Fat mass composition, fat mass mixture, substitute meat, and method for producing fat mass composition

Abstract

Provided is a fat mass composition which contains a granular body that contains an oil or fat and an edible ionically-crosslinkable polymer that is crosslinked by a cation, and which is characterized in that: in at least one cross-section that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction; when the length of the line having the largest length between the two points is defined as b and the length of the line having the largest length among lines perpendicular to the line having the largest length between the two points is defined as a, b / a is 2.00 or more, and a is a.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to fat nugget compositions, fat nugget mixtures, meat substitutes, and methods of making fat nugget compositions. Background Art

[0002] Livestock meat is a food consumed in large quantities around the world. However, from the perspective of maintaining health, attempts are being made to control the intake of livestock meat and consume meat-like foods made from plant-based proteins such as soybeans (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "alternative meat") as raw materials.

[0003] Therefore, in recent years, attempts have been made to make the taste of substitute meat closer to that of livestock meat. For example, in the Japanese Patent Gazette No. 2-41315, it was proposed that "a method for producing a meat-like food, characterized in that an O / W emulsion is mixed with a fibrous protein and a binder in such a way that the O / W emulsion accounts for 5 to 50% by weight of the entire meat-like food, and the mixture is formed and heated. The O / W emulsion has a compressed oil separation rate of more than 15%, and contains (a) protein, (b) fat and (c) water as main components, and the weight composition ratio thereof is a:b:c=1:7 to 40:1 to 20. The fibrous protein is obtained by kneading a substance containing plant protein with water, applying shear stress in a heated state to orient it, and then defibrillating it." Summary of the invention

[0004] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0005] Alternative meats currently available on the market are alternative meats that do not look like livestock meat before cooking, or minced meat that looks like livestock meat (meat that is minced with a meat grinder or the like to make shredded meat). However, there is a high demand for raw meat in the form of blocks (block meat; the same applies hereinafter). Therefore, from the perspective of the increasing demand for alternative meats, there is a demand for alternative meats that have an appearance similar to block meat.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a fat block composition, a fat block mixture, and a method for producing a fat block composition that can produce a meat substitute having an appearance similar to meat blocks.

[0007] Another object of the embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a meat substitute having an appearance similar to that of a piece of meat.

[0008] Means for solving problems

[0009] The present disclosure includes the following aspects.

[0010] <1> A fat block composition comprising:

[0011] Granular bodies containing fats and oils, and

[0012] Edible ionically crosslinked polymers crosslinked by cations,

[0013] In at least one of the cross sections perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fat block composition, when b is the length of a line between two points at which the length is the maximum and a is the length of a line perpendicular to the line at which the length between the two points is the maximum, b / a is greater than 2.00.

[0014] <2> The fat block composition according to <1> above, wherein, when the length of the fat block composition in the longitudinal direction is c, c / b is 2.00 or more.

[0015] <3> The fat block composition according to <2> above, wherein the length c is 10.0 mm to 100.0 mm.

[0016] <4> The fat block composition according to any one of <1> to <3>, wherein the length a is 0.5 mm to 8.0 mm.

[0017] <5> The fat block composition according to any one of <1> to <4>, wherein, when d is the length of the line having the shortest length among the lines which are perpendicular to the line having the longest length between the two points and whose length ratio to the line having the longest length between the two points is 0.10 or more, d / a is less than 0.80.

[0018] <6> A fat block mixture comprising the fat block composition according to any one of <1> to <5> above,

[0019] The content of the fat block composition relative to the total mass of the fat block mixture is 30% by mass or more.

[0020] <7> A meat substitute, comprising:

[0021] Lean meat containing protein, and

[0022] The fat block composition according to any one of <1> to <5> above or the fat block mixture according to <6> above.

[0023] <8> The meat substitute according to <7>, wherein the content of the fat block composition or the fat block mixture relative to the total mass of the meat substitute is 3% by mass or more.

[0024] <9> A method for producing a fat block composition, the method comprising:

[0025] A step of making a fat block composition precursor by contacting a liquid containing an edible ionically crosslinkable polymer and granules containing fats and oils with a liquid containing cations, and

[0026] A step of shaping the above-mentioned fat block composition precursor.

[0027] <10> A method for producing a fat block composition according to <9> above, wherein the time from the contact between the liquid containing the edible ionically crosslinked polymer and the granular body containing fat and oil and the liquid containing cations to the start of shaping of the fat block composition precursor is within 1 minute.

[0028] <11> The method for producing a fat block composition according to <9> or <10>, wherein the shaping of the fat block composition precursor is performed by pressurizing the fat block composition precursor using a shaping member and a supporting member.

[0029] <12> The method for producing a fat block composition according to <11>, wherein the shaping member is a shaping roller disposed face to face with the supporting member.

[0030] The shaping roller has a shaping portion including a convex portion, and

[0031] The minimum distance between the protrusion and the support member is 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm.

[0032] <13> A method for producing a fat block composition according to the above <12>, wherein the liquid containing the edible ionically crosslinked polymer and the granular bodies containing fats and oils is supplied to the above-mentioned shaping roller or the above-mentioned supporting member on the surface of which the above-mentioned cation-containing liquid exists, and then the above-mentioned cation-containing liquid is supplied, thereby bringing the above-mentioned liquid containing the edible ionically crosslinked polymer and the granular bodies containing fats and oils into contact with the above-mentioned cation-containing liquid.

[0033] <14> The method for producing a fat block composition according to <13> above, wherein the ratio of the rotation speed or the moving speed of the shaping roller or the supporting member to the supply speed of the liquid containing the edible ionically crosslinked polymer and the granular body containing fat to the shaping roller or the supporting member is 1.00 or more.

[0034] <15> The method for producing a fat block composition according to any one of <12> to <14>, wherein the shaped portion includes two or more convex portions.

[0035] The convex portion extends in one direction, and

[0036] The interval between adjacent protrusions is 10.0 mm or less.

[0037] <16> The method for producing a fat block composition according to any one of <12> to <15>, wherein the shaping roller includes a piece forming unit.

[0038] Effects of the Invention

[0039] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a fat block composition, a fat block mixture, and a method for producing the fat block composition that can produce a meat substitute having an appearance similar to meat blocks can be provided.

[0040] In addition, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, a substitute meat having an appearance similar to a piece of meat may be provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] Figure 1 1 is a top view showing one embodiment of the fat block composition disclosed herein.

[0042] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the fat block composition taken along line AA is shown.

[0043] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a production apparatus that can be used in the method for producing a fat block composition of the present disclosure.

[0044] Figure 4 This is a front view of the steak substitute meat produced using the fat nugget composition of Example 1.

[0045] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional image of the steak substitute meat produced using the fat block composition of Example 1.

[0046] Figure 6 This is a front view of the steak substitute meat produced using the fat nugget composition of Example 2.

[0047] Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional image of the steak substitute meat produced using the fat block composition of Example 2.

[0048] Figure 8 This is a front view of the steak substitute meat produced using the fat block composition of Comparative Example 1.

[0049] Fig. 9 This is a cross-sectional image of the steak substitute meat produced using the fat block composition of Comparative Example 1.

[0050] Fig.10 This is a front view of the steak substitute meat produced using the fat block composition of Comparative Example 2.

[0051] Fig.11This is a cross-sectional image of the steak substitute meat produced using the fat block composition of Comparative Example 2.

[0052] Fig.12 is a front view of a steak substitute meat made using the fat nugget composition of Example 13.

[0053] Fig.13 This is a cross-sectional image of the steak substitute meat produced using the fat block composition of Example 13.

[0054] Fig.14 is a front view of a steak substitute meat made using the fat nugget composition of Example 14.

[0055] Fig.15 This is a cross-sectional image of the steak substitute meat produced using the fat block composition of Example 14.

[0056] Fig.16 is a front view of a steak substitute meat made using the fat nugget composition of Example 15.

[0057] Fig.17 This is a cross-sectional image of the steak substitute meat produced using the fat block composition of Example 15.

[0058] Fig.18 This is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of a production apparatus that can be used in the method for producing a fat block composition of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] Hereinafter, an embodiment as an example of the present invention will be described. These descriptions and examples illustrate the embodiment and do not limit the scope of the invention.

[0060] In the numerical ranges recorded in sections in the present disclosure, the upper limit or lower limit recorded in one numerical range can be replaced by the upper limit or lower limit of the numerical range recorded in another section. In addition, in the numerical ranges recorded in the present disclosure, the upper limit or lower limit of the numerical range can be replaced by the values ​​shown in the embodiments.

[0061] Each component may contain a variety of compatible substances.

[0062] When referring to the amount of each component in a composition, if there are multiple substances corresponding to each component in the composition, unless otherwise specified, it refers to the total amount of the multiple substances corresponding to each component present in the composition.

[0063] In the present disclosure, the term "process" refers not only to an independent process but also to a process that cannot be clearly distinguished from other processes as long as the intended purpose of the process can be achieved.

[0064] In the present disclosure, a combination of two or more preferred aspects is a more preferred aspect.

[0065] In the present disclosure, when the embodiments are described with reference to the drawings, the configuration of the embodiments is not limited to the configuration shown in the drawings. In addition, the sizes of the components in each figure are conceptual sizes, and the relative relationship between the sizes of the components is not limited to this.

[0066] <Fat block composition>

[0067] The fat block composition according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (hereinafter also referred to as a specific fat block composition) contains granules containing fat and oil and an edible ionically crosslinked polymer crosslinked by cations.

[0068] In at least one of the cross sections perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the specific fat block composition, when b is the length of a line between two points at which the length is the maximum and a is the length of a line having the maximum length among lines perpendicular to the line at which the length between the two points is the maximum, b / a is 2.00 or more.

[0069] According to the specific fat block composition, a substitute meat having an appearance similar to that of a block of meat can be produced. The reason for this can be inferred as follows.

[0070] Here, the so-called "cut meat" in the present disclosure is uncooked raw meat cut into any size from livestock for meat consumption, and refers to the meat that has not been minced or cut into shreds after being cut from livestock. On the surface of the cut meat, the fat often has an elongated shape.

[0071] In the specific fat block composition, in at least one cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the specific fat block composition, when b is the length of a line between two points having the maximum length and a is the length of a line having the maximum length among lines perpendicular to the line between the two points having the maximum length, b / a is 2.00 or more. Thus, the cross section of the specific fat block composition has an elongated shape. Therefore, the substitute meat obtained by using the specific fat block composition has an appearance similar to that of a meat block.

[0072] From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of block meat, b / a is preferably 2.20 or more, more preferably 2.40 or more, and even more preferably 2.60 or more. From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of block meat, b / a is preferably 50.00 or less, more preferably 30.00 or less, even more preferably 10.00 or less, and particularly preferably 5.00 or less. From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of block meat, b / a is preferably 2.00 to 50.00.

[0073] From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of block meat, the length a is preferably 0.5 mm to 8.0 mm, and more preferably 1.0 mm to 6.0 mm.

[0074] From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of block meat, the length b is preferably 1.0 mm to 16.0 mm, and more preferably 3.0 mm to 12.0 mm.

[0075] In the longitudinal direction of the fat block composition, when the maximum value of the length b is b1 and the minimum value of the length b is b2, from the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of a block of meat, b2 / b1 is preferably 0.90 or less, more preferably 0.80 or less, and further preferably 0.70 or less. From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of a block of meat, b2 / b1 is preferably 0.45 or more. From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of a block of meat, b2 / b1 is preferably 0.45 to 0.90.

[0076] When the length of the fat block composition in the longitudinal direction is c, from the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of meat blocks, c / b is preferably 1.00 or more, more preferably 2.00 or more, and further preferably 2.50 or more. From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of meat blocks, c / b is preferably 25.00 or less. From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of meat blocks, c / b is preferably 1.00 to 25.00 or less.

[0077] From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to that of block meat, the length c is preferably 5.0 mm to 150.0 mm, more preferably 10.0 mm to 100.0 mm, and even more preferably 15.0 mm to 70.0 mm.

[0078] When the length of the line with the smallest length among the lines perpendicular to the line with the maximum length between the two points and whose length ratio to the line with the maximum length between the two points is 0.10 or more is d, from the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of block meat, d / a is preferably 0.80 or less, more preferably 0.70 or less, and further preferably 0.60 or less. From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of block meat, d / a is preferably 0.05 or more. From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of block meat, d / a is preferably 0.05 to 0.80.

[0079] From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to that of block meat, the length d is preferably 0.1 mm to 3.0 mm, more preferably 0.1 mm to 2.5 mm, and even more preferably 0.2 mm to 2.5 mm.

[0080] In the present disclosure, the lengths a, b, c and d are measured by photographing the cross-section and length direction of the fat block composition using a digital camera and a ruler (e.g., Shibuya Kogaku Co., Ltd., glass standard ruler 100 mm, 500 equal divisions 0.005 mm wide) and using image processing software (e.g., ImageJ).

[0081] Then, refer to Figure 1 , lengths a, b, c and d are explained. It should be noted that the fat block composition disclosed in the present invention is not limited to Figure 1 and Figure 2 Fat chunk composition as shown.

[0082] Figure 1 is a top view showing one embodiment of a specific fat block composition, Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line AA of a particular fat block composition is shown.

[0083] like Figure 1 As shown, the AA line is in the length direction of the specific fat block composition 10 ( Figure 1 The direction of the arrow X) is perpendicular.

[0084] Figure 1 In FIG. 1 , the length in the longitudinal direction of the specific fat block composition 10 is represented by symbol c.

[0085] Figure 2 The cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fat block composition 10 is shown.

[0086] In the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fat block composition 10 (AA line cross section), the length of the line between the two points having the maximum length is set at Figure 2 It is represented by the symbol b.

