Preparation of plant-based fat with meat flavor

Abstract

The invention discloses preparation of plant-based fat with meat flavor, and belongs to the technical field of food processing. According to the invention, a three-dimensional network structure is constructed to solidify animal fat, the solid-state characteristic of animal fat is simulated, in order to realize controllable release of flavor, a thermally reversible gel and thermally irreversible gel composite system is adopted, the former is converted into sol at cooking temperature, the latter is maintained in a solid state, and ribose and cysteine are added, so that the controlled release of flavor is realized. Meat flavor substances are generated through the Maillard reaction during cooking, the meat flavor can be controllably released at the cooking temperature, and the flavor is kept stable at the normal temperature.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of food processing technology, and specifically relates to the preparation of a plant-based fat with a meaty flavor. Background Technology

[0002] Fat, as an essential nutrient, improves the texture, flavor, and color of food products during processing. However, excessive intake of saturated fatty acids can lead to health risks such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Global demand for meat and the expansion of the livestock industry have exacerbated environmental and climate problems. Therefore, developing solid fat alternatives primarily composed of vegetable oil-based polyunsaturated fatty acids is of great significance.

[0003] Currently, methods for preparing solid fat substitutes mainly include hydrogels, oleogels, and emulsion gels. However, hydrogels lack lipids, and oleogels often require high-temperature heating during processing, leading to lipid oxidation. Emulsion gels stand out due to their versatility in regulating structure, flavor, and color. However, research on flavor modulation of fat mimics is scarce. Flavor encapsulation technology can effectively protect flavor components from heat, oxygen, and other adverse factors during processing. However, this technology faces several challenges in practical applications, such as the difficulty in effectively encapsulating flavor compounds due to their molecular characteristics, the risk of volatility loss during encapsulation, and the difficulty in accurately controlling the amount of encapsulated flavor. Therefore, ensuring the stability of encapsulated flavor compounds is a critical issue that urgently needs to be addressed. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention provides a plant-based fat with temperature-controlled release of meaty aroma. This invention incorporates flavor precursor compounds, preventing premature flavor release while allowing release under cooking conditions. The invention solidifies the fat through a three-dimensional network structure, mimicking the solid-state characteristics of animal fat. To achieve controllable flavor release, a composite system of thermally reversible and thermally irreversible gels is employed: the former transforms into a sol at cooking temperatures, while the latter remains solid. By adding ribose and cysteine, meaty aroma substances are generated using the Maillard reaction during cooking, allowing for controlled release of meaty aroma at cooking temperatures while maintaining flavor stability at room temperature.

[0005] This invention provides a method for preparing plant-based fats with a meaty flavor, specifically including the following steps:

[0006] (1) Preparation of flaxseed oil emulsion: 0.8-1.2 wt% of hydrophobic modified chitosan microgel aqueous solution was added to flaxseed oil and homogenized by a homogenizer (12000 rpm, 1 min) to obtain flaxseed oil emulsion, wherein the mass of flaxseed oil was 75% of the flaxseed oil emulsion.

[0007] (2) Construction of a double gel network structure: Add gellan gum and gel polysaccharide to water, place in a water bath, heat and stir at 100°C for one hour, then adjust the temperature to 50°C, add ribose and cysteine, and continue stirring for 10 minutes to form a double gel network structure solution;

[0008] (3) Add the flaxseed oil emulsion to the constructed double gel network structure solution and homogenize it using a homogenizer (12000 rpm, 1 min). Then place it in a mold and cool it in a refrigerator at 4°C. The mass ratio of the double gel network structure solution to the flaxseed oil emulsion is 1:1-2.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, step (1) involves the preparation method of hydrophobically modified chitosan microgel, which includes:

[0010] S1. Dissolve chitosan and glacial acetic acid in water and stir magnetically to completely dissolve the chitosan to obtain a chitosan solution. Dissolve long-chain alkyl acid, N-hydroxysuccinimide, and 1-ethyl-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide in ethanol and stir magnetically in an ice bath for 1-2 hours to activate the long-chain alkyl acid. Then add the activated long-chain alkyl acid to the chitosan solution during stirring and react for 12-36 hours. After the reaction is complete, adjust the pH to 8-10 with NaOH solution and store at 4℃ for 18-27 hours. Then centrifuge, collect the precipitate, wash, dry, and grind the dried sample into powder to obtain hydrophobically modified chitosan powder.

[0011] S2. Preparation of hydrophobically modified chitosan microgel: Dissolve the hydrophobically modified chitosan powder from S1 in a 0.5% aqueous acetic acid solution and stir to obtain a hydrophobically modified chitosan solution; at the same time, dissolve sodium alginate in water; add the prepared sodium alginate solution to the above hydrophobically modified chitosan solution to prepare hydrophobically modified chitosan microgel.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, in step (2), the mass fraction of gellan gum in the dual gel network structure solution is 1.8-2.2%.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, in step (2), the mass fraction of gel polysaccharide in the dual gel network structure solution is 0-3 wt%, preferably 2 wt%.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, in step (2), the mass fractions of ribose and cysteine ​​in the dual gel network structure solution are both 0.5-1.5%.

