JP7545707B2 - How to preserve firefly squid - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for preserving firefly squid that maintains its quality and makes it easy to cook.

Today, firefly squid is eaten raw, or is served in a variety of processed dishes, such as boiled or tsukudani.
After being caught, firefly squid are generally rapidly frozen at temperatures below -30°C, and many individual pieces are frozen in a single mass in a commercial freezer for several days. After that, they are thawed as appropriate, transferred to various containers, and shipped as retail products (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below).
Firefly squid are infested with the nematode worm, which can cause infection if eaten raw. Therefore, freezing at a specified temperature for a specified period of time is considered essential to prevent infection.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-191660

However, in conventional freezing processes, a large amount of firefly squid is frozen as a single block, which makes it inconvenient to divide it into smaller portions for retail sale or to use a portion of it in cooking. In addition, deterioration and spoilage progresses from the outside of the thawed block during the process of dividing it into smaller portions. This means that once the block has been thawed and divided, it is no longer possible to preserve the quality of the firefly squid contained within it while maintaining a uniform quality.
In addition, the moisture produced during thawing deteriorates, and measures such as wiping off the extract from the firefly squid may have to be taken, making it difficult to utilize the firefly squid's natural flavor in cooking.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a method for preserving firefly squid that allows large quantities of firefly squid to be used appropriately while maintaining uniform quality, and is also convenient for cooking.

The method for preserving firefly squid according to the present invention, which has been devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, is characterized by an arrangement process in which unfrozen firefly squid after being caught are arranged in a single layer on a heat-resistant, water-absorbent sheet in groups of multiple individuals, a packaging process in which the squid are vacuum-packed in a transparent pouch, and a freezing process in which the firefly squid that has been through the packaging process is frozen at -30°C or below for a predetermined period of time.
If the aim is to produce a dish in which the texture is impaired if the firefly squid eyes are left in, the arrangement may include a step of removing the eyes from the firefly squids prior to the alignment step.

In order to prevent the firefly squids from drying out inside the pouch and to prevent excess moisture from being generated when cooking in a microwave oven, it is desirable for the absorbent sheet to be large enough to cover an area equal to or larger than the area occupied by all the firefly squids arranged in a row, and thick enough to absorb the moisture on the surface of the arranged firefly squids and the liquid leaking out from the firefly squids before the freezing process.

According to the method for preserving firefly squid of the present invention, each frozen pouch can be thawed and cooked, which is convenient when dividing it into smaller portions for retail sale or when using some of the pouches for cooking. This does not affect the quality of the frozen pouches that are not used for cooking, and allows frozen pouches that are not used for retail sale or cooking to be frozen and preserved uniformly for a long period of time.

In addition, the moisture and extracts that soak into the absorbent sheet of the freezer pouch during storage are maintained without deterioration due to freezing, so the natural flavor and taste of firefly squid can be utilized in a variety of cooking methods, and the unique taste of firefly squid can be enjoyed even when cooking in a time-saving microwave oven with air holes drilled.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a firefly squid preservation method according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of an alignment step performed in the method for preserving firefly squid according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a process diagram showing an example of steps and procedures performed in the method for preserving firefly squid according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the method for preserving firefly squid according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In the example shown in the figure, a firefly squid 1 is placed in a transparent pouch 3 and then vacuum-packaged by vacuum sealing (sealing while removing the air from inside).
In this case, a vacuum refers to a state in which a space is filled with gas at a pressure lower than normal atmospheric pressure that is suitable for preserving food.

This example is a method for preserving firefly squid, which includes an arrangement process in which unfrozen firefly squid 1 immediately after being caught and before deterioration is lightly washed with water and a predetermined number of individuals (12 individuals in this example) are arranged in a single layer (one tier) on a water absorbent sheet 2, a packaging process in which the firefly squid are vacuum-packed in transparent pouches 3 at 30 cmHg to 60 cmHg, and a freezing process in which the firefly squid 1 that has gone through the packaging process is suddenly frozen at -30°C or below for a predetermined period of time (for example, 24 to 72 hours), which also serves to remove parasites.
Depending on the cooking method, if the presence of eyes is detrimental to the texture and flavor, it is desirable to carry out a process of removing the eyes from the firefly squids 1 before the washing process or the arranging process.

The pouch 3 in this example is required to be made of a transparent material that is water resistant and can withstand heating in a microwave oven.
Specifically, nylon, polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylidene chloride, etc. are preferred.

The water-absorbing sheet 2 in this example absorbs excess water adhering to the firefly squid 1 before freezing and extracts flowing out from the individual pieces, and furthermore, without drying, maintains the water content of the individual pieces of firefly squid 1 at an appropriate level for the freezing process and the cooking process after storage.
In consideration of this function, the absorbent sheet 2 is a nonwoven or woven fabric made of the same material as the pouch 3 and is larger than the area occupied by all the lined up firefly squids, and is set to a thickness and area that is just large enough to absorb the moisture on the surface of the lined up firefly squids and the liquid that leaks from the firefly squids before the freezing process, without leaving any excess when cooking in a microwave oven.

The pouch containing the firefly squid that has been vacuum-packed as described above and frozen at or below -30°C for a specified period of time (hereinafter referred to as the "frozen pouch") is stored in the freezer of a commercial or household refrigerator operated at a normal freezing temperature.
When cooking, the frozen pouches can be thawed as appropriate and cooked as desired, but the frozen pouches can also be steamed without any added seasonings by simply opening an air hole in the pouch and heating it in a microwave oven at 500 W for a few minutes. The firefly squid steamed with only the moisture and extract impregnated in the water-absorbent sheet 2 can be eaten as is or further cooked, but whichever method is selected, the flavor and other properties of the firefly squid can be fully enjoyed.

In this way, according to the above-mentioned method for preserving firefly squid, each frozen pouch can be thawed and cooked, so there is no impact on the quality of the firefly squid 1 in the frozen pouch that is not used for cooking, and the squid can be frozen and preserved uniformly for a long period of time.

1. Firefly squid, 2. Water-absorbing sheet, 3. Pouch,

Claims (3)

An arrangement process in which unfrozen firefly squids are arranged in a single layer on a heat-resistant water-absorbent sheet in groups of multiple individuals after landing;
The packaging process involves vacuum packing them in transparent pouches.
In the method for preserving firefly squid, the firefly squid that has been subjected to the packaging process is subjected to a freezing process for a predetermined period of time at a temperature of -30°C or less to be frozen and preserved.
The water-absorbent sheet is a nonwoven fabric or a woven fabric,
The method for preserving firefly squid is characterized in that the pouch is water-resistant and heat-resistant . The method for preserving firefly squids according to claim 1, characterized in that a process of removing eyes from individual firefly squids is carried out before the alignment process. A method for preserving firefly squids as described in either claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the absorbent sheet has an area larger than the area occupied by all of the lined up firefly squids and a thickness just sufficient to absorb the moisture on the surfaces of the lined up firefly squids and the liquid leaking from the firefly squids before the freezing process.

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