Refrigerated cooked pasta

Abstract

To provide a refrigerated cooked pasta food product intended to inhibit pasta quality deterioration during refrigerated storage.SOLUTION: A refrigerated cooked pasta is one in which a refrigerated pasta and a water gel are accommodated in a container. A moisture content of the cooked pasta is 55-60 mass%. A gel melting temperature of the water gel is 20-70°C. The cooked pasta and the water gel are partially contacted with each other. The cooked pasta is preferably one which is obtained by boiling and cooking a dry pasta whose gluten vitality is 25% or less.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to pre-cooked refrigerated pasta that is stored in a refrigerated state and is eaten after heating in a microwave oven or the like and then pouring a sauce over it. [Background technology]

[0002] Pasta such as spaghetti and macaroni has a unique chewy texture among noodles, and is a popular food that goes well with various sauces. Pasta is boiled and then eaten with sauce, but boiling generally requires about 10 minutes in boiling water, which wastes a lot of energy when cooking for one person. In recent years, there has been a strong trend toward individual meals, and in order to reduce such waste, pasta foods in which pre-cooked pasta is packed in containers with sauce are now commercially available.

[0003] When pasta and other noodles are left for a period of time after cooking, they begin to get soggy, which reduces their quality. In particular, immediately after boiling, pasta has a high moisture content on the surface and a low moisture content in the center, creating a moisture gradient, which is considered to be the best al dente state, with the core of the pasta still intact, the width of a hair. However, as time passes after cooking, the moisture gradient disappears and the moisture content becomes uniform throughout, resulting in a hard texture with little elasticity. In addition, if cooked pasta is stored in contact with sauce, excess moisture may transfer from the sauce to the pasta, further reducing its elasticity.

[0004] Regarding quality improvement of cooked refrigerated pasta foods, Patent Document 1 describes a refrigerated pasta set that includes semi-dried pasta noodles boiled for 30 to 50% of the standard boiling time, and a refrigerated pasta sauce that has a water content 5 to 25% higher by mass than usual. Patent Document 2 describes a method for cooking semi-fresh pasta with a moisture content of 40 to 60% by microwave heating, characterized in that water solidified by an edible solidifying agent is allowed to coexist during heating. Patent Document 3 describes a semi-cooked food for cooking over an open flame, characterized in that a gel-like seasoning liquid is placed directly on the bottom of an aluminum foil container, and semi-cooked ingredients such as noodles are placed directly on top of the gel-like seasoning liquid. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-197919 A [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-295302 [Patent Document 3] JP 2010-81897 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The improvement techniques described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 all aim to improve the quality of cooked noodles, but there is still room for improvement in the quality of cooked refrigerated pasta foods, and foods of higher quality are desired.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide cooked, refrigerated pasta in which deterioration in the quality of the pasta during refrigerated storage is suppressed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention relates to cooked, refrigerated pasta in which cooked pasta and a water gel are contained in a container, the cooked pasta has a moisture content of 55 to 60 mass%, the water gel has a gel dissolution temperature of 20 to 70°C, and the cooked pasta and the water gel are in partial contact with each other. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide cooked refrigerated pasta in which deterioration in the quality of pasta during refrigerated storage is suppressed and a good texture is maintained. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] The cooked refrigerated pasta of the present invention is cooked pasta that is contained in a container with a water gel adhering to a portion of its surface and is refrigerated for storage. The container is not particularly limited as long as it is capable of storing this type of cooked food, and examples of the container include plastic, metal, and ceramic containers. Since the present invention deals with food that is stored refrigerated, it is not necessary to ensure the highest possible performance in terms of airtightness and sealing, as long as this does not deteriorate the quality of the food or affect its preservation. From the viewpoints of the cost and variety of containers, and of storing cooked refrigerated pasta in an attractive manner, it is preferable to use a plastic container.

