HK40022794A - Device for microwave aging and method for microwave aging - Google Patents

Description

Microwave cooking device and microwave cooking method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a microwave cooking device and a microwave cooking method for cooking food by irradiating microwaves.

Background

The liquor becomes more intense during distillation and softer on storage. Because natural ripening takes a long time, there has been a history of interest in artificial ripening, despite various controversies. The artificial aging method includes a physical method, a chemical method, and a combination of both methods. One of the methods for artificially maturing distilled spirits is an electrical treatment method, for example, wild mouth (1949, 1951) uses either a low frequency or a high frequency alternating current to mature the spirits. Maximov (1955) uses high frequency and ozone treatment, especially for improving the quality of molasses whiskey. A method in which these are combined as compared with the single method has also been studied (see non-patent document 1).

In recent years, so-called cooked meat, which is obtained by cooking beef for a fixed period of time to increase the umami taste of beef, has been widely known, and the demand for the cooked meat has been increasing. In the case of aging beef, it is preferable to perform aging at about 40 ℃ from the viewpoint of flavor development and the like, but in order to suppress spoilage due to bacterial growth, aging is generally performed at a low temperature of 1 ℃ or the like (see patent document 1).

[ Prior art documents ]

[ patent document ]

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2015-123057

[ non-patent document ]

Non-patent document 1: volume 60, page 6, pages 24 to 27 of the brewing society of Japan

Disclosure of Invention

(problems to be solved by the invention)

In the prior art, since the aging is performed at a low temperature, a long time (90 to 180 days in a long case) is required until the completion of the aging. Further, as the aging period is longer, the surface is deteriorated by bacteria even at a low temperature, and accordingly, the amount of trimming (trimming) of the scraped surface is increased, and the yield is deteriorated.

The invention provides a microwave cooking device and a microwave cooking method, which can shorten the time for cooking food and improve the yield.

(means for solving the problems)

Both the microwave and the high frequency are in a specific frequency band of the radio wave. Sometimes both are referred to as high frequencies because they are both high band frequencies. Is characterized in that: the frequency of the microwave is 300 MHz-300 GHz, the high frequency is 10 KHz-300 MHz, and the frequency of the microwave is slightly higher than that of the high frequency. Both of them are widely used for communication, heating, and the like, and generally, microwaves are used for heating a substance having a relatively small cross-sectional size or a substance having an irregular shape, and high frequencies are used for heating a substance having a large cross-sectional size or a long substance. In the present invention, a mode widely used for heating and utilizing a microwave region in a high frequency is a preferred embodiment. Microwaves are one of the radio waves, and radio waves are one of the electromagnetic waves and can also propagate in vacuum. Since an electromagnetic wave is a "wave", it has 2 elements of wavelength and frequency. The microwave is an electric wave of 1m to 1 mm.

The high-frequency cooking device, preferably a microwave cooking device according to the present invention includes: a high-frequency cooking unit, preferably a microwave cooking unit, having a cooking chamber for storing food, an irradiation port for irradiating the cooking chamber with high frequency, preferably with microwave, and a blower for blowing air to the cooking chamber; a cooling unit having a cooling chamber cooled by a cooler; a high-frequency oscillation unit, preferably a microwave oscillation unit, connected to the irradiation port; and a control unit, wherein the curing chamber is disposed in the cooling chamber.

Hereinafter, "high frequency" is referred to as "microwave" in a preferred embodiment.

In the microwave cooking apparatus, the microwave cooking apparatus may be configured to: the inner wall of the curing chamber is provided with a plurality of micro openings for blocking microwaves and allowing air to pass through.

In the microwave cooking apparatus, the microwave cooking apparatus may be configured to: a plurality of said micro-openings are provided in each of a plurality of inner walls of said ripening chamber.

In the microwave cooking apparatus, the microwave cooking apparatus may be configured to: the curing chamber is composed of a plurality of curing chambers.

In the microwave cooking apparatus, the microwave cooking apparatus may be configured to: the control unit controls the operation of the microwave oscillation unit so that the internal temperature of the food is higher than the surface temperature.

In the microwave cooking apparatus, the microwave cooking apparatus may be configured to: the control part automatically controls the operation of the microwave oscillation part in a mode that the internal temperature of the food is more than 5 ℃ when curing.

In the microwave cooking apparatus, the microwave cooking apparatus may be configured to: the control part automatically controls the operation of the cooler and/or the blower in a mode that the surface temperature of the food is lower than 5 ℃ when the food is cooked.

In the microwave cooking apparatus, the microwave cooking apparatus may further include: the control unit automatically controls the operations of the microwave oscillating unit, the cooler, and the blower so that the difference between the surface temperature and the internal temperature of the food becomes 3 ℃ or more during cooking.

In the microwave cooking apparatus, the microwave cooking apparatus may be configured to: the microwave oscillator unit irradiates microwaves for 1 hour or more during aging.

In the microwave cooking apparatus, the microwave cooking apparatus may be configured to: the control unit repeats the irradiation of the microwave oscillator with the microwave for a predetermined time and the stop of the irradiation of the microwave for a predetermined time during the ripening.

