Cheese-like food

Abstract

To provide a cheese-like food that is excellent in shredding suitability and whose viscosity does not significantly increase when warm-heated during manufacturing.SOLUTION: Provided is a cheese-like food in which the contained amount of a cheese ingredient is less than 10 mass% and (a) casein, (b) calcium, and (c) potassium are contained, and each contained by the following proportions, and the potassium (c) contains those derived from at least one selected from the group consisting of organic salt, inorganic salt, and potassium-rich casein. (a) Casein 1 to 30 mass%; (b) Calcium 0.014 to 5 mass%; (c) Potassium 0.076 to 5 mass%.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cheese-like food product that has the texture and flavor of cheese despite containing no or only a small amount of cheese ingredients. [Background technology]

[0002] Cheese-like foods have the advantage of being cheaper and more stably supplied than cheeses such as natural cheese and processed cheese. Examples of such cheese-like foods include those described in Patent Documents 1 to 3. On the other hand, although the above-mentioned cheeses are often used as pizza toppings, conventional cheese-like foods have the problem of being insufficiently hard compared to conventional cheeses and being poorly shreddable. Furthermore, many conventional cheese-like foods undergo a significant increase in viscosity when heated during the production process, and even if they can be produced on a laboratory scale, they may be difficult to produce on a production line. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2020 / 218428 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2019 / 234957 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-202820

[0004] Although the cheese-like foods described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 meet the needs for the above problems to some extent, there is a demand for the development of cheese-like foods that are further improved. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a cheese-like food product which has excellent shredding suitability and whose viscosity does not increase significantly when heated during production. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following [1] to [8]. [1] A cheese-like food product containing less than 10% by mass of cheese ingredients and containing (a) casein, (b) calcium, and (c) potassium, The cheese-like food contains (a) casein, (b) calcium, and (c) potassium in the following proportions, and the (c) potassium is derived from at least one selected from the group consisting of organic salts, inorganic salts, and high-potassium casein. (a) Casein 1 to 30% by mass (b) Calcium 0.014 to 5 mass% (c) Potassium 0.076 to 5 mass% [2] The cheese-like food according to [1], wherein the soy protein content is 2.2% by mass or less. [3] A cheese-like food according to [1] or [2], wherein the (a) casein is derived from at least one selected from the group consisting of caseinate, milk protein concentrate, rennet casein, lactic casein, and acid casein. [4] The cheese-like food according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the organic salt of (c) potassium is an organic salt other than potassium citrate. [5] The cheese-like food according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the inorganic salt in (c) potassium is an inorganic salt other than potassium phosphate. [6] The cheese-like food according to any one of [1] to [5], which has a hardness of 641 to 5000 g in an atmosphere at 5°C. [7] The cheese-like food according to any one of [1] to [6], further comprising edible oil or fat. [8] The cheese-like food according to any one of [1] to [7], wherein the edible oil or fat comprises hardened oil or fat.

[0007] When the proportions of (a) casein, (b) calcium, and (c) potassium are derived from a complex, the values ​​used are calculated from the contents (% by mass) of each of the components in the complex. For example, when calcium caseinate (complex) is used, the casein content (% by mass) is calculated from the casein content (e.g., 89.0% by mass) relative to the mass of calcium caseinate, and the calcium content (% by mass) is calculated from the calcium content (e.g., 1.35% by mass).

[0008] The present inventors have conducted extensive research to solve the above problems, and as a result have found that by using casein as a protein source, specific amounts of calcium and potassium, and a specific potassium source, it is possible to produce a cheese that is excellent in texture and flavor, has sufficient spinnability and heat-melting properties, and has sufficient hardness, even though it does not contain any cheese ingredients or contains only small amounts of them, and have thus completed the present invention. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The cheese-like food of the present invention has excellent shredding suitability and is also excellent in processability since its viscosity does not increase significantly when heated during production. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention will be described in more detail below based on embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. In the present invention, when the expression "X to Y" (X and Y are any numbers) is used, it means "X or more and Y or less" unless otherwise specified, and also means "preferably larger than X" or "preferably smaller than Y." Furthermore, when it is expressed as "X or more" (X is any number) or "Y or less" (Y is any number), it also includes the intention that "it is preferably greater than X" or "it is preferably less than Y."

[0011] The cheese-like food according to this embodiment is a cheese-like food that contains less than 10% by mass of cheese ingredients and contains (a) casein, (b) calcium, and (c) potassium. These are explained in detail below.

