JPH0517824B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention provides a method for producing calcium-enriched aseptic tofu,
More specifically, a calcium hydroxide-sucrose complex, which has never been used as a coagulant for tofu, is newly used as a coagulant for tofu, and calcium lactate is also used as a calcium reinforcing agent.
Calcium-fortified with a large amount of calcium, which has excellent long-term storage stability, structure, flavor, and texture, and is composed of calcium derived from a calcium complex as a coagulant and calcium derived from calcium lactate as a calcium reinforcing agent. Concerning a method for producing sterile tofu.

[Prior art]

In the past, the coagulant for tofu used was calcium sulfate or a mixture of magnesium chloride, magnesium sulfate, etc., but recently glucono delta-lactone (hereinafter abbreviated as "GDL") has been used as a coagulant. ), so-called bagged tofu or blown tofu began to be produced. However, these known tofus are insufficiently sterilized and cannot be stored for long periods of time.

Therefore, in order to improve this point, soy milk was added.
A method for producing aseptic tofu in containers was developed by sterilizing it using the VTIS or UHT method, adding a coagulant (GDL) under aseptic conditions, aseptic blow molding, filling and sealing, and then heating and coagulating it (Tokuko Sho). 56−
23574, Special Publication No. 56-23577). Additionally, a method was developed in which a coagulant (GDL) was added continuously in proportion to the above method (Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-39865).

However, these prior art methods use a coagulant (GDL) that has the property of coagulating soy milk by heating, so if it is added to soy milk before sterilization using VTIS or UHT methods, sterilization will occur. These conventional coagulants cannot be added to soymilk before the sterilization process, as it would be theoretically possible to coagulate it due to the heat of the soybean milk. Therefore, in the above-mentioned prior art documents, for example, in the claim (b) of Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-23574, the target to which the coagulant is added is "the sterilized soymilk", and the sterilized soybean milk is It is specified that a coagulant is added afterwards.

However, adding a large amount of coagulant after sterilization in this way tends to cause problems in aseptic control of the process, and a sterilizing filtration device such as a Millipore filter is required as described in the above-mentioned known literature.

In addition, in the current diet where calcium intake is decreasing, it is recommended to fortify various foods with calcium, and soybean products such as soy milk and tofu are also one of the foods for which calcium fortification is desired. As for soymilk, there is a known method of producing calcium-fortified soymilk by adding calcium gluconate, calcium hydroxide, etc. during the preparation of soymilk (Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-50549, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 52-90662). Publication, JP-A-53-96356,
(Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 133669/1983).

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, only GDL is specifically disclosed as a coagulant for producing aseptic tofu, and there is no suggestion at all about calcium enrichment in aseptic tofu. Even if an attempt is made to strengthen calcium by adding a large amount of a coagulant consisting of a calcium salt other than GDL after the sterilization process in aseptic tofu production, for example, calcium sulfate, which has traditionally been used, has a low solubility in water, so a large amount of coagulant is added. Addition is technically difficult;
Calcium chloride is not preferred because it causes uneven coagulation and reduces flavor.

However, although water-soluble calcium salts such as calcium lactate can be added in large quantities after sterilization, the lactic acid moiety in the molecule of calcium lactate has a large weight, so this salt cannot be used for the purpose of calcium fortification. Must be used in large quantities. In this case, the resulting bitter taste and other off-flavors remain and the flavor is significantly deteriorated and reduced. Moreover, since calcium lactate is expensive, the cost of the resulting product is also very problematic.

In this way, when producing aseptic tofu, flavor,
Not only from a cost perspective, but also from a quality perspective,
Adding a large amount of calcium was extremely difficult.

[Means to solve the problem]

The present invention was made in order to solve these drawbacks all at once, and it is possible to avoid sterilization by adding a large amount of calcium-containing coagulant in the process before sterilization, without reducing the flavor and at low cost. This was done in order to develop a completely new coagulation and calcium reinforcement system which can be fully satisfied with the purpose of calcium reinforcement by further adding a calcium reinforcement agent.

In order to achieve this goal, we investigated various aspects and found that the coagulation mechanism is different from conventionally known coagulants, does not coagulate soybean milk during sterilization, and can change the state of soybean milk with simple operations after sterilization. It was concluded that it is necessary to develop a coagulant that can achieve a coagulated state.

