JP7626163B2 - Manufacturing method of frozen fried chicken - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to frozen fried chicken and a method for producing the same, and more specifically to frozen fried chicken made from chicken breast or fillet that has an improved dry texture after thawing, and a method for producing the same.

Chicken breast and chicken fillet have attracted attention because the protein they contain contains a high amount of amino acids that help recover from fatigue. Deep-fried chicken breast and chicken fillet are often frozen for their convenience of being able to be eaten simply by heating in the microwave or thawing naturally, and to reduce cooking time. However, because chicken breast and chicken fillet have little oil and tend to be dry, there is a problem that frozen deep-fried chicken made from chicken breast or chicken fillet loses moisture when heated in a microwave or other device during thawing, resulting in a drier texture and loss of juiciness.

Patent Document 1 discloses the addition of oils and fats to improve the juiciness of frozen fried chicken when thawed.
On the other hand, Patent Document 2 discloses that the use of a food modifier containing an emulsifier, sugars, and a lamellar structure of diacetyl tartaric acid monoglyceride in fried chicken improves the crispness and adhesion of the coating and suppresses the odor of the meat.

JP 2002-000231 A JP 2011-172563 A

In Patent Document 1, a large amount of fat and oil is added in the form of a water-in-oil emulsion, and if the emulsion becomes unstable, the fat and oil may separate inside the meat, resulting in an oily texture.
Furthermore, although Patent Document 2 is effective in improving the texture of the coating and suppressing the odor of the chicken, it does not consider the dry texture that occurs when breast meat or fillet meat is used as the chicken meat.

The present invention aims to improve the dry texture of conventional frozen fried chicken made from chicken breast or fillet after thawing, and to provide fried chicken that is less dry after thawing, is juicy, tender, and has good flavor.

Means for Solving the Problems The present inventors have conducted extensive research to solve the above problems and have found that by incorporating an organic acid monoglyceride and an emulsifier different from the organic acid monoglyceride in combination into frozen fried chicken, it is possible to reduce the dryness after thawing and improve the texture and taste.
That is, the present invention relates to the following.

[1] Frozen fried chicken containing chicken breast meat and/or chicken fillet meat, an organic acid monoglyceride, and an emulsifier different from the organic acid monoglyceride, and containing no fats or oils as defined below or the content of said fats or oils is less than 30 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the chicken breast meat and/or chicken fillet meat.
<Definition of fats and oils in frozen fried chicken>
Fats and oils originally contained in chicken breast meat and/or chicken fillet, as well as fats and oils other than those contained in frozen fried chicken due to deep frying during the production of frozen fried chicken

[2] The frozen fried chicken described in [1] contains 0.0001 to 5% by weight of organic acid monoglyceride relative to the chicken breast meat and/or chicken fillet.

[3] Frozen fried chicken according to [1] or [2], containing an emulsifier other than organic acid monoglyceride in an amount of 0.0001 to 5% by weight based on the chicken breast meat and/or chicken fillet.

[4] The frozen fried chicken described in any one of [1] to [3] further contains a sugar.

[5] Frozen fried chicken according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the emulsifier other than the organic acid monoglyceride is at least one selected from the group consisting of sucrose fatty acid esters and polyglycerin fatty acid esters.

[6] Frozen fried chicken according to any one of [1] to [5], intended for natural thawing.

[7] A method for producing frozen fried chicken according to any one of [1] to [6], comprising the steps of preparing a dispersion liquid in which an organic acid monoglyceride and an emulsifier other than the organic acid monoglyceride are dispersed at 45 to 100°C, pretreating chicken breast meat and/or chicken fillet meat with a pretreatment liquid containing the dispersion liquid, and coating the pretreated chicken breast meat and/or chicken fillet meat with batter and heating it.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide frozen fried chicken using chicken breast meat or chicken fillet, which is less dry after thawing, juicy, tender, and has good taste.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.
The following description of the constituent elements is one example (typical example) of an embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these contents as long as it does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[mechanism]
According to the present invention, the texture and taste of thawed fried chicken can be improved by using an organic acid monoglyceride in combination with an emulsifier different from the organic acid monoglyceride.
Although the details of the mechanism by which such effects are achieved are not clear, it is presumed that the organic acid monoglyceride and the emulsifier other than the organic acid monoglyceride penetrate evenly into the chicken breast meat and chicken fillet and exert a strong water-retaining effect, thereby improving the dryness after thawing and the texture and taste.

