JP6938010B2 - A new aging method that brings meat with excellent palatability and health functionality - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a new aging method for obtaining meat such as pork having excellent palatability and health functionality, meat prepared by the method, and cooked products and processed products using this meat.

Since the muscles of livestock cause rigor mortis after slaughter, it is necessary to undergo a phenomenon called rigor mortis in order to obtain softness suitable for meat. Through this process, the muscles of livestock are in a state suitable for meat. At this time, muscle protein is decomposed by muscle enzymes. Peptides and amino acids produced by decomposition also contribute to improving the taste of meat.

In the case of beef, many attempts have been made to improve the palatability and market value by aging the beef for a long period of several weeks to several months after the beef has been hardened. On the other hand, in the case of pork, long-term aging like beef is rarely performed. For this reason, research on long-term aging of pork is scarce, and long-term aging techniques have not been sufficiently established. In addition, many inventions aim at improving the palatability of meat from a viewpoint other than extending the aging period, but all of them only aim at improving the palatability (texture and flavor) to some extent (Patent Documents 1 to 1). 4).

Among the peptides produced by enzymatically degrading muscle proteins contained in livestock meat, there are peptides having physiological activities such as blood pressure lowering peptides and antioxidant peptides (Non-Patent Document 1). In addition, peptides showing angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity were found in the degradation products obtained by in vitro acting thermolysin as a protease on porcine skeletal muscle protein, and oral administration of these peptides lowered blood pressure. It has also been found to have an effect (Patent Document 5). However, few studies have linked the production of these peptides to meat aging.

By the way, as for the method of measuring the maturity of meat, several methods have been shown so far. For example, in beef, a method utilizing changes in the contents of inosinic acid and hypoxanthine (Patent Document 6) and a method using the n-octanal concentration as an index (Patent Document 7) have been presented. Also in pork, there is a method utilizing the fate of muscle proteins and the production of peptides (Patent Document 8). All of these inventions focus only on the palatability (texture and flavor) of meat.

Against this background, we have developed pork with the health functionality provided by bioactive peptides produced by proteolysis associated with aging for a relatively long period of time, and have excellent palatability and health functionality. A new evaluation method for aged pork has been developed (Patent Document 9). That is, attention was paid to the existence of peptides (Gly-Pro-Leu-Lys, Ile-Pro-Ile-Lys, Ile-Pro) produced during the aging period, and a technique for using this as an index for aging pork was completed. There is.

According to the description of Patent Document 9, a relatively long aging period is required to obtain aged pork having excellent palatability and sufficiently having a health function due to the produced peptide. Specifically, aging for 4 weeks is not enough, and an aging period of about 8 weeks is required. Since long-term aging causes high cost, it is desired to shorten the aging period in order to improve practicality.

By the way, the aging method of meat can be roughly divided into two types. That is, they are a "wet aging method" and a "dry aging method" (Non-Patent Document 2). The wet aging method is a method in which meat is divided into chunks to some extent, then vacuum-packed or gas-replaced, and stored at a low temperature. Since contact with air is blocked during aging, it is an aging method that can suppress drying and microbial contamination. However, it has a drawback that it is inferior in effect in terms of improving palatability as compared with the dry aging method described below.

On the other hand, the dry aging method is an aging method in which carcasses are directly or divided and brought into contact with air. This method can be expected to greatly improve the palatability, such as the concentration of umami components and the like due to drying. However, when aging by this method is performed, it is necessary to remove (trim) the dry portion of the surface and the portion where microorganisms such as mold have grown. Therefore, it is a high-cost aging method as compared with the wet aging method.

Many studies have been conducted on the aging of meat by the wet aging method and the dry aging method (Non-Patent Documents 2 and 3). However, there is no study of aging meat by combining these two different methods. The inventor considered that it is possible to develop a new aging method (wet & dry aging method) for meat by combining the wet aging method and the dry aging method, and conceived the present invention.

