WO2023176747A1 - Composition for heating edible meat - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a novel method for softening the texture of a heated meat that is produced by heating a raw meat with microwaves, the method being a method for softening an edible meat and comprising (1) a step for bringing the edible meat into contact with a composition containing at least one active ingredient selected from the group consisting of reduced glutathione, cysteine and salts thereof and (2) a step for exposing the edible meat to microwaves.

Description

Composition for heating meat

The present invention relates to a method for softening meat exposed to microwaves and a method for producing softened microwave-heated meat. The present invention also relates to a meat softening composition for microwave heating that can impart a soft texture to meat.

In recent years, with the diversification of lifestyles, there has been a desire for quick and simple cooking at home. In particular, cooking using microwave ovens has become widespread, and the use of microwave ovens, which used to be used as a means of heating food, has expanded to include the purpose of cooking raw ingredients. There are a wide variety of dishes that can be cooked using a microwave oven, but the use of microwave ovens to cook raw meat is increasing because of the convenience of cooking the main side dish in a short time.

A microwave oven heats food by exposing it to microwaves and inducing vibrations in the water molecules contained in the food. Therefore, microwave heating is also called microwave heating. The biggest feature of microwave heating is that the food itself generates heat due to the vibration of the water molecules in the food, so the temperature rises from inside the food, whereas the heat conducted from the outside of the food when cooking in a frying pan or pot The mechanism is very different from heating by convection heat or convection heat. In other words, in frying pan or pot cooking, the food is heated slowly from the outside, whereas in microwave cooking, the food is heated rapidly from the inside, making it suitable for quick and simple cooking. ing.

On the other hand, microwave heating also has drawbacks, especially when cooking raw meat. The biggest drawback to cooking raw meat using microwave heating is that it becomes hard and rubbery in texture. Such a phenomenon is often seen when cooking eggs in a microwave oven (Non-Patent Document 1), and is also called the rubberization phenomenon. This phenomenon is unique to microwave heating, as it cannot be seen in frying pans or pots, and a major challenge is how to cook raw meat in a microwave oven to make it soft without turning it into rubber. The rubberization phenomenon of raw meat caused by microwave heating has traditionally been thought to be caused by the rapid evaporation of water molecules vibrated by microwaves, resulting in a significant decrease in the amount of water inside the meat. Since the meat has an unnatural, rubber-like texture for cooked meat, which cannot be explained by hardening of the meat protein due to the detachment of molecules, it is inferred that this phenomenon involves a mechanism different from the detachment of water molecules. be done.

The formation of disulfide bonds by exposing thiol groups to microwaves can be inferred from a report showing that microwaves change reduced cysteine to oxidized cysteine (Patent Document 1). In order to inhibit the formation of disulfide bonds in meat proteins due to microwave cooking, it is necessary to inhibit the reaction between thiol groups in meat proteins by reducing the thiol groups. That is, there is a possibility that this can be achieved by adding a reducing agent.

However, the proteins that make up meat include many proteins with different properties, such as actin and myosin that make up myofibrils, and collagen that makes up connective tissue such as the perimysium. Because it has the following structure, adding a reducing agent can only act on a portion of the thiol groups exposed on the surface of meat proteins. Therefore, by adding a denaturing agent to unfold the meat protein and expose the thiol groups inside the three-dimensional structure, and using it in combination with a reducing agent, it is possible to reduce many of the thiol groups that the meat protein has. The large number of thiol groups exposed on the surface of meat proteins also promotes the formation of disulfide bonds when exposed to microwaves. In particular, it is known that the exchange reaction, that is, the re-crosslinking reaction of disulfide bonds, proceeds rapidly under alkaline conditions (Non-Patent Document 2). For example, the use of alkaline materials may actually promote rubberization of meat proteins.

Alkaline materials, which are denaturing agents commonly used for meat tenderization, have a strong denaturing effect on myofibrillar proteins whose isoelectric point is around pH 5.5, and tend to promote disulfide bond exchange reactions. For collagen, which easily induces polymerization, that is, rubberization, and whose isoelectric point is around pH 9.0, the approach by reducing agents is rather reduced.

There have been multiple reports regarding the induction of structural changes in proteins by exposure to microwaves. As mentioned above, Patent Document 1 shows that reduced cysteine is changed to oxidized cysteine by microwaves, and Patent Document 2 discloses that microwaves are applied to textured protein made of soybean protein and wheat flour. A method for binding meat substitutes is shown in . All of these findings support the formation of disulfide bonds in meat proteins by microwaves, but they do not mention the softening of meat during microwave cooking.

As for the knowledge of adding a reducing agent to a target object and exposing it to microwaves, there is a method for improving the texture of buckwheat noodles that can be used in a microwave oven by blending gluten with an edible oxidizing agent and/or an edible reducing agent (Patent Document 3) , a method of obtaining a keratin fiber deformation effect by exposing to microwaves in the presence of steam containing a composition containing a reducing agent, etc. (Patent Document 4), a method of obtaining a keratin fiber deformation effect by exposing keratin fibers to a composition containing a linear organic disulfide compound, A method of obtaining a keratin fiber deformation effect by heating with a microwave, etc. (Patent Document 5), a method of obtaining a keratin fiber deformation effect by treating with a reducing agent, drying with a microwave heating, etc., and then applying an oxidizing agent treatment. A method for obtaining (Patent Document 6) and the like are disclosed. In both cases, the desired effect is achieved by using a reducing agent to cleave disulfide bonds in proteins, but there has been no detailed study on the use of these methods in combination with acids, much less the effects on meat tenderization during microwave cooking. No mention is made of applications.

The knowledge of adding acid or alkali to a target object and then exposing it to microwaves includes microwave heating of raw meat containing one or more selected from pyrophosphoric acid, malic acid, trehalose, phosphoric acid, and calcined calcium. Meat softening method using a cooking composition (Patent Document 7), raw odor caused by heating raw meat or raw marine products in a microwave oven after applying seasonings containing organic acids, starches, thermoset proteins, and edible oils and fats (Patent Document 8), a hair straightening method in which a composition containing a compound containing a guanidine moiety such as arginine is added and heated with microwaves (Patent Document 9), A method of uniformly heating and cooking in which microwaves are irradiated after impregnating a highly concentrated salt solution and a highly concentrated alkaline agent solution (Patent Document 10), a method in which animal and vegetable proteins are irradiated with microwaves in alkaline water and partially hydrated. A method for producing a peptide by decomposition (Patent Document 11) and the like are disclosed. In all of these, a certain desired effect has been obtained using a pH adjusting agent such as an acid or alkali, but most of these inventions use alkaline materials, and no study has been made regarding their use in combination with a reducing agent. First, meat tenderization in microwave cooking has not been optimized.

Knowledge of changing the structure of proteins by adding a reducing agent to proteinaceous foods includes a method for producing rice flour-based bread that has a good puffiness and is fine-grained using rice flour, sorghum flour, and glutathione (Patent Document 12); A dough improver for rice flour breads that does not contain wheat flour or gluten (Patent Document 13), a method for extracting gliadin and glutenin by cleaving the disulfide bonds of gluten using a reducing agent such as sodium sulfite (Patent Document 14), A method for producing baked products or pasta using a dough made of a composition containing a reduced thiol-based redox protein and grain flour (Patent Document 15) and the like have been disclosed. In both cases, the cleavage of disulfide bonds in proteins by a reducing agent contributes to the desired effect, but no mention is made of microwave irradiation.