[0011] The cooked pasta contained in the cooked refrigerated pasta of the present invention is pasta that has been boiled. The type of pasta is not particularly limited, and commonly consumed pasta such as long pasta, short pasta, and sheet-like pasta can be used. Specific examples of long pasta include spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, and bucatini. Specific examples of short pasta include macaroni, penne, rigatoni, fusilli, conchiglie, farfalle, ravioli, and tortelli. Specific examples of sheet-like pasta include lasagna.

[0012] The pasta to be boiled may be fresh pasta or dried pasta. Fresh pasta is pasta formed from pasta dough into a pasta shape, which is not dried after forming, and has a moisture content of about 38 to 46% by mass when uncooked. Dried pasta is fresh pasta that has been dried, and has a moisture content of about 10 to 14% by mass when uncooked. Fresh pasta is not dried, so it already has a high moisture content before cooking. Therefore, when boiling fresh pasta to obtain cooked pasta, if an attempt is made to make the moisture content within the specific range according to the present invention (55 to 60% by mass), heating may be insufficient and the pasta may become unsuitable for eating. Therefore, in the present invention, it is preferable to use dried pasta, and it is particularly preferable to use dried pasta with a moisture content of 13% by mass or less.

[0013] From the viewpoint of further improving the texture of the cooked refrigerated pasta of the present invention, it is preferable to use dried pasta with a gluten vitality (GV) of 25% or less, more preferably 22% or less, and even more preferably 20% or less. If the GV is too low, the texture of the pasta tends to become brittle and the color of the pasta tends to turn red, so it is preferably 18% or more. The GV of typical fresh pasta is 42 to 48%, and the GV of typical dried pasta is about 36 to 45%.

[0014] In order to obtain dried pasta having such a preferred GV, for example, a method of heat treatment at high temperature can be mentioned, and specifically, it is efficient to carry out heat treatment at a temperature of preferably 60 to 85° C., more preferably 75 to 85° C. The heating time may be appropriately determined according to the heating temperature so as to achieve the desired GV.

[0015] The GV of dried pasta is measured by the following method using a pulverized product prepared by pulverizing the dried pasta to be measured as a sample. The GV measurement method described below is carried out in the following order: (i) measuring the soluble crude protein content of the pulverized product, (ii) measuring the total crude protein content of the pulverized product, and (iii) calculating the GV. The method for measuring the crude protein content in each of (i) and (ii) above can be a known method such as the Kjeldahl method or the combustion method. The measurement method will be explained below by taking the Kjeldahl method as an example.

[0016] <How to measure Gluten Vitality (GV)> (i) Determination of soluble crude protein content of ground material: (a) Accurately weigh out 2 g of sample (ground material) into a 100 mL beaker. (b) Add 40 mL of 0.05 N acetic acid to the beaker and stir at room temperature for 60 minutes to prepare a suspension. (c) The suspension obtained in (b) is transferred to a centrifuge tube and centrifuged at 5,000 rpm for 5 minutes, and then filtered using filter paper to recover the filtrate. (d) Wash the beaker with 40 mL of 0.05 N acetic acid, transfer the washings to a centrifuge tube, and centrifuge at 5,000 rpm for 5 minutes. Then, filter using filter paper to recover the filtrate. (e) The filtrates collected in (c) and (d) are combined and the resulting solution is diluted to 100 mL. (f) 25 mL of the liquid obtained in (e) is placed in a Kjeldahl tube of a Kjeldahl Autosystem manufactured by Ticator (Sweden) using a volumetric pipette, and one tablet of a decomposition accelerator ("Keltab C" manufactured by Nippon General Co., Ltd.; potassium sulfate:copper sulfate = 9:1 (mass ratio) and 15 mL of concentrated sulfuric acid are added. (g) Using a Keltec decomposition furnace (DIGESTION SYSTEM 20 1015 type) incorporated in the Keltec auto system, decomposition treatment is performed for 1 hour at dial 4, and then decomposition treatment is automatically performed for another hour at dial 9 or 10. Following this decomposition treatment, the liquid from the decomposition treatment is continuously and automatically distilled and titrated (using 0.1 N sulfuric acid for titration) using a Keltec distillation titration system (KJELTEC AUTO 1030 type) incorporated in the same Keltec auto system to determine the soluble crude protein content in the sample (pulverized material) using the following formula (A1).