Therefore, we screened various calcium compounds in search of a material that would strengthen the soybean milk and coagulate it without impairing the heat resistance of the soybean milk, but to no avail.We then focused on complexes and repeated our research. As a result, a calcium hydroxide-sucrose complex was found among the complexes of calcium hydroxide and sugar. We discovered that by using this as a coagulant and also using calcium lactate as a calcium reinforcing agent, it is possible to overcome the problems of the conventional technology and produce aseptic tofu that fully satisfies the purpose of calcium enrichment. Obtained. Based on this knowledge, we examined more detailed processing conditions, and found that
This is where the present invention was completed.

That is, the present invention relates to a method for producing calcium-enriched aseptic tofu, which uses a calcium hydroxide-sucrose complex as a novel coagulant, and also uses calcium lactate as a calcium reinforcing agent in combination with this complex. .

The calcium hydroxide-sucrose complex itself is a known substance (Journal of the Chemical Society of Japan, 1972, No. 12,
(p. 2287-2291), it is unknown whether this can be applied to food, and even more so, there has been no suggestion of its use as a coagulant for tofu. In other words, the application of this composite to a coagulant is a novel one that has not been described in any literature. As described above, the present invention has newly developed a novel use of the composite as a coagulant, and the present invention should be highly evaluated based on this point alone. As will be described later, the coagulation mechanism of the complex f is a new one that is completely different from conventionally known ones, and it produces tofu that is extremely soft and has an excellent flavor (hereinafter, the meaning of distinguishing this from conventional coagulation will be explained). The present invention will also be highly evaluated in terms of the development of a completely new type of coagulant that was previously unknown.

In carrying out the present invention, a calcium hydroxide-sucrose complex is added to soymilk produced by a conventional method, and if necessary, magnesium sulfate and/or salt may be added to improve firmness and flavor. It's okay. Since the pH of the mixture thus obtained is tilted toward the alkaline side, the pH is adjusted to around 7.0 using an aqueous solution of an organic acid such as citric acid.

Therefore, ultra-high temperature sterilization is performed. For this purpose, various systems can be used freely, for example, VTIS system etc.
It is best to process for about 60 seconds. If necessary,
Magnesium sulfate and salt may be added after sterilization. This sterilization process kills all fungi, including spores, contained in soybean milk, calcium hydroxide-sucrose complexes, etc., rendering them sterile and imparting preservability.

In the present invention, calcium hydroxide-sucrose complex is used as a novel coagulant, so
It is fundamentally different from conventional heat-coagulating coagulants such as GDL, calcium sulfate, and calcium chloride.
It is truly revolutionary in that it does not coagulate even during the above-mentioned high temperature sterilization process.

Next, an aqueous solution of calcium lactate and an aqueous organic acid solution as a calcium reinforcing agent are added to the sterilized mixed solution under known aseptic conditions such as in an aseptic room to reinforce calcium and adjust the pH to the acidic side.

The total amount of calcium hydroxide-sucrose complex and calcium lactate as calcium components is 50 to 100 mg% in terms of calcium in the product.
If it is less than 50mg%, the product curd will be weak and undesirable;
Exceeding this is not preferable because the product undergoes a lot of syneresis and the structure becomes coarse. Further, the amount of calcium lactate added in the calcium component is preferably 15 to 30 mg% in terms of calcium in the product,
If it is less than 15mg, the card of the product will be a little soft, and the
If it exceeds mg%, the flavor and texture will deteriorate, which is not preferable.

The pH adjustment value after sterilization is 5.7 to 5.9.
If it is less than that, the soybean milk will become thicker and workability will be deteriorated, and the gel structure will become rough and syneresis will increase. If it is more than that, the structure will become soft, which is not preferable. As the organic acid, any organic acid can be used alone or in combination as long as it does not adversely affect the raw materials, products, and coagulation process. Organic acids include citric acid, gluconic acid, malic acid,
Examples include fumaric acid and ascorbic acid. Among these, citric acid or ascorbic acid is particularly preferred from the viewpoint of taste and the like. Since natural fruit juices generally contain abundant amounts of the above-mentioned acids, they can be substituted with these acids, and various flavorings can be made. Acidic fruit juice lowers the pH of soymilk and causes protein precipitation, so it was difficult with conventional methods to add enough juice to fully develop the flavor, but the production method of the present invention does not change the production process. It is possible.

After adjusting the pH, the container is filled and sealed using known equipment such as an aseptic filling machine. Then, the tofu is heat-treated for 20 to 60 minutes by a known method such as using a heating coagulation tank at 75 to 95°C to coagulate the tofu product.

