Method for improving stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary food and application thereof

Abstract

This invention belongs to the field of food technology and relates to a method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods and its application. The method includes: homogenizing a heat-stable nutrient, starch, and water to obtain a first mixture; mixing the first mixture with food ingredients and gelatinizing the mixture to obtain a second mixture; quantitatively filling the second mixture into a single-cell freeze-drying mold; injecting a vitamin aqueous solution into the filled second mixture, pre-freezing, and freeze-drying to obtain the final product. The preparation method of this invention is simple, the specific addition method of the heat-stable nutrient ensures the uniformity of the nutrients, the vitamins are not subjected to high-temperature cooking, thus retaining their activity, resulting in minimal processing loss, and the vitamins are isolated in the center, avoiding contact with minerals, thus exhibiting strong shelf-life stability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of food technology and relates to a method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods and its application. Background Technology

[0002] Infant complementary foods are typically fortified with multiple vitamins to meet the growth and development needs of infants and young children, including vitamins A, C, D, E, and B vitamins (such as vitamins B1, B2, B6, and folic acid). However, these vitamins generally suffer from poor stability during the processing and storage of complementary foods, making it difficult for the vitamin content to reach the labeled value within the product's shelf life, thus affecting its nutritional efficacy.

[0003] The heat treatment process in complementary food production significantly damages heat-sensitive vitamins. Heat-sensitive vitamins are prone to oxidative decomposition or structural isomerization under high temperatures, leading to processing losses. Secondly, some vitamins are sensitive to oxygen and are susceptible to oxidative degradation during long-term shelf-life storage, resulting in a continuous decline in vitamin content throughout the product's shelf life and a low actual intake. Furthermore, the iron, zinc, and other minerals often fortified in complementary foods may catalyze vitamin oxidation reactions, further exacerbating their instability.

[0004] Because complementary food bases are often complex, diverse, and heterogeneous systems, and the amount of added nutrients is low, uneven nutrient mixing is prone to occur, affecting nutritional balance. Conventional dry or wet mixing processes are difficult to achieve long-term stable and uniform distribution of nutrients in complementary food systems with low dosage, high viscosity, or high solids content.

[0005] Therefore, developing a safe and effective method to improve the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods during processing and storage is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, the purpose of this invention is to provide a method and its application for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods.

[0007] To achieve this objective, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0008] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods, the method comprising:

[0009] (1) Heat-stable nutrients, starch and water are mixed and homogenized to obtain the first mixture;

[0010] (2) Mix the first mixture with the ingredients and gelatinize it to obtain the second mixture;

[0011] (3) The second mixture is quantitatively packaged in a single-cell freeze-drying mold;

[0012] (4) Inject the vitamin aqueous solution into the second mixture after filling, pre-freeze, freeze dry, and obtain the product.

[0013] Freeze-dried, ready-to-eat, block-shaped complementary foods utilize the irregular framework formed by the combination of porridge and ingredients, increasing porosity and facilitating the flow of water and other media. However, this structure easily accelerates nutrient loss during the product's shelf life. Traditional preparation methods for freeze-dried, ready-to-eat, block-shaped complementary foods involve high-temperature cooking, pre-freezing, freeze-drying, and packaging, resulting in a lengthy process. Heat-labile vitamins are easily affected by high temperatures, oxygen, and metal ions at each stage, leading to significant processing losses. Furthermore, these losses are unstable, posing technical challenges for product development. Heat processing, such as cooking, easily damages the original structure of vitamins, causing poor shelf-life stability and significant shelf-life degradation, which is difficult to control in actual production. The preparation method provided by this invention prioritizes the preparation of a homogeneous liquid, and mixes nutrients in stages. The starch concentration in the liquid encapsulates the heat-stable nutrients, and the resulting semi-finished liquid is rapidly cooled. After cooling to a specified temperature, it is mixed with vitamins. Finally, the resulting nutrient liquid is mixed with the food ingredients and then quickly frozen to -30°C to maintain the structure. The resulting product is individually packaged in a fixed quantity, with minerals evenly dispersed and vitamins encapsulated in the middle of the complementary food block. When brewing, it is stirred evenly with hot water and complementary food for convenient consumption.