[0017] Soluble crude protein content (%)=0.14×(T1-B1)×F1×N1×(100 / S1)×(1 / 25) ···(A1) In the formula (A1), the symbols have the following meanings. T: Amount of 0.1N sulfuric acid required for titration (mL) B: Amount of 0.1 N sulfuric acid required for blank titration (mL) F: Potency of 0.1 N sulfuric acid used in titration (measure when used or use a commercially available product with potency indication) N: Nitrogen protein conversion factor (5.70) S: weight of sample (ground material) (g)

[0018] (ii) Determination of total crude protein content of the grind: (a) 0.5 g of the sample (ground material) is weighed out and placed in a Kjeldahl tube of a Keltec Autosystem manufactured by Ticator, the same as that used in the measurement in (i) above, and one tablet of the same decomposition accelerator used in (f) above in the measurement in (i) above and 5 mL of concentrated sulfuric acid are added to the sample. (b) Using the Keltec decomposition furnace of the Keltec auto system used in the measurement in (i) above, perform the decomposition treatment for 1 hour at dial 9 or 10, and then, following this decomposition treatment, continuously and automatically distill and titrate the liquid subjected to the decomposition treatment (using 0.1 N sulfuric acid for titration) using the same Keltec distillation and titration system used in (i) above, which is incorporated in the same Keltec auto system, to calculate the total crude protein content of the sample (pulverized product) using the following formula (A2).

[0019] Total crude protein content (%)=(0.14×T×F×N) / S (A2) In the formula (A2), the symbols have the following meanings. T: Amount of 0.1N sulfuric acid required for titration (mL) F: Titer of 0.1N sulfuric acid used in titration (measured at the time of use) N: Nitrogen protein conversion factor (5.70) S: weight of sample (ground material) (g)

[0020] (iii) Calculation of GV: The GV of the sample (pulverized product) is calculated from the soluble crude protein content of the sample (pulverized product) determined by measurement (i) above and the total crude protein content of the sample (pulverized product) determined by measurement (ii) above, using the following formula (A3). GV(%)=(Soluble crude protein content / total crude protein content)×100...(A3)

[0021] The fresh pasta or dried pasta can be boiled by a conventional method, typically by putting the pasta into a large amount of hot water and cooking it. The cooked pasta contained in the cooked refrigerated pasta of the present invention has a water content of 55 to 60% by mass, preferably 56 to 59% by mass, and more preferably 57 to 58% by mass, and is boiled to achieve such a water content. If the water content is less than 55% by mass, the texture of the cooked pasta may be too hard. If the water content exceeds 60% by mass, the texture of the cooked pasta may be too soft.

[0022] In this specification, the moisture content of cooked pasta is calculated according to the following <Method of calculating moisture content>. <How to calculate moisture content> First, the mass of the measurement sample (cooked pasta) is measured. Next, the measurement sample is dried at 80°C for 12 hours according to the bone drying method, and the mass of the dried measurement sample is then measured. The difference in mass before and after drying is taken as the moisture mass, and the moisture mass relative to the mass of the measurement sample before drying is calculated as a percentage, and this value is taken as the moisture content of the measurement sample.

[0023] The water gel contained in the cooked refrigerated pasta of the present invention is a water gel with a gel dissolution temperature of 20 to 70°C. That is, the water gel is in a gel state with almost no fluidity in the temperature range from the refrigeration temperature to the very vicinity of the gel dissolution temperature of the water gel (hence, at least 20°C), and only when heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the gel dissolution temperature of the water gel does it become in a fluid sol state. Therefore, in the cooked refrigerated pasta of the present invention, the water gel is almost solidified in the refrigerated state and remains in partial contact with the cooked pasta, with almost no transfer of moisture. Then, when the cooked refrigerated pasta is heated in a microwave oven, for example, and the product temperature reaches or exceeds the gel dissolution temperature, the water gel becomes fluid and adheres to a larger portion of the cooked refrigerated pasta, and moisture transfers to the cooked pasta, making it suitable for eating.

