JP7663364B2 - Sol-like food and method for producing the same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a food composition, more specifically to a sol-type food. The present invention also relates to a method for producing a food composition, more specifically to a method for producing a sol-type food.

A wide variety of raw materials are used in the manufacture of desserts and other foods, and commonly used ingredients include sugars and sweeteners, dairy products, oils and fats, fruit juices and processed fruit products, stabilizers, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, tea, eggs, bean paste, emulsifiers, colorings, and flavorings. Polysaccharides are also used as stabilizers and as gelling agents and thickeners, allowing desserts to have a variety of physical properties and textures.

On the other hand, the addition of polysaccharides to sol-type foods can result in sticky, slimy, stringy, and poor melting in the mouth. In addition, interactions between polysaccharides and other ingredients can cause changes in physical properties (viscosity decrease/increase, aggregation, separation, gelation, etc.).
For example, xanthan gum can form gels and thicken when used in combination with galactomannans (locust bean gum, tara gum, guar gum, etc.). Carrageenan can also thicken in the presence of milk proteins and salt. When used in combination with xanthan gum, carrageenan can further increase its thickening effect, and may even lead to gelation over time.
Therefore, when selecting a polysaccharide to be used in a sol-type food, it is necessary to check the characteristics of the mixture before use.

As a measure to improve the poor shape retention and meltability in the mouth that occurs when polysaccharides are added to sol-type foods, it has been reported that by replacing or combining thickening polysaccharides and/or gelatin with enzymatically hydrolyzed starch, the processed food can be endowed with excellent shape retention and meltability in the mouth, and further, in the case of a gel-type processed food, it is possible to provide an excellent effect of preventing syneresis (see Patent Document 1).
Furthermore, as a measure to prevent separation of sol foods by adding polysaccharides and to improve the viscous texture, a technology has been reported in which a modifier containing fine gels adjusted with a gelling agent and having a median diameter of 500 μm or less is added to polysaccharide-containing sol foods (see Patent Document 2).

However, when the technology of Patent Document 1, which uses enzyme-decomposed starch in combination with polysaccharides, is used in sol-type foods, there is a problem in that the texture and flavor derived from the enzyme-decomposed starch are expressed. In addition, the modifier of Patent Document 2 requires a process for forming a fine gel, which is not efficient for industrial manufacturing methods assuming mass production.

JP2016-103992A Patent Publication No. 2020-72647

Meanwhile, the inventors of the present invention have investigated sol-type foods that contain polysaccharides and milk proteins, have a smooth structure, and do not separate or aggregate, and have discovered a new problem in that the foods thicken and gel during storage. The present invention was made in consideration of this problem, and aims to provide a method for producing sol-type foods that suppress thickening and gelling even during storage.

As a result of intensive research conducted by the inventors to solve the above problems, they discovered that it is possible to provide a sol-type food that contains milk protein and polysaccharides, in which thickening and gelling during storage are suppressed by applying vibration when filling the food into a container and cooling it, and thus arrived at the present invention.

Specifically, the present invention is as follows.
＜1＞
A method for producing a sol-like food containing a polysaccharide and a milk protein, comprising the steps of:
A step of heating and dissolving a food raw material containing polysaccharides and milk protein;
filling the molten raw material into a container;
a step of cooling the raw material melt, and a step of applying vibration to the raw material melt in the cooling step;
A method for producing a sol-like food, comprising the steps of:
＜2＞
The method for producing a sol food according to <1>, wherein the cooling step of the raw material melt is carried out after filling the container.
＜3＞
The method for producing a sol food according to <1> or <2>, wherein the cooling step is a step of cooling to 20° C. or lower.
＜4＞
The method for producing a sol-like food according to any one of <1> to <3>, wherein the polysaccharides include xanthan gum and carrageenan.
＜5＞
The method for producing a sol-like food according to any one of <1> to <4>, comprising: 0.4 to 1.0% by weight of polysaccharides; and 0.66 to 3.21% by weight of milk protein.
＜6＞
A sol food produced by the method for producing a sol food according to any one of <1> to <5>.
＜７＞
The sol-type food contains polysaccharides and milk protein, and has a viscosity of 1500 cP or more and 4000 cP or less at an internal temperature of 10°C or less after refrigerated storage for one day after production, and the increase in viscosity after 21 days of refrigerated storage is less than 40% compared to the viscosity after 1 day of refrigerated storage after production.
＜8＞
The sol-like food according to <7>, wherein the polysaccharides include xanthan gum and carrageenan.
＜9＞
9. The sol food according to claim 7 or 8, which contains 0.4 to 1.0% by weight of polysaccharides and 0.66 to 3.21% by weight of milk protein in the total composition.
＜10＞
A sol-like food containing 0.03 to 1.8% by weight of xanthan gum, 0.01 to 1.4% by weight of carrageenan, and 0.66 to 3.21% by weight of milk protein, said sol-like food having a viscosity of 1500 cP or more and 4000 cP or less at an internal temperature of 10°C or less.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sol-type food in which thickening and gelation are suppressed even during storage. Therefore, it is possible to distribute and provide a sol-type food in which the desired sol state is maintained.

