JP7500570B2 - Method for producing vegetable-containing foods - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for producing vegetable-containing foods.

In the technology for producing vegetable-containing foods, discoloration due to heating, etc., is a major issue, particularly with green vegetables. To date, methods have been proposed that involve placing an aqueous solution containing a trace amount of organic acid in a copper container and heating it for a specified period of time, and then mixing green plants and zinc ions into the aqueous solution in the copper container and heating it at 60°C or higher (see, for example, Patent Document 1); a decolorization step in which magnesium is removed from the chlorophyll of the treated vegetables by immersing the treated vegetables in acidic water, saline, or acidic saline, thereby decolorizing the treated vegetables, and a color fixing step in which metal ions such as copper ions are bonded to the chlorophyll from which the magnesium has been removed, thereby restoring and fixing the color of the treated vegetables (see, for example, Patent Document 2); and a method in which peppers that have been treated for discoloration with an acidic solution are immersed in an aqueous solution containing a zinc-rich yeast extract for 16 hours and then boiled for 15 minutes (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

However, these proposed technologies are not sufficient in terms of preventing discoloration, and do not take into consideration the texture of the vegetables after processing. In addition, there is a problem that technologies that use copper are avoided by consumers who do not like the use of copper in food.

Therefore, a method for producing vegetable-containing foods that are widely accepted by consumers, do not easily lose their green color, and have an excellent texture has not yet been provided, and there is a strong demand for such a method to be provided as soon as possible.

JP 2011-239761 A JP 2012-120470 A International Publication No. 2013/051461

The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the following objectives: The present invention aims to provide a method for producing vegetable-containing foods that are widely accepted by consumers, have a low loss of green color, and have an excellent texture.

As a result of extensive research by the inventors to achieve the above-mentioned objective, they have discovered that by adopting a method for producing vegetable-containing foods including a decolourization step in which vegetables are treated with a solution of pH 2 to 6, a recolourization step in which the vegetables decolourized in the decolourization step are treated with a zinc-containing solution at 50 to 70°C for at least 3 hours, and a heating step in which the vegetables recoloured in the recolouration step are treated at 110°C or higher, it is possible to produce vegetable-containing foods that are widely accepted by consumers, are resistant to fading of their green colour and have an excellent texture.

The present invention is based on the above findings by the present inventors, and the means for solving the above problems are as follows.
<1> A method for producing a vegetable-containing food, comprising: a decolorization step of treating vegetables with a solution having a pH of 2 to 6; a restoration step of treating the vegetables decolorized in the decolorization step with a zinc-containing solution at a temperature of 50 to 70°C for 3 hours or more; and a heating step of treating the vegetables restored in the restoration step at a temperature of 110°C or higher.
<2> The method according to <1>, wherein the solution in the decolorizing step contains an organic acid.
<3> The method according to <1> or <2>, wherein the zinc in the recoloring step contains zinc derived from a zinc-containing yeast extract.
<4> The method according to any one of <1> to <3>, wherein the vegetable is selected from at least one of zucchini, asparagus, and broccoli.
<5> The method according to any one of <1> to <4>, wherein in the heating step, the vegetables that have been recolored in the recoloring step are heated together with a seasoning liquid.

According to the present invention, it is possible to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, achieve the above-mentioned objectives, and provide a method for producing vegetable-containing foods that are widely accepted by consumers, are less likely to lose their green color, and have an excellent texture. In addition, since the heating process can also be a retort process, the production method of the present invention can also be used as a method for producing retort foods.

(Method of manufacturing vegetable-containing foods)
The method for producing a vegetable-containing food of the present invention includes a decolorization step in which vegetables are treated with a solution of pH 2 to 6, a restoration step in which the vegetables decolorized in the decolorization step are treated with a zinc-containing solution at 50 to 70°C for 3 hours or more, and a heating step in which the vegetables restored in the restoration step are treated at 110°C or higher, and may further include other steps.
From the viewpoint of being widely accepted by consumers, it is preferable to treat the food in an environment in which copper ions are not substantially added. The term "an environment in which copper ions are not substantially added" means excluding cases in which copper ions are actively added, such as the use of a copper pot.

