Powdered soy sauce and method for producing same

Abstract

The present invention pertains to: a powdered soy sauce which contains soy sauce residues and has an average aspect ratio of 0.85-1; and a method for producing a powdered soy sauce, said method comprising a step in which soy sauce residues are added to a liquid soy sauce and then the liquid soy sauce is dried and powdered.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to powdered soy sauce and a method for producing the same. Background Art

[0002] In the past, soy sauce was mainly used in liquid form, but in recent years, a variety of powdered soy sauces have been developed and are now on the market. In the past, powdered soy sauce was used in instant noodle soup bases, but now it has expanded to powdered seasonings, frozen foods, processed meats, and other fields. Commercially available powdered soy sauce is mainly produced by drying and powdering liquid soy sauce by spray drying or other methods.

[0003] Powdered soy sauce has a problem of so-called heat-solidification, in which sugars and amino acids contained in the powdered soy sauce undergo Maillard reaction when heated to generate water and solidify. In addition, powdered soy sauce contains a large amount of hygroscopic components such as salt, sugar, and amino acids, so it has a problem of so-called hygroscopic solidification, in which it solidifies by absorbing moisture in the air.

[0004] In order to improve the above-mentioned coagulation property (heat coagulation property, hygroscopic coagulation property) of powdered soy sauce, various technologies have been proposed. For example, a method of increasing the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the powder and reducing the hygroscopicity by adding a large molecular weight carbohydrate such as maltodextrin is adopted (see non-patent documents 1 to 3). In addition, a method of adding a hygroscopic coagulation inhibitor such as low molecular weight potassium alginate, gelatin, dextrin or corn starch to soy sauce and powdering it is also known (see, for example, patent documents 1 to 5).

[0005] On the other hand, there is known a method of preventing solidification due to moisture absorption by adding and mixing wheat or corn fiber to seasoning foods containing salt or powdered flavoring compositions having high water absorption such as onions (see Patent Document 6).

[0006] In addition, powdered soy sauce obtained by adsorbing soy sauce on dried and pulverized soy sauce brewing lees and drying, pulverizing or granulating the mixture is disclosed (see Patent Document 7).

[0007] Prior art literature

[0008] Patent Literature

[0009] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-244711

[0010] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Publication No. 46-28839

[0011] Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent No. 2767679

[0012] Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent No. 3441219

[0013] Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-037440

[0014] Patent Document 6: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-84048

[0015] Patent Document 7: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 53-127898

[0016] Non-patent literature

[0017] Non-patent document 1: Sablani, SS, Shrestha, AK, Bhandari, BR (2008). Journal of Earth Engineering, 87, 416-421.

[0018] Non-patent document 2: Cai, YZ, Corke, H. (2000). Journal of Food Science, 65, 1248-1252.

[0019] Non-patent document 3: Ersus, S., Yurdagel, U. (2007). Journal of Food Engineering, 80, 805-812. Summary of the invention

[0020] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0021] However, the maltodextrins described in Non-Patent Documents 1 to 3 have the problem of increased hygroscopicity and stickiness when exposed to an environment with high relative humidity due to their non-crystalline nature, and are therefore insufficient for improving the anti-coagulation property of powdered soy sauce.

[0022] Furthermore, the powdered soy sauces described in Patent Documents 1 to 5, which are produced by adding low-molecular-weight potassium alginate, gelatin, dextrin, corn starch, or the like to soy sauce, also cannot sufficiently improve the anti-coagulation property.

[0023] On the other hand, the method described in Patent Document 6 for preventing solidification by adding cereal fiber to a highly hygroscopic powdered salt-containing composition does not describe powdered soy sauce, but is a technique for preventing solidification of a powdered flavor composition.

[0024] In addition, it is known that the powdered soy sauce described in Patent Document 7, which is produced by adsorbing soy sauce on dried and pulverized soy sauce lees, has agglomerates before drying, and needs to be stirred in small amounts each time in order to mix them uniformly, which requires time and effort for production and is therefore not suitable for commercial scale production. In addition, when powdered soy sauce is produced by drying and pulverizing, the particles are indefinite in shape, and therefore cannot exhibit the aspect ratio of the powdered soy sauce of the present invention described below, and cannot improve heat coagulation properties.

[0025] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a powdered soy sauce having sufficient resistance to solidification by heat and resistance to solidification by moisture absorption, and a method for producing the same.

[0026] Methods used to solve problems

[0027] The present inventors have conducted intensive studies to solve the above problems and have found that the above problems can be solved by powdered soy sauce containing soy sauce lees and having an average aspect ratio within a specific range. The present invention has been completed based on this finding.

