JP5848166B2 - Vinegar production method, vinegar cage suppression method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vinegar production method and a vinegar cage suppression method that can effectively suppress the occurrence of cages.

  Conventionally, various liquid brewed foods using fermentation by microorganisms and enzymes are known, and among them, sake, mirin, wine, soy sauce, vinegar and the like are well known. For example, sake, which is a typical example of liquid brewed foods, is generally made from raw materials to make koji, and after saccharification and alcohol fermentation, the koji is squeezed and solid-liquid separated. Then, the final product is manufactured by refining and finally filling the container. In addition, mirin is generally manufactured by charging raw materials, making koji, saccharifying and aging, and then crushing koji and separating it into solid and liquid. The final product is a container filled with this.

  By the way, liquid brewed foods are produced through fermentation by various microorganisms using agricultural products as raw materials. Therefore, due to the growth / fermentation of microorganisms or the raw materials, an insoluble form called “ori” is stored during the storage period. Precipitates may be generated. When such “origin” occurs, the commercial value is lost due to the turbidity of the fermentation liquor, and some measures are required. Under these circumstances, when producing a liquid brewed food, a clarification (or “lowering”) process is usually provided in the process from the end of fermentation to the filling into a container.

  As a specific example of the conventional clarification process, a clarifying agent (flocculating agent) such as gelatin, alginic acid, silica sol, persimmon astringent, bentonite, etc. is added / suspended in the fermentation broth, and left for a certain period of time to coagulate the cage. It is well known to obtain a filtrate or a supernatant (see, for example, Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3). And by passing through such a clarification process, the content of the substance causing the occurrence of the cage is reduced, and as a result, the cage is suppressed.

  However, the effect of the lowering process due to the addition of the fining agent cannot be said to be complete, and sudden outbreaks often occurred during the storage period. In this case, measures such as increasing the amount of clarifier added and processing time can be considered, but the effect of lowering does not improve as expected, but the disadvantage is that cost and productivity are reduced. It was.

  In view of this, as a measure for more effectively suppressing the occurrence of damage, for example, it has been conventionally proposed to provide a process for treating a fermentation solution with a high frequency (see, for example, Patent Document 4).

JP 2001-352966 A JP 2005-73679 A JP 7-255458 A JP-A-8-322546

  However, the conventional method of lowering by high-frequency processing may be effective for some liquid brewed foods (for example, sake such as sake), but it is effective for all items. Is hard to say. Incidentally, in the confirmation test conducted by the inventors of the present application, it has been obtained that vinegar among liquid brewed foods is not effectively lowered by high frequency treatment. The reason for this result is not clear at this stage, but since the fermentation liquor is obtained through different fermentation reactions between sake and other vinegars such as sake, pH and acidity are greatly different. It seems that there is some difference in the occurrence and suppression. Therefore, regarding vinegar, another effective lowering method different from the conventional method is desired.

  Moreover, in the conventional method in which the lowering is performed by high-frequency treatment, the temperature of the fermentation liquid tends to increase as the treatment time becomes longer regardless of the type of the fermentation liquid, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of maintaining the quality. Therefore, a lowering method with a low risk of impairing quality is desired.

  This invention is made | formed in view of said subject, The objective is providing the manufacturing method of vinegar which can suppress generation | occurrence | production of a cage | casing effectively, and the vinegar cage | basket restraining method, without impairing quality. It is in.

  The inventors of the present application have conceived of performing physical treatments other than high-frequency treatment as a means for solving the above-mentioned problems, and conducted intensive research based on such ideas. For example, ultrasonic treatment or ozone for vinegar As with the high-frequency treatment, the treatment tends to cause problems such as a rise in liquid temperature and quality deterioration, and it has been found that the treatment is not effective as an occurrence suppression treatment. On the other hand, it has been newly discovered that it is surprisingly effective to suppress the occurrence of the occurrence of the vinegar with a predetermined strength after the fermentation of acetic acid. Accordingly, the inventors of the present application have further developed this knowledge, and finally completed the following problem solving means.

  In the field of liquid food production, it has been conventionally performed to use an energization process (although an alternating current energization process at a high voltage for an extremely short time) for sterilization (for example, Japanese Patent No. 4516860, Japanese Patent No. 4495647). No., Patent No. 4,606,961). However, it has not been known at all that DC current treatment for vinegar has an effect of suppressing the occurrence of cages in vinegar. In the first place, it has been known that vinegar has a sterilizing and antibacterial action in itself, so there was no necessity of conducting an electrical treatment for sterilizing purposes. Based on the above facts, it can be said that this knowledge is novel.

