JPS6018387B2 - How to store food in the refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a preservation method for improving the shelf life of foods stored in a refrigerator.

It is known that the shelf life of various foods is affected by high-temperature sterilization, freezing, refrigeration, etc., but high-temperature sterilization can be applied to fresh foods such as meat, vegetables, and fruits. Not only is this impossible, but the quality, flavor, and flavor may be altered.

On the other hand, cryopreservability is effective in suppressing the function of enzymes, the proliferation of microorganisms, and oxidation, and experiments have shown that the effect is remarkable when the storage temperature is -10°C or lower, but freezing can cause tissue destruction. However, there are drawbacks such as freezing denaturation such as discoloration and loss of flavor. Refrigerated storage methods, which do not involve freezing food, are the best in terms of minimizing denaturation of food composition, but have the serious drawback of rapid deterioration and a limited storage period. 0 The present inventors have conducted research into a preservation method that allows food to be preserved for a long period of time without freezing, that is, a refrigerated preservation method.As a result, the inventors have found that the refrigerated preservation method not only requires the setting of the storage temperature, but also changes in the storage temperature. It has been found that this promotes a decrease in freshness, and in particular, when temperature fluctuation exceeds 3°C, the storage period is significantly shortened.

Commercially available refrigerators can reach 5 degrees Celsius due to changes in outside temperature, opening and closing of the door, etc.
Because temperature fluctuations of ~10°C occur, the rate at which food spreads is fast. Furthermore, in conventional refrigerators, it is not possible to adjust the humidity, and the inside of the refrigerator becomes dry, which also has a negative effect.
In view of such analysis, the present inventors have developed a new method for refrigerated storage, in which the storage temperature is -1°C to 1°C and humidity is 60% to 100%, and a refrigerator that achieves these conditions has already been developed. Application has been filed (Tokukoshi Sho 55-1154 Iku No.)
.

According to this refrigerator, it is possible to suppress the self-digestion of animal foods, and to maintain the freshness, prevent discoloration, and stabilize the quality of other foods, thereby making it possible to significantly improve the shelf life.
However, as a result of further research, it was found that even with the refrigerator mentioned above, it is difficult to suppress the growth of microorganisms such as mold, yeast, and gram-negative bacteria. After death, autolysis causes protein decomposition, softening the flesh and causing loss of color and discoloration. Amino acids produced by protein decomposition encourage the growth of various bacteria, and unsaturated fatty acids from meat etc. This will lead to a strange odor. The color of animal foods can also change if they are stored at appropriate temperatures to maintain freshness.

For example, in tuna and beef, the muscle pigment myoglobin and the blood pigment hemoglobin undergo meth conversion, and the iron in the myoglobin molecule changes from divalent to trivalent, causing the meat color to change from bright red to brown. In addition, red fish such as sea bream, which has astacine pigment on its body surface, and red pigment carcinoid in salmon, etc., change color even during freezing due to the action of fatty acid converting enzymes, and like tuna and beef, their popularity decreases. In other words, pigments such as myoglobin, hemoglobin, astacin, and carcinoid change regardless of freshness, reducing commercial value. In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a method for preserving food in a refrigerator that can further improve the food preservation performance of the refrigerator, and is aimed at sterilizing or bacteriostasis of various microorganisms occurring in foods in the refrigerator. In order to maintain the freshness and color of food for a longer period of time, we aim to suppress oxidative effects that cause discoloration and rancidity of food, prevent rancidity of fats and oils contained in food, and prevent protein denaturation. Specifically, a quality stabilizer is prepared by mixing 0.02 to 5 parts by weight of an antioxidant reducing agent and 5 to 3 parts by weight of a metal ion sequestering protein denaturation inhibitor to 50 to 10 parts by weight of ethyl alcohol. It is characterized by being supplied to the space inside the refrigerator.