[0024] From the viewpoint of maintaining a favorable texture of the pasta at a higher level, the gel dissolution temperature of the water gel is preferably 20 to 60° C. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of reliably preventing the water gel from dissolving during distribution of cooked refrigerated pasta, the lower limit of the gel dissolution temperature is preferably 25° C. or higher.

[0025] In the present invention, the gel dissolution temperature refers to the temperature at which a water gel is heated to become a sol. More specifically, it refers to the temperature measured in accordance with the melting point measurement method described in "5.8 Melting Point" in the Japanese Industrial Standard JIS K 6503:2001 "Glue and Gelatin". A specific example of the measurement method is described below. <Measurement of gel melting temperature> A glass melting point tube is filled with a water gel that has been heated to a sol state, and then cooled on ice to gel, creating a melting point tube filled with water gel containing air bubbles at the bottom. This is then placed in a thermostatic water bath containing 15°C water, and a heating device is used to heat the water in the thermostatic water bath at a rate of 1°C / minute. The water temperature at which the air bubbles in the water gel rise and reach the marked line on the melting point tube is taken as the gel dissolution temperature.

[0026] The water gel is prepared by mixing a gelling agent with an aqueous liquid, heating the mixture as necessary to dissolve the gelling agent, and then cooling the mixture to a temperature lower than the gel dissolution temperature to obtain a gel having a gel dissolution temperature within the aforementioned range. The aqueous liquid is typically clear water. Clear water is preferred because it does not affect the flavor of the pasta. As the aqueous liquid, water containing trace components (acidic agents, alkaline agents, salt, etc.), such as acidic water, alkaline water, and saline water, may be used. When water contains trace components, it is desirable that the amount of the components is small, and specifically, the content of the components in the aqueous gel is desirably 10% by mass or less.

[0027] Examples of gelling agents include polysaccharides other than starch, such as locust bean gum, xanthan gum, carrageenan, agar, tara gum, gellan gum, LM pectin, and HM pectin, and proteins, such as gelatin and hyaluronic acid. Among these, gelatin is preferred from the viewpoint of improving the mouthfeel of the pasta when eaten. As long as the gel dissolution temperature is within the above-mentioned range, any one selected from the group consisting of the various gelling agents listed above can be used alone or in combination of any two or more.

[0028] The content of gelling agents in the water gel (the total content when two or more types are used) is preferably 0.5 to 10 mass % of the total mass of the water gel, more preferably 1 to 7 mass %, and even more preferably 2 to 4 mass %. If the content of gelling agents is too high, the pasta may feel sticky when eaten, and if the content is too low, the pasta may feel watery when eaten. The water gel preferably has a water content of 90% by mass or more, more preferably 92% by mass or more, and even more preferably 96% by mass or more. The remainder after removing water from the water gel is the above-mentioned gelling agent and trace components used as necessary.

[0029] The cooked refrigerated pasta of the present invention can be produced by placing the cooked pasta and the water gel described above in a container in a state where the two are partially in contact with each other. The method for partially bringing the water gel into contact with the surface of the cooked pasta is not particularly limited, and may be adapted to the desired form of the pasta food. For example, the cooked pasta and the water gel may each be formed into a block shape, and the two may be partially in contact with each other in the container. More specifically, the cooked pasta block and the water gel block may be arranged so as to be adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction in the container, but preferably the water gel block is placed on the cooked pasta block. In this way, when the cooked refrigerated pasta is heated in a microwave oven or the like, the solated water gel is more likely to spread throughout the cooked pasta. More preferably, the cooked pasta is formed into a large block and placed in the container, and a block of water gel that is relatively small compared to the block of cooked pasta is partially placed on the block of cooked pasta.

