Oil-in-water emulsified sauce and production method thereof

Abstract

To provide an oil-in-water emulsified sauce suppressed in quality deterioration caused by high temperature heating and achieving both powerful richness and a smooth feeling on the tongue.SOLUTION: An oil-in-water emulsified sauce contains a milk-derived material. The oil-in-water emulsified sauce further contains 0.01 to 1.0 mass% of a thickener, 0.01 to 1.0 mass% of an emulsifier, 0.01 to 1.0 mass% of a phosphate, and 0.05 to 5.0 mass% of a processed starch. It is preferable that the oil-in-water emulsified sauce contains 25 to 94 mass% of the milk-derived material. It is preferable that the thickener is at least one kind selected from xanthan gum, tamarind seed gum, and guar gum. It is preferable that the phosphate is metaphosphate.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an oil-in-water emulsified sauce containing a dairy-derived ingredient, and a method for producing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Cream sauce is a sauce prepared by adding cream to a sauce containing dairy products such as milk, and is popular because it has the rich taste of dairy ingredients and cream and a smooth texture due to the oil-in-water emulsion structure. However, when cream is heated at a high temperature, for example, to 80°C or higher for sterilization, the oil-in-water emulsion structure in the cream may break down and the oil may separate, or the milk proteins in the cream may aggregate and become rough to the touch. For this reason, in order to avoid heating the cream, a cooking method is used in which the cream is added at the end of cooking so that the cream is not overheated when cooking cream sauce, or a cooking technique is used in which cream is poured over the sauce after serving the sauce to finish the cooking.

[0003] Dairy-derived ingredients contained in cream sauces generally have an oil-in-water emulsion structure in which minute oil droplets are dispersed in the water, which is the continuous phase, but in this type of emulsion structure, the oil droplets tend to combine with each other and grow larger due to stimuli such as temperature changes. Since the oil droplets that have grown larger can no longer continue to be dispersed in the water, the water and oil separate in the oil-in-water emulsion structure, resulting in a loss of the unity of flavor of the dairy-derived ingredients and the smooth texture characteristic of emulsions.

[0004] Cream, a typical dairy-derived raw material, contains milk proteins derived from milk and soybean proteins derived from soybeans, and these proteins are denatured and aggregated when the cream is heated at high temperatures. The aggregated proteins give a rough texture, which may impair the flavor and flavor unity of foods containing the proteins. As one such phenomenon, for example, it is well known that a film is formed on the surface of milk when the milk is boiled.

[0005] For these reasons, oil-in-water emulsified sauces, such as cream sauces, are subject to significant quality deterioration due to high-temperature heating. In particular, when an oil-in-water emulsified sauce is a preserved food that can be stored for a long period of time at room temperature, refrigerated, or frozen, it is heated at high temperature at least once during its production process, and may also be heated at high temperature during consumption to make it edible. However, there is a problem that it is difficult to maintain the quality of a food that is heated at high temperatures multiple times at intervals between production and consumption.

[0006] In response to such problems, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a heat-resistant sauce-like oil-in-water emulsion that contains 48-68% by weight of water, 20-42% by weight of fats and oils, 2-9% by weight of protein, starch, a gelling agent and / or a thickener, and an emulsifier. The document also describes that the sauce-like oil-in-water emulsion described in the document can at least prevent the emulsified state from being destroyed by heating.

[0007] Patent Document 2 proposes an O / W type cream sauce containing milk fat, an emulsifier, and milk protein, in which the milk fat content is 40% by weight or more, the emulsifier is a polysorbate, and the milk protein is a milk protein concentrate. The document also describes that the cream sauce described in the document maintains a good emulsion structure even when thawed after freezing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-189763 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2018-139572 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] In order to prevent deterioration in the quality of an oil-in-water emulsified sauce caused by high-temperature heating of a dairy-derived raw material, it is important to stabilize the oil-in-water emulsion structure of the dairy-derived raw material and to prevent heat denaturation of proteins. However, the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are techniques for stabilizing the emulsion structure by, for example, adding an emulsifier, and are still insufficient for preventing heat denaturation of proteins.

