JPH0426829B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a method for producing vegetable juices. [Prior Art] Conventionally, vegetable juices are often produced by the following method. Remove unnecessary parts of vegetables. Wash with tap water, etc. Cut into small pieces with a chopper etc. Juice is extracted by compressing, squeezing, etc. The resulting juices are contaminated with bacteria that had been attached to the raw vegetables, and the pH is usually around 6, so they are extremely susceptible to spoilage. Therefore, in order to prevent spoilage and to improve the efficiency of the next heat sterilization treatment, an organic acid such as citric acid is immediately added to make the pH acidic to below 4.0. Heat sterilize (approximately 90℃, 5 to 60 minutes). Fill into containers and cool. However, the youth obtained by this method is
As a result of the above pH adjustment, the product has a strong sour taste and a unique odor, and the original flavor of the raw vegetables is significantly impaired. Therefore, the number of vegetables from which drinkable juice can be obtained by this method is extremely limited, and the vegetables that have been marketed as vegetable juices are originally from tomato juices, which have a strong acidity, or from other vegetable juices. It was only a small amount of mixture. [Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In view of the fact that the conventional vegetable juice production method has the above-mentioned drawbacks, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for producing delicious vegetable juice without impairing the original flavor of raw vegetables. The purpose is to provide a manufacturing method. [Means for Solving the Problems] The method for producing vegetable juices of the present invention, which has succeeded in achieving the above-mentioned object, involves soaking vegetables in water whose pH has been lowered to 4.0 or less with an organic acid, and then soaking the vegetables after the soaking treatment. Juice is squeezed and the resulting juice is subjected to heat sterilization treatment, or
It is characterized by performing both heat sterilization treatment and enzyme treatment for clarification. In this method, most of the germs attached to the vegetables are killed during the immersion treatment in water with a pH of 4.0 or below, and the contamination of the vegetables is prevented or significantly reduced. Organic acids for acidifying water for immersion treatment include citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, lactic acid, L-
Ascorbic acid and the like can be used. The appropriate immersion time is about 1 to 30 minutes, and the immersion time required for sterilization can be shortened by slightly heating it. After the soaking process, the organic acids adhering to the vegetables are easily washed away by regular washing with tap water. Therefore, the organic acid used in the soaking process does not have a negative effect on the properties and flavor of the juice obtained in the next juice extraction process. Note that in the case of vegetables with simple shapes, washing with water may be omitted and the adhering soaking liquid may be simply shaken off. Next, the juice is squeezed using a conventional method. That is, juice is obtained by compression and straining using a press, pulper, etc. Although the obtained youth has few germs as mentioned above, it is subjected to heat sterilization treatment as soon as possible. An appropriate heat sterilization method is 90℃10
This includes heating for 30 seconds or more at 135 degrees Celsius using a high-temperature flash sterilizer (UHT). As a result, vegetable juices that are sufficiently sterilized and have a good shelf life can be obtained. In addition, when clear fruit juice or vegetable juice is required, it has conventionally been common practice to treat it with an enzyme that has a clarifying effect such as pectinase, but the production method of the present invention also uses a treatment for clarifying. Enzyme treatment can be carried out at any stage after juice extraction, if necessary. [Example] Vegetable juice was produced from celery and six other vegetables by the following method. Remove parts unsuitable for youth production from raw vegetables and thoroughly wash with tap water. The washed vegetables are
After soaking in water acidified with citric acid, cut into pieces with a chopper. It is then pureed with a pulper and the resulting juice is sterilized by heating it to 90°C for 15 minutes. Fill sterilized youth into 250ml cans,
Cool to below 40℃. Part of the product is stored at room temperature and part is refrigerated. As a control example, juice is produced by squeezing the juice without immersion in acidic water, heat sterilizing the resulting juice with or without adding an organic acid, and filling it into cans. Immediately after filling the can, 3 days after storage at room temperature, and 1 month after refrigeration, the number of bacteria was checked, and a panel of 10 people evaluated the flavor after 1 month of refrigeration on a 7-point scale (very bad: -3 to very delicious: +3). Table 1 shows the results of the evaluation. The number of bacteria was determined by culturing the plate at 37° C. for 48 hours using a commercially available SPC medium and counting the number of colonies generated. In the table, ∞ is 1
×10 means ⁸ or more.

【table】

〔Effect of the invention〕

In the vegetable juice production method of the present invention, most of the germs are killed by immersing the vegetables in acidic water before the juice is squeezed, so the number of germs in the juice immediately after the juice is squeezed is extremely small. Therefore, even if organic acids are not added, there is no risk that the low acidity youth will spoil, and enzyme treatments for heat sterilization and clarification can be carried out with plenty of time. The final product, unlike those produced using conventional methods, does not contain any organic acids, so it does not have an unnatural sour taste or odor. Therefore, according to the present invention, vegetable juices with good flavor and shelf life can be easily produced using a wider variety of vegetables as raw materials than ever before.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Production of vegetable juices characterized by soaking vegetables in water whose pH has been adjusted to 4.0 or less with an organic acid, squeezing the juice from the vegetables after the soaking treatment, and heat-sterilizing the obtained juices. Law. 2. Vegetables are soaked in water whose pH has been lowered to 4.0 or less with an organic acid, the vegetables are washed with water after the soaking treatment, and the juice is squeezed. The juice obtained is then subjected to enzyme treatment and heat sterilization treatment for clarification. Characteristic method for producing vegetable juices.