order to prevent invasion of microorganisms. Furthermore, after sealing, it is preferable not to open the bag until curing is completed.

The material of the bag used in the present invention is not particularly limited. Coalescence, polybutylene succinate, polybutylene succinate adipate or polylactic acid, cellophane, rayon, polyester, acrylic, pulp, wool, cotton, and the like. A bag formed using a single film of any one of these materials may be used, or a bag formed using a multi-layer film composed of a plurality of materials may be used. Also, a bag molded using two different types of films on the front and back may be used.

It is also possible to use materials whose gas permeability is adjusted by opening micropores in these materials using a laser or a needle. A material having improved antifogging properties may be used by applying a surfactant or the like to the surface of the film or kneading it during film production. These materials may be formed into a film and sealed by heat sealing or the like without gaps to be molded into a bag.

In order to cure the vanilla beans in a sealed bag, it is necessary to remove the moisture contained in the vanilla beans. When vanilla beans are sealed in a bag, the higher the water vapor transmission rate of the bag, the faster the moisture is removed. Therefore, it is preferable that the bag used in the present invention has a certain or higher water vapor transmission rate. The value of the water vapor transmission rate of the bag cannot be defined unconditionally because the preferred value varies depending on the temperature, humidity, and the amount of vanilla beans filled in the bag, but preferably at 40 ° C. and 90% relative humidity per bag. The water vapor transmission rate is 0.3 g/day or more, more preferably 0.8 g/day or more per bag.

Also, the value obtained by dividing the fresh weight (g) of the green vanilla beans to be filled in the bag by the water vapor transmission rate (g/day) of the bag is preferably 55 or less, more preferably 20 or less. The value obtained by dividing the fresh weight of green vanilla beans to be packed by the water vapor transmission rate of the bag is an indication of the number of days required for water vapor equivalent to the fresh weight of the green vanilla beans to permeate through the bag. In order to dry green vanilla beans, it is also affected by the time required for water to escape from the structure of vanilla beans, the time required for evaporation, the difference in drying environment, the dry solid content in fresh weight, etc. . Therefore, this value is a guideline for grasping the optimal filling amount of green vanilla beans for the bag. It is preferable to satisfy this value when putting a plurality of green vanilla beans in one bag.

The water vapor transmission rate of the bag can be measured by the method described in JIS K 7129-4:2006.

The amount of vanilla beans to fill the bag is appropriately determined according to the size and properties of the bag.

The vanilla beans in the bag are kept sealed for a certain period of time to dry. The holding place may be indoors or outdoors as long as it is not exposed to rain.

In the drying process, it is also possible to use dedicated drying equipment such as temperature-controlled indoors or ovens. Although the optimum temperature in the drying step cannot be generally defined, it is, for example, 10°C to 80°C, preferably 10°C to 70°C, more preferably 25°C to 60°C, and still more preferably 25°C to 50°C. For example, the drying temperature may be between 10°C and 50°C. The higher the drying temperature, the shorter the drying period. However, if the temperature at the beginning of the drying process is higher than 50°C, the activity of β-glucosidase may be deactivated and the amount of vanillin produced may decrease. In order to prevent this and shorten the drying period, the drying temperature may be changed during the drying process. For example, a method of drying at 25° C. for two weeks and then drying at 80° C. can be considered. The drying time is, for example, 1 week to 48 weeks, preferably 1 week to 30 weeks, more preferably 1 week to 24 weeks, still more preferably 1 week to 12 weeks. The drying time may be 2 to 48 weeks or 4 to 30 weeks.

The moisture content of vanilla beans is a guideline for the end point of drying, but in general, vanilla beans with a high vanillin content have a high moisture content at the end of drying, and vanilla beans with a low vanillin content have a low moisture content at the end of drying. Become. For this reason, the moisture content of vanilla beans, which is the end point of drying, cannot be generally specified, but is preferably 10% to 65% by mass, more preferably 15% to 50% by mass.
The definition of the moisture content of vanilla beans is as described above. The moisture content of vanilla beans can be measured, for example, by the method described in Examples below.

The fresh weight of each cured vanilla bean that has been dried may be 0.6-26 g, and the dry weight may be 0.5-10 g. The dry solids content per one cured vanilla bean after the drying process may be 35 to 90% by mass. The definitions of fresh weight, dry weight and percent dry solids for vanilla beans are given above. The fresh weight, dry weight and dry solid content of vanilla beans can be measured, for example, by the methods described in Examples below.

