JP7760569B2 - Cheese-like foods - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cheese-like food product and a method for producing the same, and more specifically to a cheese-like food product with excellent stringiness and elasticity and a method for producing the same.

In recent years, with growing health consciousness and rising raw material prices creating the need to reduce costs, the production of cheese-like foods using rennet casein (a milk protein) has been considered.

Conventional cheese-like foods and methods for producing them include, for example, the following:

Patent Document 1 describes a cheese-like food product containing 60% or less of raw cheese ingredients, which contains acetylated acid-modified starch, milk protein, fats and oils, and molten salt, the molten salt containing 80% or more by mass of citrate, and the molten salt amounting to 1% or more and 3% or less by mass of the total mass of the cheese-like food product.

Patent Document 2 describes a method for producing a cheese-like food product by using a protein, fat, and acidic raw material with a casein protein/whey protein weight ratio of 3.3 to 15, and by heating and melting the resulting product. The casein protein is rennet casein and/or casein protein contained in a milk protein concentrate obtained by lowering the pH of skim milk to 2 to 4 and adjusting the fractionated protein to neutral.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-120664 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-223209

Conventional cheese-like foods do not exhibit the stringy properties of mozzarella cheese when heated. Furthermore, conventional cheese-like foods lack the elasticity of natural cheese, making them difficult to process into shreds and other forms.

Patent Document 1 states that a cheese-like food product is provided that contains a small amount of raw cheese ingredients or no raw cheese ingredients and that has good stretchability when heated and melted, i.e., high spinnability. However, it requires the use of a special starch (acetylated acid-modified starch), and there is room for improvement in terms of producing a cheese-like food product that is excellent in both spinnability and elasticity. Patent Document 2 does not describe the spinnability of the resulting cheese-like food product.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a cheese-like food product with excellent spinnability and elasticity.

The inventors discovered that in the method of producing a cheese-like food, by using a specific type of organic acid, such as gluconic acid, which is added to the cheese-like food and its raw material composition along with rennet casein, molten salt, oils and fats, etc. to adjust the pH, a cheese-like food with excellent spinnability and elasticity can be obtained, leading to the completion of the present invention.

That is, the present invention includes at least the following items.
[1]
(A) rennet casein,
(B) a molten salt;
A cheese-like food product comprising (C) an organic acid containing one or more selected from gluconic acid, glucono-delta-lactone, and malic acid, and (D) an oil or fat.
[2]
Item 2. The cheese-like food according to Item 1, wherein the organic acid (C) comprises gluconic acid or gluconodeltalactone.
[3]
Item 3. The cheese-like food according to Item 1 or 2, wherein the molten salt (B) does not contain phosphates.
[4]
(A) rennet casein,
(B) a molten salt;
A method for producing a cheese-like food, comprising a step of mixing raw materials containing (C) an organic acid containing one or more selected from gluconic acid, glucono-delta-lactone, and malic acid, and (D) an oil or fat.

The present invention makes it possible to provide a cheese-like food product with desirable stringiness and elasticity.

The following hypothesis, for example, is conceivable as to how the effects of the present invention regarding spinnability, etc., are achieved by using a specific type of organic acid such as gluconic acid in the present invention. However, the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited by such a hypothesis, and even if some or all of the effects of the present invention are achieved by a mechanism different from this hypothesis, the configuration of the present invention and the effects it brings about are not negated.

Casein (rennet casein, etc.), a milk protein, aggregates to form small particles (submicelles). The submicelles are cross-linked by calcium phosphate to form casein micelles, with fat dispersed within the casein micelles. The molten salt (e.g., sodium citrate) added to the raw material composition is a component that breaks (chelates) the calcium phosphate cross-links in the casein micelles and disperses the submicelles. When a cheese-like food product in this state is heated, the fat melts and stretches in the direction of the applied force. Meanwhile, the pH of the raw material composition is also related to the calcium phosphate cross-links in the casein micelles; the lower the pH (the more acidic it is), the more calcium phosphate detaches from the casein micelles, and fewer cross-links remain in the cheese-like food product.