<(A) Bleaching step>
The decolorization step is a step of treating vegetables with a solution having a pH of 2 to 6, and is a step of releasing magnesium ions that are usually coordinated to chlorophyll.

The vegetables are not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. Examples of the vegetables include fruit vegetables such as zucchini, eggplant, pumpkin, bell pepper, cucumber, snow pea, green bean, cowpea, okra, kidney bean, green pea, and edamame; stem vegetables such as asparagus, onion, and udo; flower vegetables such as broccoli, myoga, cauliflower, and edible chrysanthemum; leaf vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce, spinach, Chinese cabbage, celery, kale, bracken, Nozawana, komatsuna, chrysanthemum, bok choy, and mizuna; and root vegetables such as radish, carrot, and burdock. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Among these, green vegetables are preferred because the effects of the present invention are more pronounced, and zucchini, asparagus, asparagus, and bell peppers are more preferred.

There are no particular limitations on the pre-treatment of the vegetables, and they can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Cooked vegetables, frozen vegetables, etc. may be used, but in order to obtain a vegetable-containing food product with good appearance and texture, it is preferable to use raw vegetables, fresh vegetables, or unfrozen vegetables that have been subjected to short-term low-temperature heating (to an extent that does not inactivate the pectinesterase contained in the vegetables, for example, heating to an extent not reaching 80°C). Cut vegetables, peeled vegetables, etc. may also be used.

The shape of the vegetables is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, and examples include solid, paste-like, liquid, powder, etc., but from the viewpoint of obtaining the effects of the present invention more significantly, a solid shape is preferable, and one that maintains its solid state even after processing is even more preferable.

The method for the decolorization process is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, and examples include a method of immersing vegetables in a solution of pH 2 to 6, a method of spraying a solution of pH 2 to 6 onto vegetables, and a method of spraying a solution of pH 2 to 6 onto vegetables.

There is no particular restriction on the amount of the solution with a pH of 2 to 6 used in the decolorization process and it can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, but it is preferable to use 100 parts by weight or more of the processing solution per 100 parts by weight of vegetables, and more preferably 200 parts by weight or more.

There are no particular limitations on the pH 2 to 6 solution, and it can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, but in order to obtain a vegetable-containing food product with good appearance and texture, a solution containing an organic acid is preferred, and other additives, etc. may be included as long as they do not interfere with the decolorization process.

The organic acid is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. Examples of the organic acid include citric acid, acetic acid, gluconic acid, succinic acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, fumaric acid, malic acid, ascorbic acid, citrus juice, phytic acid, etc., but citric acid is preferred in terms of maintaining color tone.

There are no particular limitations on the solvent for the solution having a pH of 2 to 6 and it can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, but water is preferable.

The pH of the solution of pH 2 to 6 is not particularly limited as long as it is between pH 2 and 6, and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, but a pH of 3 to 5 is preferred in terms of maintaining the color tone.

The temperature of the solution having a pH of 2 to 6 is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. It is preferably from 5°C to 70°C, but from the viewpoint of obtaining a vegetable-containing food product having a good appearance and texture, it is more preferably from 40°C to 70°C, and even more preferably from 50°C to 65°C.

There are no particular limitations on the time for treating the vegetables with the pH 2 to 6 solution, and it can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. However, in order to obtain a vegetable-containing food product with good appearance and texture, a time of 5 minutes or more and 180 minutes or less is preferable, a time of 5 minutes or more and 60 minutes or less is more preferable, and a time of 10 minutes or more and 30 minutes or less is even more preferable.

There are no particular restrictions on the cookware used in the decolorization process and it can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, but it is preferable not to use copper cookware in order to ensure wide acceptance by consumers.

<(B) Restoration process>
The recoloring step is a step in which the vegetables decolorized in the decoloring step are treated with a zinc-containing solution at 50 to 70° C. for 3 hours or more, and is a step in which zinc is mainly coordinated to chlorophyll.

The method for the color restoration process is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, and examples include a method of immersing vegetables in a zinc-containing solution at 50 to 70°C, a method of spraying the vegetables with a zinc-containing solution at 50 to 70°C, and a method of spraying the vegetables with a zinc-containing solution at 50 to 70°C.