The knowledge that the structure of proteins can be changed by adding an acid or alkaline material and a reducing agent to protein-based foods is that a composition containing grilled salt, glutathione, sugar alcohol or oligosaccharide, and processed starch is applied to meat. discloses a method for maintaining soft and juicy texture (Patent Document 16), but does not mention microwave exposure.

Patent No. 5537820 Patent No. 4797893 Patent No. 3441450 Patent No. 6162041 Special Publication No. 2014-516024 Patent No. 6317060 JP2021-97624A Patent No. 3687072 Special Publication No. 2016-539933 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-190247 Patent No. 5641466 Patent No. 6430117 Patent No. 5540347 Patent No. 3490093 Patent No. 3691053 Patent No. 4544160

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to soften the texture of heated meat obtained by microwave heating (especially microwave cooking) of raw meat. and to provide a meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating.

The present inventor focused on the relationship between the formation of disulfide bonds by microwaves and the cleavage of disulfide bonds and the reduction of thiol groups by reducing agents, and as a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, the inventors found that acidic The present inventors have discovered that it is possible to obtain soft meat without turning it into rubber by adjusting the pH within a range, bringing reduced glutathione or cysteine into contact with the meat, and heating it in the microwave, thereby completing the present invention.
That is, the present invention is as follows.

[1] (1) A step of bringing meat into contact with a composition containing at least one active ingredient selected from the group consisting of reduced glutathione, cysteine, and salts thereof, and (2) A step of exposing the meat to microwaves. Methods of tenderizing meat, including:
[2] The method according to [1], wherein the meat is brought into contact with 10 μmol or more and 10,000 μmol or less of the active ingredient per 100 g of meat.
[3] The method according to [1] or [2], wherein the composition contains an organic acid, an inorganic acid, or a salt thereof.
[4] Organic acids, inorganic acids, or salts thereof include succinic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, acetic acid, gluconic acid, lactic acid, fumaric acid, phytic acid, disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate, and calcium dihydrogen pyrophosphate. The method according to [3], which is one or more selected from the group consisting of.
[5] The method according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the pH of the composition when added to water is 5.5 or less.
[6] The method according to [5], wherein the composition has a pH of 2 to 5.5 when added to water.
[7] The method according to [5] or [6], wherein the step of bringing the meat into contact with the composition is a step of immersing the meat in the composition.
[8] (1) A step of bringing the meat into contact with a composition containing at least one active ingredient selected from the group consisting of reduced glutathione, cysteine, and salts thereof, and (2) A step of exposing the meat to microwaves. A method for producing heated meat, including:
[9] The method according to [8], wherein the meat is brought into contact with 10 μmol or more and 10,000 μmol or less of the active ingredient per 100 g of meat.
[10] The method according to [8] or [9], wherein the composition contains an organic acid, an inorganic acid, or a salt thereof.
[11] Organic acids, inorganic acids, or salts thereof include succinic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, acetic acid, gluconic acid, lactic acid, fumaric acid, phytic acid, disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate, and calcium dihydrogen pyrophosphate. The method according to [10], which is one or more selected from the group consisting of.
[12] The method according to any one of [8] to [11], wherein the pH of the composition when added to water is 5.5 or less.
[13] The method according to [12], wherein the composition has a pH of 2 to 5.5 when added to water.
[14] The method according to [12] or [13], wherein the step of bringing the meat into contact with the composition is a step of immersing the meat in the composition.
[15] A meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating, comprising as an active ingredient at least one selected from the group consisting of reduced glutathione, cysteine, and salts thereof.
[16] The composition according to [15], wherein the composition contains an organic acid, an inorganic acid, or a salt thereof.
[17] Organic acids, inorganic acids, or salts thereof include succinic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, acetic acid, gluconic acid, lactic acid, fumaric acid, phytic acid, disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate, and calcium dihydrogen pyrophosphate. The composition according to [16], which is one or more selected from the group consisting of.
[18] The composition according to any one of [15] to [17], which has a pH of 5.5 or less when added to water.
[19] The composition according to [18], wherein the composition has a pH of 2 to 5.5 when added to water.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cooked meat product in which meat cooked in a microwave oven does not become rubbery and has a soft and excellent texture.

The present invention comprises (1) contacting meat with a composition containing at least one active ingredient selected from the group consisting of reduced glutathione, cysteine, and salts thereof; and (2) exposing meat to microwaves. The present invention relates to a meat softening method (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "the softening method of the present invention") including the steps.

The reduced glutathione used in the present invention is a tripeptide in which glutamic acid, cysteine, and glycine are bonded in this order, and glutamic acid and cysteine are bonded through a γ-glutamyl bond. Glutathione exists in a reduced form and an oxidized form, and the glutathione used in the present invention is the reduced form, and in the present specification, when it is simply expressed as glutathione, it means reduced glutathione.

The salt of reduced glutathione is not particularly limited as long as it can be taken orally. For example, salts for acidic groups such as carboxyl groups include ammonium salts, salts with alkali metals such as sodium and potassium, salts with alkaline earth metals such as calcium and magnesium, aluminum salts, zinc salts, triethylamine, and ethanolamine. , morpholine, pyrrolidine, piperidine, piperazine, salts with organic amines such as dicyclohexylamine, and salts with basic amino acids such as arginine and lysine. In addition, salts for basic groups such as amino groups include, for example, salts with inorganic acids such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, nitric acid, and hydrobromic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, benzoic acid, maleic acid, and fumaric acid. , salts with organic carboxylic acids such as tartaric acid, succinic acid, tannic acid, butyric acid, hibenzic acid, pamoic acid, enanthic acid, decanoic acid, theoclic acid, salicylic acid, lactic acid, oxalic acid, mandelic acid, malic acid, methylmalonic acid, etc. , methanesulfonic acid, benzenesulfonic acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid, and other organic sulfonic acids. Note that as the salt, one type of salt may be used, or two or more types of salts may be used in combination.

The reduced glutathione used in the present invention may be a pure reduced glutathione, a yeast extract containing reduced glutathione, or a mixture containing oxidized glutathione and other substances.

The reduced glutathione, the glutathione-containing yeast extract, and the mixture containing glutathione may be in any form, including solids such as powders and granules, liquids, and semisolids such as pastes. Glutathione can be used as a natural product, as it is, dried and crushed, an extract extracted with a solvent, etc., a chemical synthesis method, a peptide synthesis method, or a synthetic product using Escherichia coli. Examples of glutathione or its salt used in the present invention include commercially available glutathione-containing yeast extracts.

The cysteine used in the present invention may be free cysteine, a salt of cysteine, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, cysteine can be used in either the L-form, the D-form, or a mixture thereof (eg, racemic form), but preferably the L-form is used.

The cysteine salt is not particularly limited as long as it can be orally ingested. For example, salts for acidic groups such as carboxyl groups include ammonium salts, salts with alkali metals such as sodium and potassium, salts with alkaline earth metals such as calcium and magnesium, aluminum salts, zinc salts, triethylamine, and ethanolamine. , morpholine, pyrrolidine, piperidine, piperazine, salts with organic amines such as dicyclohexylamine, and salts with basic amino acids such as arginine and lysine. In addition, salts for basic groups such as amino groups include, for example, salts with inorganic acids such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, nitric acid, and hydrobromic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, benzoic acid, maleic acid, and fumaric acid. , salts with organic carboxylic acids such as tartaric acid, succinic acid, tannic acid, butyric acid, hibenzic acid, pamoic acid, enanthic acid, decanoic acid, theoclic acid, salicylic acid, lactic acid, oxalic acid, mandelic acid, malic acid, methylmalonic acid, etc. , methanesulfonic acid, benzenesulfonic acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid, and other organic sulfonic acids. Note that as the salt, one type of salt may be used, or two or more types of salts may be used in combination.
Among these, preferred cysteine salts include cysteine hydrochloride, cysteine acetate, cysteine citrate, and cysteine succinate.