In the microwave cooking apparatus, the microwave cooking apparatus may be configured to: the cooling unit includes a UV lamp provided in the cooling chamber.

The microwave cooking method according to the present invention is a microwave cooking method for cooking a food by using microwaves, wherein the food is cooked while heating the inside of the food by microwave irradiation and cooling the surface of the food by cold air blowing, and the inside temperature of the food is higher than the surface temperature.

In the microwave cooking method, the microwave cooking method may comprise: the microwave irradiation and the cold air blowing are performed so that the internal temperature of the food becomes 5 ℃ or higher, the surface temperature of the food becomes lower than 5 ℃, and the temperature difference between the surface temperature and the internal temperature of the food becomes 3 ℃ or higher.

In the microwave cooking method, the microwave cooking method may comprise: the food is meat or fish and shellfish. Further, the following structure is possible: the food is a salt-containing food material, more specifically selected from ham and cheese.

Further, the structure can be as follows: the food is a liquid-filled food material, preferably a non-microwave-absorptive liquid food material, more specifically an edible vegetable oil food material.

(Effect of the invention)

According to the present invention, the internal temperature of the food can be made higher than the surface temperature during the aging, so that the aging period can be shortened, and the amount of trimming can be reduced by suppressing the propagation of bacteria on the surface of the food.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a microwave cooking apparatus according to embodiment 1.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a microwave cooking apparatus according to embodiment 2.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a microwave cooking apparatus according to embodiment 3.

Fig. 4(a) and (B) are structural views of the chamber according to embodiment 3.

FIG. 5 is a table showing the results of measuring the amino acid content for each day of maturation in the case of continuous irradiation with microwaves.

Fig. 6 is a graph showing the measurement results of fig. 5.

FIG. 7 is a table showing the measurement results of the amino acid content under each aging condition.

Fig. 8 is a graph showing the measurement results of fig. 7.

FIG. 9 is a graph showing the results of measuring the glutamic acid content under each aging condition.

Fig. 10(E), (F), and (G) are diagrams for explaining the test conditions of the sensory test.

Fig. 11 is a graph showing the results of the sensory test.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a microwave aging test and a comparative test in examples of raw hams.

FIG. 13 is a graph showing a microwave ripening test and a comparative test in comparison with a ripening test in which olive oil is pickled. The figures include a figure of a typical microwave ripening test in which the plastic wrap is not coated.

Description of the symbols

1. 1a, 1b microwave cooking device

10 cooling part

11 cooler

12 st fan

13 Cooling chamber

20 microwave oscillating part

21 electric cable

30. 30a microwave curing part

31 irradiation port

32 nd 2 nd fan

33 ripening chamber

34 curing chamber door

35 the 1 st micro opening

36 nd 2 nd minute opening

37 grid plate

38 choke structure

39 illumination unit

40 control part

50 UV lamp

Detailed Description

Cured food

Ripening is a state in which a food is made good under certain conditions. Fermentation by the action of enzymes of microorganisms, the action of enzymes in foods, chemical reactions between components of foods and containers, aging by physical changes of food components, and the like, and aging mechanisms vary depending on the types of foods. In brief, food is stored to be delicious. The mechanism is that on one hand, water is lost, on the other hand, the thickening property is increased, and the amino acid of the delicate flavor components is increased by multiple times. By keeping the food for a long time, the color, taste, flavor, taste, etc. of the food are changed to be in a preferable state. Since the quality is improved by the change in flavor during aging, various studies have been conducted on conditions such as the temperature and time of installation. The umami taste of the cooked meat is increased because the protein of the meat is decomposed. The color change of miso or soy sauce into brown is caused by a chemical reaction of amino acids or reducing sugars in foods, i.e., maillard reaction. Aromatic odors are also produced in this reaction. In whisky, the ingredients of the barrel shift during storage in the barrel, turning to an amber color. The fermentation or aging process is determined by the umami taste of amino acids obtained by decomposition of the raw materials, the sweet taste of sugars, and the balance of added salt. According to the apparatus and method of the present invention, it is possible to reproduce a matured flavor without depending on experience, intuition, or time. The present invention will be described by exemplifying edible meat, particularly beef, ham, and cheese, as cooked food, but the food that can be cooked by the microwave cooking apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to these, and can be applied to edible meat other than beef, fish and shellfish, ham, sausage, cheese, vegetables, noodles, bread, and the like. In the case of aging, since the change in flavor is responsible for the improvement in quality, it is possible to study the setting of temperature conditions by putting food materials in a liquid, preferably a liquid having no microwave absorbability (for example, edible vegetable oil such as olive oil).

EXAMPLE 1

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a microwave cooking apparatus according to embodiment 1. The microwave cooking device 1 according to the present embodiment is suitable for dry cooking (dry cooking), and includes a cooling unit 10, a microwave oscillating unit 20, a microwave cooking unit 30, a control unit 40, and a UV lamp 50, as shown in fig. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the microwave cooking apparatus 1 includes a microwave cooking unit 30, a control unit 40, and a UV lamp 50 inside a cooling unit 10. The food to be cooked is meat, fish, shellfish, vegetable, flour, and bread.