The vanillin yield by the vanilla bean curing method of the present invention is preferably 40% or more, more preferably 70% or more. The vanillin yield is defined as the vanillin potential, which is the vanillin content when all the glucovanillin in the green vanilla beans before curing is converted to vanillin, and the vanillin per dry weight of the cured vanilla beans after the curing process. It is a value obtained by dividing the content by the vanillin potential per dry weight of green vanilla beans and multiplying by 100. The vanillin concentration and vanillin yield per unit weight can be measured, for example, by the methods described in Examples below.

The vanilla beans that have completed the drying process are stored, for example, in a bag at room temperature, refrigerated or frozen until they are used. Moreover, you may perform an aging process additionally.

[Method for producing cured vanilla beans]
The method for producing cured vanilla beans of the present invention includes the above-described method for curing vanilla beans of the present invention.

The cured vanilla beans obtained by the present invention can be used for the same usages as before. The cured vanilla beans obtained in the present invention can be used in the form of browned dry fruit (so-called vanilla beans), vanilla extract obtained by extraction with water, alcohol, propylene glycol or the like.

Cured vanilla beans obtained in the present invention are used in various forms, for example, as raw materials for food and drink.
Examples of food and drink include beverages, frozen desserts such as ice creams, sherbets, and popsicles; luxury goods such as Japanese/Western sweets, chewing gums, chocolates, breads, and coffee; and various snacks. be done.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples and comparative examples. However, the present invention is not limited by these examples.

First, the method for measuring the content value of each component and the physical property value of the composition, the method for measuring the water vapor transmission rate of the bag, and the method for evaluating the vanillin yield will be explained. The results for each example are shown in Table 1.

<Method for measuring dry solid content and moisture content>
The dry solid content and moisture content of vanilla beans were obtained by drying vanilla beans to remove moisture and measuring the mass of remaining solids. Specific measurement methods were as follows.

The mass of the metal weighing dish was measured and defined as W1 (g). Next, after being immersed in liquid nitrogen for 5 minutes, about 3 g of vanilla beans finely pulverized with a multi-bead shocker MB3200 manufactured by Yasui Kikai Co., Ltd. was added, and the total mass was measured as W2 (g). After drying for 3 hours in a drier set at 105° C., it was cooled in a desiccator and the total mass was measured as W3 (g). The dry solid content and moisture content were determined by Equations 1 and 2, respectively.
Formula 1: Dry solid content (mass%) = (W3-W1) ÷ (W2-W1) × 100
Formula 2: Moisture content (% by mass) = {1-(W3-W1)/(W2-W1)} x 100

<Method for quantifying vanillin and glucovanillin>
The concentrations of vanillin and glucovanillin in vanilla beans were measured by liquid chromatography after extracting pulverized vanilla beans with a solvent. Specific measurement methods were as follows.
After being immersed in liquid nitrogen for 5 minutes, 1 g of finely pulverized vanilla beans was weighed out with a multi-bead shocker MB3200 manufactured by Yasui Kikai Co., Ltd., and placed in a 100 ml volumetric flask. 60% by volume of ethanol was added, and extraction was performed in a hot water bath at 65° C. for 2 hours while stirring with a stirrer bar. After cooling to room temperature, the stirrer bar was taken out and the volume was increased to 100 ml with 60% by volume ethanol. After passing through a 0.45 μm filter, it was filled into a vial and measured by liquid chromatography. Vanillin (manufactured by Nacalai Tesque) and vanillin-4-O-β-D-glucoside (manufactured by Sigma-Aldrich) were used as standards.

The analysis conditions for liquid chromatography were as follows.
Apparatus: Agilent 1200 series (manufactured by Agilent Technologies)
Mobile phase: A solution 0.1% formic acid, B solution Acetonitrile Column: Inertsil sustain C18 (5 μm 4.6 mm × 150 mm) (manufactured by GL Sciences Inc.)
Flow rate: 1.0 ml/min Gradient: A/B = 97/3 for 1 minute, then 25/75 for 25 minutes.
Detector: Diode array detector Measurement wavelength: 260 nm
The resulting vanillin concentration per fresh weight of vanilla beans was divided by the dry solid content of the vanilla beans, and multiplied by 100 to obtain the vanillin concentration per dry weight.

<Measurement of water vapor transmission rate>
The water vapor transmission rate was measured according to JIS K 7129-4:2006. A gas/water vapor transmission rate measuring device GTR-10X manufactured by GTR Tech was used. Gas chromatography was used as a detector, and the measurement environment was set at 40° C. and relative humidity of 90%. The obtained water vapor transmission rate per unit area (g/m ² ·day) was multiplied by the surface area of the bag to obtain the water vapor transmission rate per bag (g/day·bag). In the case of two-sided bags, three-sided bags, and gassho-bukuro, the surface area of the front and back of the bag was calculated.