[0030] In a more preferred embodiment, the water gel is placed on the cooked pasta so as to cover 5 to 50% of the area of ​​the cooked pasta block when viewed from above. In this case, the water gel may be in the form of a single medium-sized block (smaller than the cooked pasta block) or multiple small blocks (e.g., 2 to 8 blocks). The latter is more preferred from the viewpoint of making it easier for the solated water gel to spread throughout the cooked pasta. In the latter case, the size of each small water gel block depends on the absolute amount of cooked pasta used and the mass ratio to the cooked pasta described below, but if the size is, for example, 0.5 to 5.0 g per water gel block, it is easy to handle and easy to distribute evenly on the cooked pasta. The shape of the water gel block is not particularly limited, and it may be, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped, cube, plate, disk, etc.

[0031] In the cooked refrigerated pasta of the present invention, the mass ratio of the cooked pasta to the water gel is not particularly limited, but a content mass ratio (former:latter) of 6:1 to 8:1 is preferable as an amount that can fully obtain the effects of the present invention and does not become watery.

[0032] When the cooked pasta and the water gel are placed in a container with the two in partial contact with each other, if the cooked pasta is still warm shortly after being boiled, the water gel in contact with the cooked pasta may dissolve immediately. Therefore, the cooked pasta and the water gel should be placed in a container after the cooked pasta has cooled, preferably after being sufficiently cooled in a refrigerator or the like.

[0033] The cooked refrigerated pasta of the present invention may further contain other ingredients in the container in addition to the cooked pasta and water gel. Examples of other ingredients include ingredients. The type of ingredients is not particularly limited, and meat, seafood, vegetables (root vegetables, leafy vegetables, mushrooms, etc.), etc. can be used depending on the desired flavor and texture.

[0034] The cooked refrigerated pasta of the present invention is refrigerated in a container. The container is as described above, and the cooked refrigerated pasta of the present invention is refrigerated together with the container. The refrigeration temperature is 0°C to 15°C, preferably 1°C to 12°C, and refrigeration can be performed using a standard refrigeration device.

[0035] When the cooked refrigerated pasta of the present invention is to be eaten, it is typically heated in a microwave oven after being removed from the refrigeration device and seasoned by pouring pasta sauce on it, etc. Heating in a microwave oven may be carried out in accordance with general methods for heating food, depending on the amount of pasta, the output of the microwave oven, etc. By heating in this manner, the water gel becomes fluid and adheres to a larger portion of the cooked refrigerated pasta, and moisture is transferred to the cooked pasta, making it suitable for eating.

[0036] The seasoning method when eating is not particularly limited, and for example, pasta sauce prepared separately from the cooked refrigerated pasta of the present invention may be poured over or mixed in, or the sauce may be contained in a container for the cooked refrigerated pasta of the present invention by using a partition or the like so that the sauce is not in contact with the cooked pasta. EXAMPLES

[0037] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. In the following examples, "%" is by weight unless otherwise specified.

[0038] [Examples 1 to 5, Comparative Examples 1 to 2] Cooked refrigerated pasta was produced using commercially available dried spaghetti (long pasta) according to the following procedure. A given amount of dried spaghetti was boiled while adjusting the boiling time as needed to obtain cooked spaghetti with the moisture content shown in Table 1. The moisture content of the cooked spaghetti was measured according to the above-mentioned <Method for determining moisture content>. In addition, the GV of the dried spaghetti was measured according to the above-mentioned <Method for measuring gluten vitality (GV)>. The results are shown in Table 1. Separately, a gelling agent and pure water were mixed according to the water gel formulation shown in Table 1, and the mixture was heated and thoroughly stirred to dissolve the gelling agent, and then cooled to 10°C to prepare a water gel. The gel dissolution temperature of the resulting water gel was measured according to the above-mentioned <Measurement of gel dissolution temperature>. The results are shown in Table 1. The gelling agents used were as follows: Gelatin (gel melting temperature = 28℃: APH-200 made by Nitta Gelatin) Carrageenan (gel dissolution temperature = 60℃: San-Ei Gen F.F.I. Carrageenan) Agar (gel melting temperature = 75℃: Ina Agar UP-26 manufactured by Ina Food Industry Co., Ltd.)