[0012] In the present invention, cheese ingredients refer to those classified as natural cheese, processed cheese, cheese food, and foods made primarily from milk, etc., as defined in the Ministerial Ordinance on Milk, etc. and the Fair Competition Code. In the cheese-like food product of this embodiment, the content of the cheese ingredients is less than 10% by mass of the entire cheese-like food product. The cheese ingredients may be used alone or in combination.

[0013] <(a) Casein> The casein (a) is a type of milk-derived protein and is typically obtained by separation, fractionation, concentration, or other processes from raw milk, cow's milk, whole milk powder, skim milk powder, concentrated skim milk, buttermilk, cheese, etc. (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "milk, etc."). Among these, caseinate, milk protein concentrates (concentrated milk protein (MPC), micellar casein isolate (MCI), total milk protein (TMP)), rennet casein, lactic casein, and acid casein are preferably used in order to increase hardness and improve shredding suitability, and caseinate is particularly preferred in terms of suppressing an increase in viscosity during heating in the production process. These can be used alone or in combination of two or more types.

[0014] Examples of the caseinate include calcium caseinate, sodium caseinate, potassium caseinate, magnesium caseinate, etc. Among these, potassium caseinate and calcium caseinate are preferably used because of their excellent flavor. Casein that has been slightly hydrolyzed to the extent that its functions such as acid coagulation properties are not lost can also be used. However, highly hydrolyzed casein peptides (e.g., those with an average molecular weight of less than 1,000) that have been hydrolyzed to the extent that their functions such as acid coagulation properties are lost do not exhibit the effects specific to the present invention and are therefore not included in casein (a).

[0015] The content of the casein (a) is in the range of 1 to 30% by mass, preferably 5 to 25% by mass, more preferably 7.5 to 20% by mass, and particularly preferably 10 to 15% by mass, of the total cheese-like food. When the content of the casein (a) is set within the above range, a cheese-like texture and flavor are imparted, and further, the viscosity does not increase excessively when heated, and shredding suitability tends to be excellent.

[0016] <(b) Calcium> The calcium (b) is not particularly limited, but for example, calcium contained in a protein source such as calcium caseinate or calcium derived from an organic acid such as calcium gluconate is preferably used. These can be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.

[0017] The content of calcium (b) is in the range of 0.014 to 5% by mass, preferably 0.02 to 3% by mass, more preferably 0.04 to 2% by mass, and particularly preferably 0.1 to 1% by mass, based on the total mass of the cheese-like food. When the content of calcium (b) is set within the above range, the shredding suitability tends to be excellent. Furthermore, in order to obtain a flavor closer to that of cheese, the content of calcium derived from the protein source is preferably in the range of 0.01 to 5% by mass, more preferably in the range of 0.04 to 3% by mass, and particularly preferably in the range of 0.1 to 1% by mass, based on the total mass of the cheese-like food.

[0018] <(c) Potassium> The potassium (c) is not particularly limited as long as it is derived from at least one selected from the group consisting of organic salts, inorganic salts, and potassium-rich casein.

[0019] Examples of the organic salt include potassium citrate, potassium lactate, and potassium gluconate. Examples of the inorganic salt include potassium chloride, potassium phosphate, and potassium carbonate. The high-potassium casein refers to a casein containing 0.7% or more by mass of potassium, and examples thereof include potassium caseinate and potassium-type total milk protein (TMP). However, caseins containing potassium but with a low content, such as rennet casein, are not included in the high-potassium casein. These can be used alone or in combination of two or more types.

[0020] The content of the potassium (c) is in the range of 0.076 to 5% by mass of the entire cheese-like food, preferably in the range of 0.08 to 4% by mass, more preferably in the range of 0.09 to 3% by mass, and particularly preferably in the range of 0.1 to 1% by mass. When the content of the potassium (c) is set within the above range, there is a tendency for the cheese-like food to have excellent shredding suitability. Furthermore, in order to obtain a flavor closer to that of cheese, the content of potassium derived from the protein source is preferably in the range of 0.08 to 4 mass%, more preferably in the range of 0.09 to 3 mass%, and particularly preferably in the range of 0.1 to 1 mass%, of the entire cheese-like food.

[0021] The ratio of the calcium (b) to the potassium (c) [(b) / (c)] is preferably in the range of 0.003 to 20, more preferably in the range of 0.01 to 10, even more preferably in the range of 0.02 to 4.9, even more preferably in the range of 0.05 to 4, still more preferably in the range of 0.1 to 3, and especially preferably in the range of 0.2 to 2. When the ratio [(b) / (c)] is set within the above range, the viscosity does not increase excessively when heated, and shreddability tends to be excellent.

