Fresh keeping agent for tapioca pearls, preparation method and application thereof, and fresh keeping method of tapioca pearls

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of food preservation, and provides a tapioca pearl preservative as well as a preparation method and application thereof, and the tapioca pearl preservative comprises casein, chymosin, food-grade calcium salt, a bacteriostatic agent and water. The preparation method of the tapioca pearl preservative comprises the following steps: (1) adding casein, chymosin and food-grade calcium salt into water, heating and stirring to obtain a solution A; and (2) adding a bacteriostatic agent into the solution A, stirring and dissolving to form the tapioca pearl preservative. When in use, the tapioca pearls preservative is sprayed on the surfaces of tapioca pearls and then dried, a layer of enzymatic cross-linked protein film activated by calcium ions can be formed on the surfaces of tapioca pearls, and the film has double functions of physical barrier and chemical bacteriostasis, so that long-acting preservation is realized, and the tapioca pearls preservative has the advantages of high safety, long preservation period, low cost and the like. And the fresh-keeping method is suitable for fresh-keeping treatment of industrial production of tapioca pearls.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of food preservation technology, specifically to a tapioca pearl preservative, its preparation method and application, and a method for preserving tapioca pearls. Background Technology

[0002] Tapioca pearls (also known as pearls) are food ingredients made primarily from starch and are widely used in freshly prepared beverages such as milk tea and desserts. Due to their high water content and rich nutrients, they are highly susceptible to contamination by mold, yeast, and bacteria during storage, transportation, and sales, leading to spoilage, mold growth, rancidity, and a sticky texture. This severely limits their shelf life (usually only 1-3 days) and causes significant economic losses.

[0003] Currently, the preservation of tapioca pearls mainly relies on the addition of chemical preservatives. Traditional methods use dehydroacetic acid and its sodium salt, which have significant antibacterial effects. However, due to food safety concerns, national food safety standards have explicitly stipulated that dehydroacetic acid and its sodium salt cannot be used in tapioca pearl products, making this technical solution no longer feasible. As an alternative, the industry commonly uses sodium diacetate. However, sodium diacetate has significant drawbacks: firstly, it has a strong, pungent acidic taste, which significantly masks and degrades the original light and sweet flavor of tapioca pearls, severely affecting the taste of the final beverage; secondly, its antibacterial spectrum is relatively narrow, resulting in limited actual preservation effects, often requiring large amounts and having low utilization rates.

[0004] In this situation, the preservation of tapioca pearls is severely hampered. Developing a safe, efficient preservation technology that does not affect the flavor of tapioca pearls has become an urgent technical challenge to be solved in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the aforementioned shortcomings, the main objective of this invention is to provide a tapioca preservative that is highly safe, has excellent preservation effects, and does not affect the flavor of the tapioca balls.

[0006] To achieve this objective, the present invention provides a tapioca pearl preservative comprising casein, rennet, food-grade calcium salt, antibacterial agent and water.

[0007] Furthermore, the food-grade calcium salt is selected from at least one of calcium lactate, calcium chloride, calcium gluconate, and calcium citrate.

[0008] Furthermore, the antibacterial agent is selected from one or both of perilla lactone and sodium L-aspartate.

[0009] Furthermore, by weight, the tapioca pearl preservative includes 2-5 parts casein, 0.05-0.1 parts rennet, 0.5-1 parts food-grade calcium salt, 2-20 parts antibacterial agent, and 75-95 parts water.

[0010] Furthermore, by weight, the tapioca pearl preservative includes 2-5 parts casein, 0.05-0.1 parts rennet, 0.5-1 parts food-grade calcium salt, 1-10 parts perillaldehyde, 1-10 parts sodium L-aspartate and 75-95 parts water.

[0011] Furthermore, by weight, the tapioca pearl preservative includes 2-5 parts casein, 0.05-0.1 parts rennet, 0.5-1 parts calcium lactate, 1-10 parts perillaldehyde, 1-10 parts sodium L-aspartate and 75-95 parts water.

[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for preparing the above-mentioned tapioca pearl preservative, which is simple, easy to implement, and suitable for industrial production. The preparation method includes the following steps: (1) Add casein, rennet, and food-grade calcium salt to water, heat and stir to obtain solution A; (2) Add an antibacterial agent to the solution A to form a tapioca pearl preservative.