<Method for evaluating vanillin yield>
The vanillin potential is the vanillin content when all the glucovanillin in the green vanilla beans is converted to vanillin, and the vanillin content per dry weight of the cured vanilla beans is divided by the vanillin potential per dry weight of the green vanilla beans. The vanillin yield is obtained by multiplying the obtained value by 100. The evaluation of the curing method was judged based on the vanillin yield.

However, if green vanilla beans are pulverized and components are extracted to analyze the vanillin potential of green vanilla beans, cured vanilla beans cannot be obtained from the green vanilla beans. Therefore, the average value of the vanillin potential of green vanilla beans having the same degree of maturity as the green vanilla beans used for curing was used. The degree of maturity can be judged, for example, from the period from pollination to harvest, the color of vanilla bean pods, and the like.
A specific procedure for obtaining the average value of vanillin potential is as follows.

One vanilla planifolia green vanilla bean with yellow pods was immersed in liquid nitrogen for 5 minutes and pulverized with a multi-bead shocker MB3200 manufactured by Yasui Kikai Co., Ltd. The pulverized samples were used to determine the percent dry solids of green vanilla beans and the concentration of vanillin and glucovanillin per fresh weight of green vanilla beans. Obtain the vanillin equivalent of glucovanillin by multiplying the obtained glucovanillin concentration (mg/g FW) by 152.15/314.29, which is the ratio of the molecular weights of vanillin and glucovanillin, and add the vanillin concentration to this. to calculate the vanillin potential (mg/g·FW) per fresh weight of green vanilla beans. The vanillin potential per fresh weight of green vanilla beans was divided by the dry solids percentage of the green vanilla beans and multiplied by 100 to obtain the vanillin potential per dry weight of green vanilla beans (mg/g·DW). The same operation was performed on 50 green vanilla beans in the same state, and the average vanillin potential per dry weight of the obtained green vanilla beans was 69.6 mg/g·DW.

The vanillin yield is obtained by the following formula 3 from the average value of the vanillin concentration per dry weight of the cured vanilla beans and the vanillin potential per dry weight of the green vanilla beans.
Formula 3: Vanillin yield (%) = Vanillin concentration per dry weight of cured vanilla beans (mg/g DW) ÷ 69.6 (mg/g DW) × 100

[Example 1]
One vanilla planifolia green vanilla bean with yellow pods was placed in a freezer at -20°C for 48 hours and completely frozen to the center. Next, FW1 was obtained by measuring the weight of the vanilla bean after removing 5 mm from both ends of the vanilla bean. After measuring the weight, the vanilla beans were put into a 0.1% by mass sodium hypochlorite aqueous solution. After sterilizing by stirring for 5 minutes, the vanilla beans were opened in a colander and washed with running water for 5 minutes to remove sodium hypochlorite. After draining on a colander for 1 minute, the vanilla beans were put into 5 L of 80% by volume ethanol.

After sterilizing the vanilla beans by soaking them for 1 minute, they were transferred to a colander and drained for 1 minute. Next, vanilla beans were filled into a three-sided polypropylene bag having a length of 150 mm, a width of 200 mm and a film thickness of 20 μm, and the filling opening was sealed with a heat sealer. Place the vanilla beans in an incubator (manufactured by Tokyo Rikaki Co., Ltd.: LTE-510) set at 25 ° C. until the weight of the vanilla beans reaches 30% of FW1, or for 168 days, whichever is shorter. dried. Cured vanilla beans were thus obtained. The weight of the cured beans was measured and designated as FW2.

[Example 2]
Cured vanilla beans were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a low-density polyethylene three-sided bag having a length of 150 mm, a width of 200 mm, and a film thickness of 40 μm was used.

[Example 3]
Cured vanilla beans were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a low-density polyethylene three-sided bag having a length of 150 mm, a width of 200 mm, and a film thickness of 20 μm was used.

[Example 4]
Cured vanilla beans were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a high-density polyethylene three-sided bag having a length of 150 mm, a width of 200 mm, and a film thickness of 6 μm was used.

[Example 5]
Cured vanilla beans were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a three-sided bag made of a nylon/ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer multilayer film having a length of 150 mm, a width of 210 mm and a thickness of 45 μm was used.

[Example 6]
Cured vanilla beans were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer three-sided bag having a length of 150 mm, a width of 210 mm and a film thickness of 30 μm was used.

[Example 7]
Cured vanilla beans were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a polyethylene terephthalate three-sided bag having a length of 120 mm, a width of 220 mm and a film thickness of 32 μm was used.

[Example 8]
Cured vanilla beans were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a nylon three-sided bag having a length of 150 mm, a width of 210 mm and a film thickness of 15 μm was used.