The cooling unit 10 is a device that cools the internal space of the cooling unit 10 by using cold air. As shown in fig. 1, the cooling unit 10 includes a cooler 11, a 1 st fan 12, a cooling chamber 13, and a cooling chamber door 14, which is not shown. In the present embodiment, the cooler 11 generates cold air by performing heat exchange with the outside, and the generated cold air is blown into the cooling chamber 13 inside the cooling portion 10 by the 1 st fan 12. This allows the interior of the cooling chamber 13 to be kept at a low temperature. Further, as will be described later, the operation of the microwave oscillator 20 and the like and the temperature in the cooling chamber 13 are appropriately controlled by the controller 40 so that the surface temperature of the cooked food is lower than the internal temperature. The user can take out or put the cooked food into the microwave cooking unit 30 provided in the cooling chamber 13 by opening the cooling chamber door 14.

The microwave oscillating unit 20 generates microwaves for irradiating the food M. As the microwave oscillator 20, an oscillator using a magnetron may be used, but in the present embodiment, a solid-state oscillator using a semiconductor element is used, which can obtain a higher frequency and an output stability than the magnetron. The microwave oscillator 20 generates microwaves by continuously changing the frequency between 2.4 to 2.5 GHz. The microwaves oscillated by the microwave oscillating unit 20 are irradiated from the irradiation port 31 of the microwave cooking unit 30 through the cable 21. Further, since the distribution of the electromagnetic field in the microwave cooking section 30 is made uniform by continuously changing the frequency of the microwaves between 2.4 to 2.5GHz, the microwaves are irradiated to the food M in a uniform distribution, and uniform heating (uniform cooking) of the food M can be promoted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the microwave cooking section 30 includes an irradiation port 31, a 2 nd fan 32, a cooking chamber 33, and a cooking chamber door 34, not shown. The user can take out or put the food M to be cooked into the cooking chamber 33 by opening the cooking chamber door 34.

The ripening chamber 33 is a cavity provided with a reflecting plate for reflecting microwaves on all surfaces of an inner surface (inner wall). An irradiation port 31 for irradiating the microwave oscillated by the microwave oscillating unit 20 into the ripening chamber 33 is provided in the upper inner surface of the ripening chamber 33. In the present embodiment, a small-sized patch antenna (planar antenna) with high gain is attached to the irradiation port 31, and thus the microwave oscillated by the microwave oscillating unit 20 is irradiated into the ripening chamber 33.

The aging chamber 33 may be provided with a rack made of a microwave-permeable material such as Teflon (registered trademark) or polypropylene.

The 2 nd fan 32 blows the cold air in the cooling chamber 13 to the ripening chamber 33. The No. 2 fan 32 is a fan capable of blowing air with an air volume (for example, 0.5 to 10.0 m/sec) suitable for drying and curing. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 1, the 2 nd fan 32 is installed outside the ripening chamber 33, and the 1 st minute opening 35 is provided in the side wall of the ripening chamber 33 where the 2 nd fan 32 is installed. The 1 st micro-aperture 35 is a size smaller than the wavelength of the microwave, and for example, in the present embodiment, the size of the 1 st micro-aperture 35 is set to be 10mm or less in diameter. The microwaves radiated into the ripening chamber 33 are blocked by the 1 st minute opening 35, and only the cold air blown by the 2 nd fan 32 passes through. The side wall of the ripening chamber 33 facing the 1 st minute opening 35 is provided with a 2 nd minute opening 36 having the same diameter as the 1 st minute opening 35. The microwaves radiated to the ripening chamber 33 are blocked by the 2 nd minute opening 36, but the air in the ripening chamber 33 heated by the heat exchange with the food M is discharged into the cooling chamber 13 through the 2 nd minute opening 36. The 1 st micro opening 35 and the 2 nd micro opening 36 may be provided to occupy most of the area of 1 or more side walls to improve the air permeability. The ripening chamber 33 may be formed of a perforated metal in which the 1 st minute opening 35 and the 2 nd minute opening 36 are formed in advance, and a stainless steel plate having a diameter of 10mm may be used as the perforated metal.

The control unit 40 is provided with a program for controlling the temperature so that the surface temperature and the internal temperature of the cooked food M become predetermined temperatures, respectively. Specifically, the control unit 40 controls the operation of the microwave oscillating unit 20, the cooler 11, the 1 st fan 12, and the 2 nd fan 32, and controls the output of microwaves by the microwave oscillating unit 20, the temperature of the cold air by the cooler 11, and the air volumes of the 1 st fan 12 and the 2 nd fan 32 to perform temperature control. For example, the control unit 40 may increase the internal temperature of the food M by increasing the output of the microwaves from the microwave oscillating unit 20, and may decrease the surface temperature of the food M by decreasing the temperature of the cold air generated by the cooler 11 or increasing the air volumes of the 1 st fan 12 and the 2 nd fan 32. The control unit 40 may be configured to control the microwave oscillating unit 20 so as to switch ON/OFF (ON/OFF) of the microwave irradiation every fixed time (for example, several hours). For example, the control unit 40 may control the microwave oscillator 20 to stop the irradiation of the microwaves for 3 hours after the irradiation of the microwaves for 3 hours, and similarly repeat the irradiation and the stop of the microwaves every 3 hours for, for example, 7 days as the ripening period.