[0028] That is, the present invention is as follows.

[0029] [1] A powdered soy sauce comprising soy sauce lees, wherein the average aspect ratio is 0.85 to 1.

[0030] [2] The powdered soy sauce according to [1], comprising 6.0 to 50% by mass of the soy sauce lees in terms of solid content relative to the powdered soy sauce.

[0031] [3] The powdered soy sauce according to [1] or [2] above, which is obtained by drying and powdering liquid soy sauce to which soy sauce lees has been added.

[0032] [4] A method for producing powdered soy sauce, comprising the steps of adding soy sauce lees to liquid soy sauce and then drying and powdering the liquid soy sauce.

[0033] Effects of the Invention

[0034] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a powdered soy sauce having sufficient resistance to heat solidification and resistance to moisture absorption solidification, and a method for producing the same. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Figure 1 This is a graph showing the solidification strength of the powdered soy sauce evaluated in Experimental Example 1 in the heat-curing test.

[0036] Figure 2 This is a graph showing the solidification strength of the powdered soy sauce evaluated in Experimental Example 1 in the moisture absorption solidification test.

[0037] Figure 3This is a microscopic photograph (100 times) of powdered soy sauce (Test Example 4) produced by adding powdered soy sauce lees to liquid soy sauce and then spray-drying in Experiment Example 1 and the like.

[0038] Figure 4 This is a microscopic photograph (magnification 100) of powdered soy sauce (Test Example 13) obtained by adding powdered soy sauce to powdered soy sauce lees in Experiment Example 3.

[0039] Figure 5 This is a microscopic photograph (magnification 100) of powdered soy sauce (Test Example 14) produced by adding liquid soy sauce to powdered soy sauce lees in Experiment Example 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The configuration and preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in more detail below. It should be noted that, in this specification, "A to B" indicating a range means "A or more and B or less". In addition, in this specification, "weight" and "mass" as well as "weight %" and "mass %" are treated as synonyms, respectively.

[0041] <Powdered soy sauce>

[0042] The powdered soy sauce of one embodiment of the present invention contains soy sauce lees, and the average aspect ratio is 0.85 to 1. The powdered soy sauce of this embodiment is based on the finding that by containing soy sauce lees, significantly good heat-resistance and moisture-resistance (hereinafter sometimes collectively referred to as resistance to condensation) can be obtained.

[0043] The reason why the powdered soy sauce of the present embodiment has good anti-caking property due to the inclusion of soy sauce lees is not clear, but it is speculated as follows. That is, it is speculated that the soy sauce lees contained in the powdered soy sauce is integrated with the soy sauce components to form particles as the powdered soy sauce, and the insoluble fibers and proteins in the soy sauce lees preferentially absorb moisture and reduce the influence of heating, thereby improving the anti-caking property of the powdered soy sauce.

[0044] In more detail, although the soy sauce dregs are integrated with the soy sauce components to form particles as powdered soy sauce, in the case of spherical particles with a high aspect ratio, the soy sauce dregs are particularly present in large quantities at the center. Furthermore, when the amount of moisture in the air or the amount of moisture generated by rapid Maillard reaction by heating increases, the moisture is first absorbed by the soy sauce dregs present in large quantities at the center of the particles, thereby slowing down the effect of water molecules on the soy sauce components on the surface of the particles. On the other hand, it is believed that in the case where the soy sauce dregs are not contained, water molecules are immediately adsorbed to the soy sauce components to dissolve them, and thus the solidification of the powdered soy sauce begins.

[0045] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the powdered soy sauce having the above-mentioned mechanism of action.

[0046] (Soy sauce)

[0047] As is well known, soy sauce lees are the lees left after the soy sauce is squeezed out by fermenting soybeans or the like as the main raw material with koji or the like in the soy sauce manufacturing process such as thick soy sauce, low-salt soy sauce, light soy sauce, tamari soy sauce, re-brewed soy sauce, and white soy sauce.

[0048] In the present invention, the soy sauce lees is preferably used in the form of powdered soy sauce lees. Hereinafter, the soy sauce lees used in the present invention will be described as being in the form of powdered soy sauce lees, but the present invention is not limited to the form of powdered soy sauce lees described below.

[0049] The powdered soy sauce glutinous rice can be obtained, for example, by sequentially performing the following steps (1) to (4).

[0050] (1) According to a general soy sauce manufacturing method, soy sauce koji is added to a mixture of steamed defatted soybeans and crushed roasted wheat to prepare soy sauce koji.

[0051] (2) Then, the soy sauce koji and salt water are mixed by a conventional method, and fermented and aged to produce soy sauce moromi.