There is no particular restriction on the amount of zinc-containing solution at 50 to 70°C used in the above-mentioned color restoration process, and it can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. However, it is preferable to use 100 parts by weight or more of the treatment solution per 100 parts by weight of the vegetables, and more preferably 200 parts by weight or more.

The zinc-containing solution at 50 to 70°C is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. For example, a zinc-containing microbial extract can be mentioned, and zinc-containing microorganisms include yeast and lactic acid bacteria, but are not particularly limited thereto. A method for producing a zinc-containing yeast extract can be mentioned, as described in International Publication No. 2013/051461, in which a zinc yeast extract obtained by a method including a step of suspending a zinc-containing yeast in a solution containing at least one of a carboxylic acid and a carboxylate is dissolved in water. In addition, other additives, etc. may be contained within a range that does not interfere with the color restoration process.

There are no particular restrictions on the solvent for the zinc-containing solution at 50 to 70°C and it can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, but water is preferable.

The temperature of the 50 to 70°C solution containing the zinc is not particularly limited as long as it is between 50 and 70°C and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, but from the viewpoint of obtaining a vegetable-containing food product with good appearance and texture, a temperature of 50 to 65°C is preferred.

There is no particular restriction on the pH of the zinc-containing solution at 50 to 70°C and it can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, but a pH of 5 to 7 is preferred in order to obtain a vegetable-containing food product with good appearance and texture.

The zinc concentration in the zinc-containing solution at 50 to 70°C is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, but in order to obtain a vegetable-containing food product with good appearance and texture, it is preferably 0.001% by weight or more, more preferably 0.001% to 0.1% by weight, even more preferably 0.0015% to 0.05% by weight, and particularly preferably 0.002% to 0.04% by weight. If the zinc concentration is too low, there is a risk that a sufficient color restoration effect will not be obtained, and if it is too high, there is a risk that it will affect the taste and is also disadvantageous in terms of cost.

The time for treating vegetables with the zinc-containing solution at 50 to 70°C is not particularly limited as long as it is 3 hours or more, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. However, from the viewpoint of obtaining vegetable-containing foods with good appearance and texture, the time is preferably 3 hours or more and 36 hours or less, more preferably 6 hours or more and 36 hours or less, even more preferably 16 hours or more and 36 hours or less, and particularly preferably 24 hours or more and 36 hours or less.

There are no particular restrictions on the cookware used in the color restoration process and it can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, but it is preferable not to use copper cookware as this will be widely accepted by consumers.

<(C) Heating step>
The heating step is a step of treating the vegetables that have been recolored in the recoloring step at a temperature of 110° C. or higher. By carrying out further heating in addition to the recoloring step, the green color becomes even more vivid.

The method of the heating step is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, and examples thereof include a method of heating vegetables by heater heating, microwave heating, etc., and a method of immersing vegetables in a solution at 110°C or higher. If the vegetable-containing food is ultimately distributed as a retort food, a method of heating vegetables sealed in a container such as a pouch, can, or bottle so that the product temperature is 110°C or higher, or a method of heating foods sealed in a container such as a pouch, can, or bottle in a high-pressure cooker may be used. In addition, heating under pressure is preferred from the viewpoint of improving the taste by shortening the heating time. The heating under pressure is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, and examples thereof include processing in a retort facility.

When a treatment liquid is used in the heating step, it is preferable from the viewpoint of taste to use a treatment liquid different from the zinc-containing 50 to 70°C solution used in the color restoration step, and a treatment without externally adding zinc is more preferable.
The zinc concentration in the heating step is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, but it is preferably 1/10 or less of the zinc concentration in the recoloring step.

The temperature is not particularly limited as long as it is 110°C or higher and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, but from the viewpoint of obtaining a vegetable-containing food product with good appearance and texture, 110°C or higher is preferable, 115°C or higher is more preferable, 120°C or higher is even more preferable, and 120°C or higher but 140°C or lower is particularly preferable.

The sterilization strength of the retort food in the heating step is preferably an _F0 value of 0.8 or more, more preferably 1.2 or more, from the viewpoint of obtaining a vegetable-containing food having a bright green color and a good appearance. In addition, from the viewpoint of obtaining a vegetable-containing food having a good texture, the _F0 value is preferably 50 or less.