[0022] Furthermore, the total content of the calcium (b) and potassium (c) is preferably in the range of 0.2 to 5% by mass, more preferably in the range of 0.2 to 3% by mass, even more preferably in the range of 0.2 to 2% by mass, and even more preferably in the range of 0.2 to 1.1% by mass, based on the total mass of the cheese-like food. When the total content of the calcium (b) and potassium (c) is set within the above range, the viscosity does not increase excessively when heated, and shredding suitability tends to be excellent.

[0023] The cheese-like food product of this embodiment may contain, as optional ingredients other than the casein (a), calcium (b), and potassium (c), general ingredients used in foods and beverages, such as edible oils and fats, proteins other than casein (a), starches, gelatin, thickening polysaccharides, cellulose, molten salts, pH adjusters, seasonings, water, etc. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0024] <Edible fats and oils> When edible oils and fats are contained as an optional ingredient, a texture and flavor closer to that of cheese tend to be obtained. The edible oils and fats as the optional ingredient are not particularly limited, but examples thereof include vegetable oils and fats, animal oils and fats, fractionated oils and fats thereof, hardened oils and fats, interesterified oils and fats, and other processed edible oils and fats. Among these, hardened oils and fats are preferred because they can impart a texture and hardness closer to that of cheese. These can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0025] The hardened oils and fats are oils and fats that have a high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids and are liquid at room temperature, and are hydrogenated to increase the proportion of saturated fatty acids and raise the melting point, and are usually in a solid state at room temperature (around 23° C.). The hardened oils and fats may be derived from vegetable oils and fats, or may be derived from animal oils and fats, or may be a combination of vegetable and animal oils and fats. Examples of the vegetable oils and fats include palm oil, coconut oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, safflower oil, cacao butter, palm kernel oil, etc. Examples of the animal oils and fats include beef tallow, lard, milk fats such as butter, fish oil, etc. It is particularly preferable to use at least one selected from the group consisting of palm oil, coconut oil, beef tallow, lard, milk fat, and edible refined and processed oils and fats thereof.

[0026] The edible oil and fat content is preferably in the range of 1 to 49% by mass, more preferably 10 to 40% by mass, and particularly preferably 15 to 30% by mass, based on the total mass of the cheese-like food product. When the content of the edible oil and fat is set within the above range, a better texture tends to be obtained.

[0027] <Proteins other than casein (a)> Examples of the optional "protein other than casein (a)" include egg white protein, whey protein and its peptides, soy protein and its peptides, pea protein and its peptides, and collagen protein and its peptides. These can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0028] In this embodiment, the total protein content (% by mass), which is the sum of the casein (a) and proteins other than the casein (a), is preferably 5% by mass or more, more preferably 7 to 30% by mass, and even more preferably 10 to 20% by mass of the entire cheese-like food. When the total protein content (% by mass) is set within the above range, a more preferable hardness and texture for a cheese-like food tends to be obtained. However, the soy protein content (% by mass) of the entire cheese-like food is preferably 2.2% by mass or less, more preferably 1.0% by mass or less, and even more preferably none at all. When the soy protein content is set within the above range, the viscosity when heated tends to be low, and the flavor and shredding suitability also tend to be excellent.

[0029] This composition contains (a) casein, (b) calcium, and (c) potassium in specific proportions, resulting in a high hardness while still providing the spinnability and heat-meltability required for pizza topping. It also has good shredding properties and excellent processing characteristics. Furthermore, the viscosity does not increase significantly when heated during production, improving production efficiency.

[0030] Such cheese-like foods can be produced, for example, as follows: the ingredients for the cheese-like food are prepared, heated and mixed all at once, and the resulting heated mixture is filled into a container of a predetermined shape and cooled to obtain a cheese-like food of a predetermined shape. Alternatively, the prepared ingredients may be added and mixed in several batches, or several types of ingredients may be mixed separately and then mixed together.

[0031] The heating temperature in the heat-mixing step is preferably in the range of 60 to 100° C., from the viewpoint of excellent flavor and texture. In addition, from the viewpoint of excellent viscosity and thermal solubility, gentle stirring is preferably performed at a rotation speed of 300 to 2000 rpm, and more preferably at a rotation speed of 500 to 1000 rpm.