[Frozen fried chicken]
The frozen fried chicken of the present invention contains chicken breast meat and/or chicken fillet meat, an organic acid monoglyceride, and an emulsifier different from the organic acid monoglyceride, and is characterized in that it does not contain fats and oils defined below or the content of the fats and oils is less than 30 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the chicken breast meat and/or chicken fillet meat, and preferably further contains sugars.
<Definition of fats and oils in frozen fried chicken>
Fats and oils contained in chicken breast meat and/or chicken fillets, and fats and oils other than those contained in frozen fried chicken due to frying during the production of frozen fried chicken. Typically, this fat and oil is contained in the pre-processing liquid used in the pre-processing of chicken breast meat and/or chicken fillets, and is contained in the frozen fried chicken.

<Chicken breast and/or chicken fillet>
The frozen fried chicken of the present invention uses chicken breast meat and/or chicken fillet meat (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "chicken meat") as the chicken meat ingredient for the fried chicken, which is low in oil and tends to become dry after thawing.
However, the frozen fried chicken of the present invention may contain ingredients other than chicken meat, such as small amounts of vegetables (root vegetables, leafy vegetables, etc.), eggs, beans, etc.

<Oils and fats>
The frozen fried chicken of the present invention is characterized in that it does not contain fats or oils, or the fat content is less than 30 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of chicken meat.
If the oil content is 30 parts by weight or more per 100 parts by weight of chicken meat, the texture will be oily, and the unique texture and taste achieved by using chicken breast or fillet, which have a low oil content, as an ingredient will be lost.

Here, the fats and oils contained in the frozen fried chicken of the present invention are fats and oils other than those originally contained in chicken meat and those that become contained in the frozen fried chicken by frying in the process of producing the frozen fried chicken, specifically, fats and oils added to the pre-treatment liquid that is attached to the chicken meat during the preparation of the chicken meat during the production of the frozen fried chicken. The fats and oils are not particularly limited, but examples thereof include vegetable oils such as rapeseed oil, hardened rapeseed oil, rice oil, soybean oil, corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, sesame oil, olive oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, and hardened coconut oil; animal oils such as butter oil, beef tallow, lard, chicken fat, and fish oil; hydrogenated oils thereof, and transesterified oils made from a mixture of one or more of these; and water-in-oil emulsions and oil-in-water emulsions such as margarine and shortening produced using these fats and oils.

In the present invention, the amount of these oils and fats used can be reduced, and the dryness after thawing can be improved by reducing the content.

The content of fats and oils in the frozen fried chicken of the present invention is preferably 20 parts by weight or less, more preferably 10 parts by weight or less, per 100 parts by weight of chicken meat.
The frozen fried chicken of the present invention does not contain fats or oils, i.e., fats or oils do not need to be added to the pre-treatment liquid for the chicken meat, but the chicken meat can be tenderized after frying by adding a small amount of fats or oils to the pre-treatment liquid and rubbing the fats into the chicken meat. In this case, the fats or oils are preferably used in an amount of about 0.5 to 5 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the chicken meat.

<Organic acid monoglyceride>
Organic acid monoglycerides have a structure in which one molecule of glycerin is bound to one molecule of fatty acid and one molecule of organic acid, and are generally obtained by reacting an acid anhydride of an organic acid with a fatty acid monoglyceride. The reaction is usually carried out under solvent-free conditions, and for example, the reaction of succinic anhydride with a monoglyceride having 18 carbon atoms is completed in about 90 minutes at a temperature of about 120°C. The organic acid monoglyceride thus obtained is usually a mixture containing an organic acid, unreacted monoglyceride, diglyceride, and other oligomers. In the present invention, such a mixture may be used as it is, or if it is desired to increase the purity of the organic acid monoglyceride, a commercially available distilled monoglyceride may be used. Also, a product in which the organic acid portion is partially neutralized may be used.

Examples of organic acids that make up organic acid monoglycerides include succinic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, diacetyltartaric acid, malic acid, adipic acid, glutaric acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, acetic acid, and lactic acid. Among these, succinic acid, citric acid, and diacetyltartaric acid, which are used in food applications, are preferred, and succinic acid is particularly preferred in terms of flavor.

Examples of fatty acids constituting the organic acid monoglycerides derived from the above fatty acid monoglycerides include saturated or unsaturated fatty acids having 8 to 22 carbon atoms, such as caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, behenic acid, and oleic acid. Among these, fatty acids containing stearic acid as the main component are preferred from the viewpoint of flavor, and those in which 70% by weight or more of the constituent fatty acids are stearic acid are particularly preferred.

