JPH0475751B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

(Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a novel nut food and a method for producing the same, and specifically relates to subcritical or supercritical carbon dioxide (hereinafter referred to as CO ₂ ).
is used as an extractant to extract and remove astringency, off-taste, off-odor components, etc. from nuts at a desired ratio, and furthermore, through this treatment, it is possible to expand the nuts themselves. (Prior art and problems to be solved by the invention) Nuts are usually called shells or nuts, and are a general term for nuts such as walnuts, almonds, cashew nuts, macadamia nuts, plagill nuts, hazel nuts, and pine nuts. The seeds are rich in fat and have high nutritional value, making them edible. These nuts are used as they are or by roasting, stewing, or other processing methods in Japanese, Western, and Chinese cuisine, and are also used as snacks for sweets and alcoholic beverages. is astringent,
There are many products that have low quality evaluations because they contain a large amount of off-taste and odor components in their surface parts, or because the fat content contained in their surface parts has deteriorated. Nuts are generally chewy and have a hard texture, but recently, as people's tastes have diversified, there has been a tendency to prefer those with a soft texture. In addition, when nuts are used in combination with other foods or sweets, depending on the partner, nuts with a soft texture may be required, as hard nuts give a foreign body sensation. As yet, there was nothing that met that request. (Means for Solving the Problems) The present inventors have overcome the above-mentioned problems and have developed a new nut product that extracts and removes astringency, off-taste, and off-flavor components in an industrially advantageous manner, and at the same time improves the texture. As a result of intensive studies on the production method of nuts, we found that they can be easily extracted and removed by using subcritical or supercritical CO ₂ as an extractant, and that the nuts obtained by this process can be used to produce their own The inventors discovered that it is possible to expand the nut food while maintaining its shape, and that an unprecedented nut food can be obtained, leading to the completion of the present invention. In the present invention, CO ₂ in a subcritical or supercritical state is at a pressure of 50 to 500 Kg/cm ² , preferably
60~300Kg/ ^cm2 , temperature 25~100℃, preferably 25~
A temperature of 70°C is preferably used. Moreover, the extraction time is suitably 1 to 10 hours. In the present invention, the subcritical state is also referred to as a sub-critical or near-critical liquid state, and there is no uniform definition of it. However, according to common sense, 1.00
＞Temperature (T)/critical temperature (Tc)＞0.95 is considered to be universal. In _CO2 this is 30℃
Equivalent to ~16℃. This region is clearly not a supercritical region, nor is it simply a liquid phase region. This is the boundary region between the liquid phase region and the supercritical region, where large changes and fluctuations occur in physical properties, and it is a region that is extremely unstable and activated in terms of properties. It is now recognized as a remarkable area with a strikingly different appearance. Also, CO ₂ in the supercritical region is 31.0℃ and 72.9atm.
Because it has a density close to that of a liquid and a large diffusion coefficient close to that of a gas, various compounds can be extracted quickly and in large quantities, and the extractant can be easily separated. The pressure and temperature of CO ₂ may be appropriately selected within the above range depending on the type of nuts used as raw materials or the degree of extraction of astringency, off-taste, off-odor components, etc. In particular, regarding the pressurization time, in order to obtain the desired swelling degree of the nut food of the present invention,
The length may be increased or shortened as appropriate, and when releasing the pressure in the extraction tank, the pressure is returned to normal pressure in stages while maintaining the temperature at the time of extraction and so as not to destroy the original shape of the nut food due to sudden pressure release. It is effective to do so. In the present invention, off-taste and off-odor components are a general term for things such as astringent taste, oxidized odor, and mold odor. The present invention may be carried out by conventional methods. For example, CO ₂ compressed to a predetermined pressure is first heated to a predetermined extraction temperature and brought into a subcritical or supercritical state and introduced into the lower part of the extraction tank. Raw materials such as nuts are placed in the extraction tank in advance, and after extraction with CO ₂ , the pressure of the CO ₂ containing the extraction target is reduced through a pressure reducing valve and led to a separator, where the extract is separated from the CO ₂ . . The CO ₂ separated from the extract is cooled in a condenser, liquefied, recompressed and recycled. (Function) CO ₂ in a subcritical or supercritical state has a density close to that of a liquid and a large diffusion coefficient close to that of a gas, and because of these characteristics, it can quickly and efficiently extract various compounds, especially oily substances, in large quantities. can. However, if the pressure and temperature are too low, the CO ₂ becomes liquefied, which reduces the extraction capacity, and if the pressure and temperature are too high, the equipment cost increases, causing problems in economic efficiency, and depressurization takes a long time. This is disadvantageous in industrial practice, as oil and flavor components, which are the active ingredients in nuts, dissolve in CO ₂ and are released at the same time as the pressure is reduced. The components that give nuts such as astringency and off-taste mainly exist in the surface layer of nuts, but when these are extracted and removed according to the present invention, over time they are gradually removed from the surface layer of the raw material. Since it is thought that the extraction action progresses towards the inside, the degree of extraction is appropriately controlled by experimentally determining the extraction conditions. In addition, the reason why the raw material nuts are swollen to an appropriate degree by this method is that CO ₂ in a subcritical or supercritical state enters the raw material structure during the extraction and removal, and eventually gas is released. This is thought to be due to the volume expansion of CO ₂ when _the pressure is reduced to . (Example) The present invention will be explained in further detail by referring to Examples below. Example 1 1000g of raw almond beans was put into two extraction tanks,
Extraction was performed for 3 hours using CO ₂ as an extractant at a pressure of 220 Kg/cm ² and a temperature of 43°C, and the product was separated at room temperature and atmospheric pressure.
The amount removed by extraction was 12.1 g. The temperature inside the extraction tank
While maintaining the temperature at 43°C, the pressure in the extraction tank was gradually lowered to atmospheric pressure to obtain defatted raw almond beans. After this treatment, the raw almond beans did not lose their original shape, but the surface part swelled and became soft. In addition, the raw almond beans were subsequently roasted in a conventional manner and a sensory test was conducted on the flavor. The results are shown in Table 1. Table 1 shows the average values of the flavor and texture evaluations of the products of the present invention and the control products (untreated products) by a panel of 20 in-house experts through sensory tests.