[0015] This invention provides plant-based fats prepared by the method described above.

[0016] This invention provides the application of the above-described plant-based fats in the food industry.

[0017] Beneficial effects:

[0018] (1) This invention uses vegetable oil to construct plant-based fats, which can enrich the fatty acid composition of the product and avoid excessive intake of saturated fatty acids.

[0019] (2) The plant-based fat of the present invention has a morphology similar to that of animal fat.

[0020] (3) The thermally reversible gel (gellan gum) and thermally irreversible gel (gel polysaccharide) dual gel network structure constructed in this invention can maintain a solid state macroscopically at high temperatures. At the same time, microscopically, gellan gum transforms into a sol, which makes it easier for the added ribose and cysteine ​​to interact and react at cooking temperatures to generate compounds with a meaty aroma. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 The apparent morphology (a) and micro morphology (b) of plant-based fats in Examples 1-3 and Comparative Example 1 are shown.

[0022] Figure 2 Thermorheological properties of plant-based fats in Examples 1-3 and Comparative Example 1;

[0023] Figure 3 The gel strength of the plant-based fats in Examples 1-3 and Comparative Example 1;

[0024] Figure 4 The results of the electronic nose for flavor release of plant-based fats are as follows: a) Electronic nose results of Comparative Examples 2-5 without the addition of ribose and cysteine ​​at 25°C; b) Electronic nose results of Comparative Examples 2-5 without the addition of ribose and cysteine ​​at 150°C; c) Electronic nose results of Examples 1-3 and Comparative Example 1 with the addition of ribose and cysteine ​​at 25°C; d) Electronic nose results of Examples 1-3 and Comparative Example 1 with the addition of ribose and cysteine ​​at 150°C. Detailed Implementation

[0025] Macroscopic structure: Plant-based fats are placed in a flat plate and photographed using a camera.

[0026] Microstructure: The microstructure of the emulsion was characterized using cryo-scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM, equipped with a PP3010T cryotransfer unit, Quorum, UK) combined with high-resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM, Regulus 8100, Hitachi, Japan). The specific procedure was as follows: the plant-based fat sample was rapidly frozen in liquid nitrogen, transferred to a cryostat to prepare a cross-section, and sublimated at -80°C for 20 minutes. Subsequently, the sample was sputtered with a 10mA current for 60 seconds, and finally observed under a 3kV accelerating voltage.

[0027] Rheological properties: The rheological properties of the samples were measured using a rheometer (Discovery HR-2, TA Instruments, USA). The specific testing method is as follows: The samples were prepared into circular discs with a diameter of 40 mm and a thickness of 1 mm, placed in a 40 mm parallel plate fixture, and a 1 mm test gap was set. To prevent moisture evaporation, a thin layer of glycerol was coated on the edge of the sample for protection. Temperature scan: Heating range 10-100℃, rate 3℃ / min, strain 1%, frequency 1 Hz.

[0028] Gel strength and texture: The strength and TPA of the plant-based fat gel were measured using a texture analyzer. A P / 0.5 probe was used at a depth of 2 mm / s. -1 Gel strength was evaluated at a test speed of 2 mm / s with a strain of 70%. TPA was performed using a P / 50 probe at a test speed of 2 mm / s. -1 The strain is 30%.

[0029] Electronic nose assay: Samples were placed in sealed vials, and the plant-based fat flavor profile was analyzed using an electronic nose. Each sample was tested for 70 seconds at an injection flow rate of 200 mL / min. The electronic nose sensor and its representative compounds are as follows: W1C, aromatic compounds; W1S, methyl compounds; W5S, nitrogen oxides; W1W, inorganic sulfides; W3C, ammonia and aromatic compounds; W2S, alcohols, aldehydes, and ketones; W6S, hydrogen compounds; W2W, organic sulfides and aromatic compounds; W5C, short-chain alkanes and aromatic alkenes; W3S, long-chain alkanes.