Further, cysteine and its salts used in the present invention may be produced by any method such as fermentation method or extraction method. Cysteine and its salts used in the present invention may be yeast extracts containing them, or may be mixtures with other substances.
Cysteine or its salt, cysteine-containing yeast extract, and mixtures containing these may be in any form, including solids such as powders and granules, liquids, and semi-solids such as pastes. As cysteine and its salts, natural products can be used as they are, dried and crushed products, extracts extracted with solvents, chemical synthesis methods, peptide synthesis methods, or synthetic products using Escherichia coli. Examples of cysteine or its salt used in the present invention include commercially available cysteine-containing yeast extracts.

Edible meat in the present invention refers to all forms of livestock meat, and raw meat is particularly preferred. In the present invention, "raw meat" refers to meat that has not been substantially heated after being collected from animals (eg, poultry, livestock, etc.). Here, "substantially not heated" means (i) not heated at all, and (ii) heated, but the protein in the meat is not denatured by the heating (for example, (e.g., when frozen raw meat is simply heated to thaw it).
Meat is processed into any size or shape, such as block meat, cut meat (cube cut meat, etc.), sliced meat (thickly sliced meat, thinly sliced meat, etc.), minced meat, minced meat, minced meat, etc. However, since the present invention is characterized in that it can be cooked in a microwave oven to make it soft without becoming rubbery, in order to obtain this effect, it is necessary to use block meat, cut meat, sliced meat, and chopped meat. It is desirable to implement this for The meat material may be derived from any animal such as pig, cow, chicken, sheep, goat, horse, deer, camel, bear, rabbit, pigeon, duck, duck, quail, or alpaca.

In the present invention, "softening" of meat means making the meat softer, and means that the texture of the meat becomes softer.

A composition (sometimes abbreviated as the composition of the present invention) containing at least one selected from the group consisting of reduced glutathione, cysteine, and salts thereof (hereinafter also abbreviated as the active ingredient in the present invention) In the step (1) of contacting the meat with the meat, the amount of the active ingredient of the present invention to be brought into contact with the meat is not particularly limited as long as the effect of softening the meat is not impaired, but it is usually 10 μmol or more per 100 g of meat. The amount is preferably 20 μmol or more, more preferably 30 μmol or more. From the viewpoint of taste quality, the upper limit is usually 10,000 μmol or less, preferably 5,000 μmol or less. All of the above-mentioned amounts of contact are values calculated in terms of educts, and when two or more types are used as a mixture, they represent the total value of both.
In addition, since 1 mol of glutathione is 307.33 g, 10 μmol corresponds to 3.07 mg. Furthermore, when using a glutathione-containing yeast extract containing 10% glutathione, 10 μmol of glutathione corresponds to 30.73 mg of glutathione-containing yeast extract. Furthermore, since 1 mol of cysteine is 121.16 g, 10 μmol corresponds to 1.21 mg. Furthermore, when using a cysteine-containing yeast extract containing 2% cysteine, 10 μmol of cysteine corresponds to 60.58 mg of cysteine-containing yeast extract. For example, the converted values are shown in Table 1.

The proportion of the active ingredient brought into contact with raw meat is not particularly limited as long as it can be adjusted as appropriate depending on the type and amount of meat, heating conditions, etc., but when calculated as free form of the active ingredient per 100 parts by weight of meat, it is usually The amount is from 1x10 ^-5 to 3 parts by weight, preferably from 1x10 ^-4 to 0.5 parts by weight, and more preferably from 1x10 ^-3 to 0.3 parts by weight.
More specifically, the proportion of glutathione is usually 3x10 ^-5 to 3 parts by weight, preferably 3x10 ^-4 to 0.5 parts by weight, in terms of free form, per 100 parts by weight of meat. More preferably, it is 3x10 ^-3 to 0.3 parts by weight.
More specifically, the ratio of cysteine is usually 1 x 10 ^-5 to 1 part by weight, preferably 1 x 10 ^-4 to 0.5 part by weight, in terms of free form, per 100 parts by weight of meat; More preferably 1×10 ⁻³ to 0.12 parts by weight.

The composition of the present invention may be in any form, including solids such as powders and granules, liquids such as solutions and suspensions, and semi-solids such as pastes. Solids such as granules are preferred. Further, from the viewpoint of efficiently obtaining a softening effect, it may be a liquid or a semi-solid, but in the present invention, it is preferable to dissolve it in water or the like to form a liquid or a semi-solid before use.

The method of bringing the composition of the present invention into contact with meat is not particularly limited as long as the composition of the present invention adheres to at least the surface of the meat. Alternatively, methods include immersing meat in a composition prepared in a semi-solid state, or applying a composition prepared in a liquid or semi-solid state to the surface of meat, etc., from the viewpoint of obtaining a softening effect easily and efficiently. A preferred method is to immerse meat in a composition prepared in liquid form.

The meat that has been brought into contact with the composition of the present invention, for example, the meat that has been immersed in the composition of the present invention, may be appropriately rubbed by a conventional method to promote penetration of the composition of the present invention into the meat. is in contact with the composition of the present invention, usually for 5 seconds to 24 hours, preferably for 10 seconds to 12 hours, more preferably for 30 seconds to 8 hours, even more preferably for 1 minute to 5 hours, particularly preferably It may be left standing for 2 minutes to 3 hours. In addition, when heating in a microwave oven in a state in which the active ingredient in the present invention is brought into contact with meat, the time during which the meat is heated in the microwave oven is also included in the above-mentioned time.

In the present invention, the step of bringing the composition into contact with meat may be carried out while heating it in a microwave oven, or heating it in a microwave oven after contacting it, or both. The temperature at which the meat is brought into contact while being heated in a microwave oven is preferably 55°C to 130°C, more preferably 70°C to 110°C, from the viewpoint of sufficiently heating the meat. In the case of heating in a microwave oven after contact, the contact temperature may be any temperature, but in the case of long-term contact, a low temperature is desirable from the viewpoint of food hygiene.

The composition of the present invention may be a composition consisting only of the active ingredients of the present invention alone or a combination thereof, or may contain other ingredients.
The amount of the active ingredient of the present invention contained in the composition of the present invention is usually more than 0.01% and less than 100% of the total weight of the composition of the present invention, but it is 10 μmol/1% for meat. In order to efficiently act on 100 g or more of meat, the amount is preferably 0.02% or more and less than 100%, and more preferably 0.05% or more and less than 100%.
More specifically, when blending reduced glutathione, the amount is usually 0.02% or more and less than 100%, and 0.05% or more and less than 100% of the total weight of the composition in the present invention. preferable.
When blending a glutathione-containing yeast extract containing 10% glutathione, the amount is usually 0.2% or more and less than 100%, 0.5% or more and less than 100% of the total weight of the composition in the present invention. is preferred.
The amount of cysteine contained in the composition of the present invention is usually more than 0.001% and less than 100%, but in order to effectively act on meat at 10 μmol/100 g of meat or more, 0.008 μmol/100 g of meat or more is required. % or more and less than 100%, more preferably 0.02% or more and less than 100%.
When blending a cysteine-containing yeast extract containing 2% cysteine, the amount is preferably 0.4% or more and less than 100%, more preferably 1.0% or more and less than 100%.