[0014] In the product prepared by the method described in this invention, the vitamins are not subjected to high-temperature cooking, thus retaining their activity; the vitamins are isolated in the center, preventing contact with minerals; and the surrounding materials isolate oxygen, protecting shelf-life stability. The vitamin retention rate is extremely high, and the product has good compliance; the specific addition method of heat-stable nutrients ensures nutrient uniformity.

[0015] Preferably, the mass ratio of the heat-stable nutrients, starch and water is (0.03-0.07):(0.1-0.5):(3-7).

[0016] The specific point values ​​in (0.03-0.07) can all be selected from 0.03, 0.04, 0.05, 0.06, 0.07, etc.; the specific point values ​​in (0.1-0.5) can all be selected from 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, etc.; the specific point values ​​in (3-7) can all be selected from 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7, etc. Other specific point values ​​within the above range can also be selected, which will not be elaborated here.

[0017] Preferably, the homogenization speed in step (1) is 2000-5000 rpm and the time is 3-5 min.

[0018] The speed can be selected from 2000 rpm, 2200 rpm, 2500 rpm, 2800 rpm, 3000 rpm, 3200 rpm, 3500 rpm, 3800 rpm, 4000 rpm, 4200 rpm, 4500 rpm, 4800 rpm, 5000 rpm, etc., and the time can be selected from 3 min, 3.5 min, 4 min, 4.5 min, 5 min, etc. Other specific values ​​within the above range can be selected, which will not be described in detail here.

[0019] Preferably, the gelatinization process is carried out at a temperature of 90-95°C for 3-10 minutes.

[0020] Temperatures can be selected from 90℃, 91℃, 92℃, 93℃, 94℃, 95℃, etc., and time can be selected from 3 min, 4 min, 5 min, 6 min, 7 min, 8 min, 9 min, 10 min, etc. Other specific values ​​within the above range can also be selected, which will not be elaborated here.

[0021] Preferably, the heat-stable nutrient includes a compound containing at least one element selected from potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, iron, or zinc.

[0022] Preferably, the vitamins include any one or a combination of at least two of vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, niacin, folic acid, pantothenic acid, or biotin.

[0023] Preferably, the second mixture is further cooled to 60-65°C within 7-15 minutes before filling.

[0024] The time can be selected as 7 min, 8 min, 9 min, 10 min, 11 min, 12 min, 13 min, 14 min, 15 min, etc., and the temperature can be selected as 60℃, 61℃, 62℃, 63℃, 64℃, 65℃, etc. Other specific point values ​​within the above range can also be selected, which will not be elaborated here.

[0025] Preferably, the mass ratio of the first mixture to the ingredients is (4-6):(2-4).

[0026] The specific point values ​​in (4-6) can all be selected from 4, 4.2, 4.5, 4.8, 5, 5.2, 5.5, 5.8, 6, etc., and the specific point values ​​in (2-4) can all be selected from 2, 2.2, 2.5, 2.8, 3, 3.2, 3.5, 3.8, 4, etc. Other specific point values ​​within the above range can also be selected, which will not be elaborated here.

[0027] Preferably, the vitamin aqueous solution contains 0.5-2% vitamins by mass, such as 0.5%, 0.8%, 1%, 1.2%, 1.5%, 1.8%, 2%, etc. Other specific values ​​within the above range can be selected, and will not be elaborated here.

[0028] Preferably, the mass ratio of the second mixture to the vitamin aqueous solution is (30-160):(1.8-9.6).

[0029] The specific point values ​​in (30-160) can be selected from 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, etc., and the specific point values ​​in (1.8-9.6) can be selected from 1.8, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9, 9.6, etc. Other specific point values ​​within the above range can be selected, which will not be elaborated here.