If the vegetable-containing food is ultimately distributed as a retort food, from the standpoint of texture, it is preferable that in the heating step, the vegetables that have been recolored in the recoloring step are heated together with a seasoning such as sauce, soup, curry, stew, etc., and that multiple retort processes are not carried out.

There are no particular limitations on the time for treatment at 110°C or higher and it can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, but in order to obtain a vegetable-containing food product with good appearance and texture, a treatment time of 1 minute or more and 60 minutes or less is preferable, 5 minutes or more and 60 minutes or less is more preferable, and 10 minutes or more and 30 minutes or less is even more preferable.

There are no particular limitations on the cookware used in the heating process and it can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, but it is preferable not to use copper cookware in order to ensure wide acceptance by consumers.

<Other processes>
The other steps are not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples of the other steps include a washing step after a decolorizing step, a washing step after a recoloring step, a cooling step after a heating step, and a step of adding additives or the like.

<<Cleaning process after decolorization process>>
The washing step after the decolorizing step of treating vegetables with the solution having a pH of 2 to 6 is a step of washing the vegetables after the decolorizing step of treating the vegetables with the solution having a pH of 2 to 6.

The washing method is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, and examples include a method of immersing the vegetables in the washing solution, a method of spraying the washing solution onto the vegetables, a method of jetting the washing solution onto the vegetables, and a method of contacting the vegetables with running water of the washing solution.

The cleaning solution used in the cleaning process is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, and examples include water, saline, etc.

<<Cleaning process after the color restoration process>>
The washing step after the recoloring step can be carried out in the same manner as the washing step after the decolorizing step.

<<Cooling process after heating process>>
The cooling step after the heating step is a step of cooling the vegetable-containing food after the heating step.
The cooling method is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples of the cooling method include natural cooling, water cooling, differential pressure cooling, vacuum cooling, and a combination of these.
The temperature after cooling is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, but from a hygienic point of view, it is preferably 30° C. or lower, more preferably 25° C. or lower, and even more preferably 20° C. or lower.
<<Additives Addition Process>>
The step of adding additives or the like is a step of adding additives or the like in any step in the production method for a vegetable-containing food of the present invention.

The additives, etc. are not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose, and examples thereof include additives, seasonings, ingredients, etc. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.

The additives are not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, and examples thereof include enzymes (amylase, transglutaminase, etc.), oils and fats (salad oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, sesame oil, butter, etc.), shelf life enhancers, quality improvers (calcium lactate, etc.), etc. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.
The amount of the additives to be added is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose.

The seasoning is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, and examples thereof include sugar, sweeteners, salt, pepper, vinegar, soy sauce, miso, stock, consomme, sodium glutamate, ketchup, curry powder, saffron, etc. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.
The amount of the seasoning to be added is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose.

The ingredients are not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, and examples thereof include mushrooms, konjac, fried tofu, meat, seafood, seaweed, beans, etc. These ingredients may be used alone or in combination of two or more.
The amount of the ingredients to be added is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose.

(Vegetable-containing foods)
The vegetable-containing food of the present invention is produced by the above steps.

Examples of the present invention are described below, but the present invention is not limited to these examples in any way.

<Production of vegetable-containing foods>
(Control Example)
Fresh zucchini was cut into 2 cm thick slices. The cut zucchini was boiled in boiling water for 5 minutes. 70 g of boiled zucchini was added to 170 g of consommé soup, and the mixture was heated at 95° C. for 10 minutes.

1. Presence or absence of a bleaching process

Example 1
- Bleaching process -
Fresh zucchini was cut into 2 cm thick chrysanthemum slices. In the decolorization step, the cut zucchini was immersed in a citric acid solution with a pH of 4 and a mass three times that of the zucchini, and left to stand for 15 minutes at 65° C. In the washing step after the decolorization step, the cut zucchini was immersed in hot water at 65° C. and a mass ten times that of the zucchini, and left to stand for 2 minutes.