The pH of the composition of the present invention when added (dissolved) in water is usually 5.5 or less, preferably 2 to 5.5, and preferably 2.5 to 5.5, from the viewpoint of maximizing the meat tenderizing effect. 5.5 is more preferred.
pH can be measured by a conventional method, usually at room temperature. In addition, the pH changes depending on factors such as the type and amount of active ingredients, the amount of water dissolved, etc., but for example, the above pH is based on 1% yeast extract containing 10% reduced glutathione as an active ingredient. pH measured at room temperature.

When the composition of the present invention is added to water, the pH is preferably 5.5 or less, but if the pH exceeds 5.5 and the pH is 7.0 or less, the active ingredient of the present invention is added to 100 g of meat. High dose contact can soften meat even when exposed to microwaves. For example, by contacting 100 g of meat with 50 μmol to 10,000 μmol of the active ingredient of the present invention, the meat can be softened even after the step of exposing it to microwave heating described below.

The method of adjusting the pH of the composition of the present invention when dissolved in water to 5.5 or less is not particularly limited, but usually involves adding an organic acid, an inorganic acid, or a salt thereof to the composition of the present invention. can be mentioned.
The organic acid, inorganic acid, or salt thereof to be added to the composition of the present invention varies depending on the type of organic acid, inorganic acid, or salt thereof, and the type and amount of other substances added to the composition. It is usually more than 0.001% and less than 100%, preferably 0.01% to 90%, more preferably 0.02% to 80%, based on the total weight of the product.

Examples of organic acids, inorganic acids, and salts thereof include succinic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, acetic acid, gluconic acid, lactic acid, fumaric acid, phytic acid, fumaric acid, butyric acid, formic acid, and disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate. , calcium dihydrogen pyrophosphate, sodium metaphosphate, and the like. Among them, from the viewpoint of taste quality and buffering degree, succinic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, acetic acid, gluconic acid, lactic acid, fumaric acid, phytic acid, disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate, and calcium dihydrogen pyrophosphate are preferable. , succinic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, and disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate are more preferred.

As an example, when a composition containing only yeast extract containing 10% reduced glutathione and citric acid is dissolved in water, the amount of citric acid blended when yeast extract is blended at 1% is the pH of the aqueous solution. If the pH of the aqueous solution is adjusted to 4.0, it is about 0.2%, and if the pH of the aqueous solution is adjusted to 3.0, it is about 1.0%. The blending amount is an example, and varies depending on various factors such as the type of glutathione-containing yeast extract and the type of water to be dissolved.

The composition of the present invention includes water, amino acids other than cysteine, nucleic acids, sugars (e.g., sugar, etc.) in addition to the above-mentioned active ingredients of the present invention and organic or inorganic acids, etc., as long as the purpose of the present invention is not impaired. , salt, seasonings (e.g. soy sauce, vinegar, alcohol, vegetable paste, etc.), extracts (yeast extract, meat extract, vegetable extract), dextrin, excipients such as lactose, vegetable protein, gluten, egg white, egg yolk, gelatin. , protein such as casein, protein hydrolyzate, protein partial decomposition product, modified starch, starch such as pregelatinized starch, thickening polysaccharide such as xanthan gum, guar gum, emulsifier, acidulant, spice, pigment, fragrance, antioxidant , any other food materials and food additives such as color formers may be mixed.

When the composition according to the present invention is used by adding water in addition to the above-mentioned active ingredients according to the present invention and organic acids, inorganic acids, or their salts, the proportion of water added to the composition is as follows: The amount is usually 0.001 to 999 parts by weight, preferably 0.003 to 199 parts by weight, and more preferably 0.005 to 99 parts by weight, per 1 part by weight of the active ingredient in the product.

In the step (2) of exposing meat to microwaves, exposing meat to microwaves means exposing meat to microwaves, and means heating meat with microwaves. Specifically, it means cooking meat in a microwave.
Cooking in a microwave oven in the present invention refers to a cooking method in which food is heated in a microwave oven. A microwave oven is a device that increases temperature by irradiating microwaves to induce vibrations in water molecules, which are dipoles, and may be for home, business, or industrial use. Microwaves refer to radio waves with a frequency of 300 MHz to 30 GHz, and may be any frequency within this range, including 2450 MHz (2.45 GHz) or 915 MHz, which are used in general microwave ovens. The wattage for cooking raw foods using a microwave oven can be any amount of energy, but examples include 100 watts to 3,000 watts, which are used in common microwave ovens.

The heating time when cooking raw ingredients using a microwave oven can be any length of time, but depending on the type, size, amount, etc. of the meat to be cooked, the heating time may range from 5 seconds to 120 minutes, preferably from 10 seconds to 120 minutes. It is preferred that the time be 90 minutes, more preferably 30 seconds to 60 minutes, and even more preferably 1 to 20 minutes. For example, when using a general microwave oven with 100 g of raw meat soaked in seasoning liquid, the method of the present invention can be cooked by heating at 600 watts for 5 to 15 minutes and at 1000 watts for 3 to 10 minutes. The effect is sufficient.
Specifically, 200 g of raw pork belly is placed in a bowl containing 200 g of a seasoning solution containing the composition of the present invention, and heated in a microwave at 600 watts for 10 minutes to make the pork tender. You can get braised braised meat.

The order of steps (1) and (2) in the method of the present invention is not particularly limited, but (2) may be performed after (1), (1) may be performed after (2), and (1) ) and (2) may be performed simultaneously. For example, after adding the composition of the present invention to raw meat, heating it in a microwave oven after leaving it for a certain period of time, or preheating raw meat, adding the composition of the present invention after preheating the raw meat, and heating it in a microwave oven again. Examples include adding the composition of the present invention to raw meat and heating it in a microwave at the same time. Among these, from the viewpoint of easy cooking, it is preferable to heat it in a microwave oven after adding it to raw meat.

Specifically, after preparing the composition of the present invention in a liquid or semi-solid state and immersing the meat in the composition, the meat may be taken out from the composition and heated in a microwave oven, or the meat may be heated in the composition after preparation. Although the meat may be heated in a microwave oven together with the composition while soaked, in order to make the active ingredient sufficiently act on the meat and maximize the meat tenderizing effect of the present invention, it is necessary to soak the meat in the composition after preparation. It is preferable to heat the composition in a microwave oven while the composition is still in place.

Another aspect of the present invention is a meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating (hereinafter referred to as "microwave heating of the present invention"), which contains at least one selected from the group consisting of reduced glutathione, cysteine, and salts thereof. (sometimes abbreviated as "meat tenderizing composition").

The meat softening composition for microwave heating of the present invention is for microwave heating, and is used to prevent meat, especially raw meat, from hardening due to microwave heating and to soften the meat. The definition, type, size, shape, and suitable range of microwaves and meat are as described above.