  Means [1] to [5] for solving the above problems are listed below.

  [1] A method for producing vinegar including a cage restraining step for restraining cages generated in vinegar, wherein in the cage restraining step, the amount of electrical energy per unit volume is relative to the fermentation broth after completion of acetic acid fermentation. A method for producing vinegar, wherein a direct current is applied under conditions of 0.1 joule / cubic centimeter to 10 joule / cubic centimeter and non-heating conditions.

  [2] The method for producing vinegar according to means 1, wherein the direct current is applied under the condition that the amount of electric energy per unit volume is 0.5 Joule / cubic centimeter or more and 2 Joule / cubic centimeter or less.

  [3] The method for producing vinegar according to means 1 or 2, wherein the cage suppression step is performed at a stage prior to the container filling step.

  [4] The method for producing vinegar according to any one of means 1 to 3, further comprising a lowering step by adding a clarifying agent.

  [5] A cage restraining method for restraining cages generated in vinegar, wherein the electric energy per unit volume is 0.1 joule / cubic centimeter or more and 10 joule / cubic centimeter or less with respect to the fermentation broth after completion of acetic acid fermentation. And a method for suppressing vinegar cages, wherein a direct current is applied under non-heating conditions.

  Therefore, according to invention of Claims 1-4, it is providing the manufacturing method of the vinegar which can suppress generation | occurrence | production of a cage | casing effectively, without impairing quality. Further, according to the invention described in claim 5, it is possible to provide a method for suppressing vinegared vinegar that can effectively suppress the occurrence of vinegar without impairing quality.

  Hereinafter, the manufacturing method of the vinegar of this invention and the vinegar cage suppression method are demonstrated in detail.

  In the present invention, “food vinegar” is not particularly limited, and widely refers to apple vinegar, wine vinegar, rice vinegar, brown rice vinegar, rice bran vinegar, grain vinegar and the like. These vinegars are prepared, for example, using raw materials to make koji, saccharification / alcoholic fermentation and acetic acid fermentation, and then squeezing koji to solid-liquid separation, and sterilization, filtration, and acidity adjustment of the resulting acetic acid fermentation broth And it is manufactured by sequentially performing various processes such as heat sterilization, and then filled into a container to become a final product.

  In the present invention, a “cage suppression step” for applying a direct current to the acetic acid fermentation broth is essential. The cage restraining step may be performed at any stage as long as it is a stage after the end of acetic acid fermentation. Here, in the present invention, “end of acetic acid fermentation” means a state in which the amount of acetic acid produced per unit time (acetic acid production rate) is 0.1 g / L / hr or less (the numerical value may be negative). This state may be a state in which acetic acid bacteria are present in the fermentation broth, or can be achieved by forcibly removing the acetic acid bacteria from the fermentation broth by a method such as filtration and centrifugation. A supplementary explanation will be given for the former state. It is known that when the concentration of acetic acid in the fermentation broth increases, the acetic acid production rate decreases accordingly due to the toxicity of acetic acid. Therefore, the acetic acid concentration in the fermentation broth that reaches the above-mentioned conditions for the acetic acid production rate is defined by the combination of the type / raw material of the acetic acid bacteria and the fermentation method (stationary method, aeration method, etc.). “Negative acetic acid production rate” means that acetic acid lost from fermentation broth due to transpiration, volatilization, etc. exceeds the amount of acetic acid produced by oxidation of acetic acid bacteria.

  For example, in the vinegar manufacturing process described above, the step of suppressing the eddy current by applying direct current is 1) before the sterilization step, 2) after the sterilization step and before the filtration step, 3) after the filtration step and before the acidity adjustment step, 4) After the acidity adjustment step and before the heat sterilization step, 5) after the heat sterilization step and before the container filling step, or 6) after the container filling step, it is effective. The cage suppression step may be performed in combination with 7) the sterilization step, 8) the filtration step, 9) the acidity adjustment step, 10) the heat sterilization step, or 11) the container filling step.

  However, it is preferable that the restraining step by the direct current energization process of the present invention is performed at a stage prior to the container filling step. The reason is that a special container that can be energized from the outside in order to conduct the DC current in a container filled with a glass bottle or the like cannot be arranged in the container. This is because it becomes necessary to adopt the method, which increases the cost.