[0032] The viscosity of the cheese-like food product of the present embodiment obtained in this manner immediately after production is preferably in the range of 0 to 200 Pa·s, more preferably in the range of 0 to 120 Pa·s, even more preferably in the range of 0 to 80 Pa·s, and even more preferably in the range of 0 to 50 Pa·s. When the viscosity of the cheese-like food product is set within the above range, it tends to be easier to produce on a factory production line. The viscosity was measured by pouring the cheese-like food immediately after preparation into a beaker that had been heated in a boiling water bath, and then immediately measuring the viscosity using a TV25 viscometer (Type H, using an R29 SPINDLE, manufactured by Toki Sangyo Co., Ltd.).

[0033] The cheese-like food product of this embodiment preferably has a hardness of 641 to 5000 g, more preferably in the range of 750 to 3000 g, more preferably in the range of 850 to 2000 g, and even more preferably in the range of 950 to 1500 g, in an atmosphere of 5° C. When the hardness of the cheese-like food product is set within the above range, there is a tendency for the balance between texture and shredding suitability to be excellent.

[0034] The hardness was measured using a texture analyzer (Stable Micro Systems) by inserting a spherical plunger with a diameter of 8 mm into the cheese-like food product at a speed of 1 mm / sec for 10 mm after leaving the food product at rest for 24 hours or more in an atmosphere of 5°C, and the maximum stress load was taken as the hardness. The measurement was carried out five times, and the average value of the three points excluding the maximum and minimum values ​​was used as the hardness of the cheese-like food product.

[0035] The pH of the cheese-like food of this embodiment is preferably in the range of 3 to 8, more preferably in the range of 4 to 7, and even more preferably in the range of 5 to 7. When the pH of the cheese-like food is set within this range, there is a tendency for the balance of flavor, texture, and shredding suitability to be better.

[0036] The pH was measured by shredding a cheese-like food that had been left to stand for 24 hours in an atmosphere of 5°C using a commercially available radish shredder, adding 90 g of water to 10 g of this shredded cheese-like food, grinding and mixing it in a stomacher for 3 minutes, and measuring the pH of the ground liquid. [Example]

[0037] The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the following examples. Prior to the examples and comparative examples, the following components were prepared. Furthermore, the component compositions shown below are all expressed on a mass basis (mass %) unless otherwise specified.

[0038] That is, in Tables 2 to 4 below, the numerical values ​​shown as the composition of the nutritional compositions indicate the mass of each ingredient itself. On the other hand, the calcium content (mass%) derived from organic salts and inorganic salts, the potassium content (mass%) derived from organic salts and inorganic salts, the calcium content (mass%) derived from the protein source, and the potassium content (mass%) derived from the protein source are values ​​calculated from the calcium or potassium content (mass%) of each material shown in Table 1 below. The protein content (mass%) in calcium caseinate, potassium caseinate, sodium caseinate, rennet casein, and milk protein concentrate (MPC) is synonymous with the casein content (mass%).

[0039] [Table 1]

[0040] [Examples 1 to 10, Comparative Examples 1 to 5] Cheese-like foods were prepared according to the compositions shown in Tables 2 to 4 below. First, all ingredients, including water and oil, were added to a Stephan cooker that had been heated to approximately 85°C and stirred at 900 rpm for a total of 7 minutes to prepare a cheese-like food. During the stirring process, any material adhering to the Stephan cooker lid or walls was returned to the Stephan cooker. The viscosity of the resulting cheese-like food was measured using the following procedure. The cheese-like food was then poured into a tray, cooled, wrapped in plastic wrap, and left to stand for one day in an atmosphere at 5°C before being used in each of the Examples and Comparative Examples. The test and evaluation methods for each item are as follows:

[0041] [hardness] As explained in this embodiment, measurements were taken using a texture analyzer (manufactured by Stable Micro Systems) under the condition that a spherical plunger with a diameter of 8 mm was inserted 10 mm at a speed of 1 mm / sec, and the maximum stress load was taken as the hardness. The measurement was carried out five times, and the average value of the three points excluding the maximum and minimum values ​​was adopted as the hardness (g) of the cheese-like food.

[0042] [viscosity] The cheese-like food immediately after preparation was poured into a beaker heated in a boiling water bath, and its viscosity (Pa·s) was immediately measured using a TV25 viscometer (Type H, R29 SPINDLE, manufactured by Toki Sangyo Co., Ltd.).

[0043] [Heating solubility] The cheese-like food was left to stand at room temperature (near 25°C) for 30 minutes, and then cut into a cylindrical shape with a diameter of 36 mm and a thickness of 10 mm to prepare a sample piece. This sample piece was placed in the center of a petri dish with an inner diameter of 90 mm and heated in a 500W microwave oven for 30 seconds. The sample piece softened upon heating and was unable to maintain its shape, stretching and spreading outward. The lengths of the minor and major axes of the stretched and spread sample piece were measured, and the average value was taken as the heat meltability (cm).