Keizo Arihara (supervised), Forefront of Development of Functional Peptides, CMC Publishing, 2015 Laster M. A, et al, Dry versus wet aging of beef, Meat Science, 80, 795-804 (2008) Li X, et al, Meat quality, microbiological status and consumer preference of beef gluteus medius aged in a dry aging bag or vacuum, Meat Science, 95, 229-234 (2013)

JP-A-2002-125584 JP-A-2007-6820 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-189263 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-50339 Japanese Patent No. 3651878 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-119033 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-20499 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-271535 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-031119

The present invention is delicious, in which meat, especially pork, is aged by a new method to enhance palatability and impart health functionality by producing bioactive peptides having blood pressure lowering action, antioxidant action, and the like. The purpose is to provide good meat for the body. Another object of the present invention is to provide a cooked product or a processed product using aged meat having excellent palatability and health functionality. Furthermore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for preparing aged meat having excellent palatability and health functionality.

Means for Solving the Invention

That is, the present invention is a method for aging meat by a wet & dry aging method in which dry aging is performed after wet aging.

The present invention is aged meat or aged pork prepared by a wet and dry aging method in which dry aging is performed after wet aging.

The present invention is a processed product or a cooked product using aged meat or aged pork prepared by a wet & dry aging method in which dry aging is performed after wet aging.

According to the present invention, meat, especially pork, is aged by a wet and dry aging method in which dry aging is performed after wet aging to enhance palatability and to produce a bioactive peptide having a blood pressure lowering effect, an antioxidant effect, and the like. It is possible to provide delicious and healthy aged meat with health functionality. Further, according to the aging method of the present invention, it is possible to provide a cooked product or a processed product using aged meat having excellent palatability and health functionality.

It is a figure which shows the result of having measured the ACE inhibitory activity and the antioxidant activity of pork ("without aging" and "with aging"). It is a figure which shows the result of having measured the tyrosine content and water retention of pork ("without aging" and "with aging"). It is a figure which shows the result of the sensory test of the pork (“without aging” and “with aging”) cooked into pork cutlet.

The present invention uses a method in which meat such as pork is aged by performing dry aging after wet aging, and a high-value-added meat having both palatability and health functionality brought about by this method, or this meat is used. Regarding processed or cooked products.

The meat used as a raw material in the above aging method is presumed to be the most effective in pork, but is not limited to pork, and is a technique that can be widely applied to meat such as beef, chicken, mutton, and horse meat. The part and condition of the meat are not particularly limited, and for example, a muscle part such as skeletal muscle can be used.

In the meat aging method according to the present invention, it is important to perform dry aging after wet aging, but the conditions in each method are not particularly limited. Wet aging can be adopted by any method as long as it is a aging method under conditions such as vacuum packaging and gas replacement packaging that block contact with air. In addition, dry aging does not need to limit other conditions as long as it is a aging method in contact with air, but for example, wrapping a meat mass with a non-woven fabric in order to control the growth and drying of microorganisms. Can be done.

The temperature, humidity, and period during aging are important factors in aging, the aging temperature can be, for example, about -5 to about 10 ° C, and the humidity during dry aging is, for example, 60 to 80%. The aging period can be, for example, about 3 to about 7 weeks in combination with wet aging and dry aging. However, the temperature, humidity, and period may be set according to the purpose (use, etc.) of the meat to be prepared, and it is not necessary to limit the conditions to those exemplified here.

The processed or cooked product of the aged meat obtained by the present invention is not particularly limited. Examples of processed or cooked meat products include ham, sausage, and cutlet. Such processed or cooked meat products are obtained by processing or cooking aged meat by a conventionally known method.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to Examples. The following examples are examples given for explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention.

(Example 1)
(Aging of pork by various methods)
The loin of adult pigs (Landrace, Large White, and Duroc ternary hybrids) was used as the raw material. The aging was carried out by a wet aging method, a dry aging method, and a method of performing dry aging after wet aging (hereinafter, referred to as "wet & dry aging method"). In the wet aging method, pork loin was vacuum-packed and refrigerated at 0 ° C. and a humidity of 60 to 80% for 2 to 4 weeks. In the dry aging method, pork loin was wrapped in a non-woven fabric and refrigerated at 0 ° C. for 2 to 4 weeks. In the wet and dry aging method, pork loin was vacuum-packed and refrigerated at 0 ° C. for 2 weeks, then taken out from the vacuum package, wrapped in a non-woven fabric, and refrigerated at 0 ° C. for 2 weeks. Pork loin that had been refrigerated (aged) was cryopreserved at −80 ° C. as needed.