[0052] (3) The soy sauce moromi is filled onto a filter cloth and the filter cloth is squeezed to obtain a liquid which is soy sauce. However, the solid matter remaining on the filter cloth at this time is soy sauce moromi.

[0053] (4) After drying the soy sauce lees to a moisture content of 14% by mass or less, preferably 3 to 8% by mass, the soy sauce lees is crushed to obtain powdered soy sauce lees. The method of drying and crushing the soy sauce lees is not particularly limited, and any conventionally known method can be used. For example, the soy sauce lees can be dried using a general commercially available dryer, and the soy sauce lees can also be crushed using a commercially available large-scale crusher. As a commercial large-scale crusher, for example, a high-speed crusher (HS-30 manufactured by Nakata Agricultural Machinery Co., Ltd.) can be used.

[0054] The powdered soy sauce lees preferably contains dietary fiber derived from soy sauce lees. Examples of dietary fiber derived from soy sauce lees include cellulose and lignin.

[0055] The powdered soy sauce lees preferably contains 1% by mass or more of dietary fiber, more preferably 5% by mass or more of dietary fiber, further preferably 15% by mass or more of dietary fiber, and particularly preferably 25% by mass or more of dietary fiber. By making the content of dietary fiber within the above range, a better anti-coagulation effect can be obtained. The upper limit of the content of dietary fiber is not particularly limited, for example, 45% by mass or less.

[0056] The powdered soy sauce glutinous rice may contain moisture, ash, protein, lipid, carbohydrate, salt, and other components in addition to dietary fiber.

[0057] The ash content in the powdered soy sauce lees is, for example, 3 to 20% by mass. Ash content refers to the amount of residue after the food is ashified at high temperature to remove organic matter and water, and examples thereof include minerals such as potassium, sodium, and iron.

[0058] The protein content in the powdered soy sauce lees is, for example, 20 to 60% by mass, or may be 20 to 45% by mass.

[0059] The fat content in the powdered soy sauce lees is, for example, 2 to 22% by mass, or may be 2 to 15% by mass.

[0060] The carbohydrate content (including dietary fiber) in the powdered soy sauce lees is, for example, 10 to 40% by mass. Examples of the carbohydrate (including dietary fiber) include cellulose and lignin.

[0061] The salt content in the powdered soy sauce lees is, for example, 2 to 25% by mass, or may be 5 to 25% by mass.

[0062] In addition to improving the anti-caking effect, the powdered soy sauce lees also has a function as an excipient. Therefore, the powdered soy sauce lees preferably accounts for 25 to 100% by mass of the excipients contained in the powdered soy sauce of the present invention, and more preferably accounts for 75 to 100% by mass. It should be noted that the powdered soy sauce lees can account for 100% by mass of the excipients contained in the powdered soy sauce of the present invention.

[0063] As excipients other than the powdered soy sauce lees, for example, various starches generally used in spray drying, chemical starches such as oxidized starch, dextrin, etc. can be used.

[0064] In addition, the powdered soy sauce lees preferably contain 6.0% by mass or more, more preferably 10% by mass or more, further preferably 15% by mass or more, and particularly preferably 20% by mass or more, in terms of solid content, relative to the powdered soy sauce of the present embodiment. When the powdered soy sauce of the embodiment contains the powdered soy sauce lees as described above, a better anti-caking effect can be obtained.

[0065] In addition, with respect to the powdered soy sauce lees, it is preferred that the powdered soy sauce of the present embodiment contains 50% by mass or less in terms of solid content, more preferably 35% by mass or less, and further preferably 25% by mass or less. The powdered soy sauce of the present embodiment contains the powdered soy sauce lees as described above, so that the flavor of the soy sauce is not damaged, and a good anti-coagulation effect can be obtained. It should be noted that when the amount of the excipient contained in the powdered soy sauce exceeds 50% by mass, the anti-coagulation property is very good, but the flavor of the soy sauce gradually weakens, and when it exceeds 58% by mass, the flavor of the soy sauce further weakens.

[0066] The powdered soy sauce lees preferably contain 6.0 to 50% by mass, more preferably 10 to 35% by mass, and particularly preferably 15 to 25% by mass in terms of solid content relative to the powdered soy sauce of the present embodiment.

[0067] The powdered soy sauce lees are not particularly limited, and for example, 80% by mass of the powder particles are distributed in the range of 15 to 112 μm and the median particle size is 40 to 120 μm. The median particle size refers to the particle size (D) at which the cumulative value of the particle size distribution obtained by the laser diffraction / scattering method is 50%. 50 ), for example, it can be measured using a laser diffraction / scattering particle size analyzer MT-3000 manufactured by Nikkiso Co., Ltd.