In conventional methods for producing cheese-like foods, lactic acid or citric acid has primarily been used to adjust the pH of the raw material composition (see the examples in Patent Documents 1 and 2). However, when these organic acids are used, the pH of the raw material composition fluctuates rapidly (within a specific pH range), which is thought to cause calcium phosphate to rapidly dissociate, destabilizing casein micelles and making them more susceptible to aggregation. In contrast, the present invention uses gluconic acid or the like to adjust the pH of the raw material composition. This slows down the pH fluctuations of the raw material composition, i.e., calcium phosphate dissociation, and is thought to prevent the destabilization and aggregation of casein micelles. As shown in the examples below, the cheese-like foods obtained by the present invention have significantly improved stringiness and elasticity compared to conventional cheese-like foods (comparative examples) that use lactic acid, citric acid, or other organic acids.

Furthermore, in conventional cheese-like food manufacturing methods, it is difficult to produce cheese-like foods without using phosphorus-containing compounds (phosphates) as molten salts, and phosphates are essentially required. However, the present invention allows cheese-like foods to be produced without using phosphates. In recent years, some consumers have preferred foods that do not contain phosphates, and the present invention can meet such consumer preferences. For example, Patent Document 1 states that while phosphates (e.g., sodium polyphosphate) are known as molten salts, molten salts containing citric acid are preferred from the perspective of spinnability. However, the cheese melting agent "CH-4" (manufactured by Organo Food Tech Co., Ltd.) used in the examples contains 89.3% sodium citrate, 1.7% citric acid, and 9.0% sodium hydrogen phosphate, and does not completely exclude phosphorus-containing compounds. Furthermore, the examples in Reference 2 also use sodium polyphosphate or sodium hexametaphosphate as the molten salt. In contrast, the present invention produces cheese-like foods with excellent spinnability and elasticity even when using only citrate (sodium citrate) as the molten salt.

-Cheese-like food-
The cheese-like food of the present invention contains (A) rennet casein, (B) a molten salt, (C) an organic acid (referred to herein as a "specific organic acid") including one or more selected from the group consisting of gluconic acid, glucono-delta-lactone, and malic acid, and (D) an oil or fat. The raw material composition of the cheese-like food of the present invention also contains the above-mentioned components (A) to (D). In the description of this specification, unless otherwise specified, items described as components contained in a "cheese-like food" can be construed as also being described as components contained in the "raw material composition".

(A) Rennet casein Rennet casein is a type of milk protein, and is obtained by coagulating casein contained in skim milk, etc., with a rennet enzyme. Rennet casein that is similar to that used in the production of known cheese-like foods can be used, and is not particularly limited.

The rennet casein content of the cheese-like food of the present invention can be adjusted as appropriate, but can be, for example, 5 to 30% by mass, and preferably 10 to 20% by mass, of the total amount of the cheese-like food.

(B) Molten Salt Molten salts are components that melt milk proteins such as rennet casein and enhance their dispersibility in cheese-like foods (and their raw material compositions). Examples of molten salts that can be used include citrates, phosphates, and gluconates. Phosphates include monophosphates, pyrophosphates, polyphosphates, and metaphosphates. Counterions of molten salts include sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, lithium, and manganese. Specific examples of molten salts include sodium citrate, disodium phosphate, trisodium phosphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, sodium polyphosphate, sodium metaphosphate, acidic sodium metaphosphate, and sodium gluconate. The molten salts may be used alone or in combination (mixed in any ratio). Citrates are preferred as the molten salt, and sodium citrate is more preferred, due to their favorable elasticity and the ability to produce cheese-like foods that do not contain phosphates. That is, the molten salt of the present invention preferably contains a citrate (for example, sodium citrate) but does not contain a phosphate.

The amount of molten salt can be adjusted as appropriate, but for example, it can be 0.1 to 3% by mass, preferably 1 to 3% by mass, of the total amount of the cheese-like food product.