[0013] Furthermore, the heating temperature is 40-60℃, preferably 40-55℃.

[0014] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for preserving tapioca pearls, comprising the steps of: applying the above-mentioned preservative to the surface of the tapioca pearls and drying it to form a preservative coating on the surface of the tapioca pearls. This method can effectively extend the shelf life of tapioca pearls and maintain their excellent taste.

[0015] Furthermore, the drying conditions are hot air drying at 45-55℃ for 2-6 minutes.

[0016] Meanwhile, the present invention also provides the application of this tapioca pearl preservative in the preservation of tapioca pearls.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution provided by the present invention has the following technical effects: The tapioca pearl preservative of this invention comprises casein, rennet, food-grade calcium salt, antibacterial agent, and water. It is not a simple mixture of preservatives, but rather utilizes the calcium ions provided by the food-grade calcium salt to specifically activate rennet. This enzyme catalyzes a cross-linking reaction of casein molecules, easily forming a dense, stable, and strongly adhesive protein film on the surface of the tapioca pearl. This film effectively blocks oxygen intrusion and prevents excessive moisture loss, physically cutting off the conditions for microbial growth and tapioca pearl aging. Furthermore, the antibacterial agent is uniformly dissolved within the protein network structure. During storage, the antibacterial components are slowly released from within the film, forming and maintaining an effective antibacterial microenvironment on the surface of the tapioca pearl, continuously inhibiting or killing contaminating microorganisms. Therefore, through a dual preservation method combining physical barriers and chemical antibacterial action, long-term protection of the tapioca pearls is achieved. This tapioca pearl preservative has excellent preservation effects and does not introduce an unpleasant sour taste like sodium diacetate, preserving the original flavor of the tapioca pearls to the greatest extent possible.

[0018] Meanwhile, the preservative of this invention is a water-based solution with stable properties, and the preparation process does not require complex equipment. Its application method (spraying + hot air drying) can be seamlessly integrated with existing tapioca pearl production lines (forming, conveying, and drying equipment) to achieve automated and large-scale processing, high production efficiency, controllable costs, and easy promotion in the industry. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 The images show the preservation effect of tapioca pearls using the preservative of the present invention (Examples 1 and 2) and without the preservative of the present invention (blank example). Detailed Implementation

[0020] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more complete description will be provided below. The present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a thorough and complete understanding of the disclosure of the present invention.

[0021] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein in the specification of this invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0022] In this invention, the technical features described in an open-ended manner include both closed-ended technical solutions composed of the listed features and open-ended technical solutions that include the listed features.

[0023] In this invention, numerical ranges are involved. Unless otherwise specified, the numerical ranges are considered continuous and include the minimum and maximum values ​​of the range, as well as every value between the minimum and maximum values. Furthermore, when the range refers to integers, it includes every integer between the minimum and maximum values ​​of the range. Additionally, when multiple ranges are provided to describe features or characteristics, the ranges may be merged. In other words, unless otherwise specified, all ranges disclosed herein should be understood to include any and all subranges to which they are included.

[0024] This invention provides a tapioca pearl preservative, which includes casein, rennet, food-grade calcium salt, antibacterial agent and water.

[0025] In the tapioca pearl preservative of this invention, calcium ions provided by food-grade calcium salt specifically activate rennet. This enzyme catalyzes the cross-linking reaction of casein molecules, easily forming a dense, stable, and strongly adhesive protein film on the surface of the tapioca pearl. This film effectively blocks oxygen intrusion and prevents excessive moisture loss, physically cutting off the conditions for microbial growth and tapioca pearl aging. Furthermore, the antibacterial agent is uniformly dissolved in the protein network structure. During storage, the antibacterial components are slowly released from within the film, forming and maintaining an effective antibacterial microenvironment on the surface of the tapioca pearl, continuously inhibiting or killing contaminating microorganisms. Therefore, through a dual preservation method combining physical barriers and chemical antibacterial action, long-term protection of the tapioca pearls is achieved. This tapioca pearl preservative has excellent preservation effects and does not introduce an unpleasant sour taste like sodium diacetate, preserving the original flavor of the tapioca pearls to the greatest extent.