[Example 9]
Cured vanilla beans were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a polylactic acid three-sided bag having a length of 150 mm, a width of 210 mm and a film thickness of 25 μm was used.

[Example 10]
Cured vanilla beans were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a three-sided polypropylene bag having a length of 150 mm, a width of 200 mm and a film thickness of 30 μm was used.

[Example 11]
Cured vanilla beans were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a three-sided bag made of a nylon/ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer/nylon/polyethylene multilayer film having a length of 150 mm, a width of 200 mm, and a film thickness of 80 μm was used. .

[Example 12]
Cured vanilla beans were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the temperature of the incubator was set to 40°C.

[Example 13]
Cured vanilla beans were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the temperature of the incubator was set to 50°C.

[Example 14]
Cured vanilla beans were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the green vanilla beans were not frozen.

[Example 15]
Cured vanilla beans were obtained in the same manner as in Example 9, except that green vanilla beans were used without freezing.

[Example 16]
Cured vanilla beans were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the temperature of the incubator was set to 60°C.

[Comparative Example 1]
Cured vanilla beans were prepared according to traditional curing methods. After measuring the weight of the green vanilla beans, they were immersed in hot water at 60°C for 2 minutes. After the immersion, it was quickly placed in a glass beaker, the top was sealed with plastic wrap, and then kept at 50° C. in an incubator (LTE-510 manufactured by Tokyo Rikaki Co., Ltd.) for 48 hours. Next, the vanilla beans were placed on a kimtowel, dried in the sun for 4 hours, wrapped in a kimtowel and stored in a cool and dark place until the next day, and this operation was repeated for 3 weeks. Next, the vanilla beans were placed on a kimtowel and dried in the shade for 10 hours, then wrapped in a kimtowel and stored in a cool and dark place until the next day for eight weeks. After drying in the shade, the vanilla beans were wrapped in wax paper and stored in a cool and dark place for two months. Cured vanilla beans were thus obtained.

Examples 1 to 16 and Comparative Example 1 were all carried out with 3 repetitions, and the vanillin yield of the resulting cured vanilla beans was determined and evaluated. Table 1 shows the evaluation results.

From the results in Table 1, it can be seen that the vanillin yields of Examples 1 to 16 are higher than the vanillin yield of Comparative Example 1 performed by the traditional curing method.

In the evaluation of cured vanilla beans, the concentration of vanillin is an absolute index, and the higher the quality of the cured vanilla beans, the higher the concentration of vanillin, and conversely, the lower the concentration of vanillin, the lower the quality. The vanillin concentrations of 30.5 mg/g·DW to 60.9 mg/g·DW obtained in Examples 1 to 16 are 1.5 to 3 times higher than those of high-quality Madagascar vanilla beans. , very high quality vanilla beans could be obtained.

Also, in any of Examples 1 to 16, no mold, yeast, or bacteria putrefaction was observed in the vanilla beans and cured vanilla beans during the process. From this, even if sterilization by the sun which also serves as drying or sterilization by ultraviolet irradiation is not performed, the sterilization process at the time of filling the bag can prevent the growth of mold in the subsequent processes.
Thus, according to the method of the present invention, cured vanilla beans with a high vanillin concentration can be obtained with an extremely small amount of work.

In Examples 14 and 15, the green vanilla beans were cured without undergoing cell destruction treatment such as freezing or immersion in hot water, but cured vanilla beans with a high vanillin concentration were obtained. According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain high-quality cured vanilla beans without loss of vanillin during curing without performing cell disruption treatment.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. This application is based on a Japanese patent application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-142372) filed on September 1, 2021, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference. Also, all references cited herein are incorporated in their entirety.

Claims

A method of curing vanilla beans comprising the steps of: filling green vanilla beans into a bag after being sterilized; or filling the bag with green vanilla beans and then sterilizing; and drying after sealing the bag. .
The method for curing vanilla beans according to claim 1, wherein the bag has a water vapor transmission rate of 0.3 g/day or more at 40°C and 90% relative humidity.
The vanilla bean curing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the value obtained by dividing the fresh weight (g) of the vanilla beans to be filled in the bag by the water vapor transmission rate (g/day) per bag is 55 or less.
The method for curing vanilla beans according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the green vanilla beans are not subjected to cell destruction treatment.
The method for curing vanilla beans according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a step of drying at 10°C to 50°C after sealing the bag.
The method for curing vanilla beans according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sterilization treatment is performed under conditions that do not deactivate β-glucosidase present in the green vanilla beans.
A method for producing cured vanilla beans, comprising the vanilla bean curing method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.