(C) Organic Acid In the present invention, gluconic acid, glucono-delta-lactone, or malic acid is used as the organic acid. These specific organic acids may be used singly or in combination (mixed in any ratio). From the viewpoint of spinnability and elasticity, it is preferable to use gluconic acid and/or glucono-delta-lactone as the specific organic acid. Note that, since glucono-delta-lactone is hydrolyzed to gluconic acid when dissolved in water, when glucono-delta-lactone is used as an ingredient in the raw material composition, some or all (almost all) of the glucono-delta-lactone may be converted to gluconic acid in the produced cheese-like food product.

The content of the specific organic acid can be adjusted as appropriate, but can be, for example, 0.1 to 10% by mass, preferably 0.5 to 5% by mass, and more preferably 0.5 to 3% by mass, of the total amount of the cheese-like food. Furthermore, the content of the specific organic acid can be, for example, an amount that results in a pH of the cheese-like food of 4.5 to 7.5, and preferably an amount that results in a pH of 5.5 to 6.5.

In the food industry, gluconic acid, glucono-delta-lactone, and malic acid are known to be used as pH adjusters and seasonings (acidulants). In the present invention, the primary purpose of these specific organic acids is to adjust the pH of the cheese-like food and its raw material composition to an appropriate range (and thereby achieve the effects of the present invention), but there is no problem with them also having the purpose of making the cheese-like food taste pleasant, i.e., they can simultaneously function as a pH adjuster and seasoning (acidulant).

In the present invention, it is particularly preferred to use only the specific organic acid (accounting for 100% by mass of the total amount of organic acids as pH adjusters) as the component (pH adjuster) for adjusting the pH of the cheese-like food and its raw material composition within an appropriate range. However, it is also permissible to use the specific organic acid in combination with an organic acid other than the specific organic acid, as long as the effects of the present invention (improved spinnability and elasticity) are not lost. In the present invention, when the specific organic acid is used in combination with an organic acid other than the specific organic acid as a pH adjuster, the ratio of the specific organic acid to the total amount of these organic acids is preferably 50% by mass or more, and more preferably 70% by mass or more.

(D) Fats and Oils In the present invention, vegetable oils and animal fats can be used as the fats and oils. Examples of vegetable oils and oils include rapeseed oil, soybean oil, coconut oil, palm oil, corn oil, linseed oil, perilla oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, rice bran oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, and peanut oil, with rapeseed oil, soybean oil, coconut oil, and palm oil being preferred. Examples of animal fats and oils include lard, beef tallow, butter, chicken oil, refined fish oil, and horse fat, with lard and butter being preferred. The melting point of the fats and oils is preferably 0 to 50°C, more preferably 20 to 40°C. The fats and oils may be solid at room temperature (solid fats and oils) or liquid at room temperature (fatty oils).

The fat/oil content can be adjusted as appropriate, but for example, it can be 0.1 to 50% by mass, preferably 20 to 40% by mass, of the total amount of the cheese-like food.

(E) Optional Components The cheese-like food product of the present invention can further contain components other than (A) to (D) as necessary. Examples of such optional components include seasonings, coloring agents, modified starch, emulsifiers, flavorings, raw cheeses, and water. Any one of the optional components may be used alone, or two or more may be used in combination.

Seasonings include amino acids, nucleic acids, organic acids (other than gluconic acid, glucono-delta-lactone, and malic acid), refined sugar, salt, skim milk powder, and dietary fiber. Any one of the seasonings may be used alone, or two or more may be used in combination. The content of the seasoning may be, for example, 0.01 to 10% by mass of the total amount of the cheese-like food product.

Examples of coloring agents include caramel color, gardenia color, anthocyanin color, annatto color, paprika color, safflower color, monascus color, flavonoid color, and cochineal color. Any of these coloring agents may be used alone, or two or more may be used in combination. The content of the coloring agent may be, for example, 0.01 to 5% by mass of the total amount of the cheese-like food product.

Examples of modified starches include acetylated adipate cross-linked starch, acetylated oxidized starch, acetylated phosphate cross-linked starch, sodium octenylsuccinate starch, starch acetate, oxidized starch, hydroxypropylated phosphate cross-linked starch, hydroxypropyl starch, phosphate cross-linked starch, phosphated starch, phosphate monoesterified phosphate cross-linked starch, and sodium starch glycolate. Any of the modified starches may be used alone, or two or more may be used in combination. The content of the modified starch may be, for example, 0.01 to 20% by mass of the total amount of the cheese-like food.