The control unit 40 may be connected to a temperature sensor (for example, a fluorescent fiber thermometer (manufactured by anlimeter corporation) capable of measuring the temperature in a contact manner even in a microwave environment or a radiation type temperature sensor for measuring the intensity of infrared rays or visible rays in a non-contact manner) for measuring the internal temperature or the surface temperature of the food M, and may appropriately perform temperature control based on the measurement result of the temperature sensor.

Furthermore, the control unit 40 may be configured to memorize in advance through experiments the relationship between the weight and moisture content of the food M, the output of microwaves from the microwave oscillator 20 for setting the surface temperature and the internal temperature of the food M to predetermined temperatures, the temperature of cold air by the cooler 11, and the air volume of the 1 st fan 12 and the 2 nd fan 32, and to control the output of microwaves from the microwave oscillator 20, the temperature of cold air by the cooler 11, and the air volume of the 1 st fan 12 and the 2 nd fan 32, based on the weight or moisture content of the food M measured by a weight meter or a noncontact-type moisture meter provided in the ripening chamber 33. In this case, it is disclosed that the control unit 40 includes an input device such as an operation button or a touch panel, and automatically performs control such that the surface temperature of the food is higher than the internal temperature by inputting food information to be cooked such as the type (for example, beef, pork, or chicken) or the size of the food.

Here, since the microwaves are heated to the inside of the food by dielectric heating, when the microwaves are irradiated to the microwave-cooking section 30, the microwaves can be heated to the inside of the food M in addition to the surface of the food M. The cooking of the food M can be promoted by heating the inside of the food M, but heating the surface of the food M promotes the growth of bacteria attached to the surface of the food M. In contrast, in the microwave cooking apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the surface of the food M is cooled by the operation of the cooling means, i.e., the cooling unit 10 and the 2 nd fan 32, whereby the propagation of bacteria adhering to the surface of the food M can be suppressed.

In particular, in the microwave cooking apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, heating of the food M by the heating means (the microwave oscillating unit 20 and the microwave cooking unit 30) and cooling of the surface of the food M by the cooling means (the cooling unit 10 and the 2 nd fan 32) are performed simultaneously, and the operations of the heating means and the cooling means are controlled by the control of the control unit 40 so that the internal temperature of the food M becomes higher than the surface temperature. More specifically, the control unit 40 controls the output of the microwave oscillator 20, the temperature of the cold air by the cooler 11, and the air volumes of the 1 st fan 12 and the 2 nd fan 32 so that the internal temperature of the food M is 5 ℃ or higher and the surface temperature of the food M is less than 5 ℃ (preferably 0 to 4 ℃), and more preferably so that the difference between the internal temperature and the surface temperature of the food M is 3 ℃ or higher. Thus, in the microwave cooking device 1, when the food M is cooked, the cooking of the food M can be promoted, and the propagation of bacteria on the surface of the food M can be suppressed. In the process of ripening the food M, the irradiation with the microwave may be performed for at least 1 hour or more (preferably 3 hours or more, more preferably 5 hours or more) without continuously irradiating the microwave.

The UV lamp 50 is a device that generates ultraviolet rays. In the present embodiment, the wall portion of a part of the ripening chamber 33 (at least a part on the UV lamp 50 side) is configured to allow ultraviolet rays to pass therethrough, and the ultraviolet rays generated by the UV lamp 50 can be irradiated onto the surface of the food M placed in the ripening chamber 33 during the ripening of the food M. In this way, by irradiating ultraviolet rays on the surface of the food M during the ripening process, the propagation of bacteria present on the surface of the food M can be further suppressed. The control unit 40 may also control the operation of the UV lamp 50. For example, the control unit 40 may control the UV lamp 50 to irradiate ultraviolet rays for a fixed time (for example, several hours) from the time when curing is started or the time when the curing chamber door 34 is closed (after being opened).

As described above, the microwave cooking device 1 according to the present embodiment includes the microwave cooking unit 30 for irradiating the food M with microwaves, and the cooling unit 10 for cooling the surface of the food M, and performs cooking of the food M by heating the inside of the food M by the microwave cooking unit 30 and cooling the surface of the food M by the cooling unit 10 and the 2 nd fan 32 so that the inside temperature of the food M is higher than the surface temperature. This can promote the ripening of the food M while inhibiting the propagation of bacteria present on the surface of the food M. Further, by suppressing the propagation of bacteria existing on the surface of the food M, the aging of the food M is promoted, and the amount of the surface finish of the food M to be scraped off can be reduced, whereby the yield can be improved.

Further, by irradiating the food M with microwaves for ripening, the bacteria present on the surface of the food M can be damaged by the microwaves, and thus the propagation of the bacteria present on the surface of the food M can be further suppressed. It is also known that the microwave can enhance the activity of an enzyme such as protease and the food M can be further promoted by irradiating the food M with a microwave to ripen the food M. As described above, in the microwave cooking device 1 according to the present embodiment, since the cooking of the food M can be promoted while suppressing the propagation of bacteria present on the surface of the food M, the effect of easily cooking chicken or pork that normally spoils quickly and is difficult to cook can be exhibited.