[0087] In the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fat block composition 10 (AA line cross section), the length of the line having the longest length among the lines perpendicular to the line having the longest length between the two points is set to Figure 2 It is represented by the symbol a.

[0088] In a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the specific fat block composition 10 (AA line cross section), the length of the line having the smallest length among the lines perpendicular to the line having the largest length between the two points and having a length ratio of 0.10 or more to the line having the largest length between the two points is set at Figure 2 It is represented by the symbol d.

[0089] (granular body)

[0090] - Composition of granules -

[0091] The granules contain oil and fat, and may contain water and other additives as necessary.

[0092] -grease

[0093] Examples of the fats and oils contained in the granular body include vegetable fats and oils, animal fats and oils, and fatty acids.

[0094] Here, the fatty acid is a monovalent carboxylic acid of a long-chain hydrocarbon and has the general formula C n H m COOH (n, m are integers greater than or equal to 1).

[0095] Examples of the vegetable oils and fats include rapeseed oil, soybean oil, palm oil, olive oil, coconut oil, rice bran oil, corn oil, coconut oil, and canola oil.

[0096] Examples of the animal fats and oils include beef tallow, lard, whale oil, and fish oil.

[0097] Examples of the fatty acid include saturated fatty acids such as lauric acid, stearic acid, isostearic acid, palmitic acid, myristic acid, eicosanoic acid, and behenic acid; and unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid, linoleic acid, α-linolenic acid, eicosenoic acid, and erucic acid.

[0098] The fat or oil contained in the granules is preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of coconut oil, olive oil, palm oil, canola oil and oleic acid from the viewpoint of increasing the amount of oil released when the fat block composition is chewed.

[0099] The melting point of the fat is preferably 0.1°C or higher, more preferably 1°C to 30°C, further preferably 2°C to 25°C, particularly preferably 5°C to 25°C.

[0100] By setting the melting point of fats and oils to 1°C or higher, it is easier to form granules in the production of the fat block composition described below. In addition, by setting the melting point of fats and oils to 1°C or higher, the structure of the fat block composition becomes similar to the structure of fat contained in livestock. As a result, oil is easily released from the fat block composition during chewing, similar to fat in livestock.

[0101] Furthermore, by setting the melting point of fats and oils to 30° C. or less, it is easy to produce a fat block composition containing water in granules at room temperature (eg, 25° C.) in the production of the fat block composition described below, and the production process is easily simplified.

[0102] The melting point of fats and oils was measured in accordance with "Standard Oil Analysis Test Method 2.2.4.2 (1996) 1996 Edition established by the Japan Oil Chemists' Society".

[0103] The content of fats and oils is preferably 10 to 98% by mass, more preferably 20 to 95% by mass, and even more preferably 25 to 90% by mass, based on the total mass of the fat block composition.

[0104] -water

[0105] In certain applications, the granules preferably contain water.

[0106] The water is not particularly limited as long as it can be used in food.

[0107] By including water in the granules, water is released from the fat block composition in addition to fat when the fat block composition is chewed, and a texture closer to fat contained in livestock meat may be easily formed.

[0108] Furthermore, by making the granules contain water, it is easy to make the granules contain water-soluble components (for example, seasonings such as umami components, spices, etc.), and it is easier to express a texture close to fat contained in livestock meat.

[0109] The content of water is preferably 1% by mass to 90% by mass, more preferably 5% by mass to 70% by mass, and even more preferably 10% by mass to 50% by mass, relative to the amount of fats and oils contained in the granular body.

[0110] -Other additives

[0111] Examples of other additives include seasonings, acidulants, bittering agents, spices, sweeteners, antioxidants, coloring agents, colorants, flavors, stabilizers, and preservatives.

[0112] The content of other additives is preferably 0% by mass to 5% by mass based on the total mass of the granular body.

[0113] - Characteristics of granules -

[0114] - Average particle size of granules

[0115] The average particle size of the granules is preferably 50 μm to 500 μm, more preferably 50 μm to 400 μm, and further preferably 90 μm to 300 μm.

[0116] By setting the average particle size of the granules to be 50 μm or more, the amount of oil released when the fat block composition is chewed can be easily increased.

[0117] Furthermore, since the average particle size of the granules is set to 500 μm or less, the particle size of the granules becomes smaller, and therefore, when visually observing the fat block composition, it is difficult to visually recognize that the fat block composition contains a large number of granules. Therefore, the appearance of the fat block composition is closer to fat contained in livestock meat.

[0118] Furthermore, by setting the average particle size of the granules to 500 μm or less, the particle size of the granules becomes smaller, so that the fat block composition tends to have a smoother texture when eaten. Therefore, the texture of the fat block composition tends to be better.

[0119] The average particle size of the granules is measured by observing the fat block composition using a transmission optical microscope.

[0120] As a transmission type microscope, for example, an inverted microscope AxioObserver.Z1 manufactured by Zeiss Corporation can be used.

[0121] The following describes the procedure for measuring the average particle size of the granules.

[0122] The fat block composition was immersed in a 100mM aqueous solution of ethylenediamine-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid sodium (manufactured by Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) for 1 hour. After 1 hour, the floating granules were subjected to gravity separation, thereby recovering the granules from the fat block composition and placing them in a 60mmΦ polystyrene dish. At this time, the recovered granules were made not to overlap in the depth direction of the dish. Thereafter, the granules recovered in the dish were observed using a transmission optical microscope and photographed at an objective magnification of 5 times. More than 200 images of granules contained in the photographed screen were selected, and the circle equivalent diameter (the diameter of a perfect circle equivalent to the area of ​​the image of the granules) of each granule was calculated using image processing software (e.g., ImageJ). The arithmetic mean of the calculated circle equivalent diameters of each granule was calculated, and the arithmetic mean was set as the average particle size of the granules.

[0123] -CV value of particle size of granules

[0124] The CV value (coefficient of variation) of the particle size of the granular body is preferably 30% or less, more preferably 25% or less, and even more preferably 20% or less.

[0125] The amount of fat contained in the granules with a small particle size is small. Therefore, if the granules with a small particle size are included, the amount of oil released when the fat block composition is chewed tends to be small. On the other hand, granules with a large particle size are unstable, so when cooking such as heating is performed, the fat tends to leak out of the granules.

[0126] Based on the above, in order to prepare a fat block composition that contains a large amount of fat and oil and can stably maintain it during storage, and releases a large amount of oil during chewing, it is preferred that the particle size fluctuation caused by the presence of small-diameter granules and large-diameter granules is small. In other words, the particle size distribution of the granules contained in the fat block composition is preferably narrow.

[0127] By setting the CV value of the particle size of the granules to 30% or less, the particle size of the granules contained in the fat block composition tends to be nearly uniform, and thus the fat block composition tends to release a large amount of oil during chewing.

[0128] The CV value of the particle size is a value obtained by the following formula.

[0129] CV value of particle size (%) = (standard deviation of the circle equivalent diameter of the granules / average particle size of the granules) × 100

[0130] Here, the average particle size of the granules is a value measured by the method described above.

[0131] The standard deviation of the circle-equivalent diameters of the granules is the standard deviation of the circle-equivalent diameters of 200 granules calculated in the measurement of the average particle size of the granules.

[0132] (ionically cross-linked polymer)

[0133] The fat block composition contains an edible ionically crosslinked polymer crosslinked by cations.

[0134] Here, "edibility" means a property that does not adversely affect the health of humans when orally ingested.

[0135] The term "ionically crosslinkable polymer" refers to a polymer that is crosslinked by reaction with ions.

[0136] Examples of edible ion-crosslinked polymers include those having a carboxyl group, a carboxylate anion group (-COO - ), sulfonic acid and sulfonate anion groups (-SO3 - ) is a polysaccharide of at least one of the following.

[0137] Examples of the edible ionically crosslinked polymer include alginic acid, carrageenan, low ester (LM) pectin, high ester (HM) pectin, and deacylated (LA) gellan gum.

[0138] From the viewpoint of improving the heat resistance of the fat block composition, the edible ionically crosslinked polymer is preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of alginic acid, LM pectin, and LA gellan gum.

[0139] The viscosity of a 1 mass % aqueous solution of an edible ionically crosslinked polymer (an aqueous solution containing 1 mass % of the ionically crosslinked polymer relative to the entire aqueous solution) is preferably 10 to 3000 mPa·s, and more preferably 20 to 1000 mPa·s.

[0140] The viscosity of a 1 mass % aqueous solution of an edible ionically crosslinkable polymer is a value measured at a temperature of 20° C. using a tuning fork vibration viscometer.

[0141] As a tuning fork vibration viscometer, for example, SV-10 (manufactured by A&D) can be used.

[0142] The cation is preferably a metal ion having an ion valence of 2 or more.

[0143] Examples of the metal ion include divalent metal ions such as calcium ion, magnesium ion, iron (II) ion, copper (II) ion, zinc ion, and manganese ion; and trivalent metal ions such as aluminum ion and iron (III) ion.

[0144] From the viewpoint of obtaining a stabilized crosslinked structure, the metal ion is preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of a calcium ion, a magnesium ion, and a zinc ion, and more preferably a calcium ion.

[0145] The content of the edible ionically crosslinked polymer is preferably 0.01 to 20% by mass, more preferably 0.1 to 10% by mass, and even more preferably 0.5 to 5% by mass, based on the total mass of the fat block composition.

[0146] (Surfactant)

[0147] The fat chunk composition preferably comprises a surfactant.

[0148] When the fat block composition contains a surfactant, a greater amount of fat is released when the fat block composition after heating and cooking is chewed. The reason for this can be estimated as follows.

[0149] When the granules in the fat block composition are in contact with each other, fats and oils are likely to leak out from the granules during heating and cooking, so that the amount of fats and oils released during chewing of the fat block composition after heating and cooking is likely to be reduced.

[0150] By including a surfactant, the fusion between the granules and the ion crosslinking polymer is easily improved, and the ion crosslinking polymer is easily present in the gaps between the granules. As a result, the granules are easily spaced appropriately, and the leakage of fat from the granules is suppressed during heating and cooking. As a result, the amount of fat released when chewing the fat block composition after heating and cooking increases.

[0151] Examples of the surfactant include edible surfactants.

[0152] Examples of the edible surfactant include glycerol fatty acid esters, polyglycerol fatty acid esters, organic acid monoglycerides, sorbitan fatty acid esters, propylene glycol fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, polyglycerol condensed ricinoleic acid esters, and lecithin.

[0153] As the glycerol fatty acid ester, it is preferable that monoglyceride is contained as a main component.

[0154] The main component herein means that the content of monoglyceride is 90% by mass or more based on the entire glycerol fatty acid ester.

[0155] The monoglyceride is preferably a monoesterified product of a saturated or unsaturated fatty acid having 2 to 24 carbon atoms and glycerol.

[0156] Examples of the fatty acid include behenic acid, stearic acid, and palmitic acid.

[0157] The glyceryl fatty acid ester may also contain diglyceride.

[0158] The diglyceride is preferably a diester of a saturated or unsaturated fatty acid having 2 to 24 carbon atoms and glycerol.

[0159] The polyglycerol fatty acid ester is preferably an esterification product of a saturated or unsaturated fatty acid having 2 to 24 carbon atoms and polyglycerol.

[0160] Specific examples of the polyglyceryl fatty acid esters include monomyristic acid polyglyceryl, dimyristic acid polyglyceryl, trimyristic acid polyglyceryl, monopalmitic acid polyglyceryl, dipalmitic acid polyglyceryl, tripalmitic acid polyglyceryl, monostearic acid polyglyceryl, distearic acid polyglyceryl, tristearic acid polyglyceryl, monoisostearic acid polyglyceryl, diisostearic acid polyglyceryl, triisostearic acid polyglyceryl, monooleic acid polyglyceryl, dimonooleic acid polyglyceryl, trimonooleic acid polyglyceryl, and the like.

[0161] Organic acid monoglyceride is a compound obtained by esterifying a hydroxyl group derived from glycerol in monoglyceride with an organic acid.

[0162] Examples of the organic acid include citric acid, succinic acid, acetic acid, and lactic acid. Citric acid and succinic acid are preferred, and citric acid is more preferred.

[0163] The so-called sorbitan fatty acid ester refers to the esterification product of sorbitan and fatty acid.

[0164] The sorbitan fatty acid ester is preferably an esterification product of sorbitan and a saturated or unsaturated fatty acid having 2 to 18 carbon atoms.

[0165] Specific examples of the sorbitan fatty acid esters include sorbitan monocaprate, sorbitan monolaurate, sorbitan monopalmitate, sorbitan monostearate, sorbitan distearate, sorbitan sesquistearate, sorbitan tristearate, sorbitan trioleate, sorbitan monoisostearate, sorbitan sesquiisostearate, sorbitan monooleate, sorbitan sesquioleate, and sorbitan coconut oil fatty acid ester.

[0166] The so-called propylene glycol fatty acid ester is an esterification product of fatty acid and propylene glycol.

[0167] As the fatty acid used for the synthesis of the propylene glycol fatty acid ester, a saturated or unsaturated fatty acid having 2 to 24 carbon atoms is preferred.

[0168] Specific examples of the propylene glycol fatty acid ester include propylene glycol palmitate, propylene glycol stearate, and propylene glycol behenate.

[0169] The so-called sucrose fatty acid ester is an ester of sucrose and fatty acids.

[0170] As the fatty acid used for the synthesis of the sucrose fatty acid ester, a saturated or unsaturated fatty acid having 2 to 24 carbon atoms is preferred.

[0171] The sucrose fatty acid ester is preferably an ester of sucrose and one or more fatty acids selected from caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, eicosanoic acid and behenic acid.