The definition of the active ingredient in the present invention contained in the meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention and the manufacturing method are as described above.
The amount of the active ingredient of the present invention contained in the meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention is usually greater than 0.01% and 100% based on the total weight of the meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention. %, preferably 0.02% or more and less than 100%, more preferably 0.05% or more and less than 100%.
Specifically, the amount of reduced glutathione or its salt contained in the meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention is usually 0 with respect to the total weight of the meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention. It is preferably greater than .01% and less than 100%, 0.02% or more and less than 100%, and more preferably 0.05% or more and less than 100%.
When blending a glutathione-containing yeast extract containing 10% glutathione, the amount is preferably 0.2% or more and less than 100%, and 0.5% or more and 100% of the total weight of the composition of the present invention. Less than is more preferable.
The amount of cysteine contained in the composition of the present invention is generally more than 0.001% and less than 100%, preferably 0.008% or more and less than 100%, more preferably 0.02% or more and less than 100%.
When blending a cysteine-containing yeast extract containing 2% cysteine, the amount is preferably 0.4% or more and less than 100%, more preferably 1.0% or more and less than 100%.

The meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention may contain an organic acid, an inorganic acid, or a salt thereof in addition to the active ingredient of the present invention.
The amount of organic acids, inorganic acids, or their salts added to the composition varies depending on the type and the type and amount of other substances added to the composition, but it is usually in the amount based on the total weight of the composition. It is greater than 0.001% and less than 100%, preferably 0.01% to 90%, more preferably 0.02% to 80%.

When the meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention contains the active ingredient of the present invention and an organic acid, an inorganic acid, or a salt thereof, the (active ingredient) of the present invention contained in the composition of the present invention: The weight ratio of (organic acid, inorganic acid or salt thereof) is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1:0.001 to 1000.

The form of the meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include solids such as powders and granules, liquids such as solutions and suspensions, and semi-solids such as pastes. From the viewpoint of storage stability, solids such as powders and granules are preferred, and preferred is a form that is dissolved in a solvent such as water before use. In addition, from the viewpoint of convenience and efficiently obtaining a softening effect, a solvent such as water may be added to form a liquid or semi-solid form.

When the meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention is used after being dissolved in a solvent such as water, the amount of water per 1 part by weight of the active ingredient in the composition of the present invention is 0.001 to 999 parts by weight. The amount is preferably 0.003 to 199 parts by weight, more preferably 0.005 to 99 parts by weight.

When the meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention is dissolved in water, the pH of the composition is usually 5.5 or less, preferably 2 to 5.5, from the viewpoint of maximizing the meat tenderizing effect. More preferably 2.5 to 5.5.

The meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention contains water, fats and oils, sugars (e.g. sugar, etc.), salt, organic salts, inorganic salts, seasonings (e.g., soy sauce, vinegar, alcohol, etc.), extracts, acidulants, spices, colorants, thickeners, antioxidants, emulsifiers, coloring agents, etc. May be included.

The meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention may contain heated meat-containing foods other than raw meat (described below) in addition to the active ingredients of the present invention, organic acids, inorganic acids, or salts thereof, as long as the object of the present invention is not impaired. ) may further contain raw materials.

The meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention can be provided as a seasoning (e.g., sauce, etc.) as one embodiment, and the meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention is a seasoning composition. good.

The method for producing the meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be carried out by, for example, a production method commonly used in the seasoning field or a method analogous thereto. The meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention can be subjected to treatments commonly used in the production of seasonings, etc. (e.g., heat sterilization treatment such as retort treatment, hot pack, hot water sterilization; non-heat sterilization treatment such as ultraviolet irradiation, high pressure treatment, etc.) ; alcohol bacteriostatic treatment, sterilization treatment by filtration, etc.) may be applied as necessary.

The method of bringing the meat softening composition for microwave heating of the present invention into contact with meat is not particularly limited, but a method in which the composition of the present invention adheres at least to the surface of the meat is preferable. Meat can be brought into contact with the meat softening composition for microwave heating of the present invention by immersing it in the meat softening composition for microwave heating of the present invention, applying the meat softening composition for microwave heating of the present invention to raw meat, etc.

When using the meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention, the amount of meat to be brought into contact with the composition is not particularly limited, and may be adjusted as appropriate depending on the content of the active ingredient in the present invention, heating conditions, etc. Specifically, in the meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention, the amount of the active ingredient is usually 10 μmol or more, preferably 20 μmol or more, and more preferably 30 μmol or more, per 100 g of meat, and the upper limit is From the viewpoint of taste quality, the amount used in meat is usually 10,000 μmol or less, preferably 5,000 μmol or less. All of the above-mentioned amounts of contact are values calculated in terms of educts, and when two or more types are used as a mixture, they represent the total value of both. In addition, when converting to weight, follow the above description.

Meat that has been brought into contact with the meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention (e.g., raw meat soaked in the composition of the present invention) is prepared using a conventional method to promote penetration of the composition of the present invention into the meat. You may use it by massaging it as appropriate. Further, the meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention is kept in contact with meat (for example, in a state of being immersed in the meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention) for usually 5 seconds to 24 hours. It may be left standing for preferably 10 seconds to 12 hours, more preferably 30 seconds to 8 hours.

In the present invention, when subjecting meat to microwave heating, a container compatible with microwave heating may be used, that is, the meat softening composition for microwave heating of the present invention and meat are placed in a container compatible with microwave heating and brought into contact with each other. The meat may be heated by heating the container and irradiating the container with microwaves.

The meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention may be provided in advance in a container compatible with microwave heating or as a product. Such a product is highly convenient since it is not necessary to separately prepare a container compatible with microwave heating when meat is brought into contact with the meat softening composition for microwave heating of the present invention. In addition, when the meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating of the present invention is provided in a state in which it is previously housed in a container compatible with microwave heating, the container contains raw materials for heated meat-containing foods (described below) other than meat. , may be housed in conjunction with the compositions of the present invention.

According to the present invention, heated meat with a soft texture can be provided, and the meat softening composition for microwave heating of the present invention can be suitably used as a composition for modifying the texture of heated meat. According to the present invention, "texture modification" of heated meat means that the texture of the meat becomes soft. The presence and extent of the texture-modifying effect of heated meat according to the present invention can be evaluated, for example, by sensory evaluation by an expert panel, as shown in the Examples below.

Another aspect of the present invention includes (1) contacting meat with a composition containing at least one selected from the group consisting of reduced glutathione, cysteine, and salts thereof; and (2) microwave-coating the meat. Also included is a method for producing heated meat (herein sometimes simply referred to as "the production method of the present invention"), which includes a step of exposing to.

The definitions and preferred ranges of steps (1) and (2) used in the manufacturing method of the present invention are as described above.

In the present invention, "heated meat" means meat that has already been heated, and may be provided as a food as is, or the heated meat may be used as a food ingredient and further cooked and processed, if necessary, in combination with other food ingredients. You may perform processing such as the following. In the present invention, a food containing heated meat is referred to as a "heated meat-containing food", and the heated meat obtained by the production method of the present invention may be provided as is as a heated meat-containing food, or may be provided as a heated meat-containing food as necessary. It may be combined with other foodstuffs and further subjected to processing such as cooking and processing before being provided as a heated meat-containing food.

In the present invention, the heated meat or heated meat-containing food is not particularly limited as long as it contains the heated meat obtained by the production method of the present invention, but examples include teriyaki, ginger grill, steak, sauté, and yakiniku. , char siu, yakitori, tandoori chicken, spare ribs, kakuni, meat and potatoes, chikuzenni, ham, etc.