In the cage restraining step by direct current energization treatment of the present invention, in the cage restraining step, the amount of electrical energy per unit volume is 0.1 joule / cubic centimeter or more and 10 joule / cubic centimeter or less with respect to the fermentation broth after completion of acetic acid fermentation. A direct current is applied under conditions and non-heating conditions. In this way, by setting the appropriate conditions and performing the direct current energization treatment, it is possible to effectively suppress the occurrence of the cage without impairing the quality of the vinegar. In the present invention, the amount of electric energy is defined in units of “joule / cubic centimeter (J / cm ³ )”. That is, in order to obtain a predetermined cage suppression effect, it is an important factor how much electric energy the fermentation broth receives per unit volume. And in this invention, conditions, such as a voltage, an electric current, energization time, a processing amount, are adjusted suitably so that the electric energy amount per unit volume may become the said suitable range.

  Here, if the amount of electrical energy per unit volume is less than 0.1 joule / cubic centimeter, the influence of energization on vinegar becomes too small, and there is a possibility that the occurrence of a cage cannot be sufficiently suppressed. Moreover, when the average value of the energy amount is more than 10 joules / cubic centimeter, the influence of energization on the vinegar becomes too large, and the quality of the vinegar (taste, color, aroma, etc.) before the occurrence of the cage is suppressed. May be damaged. The electric energy amount is more preferably 0.5 joule / cubic centimeter or more and 2 joule / cubic centimeter or less.

As the cage suppressing step of the present invention, any apparatus can be used as long as it has a function capable of passing a direct current to the fermentation broth. For example, a process for temporarily storing the fermentation broth It is preferable to use an apparatus including a tank, a pair of electrodes, and a DC power source. The DC power supply preferably supplies a constant current at a constant voltage during the energization process. The material of the electrode is not particularly limited, and can be widely used as long as it is a conductive metal. However, it is desirable to select a material that does not easily cause elution of metal ions into the liquid. In the present invention, specifically, a Pt-based alloy anode and a Ti-based alloy cathode are used in combination. The shape of the electrode is not particularly limited, and can be arbitrarily selected from, for example, a rod shape, a plate shape, a mesh shape, etc. In the present invention, specifically, a flat plate is used for both the anode and the cathode. Are arranged opposite to each other at a predetermined interval. The energization processing device preferably includes a voltage setting unit, a current setting unit, and an energization time setting unit. In particular, based on the set values of voltage, current, and energization time by these three setting means, the value of the electric energy (J / cm ³ ) at that time is calculated, and the value of the voltage, current, and energization time is calculated. You may provide the display control means which controls to display on a display with a value. Further, the energization processing device selects a set value combination storage unit that stores a plurality of combinations of set values of voltage, current, and energization time in advance, and a specific set value combination from the set value combination storage unit. There may be provided a selection means and an energization control means for energizing for a predetermined time with a predetermined voltage and current based on a specific set value combination selected by the selection means.

  The energization processing device for the cage restraining step is preferably provided with a stirring device for stirring the fermentation liquor during the energization processing, and the processing can be efficiently and uniformly performed by stirring by this. In addition, the energization processing apparatus may include a temperature sensor for measuring the liquid temperature, and display control means for performing processing for displaying the measurement result output from the temperature sensor on the display. Further, the energization processing apparatus may be a system (batch type) in which a predetermined amount of fermentation liquid is stored in the treatment tank and the energization process is performed, or continuously while a certain amount of fermentation liquid is flowing into the treatment tank. A method of performing energization processing (continuous method) may be used.

  In the cage suppressing step of the present invention, the voltage need not be set to a very high value, for example, 20 volts or less, preferably 10 volts or less, and particularly preferably 5 volts or less. The reason for this is that if the set voltage value is too high, the liquid temperature may increase, and if the current value and the energization time are not suppressed, it is considered that there is a high risk of quality degradation. Similarly, the current need not be set to a very high value. For example, it is preferably 10 amperes or less, more preferably 2 amperes or less, and particularly preferably 1 ampere or less. The reason is that if the set current value is too high, the liquid temperature may be increased, and if the voltage value and the energization time are not suppressed, it is considered that there is a high risk of quality deterioration. The energization time is preferably a relatively short time from the viewpoint of improving productivity, but it is not preferable to set the current supply time to an extremely short time of less than 1 second. The reason for this is that when the time is set to be extremely short as described above, the value of the amount of electric energy tends to vary, and accurate processing may not be performed. On the contrary, if the energization time exceeds 1 hour, productivity is remarkably lowered, which is not preferable. Therefore, for example, the energization time is preferably 3000 seconds or less, more preferably 10 seconds or more and 1000 seconds or less, and particularly preferably 100 seconds or more and 400 seconds or less. In summary, in the present invention, the voltage is set to 5 volts or less, the current is set to 1 ampere or less, and the energization time is set to 100 in order to achieve a low voltage / low current / short time DC energization process. It is said that it is preferable to set the second time to 400 seconds or longer.