[0172] The polyglycerol condensed ricinoleic acid ester is an esterified product of a polyglycerol fatty acid ester and a condensate of ricinoleic acid.

[0173] Specific examples of the polyglycerol condensed ricinoleic acid ester include esters of the compounds described as specific examples of the polyglycerol fatty acid esters described above and ricinoleic acid condensates.

[0174] Lecithin refers to phosphatidylcholine itself or a mixture containing at least phosphatidylcholine.

[0175] The mixture containing at least phosphatidylcholine is generally a mixture that may contain phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidic acid, lysophosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidic acid, sphingomyelin, sphingosine ethanolamine, etc. in addition to phosphatidylcholine.

[0176] As lecithin, lecithin that is decomposed by enzymes (so-called lysolecithin) can be used.

[0177] Enzymatically degraded lecithin is a composition containing lysophosphatidylcholine from which one fatty acid in the phosphatidylcholine molecule has been lost by an enzyme such as phospholipase. In the fat block composition, enzymatically degraded lecithin includes so-called hydrogenated enzymatically degraded lecithin in which the bound fatty acid is hydrogenated to saturate the fatty acid to improve the oxidation stability.

[0178] The surfactant may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0179] The HLB value of the surfactant is preferably 8 or more, more preferably 10 or more, and even more preferably 12 or more, from the viewpoint of emulsification and dispersibility, for example.

[0180] The upper limit of the HLB value of the emulsifier is not particularly limited, but is usually 20 or less, preferably 18 or less. The HLB value of the emulsifier is preferably 8-20.

[0181] HLB generally refers to the hydrophilicity-hydrophobicity balance used in the field of surfactants. The HLB value is calculated using the Kawakami formula shown below. It should be noted that, as a surfactant, when a commercially available product is used, the commercially available product catalog value is preferably used.

[0182] HLB=7+11.7log(Mw / Mo)

[0183] Here, Mw represents the molecular weight of the hydrophilic group of the surfactant, and Mo represents the molecular weight of the hydrophobic group of the surfactant.

[0184] The hydrophobic group of the surfactant is an atomic group with low affinity for water. Examples of the hydrophobic group include alkyl, alkenyl, alkylsilyl, and perfluoroalkyl. Specifically, when the surfactant is the above-mentioned "glycerol fatty acid ester, polyglycerol fatty acid ester, organic acid monoglyceride, sorbitan fatty acid ester, propylene glycol fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester, polyglycerol condensed ricinoleic acid ester, or lecithin", it refers to the alkyl and alkenyl groups derived from fatty acids.

[0185] The hydrophilic group of a surfactant is an atomic group having a high affinity for water, and specifically refers to an atomic group other than a hydrophobic group in the structure of a surfactant.

[0186] The Hansen solubility parameter (HSP) distance between the ionically crosslinkable polymer and the hydrophilic part of the surfactant is preferably 10 or less, more preferably 9 or less, and even more preferably 8 or less.

[0187] If the granules in the fat block composition are in contact with each other, fats and oils are likely to leak out from the granules during heating and cooking, so that the amount of fats and oils released during chewing of the fat block composition after heating and cooking is likely to be reduced.

[0188] By setting the HSP distance between the ion crosslinking polymer and the hydrophilic part of the surfactant within the above numerical range, the ion crosslinking polymer is likely to be present in the gaps between the granules. As a result, the granules are likely to have an appropriate distance between them, and fat is unlikely to leak out of the granules during heating and cooking. As a result, the amount of fat released during chewing of the fat block composition after heating and cooking increases.

[0189] The HSP distance can be adjusted by changing the structures of the hydrophilic part of the ion crosslinking polymer and the surfactant.

[0190] The HSP distance is a value obtained by combining three types of cohesive energy density values ​​(δD: dispersion term, δP: dispersion pole, and δH: hydrogen bond term), and the unit of each is [J / cm 3 ] 1 / 2 .

[0191] The HSP distance is calculated as follows.

[0192] The HSP distance can be obtained as a registered value or an estimated value in the commercially available software HSPiP4th Edition version 4.0.04.

[0193] This software can be obtained from the website http: / / hansen-solubility.com / index.html. In addition, when calculating HSP based on such software, reference can be made to the literature of Hansen et al. (e.g. CM Hansen solubility parameters: a user7S handbook 2nd edition, CEC press, 2007, ISBN-10: 0849372488).

[0194] The content of the surfactant relative to the total mass of the fat block composition is preferably 0.05% by mass to 2% by mass, and more preferably 0.10% by mass to 1% by mass.

[0195] (Gel comprising an edible ionically crosslinked polymer)

[0196] The fat block composition preferably contains a gel comprising an edible ionically crosslinked polymer crosslinked by cations.

[0197] The gel refers to a substance containing at least water and an edible ionically crosslinked polymer crosslinked by cations and behaving as an elastic solid.

[0198] By making the fat block composition contain gel, it is easier to maintain a state where the granules have an appropriate distance from each other. Therefore, fat is less likely to leak out from the granules during heating and cooking. As a result, the amount of fat released during chewing of the fat block composition after heating and cooking is more likely to increase.

[0199] The gel preferably contains at least an edible ionically crosslinked polymer crosslinked by cations and water, and preferably contains additives other than the edible ionically crosslinked polymer crosslinked by cations and water as necessary.

[0200] As the edible ionically crosslinked polymer crosslinked by cations contained in the gel, the edible ionically crosslinked polymer crosslinked by cations described above can be used.

[0201] The water contained in the gel is not particularly limited as long as it can be used in food.

[0202] Examples of other additives contained in the gel include seasonings, acidulants, bittering agents, spices, sweeteners, antioxidants, coloring agents, colorants, flavors, stabilizers, preservatives, and the like.

[0203] The content of the edible ionically crosslinked polymer in the gel is preferably 0.1 to 10% by mass, more preferably 0.2 to 5% by mass, and even more preferably 0.5 to 3% by mass, based on the total mass of the gel.

[0204] The content of other additives in the gel is preferably 0% by mass to 20% by mass relative to the total mass of the gel.

[0205] The ratio of the volume of the gel to the volume of the granules is preferably 10% to 300%, more preferably 30% to 200%, and even more preferably 50% to 150%.

[0206] The volume of the gel relative to the volume of the granules was measured as follows.

[0207] First, the volume of the fat block composition is measured using a laser volumeter. As the laser volumeter, for example, VL-300 manufactured by KEYENCE can be used.

[0208] Thereafter, the granules are collected from the fat block composition by the procedure described in the step of measuring the average particle size of the granules, and the collected granules are allowed to stand at 50° C. for 1 hour to aggregate the granules, and then the volume is measured using a volume meter. As the volume meter, for example, a graduated cylinder can be used.

[0209] The volume of the gel was calculated using the following formula.

[0210] Formula: Volume of gel = [(volume of fat block composition (m 3 ) - Volume of granular body (m 3 )) / volume of fat mass composition (m 3 )]×100

[0211] The specific fat block composition can be produced by the method for producing the fat block composition described below. It should be noted that the method for producing the specific fat block composition is not limited thereto, and a liquid containing an edible ionically crosslinked polymer and granules containing fats and oils may be brought into contact with a liquid containing cations in a stainless steel barrel or the like, and the edible ionically crosslinked polymer may be crosslinked, followed by cutting so that b / a is 2.00 or more.

[0212] <Fat cube mixture>

[0213] The fat lump mixture according to the embodiment of the present disclosure contains a specific fat lump composition, and the content of the specific fat lump composition relative to the total mass of the fat lump mixture is 30% by mass or more.

[0214] From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to that of meat chunks, the content of the specific fat block composition relative to the total mass of the fat block mixture is preferably 50% by mass or more, more preferably 90% by mass to 99% by mass.

[0215] The fat block mixture may contain two or more specific fat block compositions.

[0216] The fat chunk mixtures of the present disclosure may include fat chunk compositions other than the specific fat chunk compositions.

[0217] From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to that of meat chunks, the content of the fat lump composition other than the specific fat lump composition relative to the total mass of the fat lump mixture is preferably 70% by mass or less, more preferably 50% by mass or less, and even more preferably 0.1% by mass to 10% by mass.

[0218] The fat block mixture may contain additives such as seasonings, acidulants, bittering agents, spices, sweeteners, antioxidants, coloring agents, colorants, flavors, stabilizers, preservatives, and the like.

[0219] <Meat substitute>

[0220] The meat substitute according to the embodiment of the present disclosure contains a lean meat-like portion containing protein and a specific fat block composition or the above-mentioned fat block mixture.

[0221] (Lean meat portion)

[0222] The so-called lean meat-like portion refers to the portion of the meat-like substitute meat that is equivalent to the portion that looks like lean meat.

[0223] The lean meat-like portion contains protein, and preferably contains fat, a binder, and other additives as necessary.

[0224] -protein-

[0225] The lean meat-like portion contains protein.

[0226] The protein preferably contains at least one of a plant protein and an animal protein, and more preferably contains a plant protein.

[0227] The so-called plant protein is protein collected from plants.

[0228] As for the plant protein, there is no particular limitation as long as it is a protein collected from plants. As the source of plant protein, for example, there can be mentioned cereals such as wheat, barley, oats, rice, and corn; beans such as soybeans, peas, adzuki beans, chickpeas, lentils, broad beans, mung beans, and lupines; seeds such as almonds, peanuts, cashews, pistachios, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, flax seeds, sesame seeds, rapeseeds, cotton seeds, safflower seeds, and sunflowers; tubers such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, Jerusalem artichokes, and cassava; vegetables such as asparagus, artichokes, cauliflower, broccoli, and edamame; fruits such as bananas, jackfruits, kiwis, coconuts, avocados, and olives; mushrooms such as mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, mushrooms, and maitake mushrooms; algae such as chlorella, spirulina, euglena, nori, kelp, wakame, hijiki, agar-agar, and mozuku, etc. Among them, from the viewpoint of obtaining a meat substitute having an appearance and taste similar to that of meat, the source of plant protein is preferably at least one selected from wheat, soybeans, peas and rice, and more preferably at least one selected from soybeans and wheat.

[0229] The vegetable protein may contain one kind of plant-derived protein or may contain two or more kinds of plant-derived proteins.

[0230] Animal protein is protein collected from animals.

[0231] The animal protein is not particularly limited as long as it is a protein collected from an animal, and examples of the animal protein include collagen, gelatin, keratin, silk protein, sericin, casein, conchiolin, elastin, protamine, egg yolk protein, egg white protein, and the like.

[0232] The animal protein may contain only one kind or two or more kinds.

[0233] From the viewpoint of obtaining a substitute meat having a texture closer to that of livestock meat, the protein preferably has a muscle-like texture.

[0234] The muscle-like tissue referred to herein refers to a tissue having a structure similar to fiber bundles and capable of being torn apart in a fiber-like manner in a certain direction.

[0235] The lean meat of livestock comes from muscles. In addition, muscles are composed of bundles of muscle fibers. Therefore, the lean meat of livestock has a structure like a bundle of fibers. By making the protein contained in the lean meat-like part of the substitute meat of this embodiment have a muscle-like structure, it is possible to show the taste brought by the presence of muscle fibers that is felt when eating livestock.

[0236] As a method for imparting a muscle-like texture to a protein, there is mentioned a method of extruding the protein (water or the like may be added to the protein as necessary) using an extruder.

[0237] By extruding the protein, the protein has a structure similar to a bundle of fibers along the extrusion direction of the extruder, and has a tissue that can be torn in a fiber shape along the extrusion direction of the extruder.

[0238] The protein content is preferably 50 to 100% by mass, more preferably 60 to 95% by mass, and even more preferably 70 to 90% by mass, relative to the total mass of the lean meat-like portion.

[0239] The meat substitute according to the embodiment of the present disclosure preferably contains fiber-bundle-shaped texturized protein.

[0240] Here, the fiber-bundle organized protein refers to a protein having a certain organization in the form of a fiber bundle.

[0241] The term "fiber bundle shape" refers to a structure similar to a bundle of fibers extending in one direction.

[0242] As the fiber bundle-like texturized protein, a fiber bundle-like texturized protein having a muscle-like texture is preferred from the viewpoint of shape and texture.

[0243] Here, the muscle-like tissue refers to a tissue that has a structure similar to a fiber bundle and can be torn in one direction.

[0244] Among them, the muscle-like tissue is preferably a tissue having a structure similar to a fiber bundle and capable of being torn in a fiber shape in one direction.

[0245] The lean meat of livestock comes from muscle. In addition, muscle is composed of bundles of muscle fibers. Therefore, the lean meat of livestock has a structure like a bundle of fibers. By applying fiber bundle-shaped organized protein having muscle-like tissue in the substitute meat of the embodiment of the present disclosure, a substitute meat having a taste closer to livestock meat can be obtained.

[0246] The fiber-like texturized protein is preferably composed of vegetable protein.

[0247] The vegetable protein has the same meaning as the vegetable protein described above, and the preferred aspects are also the same.

[0248] The vegetable protein may contain one kind of plant-derived protein or may contain two or more kinds of plant-derived proteins.

[0249] Examples of the fiber bundle-like organized protein having a muscle-like structure include spongy fiber bundle-like organized protein and fibrous fiber bundle-like organized protein.

[0250] The spongy texture here refers to an isotropic porous structure.

[0251] On the other hand, the term "fibrous" refers to a fiber structure that is anisotropic in appearance.

[0252] The isotropic porous structure refers to a structure in which the pore shapes in a cut surface cut at an arbitrary position are approximately elliptical and are substantially the same regardless of the direction.

[0253] The so-called anisotropic fiber structure means that the cut surface at an arbitrary position is a fibrous structure. It is preferable that there is a hole shape that is different from a nearly elliptical shape or a nearly fibrous shape depending on the cutting direction.