[0030] Preferably, injecting the vitamin aqueous solution into the second mixture specifically includes: adding the vitamin aqueous solution into the filled second mixture through an injection device, wherein the height of the needle tip of the injection device from the bottom of the mold is 1 / 3 to 2 / 3 of the total height of the mold (e.g., 1 / 3, 1 / 2, 3 / 5, etc.). Other specific point values ​​within the above range can be selected, and will not be elaborated here.

[0031] Preferably, the freeze-drying specifically includes: freezing a second mixture containing an aqueous vitamin solution at -35 to -25°C (e.g., -35°C, -33°C, -30°C, -28°C, -25°C, etc.) for 2-3 hours (e.g., 2 hours, 2.2 hours, 2.4 hours, 2.6 hours, 2.8 hours, 3 hours, etc.), and then freeze-drying at 60-120 Pa (e.g., 60 Pa, 70 Pa, 80 Pa, 90 Pa, 100 Pa, 110 Pa, 120 Pa, etc.) or -50 to -35°C (e.g., -50°C, -48°C, -45°C, -42°C, -40°C, -38°C, -35°C, etc.) for 35-70 hours (e.g., 35 hours, 40 hours, 45 hours, 50 hours, 55 hours, 60 hours, 65 hours, 70 hours, etc.).

[0032] Other specific point values ​​within the above range can be selected, and will not be elaborated on here.

[0033] Secondly, the present invention provides an application of the method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods according to the first aspect in the preparation of complementary foods.

[0034] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0035] The method described in this invention involves homogenizing heat-stable nutrients, starch, and water, followed by gelatinization. This process ensures that water-insoluble minerals are uniformly suspended in a relatively thick liquid without precipitation, thus improving the nutritional uniformity of the minerals. Since heat-sensitive vitamins are not subjected to high temperatures during processing, their original structure remains intact, effectively maintaining their stability.

[0036] Vitamins dissolve well in water, forming a homogeneous solution. After quantitative injection packaging, the vitamin content in each block remains stable and consistent, effectively addressing the issue of nutrient uniformity among different freeze-dried baby food blocks. When the vitamin solution is injected to a depth of 1 / 3 to 2 / 3 from the bottom of the container, the vitamin liquid is quickly sealed within the material, effectively isolating it from oxygen and forming an encapsulated vitamin solution that has not undergone high-temperature treatment. This reduces the impact of oxygen on the vitamins during subsequent pre-freezing, freeze-drying, and packaging processes. The vitamins are sealed within the material, reducing their contact with oxygen during shelf life and improving their stability. Furthermore, vitamins are susceptible to the influence of metal ions such as iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Injecting the solution to a depth of 1 / 3 to 2 / 3 from the bottom reduces the contact area between the vitamins and these minerals, further enhancing the vitamins' stability.

[0037] The preparation method of this invention is simple, with virtually no loss of vitamins during processing, which can reduce production costs; no other substances harmful to infants and young children are introduced during the production process, and continuous production can be achieved. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The technical solution of the present invention will be further illustrated below through specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments described are merely illustrative of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the invention in any way.

[0039] Example 1

[0040] This embodiment provides a method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods, the method comprising:

[0041] (1) Cook 1 kg of noodles to obtain material 1; dice 0.67 kg of tomatoes, 0.06 kg of pumpkin, 0.07 kg of mushrooms and 0.4 kg of beef, stir-fry them until cooked to obtain material 2;

[0042] (2) Heat-stable nutrients (including calcium carbonate, ferric pyrophosphate, zinc gluconate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, calcium hydrogen phosphate, and magnesium sulfate in a mass ratio of 800:20:40:1000:200:400), corn starch, and water are mixed in a mass ratio of 0.05:0.2:5 and homogenized at 3000 rpm for 4 min to obtain the first mixture;