[0068] It is also believed that in the powdered soy sauce of the present embodiment, the powdered soy sauce dregs contained in the powdered soy sauce are integrated with the soy sauce components to form particles as powdered soy sauce, and the insoluble fibers and proteins in the soy sauce dregs preferentially absorb moisture and / or reduce the influence of heating, and it is speculated that the moisture absorption of the powdered soy sauce is suppressed, and the anti-consolidation property of the powdered soy sauce is significantly improved. Therefore, the aspect ratio of the particles of the powdered soy sauce of the present embodiment needs to be in a specific range, and the average value of the aspect ratio is 0.85 to 1, preferably 0.90 to 1, more preferably 0.95 to 1, and further preferably 0.97 to 1. The aspect ratio of the particles of the powdered soy sauce refers to the minor axis diameter (width) / major axis diameter (length) of the particles, and the average aspect ratio is determined by the following method.

[0069] Use a microscope to observe and photograph any area of ​​the powdered soy sauce, and arbitrarily select 50 particles from the obtained photos. For the selected 50 particles, use a vernier caliper to measure the minor axis diameter (width) and major axis diameter (length) of the particles, and calculate the aspect ratio of the particles of the powdered soy sauce. Then, the average aspect ratio of these 50 particles is obtained and used as the average aspect ratio of the particles of the powdered soy sauce.

[0070] <Method for producing powdered soy sauce>

[0071] A method for producing a powdered soy sauce according to one embodiment of the present invention includes the step of adding soy sauce lees, for example, powdered soy sauce lees, to liquid soy sauce and then drying and powdering the liquid soy sauce.

[0072] The method for producing powdered soy sauce of the present embodiment is based on the finding that by adding powdered soy sauce lees to liquid soy sauce and then performing a dry powdering treatment, the anti-coagulation property of the powdered soy sauce is significantly improved compared to the case where the powdered soy sauce lees is added after the dry powdering treatment.

[0073] Although the reason is not clear, it is considered that the powdered soy sauce lees contained in the powdered soy sauce are integrated with the soy sauce components to form particles as the powdered soy sauce. In other words, it is speculated that the moisture absorption of the powdered soy sauce is suppressed by the soy sauce lees contained in the powdered soy sauce lees being integrated with the soy sauce components to form particles as the powdered soy sauce.

[0074] In more detail, when powdered soy sauce dregs are added to liquid soy sauce and then dried and powdered, the soy sauce dregs and the soy sauce components are integrated to form particles as powdered soy sauce, but in the case of spherical particles with a high aspect ratio, a large amount of soy sauce dregs exists in the center. Moreover, when the amount of moisture in the air or the amount of moisture generated by rapid Maillard reaction by heating increases, the moisture is first absorbed by the soy sauce dregs existing in large quantities in the center of the particles, thereby slowing down the effect of water molecules on the soy sauce components on the surface of the particles, and it is speculated that the anti-coagulation property of the powdered soy sauce is improved. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to powdered soy sauce having the above-mentioned mechanism of action.

[0075] Liquid soy sauce is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include thick soy sauce, low-salt soy sauce, light soy sauce, simmered soy sauce, re-brewed soy sauce, and white soy sauce, etc. In addition, examples thereof include soy sauce in the process of being produced, raw soy sauce, and squeezed soy sauce.

[0076] As is well known, liquid soy sauce is produced by mixing steamed soybeans as a protein-containing raw material with roasted and cracked wheat, inoculating the mixture with a soy sauce koji mold and culturing the mixture to prepare soy sauce koji, adding an appropriate amount of salt water to the mixture to prepare a fermented mash, fermenting and maturing the mixture for a certain period of time to prepare a matured fermented mash, and finally pressing, filtering, heat-sterilizing (sterilizing), and clarifying the mixture.

[0077] In addition, examples of methods for producing low-salt soy sauce include: a method using salt water at a concentration so low that it can avoid corruption; a method using a combination of alcohol and brewing water to prevent corruption and using salt water at a lower concentration; a method for producing low-salt soy sauce by desalting soy sauce having a salt concentration of 15 to 18% by mass obtained by a conventional method by electrodialysis or membrane treatment; a method for replacing a portion of the salt in soy sauce with potassium chloride (KCl) (Japanese Patent Publication No. 38-6582, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 56-68372, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-87328); and a method for producing soy sauce by making the contents of aroma components and flavor components in the soy sauce within a specific range (International Publication No. 2011 / 034049).

[0078] The drying and powdering process can be carried out by a method commonly used in the art, such as spray drying, drum drying, freeze drying, etc. Among them, spray drying is preferred.