[0254] Examples of a method for observing the cut surface include a method of cutting out a slice and observing it with a microscope or a method of observing it with X-ray CT (Computed Tomography).

[0255] The substitute meat according to the embodiment of the present disclosure preferably includes a fiber-bundle texturized protein in which the fiber axes of the fiber-bundle texturized protein are oriented in one direction in adjacent regions.

[0256] Here, the fiber axis direction of the fiber-bundle organized protein means the direction of the length direction of the fibers forming the muscle-like tissue.

[0257] In addition, the fiber axis direction of the so-called fiber bundle-like organized protein is oriented in one direction in adjacent regions, which may include a mode in which the fiber axis direction of a part of the organized protein is different, or the fiber axis direction of the organized protein as a whole may be oriented in a certain direction, or the fiber axis direction of the organized protein may be oriented in one direction in adjacent regions although it has an overall sway.

[0258] The spongy organized protein having an isotropic porous structure can also be turned into a fiber bundle organized protein by a method of fiber unraveling or a method of fiber cutting.

[0259] From the viewpoint of appearance and texture, the fiber-bundle texturized protein contained in the substitute meat is more preferably a fibrous fiber-bundle texturized protein.

[0260] The content of the fiber-bundle-shaped texturized protein is preferably 5% to 95% by mass, more preferably 7% to 90% by mass, and even more preferably 10% to 85% by mass, based on the total mass of the substitute meat.

[0261] -grease-

[0262] The lean meat portion may contain fat.

[0263] Examples of the fats and oils include vegetable fats and oils, animal fats and oils, and the like.

[0264] Examples of the vegetable oils and fats include the same vegetable oils and fats as exemplified in the description of the fat block composition.

[0265] Examples of the animal fats and oils include beef tallow, lard, whale oil, and fish oil.

[0266] -Binder-

[0267] The lean meat-like portion preferably contains a binder as needed.

[0268] By making the lean meat-like portion contain a binder, the lean meat-like portion can easily maintain its integrated shape.

[0269] The binder is not particularly limited as long as it is edible and can maintain the shape of the lean meat-like portion.

[0270] Examples of the binder include proteins, thickening polysaccharides, and starch.

[0271] The protein used as a binder may be the same as or different from the protein contained in the lean meat-like portion.

[0272] Examples of the protein used as the binder include plant protein, animal protein, enzyme, and the like.

[0273] Examples of the vegetable protein used as the binder include proteins derived from wheat, soybeans, rice, and the like.

[0274] Examples of the animal protein used as the binder include milk protein and egg white.

[0275] Examples of the enzyme include transglutaminase and the like.

[0276] Examples of the thickening polysaccharide include carrageenan, xanthan gum, pectin, locust bean gum, curdlan, guar gum, tragacanth gum, gum arabic, gellan gum, tamarind gum, cassia gum, tara gum, alginic acid, agar, glucomannan, soybean polysaccharides, gelatin, pullulan, psyllium, chitosan, methylcellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, and dextrin.

[0277] Examples of the starch include wheat starch, tapioca starch, rice starch, glutinous rice starch, corn starch, glutinous corn starch, sago starch, potato starch, arrowroot starch, lotus root starch, mung bean starch, sweet potato starch, glutinous potato starch, glutinous tapioca starch, and glutinous wheat starch.

[0278] The binder preferably contains a polysaccharide including a thermoirreversible gel-forming polysaccharide and a thermoreversible gel-forming polysaccharide, and a gelation retarder.

[0279] -Thermal irreversible gel-forming polysaccharides-

[0280] Here, the so-called thermo-irreversible gel is a gel that, once formed into a gel (the so-called "gel" in this paragraph refers to a substance containing at least water and thermo-irreversible gel-forming polysaccharides and behaving as an elastic solid), maintains the gel state even when heated.

[0281] The so-called thermo-irreversible gel-forming polysaccharide is a polysaccharide that forms a thermo-irreversible gel.

[0282] As the thermo-irreversible gel-forming polysaccharide, a polysaccharide that crosslinks by reaction with cations is preferred from the viewpoint of solubility before gelation.

[0283] The cation of the gelling agent is preferably a metal ion having an ion valence of 2 or more.

[0284] Examples of the metal ion include divalent metal ions such as calcium ion, magnesium ion, iron (II) ion, copper (II) ion, zinc ion, and manganese ion; and trivalent metal ions such as aluminum ion and iron (III) ion.

[0285] From the viewpoint of obtaining a stabilized crosslinked structure, the metal ion is preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of a calcium ion, a magnesium ion, and a zinc ion, and more preferably a calcium ion.

[0286] Examples of the thermoirreversible gel-forming polysaccharide include polysaccharides having a carboxyl group, a carboxylate anion group (-COO - ), sulfonic acid and sulfonate anion groups (-SO3 - ) is a polysaccharide of at least one of the following.

[0287] Examples of the thermo-irreversible gel-forming polysaccharide include alginic acid, LM pectin, and LA gellan gum.

[0288] From the viewpoint of improving moldability and heat resistance of the gel, the thermoirreversible gel-forming polysaccharide is preferably at least one selected from alginic acid and pectin.

[0289] The viscosity of a 1 mass % aqueous solution of a thermoirreversible gel-forming polysaccharide (an aqueous solution containing 1 mass % of a thermoirreversible gel-forming polysaccharide relative to the entire aqueous solution) is preferably 10 mPa·s to 3000 mPa·s, more preferably 20 mPa·s to 1000 mPa·s.

[0290] The viscosity of a 1 mass % aqueous solution of a thermally irreversible gel-forming polysaccharide is a value measured at a temperature of 20° C. using a tuning fork vibration viscometer.

[0291] As a tuning fork vibration viscometer, for example, SV-10 (manufactured by A&D) can be used.

[0292] The content of the thermo-irreversible gel-forming polysaccharide is preferably 10 to 90% by mass, more preferably 20 to 80% by mass, and even more preferably 30 to 70% by mass, based on the total mass of the binder.

[0293] -Thermoreversible gel-forming polysaccharides-

[0294] Here, the so-called thermoreversible gel is a gel that maintains a gel state (the so-called "gel" in this paragraph refers to a substance that contains at least water and thermoreversible gel-forming polysaccharides and behaves as an elastic solid) at room temperature (25°C), and melts and becomes liquid (sol) when heated.

[0295] The so-called thermoreversible gel-forming polysaccharide is a polysaccharide that forms a thermoreversible gel.

[0296] Examples of the thermoreversible gel-forming polysaccharide include agar, carrageenan, furcellaran, natural gellan gum, locust bean gum, xanthan gum, guar gum, psyllium gum, glucomannan, tara gum, and tamarind gum.

[0297] From the viewpoint of maintaining the shape and texture of the substitute meat after heating and cooking, the thermoreversible gel-forming polysaccharide is preferably carrageenan.

[0298] The content of the thermoreversible gel-forming polysaccharide is preferably 10% by mass to 90% by mass, more preferably 20% by mass to 80% by mass, and even more preferably 30% by mass to 70% by mass, based on the entire binder.

[0299] --Combination of thermo-irreversible gel-forming polysaccharide and thermo-reversible gel-forming polysaccharide--

[0300] A preferred combination of a thermoirreversible gel-forming polysaccharide and a thermoreversible gel-forming polysaccharide is a combination in which the thermoirreversible gel-forming polysaccharide is at least one selected from alginic acid and pectin, and the thermoreversible gel-forming polysaccharide is carrageenan.

[0301] -Gelation Delay Agent-

[0302] The binder preferably contains a gelling retarder.

[0303] The gelation retarder is a compound having an effect of inhibiting the gelation of a thermoirreversible gel-forming polysaccharide or a thermoreversible gel-forming polysaccharide.

[0304] From the viewpoint of maintaining the shape and texture of the substitute meat after heating and cooking, the gelation retarder is preferably a compound having an effect of inhibiting the gelation of the thermo-irreversible gel-forming polysaccharide.

[0305] From the viewpoint of maintaining the shape and texture of the substitute meat after heating and cooking, the gelling retarder is preferably a chelating agent.

[0306] As the chelating agent, a known chelating agent can be used appropriately.

[0307] Examples of the chelating agent include hydroxycarboxylic acids such as tartaric acid, citric acid, and gluconic acid; aminocarboxylic acids such as iminodiacetic acid (IDA), nitrotriacetic acid (NTA), and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA); condensed phosphoric acids such as pyrophosphoric acid and tripolyphosphoric acid; and salts thereof.

[0308] Among them, the chelating agent is preferably a condensed phosphoric acid or a salt thereof, and more preferably pyrophosphoric acid or a pyrophosphate salt, from the viewpoint of maintaining the shape and texture of the substitute meat after heating and cooking, and from the viewpoint of the flavor of the substitute meat.

[0309] The content of the gelation retarder is preferably 0.1 to 20% by mass, more preferably 0.5 to 15% by mass, and further preferably 0.3 to 10% by mass, relative to the total mass of the polysaccharides including the thermoirreversible gel-forming polysaccharide and the thermoreversible gel-forming polysaccharide.

[0310] The content of the binder contained in the lean meat-like portion is preferably 0.01% by mass to 10% by mass relative to the total mass of the lean meat-like portion.

[0311] -Other additives-

[0312] The lean meat-like portion preferably contains other additives other than protein, fat and binder as necessary.

[0313] Examples of other additives include water, seasonings, acidulants, bittering agents, spices, sweeteners, antioxidants, coloring agents, colorants, flavors, stabilizers, and preservatives.

[0314] The content of other additives is preferably 0% by mass to 20% by mass.

[0315] (Fat block composition or the above fat block mixture)

[0316] From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to that of meat chunks, the content of the fat chunk composition or fat chunk mixture relative to the total mass of the substitute meat is preferably 3% by mass or more, more preferably 5% by mass or more, and even more preferably 7% to 50% by mass.

[0317] <Method for producing fat block composition>

[0318] The method for producing the fat block composition according to the embodiment of the present disclosure has the following steps:

[0319] a step of bringing a liquid containing an edible ionically crosslinkable polymer and granular materials containing fats and oils (hereinafter also referred to as specific liquid A) into contact with a liquid containing cations (hereinafter also referred to as specific liquid B) to prepare a fat block composition precursor (hereinafter also referred to as a fat block composition precursor preparation step); and

[0320] A step of shaping the fat block composition precursor (hereinafter also referred to as a shaping step).

[0321] The edible ion-crosslinked polymer and the granular body containing fat and oil have been described above, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

[0322] According to the method for producing the fat block composition, a fat block composition capable of producing a substitute meat having an appearance similar to that of meat blocks can be produced. The reason for this can be presumed as follows.

[0323] In the method for producing the fat block composition, shaping is performed after the specific liquid A and the specific liquid B are brought into contact. The cross-linking of the edible ion-crosslinkable polymer in the specific liquid A starts due to the contact between the specific liquid A and the specific liquid B, and the cross-linking is performed, so that the cross-section of the fat block composition produced thereby has an elongated shape. Therefore, the substitute meat obtained by using the fat block composition has an appearance similar to that of meat blocks.

[0324] (Process for producing a fat block composition precursor)

[0325] In the present disclosure, the fat block composition precursor refers to the fat block composition before being subjected to a shaping step.

[0326] A part or all of the edible ionically crosslinkable polymer can be crosslinked by contacting the specific liquid A with the specific liquid B. From the viewpoint of easy shaping, it is preferred that a part of the edible ionically crosslinkable polymer is crosslinked when shaping of the fat block composition precursor is started.

[0327] The amount of the specific liquid B added relative to 100 parts by mass of the specific liquid A added is preferably 50 parts by mass to 200 parts by mass.

[0328] An aqueous solution containing a salt containing a cation is exemplified as the specific liquid B. Examples of the salt containing a cation include calcium chloride, calcium gluconate, and calcium lactate.

[0329] The content of the salt in the aqueous solution in which the salt containing the cation is dissolved is preferably 0.5% by mass to 5% by mass based on the total mass of the aqueous solution.

[0330] The content of the edible ion-crosslinkable polymer with respect to the total mass of the specific liquid A is preferably 0.5% by mass to 5.0% by mass.

[0331] The content of the granular material containing oil and fat with respect to the total mass of the liquid containing the specific liquid A is preferably 10% by mass to 70% by mass.

[0332] The specific liquid A can be prepared by a method comprising a step of forming liquid droplets containing fat in an aqueous solution (liquid drop formation step), a step of solidifying the fat in the above-mentioned liquid droplets to obtain particles containing the solidified fat (fat solidification step), and a step of mixing a liquid containing the above-mentioned particles and an edible ionically crosslinked polymer (mixing step).

[0333] It should be noted that the specific liquid is not limited to the specific liquid prepared by the above method, and a commercially available specific liquid may be used.

[0334] - Droplet formation process -

[0335] As a method of forming liquid droplets containing fats and oils in an aqueous solution, there is a method of dispersing fats and oils in an aqueous solution.

[0336] As a method of dispersing fats and oils in an aqueous solution, a method of emulsifying the aqueous solution and the fats and oils using an emulsifier is preferred.

[0337] Examples of the emulsifier include a rotary stirrer having a propeller-type, anchor-type, paddle-type, or turbine-type stirring blade, a static mixer such as a static mixer, a rotor-stator emulsifier such as a homogenizer and a clear mixer, a grinding emulsifier having a grinding function, a high-pressure emulsifier such as a Manton-Gorlin pressure emulsifier, a high-pressure nozzle emulsifier that generates cavitation under high pressure, a high-pressure collision emulsifier such as a microfluidizer that applies a shear force by causing liquids to collide with each other under high pressure, an ultrasonic emulsifier that generates cavitation using ultrasonic waves, and a membrane emulsifier that performs emulsification uniformly through fine pores.