[0043] (3) Mix the first mixture with material 1 and material 2, wherein the mass ratio of the first mixture to the total mass of material 1 and material 2 is 5:3, and gelatinize at 92°C for 8 min to obtain the second mixture;

[0044] (4) Cool the second mixture to 62°C within 8 minutes and fill it into the mold;

[0045] (5) A vitamin aqueous solution with a mass percentage of 1.1% is added to the second mixture after filling through an injection device. The mass ratio of the second mixture to the vitamin aqueous solution is 90:3. The height of the needle tip of the injection device from the bottom of the mold is 1 / 2 of the total height of the mold. The vitamins include vitamin A acetate, thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, L-ascorbic acid, cholecalciferol, dl-α-tocopherol acetate, nicotinamide, folic acid, D-calcium pantothenate, cyanocobalamin, and D-biotin in a mass ratio of 500:900:600:500:150000:9:5000:4000:100:3000:2:20.

[0046] (6) Freeze the third mixture at -30℃ for 2 h, 80 Pa, and freeze-dry at -40℃ for 50 h to obtain the final product.

[0047] Example 2

[0048] This embodiment provides a method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods, the method comprising:

[0049] (1) Cook 1 kg of noodles to obtain material 1; dice 0.67 kg of tomatoes, 0.06 kg of pumpkin, 0.07 kg of mushrooms and 0.4 kg of beef, stir-fry them until cooked to obtain material 2;

[0050] (2) Heat-stable nutrients (including calcium carbonate, ferric pyrophosphate, zinc gluconate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, calcium hydrogen phosphate, and magnesium sulfate in a mass ratio of 800:20:40:1000:200:400), corn starch, and water are mixed in a mass ratio of 0.03:0.5:3 and homogenized at 5000 rpm for 3 min to obtain the first mixture;

[0051] (3) Mix the first mixture with material 1 and material 2, wherein the mass ratio of the first mixture to the total mass of material 1 and material 2 is 4:3, and gelatinize at 90°C for 10 min to obtain the second mixture;

[0052] (4) Cool the second mixture to 65°C within 7 minutes and fill it into the mold;

[0053] (5) A vitamin aqueous solution with a mass percentage of 0.8% is added to the second mixture after filling through an injection device. The mass ratio of the second mixture to the vitamin aqueous solution is 30:9.6. The height of the needle tip of the injection device from the bottom of the mold is 1 / 3 of the total height of the mold. The vitamins include vitamin A acetate, thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, L-ascorbic acid, cholecalciferol, dl-α-tocopherol acetate, nicotinamide, folic acid, D-calcium pantothenate, cyanocobalamin, and D-biotin in a mass ratio of 500:900:600:500:150000:9:5000:4000:100:3000:2:20.

[0054] (6) Freeze the third mixture at -35℃ for 2 h, then freeze-dry at 120 Pa and -35℃ for 70 h to obtain the final product.

[0055] Example 3

[0056] This embodiment provides a method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods, the method comprising:

[0057] (1) Cook 1 kg of noodles to obtain material 1; dice 0.67 kg of tomatoes, 0.06 kg of pumpkin, 0.07 kg of mushrooms and 0.4 kg of beef, stir-fry them until cooked to obtain material 2;

[0058] (2) Heat-stable nutrients (including calcium carbonate, ferric pyrophosphate, zinc gluconate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, calcium hydrogen phosphate, and magnesium sulfate in a mass ratio of 800:20:40:1000:200:400), corn starch, and water are mixed in a mass ratio of 0.07:0.1:7 and homogenized at 2000 rpm for 5 min to obtain the first mixture;

[0059] (3) Mix the first mixture with material 1 and material 2, wherein the mass ratio of the first mixture to the total mass of material 1 and material 2 is 6:2, and gelatinize at 95°C for 4 min to obtain the second mixture;

