Delicious sea cucumber with effect of assisting in improving glucose metabolism and preparation method of delicious sea cucumber

Abstract

The invention discloses delicious sea cucumber with an effect of assisting in improving sugar metabolism and a preparation method thereof, and belongs to the technical field of food processing and functional food. The preparation method comprises the following steps: carrying out pretreatment of low-temperature rehydration, temperature-controlled and pH-controlled boiling and low-temperature soaking on dried sea cucumbers; the pretreated sea cucumbers and the composite seasoning liquid are subjected to integrated rolling and tenderizing at low temperature, and synergy of flavoring, tenderizing and pre-curing is achieved; soaking in a final flavor conditioning liquid containing functional active ingredients at low temperature for flavoring and shaping; and finally, quickly freezing to obtain the product. Through collaborative design of three-stage processes of raw material pretreatment, integrated rolling tenderization and functional flavoring, while the taste and flavor of the sea cucumber are remarkably improved, effective retention of endogenous active components and targeted enhancement of exogenous functional factors are realized. The sea cucumber product prepared by the method is tender and elastic in texture and uniform in flavor, has a quantitative and controllable function of assisting in improving sugar metabolism, and provides an effective scheme for developing high-quality instant functional marine food.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of food processing and functional food technology, specifically relating to a delicious sea cucumber with the function of assisting in improving sugar metabolism and its preparation method, and particularly to a method for preparing ready-to-eat sea cucumber by synergistic process design, which achieves excellent taste while quantitatively retaining and enhancing its function of assisting in improving sugar metabolism. Background Technology

[0002] Sea cucumber is a precious seafood food that is high in protein, low in fat, and rich in bioactive substances such as polysaccharides and saponins. It has traditionally been considered to have numerous health benefits. With the increasing demand for healthy foods, ready-to-eat sea cucumber products are becoming increasingly popular due to their convenience. However, the current production processes for ready-to-eat sea cucumber products still face several bottlenecks, limiting their development towards higher quality and more functional products. First, traditional processing methods lead to a significant loss of functional components. The rehydration and cooking processes of dried sea cucumbers typically involve prolonged high-temperature treatment, which irreversibly damages the collagen network structure of the sea cucumber and causes severe dissolution and loss of water-soluble active ingredients such as sea cucumber polysaccharides and saponins. This not only reduces the nutritional and functional value of the sea cucumber but also makes it difficult for the final product to support clear health claims, such as aiding in the improvement of glucose metabolism.

[0003] Secondly, it's difficult to achieve both good texture and flavor. Ready-to-eat sea cucumbers prepared using conventional methods often suffer from being too hard and difficult to chew, or too soft and mushy, losing their elasticity. At the same time, the inherent fishy smell of sea cucumbers is difficult to completely mask, and exogenous seasonings are difficult to penetrate evenly into the dense muscle tissue of sea cucumbers, resulting in a product that is "salty on the outside and bland on the inside" and has an uneven flavor.

[0004] Finally, there is a lack of targeted methods for enhancing functionality. Most existing technologies focus on the rehydration rate, shape retention, or basic flavoring of sea cucumbers, with few considering systematic process design from the perspective of synergistic "function retention" and "function enhancement." For example, there is a lack of effective solutions for how to maximize the protection of endogenous functional components through precise control of process parameters (temperature, time, pH); and how to effectively combine exogenous functional components with the sea cucumber matrix through the addition process to achieve a "1+1>2" health benefit effect.

[0005] Therefore, developing a method to systematically solve the above problems and prepare ready-to-eat sea cucumbers that are tender, chewy, delicious, and have a quantitatively controllable function of assisting in improving sugar metabolism has significant industrial value and market prospects. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of existing ready-to-eat sea cucumber processing technologies, such as easy loss of functional components, poor taste and flavor, and lack of targeted functional enhancement methods, and to provide a method for preparing delicious sea cucumbers that can help improve glucose metabolism. This method, through the synergistic design and precise control of steps such as raw material pretreatment, integrated tumbling and tenderizing with seasoning, functional flavoring, and shaping, significantly improves the edible quality of the product while effectively retaining endogenous functional components and targeting the enhancement of exogenous functional components.