The present invention will be described in detail below.
(Sol-like food)
The sol food of the present invention refers to a sol food containing polysaccharides and milk protein. The sol food of the present invention may be a single layer of the sol food alone, or a multi-layer including layers such as pudding, jelly, or Bavarian cream. In this specification, the term "sol food" refers to a food that does not have shape retention and has fluid properties at or below room temperature. In other words, it means a viscous liquid or viscous liquid food, which is different from a gel food that has shape retention and elasticity at or below room temperature and does not have fluidity.
In this specification, "sol-like" means that the viscosity of a sol-like food is 1500 cP or more and 4000 cP or less when measured at a product temperature of 5 to 15°C using a B-type viscometer (model BL, manufactured by Tokyo Keiki Co., Ltd. (now Toki Sangyo Co., Ltd.), No. 3 rotor) at 30 revolutions.

The milk protein contained in the sol food of the present invention refers to milk protein derived from dairy products such as cream, butter, cheese, concentrated whey, ice cream, concentrated milk, skim concentrated milk, unsweetened condensed milk, unsweetened condensed skim milk, sweetened condensed milk, sweetened condensed skim milk, whole milk powder, skim milk powder, cream powder, whey powder, buttermilk powder, sweetened milk powder, modified milk powder, fermented milk, lactic acid bacteria drink, and milk drink made from milk of at least one of cows, goats, sheep, buffalo, horses, camels, and yaks, or milk protein separated from dairy products.
Since the milk protein content affects the flavor and texture, the milk protein content is preferably 0.1 to 5.5 mass %, more preferably 0.3 to 4.5 mass %, and even more preferably 0.66 to 3.21 mass % of the total composition.

The sol-type food of the present invention can contain sugars/sweeteners, dairy products, oils and fats, fruit juice/fruit products, stabilizers, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, tea, eggs, bean paste, emulsifiers, coloring agents, flavoring agents, etc., just like general foods.

The polysaccharide contained in the sol food of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a material capable of imparting viscosity to the target composition. For example, it may be two or more selected from the group consisting of xanthan gum, guar gum, tara gum, carrageenan, and locust bean gum. The content of polysaccharide in the sol food of the present invention is not particularly limited and can be adjusted appropriately according to the properties of the sol food, but the preferred polysaccharide content is 0.1 to 2.0% by mass of the total composition, more preferably 0.2 to 1.5% by mass, and even more preferably 0.4 to 1.0% by mass.

Examples of sugars that can be used in the sol-type food of the present invention include starch hydrolysates such as sugar, isomerized sugar, glucose, maltose, lactose, honey, trehalose, maltitol, palatinit, starch syrup, and dextrin. Examples of sweeteners that can be used in the sol-type food of the present invention include aspartame, acesulfame potassium, advantame, xylitol, disodium glycyrrhizinate, saccharin, saccharin calcium, saccharin sodium, sucralose, neotame, L-arabinose, licorice extract, D-xylose, α-glucosyltransferase-treated stevia, enzymatically hydrolyzed licorice, stevia extract, stevia powder, thaumatin, Brazilian licorice extract, Monk fruit extract, L-rhamnose, D-ribose, amacha extract, and licorice powder.

Dairy products that can be used in the sol-like food of the present invention include cream, butter, cheese, concentrated whey, ice cream, concentrated milk, skim concentrated milk, unsweetened condensed milk, unsweetened condensed skim milk, sweetened condensed milk, sweetened condensed skim milk, whole milk powder, skim milk powder, cream powder, whey powder, buttermilk powder, sweetened milk powder, modified milk powder, fermented milk, lactic acid bacteria beverage, and milk beverage, etc., made from milk originating from at least one of cows, goats, sheep, buffalo, horses, camels, and yaks. Dairy products may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.