According to the production method of the present invention, it is possible to provide heated meat or heated meat-containing food that has a softer texture. That is, by the production method of the present invention, heated meat or heated meat oil-containing meat whose texture is modified to be as soft or softer than cooking using a pot or frying pan, etc., by simple and short cooking using a microwave oven. You can get food.

The present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to Examples below. The present invention is not limited in any way by this example.

[Example 1]
Domestic pork belly was cut into pieces 6 cm wide, 6 cm high, and 2 cm thick. Four cut pork belly pieces were placed in a heat-resistant bag, and 200 g of the aqueous solution of each test group was added and sealed. The weight of the cut pork belly is approximately 50 g per piece, and approximately 200 g for 4 pieces. As shown in Table 2, the aqueous solution for each test group was prepared by dissolving glutathione-containing yeast extract in water so that the amount of glutathione was 0 to 1000 μmol per 100 g of meat, and further adjusting the pH of the aqueous solution to 3.0 to 8.0. did. The concentration of glutathione was 0, 1, 10, 30, 50, 75, 100, 1000 μmol, and the pH was 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 7.0. There were 7 ways of 8.0. There will be a total of 56 test areas. As the glutathione-containing yeast extract, a commercially available yeast extract containing 10% reduced glutathione was used. 1 mol of reduced glutathione is 307.33 g. The pH of the aqueous solution is adjusted using citric acid or sodium carbonate. Citric acid is "citric acid (crystal)" (Kyushu Kako Co., Ltd.), and sodium carbonate is "purified sodium carbonate (anhydrous)" (Daito Chemical Co., Ltd.) was used. Since the pH of a 100 μmol/100 g aqueous solution of glutathione-containing yeast extract is approximately 6.0, citric acid was used to prepare an aqueous solution that was more acidic than that, and sodium carbonate was used to prepare an aqueous solution that was more alkaline.

The heat-resistant bag containing the prepared aqueous solution and pork belly was allowed to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes, and then heated at 95°C for 30 minutes using a steam convection oven "FSCC WE 61G" (Fujimac Co., Ltd.). The steam convection oven was set to steam mode with 100% steam, and the sample inside the heat-resistant bag was heated by conductive heat from the water vapor, so that the heating conditions were similar to those for boiling in a pot. After heating, the sample was taken out of the steam convection oven, and the cooked pork belly was taken out from the heat-resistant bag and subjected to sensory evaluation.

The sensory evaluation was carried out by three panelists who were familiar with the texture of meat, and the tenderness of the test section with 0 μmol of glutathione/100 g of meat (no glutathione added) and pH 7.0 was set as 5.0 points, and the tenderness of the test section was 5.0 points, and the tenderness was 5.0 points. The tenderness of the pork belly was evaluated using a scoring system of 10.0 points. The softer it is, the higher the rating. A score of 5.0 means that the pork belly is soft enough to be eaten as a stewed dish without any problems.
In the sensory evaluation, the force required to bite through the entire pork belly is evaluated as a score, and the score scale, that is, the difference in score, is
There is a slight difference in 0.5 points,
There is a difference of 1.0 points,
2.0 points are significant differences;
3.0 points is a very noticeable difference,
4.0 points is a very, very noticeable difference;
5.0 points is a very, very noticeable difference,
And so.
For example, a score of 6.0 points means that there is a "difference", that is, "softness" compared to a standard sample of 5.0 points. Based on the consensus of the three panelists, the sensory score for each test area was determined. The results are shown in Table 2.

In the sensory evaluation results shown in Table 2, the softening effect on pork belly due to the addition of glutathione in each pH test group was analyzed. That is, at each pH, it was calculated how many sensory points increased by adding 1 to 1000 μmol of glutathione/100 g of meat compared to the glutathione-free group. For example, at pH 7.0, the pork belly tenderizing effect of adding 100 μmol of glutathione/100 g of meat was 5.2 points when 100 μmol of glutathione was added/100 g of meat, and the score of the glutathione-free group was 5.0 points. Therefore, it was calculated as "5.2 points - 5.0 points = 0.2 points", which means that a softening effect of "0.2 points" was obtained. The results are shown in Table 5.

Next, 8 pieces of pork belly cut into similar sizes were placed in a Yukihira pot, and 400 g of the aqueous solution of each test group was added. The weight of eight pieces of cut pork belly is approximately 400 g. As shown in Table 3, the aqueous solution for each test group was prepared by dissolving glutathione-containing yeast extract in water so that the amount of glutathione was 0 or 100 μmol per 100 g of meat, and adjusting the pH of the aqueous solution to 4.0 to 8.0. did. There were two concentrations of glutathione, 0 and 100 μmol, and four pH values: 4.0, 5.5, 6.0, and 8.0. There will be a total of 8 test areas. The pH of the aqueous solution was adjusted using citric acid or sodium carbonate. Since the pH of a 100 μmol/100 g aqueous solution of glutathione-containing yeast extract is approximately 6.0, citric acid was used to prepare an aqueous solution that was more acidic than that, and sodium carbonate was used to prepare an aqueous solution that was more alkaline.

The pot containing the prepared aqueous solution and pork belly was allowed to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes, and then heated over low heat for 30 minutes. The lid was placed on top while heating. After heating, the cooked pork belly was taken out of the pot and subjected to sensory evaluation. The sensory evaluation was carried out by three panelists who were familiar with the texture of meat, and the tenderness of the test section heated in a steam convection oven with 0 μmol of glutathione/100 g of meat (no glutathione added) and pH 7.0 was given a score of 5.0. The tenderness of the pork belly was evaluated using a scoring system of 0.0 to 10.0 points. The evaluation method and score definitions are as described above. The results are shown in Table 3.

Furthermore, 4 pieces of pork belly cut into similar sizes were placed in a ceramic bowl, and 200 g of the aqueous solution of each test group was added. The weight of four pieces of cut pork belly is approximately 200 g. As shown in Table 4, the aqueous solution for each test group was prepared by dissolving glutathione-containing yeast extract in water so that the amount of glutathione was 0 to 1000 μmol per 100 g of meat, and further adjusting the pH of the aqueous solution to 3.0 to 8.0. did. The concentration of glutathione was 0, 1, 10, 30, 50, 75, 100, 1000 μmol/100 g of meat, and the pH was 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 7. There were 7 types: .0 and 8.0. There will be a total of 56 test areas. The pH of the aqueous solution was adjusted using citric acid or sodium carbonate. Since the pH of a 100 μmol/100 g aqueous solution of glutathione-containing yeast extract is approximately 6.0, citric acid was used to prepare an aqueous solution that was more acidic than that, and sodium carbonate was used to prepare an aqueous solution that was more alkaline.

The bowl containing the prepared aqueous solution and pork belly was allowed to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes, then wrapped and heated at 600 W for 10 minutes using a microwave oven "RE-V90B-S" (Sharp Corporation). did. After heating, the cooked pork belly was taken out of the bowl and subjected to sensory evaluation. The sensory evaluation was carried out by three panelists who were familiar with the texture of meat, and the tenderness of the test section heated in a steam convection oven with 0 μmol of glutathione/100 g of meat (no glutathione added) and pH 7.0 was given a score of 5.0. The tenderness of the pork belly was evaluated using a scoring system of 0.0 to 10.0 points. The evaluation method and score definitions are as described above. The results are shown in Table 4.

In the sensory evaluation results shown in Table 4, the softening effect on pork belly due to the addition of glutathione in each pH test group was analyzed. That is, at each pH, it was calculated how many sensory points increased by adding 1 to 1000 μmol of glutathione/100 g of meat compared to the glutathione-free group. The calculation method was as described above. The results are shown in Table 6.