Only one type of organic acid monoglyceride may be used, or two or more types of monoglycerides with different constituent organic acids or fatty acids may be mixed and used.

The frozen fried chicken of the present invention preferably contains organic acid monoglyceride in a ratio of 0.0001 to 5% by weight based on the chicken meat. When the content of organic acid monoglyceride is equal to or greater than the above lower limit, the effect of the present invention due to the inclusion of organic acid monoglyceride can be effectively obtained. When the content of organic acid monoglyceride is equal to or less than the above upper limit, the flavor is not significantly affected and the effect of the present invention due to the inclusion of organic acid monoglyceride can be obtained. The content of organic acid monoglyceride is more preferably 0.001 to 3% by weight based on the chicken meat, and even more preferably 0.01 to 1% by weight.

As described below, the organic acid monoglyceride is used as an aqueous dispersion in the production of frozen fried chicken, and is blended into the frozen fried chicken as a lamellar structure of the organic acid monoglyceride.

<Emulsifiers different from organic acid monoglycerides>
The emulsifier other than the organic acid monoglyceride (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "other emulsifier") is not particularly limited, but sucrose fatty acid ester and polyglycerin fatty acid ester are preferable.

Sucrose fatty acid esters are preferably those that are highly hydrophilic (HLB value is usually 5 to 18, preferably 8 to 15), have excellent water dispersibility, and become a highly viscous aqueous dispersion at high temperatures. Constituent fatty acids include saturated or unsaturated fatty acids with 14 to 22 carbon atoms, such as myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, behenic acid, and oleic acid. Of these, saturated fatty acids with 14 to 18 carbon atoms are preferred. Furthermore, fatty acids in which 70% by weight or more of the constituent fatty acids is stearic acid are even more preferred.

Sucrose fatty acid esters are themselves known food emulsifiers, and commercially available products can be used. Commercially available sucrose fatty acid esters include, for example, "Ryoto Sugar Ester S-1670", "Ryoto Sugar Ester P-1670", "Ryoto Sugar Ester M-1695", "Ryoto Sugar Ester O-1570", "Ryoto Sugar Ester S-1170", "Ryoto Sugar Ester S-570", "Ryoto Sugar Ester S-370", "Ryoto Sugar Ester B-370", "Ryoto Sugar Ester S-170", "Ryoto Sugar Ester ER-190", and "Ryoto Sugar Ester POS-135" (all of which are product names manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Foods Corporation); "DK Ester F-160", "DK Ester F-140", "DK Ester F-110", "DK Ester F-70", and "DK Ester F-50" (all of which are product names manufactured by Daiichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd.).

Like sucrose fatty acid esters, polyglycerol fatty acid esters are preferably highly hydrophilic (HLB value is usually 5 to 18, preferably 9 to 16), have excellent water dispersibility, and become a highly viscous aqueous dispersion at high temperatures. There are no particular limitations on such polyglycerol fatty acid esters, but examples include those with an average degree of polymerization of polyglycerol of usually 2 to 20, preferably 3 to 10. In addition, the constituent fatty acid is usually a saturated or unsaturated fatty acid having 14 to 22 carbon atoms, and polyglycerol fatty acid esters in which 70% by weight or more of the constituent fatty acid is stearic acid are preferred. Note that polyglycerol fatty acid esters with the same degree of polymerization of glycerol can also be used, and those with a degree of polymerization of 2 are called diglycerol fatty acid esters, and those with a degree of polymerization of 3 are called triglycerol fatty acid esters, and these are also included in the polyglycerol fatty acid esters of the present invention.

Polyglycerol fatty acid esters are known food emulsifiers, and commercially available products can be used. Commercially available polyglycerol fatty acid esters include, for example, "Ryoto Polyglycerol S-10D", "Ryoto Polyglycerol M-10D", "Ryoto Polyglycerol S-24D", "Ryoto Polyglycerol S-28D", "Ryoto Polyglycerol O-50D", and "Ryoto Polyglycerol B-100D" (all of which are product names manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Foods Corporation); "SY Glyster MSW-7S", "SY Glyster MS-5S", "SY Glyster MS-3S", and "SY Examples include "Glister TS-3S", "SY Glister MO-5S", "SY Glister ML-750", "SY Glister HB-750", and "SY Glister CR-500" (all trade names manufactured by Sakamoto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.); "Sunsoft Q-18S", "Sunsoft Q-14S", "Sunsoft Q-12S", "Sunsoft A-141E", and "Sunsoft A-17E" (all trade names manufactured by Taiyo Kagaku Co., Ltd.), "Poem DP-95RF", and "Poem TRP-97RF" (all trade names manufactured by Riken Vitamin Co., Ltd.), etc.