The fats and oils that can be used in the sol-like food of the present invention may be any fats and oils commercially available in the field, and include, but are not limited to, dairy fats such as raw milk, butter, cream, and cheese; shortening, margarine, processed fats and oils; shea fat, olive oil, soybean oil, salad oil, safflower oil, corn oil, sesame oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, and fractionated palm oil; and animal fats and oils such as cacao mass, cocoa butter, lard, and fish oil.

Fruit juices or processed fruit pulps that can be used in the sol-type food of the present invention include apples, oranges, grapefruits, mandarins, lemons, peaches, melons, strawberries, grapes, muscats, Kyoho grapes, mangoes, persimmons, etc.

Flavoring ingredients that can be used in the sol-type food of the present invention include salts such as table salt, matcha green tea, black tea, roasted green tea, chocolate, cocoa, alcoholic beverages, soy products (soy milk, soy milk cream, kinako), peanuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, cashew nuts, chestnut seeds, etc.

Examples of emulsifiers that can be used in the sol-like food of the present invention include lecithin, sucrose fatty acid ester, glycerin fatty acid ester, polyglycerin fatty acid ester, sorbitan fatty acid ester, propylene glycol fatty acid ester, etc. Examples of sorbitan fatty acid esters include sorbitan monooleate ester and sorbitan monolaurate ester. Examples of sucrose fatty acid esters include sucrose fatty acid esters containing palmitic acid or stearic acid as a fatty acid. Examples of lecithin include soybean lecithin and egg yolk lecithin. Lecithin may be enzymatically decomposed lecithin. Polyglycerin fatty acid esters are esters of glycerin and fatty acids, and include diglycerin fatty acid ester, triglycerin fatty acid ester, tetraglycerin fatty acid ester, pentaglycerin fatty acid ester, hexaglycerin fatty acid ester, heptaglycerin fatty acid ester, octaglycerin fatty acid ester, nonaglycerin fatty acid ester, and decaglycerin fatty acid ester. The emulsifier may have any hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance (HLB).

Flavoring agents include water-soluble flavors, oil-based flavors, emulsified flavors, powdered flavors, and alcoholic beverages (brandy, spirits, liqueurs, wine, etc.) that are commonly used in foods. Coloring agents can be either natural or synthetic.

Vitamins include vitamin A, vitamin B (B1, B2, B6, B12, etc.), vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, etc.

Specific examples of the sol-type food of the present invention include milk sauce (which may contain flavoring substances such as coffee, fruit juice, matcha, and chocolate), cheese sauce, cream, whipped cream, butter sauce, drinkable pudding, soft yogurt, and drinkable yogurt.

In the sol-type food containing milk protein of the present invention, a combination of xanthan gum and carrageenan is particularly preferably used as the polysaccharide. By combining xanthan gum with carrageenan, stringiness and stickiness can be suppressed, resulting in more preferable texture and physical properties.
Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide produced extracellularly by Xanthomonas campestris, and is composed of D-mannose, D-glucose, and D-glucuronic acid. The main chain is composed of D-glucose linked by β-1,4 bonds, and the side chain has two molecules of D-mannose and D-glucuronic acid bonded to every other D-glucose residue in the main chain. The D-mannose at the end of the side chain may be pyruvate. The C-6 position of the D-mannose bonded to the main chain may be acetylated.
Carrageenan is extracted from seaweeds of the families of the families of the family Gigartinaceae, which belong to the order Gigartinales, of red algae, and there are three types: κ type, ι type, and λ type. κ type and ι type carrageenan each have 3,6 anhydrogalactose groups in the carrageenan molecular structure, and tend to form double helices and gel. On the other hand, λ carrageenan does not have 3,6 anhydrogalactose groups, and is generally said not to gel.
The mixing ratio of xanthan gum and carrageenan contained in the sol food of the present invention is preferably 1:9 to 3:7 by weight, more preferably 2:8 to 6:4, and most preferably 5:5.
The preferred range for xanthan gum is 0.03-1.8% by weight of the total composition, and the preferred range for carrageenan is 0.01-1.4% by weight.
The total amount of xanthan gum and carrageenan is preferably in the range of 0.04 to 3.2% by weight, more preferably 0.1 to 2.0% by weight, even more preferably 0.2 to 1.5% by weight, and even more preferably 0.4 to 1.0% by weight.