[0079] In the case of spray drying, the liquid soy sauce is absorbed by the water-insoluble soy sauce lees powder, and the liquid soy sauce is entangled with the surface of the soy sauce lees powder, and becomes round particles due to surface tension, and is dried directly. Therefore, the particles of the obtained powdered soy sauce are closer to spherical, and the above aspect ratio can be achieved.

[0080] As the apparatus used in spray drying, for example, there can be cited: a pressurized nozzle spray dryer, a two-fluid nozzle spray dryer, a rotating disk (disc atomizer) spray dryer, a spray drying and granulation combined dryer, etc. The spray drying conditions are the same as the spray drying conditions of the usual liquid soy sauce and can be appropriately determined. Specifically, for example, in a nozzle-type actual machine, it is preferred to pulverize under the conditions of an intake (inlet) temperature of 150 to 230°C, an outlet temperature of 85 to 130°C, and a feed rate of 500 to 2000 liters / hour.

[0081] In the method for producing powdered soy sauce of the present embodiment, except for the step of performing the drying and powdering treatment, the steps and conditions in the general method for producing soy sauce (for example, the step of preparing soy sauce koji (koji making), the step of preparing soy sauce mash (mixing soy sauce koji and salt water), the step of fermenting and aging the soy sauce mash, the step of pressing, etc.) can be followed.

[0082] The heat-resistant coagulation property of the powdered soy sauce of the present embodiment can be evaluated by the coagulation strength of the heated sample. In addition, the moisture absorption-resistant coagulation property of the powdered soy sauce of the present embodiment can be evaluated by the coagulation strength of the sample stored in a high humidity environment. Here, coagulation strength refers to the strength of the powder as an indicator of the coagulation difficulty of the powdered soy sauce, and can be expressed by the breaking load (breaking strength) measured under specific conditions using a rheometer (creep meter) after a prescribed treatment. The lower the numerical value of the coagulation strength, the more difficult it is for the powder to coagulate during storage, which means that the coagulation resistance is better.

[0083] Specifically, the powdered soy sauce of the present embodiment is preferably 200 g / mm in breaking strength (maximum load) measured by a rheometer using a cylindrical plunger having a diameter of 1 mm under the conditions of a measuring speed of 1 mm / sec and a strain rate of 50% after heat curing treatment (storage for 3 hours in an atmosphere adjusted to a temperature of 80°C and a relative humidity of 30%) or moisture curing treatment (storage for 3 hours in an atmosphere adjusted to a temperature of 30°C and a relative humidity of 80%). 2 Below, more preferably 120g / mm 2 Below, particularly preferably 50 g / mm 2 the following.

[0084] Example

[0085] The present invention will be further described in detail below by way of examples. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to these examples. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the "%" indicating the content ratio of each component is based on mass.

[0086] Experimental Example 1

[0087] <Production of powdered soy sauce lees>

[0088] The powdered soy sauce lees are produced using soy sauce lees obtained during the production of thick soy sauce.

[0089] Specifically, according to a general method for producing thick soy sauce, soy sauce koji is prepared by adding soy sauce koji to a mixture of steamed defatted soybeans and cracked roasted wheat.

[0090] Next, the soy sauce koji is mixed with salt water by a conventional method, and fermented and aged to produce soy sauce moromi.

[0091] When soy sauce is produced from moromi, the moromi is filled onto a filter cloth and the filter cloth is squeezed to obtain a liquid that is soy sauce. However, the solid matter that remains on the filter cloth at this time is moromi.

[0092] The soy sauce lees were dried until the water content was 4.0% or less, and then pulverized using a high-speed pulverizer (Retsch ZM1 manufactured by Nippon Seiki Co., Ltd.) to produce powdered soy sauce lees.

[0093] <Manufacturing of powdered soy sauce>

[0094] Separately, excipients were added to liquid thick soy sauce obtained by the same production method as the above-mentioned production method of powdered soy sauce lees to produce powdered soy sauces of Test Examples 1 to 6 and Comparative Example.

[0095] Specifically, an excipient containing oxidized starch and / or powdered soy sauce lees is added to 100 ml of liquid soy sauce (rich soy sauce, salt concentration 16% (w / v)) to give 10 g to 40 g (w / v), heated to 85° C., and dissolved and suspended while stirring. The mixing ratio of oxidized starch as an excipient to powdered soy sauce lees is any one of (1) 10:0, (2) 2.5:7.5, (3) 5:5, (4) 7.5:2.5, and (5) 0:10 in terms of the mass ratio of the former:the latter.