[0044] [Threadability] 15 g of the cheese-like food, cut into strips (shredded) using a julienne cutter C-288 (manufactured by Pearl Metal Co., Ltd.), was placed in a 200 mL beaker (inner diameter 62 mm) and heated for 30 seconds in a 500 W microwave oven. A 2.5 mm L-shaped hex wrench was immediately inserted into the cheese-like food that had softened due to heating until the short side of the L-shaped hex wrench touched the bottom of the beaker, and the cheese-like food was lifted up by pulling it up. As the softened cheese-like food was lifted, it stretched and formed strings. The strings were lifted until they broke, and the length of the strings (the length of the stretched cheese-like food) at the time they broke was measured. This measurement was performed five times, and the average length was taken as the stringiness (cm).

[0045] [pH] 90 g of water was added to 10 g of the cheese-like food cut into strips (shredded) in the same manner as above, and the mixture was ground and mixed in a stomacher for 3 minutes. The pH of the ground liquid was used as the pH of the cheese-like food.

[0046] [Shredding Aptitude] The cheese-like food was cut into blocks measuring 5 cm wide x 7 cm long x approximately 1 cm high to prepare cheese-like food blocks. These cheese-like food blocks were then cut (shredded) into strips using a julienne cutter C-288 (manufactured by Pearl Metal Co., Ltd.). The condition of the cheese-like food blocks at this stage was visually observed, and their suitability for shredding was evaluated according to the following indices A to E. Evaluation indicators A: Almost the entire block could be shredded into strips, and there was little adhesion of the cheese-like food to the blades of the julienne cutter after shredding. B: More than two-thirds but less than the entire block could be shredded into strips, but a small amount of the cheese-like food adhered to the blades of the julienne cutter after shredding. C: More than 1 / 2 but less than 2 / 3 of the block could be shredded into strips, but the cheese-like food product after shredding tended to stick to the blades of the julienne cutter. D: The block was soft and lost its shape during the process, so less than half of the block could be shredded into strips. Also, the shredded cheese-like food tended to stick to the blades of the julienne cutter. E: The block was soft and sticky, and although it could be shredded, the cheese-like food lost its shape and did not shred into strips. In addition, the shredded cheese-like food tended to stick to the blades of the julienne cutter.

[0047] [Table 2]

[0048] [Table 3]

[0049] [Table 4]

[0050] The above results show that Examples 1 to 10 have sufficient hardness and shreddability, and are excellent in processing characteristics. In particular, Examples 1 to 8 and 10 do not show a significant increase in viscosity, making them easy to manufacture on a production line. Furthermore, they have sufficient spinnability and heat meltability, making them excellent for use as pizza toppings. On the other hand, Comparative Examples 1 to 5 did not satisfy all of these requirements and were therefore insufficient as cheese-like foods. In particular, Comparative Example 5 did not use any of organic salts, inorganic salts, or high-potassium casein as potassium (C), resulting in a poor shredding suitability of D. Even when acid casein is used as casein, the same effects as those in Examples 1 to 10 can be obtained. [Industrial Applicability]

[0051] The present invention is useful as a cheese-like food that can be produced at low cost and has excellent processing properties.

Claims

1. A cheese-like food containing less than 10% by mass of cheese raw material, and containing (a) casein, (b) calcium, and (c) potassium, The cheese-like food containing the (a) casein, (b) calcium, and (c) potassium in the following ratios respectively, and the (c) potassium includes at least one derived from the group consisting of organic salts, inorganic salts, and casein with high potassium content. (a) Casein 1 to 30% by mass (b) Calcium 0.014 to 5% by mass (c) Potassium 0.076 to 5% by mass

2. The cheese-like food according to Claim 1, wherein the content of soy protein is 2.2% by mass or less.

3. The cheese-like food according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the (a) casein is derived from at least one selected from the group consisting of caseinate, milk protein concentrate, rennet casein, lactic acid casein, and acid casein.

4. The cheese-like food according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the organic salt in the (c) potassium is an organic salt other than potassium citrate.

5. The cheese-like food according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the inorganic salt in the (c) potassium is an inorganic salt other than potassium phosphate.

6. The cheese-like food according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the hardness at 5°C atmosphere is 641 to 5000 g.

7. The cheese-like food according to Claim 1 or 2, further containing edible oil.

8. The cheese-like food according to Claim 7, wherein the edible oil contains hydrogenated oil.