-Recoloring process-
As a recoloring process, the zucchini was immersed in an aqueous solution containing zinc (zinc concentration 0.0125%: zinc-containing yeast extract) in an amount three times the mass of the zucchini, and left to stand for 3 hours at 60° C. As a washing process after the recoloring process, the zucchini was immersed in hot water at 65° C. in an amount ten times the mass of the zucchini, and left to stand for 2 minutes.

--Method for producing zinc-containing yeast extract--
Commercially available zinc-containing yeast powder was suspended in water to a cream of 37.7% by mass, and then suspended in 300 mL of water. The obtained cream was heated in boiling water for 10 minutes, washed, and the precipitate was diluted to 300 mL. 10 mL of the obtained cream was added with 10 mL of citrate buffer (pH 5.0; 200 mmol/L) and suspended. After 2 hours of suspension, the mixture was centrifuged to obtain a supernatant.
Dextrin was added to the supernatant to adjust the solid content to 12% by mass, and the mixture was then dried using a spray dryer to obtain a dry powder, which was then diluted with water to obtain a zinc-containing yeast extract of a desired concentration.

- Heating process -
In the heating step, 70 g of the zucchini after the above-mentioned color restoration step was added to 170 g of consomme soup, and the mixture was heated at 120° C. for 20 minutes.
Three samples were prepared, and the appearance and texture of each vegetable were evaluated by a panel of 10 people according to the following criteria, and the average score was calculated. The results are shown in Table 1.

--Appearance and texture evaluation--
Using the control example as a control, the appearance and texture of the vegetables were evaluated by a panel of 10 people according to the following evaluation criteria, and an average score was calculated.

(Evaluation criteria: appearance)
Color 5 points: The green color is as vivid as or more vivid than the control. 4 points: The green color is slightly inferior to the control, but is vivid. 3 points: The green color is somewhat inferior to the control, but is somewhat vivid. 2 points: The green color is obviously inferior to the control, and fading of the green color is noticeable. 1 point: The color has clearly faded.

(Evaluation criteria: texture)
Hardness 5 points: Very good chewiness, equal to or better than the control 4 points: Slightly inferior to the control, but good chewiness 3 points: Slightly inferior to the control, but still chewy 2 points: Clearly inferior to the control, with noticeable softening 1 point: Clearly softened

Example 2
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the immersion time in the color restoration step was changed from 3 hours to 24 hours. The results are shown in Table 1.

(Comparative Example 1)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the decolorization step and the washing step after the decolorization step were not carried out. The results are shown in Table 1.

(Comparative Example 2)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1, except that the immersion time in the color restoration step was changed from 3 hours to 24 hours. The results are shown in Table 1.

The results in Table 1 show that the green color is adequately retained by performing the color restoration process, and the appearance is significantly improved during the heating process.

2. Consideration of heating process conditions

(Comparative Example 3)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the temperature in the heating step was changed from 120° C. to 95° C. and the heating time was changed from 20 minutes to 10 minutes. The results are shown in Table 2.

Example 3
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the temperature in the heating step was changed from 120° C. to 110° C. and the heating time was changed from 20 minutes to 10 minutes. The results are shown in Table 2.

Example 4
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the temperature in the heating step was changed from 120° C. to 110° C. and the heating time was changed from 20 minutes to 30 minutes. The results are shown in Table 2.

Example 5
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the heating time in the heating step was changed from 20 minutes to 10 minutes. The results are shown in Table 2.

Example 6
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the heating time in the heating step was changed from 20 minutes to 30 minutes. The results are shown in Table 2.

From the results in Table 2, it was found that in order to obtain an excellent appearance and texture, it is necessary to treat the vegetables that have been recolored in the recoloring process at a temperature of 110°C or higher.

3. Consideration of conditions for the color restoration process

(Comparative Example 4)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the temperature in the reconstitution step was changed from 60° C. to 10° C. The results are shown in Table 3.

(Comparative Example 5)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the temperature in the reconstitution step was changed from 60° C. to 30° C. The results are shown in Table 3.

(Example 7)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the temperature in the reconstitution step was changed from 60° C. to 50° C. The results are shown in Table 3.

(Example 8)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the temperature in the reconstitution step was changed from 60° C. to 70° C. The results are shown in Table 3.

(Comparative Example 6)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the temperature in the reconstitution step was changed from 60° C. to 90° C. The results are shown in Table 3.