【table】

[Table] According to the above table, the food texture obtained by the method of the present invention is said to be significantly softer, and the flavor obtained by the method of the present invention is also evaluated to be higher. Example 2 920g of Brazilian nut raw beans were placed in two extraction tanks, and extracted for 3 hours using _CO2 at a pressure of 240Kg/cm ² and a temperature of 46°C as an extractant, and separated at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. It was 15.3g. Brazil nut raw beans were obtained by the same vacuum operation in the extraction tank as in Example 1. The original shape of the treated Brazilian nut green beans remained intact, and the surface portions were swollen and soft, as in Example 1. In addition, a sensory test was conducted by a panel of 20 in-house experts regarding the flavor and texture of the processed Brazilian nut green beans. Table 2 shows the results as average values.

[Table] According to the above table, it can be seen that the food prepared by the method of the present invention is significantly preferred in both flavor and texture. Example 3 The almonds obtained in Example 1 were roasted in a conventional manner and then crushed to 1/4 to 1/8 size to prepare fine almond granules. These fine almond granules are mixed into the tempered Chiyocolate dough at a weight ratio of Chiyocolate dough: Almonds = 9:1, stirred with a mixer, and then depressurized with a freeze dryer to expand the Chiyocolate and cooled at the same time. The Chiyokolate portion was solidified to create a bubble-filled Chiyocolate. Comparative Example 1 Instead of using the almonds obtained in Example 1, untreated regular almonds were used to prepare an aerated tyokolate in the same manner as above.
A sensory test was conducted on the almond-containing chiyocolate confectionery prepared in Example 3 and Comparative Example 1 by a panel of 20 in-house experts. Table 3 shows the results as average values.

[Table] According to the above table, there was a tendency for the products prepared by the method of the present invention to be preferred in both flavor and texture, and the results were particularly remarkable in terms of texture. (Effects of the Invention) The method of the present invention provides the following excellent effects. (1) The quality of nuts can be improved simply by extracting and removing astringent, off-taste, and off-flavor components using CO ₂ in a subcritical or supercritical state as an extractant, and furthermore, these raw materials themselves can be expanded to create an unprecedented and excellent product. It has become possible to use it as a nut food with a new quality, such as snacks, or as a new material for confectionery such as snacks, desserts, and foods. In this process, separation from the extractant is easy due to slight changes in pressure and temperature, and
It is safe and hygienic, as it can be processed at relatively low temperatures in an inert atmosphere, and can be expected to have a bacteriostatic or sterilizing effect due to _CO2 .
It offers many advantages such as easy handling and efficient lipid separation.
Therefore, it is the most suitable method for extracting and removing astringency, off-taste, off-odor components, etc. from nuts, and for puffing. (2) It is possible to extract and remove unnecessary components at relatively low temperatures in an inert atmosphere, and there is no problem with residual organic solvents, making it safe and hygienic, and does not involve deterioration of raw materials. (3) It is also possible to remove unnecessary components without destroying the original form of the raw material.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In the extraction tank containing nuts, the pressure is 220
Nuts characterized by being obtained by extracting with carbon dioxide at a temperature of about 43 to 46°C at a temperature of about 43 to 46°C ^for about 3 hours, and then gradually returning the pressure to normal pressure while maintaining the temperature. food. 2 Pressure 220 in the extraction tank containing nuts
A method for producing a nut food, ^which comprises extracting with carbon dioxide at a temperature of about 43 to 46° C. at a temperature of about 43 to 46° C. for about 3 hours, and then gradually returning the pressure to normal pressure while maintaining the temperature.