[0030] The hydrophobically modified chitosan microgel described below in this invention was prepared with reference to patent CN 118216667 A, specifically as follows:

[0031] (1) Preparation of hydrophobically modified chitosan: 2.4 g chitosan (CS) and 1 mL glacial acetic acid were placed in 200 mL of water and magnetically stirred for 2 h, followed by ultrasonic treatment for 10 min; lauric acid (LA), N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) and 1-ethyl-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC) were added to ethanol and magnetically stirred in an ice bath for 2 h, and then gradually added to the chitosan solution under magnetic stirring, reacting for 24 h (wherein, the molar ratio of CS, LA, NHS and EDC was...). 2:1:1:1); The pH of the solution was adjusted to 9 using NaOH solution (2 mol / L), and the final solution was stored at 4℃ for 24 h; After this step, the solution was centrifuged at 5000 g for 20 min, and the precipitate was washed three times with distilled water to remove NaOH, and then washed three times with ethanol to remove unreacted alkyl acids, EDC and NHS. Subsequently, the precipitate was dried in a vacuum drying oven to obtain hydrophobically modified chitosan. The dried sample was ground into powder using a ball mill for subsequent use.

[0032] (2) Preparation of hydrophobically modified chitosan microgels

[0033] The dried hydrophobic modified chitosan powder was dissolved in 0.5% acetic acid water to obtain a hydrophobic modified chitosan solution with a concentration of 5 g / L; a sodium alginate solution with a concentration of 5 g / L was prepared; the sodium alginate solution was added to the hydrophobic modified chitosan solution stirred at 5000 rpm (the ratio of hydrophobic modified chitosan solution to sodium alginate solution was 2:1 (v / v)) to obtain hydrophobic modified chitosan microgels.

[0034] Example 1

[0035] Flaxseed oil was added to a 1 wt% aqueous solution of hydrophobically modified chitosan microgel, and homogenized (12000 rpm, 1 min) to obtain a 75% flaxseed oil emulsion. A mixture of 2 wt% gellan gum and 1 wt% gel polysaccharide was heated and stirred at 100°C for one hour in a water bath, then cooled to 50°C. 1 wt% ribose and 1 wt% cysteine ​​were added and stirred for 10 min to form a bigel network structure solution. The 75% flaxseed oil emulsion was added to this solution, homogenized at 12000 rpm for 1 min, and then cooled at 4°C. The ratio of the gel solution to the flaxseed oil emulsion was 1:2 (m / m).

[0036] Example 2

[0037] Flaxseed oil was added to a 1 wt% aqueous solution of hydrophobically modified chitosan microgel, and homogenized (12000 rpm, 1 min) to obtain a 75% flaxseed oil emulsion. A mixture of 2 wt% gellan gum and 2 wt% gelatin polysaccharide was heated and stirred at 100°C for one hour in a water bath, then cooled to 50°C. 1 wt% ribose and 1 wt% cysteine ​​were added and stirred for 10 min to form a bigel network structure solution. The 75 wt% flaxseed oil emulsion was added to this solution, homogenized at 12000 rpm for 1 min, and then cooled to 4°C. The ratio of the gel solution to the flaxseed oil emulsion was 1:2 (m / m).

[0038] Example 3

[0039] Flaxseed oil was added to a 1 wt% aqueous solution of hydrophobically modified chitosan microgel, and homogenized (12000 rpm, 1 min) to obtain a 75% flaxseed oil emulsion. A mixture of 2 wt% gellan gum and 3 wt% gel polysaccharide was heated and stirred at 100°C for one hour in a water bath, then cooled to 50°C. 1 wt% ribose and 1 wt% cysteine ​​were added and stirred for 10 min to form a bigel network structure solution. The 75 wt% flaxseed oil emulsion was then added to this solution, homogenized at 12000 rpm for 1 min, and cooled to 4°C. The ratio of the gel solution to the flaxseed oil emulsion was 1:2 (m / m).

[0040] Comparative Example 1

[0041] Flaxseed oil was added to a 1 wt% aqueous solution of hydrophobically modified chitosan microgel, and homogenized (12000 rpm, 1 min) to obtain a 75% flaxseed oil emulsion. A 2 wt% gellan gum solution was heated and stirred at 100°C for one hour in a water bath, then cooled to 50°C. 1 wt% ribose and 1 wt% cysteine ​​were added and stirred for 10 min. The 75 wt% flaxseed oil emulsion was then added and homogenized at 12000 rpm for 1 min, and cooled to 4°C. The ratio of gel solution to flaxseed oil emulsion was 1:2 (m / m).

[0042] Comparative Example 2

[0043] Unlike Example 1, no ribose and cysteine ​​were added to the gel network.

[0044] Comparative Example 3

[0045] Unlike Example 2, no ribose and cysteine ​​were added to the gel network.

[0046] Comparative Example 4

[0047] Unlike Example 3, no ribose and cysteine ​​were added to the gel network.

[0048] Comparative Example 5

[0049] Unlike Comparative Example 1, no ribose and cysteine ​​were added to the gel network.

[0050] Figure 1The figures show macroscopic and microscopic images of Examples 1, 2, 3, and Comparative Example 1. As shown, the emulsion gels formed from gels and emulsions with different chymosin contents exhibit excellent self-supporting properties. Furthermore, similar to animal fats, these emulsion gel samples can be easily cut, resulting in smooth cut surfaces. Under the microscope, the emulsion uniformly permeates into the various gel networks. Increasing chymosin concentration leads to a highly dense gel network, accompanied by a gradual decrease in pore size. The gel networks in Examples 2 and 3 are even denser.