[0338] From the viewpoint of improving the uniformity of the particle size of liquid droplets containing fats and oils, it is preferable to use a membrane emulsifier as the emulsifier.

[0339] When emulsification is performed using a membrane emulsifier, the emulsification method may be either a direct membrane emulsification method or a permeable membrane emulsification method, but the direct membrane emulsification method is preferred.

[0340] As the porous membrane provided in the membrane emulsifier, for example, an SPG (Shirasu Porous Glass) membrane is suitable, and can be purchased from, for example, SPG TECHNO Co., Ltd.

[0341] As an emulsification method using a membrane emulsifier, for example, a method of dispersing fats and oils in an aqueous solution containing water and a surfactant via a porous membrane is preferred.

[0342] The mass ratio of the aqueous solution to the oil and fat (aqueous solution / oil and fat) used for emulsification is preferably 10 / 1 to 2 / 1.

[0343] - Grease curing process-

[0344] Examples of methods for solidifying the fat in the droplets to obtain particles containing the solidified fat include a method of solidifying using an oil solidifying agent and a method of cooling the droplets containing the fat. However, from the viewpoint of obtaining a fat chunk composition that releases a large amount of oil during chewing, a method of cooling the droplets containing the fat is preferred.

[0345] Examples of a method for cooling the liquid droplets containing fats and oils include (1) a method of cooling the aqueous solution containing the liquid droplets containing fats and oils obtained by the step of forming the liquid droplets containing fats and oils in the aqueous solution using a refrigerator or the like.

[0346] The cooling temperature is preferably higher than 0°C and equal to or lower than the melting point of fats and oils.

[0347] The cooling time is not particularly limited, but is preferably performed until the fats and oils contained in the droplets solidify.

[0348] After cooling, particles containing solidified fats and oils may be collected in the supernatant of the solution. In this case, it is preferred to recover the supernatant containing particles. Thereafter, it is preferred to use the recovered supernatant containing particles to perform the following cross-linking step.

[0349] As a method for recovering the supernatant liquid containing particles, for example, there can be mentioned a method of discharging the aqueous solution other than the supernatant liquid containing particles using a separating funnel.

[0350] The content of fat in the aqueous solution containing the particles obtained in the fat solidification step is preferably 40% by mass to 90% by mass based on the total mass of the solution.

[0351] -Mixing process-

[0352] By mixing the particles obtained in the fat solidification step and an aqueous solution containing an edible ionically crosslinked polymer, a liquid containing edible ionically crosslinked polymer and granular materials containing fat can be obtained.

[0353] From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to that of block meat, the viscosity of the specific liquid A is preferably 30 mPa·s to 3000 mPa·s, and more preferably 50 mPa·s to 2000 mPa·s.

[0354] The viscosity of the specific liquid A is a value measured at a temperature of 20° C. using a tuning fork vibration viscometer.

[0355] As a tuning fork vibration viscometer, for example, SV-10 (manufactured by A&D) can be used.

[0356] From the viewpoint of food hygiene, the viewpoint of liquid physical properties, and the like, the temperature of the specific liquid A is preferably 5°C to 20°C.

[0357] From the viewpoint of food hygiene, the viewpoint of liquid physical properties, and the like, the temperature of the specific liquid B is preferably 5°C to 20°C.

[0358] (Shaping process)

[0359] The method for producing a fat block composition according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes the step of shaping the fat block composition precursor obtained in the step of producing the fat block composition precursor.

[0360] The time from the contact between the specific liquid A and the specific liquid B to the start of shaping of the fat block composition precursor is preferably within 1 minute, more preferably 0.01 to 10 seconds. Thus, shaping can be performed before the crosslinking of the edible ionically crosslinkable polymer is completely advanced, and the appearance of the substitute meat using the manufactured fat block composition can be made closer to the appearance of block meat.

[0361] The shaping method of the fat lumpy composition precursor is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of productivity, it is preferred to shape the fat lumpy composition precursor by pressurizing the fat lumpy composition precursor with a shaping member and a supporting member.

[0362] The shapes of the shaping member and the supporting member are not particularly limited, and may be roller-shaped or plate-shaped. It should be noted that the plate-shaped shaping member and the supporting member include those equipped with a moving mechanism such as a conveyor belt.

[0363] The material of the shaping member and the supporting member is not particularly limited, and from the viewpoint of food hygiene, stainless steel, silicone rubber, vinylidene fluoride rubber (FKM), and the like can be cited.

[0364] From the viewpoint of productivity, the shaping member is preferably a shaping roller disposed face to face with the supporting member. The fat block composition precursor is shaped while passing between the shaping roller and the supporting member.

[0365] The shaping roller may have a shaping portion including a convex portion. Thus, the fat block composition precursor is shaped, and the cross section of the manufactured specific fat block composition has an elongated shape. Therefore, the substitute meat obtained by using the specific fat block composition has an appearance similar to that of a block of meat.

[0366] The number of protrusions contained in the shaped portion may be one or more. However, from the perspective of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of block meat, it is preferably two or more, and more preferably 3 to 200, in each shaped portion.

[0367] In addition, the shaping roller may have one shaping portion, or may have two or more shaping portions.

[0368] As a specific example of the shaping roller having two or more shaping sections, there can be mentioned a shaping roller having a singulation section and a shaping section alternately described later.

[0369] When the shaping member is a shaping roller having a shaping portion including a convex portion, from the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of block meat, the minimum distance between the convex portion and the supporting member is preferably 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm, more preferably 0.1 mm to 0.8 mm.

[0370] The shape of the projection is not particularly limited, and may extend in one direction (eg, a direction perpendicular to the tangent line of the outer circumference of the shaping roller). Specifically, the projection may be in the shape of a triangular prism, a semi-cylindrical prism, or a column with a trapezoidal cross section.

[0371] When the shaping portion includes two or more protrusions extending in one direction, from the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of a meat block, the interval between adjacent protrusions is preferably 10.0 mm or less, more preferably 8.0 mm or less, and even more preferably 5.0 mm or less. From the viewpoint of improving the strength of the fat block composition, the interval between adjacent protrusions is preferably 0.5 mm or more, more preferably 1.0 mm or more, and even more preferably 3.0 mm or more. From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of a meat block and improving the strength of the fat block composition, the interval between adjacent protrusions is preferably 0.5 mm to 10.0 mm.

[0372] It should be noted that in the present disclosure, the interval between adjacent convex portions refers to the distance between the positions of the convex portions at the minimum distance from the supporting member. In other words, it refers to the distance between the vertices of the convex portions. It should be noted that when the vertices of the convex portions are planes, the distance between the vertices at the minimum distance is set as the interval between adjacent convex portions.

[0373] The shaping roller may include a singulation unit.

[0374] By providing the shaping roller with the singulation section, the shaped fat block composition precursor or the fat block composition can be cut (singled) into pieces of a desired size.

[0375] From the viewpoint of easy cutting, the minimum distance between the singulation portion and the support member is preferably 0.5 mm or less, more preferably 0.3 mm or less, further preferably 0.1 mm or less, and may be 0 mm.

[0376] The shape of the singulation portion is not particularly limited, and may be a shape extending in the tangential direction of the outer circumference of the shaping roller and in a direction perpendicular to the tangential direction. Specifically, the singulation portion may be in a cubic shape, a kamaboko shape, or the like.

[0377] When the singulation portion has a cubic shape, from the viewpoint of easy cutting, the length of the singulation portion in the tangential direction of the outer periphery of the shaping roller is preferably 1.0 mm or more, more preferably 5.0 mm or more, and further preferably 10.0 mm or more. From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of block meat, the length of the singulation portion in the tangential direction of the outer periphery of the shaping roller is preferably 200.0 mm or less. From the viewpoint of easy cutting, from the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of block meat, etc., the length of the singulation portion in the tangential direction of the outer periphery of the shaping roller is preferably 1.0 mm to 200.0 mm.

[0378] The shaping roller may have two or more singulation sections. When the shaping roller has two or more singulation sections, the interval between adjacent singulation sections is preferably appropriately adjusted, for example, preferably 10.0 mm to 100.0 mm, more preferably 13.0 mm to 70.0 mm.

[0379] It should be noted that in the present disclosure, the interval between adjacent singulation parts refers to the distance between the positions of the singulation parts with the smallest distance from the supporting member. In other words, it refers to the distance between the vertices of the singulation parts. It should be noted that when the vertices of the singulation parts are planes, the distance between the vertices with the smallest distance is set as the interval between adjacent singulation parts.

[0380] When shaping of the fat block composition precursor is performed by pressurizing the fat block composition precursor using a shaping roller and a supporting member, specific liquid A is supplied to the shaping roller or the supporting member having specific liquid B on the surface, and then specific liquid B is supplied, thereby allowing contact between a liquid (specific liquid A) containing an edible ionically crosslinked polymer and granular materials containing fats and oils and a liquid (specific liquid B) containing cations.

[0381] When the specific liquid A and the specific liquid B are brought into contact by the above method, from the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of block meat, the ratio of the rotation speed (mm / sec) or movement speed (mm / sec) of the shaping roller or the supporting member to the supply speed (mm / sec) of the specific liquid A to the shaping roller or the supporting member, that is, (rotation speed (mm / sec) or movement speed (mm / sec) of the shaping roller or the supporting member / supply speed of the specific liquid A) is preferably 1.00 or more, more preferably 1.50 or more, and further preferably 2.00 or more. From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of block meat, the above speed ratio is preferably 20.00 or less. From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of block meat, the above speed ratio is preferably 1.00 to 20.00.

[0382] The supply rate of the specific liquid A is calculated by dividing the discharge flow rate of the specific liquid A by the front end cross-sectional area of ​​the nozzle from which the specific liquid A is discharged.

[0383] The rotation speed of the shaping roll or the supporting member refers to the speed of the roll surface, and is measured using a non-contact rotation system (eg, a handheld tachometer, manufactured by LINE SEIKI) and calculated from the value and the roll diameter.

[0384] The moving speed of the shaping roller or the supporting member is measured using an incremental measuring wheel encoder (for example, DFV60 manufactured by SICK).

[0385] From the viewpoint of productivity and making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to that of block meat, the supply speed of the specific liquid A is preferably 40.0 mm / sec to 120.0 mm / sec, more preferably 60.0 mm / sec to 100.0 mm / sec.

[0386] From the perspective of productivity and making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of block meat, the rotation speed of the shaping roller is preferably 50.0 mm / sec to 400.0 mm / sec, more preferably 80.0 mm / sec to 360.0 mm / sec, and further preferably 150.0 mm / sec to 200.0 mm / sec.

[0387] When shaping of the fat mass composition precursor is performed by pressurizing the fat mass composition precursor based on a shaping roller and a supporting member, the shaping roller and the supporting member are immersed in a tank filled with a specific liquid B, and the specific liquid A is supplied to the shaping roller or the supporting member, thereby allowing the specific liquid A to contact the specific liquid B.

[0388] The specific liquid A and the specific liquid B may be brought into contact with each other by supplying the specific liquid A onto the specific liquid B present on the surface of the shaping roller or the supporting member.

[0389] Alternatively, the specific liquid A may be brought into contact with the specific liquid B by supplying the specific liquid A to one surface of the shaping roller or the supporting member where the specific liquid B is not present and bringing the specific liquid A into contact with the specific liquid B present on the other surface before shaping.

[0390] It should be noted that the shaping roller and the supporting member are preferably immersed in the specific liquid B so that a part of them is exposed, thereby providing a region to which the specific liquid A is supplied.

[0391] The fat block composition obtained by shaping can be washed with tap water etc. In addition, after washing, it can be frozen using a freezer etc.

[0392] After the fat mass composition is produced, the fat mass composition adhering to the shaping roller and the supporting member can be removed until the next fat mass composition is produced. The method for removing the fat mass composition is not particularly limited, and it can be carried out by washing using water, specific liquid B, gas, etc. By removing the fat mass composition, the shaping of the fat mass composition precursor can be performed well, and the fat mass composition can be produced continuously.

[0393] Below, refer to Figure 3 , an embodiment of the method for producing the fat block composition of the present disclosure is described. It should be noted that the method for producing the fat block composition of the present disclosure is not limited to the following method.

[0394] Figure 3This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of a device for producing a fat block composition (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a production device).

[0395] The manufacturing device 100 includes a supply unit 101 (hereinafter also referred to as the supply unit 101) for a liquid (specific liquid A) containing an edible ion-crosslinked polymer and granular substances containing fats and oils, a supply unit 102 (hereinafter also referred to as the supply unit 102) for a liquid (specific liquid B) containing cations, a roller-shaped shaping member (shaping roller) 103, and a roller-shaped supporting member (supporting roller) 104.

[0396] The manufacturing apparatus 100 may include a bathtub 105 .

[0397] like Figure 3 As shown, the shaping roller 103 alternately has three shaping portions 107 each including six protrusions 106 and individual pieces 108. Since the shaping roller has a shaping portion including protrusions, the fat block composition precursor is shaped, and the cross section of the manufactured specific fat block composition has an elongated shape. Therefore, the substitute meat obtained by using the specific fat block composition has an appearance similar to that of meat blocks.

[0398] Each of the projections 106 extends in a direction perpendicular to a tangent line to the outer circumference of the shaping roller 103 .

[0399] The singulation portions 108 extend in the tangential direction of the outer circumference of the shaping roller 103 and in a direction perpendicular to the tangential direction.

[0400] First, the specific liquid B is supplied from the supply unit 102 to the surface of the shaping roller 103 .