[0007] This invention provides a method for preparing delicious sea cucumber with the function of assisting in improving glucose metabolism. The method adopts a three-stage process of raw material pretreatment, integrated tumbling and tenderizing, and functional seasoning. While optimizing texture and flavor, it synergistically retains and enhances the function of sea cucumber in assisting in improving glucose metabolism. The method includes the following steps: S1. Raw material pretreatment: Rehydrating, boiling and soaking dried sea cucumbers; S2. Integrating tumbling and tenderizing with seasoning: The sea cucumber processed in step S1 and the compound seasoning liquid are placed in a tumbling device and tumbled under low temperature conditions, so that the sea cucumber can achieve seasoning liquid penetration, tissue tenderization and pre-cooking under mechanical action; S3. Functional Flavoring and Shaping: The sea cucumbers treated in step S2 are immersed in a final flavoring solution containing functional active ingredients and soaked at low temperature. S4. Quick-freezing and packaging: The sea cucumbers obtained in step S3 are quick-frozen and packaged and stored under frozen conditions.

[0008] Furthermore, the dried sea cucumbers mentioned in step S1 include lightly dried sea cucumbers, salt-dried sea cucumbers, or freeze-dried sea cucumbers.

[0009] Furthermore, the rehydration mentioned in step S1 is cold water rehydration, specifically: soaking the dried sea cucumber in water at 0-6℃ for 24-96 hours, changing the water every 8-12 hours until the sea cucumber is fully expanded and has no hard core; the amount of water used is 5-20 times the dry weight of the sea cucumber.

[0010] Furthermore, the cooking process in step S1 is as follows: the rehydrated sea cucumber is placed in boiling water and boiled, and then the temperature is adjusted to 70-85℃ and kept warm for 20-40 minutes; the cooking process is carried out under the condition of pH value of 6.5-7.5.

[0011] Furthermore, the pH value during the cooking process is adjusted by adding a food-grade alkali agent; the food-grade alkali agent includes sodium bicarbonate and sodium carbonate; the final concentration of the food-grade alkali agent in the cooking liquid is 0.05%-0.15% (w / v).

[0012] Furthermore, the soaking process described in step S1 involves: taking out the cooked sea cucumbers and placing them in water at 0-6℃ to cool them down, then continuing to soak them at 0-6℃ for 24-48 hours, changing the water 2-3 times during this period, until the sea cucumbers reach the target size and elasticity.

[0013] Furthermore, in step S1, after soaking, the sea cucumber can be cut open. Specifically, the sea cucumber is cut longitudinally along the abdominal incision, the sand mouth and internal organs are removed, and then the back muscle tissue is kept connected, and the sea cucumber is cut into slices.

[0014] Furthermore, the compound seasoning liquid in step S2 contains basic flavoring substances, spice extracts, and natural flavor enhancers; the basic flavoring substances include salt, sucrose, and soy sauce; the spice extracts include star anise, ginger, cinnamon, and fennel; and the natural flavor enhancers include yeast extract and / or seafood enzymatic peptides.

[0015] Furthermore, in step S2, the total concentration of basic flavoring substances in the compound seasoning liquid is 5%-15% (w / v), the total concentration of spice extracts is 0.1%-1% (w / v), and the total concentration of natural flavor enhancers is 0.5%-2% (w / v).

[0016] Furthermore, the mass ratio of sea cucumber to compound seasoning liquid in step S2 is 1:1~5.

[0017] Furthermore, the specific conditions for the tumbling process in step S2 are as follows: the ambient temperature is controlled at 2-8℃, the vacuum degree is 0.05~0.1MPa, intermittent tumbling is adopted, and the total processing time is 2-5 hours; wherein, the intermittent tumbling is 15-25 minutes of tumbling followed by 20-40 minutes of resting, and the tumbling speed is 3-10 revolutions / minute.

[0018] Furthermore, the final flavor preparation liquid in step S3 contains functional active ingredients, flavor enhancers, and texture stabilizers; the functional active ingredients are selected from at least one of chromium yeast, chromium pyridinecarboxylate, mulberry leaf polysaccharide extract, and astragaloside A; the flavor enhancer is disodium inosinate; and the texture stabilizer is sodium alginate.

[0019] Furthermore, in step S3, the total concentration of functional active ingredients in the final flavor conditioning liquid is 0.5%-3.0% (w / v), the final concentration of flavor enhancer is 0.01%-0.1% (w / v), and the total concentration of texture stabilizer is 0.5%-3.0% (w / v).

[0020] Furthermore, the pH of the final flavor conditioning solution described in step S3 is 5.5-6.5.

[0021] Furthermore, the pH value of the final flavoring liquid is adjusted by adding food-grade acidifiers; the food-grade acidifiers include acetic acid, citric acid, and malic acid.

[0022] Furthermore, the low-temperature soaking conditions in step S3 are: soaking at 2-6℃ for 8-16 hours; and the pH value of the final flavor conditioning solution is stable between 5.5 and 6.8.