(Comparative Example 7)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the soaking time in the reconstitution step was changed from 24 hours to 0.5 hours. The results are shown in Table 4.

Example 9
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the soaking time in the reconstitution step was changed from 24 hours to 3 hours. The results are shown in Table 4.

Example 10
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the soaking time in the reconstitution step was changed from 24 hours to 6 hours. The results are shown in Table 4.

(Example 11)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the soaking time in the reconstitution step was changed from 24 hours to 16 hours. The results are shown in Table 4.

Example 12
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the soaking time in the reconstitution step was changed from 24 hours to 36 hours. The results are shown in Table 4.

From the results in Tables 3 and 4, it can be seen that soaking conditions of 50°C to 70°C for 3 hours or more can produce vegetable-containing foods of sufficient quality (3 points or more) in both appearance and texture.

(Example 13)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the zinc concentration in the refeeding step was changed from 0.0125% to 0.0025%. The results are shown in Table 5.

(Example 14)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the zinc concentration in the refeeding step was changed from 0.0125% to 0.0050%. The results are shown in Table 5.

(Example 15)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the zinc concentration in the refeeding step was changed from 0.0125% to 0.0075%. The results are shown in Table 5.

(Example 16)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the zinc concentration in the refeeding step was changed from 0.0125% to 0.0100%. The results are shown in Table 5.

The results in Table 5 show that a vegetable-containing food product of excellent quality in terms of both appearance and texture can be produced when the zinc concentration in the color restoration process is 0.0025% or more.
(Comparative Example 8)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Comparative Example 7, except that fresh zucchini was replaced with fresh broccoli. The results are shown in Table 6.

(Example 17)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 10, except that fresh broccoli was used instead of fresh zucchini. The results are shown in Table 6.

(Example 18)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2, except that fresh zucchini was replaced with fresh broccoli and the soaking time in the reconstitution step was changed from 24 hours to 12 hours. The results are shown in Table 6.

(Example 19)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2, except that fresh zucchini was replaced with fresh broccoli. The results are shown in Table 6.

(Comparative Example 9)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Comparative Example 2, except that fresh zucchini was replaced with fresh broccoli. The results are shown in Table 6.

(Comparative Example 10)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Comparative Example 8, except that fresh broccoli was replaced with fresh asparagus. The results are shown in Table 7.

(Example 20)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 17, except that fresh broccoli was replaced with fresh asparagus. The results are shown in Table 7.

(Example 21)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 18, except that fresh broccoli was replaced with fresh asparagus. The results are shown in Table 7.

(Example 22)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 19, except that fresh broccoli was replaced with fresh asparagus. The results are shown in Table 7.

(Comparative Example 11)
A vegetable-containing food was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Comparative Example 9, except that fresh broccoli was replaced with fresh asparagus. The results are shown in Table 7.

The results in Tables 6 and 7 show that the production method of the present application, which includes a decolorization step, a recoloring step, and a heating step, can produce vegetable-containing foods of excellent quality in terms of both appearance and texture, similar to zucchini, even when broccoli or asparagus is used.

Claims (6)

a decolorization step in which the vegetables are treated with a solution of pH 2 to 6;
The method for producing a vegetable-containing food is characterized by comprising: a color restoration step in which the vegetables decolorized in the color restoration step are treated with a zinc-containing solution at 50 to 70°C for 6 hours to 36 hours ; and a heating step in which the vegetables decolorized in the color restoration step are treated at 110°C or higher. The method for producing a vegetable-containing food according to claim 1 , wherein the solution used in the decolorization step contains an organic acid. 3. The method for producing a vegetable-containing food according to claim 1, wherein the zinc used in the color restoration step contains zinc derived from a zinc-containing yeast extract. The method for producing a vegetable-containing food according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vegetable is selected from at least one of zucchini, asparagus, and broccoli. 5. The method for producing a vegetable-containing food according to claim 1, wherein in the heating step, the vegetables that have been recolored in the recoloring step are heated together with a seasoning liquid. The method for producing a vegetable-containing food according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein in the heating step, the time for treating at 110°C or higher is 1 minute or more and 60 minutes or less.