Examples of emulsifiers include glycerin fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, propylene glycol fatty acid esters, lecithin, polysorbates, calcium stearoyl lactylate, and sodium stearoyl lactylate. Any one of these emulsifiers may be used alone, or two or more may be used in combination. The content of the emulsifier may be, for example, 0.01 to 5% by mass of the total amount of the cheese-like food product.

Flavors include cheese-like flavors, butter-like flavors, vanilla essence, and smoke flavors. A single flavor may be used alone, or two or more may be used in combination. The flavor content may be, for example, 0.01 to 5% by mass of the total amount of the cheese-like food product.

Examples of raw cheese materials include natural cheese (soft cheese, semi-hard cheese, hard cheese, and extra-hard cheese), processed cheese, and food cheese. The content of raw cheese materials can be, for example, 0.01 to 40% by mass of the total amount of the cheese-like food product.

The moisture content can be 20 to 90% by mass of the total cheese food.

The uses of the cheese-like food of the present invention are not particularly limited, and it can be used as a variety of cheese substitute foods. Examples of cheese substitute foods include cheese toppings for pizza and cheese inside hamburger steaks, with pizza topping cheese being a preferred cheese-like substitute food according to the present invention.

-Method for producing cheese-like food-
The method for producing a cheese-like food product of the present invention includes a step of mixing raw materials (referred to as a "mixing step" in this specification) including (A) rennet casein, (B) a molten salt, (C) an organic acid including one or more selected from the group consisting of gluconic acid, glucono-delta-lactone, and malic acid, (D) an oil or fat, and, if necessary, (E) an optional ingredient.

In the mixing process, all of the ingredients may be mixed at the same time, or some of the ingredients may be mixed, and then the other ingredients may be added and further mixed. For example, all of the ingredients may be added at the same time and mixed, and then heated while stirring (details will be described later), or some of the ingredients may be mixed and heated while stirring, and then the remaining ingredients may be mixed (and further heated, if necessary).

More specifically, for example, the specific organic acid (C) may be added simultaneously with the rennet casein (A), the molten salt (B), the oil (D), and, if necessary, the optional component (E), and mixed; the mixture containing all of these raw materials (raw material composition) is then heated and cooled (details will be described later) (first embodiment of the mixing step); or the specific organic acid (C) may be added simultaneously with the rennet casein (A), the molten salt (B), the oil (D), and, if necessary, the optional component (E), and mixed; the mixture containing some of these raw materials is then heated, and the specific organic acid (C) is then added and mixed, and cooled (second embodiment of the mixing step). The mixing step in the present invention is preferably performed according to the first embodiment.

The mixing step can be carried out using common mixing means such as those used in conventional cheese-like food manufacturing methods. For example, the ingredients can be placed in an emulsifying vessel and stirred. The mixing (stirring) conditions in the mixing step can be adjusted as appropriate. For example, the stirring speed can be set to 100 to 1,000 rpm.

The mixing process can include additional processes other than mixing (stirring) that are generally required to produce cheese-like foods. For example, the mixing process typically includes (1) a process of heating a mixture of all or part of the ingredients (referred to herein as a "heating process"), and (2) a process of cooling the mixture of all of the ingredients (ingredient composition) that has undergone the heating process (1) (referred to herein as a "cooling process").

The conditions for the heat treatment can be adjusted as appropriate. The heating temperature can be, for example, 70 to 100°C, and the heating time can be, for example, 1 to 10 minutes. The heat treatment can be carried out while stirring. The heat treatment can be carried out in one stage during the mixing process, or in two or more stages.

The conditions for the cooling treatment can be adjusted as appropriate. The cooling temperature can be, for example, 1 to 10°C, and the cooling time can be, for example, 1 to 5 hours. The cooling treatment can be carried out, for example, by placing the raw material composition that has undergone the heat treatment in an appropriate container and allowing it to stand.