The above sucrose fatty acid esters and polyglycerol fatty acid esters may be used alone, or one or more sucrose fatty acid esters may be used in combination with one or more polyglycerol fatty acid esters.

As other emulsifiers, in addition to the above-mentioned sucrose fatty acid esters and polyglycerin fatty acid esters, for example, lecithin, lysolecithin, monoglycerides, sorbitan fatty acid esters, propylene glycol fatty acid esters, etc. can also be used, but it is preferable to use sucrose fatty acid esters and/or polyglycerin fatty acid esters, and it is preferable that at least 30% by weight of the other emulsifiers are sucrose fatty acid esters and/or polyglycerin fatty acid esters.

The content of other emulsifiers, such as sucrose fatty acid esters and polyglycerol fatty acid esters, contained in the frozen fried chicken of the present invention is preferably 0.0001 to 5% by weight based on the weight of the chicken meat. When the content of other emulsifiers is within the above range, the water dispersibility and stability of the lamellar structure of the organic acid monoglyceride in the dispersion liquid described below used in the production of the frozen fried chicken of the present invention can be improved, and the effects of the present invention can be effectively exhibited.
The content of the other emulsifiers relative to the chicken meat is more preferably 0.001 to 3% by weight, and even more preferably 0.01 to 1% by weight.

In order to more effectively obtain the effects of the present invention by using the organic acid monoglyceride in combination with other emulsifiers, the content ratio of the organic acid monoglyceride to the other emulsifiers in the frozen fried chicken is preferably in the range of organic acid monoglyceride:other emulsifier (weight ratio)=500:1 to 1:500, particularly 100:1 to 1:100, and especially 3:1 to 1:3. The content (weight ratio) of the organic acid monoglyceride to the other emulsifiers is more preferably 1:1.
The total content of the organic acid monoglyceride and other emulsifiers in the frozen fried chicken of the present invention is preferably 0.01 to 20% by weight, more preferably 0.1 to 10% by weight, and even more preferably 1 to 5% by weight, based on the weight of the chicken.

<Sugars>
The frozen fried chicken of the present invention may contain one or more kinds of saccharides, and the inclusion of saccharides improves the dispersion stability of the lamellar structure of the organic acid monoglyceride in the dispersion liquid described below. In addition, when producing the frozen fried chicken, it is preferable to add a saccharide separately together with the organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion liquid described below, since the texture and taste are improved compared to the case of using only the organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion liquid.

Examples of sugars that can be used include white sugar, powdered sugar, liquid sugar, sugar, maltose, lactose, invert sugar, isomerized sugar, glucose, fructose, starch syrup, trehalose, sorbitol, maltitol, lactitol, erythritol, mannitol, honey, and other sugars and sugar alcohols, various oligosaccharides, and mixtures thereof.

Among these, oligosaccharides are preferred.
Examples of oligosaccharides include maltooligosaccharides (preferably having a degree of polymerization of 3 to 7), nigerooligosaccharides, isomaltooligosaccharides, panose oligosaccharides, gentiooligosaccharides, fructooligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides, xylooligosaccharides, lactoferrin oligosaccharides, and syrups thereof.

When the frozen fried chicken of the present invention contains sugar, the amount of sugar used in the organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion described below is 0.001 to 30% by weight, particularly 0.01 to 20% by weight, and especially 0.1 to 10% by weight, as the sugar content relative to the chicken meat, and the sugar content relative to the organic acid monoglyceride is preferably in the range of organic acid monoglyceride:sugar (weight ratio) = 10:7 to 1:850, preferably 1:4 to 1:20. When the sugar content is at or above the lower limit, the dispersion stability of the lamellar structure of the organic acid monoglyceride in the dispersion described below is improved, and when it is at or below the upper limit, problems such as crystal precipitation and high viscosity depending on the type of sugar are less likely to occur.

When sugars are added and mixed together with the organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion during the production of frozen fried chicken, the amount of sugar to be added will be described later.

<Clothing materials>
For the coating material for fried chicken, a batter mix or breading mix containing wheat flour, potato starch, or the like as a main ingredient can be used.
Nuts, corn flakes, etc. can also be added to this coating material.