[0401] Then, the specific liquid A is supplied from the supply unit 101 to the surface of the shaping roller 103 to which the specific liquid B is supplied ( Figure 3 It is represented by the symbol A. ).

[0402] Then, the specific liquid B is supplied from the supply unit 102 to the surface of the shaping roller 103 to which the specific liquid A is supplied ( Figure 3 Indicated by symbol B. ).

[0403] On the surface of the shaping roller 103, the edible ion-crosslinkable polymer contained in the supplied specific liquid A is crosslinked by the cations contained in the specific liquid B, thereby producing a fat block composition precursor.

[0404] Then, the fat block composition precursor is pressurized and shaped by the shaping section 107 of the shaping roller 103 and the support roller 104 , and then cut into pieces of a desired size by the piece cutting section 108 of the shaping roller 103 , thereby obtaining a fat block composition 109 .

[0405] The obtained fat block composition 109 is put into the bath 105 and washed with water or the like.

[0406] In one embodiment, the manufacturing apparatus 100 may include a cleaning unit 110. The cleaning unit 110 can remove the fat block composition adhering to the shaping roller 103 or the support roller 104. Figure 3 In the figure, a cleaning unit 110 for removing the fat mass composition attached to the support roller 104 is shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the manufacturing apparatus 100 may also include a cleaning unit for removing the fat mass composition attached to the shaping roller 103. The cleaning unit is not particularly limited as long as it can supply water, specific liquid B, gas, etc., and examples thereof include a nozzle that can supply these.

[0407] The supply unit of the specific liquid A may include a nozzle. The cross-sectional shape of the nozzle is not particularly limited and can be adjusted appropriately. From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to the appearance of block meat, the cross-sectional shape of the nozzle is preferably elliptical, rectangular, semicircular or rhombus-shaped. When the nozzle shape is rectangular, the aspect ratio (length of the long side / length of the short side) is preferably 3 to 50, more preferably 4 to 40.

[0408] Then, refer to Fig.18 , another embodiment of the method for producing the fat block composition of the present disclosure is described. It should be noted that the method for producing the fat block composition of the present disclosure is not limited to the following method.

[0409] Fig.18 This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of a device for producing a fat block composition (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a production device).

[0410] The manufacturing device 200 includes a supply unit 201 (hereinafter also referred to as the supply unit 201) of a liquid containing an edible ion-crosslinked polymer and granular substances containing fats and oils, a roller-shaped shaping member (shaping roller) 202, a roller-shaped supporting member (supporting roller) 203, and a tank 204 filled with a liquid containing cations (specific liquid B).

[0411] like Fig.18 As shown, the shaping roller 202 has shaping portions 207 each including three convex portions 206 and singulation portions 208 alternately.

[0412] Since the shaping roller has a shaping portion including a convex portion, the fat block composition precursor is shaped, and the cross section of the manufactured specific fat block composition has an elongated shape. Therefore, the substitute meat obtained by using the specific fat block composition has an appearance similar to that of meat blocks.

[0413] The convex portions 206 all extend in a direction perpendicular to a tangent line to the outer circumference of the shaping roller 202 .

[0414] The singulation portions 208 extend in the tangential direction of the outer circumference of the shaping roller 202 and in a direction perpendicular to the tangential direction.

[0415] First, by the rotation of the shaping roller 202 and the backup roller 203 in the tank 204 filled with the specific liquid B, the specific liquid B (not shown) is supplied to the surfaces of these rollers.

[0416] Then, the specific liquid A ( Fig.18 Indicated by symbol A. ).

[0417] By supplying the specific liquid A, the specific liquid A and the specific liquid B come into contact on the surface of the support roller 203. In addition, by the rotation of the support roller 203 and the shaping roller 202, the specific liquid A present on the surface of the support roller 203 comes into contact with the specific liquid B present on the surface of the shaping roller 202. By the contact between the specific liquid A and the specific liquid B, a fat block composition precursor can be produced.

[0418] Then, the fat block composition precursor is pressurized and shaped by the shaping section 207 of the shaping roller 202 and the support roller 203 , and then is singulated into pieces of a desired size by the singulation section 208 of the shaping roller 202 , thereby obtaining a fat block composition 205 .

[0419] <Fat block composition>

[0420] The fat block composition according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a fat block composition produced by the above-mentioned method for producing a fat block composition.

[0421] <Fat cube mixture>

[0422] The fat block mixture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure contains a fat block composition produced by the above-mentioned method for producing a fat block composition, and the content of the fat block composition produced by the above-mentioned method for producing a fat block composition relative to the total mass of the fat block mixture is 30% by mass or more.

[0423] From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to that of meat chunks, the content of the fat block composition produced by the above-mentioned method for producing a fat block composition relative to the total mass of the fat block mixture is preferably 50% by mass or more, more preferably 90% to 99% by mass.

[0424] The fat block mixture may contain two or more fat block compositions produced by the above-mentioned method for producing a fat block composition.

[0425] The fat block mixture of the present disclosure may include a fat block composition other than the fat block composition produced by the above-mentioned method for producing a fat block composition.

[0426] From the viewpoint of making the appearance of the substitute meat closer to that of meat chunks, the content of the fat lump composition other than the fat lump composition produced by the above-mentioned method for producing a fat lump composition relative to the total mass of the fat lump mixture is preferably 70% by mass or less, more preferably 50% by mass or less, and even more preferably 0.1% by mass to 10% by mass.

[0427] The fat block mixture may contain additives such as seasonings, acidulants, bittering agents, spices, sweeteners, antioxidants, coloring agents, colorants, flavors, stabilizers, preservatives, and the like.

[0428] <Meat substitute>

[0429] The substitute meat according to an embodiment of the present disclosure contains a lean meat-like portion containing protein and a fat block mixture, wherein the fat block mixture contains a fat block composition produced by the above-mentioned method for producing a fat block composition, or a fat block composition other than the fat block composition produced by the above-mentioned method for producing a fat block composition.

[0430] As the lean meat-like portion has been described above, its description is omitted here.

[0431] <Method of producing alternative meat>

[0432] The method for producing substitute meat according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes:

[0433] In a first step, a lean meat-like portion precursor is mixed with a specific fat block composition or a fat block mixture containing the specific fat block composition to obtain a first mixture; and

[0434] The second step is to stretch the first mixture.

[0435] An embodiment of the method for producing a substitute meat according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0436] (1st step)

[0437] The method for mixing the lean meat-like portion precursor with the specific fat mass composition or the fat mass mixture containing the specific fat mass composition is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a method of mixing by hand and a method using a known mixer.

[0438] Examples of the mixer include a stirrer and the like, and an attachment is preferably configured to scrape off deposits on the wall surface.

[0439] The lean meat-like portion precursor can be obtained by mixing fiber bundle-shaped organized proteins with a binder.

[0440] The amount of the binder added is preferably 1 to 30% by mass, more preferably 3 to 25% by mass, and even more preferably 5 to 20% by mass, based on the mass of the fiber-bundle-shaped texturized protein swollen with water.

[0441] Before mixing the fiber-shaped texturized protein with the binder, the fiber-shaped texturized protein is preferably adjusted to an appropriate size.

[0442] Examples of methods for adjusting the size of the fiber-bundle-shaped texturized protein include a method of tearing the fiber-bundle-shaped texturized protein apart, a method of cutting with a knife, and a method using both.

[0443] The size of the fiber-bundle-shaped texturized protein may be adjusted by crushing it near the discharge port of the extruder in the above-mentioned (preparation step), or by crushing it using a meat tenderizer or the like after it is recovered from the extruder.

[0444] The fiber-bundle-shaped texturized protein preferably has a width of 2 mm to 35 mm and a length of 35 mm to 500 mm before being mixed with the binder.

[0445] The thickness of the fiber bundle-shaped texturized protein is not particularly limited, and is preferably appropriately adjusted according to the thickness of the fiber bundle-shaped texturized protein produced by an extruder, etc. The vertical width of the fiber bundle-shaped texturized protein is preferably set to 0.1 times or more and 2 times or less relative to the vertical width of the whole piece of meat-like substitute meat to be produced.

[0446] Here, when the produced substitute meat contains other additives, it is preferably mixed with the lean meat-like portion precursor in the first step.

[0447] As the fiber bundle-like organized protein, a prepared fiber bundle-like organized protein may be used, or a commercially available fiber bundle-like organized protein may be used.

[0448] When producing fiber-bundle-shaped texturized protein, it is preferably produced by extruding a raw material containing vegetable protein from an extruder.

[0449] In addition, the extrusion conditions are preferably as follows.

[0450] When producing the textured protein, it is preferably produced by extruding a raw material containing a vegetable protein from an extruder.

[0451] In addition, the extrusion conditions are preferably as follows.

[0452] - Raw materials containing plant-based protein

[0453] The vegetable protein-containing raw material contains at least vegetable protein, but preferably further contains water from the viewpoint of improving extrusion efficiency.

[0454] The water content is preferably 2 parts by mass or more and 30 parts by mass or less relative to 10 parts by mass of protein.

[0455] -Extrusion conditions

[0456] The extruder is not particularly limited, and a known single-screw extruder, a non-intermeshing counter-rotating twin-screw extruder, an intermeshing counter-rotating twin-screw extruder, and an intermeshing co-rotating twin-screw extruder can be used.

[0457] Regarding the barrel temperature of the extruder, it is preferred to set the temperature of the front half of the barrel (the portion from the raw material supply portion to the center of the barrel) to 60°C or more and 100°C or less, the temperature of the center of the barrel (the center of the axial length of the barrel) to 90°C or more and 170°C or less, and the temperature of the rear half of the barrel (the portion from the center of the barrel to the front end of the barrel) to 140°C or more and 180°C or less.

[0458] The extruder is preferably equipped with a die head at the front end of the barrel.

[0459] The die is preferably one that results in a sheet-like extrudate.

[0460] The clearance of the discharge port of the die head (lip gap) is preferably 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less.

[0461] The length of the die is preferably 30 mm or more.

[0462] The die head may be a cooling die head. Here, the cooling die head refers to a die head cooled by, for example, circulation of a cooling liquid (water or ethylene glycol, etc.).

[0463] By using a cooling die, it is easy to suppress the expansion of the extruded raw material. Therefore, the texturized protein extruded using the cooling die is easy to become fibrous.

[0464] When a cooling die is used, the temperature of the discharge port of the cooling die is preferably set to 90° C. or higher and 120° C. or lower.

[0465] When a commercially available texturized protein is used, as the fiber bundle-shaped texturized protein, What the Cluck manufactured by Vegetarian Butcher, APEX 1000 manufactured by Fuji Oil, etc. can be used.

[0466] (Step 2)

[0467] The second step is a step of stretching the first mixture.

[0468] When the first mixture contains the fiber-bundle-shaped texturized protein, it is preferred that the first mixture obtained in the first step be stretched to obtain a stretched mixture in which the fiber axis direction of the fiber-bundle-shaped texturized protein is oriented in one direction.

[0469] The fiber axis direction of the fiber-bundle organized protein herein refers to the direction of the length direction of the fibers forming the muscle-like tissue.

[0470] The fiber axis direction of the fiber-organized protein bundles being oriented in one direction includes the case where the fiber axis directions of the fiber-organized protein bundles are exactly the same and the case where the fiber axis directions of the fiber-organized protein bundles are different but oriented in a certain direction.

[0471] The second step is preferably a step of stretching the first mixture to obtain a stretched mixture having an orientation degree in the fiber direction of the fiber-bundle-shaped texturized protein in a cross section along the stretching direction (hereinafter also referred to as “specific orientation degree”) of 1.1 or more.

[0472] From the viewpoint of orientation degree, as a method for stretching the first mixture, any of the following methods is preferred:

[0473] (i) a method of passing the mixture in a region surrounded by a set of rollers in a direction perpendicular to a plane including the rotation axes of the set of rollers, and squeezing the mixture by the rollers, thereby stretching the first mixture in a direction perpendicular to the plane including the rotation axes of the set of rollers;

[0474] (ii) a method of pinching the mixture between a pair of rollers whose rotation axes are parallel and rotate in the same direction, and squeezing the first mixture by reducing the distance between the rollers while rotating the mixture, thereby stretching the first mixture in a direction parallel to the rotation axes of the rollers;

[0475] (iii) a method of stretching the first mixture by grasping the surface of the first mixture and pulling it;

[0476] (iv) A method of stretching the first mixture by pressing the first mixture with a plate.

[0477] The stretching ratio of the first mixture is preferably 2 times or more, more preferably 4 times or more, and even more preferably 6 times or more.

[0478] The stretch ratio is a value obtained by dividing the length of the stretched mixture in the stretching direction by the length of the first mixture in the stretching direction.

[0479] It should be noted that the stretching direction refers to the direction in which the first mixture is stretched in the second step.

[0480] (Step 3)

[0481] The method for producing a substitute meat according to the embodiment of the present disclosure preferably includes a third step after the second step, that is, after forming the stretched mixture into a formed body, the formed body is heated to solidify.

[0482] When the binder contains a thermo-irreversible gel-forming polysaccharide, heating the shaped body can promote the formation of a gel containing the thermo-irreversible gel-forming polysaccharide, thereby solidifying the shaped body and making it easier to maintain the shape of the whole piece of meat-like substitute meat.

[0483] The shape of the formed body is preferably set to be similar to a steak, stew meat, or the like, for example.

[0484] The method for shaping the stretched mixture is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a method of cutting the stretched mixture and a method of applying an external force to the stretched mixture to deform it. From the viewpoint of taste, the method of cutting the stretched mixture is preferred.

[0485] When the stretched mixture is cut, it is preferred to cut in a direction perpendicular to the fiber axis direction of the texturized protein contained in the stretched mixture.