[0096] Next, each solution was spray dried using a Mobile Minor spray dryer (TM-2000 Model-A; manufactured by NIRO JAPAN) at an inlet temperature of 150 to 160°C and an outlet temperature of 90 to 95°C to obtain powdered soy sauces of Test Examples 1 to 6 and Comparative Example.

[0097] In addition, the powdered soy sauce without adding soy sauce lees of the comparative example was produced by directly spray-drying a mixed liquid in which 10% (w / v) of oxidized starch was added to liquid soy sauce by a spray drying method.

[0098] <Preparation of test samples>

[0099] Each powdered soy sauce (Comparative Example, Test Example) obtained above was applied on a petri dish (diameter 35 mm, depth 10 mm), and the surface was flattened by scraping with a spatula to prepare a test sample for evaluation.

[0100] <Test method>

[0101] Heat curing test: The test sample was stored in an atmosphere adjusted to a temperature of 80° C. and a relative humidity of 30% for 3 hours to perform a heat curing test.

[0102] · Hygroscopic curing test: The above test sample was stored in an atmosphere adjusted to a temperature of 30° C. and a relative humidity of 80% for 3 hours to perform a moisture absorption curing test.

[0103] (Consolidation strength)

[0104] As one of the evaluation methods of the anti-setting property, the setting strength (breaking strength) of the powdered soy sauce after the heat setting test and the moisture absorption setting test was measured.

[0105] Specifically, regarding the consolidation strength, the test samples subjected to the above-mentioned storage conditions were subjected to a rheometer (RHEONER II CREEP METER RE2-33005; manufactured by Yamaden Co., Ltd.) under the conditions of a load cell: for 2 kgf, a plunger: a cylindrical plunger with a contact surface diameter of 1 mm, a measuring speed: 1 mm / sec, and a measuring strain rate: 50% to measure the breaking strength (maximum breaking load: g / mm 2 ) and find the average value of 15 samples (5 places / 1 petri dish × 3 plates).

[0106] In addition, the evaluation of consolidation strength was performed according to the following indexes.

[0107] ◎:50g / mm 2 the following

[0108] ○: greater than 50g / mm 2 And 120g / mm 2 the following

[0109] △: greater than 120g / mm 2 And 200g / mm 2 the following

[0110] ×: more than 200g / mm2

[0111] △Averages above this level are considered qualified.

[0112] (Average value of aspect ratio)

[0113] The average value of the aspect ratio of the obtained powdered soy sauce was calculated as follows.

[0114] An arbitrary area of ​​each powdered soy sauce was observed and photographed using a microscope, and 50 particles were randomly selected from the obtained photographs. The minor axis diameter (width) and major axis diameter (length) of the selected 50 particles were measured using a vernier caliper to calculate the aspect ratio of the particles of the powdered soy sauce. Then, the average aspect ratio of the 50 particles was calculated and used as the average aspect ratio of the particles of the powdered soy sauce.

[0115] The results are shown in Tables 1, 2 and Figure 1 , 2 It should be noted that Figure 1 is a graph of the consolidation strength (heat curing test) shown in Table 1, Figure 2 It is a graph of the coagulation strength (moisture absorption solidification test) shown in Table 2. In Tables 1 and 2, the aspect ratio of the powdered soy sauce is "0.85-1", which means that the average aspect ratio of the powdered soy sauce is within the range of 0.85-1.

[0116] (Observation of surface and internal states)

[0117] As another method for evaluating the anti-caking property, a person in charge who is engaged in the production and development of powdered soy sauce and has professional knowledge evaluates the anti-caking strength by visually observing the surface and internal conditions of the test samples that have been subjected to the above-mentioned storage conditions. It should be noted that in the above-mentioned evaluation, each evaluation was considered before the evaluation to seek an average of the evaluation.

[0118] The above evaluation is carried out according to the following indicators.

[0119] [State of powder]

[0120] ◎: Powdery and dry from the surface to the inside (roughly the same as before the above storage)

[0121] ○: The surface is powdery and slightly moist, and the inside is powdery but has poor fluidity

[0122] △: The surface is slightly hard, but the inside is moist but the fluidity is poor

[0123] ×: Hard surface, slightly hard inside or not powdery, moist

[0124] 0 The above evaluations are considered qualified.

[0125] (Reference: Flavor of soy sauce)

[0126] As a reference test, the soy sauce flavor of each powdered soy sauce was evaluated. Specifically, it was necessary to fully feel the soy sauce flavor in the powdered soy sauce, so the person in charge who was engaged in the production and development of the powdered soy sauce and had professional knowledge tasted the test samples that had been stored under the above-mentioned conditions, and the presence or absence of the soy sauce flavor was evaluated according to the following indicators.

[0127] ◎: Has a strong soy sauce flavor.