The output of microwaves from microwave oscillator 20, the temperature of cold air from cooler 11, and the air volumes of fans 1 and 2 and 32 are controlled by controller 40 so that the internal temperature of food M is 5 ℃ or higher and the surface temperature of food M is less than 5 ℃, and more preferably the difference between the internal temperature and the surface temperature of food M is 3 ℃ or higher, when food M is cooked, by heating the inside of food by microwave cooking unit 30. This can more effectively inhibit the growth of bacteria present on the surface of the food M and promote the ripening of the food M.

EXAMPLE 2 EXAMPLE

Next, the microwave cooking apparatus 1a according to embodiment 2 will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a microwave cooking apparatus 1a according to embodiment 2. In the microwave cooking apparatus 1a according to embodiment 2, as shown in fig. 2, a cooking chamber door 34 of a cooking chamber 33 has a choke structure, and is the same as the microwave cooking apparatus 1 according to embodiment 1 except that it can be opened and closed from the outside. The same components as those in embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

As shown in fig. 2, in the microwave cooking apparatus 1a according to embodiment 2, the cooking chamber door 34 of the cooking chamber 33 can be opened and closed directly from the outside. In embodiment 2, the ripening chamber door 34 of the ripening chamber 33 has a choke structure in order to prevent the microwave from leaking to the outside. The choke structure may be a known structure.

In this way, in the microwave cooking apparatus 1a according to embodiment 2, the food M can be taken out and put into the cooking chamber 33 directly from the outside. In embodiment 2, the aging chamber door 34 is provided with a choke structure, whereby the leakage of microwaves to the outside can be effectively prevented.

EXAMPLE 3 rd embodiment

Next, a microwave cooking apparatus 1b according to embodiment 3 will be described. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a microwave cooking device 1b according to embodiment 3, and fig. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a microwave cooking section 30a according to embodiment 3. As shown in fig. 3, the cooling unit 10 has 2 cooling chambers 13, and a microwave cooking unit 30a (cooking chamber 33) is provided in each cooling chamber 13.

As shown in fig. 4(a), the microwave cooking section 30a has a two-stage structure in which the cooking chamber 33 is divided vertically by a mesh plate 37, and can place the food M vertically. In the microwave cooking section 30a according to embodiment 3, as shown in fig. 4(B), the 2 nd fan 32 is attached to the rear surface of each stage, and the cold air in the cooling chamber 13 is blown into the cooking chamber 33 by the operation of the 2 nd fan 32. Further, the micro openings 36 are opened in most of both side surfaces of the microwave ripening part 30a, and the air blown from the cooling chamber 13 into the ripening chamber 33 to exchange heat with the food M is discharged from the micro openings 36 into the cooling chamber 13, whereby the surface temperature of the food M can be efficiently lowered.

In embodiment 3, the front surface of the microwave cooking section 30a is open, and a choke structure 38 is formed at the edge of the opening. As shown in fig. 3, the cooling chamber door of the cooling chamber 13 doubles as a ripening chamber door 34 of the ripening chamber 33, and the leakage of microwaves to the outside can be effectively prevented by the choke structure 38. By providing the door surface with a double structure of a perforated metal plate and a transparent plate, the microwave leakage prevention and heat insulation functions can be maintained, and the progress of the ripening of the food M inside the ripening chamber 33 can be confirmed without opening the door. The material of the transparent plate is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, glass, polycarbonate resin, or the like. Further, the structure in which 2 transparent plates are stacked to form an air layer can improve the heat insulating function.

In embodiment 3, an irradiation port 31 and an illumination unit 39 are disposed on the upper surface of the microwave curing unit 30 a. The irradiation port 31 irradiates the inside of the ripening chamber 33 with microwaves in the same manner as in embodiment 1. The illumination unit 39 has an LED light source for illuminating the inside of the ripening chamber 33, and illuminates the inside of the ripening chamber 33 when, for example, the ripening chamber door 34 is opened.

As described above, since the microwave cooking device 1b according to embodiment 3 has 2 cooling chambers 13 and 2 cooking chambers 33, respectively, the amount of the food M that can be cooked at one time can be increased. Further, by dividing the ripening chamber 33 into two stages, i.e., the upper and lower stages, and providing the 2 nd fan 32 in each stage, the surface temperature of the food M can be appropriately lowered even when the amount of the food M to be ripened is large. Further, in embodiment 3, a commercially available refrigerator can be used as the cooling unit 10, and therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

The present invention will be described in further detail with reference to examples. The present invention is not limited in any way by these examples.

[ example 1]

The inventors conducted the following tests in order to confirm the ripening effect of the food obtained by the microwave ripening apparatus of the present invention. Specifically, a prototype having the same configuration as that of the microwave cooking apparatus 1 according to embodiment 1 was prepared and each test was performed.