<Other ingredients>
The frozen fried chicken of the present invention may contain chicken meat, organic acid monoglyceride, other emulsifiers, sugars and oils and fats which are added as necessary, the above-mentioned coating material, and other ingredients.
Other ingredients are seasonings and the like that are usually mixed into the pre-processing liquid used to pre-process chicken and contained in the frozen fried chicken.

Seasonings include salt (also serves as salt), sugar (also serves as sugar), pepper, soy sauce, sake, mirin, miso, dashi (bonito dashi, kelp dashi), and chemical seasonings.

Salts include one or more of table salt, baking soda, ammonium bicarbonate, etc.

A pH adjuster may also be used. The pH adjuster may be any pH adjuster that can be used in foods and may be selected as appropriate. From the standpoint of water solubility, taste, and the like, preferred examples include hydroxides such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, etc.; carbonates such as sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium carbonate, etc.; phosphates such as disodium hydrogen phosphate, sodium dihydrogen phosphate, etc.; and organic acid salts other than those mentioned above, such as trisodium citrate, sodium acetate, sodium lactate, disodium succinate, sodium gluconate, sodium tartrate, monosodium fumarate, etc.
Among these, phosphates and organic acid salts are more preferable, such as sodium pyrophosphate, sodium tripolyphosphate, disodium hydrogen phosphate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, trisodium citrate, sodium succinate, and sodium lactate.

When eggs are used in the pretreatment liquid, the eggs are not particularly limited, but examples include whole eggs, raw egg yolks, raw egg whites, frozen egg yolks, frozen egg whites, etc.

The pretreatment liquid may also contain known additives such as sweeteners, flavorings, vitamins, antioxidants, colorants, dietary fiber, thickening polysaccharides, and leavening agents, if necessary.

Optional ingredients that may be added to the pretreatment solution include, for example, gel-forming substances (e.g., glucomannan, galactomannan, agar, gelatin, pectin, carrageenan, curdlan, xanthan gum, gellan gum, gum arabic, tamarind gum, carboxymethylcellulose, alginic acids, polyglutamic acids, etc.), starch that is added separately from the coating material (e.g., natural starches such as corn starch, wheat starch, rice starch, tapioca starch, high amylose corn starch, waxy corn starch, sago starch, potato starch, kudzu starch, and sweet potato starch), and esterified starch. starch, etherified starch, crosslinked starch, periodate oxidized starch, hydroxypropylated starch and other modified starches, granulated starch, pregelatinized starch, moist heat treated starch and other processed starches), organic acids (e.g., fumaric acid, succinic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, diacetyltartaric acid, malic acid, adipic acid, glutaric acid, maleic acid, etc.), lipoproteins (e.g., mixtures of milk protein, lecithin and water, mixtures of egg yolk protein, lecithin and water, mixtures of soy protein, lecithin and water, mixtures of corn protein, phospholipids and water, etc.), sweeteners, flavors, vitamins, antioxidants, etc.

[Method of manufacturing frozen fried chicken]
The method for producing the frozen fried chicken of the present invention is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a method in which the following steps (1) to (5) are carried out in order.
(1) An organic acid monoglyceride and other emulsifiers are dispersed in water at 45 to 100° C. to prepare a dispersion (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as an “organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion”) (organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion preparation step).
(2) The organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion, seasonings and other additives are mixed with water to prepare a pre-treatment liquid, which is then rubbed into chicken meat (pre-treatment step).
(3) Coat the prepared chicken with batter (coating process).
(4) The coated chicken is deep-fried (deep-frying process).
(5) The fried chicken is frozen (freezing process).

<Organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion preparation process>
In the present invention, the organic acid monoglyceride and other emulsifiers may be directly dispersed in a chicken meat pretreatment liquid to prepare the pretreatment liquid. However, it is preferable in terms of the formation of lamellar structures of organic acid monoglycerides and stabilization of the formed lamellar structures to prepare the pretreatment liquid by dispersing the organic acid monoglyceride and other emulsifiers in water to form lamellar structures of organic acid monoglycerides as described below, and using an organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion in which lamellar structures of organic acid monoglycerides have been formed.

In the following, a method is described in which an organic acid monoglyceride and other emulsifiers are dispersed in water to produce an organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion, which is then used to produce a pretreatment liquid, but the present invention is not limited to this method.

When organic acid monoglycerides and other emulsifiers are dispersed in water at 45-100°C, lamellar structures (lamellar liquid crystal structures) of the organic acid monoglycerides are formed in the aqueous dispersion.