[0051] Figure 2 The rheological properties of the plant-based fats constructed in Examples 1, 2, 3, and Comparative Example 1 at 10-100℃ are shown. It can be seen that in the comparative example, the elastic modulus and storage modulus of the samples continuously decrease with increasing temperature. However, in the examples, the elastic modulus and storage modulus of the plant and fat samples at 10-100℃ show no significant change.

[0052] The table below shows the textural properties of the plant-based fats constructed in Examples 1, 2, 3 and Comparative Example 1 under TPA mode. The results show that, compared with Comparative Example 1, the plant-based fats constructed in Examples 1, 2, and 3 have significantly increased hardness, adhesiveness, and chewiness, and these properties increase with increasing gel polysaccharide content.

[0053] Table 1. Texture properties of plant-based fats

[0054]

[0055] Note: Different letters in "ac" indicate significant differences between different groups (P<0.05).

[0056] Figure 3 The gel strength of the plant-based fats constructed in Examples 1, 2, 3 and Comparative Example 1 is shown. Similar to the textural results, the gel strength of the plant-based fats constructed in Examples 1, 2, and 3 is increased compared to Comparative Example 1.

[0057] Figure 4 The electronic nose response graphs show the plant-based fats constructed in Examples 1, 2, 3, and Comparative Examples 1-5 after heating at 25°C and 150°C. As shown in the figure, Comparative Examples 2-5 did not contain ribose and cysteine; therefore, the response values ​​of each sensor did not change significantly before and after heating at 150°C. The plant-based fats constructed in Examples 1, 2, 3, and Comparative Example 1 showed significant release of flavor compounds after heating at 150°C. Compared to Comparative Example 1, the flavor release of the plant-based fats constructed in Examples 1, 2, and 3 was controlled, and the flavor release decreased with increasing gel polysaccharide content. This provides a reference for controlling the flavor release of the present invention.

[0058] The embodiments provided above are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, nor are the described steps intended to limit the order of execution. Any obvious modifications made to the invention by those skilled in the art based on existing common knowledge also fall within the scope of protection defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a plant-based fat with a meaty flavor, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: (1) Flaxseed oil was added to the hydrophobically modified chitosan microgel aqueous solution and homogenized to obtain a flaxseed oil emulsion. (2) Add gellan gum and gel polysaccharide to water and heat and stir, then lower the temperature and add ribose and cysteine ​​to form a double gel network structure solution; (3) Add flaxseed oil emulsion to the constructed double gel network structure solution, homogenize and cool to obtain plant-based fat.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (1), the mass concentration of the hydrophobically modified chitosan microgel aqueous solution is 0.8-1.2%; the mass of flaxseed oil is 75% of the flaxseed oil emulsion.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (1), the preparation method of hydrophobically modified chitosan microgel includes: S1. Dissolve chitosan and glacial acetic acid in water and stir magnetically to completely dissolve the chitosan to obtain a chitosan solution. Dissolve long-chain alkyl acid, N-hydroxysuccinimide, and 1-ethyl-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide in ethanol and stir magnetically in an ice bath for 1-2 hours to activate the long-chain alkyl acid. Then add the activated long-chain alkyl acid to the chitosan solution during stirring and react for 12-36 hours. After the reaction is complete, adjust the pH to 8-10 with NaOH solution and store at 4℃ for 18-27 hours. Then centrifuge, collect the precipitate, wash, dry, and grind the dried sample into powder to obtain hydrophobically modified chitosan powder. S2. Preparation of hydrophobically modified chitosan microgel: Dissolve the hydrophobically modified chitosan powder from S1 in a 0.5% aqueous acetic acid solution and stir to obtain a hydrophobically modified chitosan solution; at the same time, dissolve sodium alginate in water; add the prepared sodium alginate solution to the above hydrophobically modified chitosan solution to prepare hydrophobically modified chitosan microgel.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (2), gellan gum and gel polysaccharide are added to water and heated and stirred at 100°C for 1 hour. Then the temperature is adjusted to 50°C and ribose and cysteine ​​are added.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (2), the mass fraction of gel polysaccharide in the double gel network structure solution is 0-3%.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (2), the mass fraction of gellan gum in the dual gel network structure solution is 1.8-2.2%.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (2), the mass fractions of ribose and cysteine ​​in the double gel network structure solution are both 0.5-1.5%.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (3), the mass ratio of the double gel network structure solution to the flaxseed oil emulsion is 1:1-2.

9. The plant-based fat prepared by any one of the methods described in claims 1-8.

10. The application of the plant-based fat of claim 9 in the food industry.

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