In examples 1 to 3 below, about 300g of beef shank (about 700g in example 4) was placed in a microwave curing section and irradiated with 100W or less of microwave to perform a test. The test was performed by controlling the microwave output of the microwave oscillator, the temperature of the cold air of the cooler, and the air volumes of the 1 st fan and the 2 nd fan so that the temperature inside the cooling section 10 was-2 ℃, the temperature of the surface of the beef was-1 to +2 ℃, and the temperature inside the beef was +8 ℃. The air volume of the No. 2 fan is controlled within the range of 0.5-1.0 m/s.

(example 1)

First, the microwave irradiation was continued until the maturation day 9, and the amino acid content was measured every maturation day. The measurement results are shown in fig. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 shows the results of measuring the amino acid content on each maturation day in example 1, and FIG. 6 is a graph showing the results of measurement shown in FIG. 5. When the total amount of amino acids was noted, the total amount of amino acids at the beginning (day 0) was 375.4mg/100g, the total amount of amino acids at the 6 th day of aging was 745.9mg/100g, and the total amount of amino acids at the 9 th day of aging was 1128.1mg/100 g. From these results, it was found that by irradiating the beef leg meat with microwaves, the total amount of amino acids increased to about 2-fold in 6 days of aging and to about 3-fold in 9 days of aging.

(example 2)

Then, in example 2, (a) the beef shank before aging, (B) the beef shank which was aged for 7 days without being irradiated with microwaves, (C) the beef shank which was aged for 7 days with only being irradiated with microwaves for 6 hours from the beginning of aging, (D) the beef shank which was aged for 7 days with only being irradiated with microwaves for 20 hours from the beginning of aging, and the amino acid content after 7 days of aging (the amino acid content of the beef shank before aging for (a)) was measured. FIG. 7 shows the results of measurement of the amino acid contents of the above-mentioned (A) to (D) in example 2, and FIG. 8 is a graph showing the results of measurement shown in FIG. 7.

Focusing on the total amount of amino acids, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the total amount of amino acids was increased by 44.9mg/100g in the beef shank (B) cooked for 7 days without being irradiated with microwaves, relative to the beef shank (A) before cooking. On the other hand, the total amount of amino acids was increased by 96.5mg/100g in (C) beef thigh meat irradiated with only microwaves for 6 hours during 7-day cooking, and by 232.5mg/100g in (D) beef thigh meat irradiated with only microwaves for 20 hours during 7-day cooking, relative to (A) beef thigh meat before cooking. Thus, it was found that the total amount of amino acids was significantly increased in the cases of (C) irradiating only microwaves for 6 hours during 7-day aging and (D) irradiating only microwaves for 20 hours during 7-day aging, respectively, as compared with the case of (B) aging for 7 days without irradiating microwaves. Further, it is known that the longer the microwave irradiation time, the larger the total amount of amino acids tends to be.

(example 3)

Next, the measurement results of the glutamic acid content in the ordinary aging method without irradiation of microwave and the aging method according to the present invention with irradiation of microwave, which were measured for each aging day after 7 days of aging, are shown in fig. 9. Glutamic acid is an amino acid related to umami taste, and also serves as an index indicating the umami taste of beef. Further, since the beef cooked by the usual cooking method and the beef cooked by microwave irradiation according to the present embodiment are different in kind of the meat, the content of glutamic acid at the beginning of cooking is different as shown in fig. 9.

As shown in fig. 9, when the microwave irradiation was performed, the content of glutamic acid was greatly increased as compared with the case where the microwave irradiation was not performed. Specifically, while the glutamic acid content was 1.52 times by 7-day ripening in the conventional ripening method without irradiation of microwaves, the glutamic acid content was greatly increased to 2.60 times by 7-day ripening in the ripening method according to the present embodiment with irradiation of microwaves. Further, it was found that when the microwave was irradiated, the amount of increase (increase width) of glutamic acid tended to increase with the aging period.

(example 4)

Then, (E) the beef shank which was cooked for 7 days by continuous microwave irradiation and (F) and (G) the beef shank which was cooked for 7 days without microwave irradiation were subjected to a sensory test. FIG. 10 is a graph for explaining the maturation conditions of the respective samples in example 4. As shown in FIG. 10, in the case of the beef shank which was continuously irradiated with microwaves and aged for 7 days in (E), the cooking was carried out while controlling the temperature so that the temperature in the cooling chamber became-2 ℃, the surface temperature of the beef shank became 2 ℃ and the internal temperature of the beef shank became 8 ℃. In addition, in the cattle leg meat which is not irradiated with microwave and is cured for 7 days, (F) the temperature is controlled to cure the cattle leg meat in such a way that the temperature of a cooling chamber becomes-2 ℃, the surface temperature of the cattle leg meat becomes-2 ℃, and the internal temperature of the cattle leg meat becomes-2 ℃, and (G) the temperature is controlled to cure the cattle leg meat in such a way that the temperature of the cooling chamber becomes 8 ℃, the surface temperature of the cattle leg meat becomes 8 ℃, and the internal temperature of the cattle leg meat becomes 8 ℃.