[0023] Furthermore, the quick-freezing process described in step S4 involves placing the sea cucumber in an environment below -40 to -30°C, causing its core temperature to drop below -18°C.

[0024] The present invention provides a sea cucumber prepared according to the above preparation method, wherein the sea cucumber has a moisture content of 60%-75%, a texture hardness of 1000-2500 g, and a sea cucumber polysaccharide content of not less than 300 mg and a functional chromium content of 10-50 μg per 100 g of product.

[0025] Beneficial effects 1. This invention creatively proposes an "integrated tumbling and tenderizing" process, combining the traditional two steps of "tumbling for flavor" and "low-temperature cooking and tenderizing" into a single step. Under a continuous low-temperature environment (2-8℃), through programmed intermittent tumbling, the synergistic effect of physical and mechanical action, low-temperature thermal effect, and time effect is achieved. This efficiently infuses flavor and enhances tenderness while minimizing the damage to heat-sensitive functional components caused by high temperatures.

[0026] 2. The entire process chain is designed with "assisting in improving sugar metabolism" as its core functional orientation. In the pretreatment stage, cooking at low temperatures, with controlled time, and in a slightly alkaline environment aims to quantify and reduce the loss of sea cucumber polysaccharides. In the final flavor preparation stage, by adding clearly defined functional active ingredients and controlling their concentration and absorption conditions, the active enhancement of functions is achieved. The final product can be quantitatively characterized and quality controlled through key indicators, providing a solid material basis for health claims.

[0027] 3. Through a three-stage synergistic process, the sea cucumber product produced by this invention achieves a high degree of unity in texture, flavor and function, making it a truly high-quality ready-to-eat functional marine food. Detailed Implementation

[0028] 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. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0029] Example 1: Preparation of delicious sea cucumber with the effect of assisting in improving glucose metabolism This embodiment provides a method for preparing the delicious sea cucumber of the present invention, and the specific steps are as follows: S1. Raw material pretreatment: a) Rehydration: Select dried Liaoning sea cucumbers with a size of 60-80 pieces / 500g, and place them in pure water at 0-4℃, with the water volume being 15 times the dry weight of the sea cucumbers. Soak for 36 hours, changing the water every 12 hours, until the sea cucumbers are fully expanded and have no hard core when squeezed.

[0030] b) Cooking: After rehydration, put the sea cucumbers into boiling water and boil for 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a constant temperature water bath and cook at 80°C for 30 minutes under the condition of pH 7.0 (adjusted with 0.1% food-grade sodium bicarbonate solution).

[0031] c) Soaking: After cooking, quickly remove the sea cucumbers and immerse them in ice-cold purified water at 0-4℃ for rapid cooling. Then, continue soaking them in a cold storage at 4℃ for 30 hours, changing the water twice during this period, to obtain pre-treated sea cucumbers that are fully absorbent and have good elasticity.

[0032] d) Cutting: Cut the pre-treated sea cucumber lengthwise along the original incision on its abdomen, remove the sand mouth and internal organs, and keep the back muscle tissue connected to form a flat sheet.

[0033] S2. Integrating tumbling and tenderizing with seasoning: a) Preparation of compound seasoning liquid: Using purified water as the base liquid, add 3.0% (w / v) salt, 1.5% (w / v) sucrose, 5.0% (w / v) soy sauce, 1.0% (w / v) yeast extract and 0.5% (w / v) compound spice extract (ginger, star anise), and stir well.

[0034] b) Tumbling process: The sea cucumber slices obtained in step S1 and the compound seasoning liquid (the mass ratio of sea cucumber to seasoning liquid is 1:2) are put into a vacuum tumbling machine. The tumbling ambient temperature is set to 5℃, and the intermittent tumbling mode is used: tumbling for 20 minutes, resting for 30 minutes, and repeating 4 times, for a total duration of 3 hours and 20 minutes. The tumbling speed is set to 8 revolutions per minute.

[0035] S3. Functional Flavoring and Shaping: a) Preparation of final flavor conditioning solution: Add 1.5% (w / v) sodium alginate to purified water, stir well, then add 2.0% (w / v) chromium yeast powder, 0.5% (w / v) mulberry leaf polysaccharide extract, and 0.05% (w / v) disodium inosinate. Adjust the pH to 6.0 with citric acid.

[0036] b) Soaking and shaping: Take out the sea cucumbers processed in step S2, immerse them in the final flavoring solution, and soak them in a cold storage at 4°C for 12 hours.