[0128] ○: Has a soy sauce flavor.

[0129] △: The soy sauce flavor is slightly weak.

[0130] ×: Soy sauce flavor is weak.

[0131] The results are shown in Tables 1 and 2.

[0132] [Table 1]

[0133]

[0134] [Table 2]

[0135]

[0136] The results of the heat curing test showed that good anti-caking properties were obtained when the soy sauce lees content in the powdered soy sauce was 5% or more, and better anti-caking properties were obtained when the content was 11% or more. In addition, good anti-caking properties were obtained by mixing 25% or more of the powdered soy sauce lees in the liquid soy sauce, and better anti-caking properties were obtained by mixing 50% or more.

[0137] In addition, the results of the moisture absorption solidification test showed that good solidification resistance was obtained when the soy sauce lees content in the powdered soy sauce was 5% or more. In addition, good solidification resistance was obtained by mixing 25% or more of the powdered soy sauce lees in the liquid soy sauce.

[0138] Experimental Example 2

[0139] The test was conducted using only soy sauce lees as an excipient.

[0140] (Manufacturing of powdered soy sauce)

[0141] The powdered soy sauce lees obtained in Experimental Example 1 were added to the liquid soy sauce obtained in Experimental Example 1 so that the excipient content in the liquid soy sauce was 1% to 60% as described in Tables 3 and 4, and the powdered soy sauce was obtained by the spray drying method shown in Experimental Example 1.

[0142] Preparation of test samples, test methods, and evaluations were carried out in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1.

[0143] The results are shown in Tables 3 and 4. Test Examples 4 and 5 are respectively the same as Test Examples 4 and 5 of Experimental Example 1. In Tables 3 and 4, the aspect ratio of the powdered soy sauce is "0.85 to 1", which means that the average aspect ratio of the powdered soy sauce is within the range of 0.85 to 1.

[0144] [Table 3]

[0145]

[0146] [Table 4]

[0147]

[0148] In the heat curing test and the moisture absorption curing test, the powdered soy sauce produced by spray drying in which 1% (3% in the case of powdered soy sauce) or more of powdered soy sauce lees was contained in the liquid soy sauce had good coagulation strength.

[0149] When the amount of hydroxybenzoic acid is 40% or more in liquid soy sauce (52% or more in powdered soy sauce), the soy sauce flavor becomes weaker, and when the amount of hydroxybenzoic acid is 60% or more (62% or more in powdered soy sauce), the soy sauce flavor becomes further weaker.

[0150] Experimental Example 3

[0151] The anti-caking property of powdered soy sauce lees depending on the time of adding the powdered soy sauce lees was investigated.

[0152] [Powdered soy sauce made by adding soy sauce lees powder to liquid soy sauce and spray drying it]

[0153] The powdered soy sauce of Test Example 4 of Experimental Example 1 was used.

[0154] [Powdered soy sauce made by adding powdered soy sauce to powdered soy sauce lees]

[0155] A powdered soy sauce (Test Example 13) was used in which 21.5% of the powdered soy sauce lees obtained in Experimental Example 1 was added to a powdered soy sauce obtained by powdering thick soy sauce to which no excipient was added by spray drying.

[0156] [Powdered soy sauce made by adding liquid soy sauce to powdered soy sauce lees]

[0157] 500 mL of liquid soy sauce was slowly added to 0.2 kg of powdered soy sauce lees (the powdered soy sauce lees produced in Experimental Example 1) in a 1L stainless steel container kept at 60°C while stirring, thereby obtaining a mixture of powdered soy sauce lees and liquid soy sauce. The mixture was dried at 80°C for 1 hour and then pulverized with a high-speed pulverizer (Retsch ZM1, Nippon Seiki Seisakusho) to obtain powdered soy sauce (Test Example 14) in which liquid soy sauce was added to the powdered soy sauce lees. The moisture content of the obtained powdered soy sauce was 8%.

[0158] Preparation of test samples, test methods, and evaluations were carried out in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1.

[0159] The results are shown in Tables 5 and 6. Figure 3 The microscopic photograph of the powdered soy sauce of Test Example 4 is shown in Figure 4 The microscopic photograph of the powdered soy sauce of Test Example 13 is shown in Figure 5 A microscopic photograph of the powdered soy sauce of Test Example 14 is shown in FIG.

[0160] [Table 5]

[0161]

[0162] [Table 6]

[0163]

[0164] In Test Examples 13 and 14, the fluidity of the powder surface was poor in the heat curing test, and in the moisture absorption curing test, the test sample became a paste and the curing strength could not be measured by a rheometer. Good curing resistance was not obtained in both tests.