[0486] When the stretched mixture is cut, it is preferable to cut it using a cutter, a kitchen knife or the like.

[0487] The third step preferably includes: a step of cutting the drawn mixture perpendicular to the orientation direction of the fibers when the drawn mixture is formed into a formed body; and a step of bundling a plurality of the drawn mixtures before or after cutting.

[0488] The cut stretched mixture may be formed by bundling a plurality of them in the direction of the fibers, or the stretched mixture or the cut stretched mixture may be formed by bundling a plurality of them in the direction of the fibers and then cutting them perpendicular to the direction of the fibers.

[0489] By forming the stretched mixture in such a manner that the fiber direction is in the film thickness direction of steak, it is easy to obtain substitute meat having an appearance similar to that of beef steak.

[0490] In the third step, after the stretched mixture is formed into a formed body, in order to make the appearance of the whole piece of meat-like substitute meat closer to the appearance of animal meat, a step of forming a fat-like pattern (frost pattern) similar to that of animal meat on the surface of the formed body (hereinafter also referred to as the fat-like portion forming step) can be included.

[0491] The fat-like portion forming step is preferably a step of forming grooves having a depth of, for example, 100 μm or more on the surface of the molded body, and allowing oil to adhere to the formed grooves to form the fat-like portion.

[0492] Examples of a method for forming grooves on the surface of a molded body include a method of digging the surface with a cutter and a method of forming the grooves using a mold. The method of forming the grooves using a mold is preferred.

[0493] Next, fat is allowed to adhere to the grooves formed on the surface of the molded body to fill the grooves, thereby forming a pattern similar to fat.

[0494] When the grease is attached to the grooves formed on the surface of the molded body, the grease may be in a liquid state, a semisolid state in which liquid and solid are mixed, or a solid state, but is preferably in a liquid state or a semisolid state.

[0495] When the fat is made to adhere to the grooves formed on the surface of the molded body, the fat may be made to adhere in the state of an emulsion.

[0496] When the fat is attached in the form of an emulsion, it is preferred that an emulsion containing a gelling agent, fat and water (referred to as a "gelling emulsifier") is attached to the grooves formed on the surface of the molded body, and then the gelling emulsion attached to the grooves is gelled.

[0497] The emulsion for gelation is preferably an oil-in-water emulsion.

[0498] The oil droplet diameter of the fat in the gelling emulsion is preferably 20 μm to 500 μm or less, more preferably 30 μm to 400 μm or less, and further preferably 50 μm to 300 μm.

[0499] As a method for gelling the gelling emulsion adhered to the grooves, for example, there is a method of placing the molded body having the gelling emulsion adhered to the grooves in an aqueous solution containing a gelling accelerator to gelate.

[0500] The method for heating the formed body is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include wet heating (a heating method using water as a heat source), dry heating (a heating method using a substance other than water, such as metal or gas, as a heat source), and dielectric heating.

[0501] When producing a raw meat-like appearance, the method of heating the formed body is preferably to uniformly and rapidly heat the formed body by a wet heating method after vacuum packaging the formed body from the viewpoint of heat resistance of the colorant.

[0502] Examples of wet heating include steaming and scalding. From the viewpoint of being able to perform the treatment uniformly and quickly, scalding is preferred.

[0503] As the heating temperature of the molded body, for example, it is preferable to set the temperature inside the molded body to 70° C. or higher and 100° C. or lower.

[0504] The temperature inside the molded body is a value measured with a thermometer.

[0505] For example, a data logger (TR-W550) manufactured by KEYENCE can be used as the thermometer. By inserting a thermocouple into the whole meat sample substitute meat during vacuum packaging, the internal temperature of the formed body can be measured.

[0506] Example

[0507] The following examples are described, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. It should be noted that in the following description, "parts" and "%" are based on mass unless otherwise specified.

[0508] <Example 1>

[0509] (1) Droplet formation process

[0510] Prepare the aqueous phase and the oil phase as follows.

[0511] Aqueous phase: 99.5 parts by mass of tap water and 0.5 parts by mass of RYOTO sucrose ester M-1695 (manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical) as a surfactant were weighed to a total of 5 kg, and stirred for 30 minutes using a THREE-ONE MOTOR (manufactured by Shinto Scientific) to completely dissolve the mixture.

[0512] Oil phase: 1 kg of coconut oil (manufactured by Alcapia, product name: Piacocona, melting point 24° C.) was weighed as fat.

[0513] The water phase was set as the continuous phase, the oil phase was set as the dispersed phase, and membrane emulsification was performed using a tubular SPG membrane (manufactured by SPG TECHNO, pore diameter 50 μm). Specifically, the tubular SPG membrane was inserted into a tubular container, and the water phase flowed at a flow rate of 50 mL / min on the inner side (inner channel) of the tubular SPG membrane from one end to the other end of the container, and the oil phase flowed at a flow rate of 10 mL / min on the outer side (outer channel (channel between the container and the SPG membrane)) of the tubular SPG membrane.

[0514] As a result, a liquid containing droplets containing oil and fat (hereinafter also referred to as droplet dispersion liquid) was obtained. The particle size of the droplets (granular bodies) containing oil and fat was 215 μm.

[0515] (2) Grease curing process

[0516] The droplet dispersion was placed in a separatory funnel and allowed to stand for 30 minutes. Since the droplet dispersion was separated into a phase containing droplets containing fats and oils and an aqueous phase, the aqueous phase was discharged from the separatory funnel and the phase containing droplets containing fats and oils was recovered.

[0517] The recovered phase containing liquid droplets containing fats and oils was left to stand in a refrigerator at 5° C. for 1 hour to cool the refrigerator, thereby solidifying the fats and oils and obtaining a liquid containing particles (hereinafter also referred to as a particle-containing liquid).

[0518] (3) Production of fat block composition

[0519] 1 part by mass of sodium alginate (Kimica ALGINI-1, manufactured by Kimica Corporation) as an edible ion-crosslinking polymer, 0.5 parts by mass of Ryoto Sucrose Ester M-1695 (manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical) as a surfactant, and 98.5 parts by mass of tap water were mixed to obtain a liquid containing an edible ion-crosslinking polymer (hereinafter also referred to as an ion-crosslinking polymer solution).

[0520] 100 parts by mass of a particle-containing liquid was added to 100 parts by mass of the ion-crosslinked polymer solution, and the mixture was slowly stirred using a stirrer (THREE-ONE MOTOR, manufactured by YAMATO Scientific Co., Ltd.) to prepare a liquid containing an edible ion-crosslinked polymer and granular materials containing fat (specific liquid A, viscosity 96 mPa·s, temperature 15° C.). Specific liquid A was poured into a stainless steel barrel so that the thickness of the solution was 2 mm.

[0521] 1 part by mass of calcium chloride (manufactured by Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd., food additive grade) as a salt containing cations was dissolved in 99 parts by mass of tap water to prepare a cation-containing liquid (specific liquid B, viscosity 1.1 mPa·s, temperature 15° C.).

[0522] The same mass of specific liquid B as that of specific liquid A contained in the stainless steel barrel was poured into the stainless steel barrel and left to stand in a refrigerator at 5° C. for 2 hours to crosslink (gel) the edible ion-crosslinkable polymer and obtain a fat block composition.

[0523] After washing the fat block composition with tap water, the water on the surface was wiped off with KIM TOWEL (registered trademark, manufactured by Nippon Paper Crecia Co., Ltd.).

[0524] The fat block composition was washed with tap water and then frozen in a freezer at -20°C for half a day, and the fat block composition was cut into the following sizes.

[0525] In a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fat block composition, when the length of the line between two points at which the length is the maximum is b and the length of the line having the maximum length among the lines perpendicular to the line at which the length is the maximum is a, the length a is 2.1 mm, the length b is 5.2 mm, and the length c of the fat block composition in the longitudinal direction is 37 mm. Therefore, b / a is 2.48 and c / b is 7.12.

[0526] In addition, when the length of the line with the smallest length among the lines perpendicular to the line with the maximum length between the two points and having a length ratio to the line with the maximum length between the two points of 0.10 or more is set as d, the length d is 1.5 mm and d / a is 0.71.

[0527] At any 10 positions in the longitudinal direction of the fat block composition, the length b of the line between two points in the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction was measured, the maximum value b1 and the minimum value b2 were found, and b2 / b1 was calculated to be 0.63.

[0528] In the following examples and comparative examples, length a, length b, length c, length d, b / a, c / b, d / a and b2 / b1 were also measured or calculated and summarized in Table 1.

[0529] <Example 2>

[0530] A fat block composition was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the size of the cut fat block composition was changed.

[0531] <Example 3>

[0532] (3) A fat block composition was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the fat block composition was produced as follows.

[0533] The specific liquid A was filled in a plastic syringe with an internal volume of 50 mL (SS-50LZ manufactured by TERUMO), and the syringe was set in a syringe pump (PHD2000 manufactured by HARVARD).

[0534] A PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) tube (manufactured by NICHIAS, NAFLON (R) PTFE tube) with an inner diameter of 2 mm and an outer diameter of 3 mm was connected to the front end of the syringe pump, and a 2 mm × 10 mm (rectangular) nozzle was connected to the front end to prepare a supply section for a liquid (specific liquid A) containing an edible ion crosslinked polymer and granular materials containing fats and oils. Figure 3 Indicated by symbol 101. ).

[0535] Ready to go Figure 3The fat block composition manufacturing device 100 shown includes a supply unit 101 for a liquid containing an edible ion-crosslinking polymer and granular substances containing fats and oils (specific liquid A), a supply unit 102 for a liquid containing cations (specific liquid B), a shaping roller 103, and a support roller 104.

[0536] like Figure 3 As shown, the shaping roller 103 has three shaping portions 107 each including six protrusions 106 and singulation portions 108 alternately.

[0537] Each of the projections 106 extends in a direction perpendicular to a tangent line to the outer circumference of the shaping roller 103 (in a triangular prism shape).

[0538] Each of the singulated portions 108 extends in a tangential direction of the outer circumference of the shaping roller 103 and in a direction perpendicular to the tangential direction (cubic shape).

[0539] The interval between adjacent convex portions 106 in the shaping section 107 was set to 5.0 mm. The length of the outer periphery of the shaping roller 103 in the singulation section 108 in the tangential direction was set to 10.0 mm, and the interval between adjacent singulation sections 108 was set to 40.0 mm.

[0540] In addition, the minimum distance between the convex portion 106 and the support roller 104 was set to 0.5 mm, and the minimum distance between the singulation portion 108 and the support roller 104 was set to 0.1 mm.

[0541] First, the specific liquid B is supplied from the supply unit 102 to the surface of the shaping roller 103 at a flow rate of 1 L / min.

[0542] Then, the specific liquid A was supplied from the supply unit 101 at a supply speed of 83.3 mm / sec (when passing through the nozzle cross section) to the surface of the shaping roller 103 supplied with the specific liquid B. The rotation speed (roller surface) of the shaping roller 103 was set to 178.0 mm / sec.

[0543] The ratio of the rotation speed of the shaping roller to the supply speed of the specific liquid A to the shaping roller 103 (rotation speed of the shaping roller / supply speed of the specific liquid A) was 2.14 (abbreviated as speed ratio in Table 1).

[0544] Then, the specific liquid B is supplied from the supply unit 102 at a flow rate of 1 L / min to the surface of the shaping roller 103 to which the specific liquid A has been supplied.

[0545] 0.275 seconds after the supplied specific liquid B comes into contact with the specific liquid A, the obtained fat lump composition precursor is pressurized (shaped) by the shaping section 107 of the shaping roller 103 and the support roller 104, and then the shaped fat lump composition precursor (fat lump composition) is singulated by the singulation section 108.

[0546] The fat block composition was washed with tap water in the bath 105 and then frozen in a freezer at -20°C for half a day to obtain a fat block composition.

[0547] <Example 4 to Example 12>

[0548] A fat block composition was produced in the same manner as in Example 3 except that the supply speed of the specific liquid A, the rotation speed of the shaping roller, the minimum distance between the convex portion and the support roller, the interval between adjacent convex portions, or the minimum distance between the singulation portion and the support roller were changed as shown in Table 1.

[0549] In Example 9, the minimum distance between the individualizing section and the support roller was large, and the obtained fat block composition was not individualized, so it was cut. Table 1 shows the length after cutting.

[0550] It should be noted that the time from the contact between the specific liquid B and the specific liquid A to the start of the shaping of the fat block composition precursor was set to 0.275 seconds in Examples 4 to 9, 0.138 seconds in Example 10, 0.550 seconds in Example 11, and 0.826 seconds in Example 12.

[0551] <Comparative Example 1>

[0552] (3) A fat block composition and a fat block mixture were produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the fat block composition was produced as follows.

[0553] The specific liquid A was filled in a plastic syringe with an internal volume of 50 mL (SS-50LZ manufactured by TERUMO), and the syringe was set in a syringe pump (PHD2000 manufactured by HARVARD).

[0554] A PTFE tube (manufactured by NICHIAS, NAFLON (R) PTFE tube) with an inner diameter of 2 mm and an outer diameter of 3 mm was connected to the front end of the syringe pump, and a nozzle (manufactured by SUS304, produced by cutting) with an inner diameter of 2.4 mm was connected to the front end.

[0555] Meanwhile, 1 part by mass of calcium chloride (manufactured by Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd., food additive grade) as a salt containing cations was dissolved in 99 parts by mass of tap water to prepare a liquid containing cations (specific liquid B).

[0556] Specific liquid B was added to a stainless steel barrel, and the tip of the nozzle was immersed in the liquid.

[0557] The specific liquid A was supplied from the tip of the nozzle at a supply rate of 10 mL / min (when passing through the nozzle cross section) using a syringe pump to obtain a fat mass composition.