[0039] Next, 210 g of the cooked spaghetti was filled into a commercially available heat-resistant polypropylene container to form a lump, and the container was covered and cooled in a refrigerator. Separately, the water gel prepared above was cut into a plurality of approximately rectangular parallelepiped pieces each weighing 5 g. The container-containing spaghetti was removed from the refrigerator, and six approximately rectangular parallelepiped water gels (total of 30 g) were placed on the lump of cooked spaghetti while being individually spaced apart so as to be distributed as evenly as possible on the spaghetti, and the container was covered again to obtain cooked spaghetti. At this time, assuming that the area of ​​the lump of cooked spaghetti in a plan view from above is 100%, 40% of the area was covered with the water gel. This was placed in a refrigerator and refrigerated at 5° C. to obtain cooked refrigerated pasta (cooked refrigerated spaghetti).

[0040] [Test Example 1] The cooked refrigerated pasta of each Example and Comparative Example was stored at 5°C for 24 hours, then removed from the refrigerator and heated in a microwave oven at 600W for 2 minutes. The resulting spaghetti was eaten by 10 expert panelists, who evaluated its texture according to the following evaluation criteria. The results are shown in Table 1 as the average of the 10 panelists.

[0041] <Spaghetti texture evaluation criteria> 5 points: Elastic and chewy, comparable to freshly boiled spaghetti, very good. 4 points: Elastic and chewy, not as good as freshly boiled spaghetti, but still good. 3 points: Feels a little too hard, but still within acceptable limits. 2 points: A little too hard and not very elastic, poor quality. 1 point: Too hard and not elastic, very poor.

[0042] [Table 1]

[0043] [Examples 6 to 9 and Comparative Examples 3 to 4] Except for adjusting the boiling time of the dried spaghetti and changing the water content of the cooked spaghetti as shown in Table 2, cooked refrigerated pasta was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 and evaluated in the same manner as in Test Example 1. The results are shown in Table 2. Note that Table 2 also lists the results of Example 1.

[0044] [Table 2]

[0045] [Examples 10 to 13] Except for the fact that the dried spaghetti was heated in a thermostatic chamber at 80°C to obtain the GV shown in Table 3, and then boiled, cooked refrigerated pasta was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 and evaluated in the same manner as in Test Example 1. The results are shown in Table 3. The results of Example 1 are also shown in Table 3.

[0046] [Table 3]

[0047] [Examples 14 to 17] Cooked refrigerated pasta was produced in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the mass ratio of cooked pasta to water gel was changed as shown in Table 4 by changing the amount of cooked spaghetti packed into the container (however, in Examples 14 to 17, when the area of ​​the cooked spaghetti block in a plan view from above is taken as 100%, the thickness of the block was finely adjusted when packing the block of cooked pasta into the container so that 40% of the area was covered with water gel as in Example 1), and evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Test Example 1. The results are shown in Table 4. Note that Table 4 relists the results of Example 1.

[0048] [Table 4]

Claims

1. This cooked, refrigerated pasta is a container containing cooked pasta and a water gel, the cooked pasta having a moisture content of 55 to 60% by mass, the water gel having a gel dissolution temperature of 20 to 70°C, and the cooked pasta and the water gel being in partial contact with each other.

2. 2. The cooked refrigerated pasta according to claim 1, wherein the cooked pasta is made by boiling dried pasta having a gluten vitality of 25% or less.

3. 3. The cooked refrigerated pasta according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the water content of the water gel is 90% by mass or more.

4. The cooked refrigerated pasta according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mass ratio of the cooked pasta to the water gel is 6:1 to 8:1.