Fig. 11 shows the results of the sensory test of example 4. Furthermore, the sensory test was conducted by 3 experts in the institute of meat science and technology, a general community law. In the sensory test, 7 stages of evaluations from-3 points to +3 points were performed for each item of unpleasant odor, off-flavor, cooked flavor, richness, umami, juicy feeling, softness, and overall, based on the non-cooked beef shank (no points).

As a result, the cooked flavor, richness, umami taste, and juicy feeling were improved in (E) the beef of beef cooked for 7 days by continuous irradiation with microwaves, and (F) and (G) the beef of beef cooked for 7 days without irradiation with microwaves, as compared with the non-cooked beef (standard), and the overall evaluation was also improved. Further, by comparing the beef shank meat (E) which was cooked for 7 days by continuous microwave irradiation with the beef shank meat (F) and (G) which was cooked for 7 days without microwave irradiation, the beef shank meat (E) which was cooked for 7 days by continuous microwave irradiation was evaluated more highly for body, umami, juicy feeling, and softness, and the overall evaluation was also further improved. In particular, in the beef shank cooked for 7 days by continuous microwave irradiation of (E), the evaluation of the richness and the umami taste was greatly improved as compared with the non-cooked beef shank (standard).

In this way, it was found that the beef shank (E) cooked for 7 days by continuous microwave irradiation had a strong body, a savory taste, a juicy feeling, and an enhanced softness as compared with the beef shank (F) and (G) cooked for 7 days without microwave irradiation, and the beef shank was more delicious.

Further, bacterial examination of the cured beef legs (E) to (G) in example 4 revealed that the number of e.coli is less than 30 (per 100G) and the number of enterobacteriaceae bacterial colonies is less than 10 (cfu/G).

[ example 2]

As an example of raw ham.

Microwave cooking was applied to ham or cheese as an example. The comparative experiment and the microwave ripening experiment are compared and illustrated in FIG. 12.

The expected effects are as follows.

It is known that the absorptivity of microwaves increases if salt is added as an electrolyte to a food material containing water. When microwaves are irradiated to a food material containing salt, the microwaves are efficiently absorbed in a portion containing a large amount of salt, and thus the salt diffuses along with a gradient of the salt concentration, so that unevenness in the salt concentration inside the food material is rapidly improved, and a mellow salty taste can be expected.

(detailed description of the preferred embodiments)

(1) Microwave cooking experiment

300g of raw ham (product) aged for 12 months was coated with a food wrap film, and aged for 5 days while controlling the temperature so that the temperature in the cooling chamber became 0 ℃, the surface temperature of the ham became 3 ℃ and the internal temperature of the raw ham became 10 ℃.

(2) Comparative experiment

300g of raw ham aged for 12 months was coated with a wrap film for food, and aged for 5 days in a refrigerator at a temperature of 3 ℃ without irradiating microwaves.

(3) Sensory evaluation test

The tasting results of raw ham are shown in table 1. As shown in table 1, when eating comparison was performed by 10 observers, 9 persons evaluated (1) better than (2) in the salty taste, 8 persons evaluated (1) better than (2) in the alcohol content, and 8 persons evaluated (1) better than (2) in the comprehensive aspect.

The alcohol content and degree of saltiness equivalent to those of raw ham (finished product) aged for 18 months from the main kitchen of italian restaurant were evaluated.

(4) In other aspects

Can be widely used for salty food such as miso or soy sauce.

[ Table 1]

Tasting of raw ham

Set the beef placed in the refrigerator to 2 points, and perform 4-point evaluation

(score 1: Excellent, score 2: good, score 3: ok, score 4: not ok)

[ example 3]

The aging test by dipping in olive oil was conducted as an example. The comparative experiment and the microwave ripening experiment are compared and explained in FIG. 13. Fig. 13 also shows a view of a general microwave ripening test without coating with a plastic wrap as a reference.

The expected effects are as follows.

(a) By using a liquid, preferably a liquid having no microwave absorbability, a liquid having good thermal conductivity is directly disposed around the food material, and the food material can be directly heated by microwaves. Therefore, the surface of the food material can be efficiently cooled compared to cooling by cold air in the cooling chamber.

(b) In the case of using a water-insoluble liquid such as olive oil, since the elution of water from the food material can be suppressed and the water content contained in the food material does not change before and after aging, the yield can be prevented from decreasing. Further, since oxidation of the surface of the food material can be prevented, the reduction of the yield can be prevented without scraping off the surface of the food material and trimming.

(c) In addition, although the food material with a reduced moisture content may be excessively cooked, it is difficult to adjust the degree of cooking, but the food material treated by the method has a moisture content that is not changed, and therefore, the method is also effective in that cooking is easy.

(detailed description of the preferred embodiments)

(1) Microwave cooking experiment

A5 Nippon Bos ham meat 300g was soaked in 500ml olive oil, and aged for 5 days while controlling the temperature so that the temperature of the olive oil became 3 ℃ and the internal temperature of the meat became 10 ℃.

(2) Comparative experiment

300g of beef shank was coated with a food wrap film, and was cooked for 5 days in a refrigerator at a temperature of 3 ℃ without irradiating microwaves.

The weight of the microwave cured meat and the comparative meat has no weight change after the treatment.