Next, we compared the softening effect of pork belly due to the addition of glutathione, that is, the increase in sensory rating compared to the glutathione-free group, between cooking in a steam convection oven (Table 5) and cooking in a microwave oven (Table 6). went. As mentioned above, the heat conduction conditions for steam convection oven cooking are similar to those for boiling in a pot, and the sensory evaluation results also match. A comparison of the increase in the sensory score was based on the value of "Meat softening effect due to the addition of glutathione in microwave oven cooking" shown in Table 6, and the value of "Meat softening effect due to the addition of glutathione in steam convection oven cooking (equivalent to stewing cooking)" shown in Table 5. It is calculated by subtracting the value of ``softening effect'', and it shows how much greater the meat softening effect is due to the addition of glutathione in microwave cooking compared to stewing cooking, that is, the contribution of heating cooking in a microwave oven. The calculation results are shown in Table 7.

As shown in Table 2, in steam convection oven cooking, the texture of meat was the hardest in the pH range of 5.0 to 5.5, and as the pH moved away from that to the acidic or alkaline side, it tended to become softer. Furthermore, at any pH, a meat softening effect was confirmed depending on the amount of glutathione added (Table 5). Furthermore, as shown in Table 3, the meat tenderizing effect of glutathione addition was confirmed even when cooked in a pot, and the tendency of dependence on pH and the amount of glutathione added was the same as when cooking in a steam convection oven, and the sensory rating was also Exactly the same results were obtained. From the above, steam convection oven cooking and pot stew cooking are the same, that is, the events that occur during pot stew cooking can be explained using the results of steam convection oven cooking.

Next, as shown in Table 4, in microwave cooking, the higher the alkaline pH, the harder the meat texture, and the lower the acidic pH, the softer the meat texture. The trend was different from that when cooking in a convection oven. In addition, at any pH, a meat tenderizing effect was confirmed depending on the amount of glutathione added, but the effect tended to be greater than when cooking in a steam convection oven, and in particular, the lower the pH, the greater the effect (Table 1). 6).

Therefore, we subtracted the meat tenderizing effect of adding glutathione under each pH condition during steam convection oven cooking (Table 5) from the meat tenderizing effect of adding glutathione under each pH condition during microwave oven cooking (Table 6). As a result of calculating the contribution of microwave cooking to the meat tenderizing effect due to the addition of glutathione, as shown in Table 7, the greater the amount of glutathione added, the greater the contribution of microwave cooking, and the lower the pH, the greater the contribution of microwave cooking. The contribution of cooking was large. In particular, when glutathione was added at 10 μmol/100 g of meat or more under conditions of pH 5.5 or lower, it was confirmed that the contribution of microwave heating to the meat softening effect of glutathione exceeded 1.0. In other words, the meat softening effect of glutathione is clearly greater during microwave cooking than during steam convection oven cooking and pot stewing, and this effect is noticeable under low pH conditions, especially at pH 5.5 or lower. One thing became clear. As described above, the meat softening effect of glutathione is particularly remarkable during microwave cooking, that is, during microwave heating, and it is not easy to imagine that it strongly depends on pH. This phenomenon occurs when microwaves cause the formation of SS bonds in the proteins that make up the meat, but this reaction is more likely to occur on an alkaline side, and conversely, on an acidic side, the SS bonds are more likely to be reduced by glutathione, making it softer. I guess it's something like that.

[Example 2]
Four pieces of pork belly cut into the same size as in Example 1 were placed in a ceramic bowl, and 200 g of the aqueous solution of each test group was added. The weight of four pieces of cut pork belly is approximately 200 g. As shown in Table 8, the aqueous solution for each test group was prepared by dissolving glutathione-containing yeast extract in water so that glutathione was 0 or 100 μmol per 100 g of meat, and the pH of the aqueous solution was adjusted to 4.0 or 8.0. did. The concentration of glutathione was 0 or 100 μmol, and the pH was 4.0 or 8.0. The pH of the aqueous solution was adjusted using three methods: citric acid, succinic acid, and disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate when the pH was 4.0, and using sodium carbonate and arginine when the pH was 8.0. There will be a total of 10 test areas. The two test plots in which the pH was adjusted to 4.0 when citric acid was added and the two test plots in which the pH was adjusted to 8.0 when sodium carbonate was added are supplementary tests to Example 1. Citric acid is "Citric acid (crystal)" (Kyushu Kako Co., Ltd.), succinic acid is "Succinic acid" (Kawasaki Kasei Co., Ltd.), and disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate is "Disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate" (Taihei Chemical Co., Ltd.). Sangyo Co., Ltd.), "Purified Sodium Carbonate (Anhydrous)" (Daito Chemical Co., Ltd.) was used as the sodium carbonate, and "L-Arginine" (Ajinomoto Co., Ltd.) was used as the arginine.

The bowl containing the prepared aqueous solution and pork belly was allowed to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes, then wrapped and heated in a microwave at 600 W for 10 minutes. After heating, the cooked pork belly was taken out of the bowl and subjected to sensory evaluation. The sensory evaluation was carried out by three panelists who were familiar with the texture of meat, and the tenderness of the test section heated in the steam convection oven described in Example 1 with 0 μmol of glutathione/100 g of meat (no glutathione added) and pH 7.0 was evaluated as 5. The tenderness of the pork belly was evaluated using a scoring system of 0.0 to 10.0. The evaluation method and score definitions are as described in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 8.

As shown in Table 8, meat tenderization by adding 100 μmol/100 g of meat during microwave cooking under conditions adjusted to pH 4.0 using citric acid and under conditions adjusted to pH 8.0 using sodium carbonate. The effect was confirmed, and it was confirmed that the effect was significantly greater under conditions where the pH was adjusted to 4.0 using citric acid. This result perfectly reproduces the test results of Example 1. Therefore, we adjusted the pH to 4.0 using succinic acid, an organic acid similar to citric acid, and disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate, an acid salt of an inorganic acid, and conducted a similar test. The softness score improved, and the difference in score, that is, the improvement in softness, was 3.1 points in each case, which was the same as when citric acid was used. The reason why disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate has a slightly higher softness rating than citric acid or succinic acid is because disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate acts as a polymerized phosphate that promotes the dissociation of actin and myosin in meat proteins. It is assumed that this is because it has a function. In addition, when a similar test was conducted using arginine, an amino acid that exhibits alkalinity, to adjust the pH to 8.0, it was confirmed that the meat hardened due to the alkalinity, similar to when sodium carbonate was used, and glutathione The improvement in the softness score due to the addition was very small at 0.4 points, which was consistent with the case when sodium carbonate was used. The amount of increase in softness differs greatly between adjusting to the acidic side and adjusting to the alkaline side. No matter which pH adjuster is used, adjusting to the acidic side is more effective due to the addition of glutathione. The meat tenderizing effect was remarkable. From the above results, when cooking meat by microwave heating, the meat tenderizing effect is achieved by adding glutathione, especially the meat tenderizing effect by adding 10 μmol/100 g or more of glutathione under conditions of pH 5.5 or lower. It was confirmed that this can be obtained significantly no matter what organic acid, inorganic acid, or salt thereof is used to adjust the pH.