[0558] The fat block composition was washed with tap water and then frozen in a freezer at -20°C for half a day, and the fat block composition was cut.

[0559] <Comparative Example 2>

[0560] A fat block composition was produced in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1 except that the nozzle having an inner diameter of 2.4 mm was changed to a nozzle having a size of 2 mm×10 mm (rectangular).

[0561] <Comparative Example 3>

[0562] (3) A fat block composition was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the fat block composition was produced as follows.

[0563] The specific liquid A was filled in a plastic syringe with an internal volume of 50 mL (SS-50LZ manufactured by TERUMO), and the syringe was set in a syringe pump (PHD2000 manufactured by HARVARD).

[0564] A PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) tube (manufactured by NICHIAS, NAFLON (R) PTFE tube) with an inner diameter of 2 mm and an outer diameter of 3 mm was connected to the front end of the syringe pump, and a 2 mm × 10 mm (rectangular) nozzle was connected to the front end to prepare a supply section for a liquid (specific liquid A) containing an edible ion crosslinked polymer and granular materials containing fats and oils. Figure 3 Indicated by symbol 101. ).

[0565] Meanwhile, 1 part by mass of calcium chloride (manufactured by Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd., food additive grade) as a salt containing cations was dissolved in 99 parts by mass of tap water to prepare a liquid containing cations (specific liquid B).

[0566] A production apparatus similar to the production apparatus for the fat block composition used in Example 3 was prepared except that the supply unit for the cation-containing liquid (specific liquid B) was not provided.

[0567] First, the specific liquid A was supplied from the supply unit 101 to the surface of the shaping roller 103 at a supply speed of 83.3 mm / sec (when passing through the nozzle cross section). The rotation speed of the shaping roller 103 (roller surface) was set to 178.0 mm / sec.

[0568] The ratio of the rotation speed of the shaping roller to the supply speed of the specific liquid A to the shaping roller 103 (rotation speed of the shaping roller / supply speed of the specific liquid A) was 2.14 (abbreviated as speed ratio in Table 1).

[0569] The supplied specific liquid A is pressurized (shaped) by the shaping section 107 of the shaping roller 103 and the support roller 104 .

[0570] The pressurized specific liquid was added to a stainless steel barrel filled with specific liquid B, and allowed to stand in a refrigerator at 5° C. for 2 hours to crosslink (gel) the edible ion-crosslinkable polymer, thereby obtaining a fat block composition.

[0571] After washing the fat block composition with tap water, the water on the surface was wiped off with a KIM TOWEL.

[0572] The fat block composition was washed with tap water and then frozen in a freezer at -20°C for half a day, and the fat block composition was cut.

[0573] <Example 13>

[0574] The fat block composition produced in Example 3 and the fat block composition produced in Comparative Example 1 were mixed so that the content of the fat block composition produced in Example 3 was 30% by mass and the content of the fat block composition produced in Comparative Example 1 was 70% by mass, thereby producing a fat block mixture.

[0575] <Example 14>

[0576] The fat block composition produced in Example 3 and the fat block composition produced in Comparative Example 1 were mixed so that the content of the fat block composition produced in Example 3 was 60% by mass and the content of the fat block composition produced in Comparative Example 1 was 40% by mass to produce a fat block mixture.

[0577] <Example 15>

[0578] The fat block composition produced in Example 3 and the fat block composition produced in Comparative Example 1 were mixed so that the content of the fat block composition produced in Example 3 was 90% by mass and the content of the fat block composition produced in Comparative Example 1 was 10% by mass to produce a fat block mixture.

[0579] <<Appearance evaluation of alternative meat>>

[0580] (Preparation of raw materials for lean meat-like parts)

[0581] Defatted soybean flour (SHOWA FLESH RF, manufactured by Showa Sangyo Co., Ltd.) as a protein and wheat gluten (PRO-GLU65, manufactured by Torikoshi Flour Milling Co., Ltd.) as a protein were mixed at a ratio of 7:3 (=defatted soybean flour:wheat gluten [mass ratio]) to obtain mixed powder 1.

[0582] A cooling die head (die head width: 50 mm, die lip gap: 3 mm) with a length of 350 mm was installed at the discharge outlet of a twin-screw extruder having a screw length of 1100 mm and a maximum temperature of the screw tip set to 155° C. The outlet temperature of the cooling die head was stabilized at 105° C. The mixed powder 1 was introduced into the extruder at 250 g / min, and 50% by mass of water based on the mass of the mixed powder 1 was added to the extruder while being discharged from the extruder, thereby obtaining a raw material 1 having a lean meat-like portion (fibrotic) with a muscle-like structure along the extrusion direction.

[0583] (Preparation of lean meat-like portion)

[0584] The lean meat portion of the raw material 1 was boiled in 3 L (liter) of boiling water for 10 minutes to remove moisture.

[0585] The lean meat-like portion of the raw material 1 was cut into a length of 30 mm and torn in the fiber direction so that the width was about 5 mm. After being immersed in an aqueous solution containing SAN BEET CONC (beet juice concentrate manufactured by Sanrongyuan FSI Co., Ltd.) as a colorant (concentration: 3% by mass of the colorant relative to the entire aqueous solution) and colored red, the raw material was taken out and the moisture was removed. Salt, pepper and Haimi (seasoning manufactured by Ajinomoto Co., Ltd.) were added as seasonings and kneaded to obtain a strip-shaped fibrous soybean protein 1.

[0586] Then, 15 g of GENUTINE 310-C (carrageenan manufactured by Sanjing Co., Ltd.) and 15 g of laminarin 429S (sodium alginate containing a curing agent manufactured by KIMICA Co., Ltd.) as a binder and 60 g of water were added to 300 g of the strip-shaped fibrous soybean protein 1 and mixed well to obtain a lean meat-like partial precursor A.

[0587] Thereafter, 30 g of the fat block composition prepared in Example 1 was added to the lean meat-like portion precursor A and mixed uniformly to obtain a steak substitute meat precursor A (first mixture).

[0588] Then, the steak substitute meat precursor A was stretched to more than 6 times its length using a hand-rolled noodle making machine (manufactured by Fukui Works, hand-rolled processing machine). The stretched steak substitute meat precursor A (mixture after forming) was placed in a sealed bag (manufactured by Asahi Kasei, ZIPLOC) and fixed by standing at 75°C for 5 minutes. The steak substitute meat precursor A was cut in a direction perpendicular to the stretched direction of the steak substitute meat precursor A to a thickness of 25 mm to obtain steak substitute meat.

[0589] Using the fat block compositions or fat block mixtures produced in other Examples and Comparative Examples, steak substitutes were obtained in the same manner as described above.

[0590] In addition, the content rate of the fat block composition or the fat block mixture with respect to the total mass of the steak substitute meat was set to 15 mass %.

[0591] A front image (image A: an image showing a fat block composition extending in the longitudinal direction) and a cross-sectional image (image B: an image showing a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fat block composition) of each steak substitute meat were obtained, and a panel of five people evaluated whether the steak substitute meat had an appearance similar to that of marinated meat, and the total number of people was calculated. The evaluation was performed using the following evaluation criteria, and the results are collectively shown in Table 2.

[0592] It should be noted that the image A is an image taken from a direction perpendicular to the stretching direction of the steak substitute meat precursor. In addition, the image B is an image obtained by taking a cut surface of the steak substitute meat precursor.

[0593] The image A of steak substitute meat produced using the fat block composition of Example 1 is shown in FIG. Figure 4 In the example, image B is represented as Figure 5 middle.

[0594] The image A of steak substitute meat produced using the fat block composition of Example 2 is shown in FIG. Figure 6 In the example, image B is represented as Figure 7 middle.

[0595] The image A of steak substitute meat produced using the fat block composition of Comparative Example 1 is shown in FIG. Figure 8 In the example, image B is represented as Fig. 9 middle.

[0596] The image A of steak substitute meat produced using the fat block composition of Comparative Example 2 is shown in FIG. Fig.10 In the example, image B is represented as Fig.11 middle.

[0597] The image A of the steak substitute meat produced using the fat block mixture of Example 13 is shown in FIG. Fig.12 In the example, image B is represented as Fig.13 middle.

[0598] The image A of the steak substitute meat produced using the fat block mixture of Example 14 is shown in FIG. Fig.14 In the example, image B is represented as Fig.15 middle.

[0599] The image A of the steak substitute meat produced using the fat block mixture of Example 15 is shown in FIG. Fig.16 In the example, image B is represented as Fig.17 middle.

[0600] (Evaluation criteria)

[0601] A: Five panelists answered that the dish has an appearance similar to marinated meat.

[0602] B: Four panelists answered that the dish has an appearance similar to marinated meat.

[0603] C: Three panelists answered that the dish has an appearance similar to marinated meat.

[0604] D: Two panelists answered that the dish has an appearance similar to marinated meat.

[0605] E: The number of panelists who answered that the dish has an appearance similar to marinated meat is 1 or 0.

[0606] [Table 1]

[0607]

[0608] [Table 2]

[0609]

[0610] It can be seen from the above results that the substitute meat produced using the fat block composition or the fat block mixture of the examples has an appearance similar to that of meat blocks.

[0611] Description of Reference Numerals

[0612] 10 fat block composition, 100 fat block composition manufacturing device, 101 specific liquid A supply unit, 102 specific liquid B supply unit, 103 shaping roller, 104 support roller, 105 bath, 106 convex portion, 107 shaping unit, 108 singulation unit, 109 fat block composition, 110 cleaning unit, 200 fat block composition manufacturing device, 201 specific liquid A supply unit, 202 shaping roller, 203 support roller, 204 tank filled with specific liquid B, 205 fat block composition, 206 convex portion, 207 shaping unit, 208 singulation unit, A specific liquid A, B specific liquid B, X length direction, a length of a line having the largest length among lines perpendicular to a line having the largest length between two points in a cross section perpendicular to the length direction (AA line cross section) of the fat block composition 10, b The length of the line between two points having the maximum length in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fat block composition 10 (cross section along line AA), c the length of the fat block composition in the longitudinal direction, and d the length of the line having the minimum length among the lines perpendicular to the line between two points having the maximum length and having a length ratio to the line between the two points having the maximum length of 0.10 or more in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fat block composition 10 (cross section along line AA).

[0613] The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-105051 filed on June 29, 2022 is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In addition, all documents, patent applications, and technical standards described in this specification are incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each document, patent application, and technical standard were specifically and individually described as being incorporated by reference.

Claims

1. A fat block composition comprising: Granular bodies containing fats and oils, and Edible ionically crosslinked polymers crosslinked by cations, In at least one of the cross sections perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fat block composition, when b is the length of a line between two points at which the length is the maximum and a is the length of a line having the maximum length among lines perpendicular to the line between the two points at which the length is the maximum, b / a is greater than 2.

00.

2. The fat block composition according to claim 1, wherein: When the length of the fat block composition in the longitudinal direction is defined as c, c / b is 2.00 or more.

3. The fat block composition according to claim 2, wherein: The length c is 10.0 mm to 100.0 mm.

4. The fat block composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The length a is 0.5 mm to 8.0 mm.

5. The fat block composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: When d is the length of the line having the smallest length among the lines which are perpendicular to the line having the maximum length between the two points and whose length ratio to the line having the maximum length between the two points is 0.10 or more, d / a is 0.80 or less.

6. A fat block mixture comprising the fat block composition according to claim 1, The content of the fat block composition relative to the total mass of the fat block mixture is 30% by mass or more.

7. A meat substitute, comprising: Contains lean meat portions of protein, and The fat chunk composition of claim 1 or the fat chunk mixture of claim 6.

8. The meat substitute according to claim 7, wherein: The content of the fat block composition or the fat block mixture is 3% by mass or more relative to the total mass of the substitute meat.

9. A method for producing a fat block composition, the method comprising: A step of making a fat block composition precursor by contacting a liquid containing an edible ionically crosslinkable polymer and granules containing fats and oils with a liquid containing cations, and A step of shaping the fat block composition precursor.

10. The method for producing a fat block composition according to claim 9, wherein: The time from the contact between the liquid containing the edible ionically crosslinkable polymer and the particulate matter containing fat and oil and the liquid containing cations to the start of forming the fat block composition precursor is within 1 minute.

11. The method for producing a fat block composition according to claim 9 or 10, wherein: The fat block composition precursor is shaped by pressurizing the fat block composition precursor using a shaping member and a supporting member.

12. The method for producing a fat block composition according to claim 11, wherein: The shaping member is a shaping roller arranged face to face with the supporting member, The shaping roller has a shaping portion including a convex portion, and The minimum distance between the protrusion and the supporting member is 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm.

13. The method for producing a fat block composition according to claim 12, wherein: The liquid containing the edible ion-crosslinked polymer and the granular body containing oil and fat is supplied to the shaping roller or the supporting member on the surface of which the liquid containing the cation is present, and then the liquid containing the cation is supplied, thereby bringing the liquid containing the edible ion-crosslinked polymer and the granular body containing oil and fat into contact with the liquid containing the cation.

14. The method for producing a fat block composition according to claim 13, wherein: The ratio of the rotation speed or the moving speed of the shaping roller or the supporting member to the supply speed of the liquid containing the edible ionically crosslinked polymer and the granular body containing fat and oil to the shaping roller or the supporting member is 1.00 or more.

15. The method for producing a fat block composition according to claim 12 or 13, wherein: The shaping portion includes two or more convex portions, The convex portion extends in one direction, and The interval between adjacent protrusions is 10.0 mm or less.

16. The method for producing a fat block composition according to claim 12 or 13, wherein: The shaping roller includes a singulation unit.

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