[0060] (4) Cool the second mixture to 60°C within 15 minutes and fill it into the mold;

[0061] (5) A vitamin aqueous solution with a mass percentage of 2% is added to the second mixture after filling through an injection device. The mass ratio of the second mixture to the vitamin aqueous solution is 160:1.8. The height of the needle tip of the injection device from the bottom of the mold is 2 / 3 of the total height of the mold. The vitamins include vitamin A acetate, thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, L-ascorbic acid, cholecalciferol, dl-α-tocopherol acetate, nicotinamide, folic acid, D-calcium pantothenate, cyanocobalamin, and D-biotin in a mass ratio of 500:900:600:500:150000:9:5000:4000:100:3000:2:20.

[0062] (6) Freeze the third mixture at -30℃ for 2 h, 60 Pa, and freeze-dry at -50℃ for 50 h to obtain the final product.

[0063] Example 4

[0064] This embodiment provides a method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods. The only difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that step (2) is to "mix heat-stable nutrients (which include calcium carbonate, ferric pyrophosphate, zinc gluconate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, calcium hydrogen phosphate, and magnesium sulfate in a mass ratio of 800:20:40:1000:200:400), corn starch, and water in a mass ratio of 0.05:1:5, homogenize at 3000 rpm for 4 min to obtain a first mixture", and other operations remain unchanged.

[0065] Example 5

[0066] This embodiment provides a method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods. The only difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that step (2) is to "mix heat-stable nutrients (which include calcium carbonate, ferric pyrophosphate, zinc gluconate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, calcium hydrogen phosphate, and magnesium sulfate in a mass ratio of 800:20:40:1000:200:400), corn starch, and water in a mass ratio of 0.05:0.05:5, homogenize at 3000 rpm for 4 min to obtain a first mixture", and other operations remain unchanged.

[0067] Example 6

[0068] This embodiment provides a method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods. The only difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that step (5) is to "add a vitamin aqueous solution with a mass percentage of 1.1% to the second mixture after filling through an injection device. The mass ratio of the second mixture to the vitamin aqueous solution is 90:3. The height of the needle tip of the injection device from the bottom of the mold is 1 / 5 of the total height of the mold. The vitamins include vitamin A acetate, thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, L-ascorbic acid, cholecalciferol, dl-α-tocopherol acetate, nicotinamide, folic acid, D-calcium pantothenate, cyanocobalamin, and D-biotin in a mass ratio of 500:900:600:500:150000:9:5000:4000:100:3000:2:20". Other operations remain unchanged.

[0069] Example 7

[0070] This embodiment provides a method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods. The only difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that step (5) is to "add a vitamin aqueous solution with a mass percentage of 1.1% to the second mixture after filling through an injection device. The mass ratio of the second mixture to the vitamin aqueous solution is 90:3. The height of the needle tip of the injection device from the bottom of the mold is 4 / 5 of the total height of the mold. The vitamins include vitamin A acetate, thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, L-ascorbic acid, cholecalciferol, dl-α-tocopherol acetate, nicotinamide, folic acid, D-calcium pantothenate, cyanocobalamin, and D-biotin in a mass ratio of 500:900:600:500:150000:9:5000:4000:100:3000:2:20". Other operations remain unchanged.

[0071] Comparative Example 1

[0072] This comparative example provides a method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods. The only difference between this method and Example 1 is that step (2) is to "mix heat-stable nutrients (which include calcium carbonate, ferric pyrophosphate, zinc gluconate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, calcium hydrogen phosphate, and magnesium sulfate in a mass ratio of 800:20:40:1000:200:400, corn starch, and water in a mass ratio of 0.05:0.2:5 to obtain a first mixture)," while other operations remain unchanged.