A lamellar structure is a structure in which, when an organic acid monoglyceride is dispersed in water, the hydrophilic groups of two organic acid monoglyceride molecules face the water side and the hydrophobic groups (fatty acids) face each other, spreading out two-dimensionally.

It is known that organic acid monoglycerides easily form lamellar structures over a wide range of concentrations, from low to high. For example, succinic acid stearic acid monoglyceride, in the form of a sodium salt, forms lamellar structures at high concentrations of about 35 to 85% by weight and at temperatures of 50°C or higher. In this case, the lamellar structures are observed to overlap in multiple layers, and the viscosity of the aqueous solution also increases. When the concentration is higher than 85% by weight, the solution becomes solid, and when the concentration is lower than 35% by weight, the lamellar structures are dispersed in the aqueous solution, resulting in a relatively low viscosity. Considering workability, it is preferable to form lamellar structures at low concentrations and high temperatures.

The lamellar structure can be prepared as a dispersion by dispersing the organic acid monoglyceride in a dispersion medium such as water, and physically stirring and heating the mixture. The heating temperature is usually 45°C or higher, preferably 50°C or higher, and usually 100°C or lower, preferably 80°C or lower, and more preferably 70°C or lower, in terms of the temperature of the dispersion. For the physical dispersion, it is preferable to stir slowly using an anchor mixer or the like, for example, to avoid the inclusion of air bubbles.

The content of organic acid monoglyceride in the dispersion for producing the lamellar structure thus obtained (hereinafter sometimes referred to as lamellar structure dispersion) is usually 0.1% by weight or more, preferably 1% by weight or more, more preferably 5% by weight or more, and usually 99.9% by weight or less, preferably 60% by weight or less, more preferably 40% by weight or less, even more preferably 30% by weight or less, and particularly preferably 20% by weight or less.

As described above, when dispersing organic acid monoglycerides in water, the stability of the lamellar structure of the organic acid monoglycerides is increased and their dispersibility in water is improved by using one or more emulsifiers such as sucrose fatty acid esters and polyglycerin fatty acid esters. The stabilized lamellar structure retains a large amount of water between the layers due to the strong hydration power of the hydrophilic group portion.

The other emulsifiers may be dispersed in a dispersion medium such as ethanol, water, or an aqueous solution of a sugar, and then mixed with the above-mentioned aqueous dispersion of lamellar structures, or the other emulsifiers may be added directly to the aqueous dispersion of lamellar structures.

The content of organic acid monoglyceride in the organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion, which is an aqueous dispersion of organic acid monoglyceride and other emulsifiers, is usually 0.1% by weight or more, preferably 1% by weight or more, more preferably 3% by weight or more, and usually 50% by weight or less, preferably 20% by weight or less, more preferably 10% by weight or less, and particularly preferably 5% by weight or less. If the organic acid monoglyceride content is too low, the effect of the present invention becomes insufficient, and if it is too high, the organic acid monoglyceride may not be uniformly dispersed in water (dispersion medium).

The content of other emulsifiers, such as sucrose fatty acid esters and polyglycerol fatty acid esters, in the organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion is usually 0.1% by weight or more, preferably 1% by weight or more, more preferably 2% by weight or more, even more preferably 3% by weight or more, and usually 50% by weight or less, preferably 20% by weight or less, more preferably 10% by weight or less, even more preferably 5% by weight or less. By having the content of other emulsifiers in this range, the water dispersibility of the lamellar structures of the organic acid monoglyceride is further improved.

It is preferable for this organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion to contain sugars in order to improve the dispersion stability of the lamellar structures.

When sugars are used, a dispersion of the other emulsifier and an aqueous solution of the sugar may be mixed, and then mixed with an aqueous dispersion of an organic acid monoglyceride such as an aqueous dispersion of a lamellar structure. Alternatively, sugars may be added to a dispersion of the other emulsifier or another emulsifier may be added to an aqueous solution of the sugar, and then these dispersions or aqueous solutions may be mixed with an aqueous dispersion of an organic acid monoglyceride such as an aqueous dispersion of a lamellar structure.

When mixing an aqueous dispersion of an organic acid monoglyceride, such as an aqueous dispersion of a lamellar structure, with a dispersion of another emulsifier, an aqueous solution of a sugar, or a mixture of these, the dispersion of another emulsifier, the aqueous solution of a sugar, or a mixture of these may be heated to usually 45°C or higher, preferably 50°C or higher, and usually 100°C or lower, preferably 80°C or lower, and more preferably 70°C or lower.