Ethyl alcohol is a vaporizable agent with bactericidal or bacteriostatic action and is the base of this quality stabilizer.Ethyl alcohol is a base for this quality stabilizer, and it is easy to smell when eaten. Determine the standard amount within the range. Antioxidant reducing agents literally prevent food from oxidizing and becoming rancid, but they also work to suppress oxidation, which causes discoloration. For example, L-ascorbic acid, L-ascorbic acid stearate, sodium L-ascorbate, erythorbic acid,
One or more of sodium erythorbate, L-tryptophan, tocopherol, vanillin, rutin, butylhedroxyanisole, and dibutylhydroxytoluene can be used. If the antioxidant reducing agent is less than 0.02 parts by weight based on 50 to 10 parts by weight of ethyl alcohol, it is difficult to achieve the purpose of preventing oxidation; The effectiveness of this method does not improve dramatically, and it is economically disadvantageous. The purpose of adding metal ion sequestering protein denaturation inhibitors is to stabilize the antioxidant-reducing agent and to inhibit protein decomposition and the accompanying bacterial growth.For example, sodium metaphosphate,
One or more of sodium pyrophosphate, sodium polyphosphate, and phytic acid is added and mixed in an amount of 5 to 3 parts by weight.

If the addition ratio is less than 5 parts by weight, the above purpose cannot be achieved, and if it exceeds 3 parts by weight, as with the antioxidant reducing agent,
It is economically disadvantageous considering the effect of addition. In addition, for foods that are prone to enzymatic decomposition such as seafood and livestock meat, add 1 to 10 parts by weight of Akatsuki Yoban to the quality stabilizer with the above composition.
When 1 to 2 parts by weight of sodium 5'-ribonucleotide is mixed, a better quality stabilizing effect can be obtained.

Kyoban is effective in maintaining the freshness of perishable foods by preserving their color. 1 part by weight is the minimum amount necessary to obtain this effect, and if this exceeds 1 part by weight, the freshness preservation effect will increase, but a significant increase cannot be expected and the cost will increase. .

Furthermore, sodium 5'-ribonucleotide, which is commonly used as a flavoring agent, was found to have the effect of inhibiting enzymatic decomposition. If the addition ratio is less than 1 part by weight, this purpose cannot be achieved, and if it exceeds 2 parts by weight, the enzymatic decomposition inhibiting effect is slightly improved, but no significant increase in effect can be expected. Therefore, in the present invention, the quality stabilizer having the above composition is supplied to the interior space of the refrigerator by an appropriate means.

For example, the quality stabilizer may be intermittently dispensed into the refrigerator interior space, or the quality stabilizer may be vaporized and supplied to the refrigerator interior space. As a result, the space inside the refrigerator is sterilized by being filled with the quality stabilizer, and the quality stabilizer also adheres to the food surface, inhibiting bacterial growth, oxidation, discoloration, and enzymatic decomposition on the food surface. As a whole, the shelf life of foods in the refrigerator can be significantly improved.
In addition, since the quality stabilizer is supplied into the space inside the refrigerator, it masks every corner of the food surface, causing the food to deteriorate locally and become hard to eat. In addition, when spraying a quality stabilizer into the inside space of a refrigerator, if a large amount of quality stabilizer is applied, the amount of the stabilizer will increase on the food, and depending on the type of food, the chemical odor will be absorbed and the flavor will be impaired. There is a risk.

Therefore, when using a quality stabilizer, it is preferable to distribute the quality stabilizer in the form of a fine mist so that even a small amount floats in the refrigerator space and spreads to every corner. In a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, the quality stabilizer is substantially vaporized and supplied to the interior space of the refrigerator. For example, in a refrigerator that supplies humidified air for humidity adjustment into the refrigerator compartment, a gaseous quality stabilizer is supplied to the interior space of the refrigerator along with the humidified air. Alternatively, in a normal refrigerator, the quality stabilizer may be naturally vaporized from a liquid receiving case provided in the food refrigerating chamber. The method of the present invention will be explained below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows the temperature inside the cooler box (food refrigerated room) 2 -1℃ to 1℃, and the humidity 60 to 10℃.
Said patent application No. 55-1154 which can be kept at 0%
This shows the refrigerator according to the patent application, in which the cooler pox 2 is placed inside the cooling chamber 1. The cooling chamber 1 is surrounded by an exterior box 3 made of a heat insulating material such as urethane, and the cooler box 2 is formed of a metal plate with good thermal conductivity into a rectangular tube shape with a bottom. One end of the cooler box 2 is opened for taking in and taking out food, and an inner lid 5 that can be opened and closed and an outer cover 6 composed of three insulation panels are provided at the entrance. A series of partition plates 7 are integrally provided on the outer periphery of the metal plate 4 constituting the cooler box 2 at required intervals by welding or other means. 8 3
A continuous spiral heat medium flow path 9 is formed from the inlet portion 9a to the outlet portion 9b. The inlet part 9a of the heat medium flow path 9 is connected to the chiller tank 12 through the supply pipe 10 and the pump 11, and the outlet part 9b is connected to the chiller tank 12 through the recovery pipe 13.