(Example 2)
(Detection of peptides that are indicators of aging in pork)
It has been shown that three kinds of angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptides (blood pressure lowering peptides) produced during the ripening of pork serve as excellent indicators of ripening of pork (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-031119). These peptides are represented by Gly-Pro-Leu-Lys (GPLK), Ile-Pro-Ile-Lys (IPIK), and Ile-Pro (IP). For the detection of peptides in pork, a high performance liquid chromatography / mass spectrometer (QP8000α manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation) was used, and the determination was made from the appearance of the molecular weight peak corresponding to each peptide on the chromatogram. The sample for analysis was prepared as follows. After removing the subcutaneous fat portion of the cryopreserved pork and chopping it, 4 times the amount of distilled water was added for homogenization. After homogenization, centrifugation was performed to collect the supernatant, and insoluble matter was removed by filtration. This was subjected to an ethanol fraction and a reverse phase resin column (Oasis HLB manufactured by Waters) to obtain a solution containing a peptide (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-031119).

As shown in Table 1, peptides that serve as ripening indicators were detected in pork prepared by three aging methods (wet aging method, dry aging method, and wet & dry aging method). The three peptides (GPLK, IPIK, IP) that serve as aging indicators were clearly detected only in pork prepared by the wet and dry aging method. The appearance of these peptides has been shown to be excellent as an index of aging of pork having palatability and health functionality (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-031119). Therefore, it was judged that the aging method (wet & dry aging method) in which dry aging is performed after wet aging provides pork with excellent palatability and health functionality in a relatively short period (4 weeks). In the following examples, it was decided to examine the characteristics of pork prepared by the wet & dry aging method.

(Example 3)
(Detection of antioxidant peptides in pork)
Antioxidant peptides were detected in the pork prepared by the wet and dry aging method in Example 1, and this was purified. A solution prepared as follows was used for purification of the peptide. After removing the subcutaneous fat portion of the cryopreserved pork and chopping it, 4 times the amount of distilled water was added for homogenization. After homogenization, centrifugation was performed to collect the supernatant, and insoluble matter was removed by filtration. Peptide purification is performed by high performance liquid chromatography using ethanol fractionation, reverse phase resin column (Oasis HLB manufactured by Waters), and reverse phase column (X-Bridge C18 manufactured by Waters) (LC-VP system manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation). Was done by. The purified peptide is identified by reading the amino acid sequence using a protein sequencer (PPSQ-31A manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation) after determining the molecular weight with a high performance liquid chromatography / mass spectrometer (QP8000α manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation). rice field. The antioxidant activity was determined by measuring the superoxide ion scavenging activity (method described in Japanese Patent No. 4828890).

The purified / identified peptide was an antioxidant peptide showing strong superoxide ion scavenging activity. The amino acid sequence of the peptide consisting of 16 amino acid residues (molecular weight: 1774.15) is Ala-Pro-Pro-Pro-Pro-Ala-Glu-Val-His-Glu-Val-His-Glu-Glu-Val-His. (APPPPAEVHEVHEEVH). This peptide has been reported to be produced during aging of meat as a peptide having an acidity-suppressing effect (Okumura et al, Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem., 68 (8), 1657-1662, 2004). It is said that the palatability of meat is improved by the action of this peptide. Although it was not known that this peptide has an antioxidant effect, its presence in pork aged by the wet and dry aging method is considered to contribute to both palatability and health functionality. Table 2 summarizes the bioactive peptides detected in pork prepared by the wet and dry aging method.