When sugars are used, the sugar content in the organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion is usually 35% by weight or more, preferably 40% by weight or more, and usually 85% by weight or less, preferably 60% by weight or less. When the sugar content is above the lower limit, the dispersion stability of the lamellar structure is improved, and when it is below the upper limit, problems such as crystal precipitation or high viscosity depending on the type of sugar are less likely to occur.

The content ratio of other emulsifiers and sugars relative to the organic acid monoglyceride in the organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion is the same as the content ratio of other emulsifiers and sugars relative to the organic acid monoglyceride in the frozen fried chicken of the present invention described above.

<Preparation process>
The organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion prepared as above and a predetermined amount of seasoning and other additives are mixed with water to prepare a pre-treated liquid. When fats and oils are used in this pre-treated liquid, they are used so that the fats and oils content is less than the above-mentioned fats and oils content.

When preparing this pretreatment liquid, it is preferable to add and mix sugars separately from the sugars in the organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion, as this can improve the texture and taste. In this case, from the standpoint of flavor, it is preferable that the sugars added and mixed separately from the organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion be contained in an amount of 0.1 to 30% by weight, and particularly 1 to 10% by weight, relative to the chicken meat.

In this way, the chicken meat is rubbed with the pre-treatment liquid prepared using the organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion, and in some cases left to stand for a specified period of time to allow the pre-treatment liquid to fully soak into the chicken meat, thereby completing the pre-treatment of the chicken meat.

<Clothing process>
Coat the chicken meat prepared as described above with batter. Coating can be done in the usual way using the batter ingredients dissolved in water.

<Frying process>
The coated chicken is deep fried in the usual way.

The fried chicken used in the frozen fried chicken of the present invention may be produced by oven heating or steam heating without deep frying using a non-fry coating material.

<Freezing process>
The fried chicken produced as described above is cooled and frozen to −15° C. to −30° C. in a conventional manner to produce frozen fried chicken. Either slow freezing or quick freezing can be used for this, but quick freezing is preferred because it can prevent ice crystals from becoming coarse.

<How to defrost>
The method of thawing and heating the frozen fried chicken of the present invention can be natural thawing by leaving it at room temperature, thawing in a refrigerator overnight or overnight and then heating in a microwave oven, etc. Alternatively, the chicken can be directly heated as described above without thawing in advance, and thawed and heated at the same time.
The frozen fried chicken of the present invention is suitable for natural thawing, particularly due to the effect of improving the texture and taste, and can be eaten simply by taking it out of the freezer several hours before serving and leaving it as it is, making it highly convenient.

The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples as long as it does not deviate from the gist of the invention. In the following, "%" and "parts" are all by weight.

[Production Example 1: Production of organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion]
3.5 parts of sucrose stearate with an HLB of 11 ("Ryoto (registered trademark) Sugar Ester S-1170" manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Foods Corporation) was dispersed in 68 parts of a mixture of 60 parts of an aqueous maltooligosaccharide solution ("Oligotose" manufactured by Sanwa Starch Co., Ltd., maltooligosaccharide solid content 72% by weight) and 8 parts of water at room temperature, and the mixture was heated with stirring to 75°C (hereinafter referred to as "oligosaccharide liquid").
On the other hand, 3.5 parts of succinic acid monoglyceride (Poem B-30 manufactured by Riken Vitamin Co., Ltd., using stearic acid as the fatty acid) was dispersed in 25 parts of desalted water, and the mixture was stirred while being heated to 60° C. to obtain an aqueous dispersion of lamellar structures.
The oligosaccharide liquid was cooled to 55°C, and the aqueous dispersion of the lamellar structure of succinic acid monoglyceride was added and stirred for 20 minutes. The aqueous dispersion of the lamellar structure was then cooled to 45°C to prepare an aqueous dispersion of the lamellar structure (hereinafter referred to as "composition A"). The lamellar structure of succinic acid monoglyceride in composition A was confirmed by observation with a polarizing microscope. A polarizing cross was observed in the polarizing microscope photograph, and it was found that composition A had a lamellar structure.
Composition A contained 3.5% by weight of sucrose stearate, 43% by weight of maltooligosaccharide, and 3.5% by weight of a lamellar structure of succinic acid monoglyceride.