(3) Sensory evaluation test

The results of the tasting of the meat immersed in olive oil are shown in table 2. As shown in table 2, when eating comparison was performed by 10 observers, there were 7 persons who evaluated (1) better than (2) in terms of softness, 8 persons who evaluated (1) better than (2) in terms of taste, and 8 persons who evaluated (1) better than (2) in terms of overall quality.

(4) In other aspects

As the liquid, a liquid having no microwave absorbability, preferably an edible vegetable oil, other edible oils may be used instead of the olive oil.

The edible vegetable oil includes, depending on the raw material, oils extracted from oil seeds (soybean, rapeseed, sesame, cottonseed, linseed, etc.), oils extracted from byproducts of agricultural products (rice bran, corn germ), oils imported from overseas (palm oil, olive oil, sunflower seed oil, castor oil, etc.), and the like, and can be used arbitrarily according to the cooked food.

[ Table 2]

Tasting results of meat immersed in olive oil

Set beef in refrigerator to 2 points, and perform 4-point evaluation

(score 1: Excellent, score 2: good, score 3: ok, score 4: not ok)

Although the preferred embodiments and examples of the present invention have been described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the description of the embodiments and examples. Various modifications and improvements can be added to the embodiments and examples described above, and the embodiments to which such modifications and improvements are added are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

In addition to the above-described embodiments and examples, the cooking chamber 33 may be provided at a lower portion thereof with a measuring device for measuring the weight of the food M placed in the cooking chamber 33. In this case, the degree of ripening of the food may be determined based on the change in weight of the food, and the user may be notified. Further, a noncontact water content meter may be further provided, and the degree of ripeness of the food may be determined based on a change in the weight of the food and a change in the water content of the food.

Further, in the above-described embodiments and examples, the configuration in which the frequency of the microwave is set to 2.4 to 2.5GHz (ISM band) is exemplified, but the configuration is not limited thereto, and for example, a frequency in the range of 300MHz to 300GHz may be used.

Claims (18)

1. A microwave cooking device, wherein,

the microwave cooking device is provided with:

a microwave cooking section having a cooking chamber for receiving food, an irradiation port for irradiating microwave to the cooking chamber, and a blower for blowing air to the cooking chamber;

a cooling unit having a cooling chamber cooled by a cooler;

a microwave oscillating unit connected to the irradiation port; and

a control part for controlling the operation of the cooling part and the microwave oscillation part,

and the ripening chamber is disposed in the cooling chamber,

the control unit heats the inside of the food by irradiation of the microwaves in the microwave oscillating unit and cools the surface of the food by blowing of cold air in the cooling unit at the same time so that the inside temperature of the food becomes higher than the surface temperature.

2. The microwave cooking device of claim 1,

the inner wall of the curing chamber is provided with a plurality of micro openings which block microwaves and allow air to penetrate.

3. The microwave cooking device of claim 2,

in each of the inner walls of the ripening chamber, a plurality of said micro-openings is provided.

4. The microwave cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the curing chamber is composed of a plurality of curing chambers.

5. The microwave cooking device of claim 1,

the control unit automatically controls the operation of the microwave oscillating unit so that the internal temperature of the food becomes 5 ℃ or higher during cooking.

6. The microwave cooking device of claim 1,

the control unit automatically controls the operation of the cooler and/or the blower so that the surface temperature of the food is lower than 5 ℃ during cooking.

7. The microwave cooking device of claim 1,

the control unit automatically controls the operation of the microwave oscillating unit, the cooler, and the blower so that the difference between the surface temperature and the internal temperature of the food becomes 3 ℃ or more during cooking.

8. The microwave cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the microwave oscillating unit irradiates microwaves for 1 hour or more during curing.

9. The microwave cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the control unit repeats the irradiation of the microwave oscillating unit with the microwave for a predetermined time and the termination of the irradiation with the microwave for a predetermined time during the ripening.

10. The microwave cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the cooling unit includes a UV lamp provided in the cooling chamber.

11. A microwave cooking method, wherein,

the microwave cooking method is a method of cooking a food with microwaves using the microwave cooking apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10,

the food is cooked by heating the inside of the food by microwave irradiation and cooling the surface of the food by cold air blowing, while the inside temperature of the food is higher than the surface temperature.

12. The microwave cooking process of claim 11,

the microwave irradiation and the cold air blowing are performed so that the internal temperature of the food becomes 5 ℃ or higher, the surface temperature of the food becomes lower than 5 ℃, and the temperature difference between the surface temperature and the internal temperature of the food becomes 3 ℃ or higher.

13. The microwave cooking process according to claim 11 or 12,

the food is meat or fish and shellfish.

14. The microwave cooking process according to claim 11 or 12,

the food is salty food material.

15. The microwave cooking process of claim 14,

the salt-containing food material is selected from ham and cheese.

16. The microwave cooking process according to claim 11 or 12,

the food is a food material filled in liquid.

17. The microwave cooking process of claim 16,

the liquid is a liquid without microwave absorbability.

18. The microwave cooking process of claim 17,

the liquid without microwave absorbability is edible vegetable oil.