[0026] Preferably, the food-grade calcium salt is selected from at least one of calcium lactate, calcium chloride, calcium gluconate, and calcium citrate. The food-grade calcium salt provides calcium ions, which can activate the activity of rennet. For example, the food-grade calcium salt is calcium lactate, or calcium chloride; another example is calcium lactate and calcium citrate, or calcium lactate, calcium gluconate, and calcium citrate.

[0027] Preferably, the antibacterial agent is selected from one or both of perillaldehyde and sodium L-aspartate. The antibacterial agent is integrated with the protective film, thereby forming an antibacterial microenvironment within the film. For example, the antibacterial agent is perillaldehyde or sodium L-aspartate. As a preferred embodiment, the antibacterial agent is preferably a mixture of perillaldehyde and sodium L-aspartate. Both perillaldehyde and sodium L-aspartate contain antibacterial components. The combined antibacterial composition of perillaldehyde and sodium L-aspartate can effectively dissolve and uniformly disperse in the protein film, forming an antibacterial microenvironment within the film and extending the shelf life of the tapioca pearls.

[0028] Preferably, the tapioca pearl preservative, by weight, comprises 2-5 parts casein, 0.05-0.1 parts rennet, 0.5-1 parts food-grade calcium salt, 2-20 parts antibacterial agent, and 77-92 parts water. Further, the tapioca pearl preservative comprises 2-5 parts casein, 0.05-0.1 parts rennet, 0.5-1 parts food-grade calcium salt, 5-15 parts antibacterial agent, and 75-95 parts water.

[0029] Preferably, the tapioca pearl preservative comprises, by weight, 2-5 parts casein, 0.05-0.1 parts rennet, 0.5-1 parts food-grade calcium salt, 1-10 parts perillaldehyde, 1-10 parts sodium L-aspartate and 75-95 parts water.

[0030] Preferably, the tapioca pearl preservative comprises, by weight, 2-5 parts casein, 0.05-0.1 parts rennet, 0.5-1 parts calcium lactate, 1-10 parts perillaldehyde, 1-10 parts sodium L-aspartate and 75-95 parts water.

[0031] Preferably, water is used as the solvent, and purified water, deionized water, or distilled water can be used to avoid impurities in the water interfering with the film-forming reaction.

[0032] This invention also provides a method for preparing the tapioca pearl preservative, comprising the following steps: (1) Add casein, rennet, and food-grade calcium salt to water, heat and stir to obtain solution A; (2) Add an antibacterial agent to the solution A, stir to dissolve, and form a tapioca pearl preservative.

[0033] Preferably, the heating temperature is 40-60℃, and more preferably 40-55℃.

[0034] This invention also provides a method for preserving tapioca pearls. The method involves spraying the aforementioned preservative onto the surface of the tapioca pearls and then drying it to form a preservative film on the surface. It is understood that spraying the tapioca pearl preservative onto the surface and then drying it forms a thin film of enzymatically cross-linked proteins activated by calcium ions. This film possesses both physical barrier and chemical antibacterial functions, achieving long-lasting preservation. Therefore, this tapioca pearl preservative has the advantages of high safety, long preservation period, and no impact on its original flavor, making it suitable for preservation treatment in the industrial production of tapioca pearls.

[0035] Preferably, the above-mentioned preservative can be sprayed onto the surface of the tapioca pearls using a spraying device.

[0036] Preferably, the drying conditions are hot air drying at 45-55°C for 2-6 minutes.

[0037] Accordingly, the present invention also provides the application of the tapioca pearl preservative in the preservation of tapioca pearls. When the tapioca pearl preservative is added in the preparation of preserved tapioca pearl products, long-term preservation can be achieved, and it can be used to prepare tapioca pearl products with extended shelf life.

[0038] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to embodiments and test data. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0039] Example 1 A tapioca pearl preservative, by weight, comprises 5 parts casein, 0.1 parts rennet, 0.9 parts calcium lactate, 1 part perillaldehyde, 1 part sodium L-aspartate and 92 parts water.