[0073] Comparative Example 2

[0074] This comparative example provides a method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods. The only difference between this method and Example 1 is that step (2) is to "mix heat-stable nutrients (which include calcium carbonate, ferric pyrophosphate, zinc gluconate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, calcium hydrogen phosphate, and magnesium sulfate in a mass ratio of 800:20:40:1000:200:400) and water in a mass ratio of 0.05:5.2, homogenize at 3000 rpm for 4 min to obtain a first mixture", and other operations remain unchanged.

[0075] Comparative Example 3

[0076] This comparative example provides a method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods. The only difference between this method and Example 1 is that step (5) is to "mix the second mixture with a vitamin aqueous solution with a mass percentage of 1.1%, the mass ratio of the second mixture to the vitamin aqueous solution being 90:3, wherein the vitamins include vitamin A acetate, thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, L-ascorbic acid, cholecalciferol, dl-α-tocopherol acetate, nicotinamide, folic acid, D-calcium pantothenate, cyanocobalamin, and D-biotin in a mass ratio of 500:900:600:500:150000:9:5000:4000:100:3000:2:20". Other operations remain unchanged.

[0077] Comparative Example 4

[0078] This comparative example provides a method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods, the method comprising:

[0079] (1) Cook 1 kg of noodles to obtain material 1; dice 0.67 kg of tomatoes, 0.06 kg of pumpkin, 0.07 kg of mushrooms and 0.4 kg of beef, stir-fry them until cooked to obtain material 2;

[0080] (2) Heat-stable nutrients (including calcium carbonate, ferric pyrophosphate, zinc gluconate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, calcium hydrogen phosphate, and magnesium sulfate in a mass ratio of 800:20:40:1000:200:400), corn starch, and water are mixed in a mass ratio of 0.05:0.2:5 and homogenized at 3000 rpm for 4 minutes. The mixture is then subjected to a process of min to obtain a first mixture. This first mixture is then mixed with a vitamin aqueous solution containing 1.1% by mass, and then mixed with materials 1 and 2 to obtain a second mixture. The vitamins include vitamin A acetate, thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, L-ascorbic acid, cholecalciferol, dl-α-tocopherol acetate, nicotinamide, folic acid, D-calcium pantothenate, cyanocobalamin, and D-biotin in a mass ratio of 500:900:600:500:150000:9:5000:4000:100:3000:2:20. The final concentrations of each component are consistent with those in Example 1.

[0081] (3) Fill the third mixture into a mold, freeze at -30℃ for 2 h, freeze dry at 80 Pa and -40℃ for 50 h to obtain the final product.

[0082] Comparative Example 5

[0083] This comparative example provides a method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods, the method comprising:

[0084] (1) Cook 1 kg of noodles to obtain material 1; dice 0.67 kg of tomatoes, 0.06 kg of pumpkin, 0.07 kg of mushrooms and 0.4 kg of beef, stir-fry them until cooked to obtain material 2;

[0085] (2) Mix corn starch and water at a mass ratio of 0.2:5 and homogenize at 3000 rpm for 4 min to obtain a suspension;

[0086] (3) After treating the suspension at 92℃ for 8 min, it was mixed with heat-stable nutrients (calcium carbonate, ferric pyrophosphate, zinc gluconate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, calcium hydrogen phosphate, magnesium sulfate) at a mass ratio of 0.05:5.2 to obtain the first mixture.

[0087] (4) The first mixture is mixed with material 1 and material 2, wherein the mass ratio of the first mixture to the total mass of material 1 and material 2 is 5:3, to obtain the second mixture;

[0088] (5) Cool the second mixture to 62°C within 8 minutes and fill it into the mold;

[0089] (6) A vitamin aqueous solution with a mass percentage of 1.1% is added to the second mixture after filling through an injection device. The ratio of the second mixture to the vitamin aqueous solution is 90 g: 3 mL. The height of the needle tip of the injection device from the bottom of the mold is 1 / 2 of the total height of the mold. The vitamins include vitamin A acetate, thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, L-ascorbic acid, cholecalciferol, dl-α-tocopherol acetate, nicotinamide, folic acid, D-calcium pantothenate, cyanocobalamin, and D-biotin in a mass ratio of 500:900:600:500:150000:9:5000:4000:100:3000:2:20.