[Production and evaluation of frozen fried chicken]
<Examples 1 and 2, Comparative Examples 1 and 2>
Frozen fried chicken was produced according to the following procedure. The sugar used in the pretreatment liquid was "Oligotos" (72% by weight solids of maltooligosaccharides) manufactured by Sanwa Starch Co., Ltd.
The batter used for deep-frying was prepared by dissolving 120 g of "Crispy Fried Chicken Base" manufactured by Nippon Shokken Co., Ltd. in 120 g of water.

1. Chicken breast meat in the amount shown in Table 1 was pounded with a rolling pin to break down the meat fibers.
2. The chicken breast meat processed in step 1 was further treated in a tenderizer.
3. Composition A, oligotose, Nisshin Oillio's "Nissin Salad Oil" (a mixture of edible soybean oil and edible rapeseed oil), potato starch, salt, etc. were added to water in the proportions shown in Table 1 to prepare a pretreatment liquid.
4. Place the chicken breast chunks from step 2 and the preparation liquid from step 3 in a plastic bag and knead with your hands for 1 minute.
5. The resin bag of 4. was stored in a refrigerator for 18 hours, and was taken out once during the storage to rub the meat.
6.5. Strain the chicken breast meat through a colander and then cut it into bite-sized pieces.
7. The meat cut in step 6 was added to the fried chicken batter in the amount shown in Table 1 and coated with batter.
8.7 The coated chicken breasts from step 7 were deep fried in oil at 165-175°C for 3 minutes and 30 seconds.
The frying oil used was Nisshin Oillio's "Nissin Canola Oil" (edible rapeseed oil (with silicone)).

The chicken breast meat soaked in the pretreatment liquid in step 5 above was strained through a sieve, and the amount of pretreatment liquid adhering to the chicken breast meat could be determined from the weight of the pretreatment liquid used in the pretreatment and the weight of the filtered liquid. As a result, it was confirmed that the fried chicken of Example 1 contained 0.081% by weight of organic acid monoglyceride, 0.081% by weight of other emulsifiers, and 0.717% by weight of sugars in the organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion relative to the chicken breast meat, and the fried chicken of Example 2 contained 0.066% by weight of organic acid monoglyceride, 0.066% by weight of other emulsifiers, 0.586% by weight of sugars in the organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion, and 1.892% by weight of sugars added separately from the sugars in the organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion relative to the chicken breast meat.

The fried chicken thus produced was eaten immediately after frying, and was also frozen at -18°C for 8 days and then naturally thawed at room temperature for 4 hours, assuming use in a lunch box. The texture and taste of each product were evaluated, and the results are shown in Tables 2 and 3.
In the evaluations in Tables 2 and 3, the more "+" there are, the higher the degree of the evaluation, with +3>+2>+1>±. Fewer + marks are preferable in the evaluation of dryness, and more + marks are preferable in the evaluations of crispiness and juiciness. Fewer + marks are preferable in the evaluation of hardness, and more + marks are preferable in the evaluation of taste.
Each table shows the ranking of the overall evaluation, with No. 1 being the best and No. 4 being the worst.

These results show that the frozen fried chicken of the present invention is less dry after thawing, is juicy, tender, and has a pleasant taste.

Claims (3)

A pre-processing step 1 of pre-processing chicken breast meat and/or chicken fillet meat with a pre-processing liquid;
A coating step 2 in which the chicken breast meat and/or chicken fillet prepared in the step 1 is coated with a coating material;
A frying step 3 for frying the chicken breast meat and/or chicken fillet meat coated with the coating material in the step 2;
A freezing step 4 in which the chicken breast meat and/or chicken fillet meat fried in the step 3 is frozen.
A method for producing frozen fried chicken, comprising:
The pretreatment liquid is
The present invention comprises an organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion containing an organic acid monoglyceride, an emulsifier different from the organic acid monoglyceride, and a sugar, and a sugar added and mixed separately from the sugar in the organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion,
The emulsifier other than the organic acid monoglyceride is a sucrose fatty acid ester having an HLB value of 5 to 18 and/or a polyglycerin fatty acid ester having an HLB value of 5 to 18.
A method for producing frozen fried chicken. The method for producing frozen fried chicken according to claim 1, wherein the content of the sugars added and mixed in the pretreatment liquid separately from the sugars in the organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion is 0.1 to 30% by weight relative to the chicken breast meat and/or chicken fillet meat. The method for producing frozen fried chicken according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sugars in the organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion and the sugars added and mixed separately from the sugars in the organic acid monoglyceride-containing aqueous dispersion are oligosaccharides.