  In addition, the temperature conditions during the DC energization process in the cage suppressing process of the present invention are not particularly limited, but if possible, in order to reduce the risk of quality deterioration, etc., non-heating conditions (room temperature conditions, about 20 ° C. to 30 ° C.) ) Is preferable. However, if the direct current energization treatment for the fermentation broth is performed for a short time, the liquid temperature does not increase as in the case of high frequency treatment or ultrasonic treatment. Moreover, in the cage | basket | restraining process of this invention, a fermentation liquid does not need to be pressurized especially, and it is good to carry out an electrical conduction process at a normal pressure. This is because when the fermentation broth is pressurized, the apparatus becomes complicated, which may increase the cost.

  The vinegar production method of the present invention preferably includes not only a step of suppressing the direct current energizing treatment but also a normal step of lowering (clarifying step) by adding a clarifying agent. The reason for this is that there are considered to be multiple substances that can cause vinegar, and it is more effective to suppress the occurrence of using both in combination than performing either process alone. . In addition, when obtaining the same effect with respect to the suppression of the occurrence of cages, the amount of clarifier added and the processing time can be reduced, which increases the possibility of total cost and productivity improvements. In addition, when implementing a normal raising-lowering process, the raising suppression process by electricity supply of a direct current may be implemented regardless of the front and back, or may be implemented simultaneously.

Here, the normal lowering process by adding a clarifying agent is specifically, adding and suspending a clarifying agent (flocculating agent) in the fermentation broth, allowing it to stand for a certain period of time, and coagulating the cage, followed by filtration. It refers to the process of obtaining a liquid or a supernatant liquid. In other words, it is understood that the process is a process of reducing the concentration of the causative substance of the cage before shipping as a final product by generating the cage beforehand and actively by adding a clarifying agent. Can do. The fining agent is not particularly limited as long as it is frequently used in the production of liquid brewed foods, and can be arbitrarily used. Specific examples include active gluten, gelatin, egg white, alginic acid, carrageenan, silica sol, silica gel, diatomaceous earth, protease, persimmon astringent, bentonite, and polyvinylpyrrolidone. Only one type of clarifier listed here may be used alone, but a plurality of types may be used in combination. In the present invention, “addition of clarifier” includes adding and suspending powdered or liquid clarifier to fermentation broth, and adding solid clarifier not suspended to fermented broth And the case where a clarifier is packed in a column and the fermentation broth is passed therethrough. Furthermore, when performing the usual lowering | lowering process by addition of a clarifying agent, in order to isolate | separate the aggregate and fermented liquor efficiently, you may perform a centrifugation process etc. collectively.
In the following, examples that further embody the vinegar production method and the vinegar cage suppression method of the present invention will be introduced.

(Test Example 1)
In Test Example 1, a brown rice black vinegar fermented liquid was selected as the vinegar to be tested, and the brown rice black vinegar fermented liquid was subjected to a direct current energizing treatment under the following conditions.

  About brown rice black vinegar fermentation liquid, it manufactured in the following procedures. First, using brown rice as a raw material, after performing alcoholic fermentation and acetic acid fermentation according to conventional methods, the rice cake is pressed and solid-liquid separated, and the resulting acetic acid fermentation solution is filtered with filter paper to remove acetic acid bacteria. went. Furthermore, for the acetic acid fermentation broth after sterilization, the normal clarification process by adding and suspending the clarifier is then performed as necessary, and the microfiltration process, the acidity adjustment process, and the heat sterilization process are sequentially performed. A container filling step was performed in which the bottle was filled in a glass bottle and stoppered. In the acidity adjustment step, a predetermined adjustment operation was performed so that the acetic acid concentration and the content of other components were within the range determined by the production standard. Specifically, the acidity was adjusted here to about 5.0%. In the heat sterilization step, sterilization was performed at a temperature of 75 ° C. for 30 seconds.