[Example 3]
Four pieces of pork belly cut into the same size as in Example 1 were placed in a ceramic bowl, and 200 g of the aqueous solution of each test group was added. The weight of four pieces of cut pork belly is approximately 200 g. As shown in Table 9, the aqueous solution for each test group was prepared by dissolving glutathione-containing yeast extract or cysteine-containing yeast extract in water so that the amount of glutathione or cysteine was 0 to 1000 μmol per 100 g of meat, and the pH of the aqueous solution was 3.0 to 3.0. It was adjusted to 7.0 using citric acid or sodium carbonate. There were eight concentrations: no additives, glutathione 100 μmol/100 g of meat, and cysteine 1, 10, 30, 50, 100, and 1000 μmol/100 g of meat. There will be a total of 16 test areas. For glutathione, a commercially available yeast extract containing 10% reduced glutathione was used, and for cysteine, a commercially available yeast extract containing about 2% cysteine was used. Note that the test group with no additives and the test group with glutathione added at 100 μmol/100 g of meat are follow-up tests of Example 1. Furthermore, the data obtained in Example 1 can be referred to regarding the concentration of addition that was carried out for cysteine but not for glutathione.

The bowl containing the prepared aqueous solution and pork belly was allowed to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes, then wrapped and heated in a microwave at 600 W for 10 minutes. After heating, the cooked pork belly was taken out of the bowl and subjected to sensory evaluation. The sensory evaluation was carried out by three panelists who were familiar with the texture of meat, and the tenderness of the test section heated in the steam convection oven described in Example 1 with 0 μmol of glutathione/100 g of meat (no glutathione added) and pH 7.0 was evaluated as 5. The tenderness of the pork belly was evaluated using a scoring system of 0.0 to 10.0. The evaluation method and score definitions are as described in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 9.

As shown in Table 9, under conditions adjusted to pH 4.0, the meat softening effect of adding 100 μmol/100 g of meat during microwave cooking was confirmed, completely reproducing the test results of Example 1. Therefore, when cysteine, which has a thiol group like glutathione, was added at 100 μmol/100 g of meat, the same meat tenderizing effect as when glutathione was added was obtained, and the difference in tenderness ratings, that is, the improvement in the tenderizing effect, was 3.1 "point" was consistent with that when glutathione was added. Furthermore, when cysteine was added at 1 to 1000 μmol/100 g of meat under various conditions where the pH was adjusted to 3.0 to 7.0, the same meat tenderizing effect as shown in Table 4 of Example 1 when adding glutathione was obtained. The difference in softness scores was also consistent with that shown in Table 6 of Example 1 when glutathione was added. From the above results, when cooking meat by microwave heating, the meat tenderizing effect of adding 10 μmol/100 g or more of meat especially under conditions of pH 5.5 or less is not limited to glutathione, but also cysteine. It was confirmed that significant results were obtained.

[Example 4]
As in Example 1, the pork belly was cut into pieces 6 cm wide, 6 cm high, and 2 cm thick. The pork loin was sliced to a thickness of 1 cm and then cut into strips of a width of 2 cm. The beef thighs were cut into cubes of 3 cm on each side. The chicken thighs were cut into bite-sized pieces weighing 25 g each. 200 g of each type of cut meat was placed in a ceramic bowl, and 200 g of an aqueous solution containing 0 or 100 μmol of glutathione/100 g of meat and adjusted to pH 4.0 using citric acid was added. The test group using pork belly is a supplementary test to Example 1.

The bowl containing the prepared aqueous solution and various meats was allowed to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes, then wrapped and heated in a microwave at 600 W for 10 minutes. After heating, the cooked meat was removed from the bowl and subjected to sensory evaluation. Sensory evaluation was carried out by three panelists who were familiar with the texture of meat, and compared to 0 μmol of glutathione/100 g of meat, i.e., no glutathione added, how much tenderness was achieved by adding 100 μmol of glutathione/100 g of meat. Evaluation was made using symbols. This evaluation evaluated the effect of adding glutathione for each type of meat, and did not compare different meat types.

The symbols used for the sensory evaluation are: "+" means slightly soft, "++" means soft, "+++" means noticeably soft, "+++++" means very noticeably soft, and "++++++" means extremely noticeably soft. did. Based on the consensus of the three panelists, the sensory score for each test area was determined. The results are shown in Table 10.

As shown in Table 10, a remarkable meat tenderizing effect was confirmed by adding 100 μmol/100 g of meat to pork belly under microwave cooking under conditions adjusted to pH 4.0, and Example 1 completely reproduced the test results. In addition, the remarkable softening effect of glutathione addition was confirmed in all pork loin, beef thighs, and chicken thighs, similar to when pork belly was used. From the above results, when cooking meat by microwave heating, the meat tenderizing effect, especially when adding 10 μmol/100 g of meat or more of glutathione under conditions of pH 5.5 or less, is It was confirmed that this can be obtained not only from pork belly but also from any meat type or part.

According to the present invention, in cooking such as microwave heating, for example, using a microwave oven, meat can be easily and quickly cooked to make it soft, so it is extremely useful in the food field.

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-039570 filed in Japan, the contents of which are fully included in this specification.

Claims (19)

1. (1) contacting the meat with a composition containing at least one active ingredient selected from the group consisting of reduced glutathione, cysteine, and salts thereof; and (2) exposing the meat to microwaves. How to tenderize meat.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the meat is brought into contact with 10 μmol or more and 10,000 μmol or less of the active ingredient per 100 g of meat.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the composition comprises an organic acid, an inorganic acid, or a salt thereof.
4. The group of organic acids, inorganic acids, or salts thereof consisting of succinic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, acetic acid, gluconic acid, lactic acid, fumaric acid, phytic acid, disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate, and calcium dihydrogen pyrophosphate 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the method is one or more selected from.
5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pH of the composition when added to water is 5.5 or less.
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the pH of the composition when added to water is 2 to 5.5.
7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the step of bringing the meat into contact with the composition is a step of immersing the meat in the composition.
8. (1) contacting the meat with a composition containing at least one active ingredient selected from the group consisting of reduced glutathione, cysteine, and salts thereof; and (2) exposing the meat to microwaves. Method for producing heated meat.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the meat is brought into contact with 10 μmol or more and 10,000 μmol or less of the active ingredient per 100 g of meat.
10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the composition comprises an organic acid, an inorganic acid, or a salt thereof.
11. The group consisting of organic acids, inorganic acids, or salts thereof consisting of succinic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, acetic acid, gluconic acid, lactic acid, fumaric acid, phytic acid, disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate, and calcium dihydrogen pyrophosphate 11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the method is one or more selected from:
12. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the pH of the composition when added to water is 5.5 or less.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the pH of the composition when added to water is 2 to 5.5.
14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of contacting the meat with the composition is a step of immersing the meat in the composition.
15. A meat tenderizing composition for microwave heating, which contains as an active ingredient at least one selected from the group consisting of reduced glutathione, cysteine, and salts thereof.
16. The composition according to claim 15, wherein the composition comprises an organic acid, an inorganic acid, or a salt thereof.
17. The group consisting of organic acids, inorganic acids, or salts thereof consisting of succinic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, acetic acid, gluconic acid, lactic acid, fumaric acid, phytic acid, disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate, and calcium dihydrogen pyrophosphate 17. The composition according to claim 16, wherein the composition is one or more selected from.
18. The composition according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the composition has a pH of 5.5 or less when added to water.
19. The composition according to claim 18, wherein the composition has a pH of 2 to 5.5 when added to water.