The heat medium in the chiller tank 12 is cooled to a predetermined temperature by the refrigerator 14, and is supplied to the heat medium flow path 9 via the pump 11 and the supply pipe 10. The supply pipe 10 is provided with a flow control valve or an electromagnetic on-off valve 15 that controls the flow rate of the heat medium, and this valve 15 is connected to the temperature sensor 1 in the cooler box 2.
Controlled by 6. When controlling the temperature in the cooler pox 2 between 0°C and 1°C, the heat medium is preferably cooled to 0°C to -300°C, particularly -2°C in the chiller tank 12.

Of course, if the temperature inside the cooler box 2 is higher than 0.degree. C., the flow rate of the thermal refrigerant is increased by the flow rate control valve or the electromagnetic on-off valve 15, and if it is lower, the flow rate is decreased. The above refrigerator 14
A part of the cooling pipe is led into the cooling chamber 1 and is disposed inside the outer box 3 as a bare tube cooler 17.

The temperature inside the cooling chamber 1 is between -2℃ and 2℃, especially between 0℃ and 1℃.
However, if the Freon medium cooled by the refrigerator 14 is passed through the bare tube cooler 17, the temperature inside the cooling chamber 1 can be maintained at -200 to 2°C.
18 is a thermostat that detects the temperature inside the cooling chamber 1;
Based on the detected temperature, a signal is given to the flow rate control solenoid valve 27 to control the flow rate of cold soot and maintain the temperature inside the cooling chamber 1 at a predetermined value.

Further, numeral 19 indicates a waterproof plate interposed between the inner wall of the exterior box 3 and the bare tube cooler 17. On the other hand, in the cooling chamber 1, an ultrasonic humidifier 20 is placed, and the high quality mist (1 to 5 microns) produced here is sent to a multi-blade fan 21 and a main duct 22.
, and is introduced into the box 2 via the humidifying port 23 of the cooler pox 2.

Reference numeral 24 denotes a humidified air outlet for discharging the humidified air circulating within the cooler box 2 into the cooling chamber 1, and a humidification regulator 25 is provided at this outlet 24.

The humidification regulator 25 detects the relative humidity of humid air at the outlet of the cooler box 2, and adjusts the relative humidity to a desired value, for example 60 to
Turn on the ultrasonic humidifier 20 to 100% - FF
Alternatively, the operating time of the ultrasonic humidifier 20 can be set using the timer 26.
controlled by. The ultrasonic humidifier 20 emits ultrasonic waves from the bottom of a spray water tank, and uses the water column and fine mist caused by cavitation pushed up to the water surface as a humidifying mist. Good quality fog of ~5 microns is obtained. However, cooler box 2
A vaporizing mixing pipe 31 having a quality stabilizer supply device 30 is removably installed in the humidifying opening 23, which is closed at the bottom.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, this vaporization mixing tube 31 has a flange 32 at its end that regulates the length of insertion into the opening 23, and also divides the tube into upper and lower parts at its diameter. A partition plate 33 is provided. Above quality stabilizer supply device 3
Kawama is provided corresponding to the upper part of this partition plate 33, and the flat box body 34 is joined to the mixing tube 31, while the lotus through hole 35 is formed in the mixing tube 31 located inside the box body 34. A hole is provided to communicate the inside of the box body 34 and the mixing pipe 31. The tip of the box body 34 is located within the mixing tube 31 . A water-absorbing material 36 made of absorbent cotton, various monkey materials, etc. is stored. Reference numeral 37 indicates a rhombus for taking the water-absorbing material 36 into and out of the box 34, and 38 indicates a silk strip stretched over the upper half of the mixing pipe 31 in correspondence with the front and rear end positions of the box 34.

In the present invention, the quality stabilizer is used, for example, by impregnating it into the water supply material 36.