(Example 4)
(Changes in the health functionality of pork due to aging)
Angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity and antioxidant activity were measured to determine changes in the health functionality of pork during aging. The sample solution for activity measurement was prepared as follows. After removing the subcutaneous fat portion of the cryopreserved pork and chopping it, 4 times the amount of distilled water was added for homogenization. After homogenization, centrifugation was performed to collect the supernatant, and insoluble matter was removed by filtration. The measurement of the ACE inhibitory activity was carried out by a conventional method (method described in Japanese Patent No. 3651878) using a synthetic substrate, hippuric acid-L-histidyl-leucine. The antioxidant activity was determined by measuring the superoxide ion scavenging activity (method described in Japanese Patent No. 4828890). As shown in FIG. 1, in the pork prepared by the wet & dry aging method, both the ACE inhibitory activity and the antioxidant activity were increased. This result, together with the test results described in Examples 2 and 3, shows that the meat (pork) brought about by the wet & dry aging method has improved health functionality.

(Example 5)
(Changes in free amino acid content and water retention of pork due to aging)
Changes in free amino acid content during aging were investigated. After removing the subcutaneous fat portion of the cryopreserved pork and chopping it, 4 times the amount of distilled water was added for homogenization. After homogenization, centrifugation was performed to collect the supernatant, and insoluble matter was removed by filtration to prepare a sample for analysis. Here, only the result of measuring tyrosine as a free amino acid is shown. The tyrosine content was determined by a conventional method of measuring the absorbance at 650 nm for color development using a sodium carbonate reagent and a phenol reagent after denaturing and removing the protein with trichloroacetic acid. Water retention is measured by collecting the same part (muscle part) of each sample and then using the conventional pressurized filter paper weight method (Masao Umeda, Food Protein and Water, Journal of Japan Society for Food Industry, Vol. 13, 5-16. , 1966). That is, after placing the sample meat on the filter paper and pressurizing it with a pressurizer, the water retention (%) was calculated from the water content of the original sample and the water content absorbed by the filter paper.

As shown in FIG. 2, it was confirmed that the tyrosine content increased and the protein decomposition proceeded by aging by the wet & dry aging method. In addition, improvement in water retention after aging was also observed. From these facts, it was presumed that the taste and texture (tissue) were improved by aging, which led to the improvement of palatability. To confirm this, changes in palatability were evaluated by sensory tests in the following examples.

(Example 6)
(Changes in pork palatability before and after aging)
The change in palatability brought about by aging by the wet and dry aging method was evaluated by a sensory test. The frozen pork was thawed and the pork cutlet was cooked. Tonkatsu was cooked by a very common cooking method. When conducting the sensory test, the pork cutlet was evaluated by 10 adult male and female panelists without adding sauce or seasonings. Two types of pork cutlet (“without aging” and “with aging”) were evaluated by panelists on five items: softness, juiciness, degree of umami, flavor, and overall evaluation. Each item was evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 grades with 5 as the highest score). The average score of the scores of 10 panelists was calculated.

As shown in FIG. 3, the evaluation of all the items was significantly improved by aging by the wet & dry aging method. The wet and dry aging method completed in the present invention was able to bring about an improvement in palatability and impartation of health functionality as compared with the case where pork was aged for 4 weeks only by the wet aging method. In addition, the decrease in yield due to the growth of contaminated microorganisms and drying, which is a concern in the dry aging method, was also small. From these facts, it was proved that the wet & dry aging method of the present invention is a highly practical technique in terms of safety and cost.

Claims (6)

A method of manufacturing a ripened meat ripening more meat wet and dry aging method in which the dry aging after wet aging,
The meat is pork
Wet aging is performed at -5 ° C to 10 ° C for 2 to 4 weeks.
During dry aging, the meat lump seen wrapped in nonwoven, as 80% humidity 60%, at 10 ° C. from -5 ° C., the production of maturing meat, characterized in that <br/> ripen from 2 weeks 4 weeks Method. The method for producing aged meat according to claim 1, wherein the total aging period is 3 to 7 weeks. The method for producing aged meat according to claim 2, wherein the total aging period is 4 weeks. The method for producing aged meat according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the aging period by the dry aging is 2 weeks. The method for producing aged meat according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein dry aging is performed at a humidity of 60 to 80%. A method for producing pork cutlet, which comprises cooking aged pork produced by the production method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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