[0037] S4. Quick-freezing and packaging: After soaking and shaping, the sea cucumbers are removed, drained of surface liquid, and laid in a single layer on a quick-freezing tray. They are then placed in a quick-freezing tunnel at -35°C for quick freezing. Once the core temperature reaches -18°C, they are removed and vacuum-packed at an environment below -18°C to obtain the delicious ready-to-eat sea cucumber product described in this invention.

[0038] Example 2: Animal experimental evaluation of the product's ability to assist in improving glucose metabolism To verify the efficacy of the product of this invention, an experiment was conducted using a streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic mouse model.

[0039] Experimental sample: Sample of the product group of this invention: The delicious sea cucumber obtained in Example 1 was freeze-dried and then ground into fine powder (denoted as "CP group").

[0040] Traditional sea cucumber group samples: only the pretreatment in step S1 of Example 1 was performed, without steps S2 and S3, and the samples were directly freeze-dried and ground into powder (denoted as "TP group"), which was used to compare and evaluate the synergistic effect of the process and formula of the present invention.

[0041] Positive control drug: Metformin hydrochloride tablets, prepared as a suspension.

[0042] Experimental Animals and Grouping: Seventy healthy male KM mice aged 3-4 weeks were selected and, after one week of acclimatization, randomly divided into 6 groups (n=10): control group, model control group, positive control group (Metformin, 200 mg / kg / d), traditional sea cucumber group (TP, 1.0 g / kg / d), low-dose sea cucumber group of the present invention (CP-L, 0.5 g / kg / d), and high-dose sea cucumber group of the present invention (CP-H, 1.0 g / kg / d). Except for the control group, all other groups of mice were fed a high-fat diet for 5 weeks, followed by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (50 mg / kg / d, for 5 consecutive days) to establish a type 2 diabetes model. After successful modeling, the mice were administered the corresponding samples or drugs by gavage once daily for 6 weeks.

[0043] Detection indicators and methods: General procedure: Record mouse weight, food intake, and water intake weekly.

[0044] Fasting blood glucose (FBG) and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT): FBG was measured at weeks 0, 3, and 6 of the experiment. The OGTT was performed at week 6, and the area under the blood glucose curve (AUC) was calculated.

[0045] Serological markers: At the end of the experiment, serum was collected and insulin (INS) and glycated serum protein (GSP) levels were measured using a kit.

[0046] Histopathological observation: At the end of the experiment, pancreatic, kidney and liver tissues were taken, fixed, embedded, sectioned and stained with H&E, and their pathological morphological changes were observed under an optical microscope.

[0047] Experimental results: a) Blood glucose control effect: Compared with the blank control group, the FBG and OGTT-AUC of mice in the model control group were significantly increased (P<0.01), indicating that the model was successfully established. Compared with the model control group, FBG and OGTT-AUC of the Metformin group, CP-H group, and CP-L group were significantly decreased (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Among them, the improvement effect of the CP-H group was comparable to that of the Metformin group and significantly better than that of the TP group (P<0.05). The TP group also showed a certain blood glucose lowering trend, but the effect was weaker than that of the CP-L group.

[0048] b) Serological markers: Serum INS levels in the model control group were significantly lower than those in the blank control group (P<0.01), while GSP levels were significantly higher (P<0.01). Compared with the model control group, INS levels in the Metformin group, CP-H group, and CP-L group increased to varying degrees, while GSP levels decreased significantly (P<0.05). The CP-H group was significantly more effective than the TP group in increasing INS and decreasing GSP (P<0.05).

[0049] c) Histopathological observation: * Pancreas: In the model control group, the pancreatic islets of Langerhans showed atrophy, blurred borders, and a significant reduction in the number of β cells within the islets. The islet structures of mice in the Metformin and CP-H groups were relatively intact, with significantly reduced atrophy and damage. The CP-L and TP groups also showed improvement, but to a lesser extent than the CP-H group.

[0050] * Kidney: In the model control group, edema and vacuolar degeneration of renal tubular epithelial cells were observed. The lesions were alleviated in all treatment groups, with the renal tubular structure being most clearly defined in the Metformin and CP-H groups.

[0051] * Liver: In the model control group, hepatocytes were disordered, with loose cytoplasm and visible fat vacuoles. In the Metformin and CP-H groups, hepatocyte structure was close to normal, and fatty degeneration was significantly reduced.

[0052] Experimental conclusion: The results of this animal experiment show that the delicious sea cucumber product prepared according to this invention can effectively improve glucose metabolism disorder in type II diabetic mice, specifically by reducing fasting blood glucose, improving glucose tolerance, increasing insulin levels, reducing glycated serum protein, and alleviating the pathological damage of hyperglycemia to the pancreas, kidneys, and liver. Although traditionally processed sea cucumbers have some improvement effects, the product of this invention is significantly more effective at the same dosage. This proves that the "integrated tumbling and tenderizing" process and the "functional flavoring" step adopted in this invention, by retaining the inherent active ingredients of sea cucumber and introducing exogenous functional factors, achieve a more significant auxiliary improvement in glucose metabolism.