[0040] The preparation method of the tapioca preservative in this embodiment includes the following steps: (1) Add casein, rennet and calcium lactate to water, heat to 45°C in a water bath, stir until dissolved and clear, to obtain solution A; (2) Add perilla lactone and sodium L-aspartate to solution A, stir until dissolved and clear to form a tapioca pearl preservative.

[0041] Example 2 A tapioca pearl preservative, by weight, comprises 2 parts casein, 0.08 parts rennet, 0.5 parts calcium lactate, 10 parts perillaldehyde, 10 parts sodium L-aspartate and 77.42 parts water.

[0042] The preparation method of the tapioca preservative in this embodiment includes the following steps: (1) Add casein, rennet and calcium lactate to water, heat to 50°C in a water bath, stir until dissolved and clear, to obtain solution A; (2) Add perilla lactone and sodium L-aspartate to solution A, stir until dissolved and clear to form a tapioca pearl preservative.

[0043] Example 3 A tapioca pearl preservative, comprising, by weight, 3.5 parts casein, 0.05 parts rennet, 0.7 parts calcium lactate, 5 parts perillaldehyde, 1 part sodium L-aspartate and 89.75 parts water.

[0044] The preparation method of the tapioca preservative in this embodiment includes the following steps: (1) Add casein, rennet and calcium lactate to water, heat to 45°C in a water bath, stir until dissolved and clear, to obtain solution A; (2) Add perilla lactone and sodium L-aspartate to solution A, stir until dissolved and clear to form a tapioca pearl preservative.

[0045] Example 4 A preservative for tapioca pearls, comprising, by weight, 2 parts casein, 0.06 parts rennet, 0.1 parts calcium gluconate, 0.3 parts calcium citrate, 2 parts perillaldehyde, 6 parts sodium L-aspartate and 89.54 parts water.

[0046] The preparation method of the tapioca preservative in this embodiment includes the following steps: (1) Add casein, rennet, calcium citrate and calcium gluconate to water, heat to 50°C in a water bath, stir until dissolved and clear, to obtain solution A; (2) Add perilla lactone and sodium L-aspartate to solution A, stir until dissolved and clear to form a tapioca pearl preservative.

[0047] Example 5 A preservative for tapioca pearls, comprising, by weight, 4 parts casein, 0.08 parts rennet, 0.2 parts calcium lactate, 0.2 parts calcium gluconate, 0.3 parts calcium citrate, 6 parts perillaldehyde, 8 parts sodium L-aspartate and 81.22 parts water.

[0048] The preparation method of the tapioca preservative in this embodiment includes the following steps: (1) Add casein, rennet, calcium lactate, calcium citrate and calcium gluconate to water, heat to 50°C in a water bath, stir until dissolved and clear, to obtain solution A; (2) Add perilla lactone and sodium L-aspartate to solution A, stir until dissolved and clear to form a tapioca pearl preservative.

[0049] Comparative Example 1 A tapioca pearl preservative, comprising, by weight, 5 parts casein, 0.1 parts rennet, 1 part perillaldehyde, 1 part sodium L-aspartate and 92.9 parts water.

[0050] The preparation method of the tapioca preservative in this embodiment includes the following steps: (1) Add casein and rennet to water, heat the water bath to 45°C, stir until dissolved and clear, to obtain solution A; (2) Add perilla lactone and sodium L-aspartate to solution A, stir until dissolved and clear to form a tapioca pearl preservative.

[0051] Performance testing: The tapioca preservatives prepared in Examples 1-5 were placed in a spraying device, and the shaped tapioca balls were placed on a conveying device. When the tapioca pearls on the conveyor pass through the spraying equipment, the preservative liquid will be evenly sprayed onto the surface of the tapioca pearls. The tapioca pearls on the conveyor pass through a blower and are blown at 50°C for 2-6 minutes, which quickly forms a coating on the surface of the tapioca pearls.

[0052] Blank example: Its tapioca pearls are not treated with preservatives.

[0053] Evaluation of results: Under the same conditions (placed in an environment of 28℃ and 85% relative humidity), observe whether mold growth occurs. Observe and record the date on which mold spots appear on the surface of the tapioca pearls each day (anti-mold time). The results are shown in Table 1.