[0090] (7) Freeze the third mixture at -30℃ for 2 h, 80 Pa, and freeze-dry at -40℃ for 50 h to obtain the final product.

[0091] Test Example 1

[0092] Test method:

[0093] CV value: After canning and vitamin injection, the mold is marked every 5 minutes for 6 consecutive times. The mold is then freeze-dried. After freeze-drying, samples from the marked areas are taken to test for four nutrients: calcium, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C. The CV value is calculated based on the results of the 6 tests and the average value is taken. The formula for calculating the CV value is as follows:

[0094]

[0095] Where CV is the coefficient of variation, б is the standard deviation, and μ is the mean.

[0096] Processing loss: After the samples were freeze-dried, 6 batches were randomly sampled to test the values ​​of vitamin A, vitamin D, and vitamin C. The test values ​​were compared with the theoretical design values ​​to obtain the vitamin processing loss rate, and the average value was taken.

[0097] Shelf life decay rate: The samples were placed in a 37℃ constant temperature and humidity chamber for accelerated testing and stored for 120 days. Samples were taken at 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days to detect the values ​​of vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin C in the samples, and the average shelf life decay rate of vitamins was obtained.

[0098] Table 1

[0099]

[0100] As shown in Table 1, the complementary foods prepared by the method of this invention exhibit uniform nutrient distribution, low vitamin processing loss, and stable shelf life. Starch gelatinization of heat-stable nutrients helps reduce their impact on vitamins, and the amount of starch added is crucial for the effectiveness. Adding vitamins via injection improves shelf-life stability, and the injection site also affects shelf-life stability.

[0101] The above description is only a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art should understand that any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention fall within the protection and disclosure scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods, characterized in that, The method includes: (1) Heat-stable nutrients, starch and water are mixed and homogenized to obtain the first mixture; (2) Mix the first mixture with the ingredients and gelatinize it to obtain the second mixture; (3) The second mixture is quantitatively packaged in a single-cell freeze-drying mold; (4) Inject the vitamin aqueous solution into the second mixture after filling, pre-freeze, freeze dry, and obtain the product.

2. The method for improving nutrient stability and uniformity according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mass ratio of the heat-stable nutrients, starch, and water is (0.03-0.07):(0.1-0.5):(3-7); Preferably, the homogenization speed in step (1) is 2000-5000 rpm and the time is 3-5 min.

3. The method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The gelatinization process is carried out at a temperature of 90-95℃ for 3-10 minutes.

4. The method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The heat-stable nutrients include compounds containing at least one of the elements selected from potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, iron, or zinc.

5. The method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The vitamins include any one or a combination of at least two of the following: vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, niacin, folic acid, pantothenic acid, or biotin.

6. The method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, Before filling, the second mixture is further cooled to 60-65°C within 7-15 minutes; Preferably, the mass ratio of the first mixture to the ingredients is (4-6):(2-4).

7. The method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The vitamin aqueous solution contains 0.5-2% vitamins by mass. Preferably, the mass ratio of the second mixture to the vitamin aqueous solution is (30-160):(1.8-9.6).

8. The method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The step of injecting the vitamin aqueous solution into the second mixture specifically includes: adding the vitamin aqueous solution into the filled second mixture through an injection device, wherein the height of the needle tip of the injection device from the bottom of the mold is 1 / 3 to 2 / 3 of the total height of the mold.

9. The method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The freeze-drying specifically includes: freezing a second mixture containing a vitamin aqueous solution at -35~-25℃ for 2-3 h, and then drying it at 60-120Pa and -50~-35℃ for 35-70 h.

10. The method for improving the stability and uniformity of nutrients in complementary foods according to any one of claims 1-9, applied in the preparation of complementary foods.

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