[0053] It should be noted that the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for preparing sea cucumber with the effect of assisting in improving glucose metabolism, characterized in that, The preparation method employs a three-stage process involving raw material pretreatment, integrated tumbling and tenderizing, and functional seasoning. This optimizes texture and flavor while synergistically preserving and enhancing the sea cucumber's ability to improve glucose metabolism. The method includes the following steps: S1. Raw material pretreatment: Rehydrating, boiling and soaking dried sea cucumbers; S2. Integrating tumbling and tenderizing with seasoning: The sea cucumber processed in step S1 and the compound seasoning liquid are placed in a tumbling device and tumbled under low temperature conditions, so that the sea cucumber can achieve seasoning liquid penetration, tissue tenderization and pre-cooking under mechanical action; S3. Functional Flavoring and Shaping: The sea cucumbers treated in step S2 are immersed in a final flavoring solution containing functional active ingredients and soaked at low temperature. S4. Quick-freezing and packaging: The sea cucumbers obtained in step S3 are quick-frozen and packaged and stored under frozen conditions.

2. The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rehydration mentioned in step S1 is cold water rehydration, specifically: soaking the dried sea cucumber in water at 0-6℃ for 24-96 hours, changing the water every 8-12 hours until the sea cucumber is fully expanded and has no hard core; the amount of water used is 5-20 times the dry weight of the sea cucumber.

3. The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cooking process described in step S1 is as follows: the rehydrated sea cucumber is placed in boiling water and boiled, and then the temperature is adjusted to 70-85℃ and kept warm for 20-40 minutes; the cooking process is carried out under the condition of pH value of 6.5-7.5; the pH value of the cooking process is adjusted by adding food-grade alkali; the food-grade alkali includes sodium bicarbonate and sodium carbonate.

4. The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The soaking process described in step S1 involves taking out the cooked sea cucumbers and placing them in water at 0-6℃ to cool them down. Then, they are soaked at 0-6℃ for 24-48 hours, changing the water 2-3 times during this period, until the sea cucumbers reach the target size and elasticity.

5. The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The compound seasoning liquid in step S2 contains basic flavoring substances, spice extracts, and natural flavor enhancers; the basic flavoring substances include salt, sucrose, and soy sauce; the spice extracts include star anise, ginger, cinnamon, and fennel; and the natural flavor enhancers include yeast extract and / or seafood enzymatic peptides.

6. The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S2, the total concentration of basic flavoring substances in the compound seasoning liquid is 5%-15% w / v, the total concentration of spice extracts is 0.1%-1% w / v, and the total concentration of natural flavor enhancers is 0.5%-2% w / v; the mass ratio of sea cucumber to compound seasoning liquid is 1:1~5.

7. The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The specific conditions for the tumbling process in step S2 are as follows: the ambient temperature is controlled at 2-8℃, the vacuum degree is 0.05~0.1MPa, intermittent tumbling is adopted, and the total processing time is 2-5 hours; wherein, the intermittent tumbling is 15-25 minutes of tumbling, followed by 20-40 minutes of resting, and the tumbling speed is 3-10 revolutions / minute.

8. The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The final flavor preparation liquid in step S3 contains functional active ingredients, flavor enhancers, and texture stabilizers; the functional active ingredients are selected from at least one of chromium yeast, chromium pyridinecarboxylate, mulberry leaf polysaccharide extract, and astragaloside A; the flavor enhancer is disodium inosinate; the texture stabilizer is sodium alginate; the total concentration of functional active ingredients in the final flavor preparation liquid is 0.5%-3.0%, w / v, the final concentration of flavor enhancers is 0.01%-0.1%, w / v, and the total concentration of texture stabilizers is 0.5%-3.0%, w / v.

9. The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The conditions for low-temperature soaking in step S3 are: soaking at 2-6℃ for 8-16 hours; and the pH value of the final flavor preparation solution is stable between 5.5 and 6.8; the pH value of the final flavor preparation solution is adjusted by adding food-grade acidifiers; the food-grade acidifiers include acetic acid, citric acid, and malic acid.

10. A sea cucumber prepared by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The sea cucumber has a moisture content of 60%-75%, a texture hardness of 1000-2500 g, and contains no less than 300 mg of sea cucumber polysaccharide and 10-50 μg of functional chromium per 100g of product.