The method for producing a cheese-like food product of the present invention can optionally include additional steps other than the mixing step. Such optional steps include, but are not limited to, cutting or shredding the cheese-like food product into the desired shape and size, packaging, storing in a refrigerator, etc., and other steps necessary for commercialization. The optional steps can basically be carried out in the same manner as for conventional cheese-like foods (using appropriate means such as equipment, methods, and conditions), and can be adjusted as necessary to suit the method for producing a cheese-like food product of the present invention.

For technical matters not specifically described in this specification, a person skilled in the art can appropriately apply general or well-known technical matters in the technical field related to cheese-like foods, thereby enabling the present invention to be practiced based on the matters described in this specification.

1. Preparation of cheese-like foods (Examples 1 to 6, Comparative Examples 1 to 9)
Rennet casein, molten salt, organic acid, and water were mixed and thoroughly stirred in an emulsifying kettle to obtain the contents shown in Tables 1 to 3. The organic acid was added so that the pH after heating would be around 6. Solid oil was added and mixed, and then the mixture was heated to 80°C with stirring. The mixture was thoroughly cooled to obtain a cheese-like food product.

(Comparative Example 10)
Rennet casein, molten salt, and water were mixed and thoroughly stirred in an emulsifying kettle to obtain the contents shown in Table 3. After adding and mixing the solid oil, the mixture was heated with stirring, and when the temperature reached 60°C, lactic acid was added. Lactic acid was added so that the pH after heating would be around 6. The mixture was then heated to 80°C with stirring. After thoroughly cooling, a cheese-like food product was obtained.

(Comparative Example 11)
Rennet casein, molten salt, and water were mixed and thoroughly stirred in an emulsifying kettle to obtain the contents shown in Table 3. After adding and mixing the solid oil and fat, the mixture was heated with stirring, and when the temperature reached 80°C, lactic acid was added. Lactic acid was added so that the pH after heating would be around 6. After thorough mixing, the mixture was cooled to obtain a cheese-like food product.

2. Measurement of spinnability of cheese-like foods The cheese-like foods were heated and melted in a microwave oven at 600 W for 20 seconds, and the length of the stretched threads was measured. Five samples were measured for each and the average value was calculated. A larger value indicates better spinnability.

3. Measurement of Breaking Stress of Cheese-like Food The cheese-like food was cut into a 10 mm thick block, and the breaking stress at a penetration depth of 5 mm was measured using a rheometer (CR-500DX, manufactured by SUN SCIENTIFIC). Five samples were measured for each, and the average value was calculated. The larger the value, the better the elasticity.

The measurement results of spinnability and breaking stress for each example and comparative example are shown in Tables 1 to 3. It can be seen that the cheese-like foods of Examples 1 to 6, which use gluconic acid, glucono-delta-lactone, or malic acid as the organic acid, all have significantly improved spinnability compared to the cheese-like foods of Comparative Examples 1 to 11, which use other organic acids, and also have significantly improved elasticity (breaking stress).

Claims (2)

(A) rennet casein,
(B) a molten salt containing citrate and/or gluconate but not containing phosphates;
(C) an organic acid including gluconic acid and/or gluconodeltalactone, and (D) an oil or fat,
The content of the rennet casein (A) is 10 to 20% by mass based on the total amount of the cheese-like food,
the content of the molten salt (B) is 1 to 3% by mass based on the total amount of the cheese-like food;
the content of the organic acid (C) is an amount that makes the pH of the cheese-like food after heating 5.5 to 6.5 ;
The content of the oil/fat (D) is 20 to 40% by mass based on the total amount of the cheese-like food.
Cheese-like foods. (A) rennet casein,
(B) a molten salt containing citrate and/or gluconate but not containing phosphates;
(C) an organic acid including gluconic acid and/or gluconodeltalactone, and (D) an oil or fat,
The content of the rennet casein (A) is 10 to 20% by mass based on the total amount of the cheese-like food,
the content of the molten salt (B) is 1 to 3% by mass based on the total amount of the cheese-like food;
the content of the organic acid (C) is an amount that makes the pH of the cheese-like food after heating 5.5 to 6.5 ;
A method for producing a cheese-like food, comprising a step of mixing raw materials in which the content of the oil or fat (D) is 20 to 40 mass% based on the total amount of the cheese-like food.