(Method of manufacturing sol-type food)
The present invention also relates to a method for producing a sol-like food product.
The sol-type food of the present invention can be produced in the same manner as a general dessert production method, and is characterized in that it is subjected to vibration treatment during cooling. Typically, the sol-type food of the present invention can be produced by the following procedure.
(1) The above-mentioned raw materials are stirred and mixed while being heated to about 20°C to 70°C to prepare a raw material mixture in which the raw materials are uniformly dissolved and mixed. As long as a uniform raw material mixture can be obtained, the order in which the raw materials are mixed is not particularly limited.
(2) The raw material mixture is heat sterilized.
(3) The raw material mixture is placed in a container, and the raw material mixture is cooled to 20° C. or less to form a sol. The cooling treatment can be performed by keeping the raw material mixture placed in the container in an atmosphere at room temperature or a low temperature, or in cold water.
(4) In the cooling step (3), the container is subjected to a vibration treatment. By subjecting the container to a vibration treatment, the sol state of the sol food containing the polysaccharides and the milk protein can be maintained without thickening or gelling even during refrigerated storage.
The method for producing a sol-like food containing polysaccharides and milk protein of the present invention can be said to be a method for suppressing thickening and gelation during refrigerated storage due to the inclusion of polysaccharides and milk protein. The refrigerated storage period can be, for example, 7 days, 14 days, 21 days, or 1 month. In addition, in the case of so-called long-life products that can be stored for a long period of time, the storage period can be 3 months.
According to the manufacturing method of the present invention, thickening and gelation of the sol food can be suppressed over the refrigerated storage period, and the sol food can be distributed and sold while maintaining the texture it had at the time of production. As shown in the examples described below, the manufacturing method of the present invention can produce a sol food containing polysaccharides and milk protein, which has a viscosity of 1500 cP to 4000 cP at an internal temperature of 10° C. or less after 1 day of refrigerated storage after production, and the increase in viscosity after 21 days of refrigerated storage is less than 40% compared to the viscosity after 1 day of refrigerated storage after production.

(cooling)
In this specification, cooling refers to a process of cooling a high-temperature sol-type food to an internal temperature of 20°C or less, and cooling may be started before or after filling the container. The cooling method is not limited to water cooling or air cooling as long as the temperature of the sol-type food in the container is reduced. In the manufacturing method of the present invention, vibration, which will be described later, may be applied during cooling. The cooling time during which vibration is applied is not particularly limited, but it is desirable to perform the cooling as quickly as possible. For example, from the viewpoint of preventing bacterial growth, a process of cooling to an internal temperature of 10°C or less within 1 hour is preferable, and a process of cooling to 10°C or less within 30 minutes is even more preferable.

(vibration)
The vibration in this specification refers to mechanical vibration, and there is no particular limitation on the method as long as vibration is applied. The frequency of vibration is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.01 to 10 Hz, more preferably 0.05 to 5 Hz, and even more preferably 0.1 to 3 Hz.
Specific examples of the method for applying vibration (vibration treatment method) include methods using devices such as a shaker or a vibrator, but there are no particular limitations on the device as long as it can apply vibration.
The vibration may be continuous or intermittent, and may include rotational vibration and ultrasonic vibration.
The timing of vibration may be such that the sol food is vibrated during the temperature drop stage until the food is cooled to a predetermined temperature, and preferably before the internal temperature is cooled to 10° C. or lower.
In the present invention, by applying vibration to the sol-like food during cooling, thickening and gelation could be suppressed, probably because the network structure of the polysaccharides was only partially formed by the vibration.

(Packaging Containers)
The sol food of the present invention is filled in a packaging container. The packaging container is not particularly limited, but a container suitable for eating the sol food is preferable, and any container material such as metal, glass, paper, plastic, etc. can be used.
The shape of the container is not limited as long as it is suitable for eating the sol-type food, and cans, bottles, paper packs, plastic cups, film pouches, pouches with stoppers, etc. can be used.

(Sterilization method)
The sol-type food obtained by the above-mentioned manufacturing method is sterilized as necessary, and then distributed and sold. The sterilization method may be any of the following: a method of heat sterilization and hot packing before filling into containers, a method of heat sterilization after filling and sealing, and a method of aseptic filling in which the sol-type food is heat sterilized before filling into containers and then filled under aseptic conditions.

The present invention will be described in more detail below using examples. However, these examples are not intended to limit the present invention.