[0054] Table 1. Results of the test on anti-mold and freshness preservation of tapioca pearls

[0055] Figure 1 The results of the anti-mold and preservation test on tapioca pearls are shown in the blank example and Examples 1-2. From... Figure 1 The comparison showed that the blank example tapioca pearls developed mold on their surface after 3 days, while the tapioca pearls in Examples 1 and 2 did not develop mold after 30 days.

[0056] As shown in Table 1, the blank example had an extremely short shelf life, with a mold prevention time of only 3 days, after which it became severely moldy and inedible. In Comparative Example 1, due to the lack of calcium ion activation, rennet could not effectively cross-link casein to form a film, leading to the failure of the physical barrier and the inability of the antibacterial agent to be effectively fixed, resulting in poor preservation. Combining Table 1 and... Figure 1 As can be seen, Examples 1-5 of this invention all exhibit excellent preservation effects, with anti-mold time exceeding 30 days, and even reaching up to 50 days, achieving unexpected long-term preservation effects. This is because the tapioca pearl preservative of this invention specifically activates rennet through calcium ions provided by food-grade calcium salts. This enzyme catalyzes the cross-linking reaction of casein molecules, easily forming a dense, stable, and strongly adhesive protein film on the surface of the tapioca pearl. This film effectively blocks oxygen intrusion and prevents excessive moisture loss, physically cutting off the conditions for microbial growth and tapioca pearl aging. Furthermore, the antibacterial agent is uniformly dissolved in the protein network structure. During storage, the antibacterial components can be slowly released from within the film, forming and maintaining an effective antibacterial microenvironment on the surface of the tapioca pearl, continuously inhibiting or killing contaminating microorganisms. Therefore, through a dual preservation method of physical barrier and chemical antibacterial action, long-term protection of the tapioca pearl is achieved, giving the preservative excellent preservation effect. Unlike sodium diacetate, it does not introduce an unpleasant sour taste, preserving the original flavor of the tapioca pearl to the greatest extent. The preservative of this invention can extend the shelf life of tapioca pearls by an order of magnitude through simple spraying and drying without compromising flavor, and has industrial application value.

[0057] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0058] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementations of the present invention, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of this invention patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A preservative for tapioca pearls, characterized in that, It includes casein, rennet, food-grade calcium salts, antibacterial agents, and water.

2. The tapioca pearl preservative according to claim 1, characterized in that, The food-grade calcium salt is selected from at least one of calcium lactate, calcium chloride, calcium gluconate, and calcium citrate.

3. The tapioca pearl preservative according to claim 1, characterized in that, The antibacterial agent is selected from one or both of perilla lactone and sodium L-aspartate.

4. The tapioca pearl preservative according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, By weight, it includes 2-5 parts casein, 0.05-0.1 parts rennet, 0.5-1 parts food-grade calcium salt, 2-20 parts antibacterial agent and 75-95 parts water.

5. The tapioca pearl preservative according to claim 4, characterized in that, By weight, it comprises 2-5 parts casein, 0.05-0.1 parts rennet, 0.5-1 parts food-grade calcium salt, 1-10 parts perillaldehyde, 1-10 parts sodium L-aspartate and 75-95 parts water.

6. The tapioca pearl preservative according to claim 4, characterized in that, By weight, it comprises 2-5 parts casein, 0.05-0.1 parts rennet, 0.5-1 parts calcium lactate, 1-10 parts perillaldehyde, 1-10 parts sodium L-aspartate and 75-95 parts water.

7. A method for preparing the tapioca pearl preservative as described in any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, Including the following steps: (1) Add casein, rennet, and food-grade calcium salt to water, heat and stir to obtain solution A; (2) Add an antibacterial agent to the solution A, stir to dissolve, and form a tapioca pearl preservative.

8. A method for preserving tapioca pearls, characterized in that, The preservative as described in any one of claims 1-6 is sprayed onto the surface of the tapioca pearls and dried to form a preservative coating on the surface of the tapioca pearls.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The drying conditions are hot air drying at 45-55℃ for 2-6 minutes.

10. The application of the tapioca preservative as described in any one of claims 1-6 in the preservation of tapioca pearls.

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