Since the quality stabilizer vaporized from the water-absorbing material 36 is supplied into the cooler box together with the humidified air, it cooperates with the control of the temperature and humidity inside the cooler box 2 to exhibit excellent food preservation. In other words, in the refrigerator with the above configuration, the inside of the cooling chamber 1 is cooled to -200 to 200 degrees Celsius by the bare tube cooler 17. A heat medium of 0°C to -3°C is supplied to the heat medium flow path 9 around the box 2 via a chiller tank 12 and a supply pipe 10, and after this heat medium exchanges heat with the cooler pox wall surface, a recovery pipe 13 Since it is circulated to the chiller tank 12 via the flow rate control valve or on-off valve 15,
The temperature inside Coolax 2 can be maintained within the range of 0°C to 1°C. At the same time, humidified air is supplied from the ultrasonic humidifier 20 into the cooler box 2, and since this humidified air contains vaporized quality stabilizers, food
In particular, it can maintain the freshness of perishable foods much longer than with conventional refrigerators. Next, the preservation effect of the present invention using the humidifying refrigerator will be explained based on experimental results.

In this experiment, the temperature was kept at 0℃±1℃ and the humidity was kept at 80-95%, and the quality stabilizer (L-ascorbic acid 2
15 parts by weight of sodium metaphosphate, 5'
- A solution of 5 parts by weight of sodium ribonucleotide and 5 parts by weight of scale yoban dissolved in 30 parts of water and mixed with 100 parts of ethyl alcohol) as shown in the following table. Store the fresh foods shown in the product name column, store the same type of fresh foods in a humidified refrigerator at 0℃ and 1℃ (no quality stabilizer supplied), in a commercially available 0℃ to 7℃ refrigerator, or in a 0℃ to 1℃ refrigerator.
When stored in a refrigerator, the color, texture, spoilage (and strange taste), mold, slime,
This study investigated bacterial growth (bacterial growth). The judgment was made by a panel of 18 fresh food experts, including fishermen, meat packers, fresh food brokers, and cooks, and the consensus of 15 or more of them was ◎ (very good), 0 (good). , Δ (slight change), × (odd, bad taste, rotten), and ★ (occurrence of mold, slime, bacterial growth) were determined. The quality stabilizer is replenished and adsorbed to the water-absorbing material 36 as needed, but normally it takes approximately 7 to 7 hours depending on the frequency of food intake and removal.
It is enough to do it every ~10 days.

Furthermore, the silk material 38 inserted into the vaporization mixing pipe 31 is not necessarily necessary, and the quality stabilizer in the form of gas is not necessarily provided in the main duct 2.
A similar effect can be expected if it is mixed with humidified air somewhere in 2. First item name: Defrosted tuna ◎...Very good ○...Good △...Y) Change ×
…Browning, bad taste, rot ☆…Mold occurrence Table 2: Bonito ◎…Very good ○…Good △…Y〉Change ×
…Browning, bad taste, rot ☆～Mold occurrence 3rd list Product name: Raw tiger prawns◎…Very good ○River good △…Yago change×…
Discoloration, bad taste, putrefaction ☆…Fourth list of mold occurrence Product name: Horse mackerel ◎. ．． ．． Very good ○…Good Good △…Ya)
Change ×... Change in hem, bad taste, rot ☆... Mold occurrence 5th item name: Sea urchin ◎... Very good ○... Good △... Change in color ×
...Browning, bad taste, rot ☆...Mold occurrence No. 6 Item name: Tori shellfish ◎...Very good ○...Good △...Yan/×・
・・Browning, bad taste, rot ☆・Mold occurrence No. 7 Item name: Montoika ◎…Very good ○…Good △… N/,
×…Discoloration, bad taste, rot ☆…Mold occurrence No. 8 Item name: ◎・”Very good ○・”Good △River) Change×…Browning, bad taste, rot ☆…Mold Occurrence, 9th item name: Oyster shell ◎...Very good ○...Good △...Y) Change ×
...Browning, bad taste, rot ☆...Mold outbreak No. 10
Product name: Beef Meat ◎…Very good ○…Good △…Year change ×…Browning, bad taste, rot ☆…Mold 11th Product name: Poultry Meat ◎…Very good ○…Good Good △...ya) Change ×
...Browning, bad taste, rot ☆...Mold outbreak 12th
Product name: Pork ◎...Very good ○...Good △...Ya) Changes ×...Browning, bad taste, rot ☆...Mold outbreak No. 13
Product name: Han'ku-gu ◎...Very good ○...Good △...Yan change ×...Browning, bad taste, rot ☆...Mold first
4 Item name: Mushroom ◎...Very good ○...Good △...ya) Change x River browning, bad taste, rot ☆...Mold outbreak No. 15 Item name: Strawberry◎...Very good ○River good △...ya) Change ×
...Browning, bad taste, rot ☆...Mold outbreak No. 16
Product name: Broccoli ◎…Very good ○…Good △…Change in color ×
...Browning, bad taste, rot ☆...Mold or higher
The experimental results shown in Tables 1 to 16 will help you understand the superiority of the method of the present invention in maintaining freshness.