The sol food was prepared by mixing 6.0% coconut oil, 3.0% skim milk powder, 5.5% sugar, 0.15% emulsifier, 0.3% xanthan gum, 0.3% carrageenan, and water, then heating to 95°C and holding for 10 minutes to sterilize. After sterilization, the mixture was homogenized (10 MPa) and held at 65°C.
50 g of the sol food was filled into a container at 65°C and cooled by air. During cooling, the food was left to stand for cooling as a comparative example. As an example, the sol food filled at 65°C was cooled to 20°C or less by air cooling while being subjected to vibrations shown in Table 1 using a vibration tester (model BIO-SHAKER BR-40LF, manufactured by Taitec Co., Ltd.).
The comparative example products and example products were stored at 7°C for 26 days, with the day of filling being considered as day 0, and the viscosity was measured appropriately. Measurements were made at 30 rotations using a B-type viscometer (model BL, manufactured by Tokyo Keiki Co., Ltd. (now Toki Sangyo Co., Ltd.), No. 3 rotor). Evaluations were made based on viscosity, the presence or absence of aggregation, and the presence or absence of separation/syringe. There was no aggregation or separation/syringe at any level. The viscosity results are shown in Table 1.

Coconut oil 6.0%, skim milk powder 3.0%, sugar 5.5%, emulsifier 0.15%, xanthan gum:carrageenan in a 5:5 ratio in the range of 0.4-1.0% (stabilizer amount in Table 2), mixed with water, heated to 95°C and held for 10 minutes for sterilization. After sterilization, homogenization treatment (10 MPa) was performed and held at 65°C.
50 g of the sol-type food was filled into a container at 65°C and cooled by air cooling. During cooling, static cooling was performed as a comparative example. As an example, vibration cooling was performed at a frequency of 0.7 Hz using the same device as in Example 1, and evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1. No aggregation, separation, or syneresis occurred at any level. The viscosity results are shown in Table 2.

Coconut oil 6.0%, sugar 5.5%, emulsifier 0.15%, xanthan gum 0.3%, carrageenan 0.3%, skim milk powder 2.0% (Example 3-1), 6.0% (Example 3-2), 9.0% (Example 3-3) were appropriately blended and mixed with water, then heated to 95°C and held for 10 minutes for sterilization. After sterilization, homogenization treatment (10 MPa) was performed and held at 65°C.
50 g of the sol food was filled into a container at 65°C and cooled by air cooling. During cooling, static cooling was performed as a comparative example. As an example, vibration cooling was performed at a frequency of 0.7 Hz using the same device as in Example 1, and evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1. The milk protein content of the sol food was measured using a nitrogen analyzer (TruSpec N, manufactured by Leco). No aggregation, separation, or syneresis occurred at any level. The results of viscosity and milk protein content are shown in Table 3.

As shown in Tables 1, 2, and 3, in a sol-type food containing milk protein and polysaccharides, thickening and gelation during storage were suppressed by using xanthan gum and carrageenan as the polysaccharides and by subjecting the food to vibration when filling a container after sterilization and cooling.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sol food containing polysaccharides and milk protein in which thickening and gelation are suppressed even during storage. Therefore, it is possible to distribute and provide a sol food that maintains the desired sol state at the time of production.

Claims (4)

A method for producing a sol-like food containing a polysaccharide and a milk protein, comprising the steps of:
A step of heating and dissolving a food raw material containing polysaccharides and milk protein;
filling the molten raw material into a container;
and cooling the raw material melt.
Contains xanthan gum and carrageenan as polysaccharides,
In the cooling step, a vibration of 0.1 to 3 Hz is applied to the raw material melt until the internal temperature is cooled to 20° C. or less ;
A method for producing a sol-like food, comprising the steps of: The method for producing a sol-like food according to claim 1, in which the cooling process of the raw material melt is carried out after filling the container. 3. The method for producing a sol-like food according to claim 1 or 2 , which contains 0.03 to 1.8% by weight of xanthan gum, 0.01 to 1.4% by weight of carrageenan, and 0.66 to 3.21% by weight of milk protein. A sol-type food containing polysaccharides and milk protein, the polysaccharides comprising 0.03 to 1.8% by weight of xanthan gum, 0.01 to 1.4% by weight of carrageenan, and 0.66 to 3.21% by weight of milk protein, the sol-type food having a viscosity of 1500 cP or more and 4000 cP or less at an internal temperature of 10°C or less after refrigerated storage for one day after production, and the increase in viscosity after 21 days of refrigerated storage is less than 40% compared to the viscosity after 1 day of refrigerated storage after production.