[0165] It was shown that in order to improve the resistance to solidification, it was necessary to add soy sauce lees to the liquid soy sauce before powderization and then powderize it.

[0166] It should be noted that if Figures 3 to 5 As shown in the photo, Test Example 4 ( Figure 3 ) of the powdered soy sauce was a round granular particle, and the lengths of the major axis diameter and the minor axis diameter could be accurately measured, but Figure 4 ) and Test Example 14( Figure 5 ) had irregular particles in powdered soy sauce, and the aspect ratio could not be measured. That is, it is believed that the soy sauce lees and the soy sauce components are integrated into a round particle shape, which contributes to the solidification stability.

[0167] Experimental Example 4

[0168] The effect of the difference in the type of soy sauce lees on the anti-caking property was confirmed.

[0169] (Method for producing soy sauce lees)

[0170] The various soy sauce lees were produced by filtering soy sauce moromi produced according to a general soy sauce production method through a filter cloth, and then drying the soy sauce lees remaining on the filter cloth at 80° C. for 1 hour.

[0171] [Soy sauce lees of thick soy sauce made from defatted soybeans]

[0172] To a mixture of 1.8 kg of commercially available defatted soybeans and 1.8 kg of crushed roasted wheat after steaming, Aspergillus sojae was added to make soy sauce koji, which was then mixed with 1.6 kg of brine and 8 L of water and fermented and aged for 6 months. The obtained mash was filtered with a filter cloth, and the soy sauce lees remaining on the filter cloth were dried to produce (Test Example 4).

[0173] [Soy sauce lees during the production of light soy sauce]

[0174] To a mixture of 1.8 kg of commercially available whole soybeans and 1.8 kg of crushed roasted wheat after steaming, soy sauce koji is added. After the soy sauce koji is prepared, it is mixed with 1.6 kg of brine and 8 L of water, and fermented and aged for 6 months. An appropriate amount of sweet sake is added to the obtained soy sauce mash, and then filtered with a filter cloth, and the soy sauce lees remaining on the filter cloth are dried to produce (Test Example 15).

[0175] [Soy sauce lees with a strong flavor of soy sauce made from whole soybeans]

[0176] To a mixture of 1.8 kg of commercially available whole soybeans and 1.8 kg of crushed roasted wheat after steaming, Aspergillus sojae was added to make soy sauce koji, which was then mixed with 1.6 kg of brine and 8 L of water and fermented and aged for 6 months. The obtained soy sauce mash was filtered with a filter cloth, and the soy sauce lees remaining on the filter cloth were dried to produce (Test Example 16).

[0177] (Method for producing powdered soy sauce)

[0178] The soy sauce lees after filtering various soy sauce moromi with filter cloth were dried at 80°C for 1 hour until the moisture content reached 4.0% or less, and then pulverized with a high-speed pulverizer (model name: Nippon Seiki Co., Ltd. Retsch ZM1) to produce powdered soy sauce lees from various soy sauce lees.

[0179] 10% (w / w) of various soy sauce lees were added to liquid thick soy sauce, and powdered soy sauce from various soy sauce lees was produced by spray drying.

[0180] Preparation of test samples, test methods, and evaluations were carried out in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1.

[0181] The results are shown in Tables 7 and 8. It should be noted that Comparative Example and Test Example 4 are the same as Comparative Example and Test Example 4 of Experimental Example 1, respectively.

[0182] [Table 7]

[0183]

[0184] [Table 8]

[0185]

[0186] In Test Examples 4, 15, and 16, the test results of the moisture absorption solidification test, the heat solidification test, the state of the powder, and the flavor of the soy sauce were all good. Therefore, a sufficient anti-solidification effect was confirmed regardless of the type of soy sauce lees.

[0187] In the above, various embodiments are described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but it is self-evident that the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person skilled in the art can think of various variations or modifications within the scope of the claims, and they are of course understood to belong to the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, the constituent elements in the above embodiments can be arbitrarily combined within the scope of the invention.

[0188] It should be noted that the present application is based on the Japanese patent application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-087924) filed on May 30, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A powdered soy sauce comprising soy sauce lees, wherein the average aspect ratio is 0.85 to 1.

2. The powdered soy sauce according to claim 1, wherein The soy sauce lees are contained in an amount of 6.0 to 50% by mass in terms of solid content relative to the powdered soy sauce. 3 . The powdered soy sauce according to claim 1 , which is obtained by drying and powdering liquid soy sauce to which soy sauce lees has been added.

4. A method for producing powdered soy sauce, comprising the steps of adding soy sauce lees to liquid soy sauce and then drying and powdering the liquid soy sauce.

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