  And in this test example, the step of suppressing the stagnation by the direct current energization treatment was performed after the sterilization step (or after the sterilization step and the clarification step) and before the microfiltration step. As described above, as an energization processing apparatus for performing this, a batch type equipped with a processing tank (1000 mL), a pair of electrodes (anode: Pt alloy, cathode: Ti alloy), a DC power source, and a stirring means. The device was used. Then, a DC current of 5 volts and 1 ampere was applied to the electrode.

In this test example, the brown rice black vinegar fermented liquid after the sterilization process is placed in a treatment tank, and in this state, a plurality of energization times are set (100 seconds, 200 seconds, 300 seconds, 400 seconds), and direct current energization is performed. Processed. In addition, the 0 second treatment section (non-treatment section) was positioned as a control. The liquid temperature was set to about 25 ° C. (ordinary temperature) without particularly heating the liquid during the step of restraining by direct current energization treatment. Moreover, in order to observe the generation | occurrence | production state of a cage for a short period, the brown rice black vinegar fermented liquid after container filling was implemented by employ | adopting the system of the acceleration test which carries out still preservation | save in the 60 degreeC thermostat. And in this energization processing apparatus, based on the value of energization time (second), voltage (volt), electric current (ampere), and processing amount (mL), the electric energy amount per unit volume (J / cm < ³ >) is calculated, respectively. did.

  And the generation | occurrence | production condition of a cage was investigated by visually observing the change in the external appearance of the fermented liquor after starting storage. The results are shown in Table 1.

  In addition, in order to investigate the degree of quality deterioration, a sample different from the above-mentioned sample for the occurrence of cage occurrence is prepared, and sensory evaluation (number of panelists: 20) is performed immediately after the container filling process to evaluate the flavor. went. The results are also shown in Table 1.

As is clear from Table 1, in the control, “moisture (slight loss of transparency)” was observed on the 8th day after the start of storage, and occurrence of a change was observed on the 10th day after the start of storage. On the 14th day after the start of storage, a flock-like cage that was obvious to anyone was generated. In contrast, 100 seconds treated group (0.5J ^/ cm 3), 200 seconds treated group (1.0J ^/ cm 3), 300 seconds treated group (1.5 J / cm ³⁾ and 400 seconds treated area (2. 0 J / cm ³ ), no turbidity of liquid and no occurrence of cages were observed even after 14 days from the start of storage. Therefore, it was clearly confirmed that there was an occurrence suppression effect.

  Regarding the evaluation of flavor, there was no particular difference in flavor in the 100-second treated group, the 200-second treated group, the 300-second treated group, and the 400-second treated group compared to the control. Therefore, it was found that none of the flavors deteriorated in these test sections.

  In addition, when the liquid temperature was measured before and after the suppression process due to direct current conduction in the above five test sections excluding the control, no increase in the liquid temperature was observed at all, so there was a risk of damaging the quality accordingly. It was concluded that it was small.

  Moreover, when the said test area was compared by performing the component analysis of a fermented liquor with the presence or absence of the said suppression step, the tendency for the amount of amino acids to decrease was recognized, so that the time of DC energization processing became long. Further, the TA (total acidity) value, the BX value, and the GC value are not as large as the amino acid amount, but a slight decrease tendency is recognized, but the difference due to the length of irradiation time is not clear. In contrast, no particular change was observed in the pH value. However, it should be understood that the above-described changes are not so much as deterioration of the components, but rather, the components that cause the cage are reduced.

  Incidentally, although specific data is omitted, when the energization time is set to be extremely short (for example, 0.1 seconds, 0.5 seconds), there is a tendency that there is almost no difference from the control regarding the occurrence of the cage. On the contrary, when the energization time is set to be considerably long (for example, more than 1 hour), the occurrence suppression effect is recognized for the time being, but there is a possibility that the component deterioration has occurred due to the tendency of the above component change. Presumed to be high.