One of the important points of the present invention is to use a calcium hydroxide-sucrose complex as a novel coagulant. The coagulation mechanism is fundamentally different, and it is possible to obtain tofu with a completely new structure that is extremely soft and creamy, and has an excellent flavor. The new structure shown here is not only shown as a result of a sensory test, but also as shown in the schematic diagram in Figure 1, when protein particles are heated in the presence of a large amount of calcium, several particle groups are formed. This can be explained by the fact that the particles form aggregated flocs, and this particle group forms a loose lattice structure with large intervals (Reference J. Food Sci 43, 79 (1978). As can be seen in the schematic diagram in Figure 2, tofu protein prepared using the conventional method has a very dense structure in which several protein particles are not assembled in advance, but are individually bonded at narrow intervals. , it is presumed that this makes the tissue hard and does not become soft.

The details of the mechanism will have to be studied in the future, but the calcium hydroxide-sucrose complex
Under high temperature sterilization conditions near neutrality, calcium is in the form of a chelate compound and is not ionized, making it difficult to react with proteins, resulting in destabilization of proteins in the presence of calcium. Deterioration of heat resistance is avoided. Next, when the pH is lowered, the complex is destroyed and calcium is ionized at this stage, where it comes into contact with proteins, causing protein coagulation, and it is presumed that a phenomenon called coagulation occurs.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, in the present invention, by using a calcium complex as a novel coagulant, we can industrially produce sterile tofu that is creamy and has an excellent flavor and has an extremely soft and mild texture that has never been seen before. It can be produced in an advantageous manner. Moreover, by using calcium lactate as a calcium supplement, it is possible to improve
It is also possible to fortify foods with calcium five times as much, and the present invention can achieve the remarkable effects of calcium fortification, imparting a soft and creamy flavor, low cost, and long-term storage all at once. be.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to Examples.

Example 24Kg of calcium hydroxide-sucrose complex solution and 30Kg of 10% salt solution were added to 2400Kg of soymilk, and then 10Kg of calcium hydroxide-sucrose complex solution was added to this.
% citric acid aqueous solution and 200 kg of water were added and mixed. The pH after mixing was 7.0.

Then, using the VTIS device manufactured by Alfa Arraval
High-temperature sterilization was performed by VTIS treatment at 140°C for 30 seconds, followed by cooling. Next, 5 to this
A mixed solution of 60 kg of % calcium lactate aqueous solution, 65 kg of 10% citric acid aqueous solution, and 200 kg of water was added under aseptic conditions.
The pH at that time was 5.8. Then, 6.0 kg of water was added.

Next, the tofu was filled and sealed aseptically in a conventional manner using a Tetrabrik aseptic device, and then placed in a heated coagulation tank and treated at 85°C for 40 minutes to coagulate to obtain product tofu. The obtained tofu had a mild and creamy texture, and was excellent with little syneresis. In addition, the mechanism equivalent amount in the product is 90mg, including 30mg% of soy milk-derived content and 60mg% of calcium hydroxide-sucrose complex and calcium lactate additives.
%, making it an outstanding calcium-fortified food.

The composition of the soy milk used here is: total solids: 12.0%, protein: 5.8%, calcium:
30mg% and also calcium hydroxide
Sucrose complex solution contains 1.67Kg of calcium hydroxide and sucrose
7.66 kg of water was dissolved in 14.67 kg of water and mixed with stirring.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a coagulation protein according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a coagulation protein according to a conventional method.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. After adding a calcium hydroxide-sucrose complex to soymilk as a coagulant, it is heat sterilized, then calcium lactate is added as a calcium reinforcing agent, and its pH is adjusted to the acidic side, and the product is packed in a container. A method for producing calcium-enriched aseptic tofu, which comprises filling the container aseptically, sealing the container, and heating and coagulating the container. 2. The method for producing calcium-enriched aseptic tofu according to claim 1, wherein the total amount of calcium hydroxide-sucrose complex and calcium lactate added is 50 to 100 mg% in terms of calcium in the product. 3. The method for producing calcium-enriched aseptic tofu according to claim 2, wherein the amount of calcium lactate added is 15 to 30 mg% in terms of calcium in the product. 4. The method for producing calcium-enriched sterile tofu according to claim 1, wherein the adjusted pH is 5.7 to 5.9. 5. The method for producing calcium-enriched aseptic tofu according to claim 1, characterized in that the pH is adjusted by adding an organic acid aseptically. 6. The method for producing calcium-enriched aseptic tofu according to claim 1, wherein the organic acid is citric acid or ascorbic acid. 7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that citric acid or ascorbic acid as the organic acid is added in the form of natural fruit juice.