Furthermore, in the present invention, by using the above-mentioned quality stabilizer in a commercially available refrigerator, the storage period of stored foods can be shortened by 1.
．． It can be increased by 5 to 2 times.

5 to 7 show an embodiment suitable for use in a commercially available refrigerator. A lid body 40 is attached to one front side of a triangular prism-shaped pad case 40 with an open front through a hinge 41.
2 is pivotally mounted, and a vaporization hole 4 is provided at the bottom of this lid body 42.
3 is being threshed. Reference numeral 44 indicates a suction cup for attaching the pad case 40 to the wall surface of the food refrigerating compartment 45. Inside the pad case 40 is a liquid receiving case 4 that should hold a quality stabilizer.
A vaporizing tube 47 made of a water-absorbing material is housed in the liquid receiving case 46, and the quality stabilizer is adsorbed and held in this vaporizing tube. Also Pat case 4
There is a self-flow fan 4 on the inside of the top surface of 0 that rotates even with a slight airflow.
8 is pivoted. When the quality stabilizer is filled into the liquid receiving case 46 of the pad case 40, the quality stabilizer is absorbed into the vaporized pulp 47 and then gradually vaporized and rises, and the rising air current rotates the self-flow fan 48. For this reason, a gaseous quality stabilizer is supplied from the vaporization hole 43 into the food refrigerating compartment 45, thereby sterilizing or bacteriostasis of various microorganisms occurring in the food, and suppressing oxidation that causes discoloration and rancidity of the food. , prevention of protein denaturation, etc. Note that this latter embodiment can also be used in the humidifying cooler box shown in FIG.

In summary, according to the present invention, by supplying the quality stabilizer to the interior space of the refrigerator, the interior space of the refrigerator is filled with the quality stabilizer, the interior space of the refrigerator is sterilized, and a quantity of the quality stabilizer is supplied to the surface of the food. Since it masks the food, it is possible to suppress the progression of causes of deterioration of preservation, such as microbial proliferation, oxidation, and protein denaturation that occur in food, and further improve the food preservation performance of the refrigerator.

In addition, the preservation method of the present invention does not use a liquid agent directly on the food, but instead supplies the quality stabilizer, for example, to the refrigerator space by vaporizing it together with humidified air or alone, so that it is safe and does not impart a chemical odor to the food. Food preservation effects can be obtained quickly and reliably.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an example of a refrigerator to be used to carry out the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a vaporization mixing pipe used in the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line W-W in FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is a plan view showing another example of a vaporizer for quality stabilizers; FIG. The figure is a front view of the same, and FIG. 7 is a front view of the same with the conductor opened. 2,45...Food refrigerated room (cooler box), 20...
... Ultrasonic humidifier, 23 ... Sekiguchi for humidification,
30... Quality stabilizer supply device, 31...
Vaporization mixing tube, 46...liquid receiving case, 47...
...vaporizer cylinder. Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 1 Figure 6 Figure 7

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. 0.0 to 50 to 100 parts by weight of ethyl alcohol.
A method for preserving food in a refrigerator, which comprises supplying a quality stabilizer prepared by mixing 02 to 50 parts by weight of an antioxidant reducing agent and 5 to 30 parts by weight of a sequestering protein denaturation inhibitor into the refrigerator space. 2 In claim 1, 1 to 10 parts by weight of baked bean paste and 1 to 20 parts by weight of 5' are further added to the quality stabilizer.
- How to store foods in the refrigerator that are mixed with sodium ribonucleotide. 3 Preservation of food in a refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, in which the quality stabilizer is vaporized and the gaseous quality stabilizer is supplied into the food refrigeration chamber together with humidified air that is blown into the food refrigeration chamber. Method. 4. According to claim 1 or 2, a liquid receiving case for holding the quality stabilizer is provided, and the quality stabilizer in the liquid receiving case is vaporized and supplied to a food refrigerating compartment for preservation of food in a refrigerator. Method.