(Test Example 2)
In Test Example 2, a rice vinegar fermented liquid is selected as the vinegar to be tested, and basically a sterilization process, a clarification process, a microfiltration process, and an acidity adjustment process are sequentially performed according to the method according to Test Example 1. Finally, a container filling process was performed in which the glass bottle was filled and stoppered. At that time, the step of suppressing the cage by direct current energization treatment was carried out at several different stages after completion of fermentation. Specifically, the stage before the sterilization process ("energization a" shown in Table 2), the sterilization process (or after the sterilization process and the clarification process), and the stage before the microfiltration process (shown in Table 2) “Electrification b”), and after the acidity adjustment process and before the container filling process (“energization c” shown in Table 2), a cage suppression process by DC energization treatment was performed, and the effectiveness of each was investigated. Here, in order to set the ultraviolet irradiation energy amount per unit volume to 1 J / cm ³ , a direct current of 5 volts and 1 ampere was applied to the electrode of the energization processing apparatus for 200 seconds. And the rice vinegar fermented liquid after container filling was preserve | saved for 14 days, and the observation condition of the generation | occurrence | production of a cage was observed visually. The results are shown in Table 2. Table 2 also shows the results of flavor evaluation by sensory evaluation.

  As is clear from Table 2, it was found that the cage suppression step by direct current energization treatment is effective for suppressing the occurrence of cage in the rice vinegar fermented liquid, regardless of the stage. In addition, regarding the evaluation of flavor, no particular difference was found in flavor for each test section, and it was found that none of the flavors deteriorated.

As described above, in the method for producing vinegar according to the present embodiment, the amount of electric energy per unit volume is 0.1 J / cm ^{3 to} 10 J / cm ³ , preferably 0.8. 5 J ^/ cm has implemented cage suppression step of energizing a direct current in 3 becomes ~2J / cm ³ conditions and unheated conditions. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, vinegar having a pH lower than that of alcoholic beverages (for example, pH 4.0 or lower) and a high acidity (for example, acidity of 3.0% or higher) does not impair the quality such as flavor, and the occurrence of a cage. Can be effectively suppressed. Therefore, the commercial value of vinegar can be suitably maintained.

The technical ideas grasped by the above-described embodiment will be listed below.
(1) In any one of means 1 to 5, the lowering step is performed at room temperature.
(2) In any one of the means 1 to 5, the lowering step is performed under normal pressure (non-pressurized condition).
(3) In any one of means 1 to 5, in the cage suppressing step, the voltage is set to 5 volts or less.
(4) In any one of the means 1 to 5, the current is set to 1 ampere or less in the cage suppressing step.
(5) In any one of the means 1 to 5, the energization time is set to 400 seconds or less in the cage suppressing step.
(6) In any one of the means 1 to 5, in the cage suppressing step, the voltage is set to 5 volts or less, the current is set to 1 ampere or less, and the energization time is set to 400 seconds or less.
(7) In any one of the means 1 to 5, the vinegar sequentially performs a sterilization step, a lowering step by adding a clarifier, a microfiltration step, an acidity adjustment step, and a container filling step after the completion of acetic acid fermentation. It is manufactured by.
(8) In any one of means 1 to 5, the vinegar is any one selected from apple vinegar, wine vinegar, rice vinegar, brown rice vinegar, rice bran vinegar and grain vinegar.
(9) In any one of means 1 to 5, the lowering step is performed on the fermentation broth having an acidity of 3.0% or more (particularly 3.5% or more).
(10) In any one of means 1 to 5, the lowering step is performed on the fermentation broth having a pH of 4.0 or less.

Claims (5)

A method for producing vinegar comprising a step of suppressing a cage for suppressing a cage generated in vinegar,
In the cage restraining step, a direct current is applied to the fermentation broth after completion of acetic acid fermentation under conditions where the amount of electrical energy per unit volume is 0.1 joule / cubic centimeter or more and 10 joule / cubic centimeter or less and under non-heating conditions. The manufacturing method of the vinegar characterized by the above-mentioned.   The method for producing vinegar according to claim 1, wherein the direct current is applied under a condition that an electric energy amount per unit volume is 0.5 Joule / cubic centimeter or more and 2 Joule / cubic centimeter or less.   The method for producing vinegar according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cage restraining step is performed at a stage prior to the container filling step.   The method for producing vinegar according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a lowering step by adding a clarifying agent.   A method for suppressing cage generated in vinegar, wherein the amount of electrical energy per unit volume is 0.1 joule / cubic centimeter or more and 10 joule / cubic centimeter or less with respect to the fermentation broth after completion of acetic acid fermentation And the vinegar cage suppression method characterized by energizing direct current under non-heating conditions.