[0010] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an oil-in-water emulsified sauce that is inhibited from suffering deterioration in quality due to high-temperature heating and that combines a rich flavor with a smooth texture. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The present inventors have discovered that by combining a milk-derived raw material with specific amounts of four components, i.e., a thickener, an emulsifier, a phosphate, and a modified starch, it is possible to achieve both stabilization of an oil-in-water emulsion structure and inhibition of heat denaturation of proteins, and have completed the present invention. That is, the present invention is an oil-in-water emulsion sauce containing a milk-derived raw material, and further containing 0.01 to 1.0 mass% of a thickener, 0.01 to 1.0 mass% of an emulsifier, 0.01 to 1.0 mass% of a phosphate, and 0.05 to 5.0 mass% of modified starch.

[0012] Furthermore, the present inventors have discovered that in the production of the oil-in-water emulsion sauce, a milk-derived raw material and the four components are mixed at a product temperature of less than 80°C to obtain a mixture, and then the mixture is heated to a product temperature of 80°C or higher, thereby making it possible to more stably obtain an oil-in-water emulsion sauce that has both a rich flavor and a smooth texture at a high level, and have completed the present invention. That is, the present invention relates to a method for producing the oil-in-water emulsion sauce of the present invention, which comprises a step of heating a mixture containing a milk-derived raw material, a thickener, an emulsifier, a phosphate, and a modified starch to 80°C or higher. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, there is provided an oil-in-water emulsified sauce that is inhibited from suffering deterioration in quality due to high-temperature heating and that has both a rich flavor and a smooth texture. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] The present invention will be described below based on its preferred embodiments. The present invention relates to an oil-in-water emulsified sauce (hereinafter, simply referred to as "emulsified sauce"). The emulsified sauce of the present invention may be liquid or paste-like at room temperature and pressure. The emulsified sauce of the present invention may be a refrigerated emulsified sauce that is refrigerated until it is consumed, or a frozen emulsified sauce that is frozen and stored until it is consumed.

[0015] One of the main effects of the emulsified sauce of the present invention is the suppression of quality deterioration caused by high-temperature heating of milk-derived raw materials, which are essential components of the emulsified sauce. The "high-temperature heating" referred to here is performed at one or more stages of the emulsified sauce production stage, distribution stage (the period from production to being put on the shelves at stores and other times ready for sale), and consumption stage (the preparation period for the user of the emulsified sauce to make it edible). The heating performed at the production stage of the emulsified sauce is performed on an intermediate product of the emulsified sauce production. The purpose of high-temperature heating of the emulsified sauce or its intermediate product is various, such as sterilization and making it edible, and the heating conditions (heating temperature, heating time, etc.) are appropriately set so as to achieve a predetermined purpose. An example of the heating temperature is a temperature at which the temperature of the emulsified sauce or its intermediate product becomes 80°C or higher.

[0016] Specific examples of sauces to which the emulsified sauce of the present invention can be applied include cream sauces such as white sauce and cream sauce, soy milk sauce, etc., which contain milk-derived ingredients. Among these sauces, cream sauce and soy milk sauce in particular are usually prone to losing smoothness when heated to high temperatures (e.g., 80°C or higher), as the oil-in-water emulsion structure of the milk-derived ingredients is destroyed. The present invention can provide an emulsified sauce that suppresses the quality deterioration caused by high-temperature heating of such milk-derived ingredients and still exhibits the rich flavor and taste derived from the milk-derived ingredients even after high-temperature heating. Therefore, the emulsified sauce of the present invention is particularly preferably applied to cream sauce and soy milk sauce.

[0017] The emulsified sauce of the present invention contains a milk-derived raw material as one of its constituents. The milk-derived raw material is derived from animal milk or vegetable milk, and has an oil-in-water emulsion structure (hereinafter, simply referred to as "emulsion structure") at room temperature and normal pressure. The milk-derived raw material is a food in which the milk-derived raw material itself is liquid at a product temperature of 25°C, or the milk-derived raw material itself is solid at a product temperature of 25°C, but the solution of the milk-derived raw material in water (including the one dissolved in water while heating) is liquid at a product temperature of 25°C. By containing a milk-derived raw material in the emulsified sauce, the rich flavor and smooth texture derived from the milk-derived raw material are compatible. Examples of such milk-derived raw materials include cow's milk; goat's milk; powdered milk; cream such as fresh cream; fermented milk; cheese; soy milk; almond milk, etc.

[0018] From the viewpoint of making the above-mentioned advantages attributable to the milk-derived raw materials more prominent, the emulsified sauce of the present invention preferably contains a predetermined amount of the milk-derived raw materials. Specifically, the content of the milk-derived raw materials in the emulsified sauce is 1 to 80% by mass, preferably 2 to 70% by mass, more preferably 2 to 60% by mass, even more preferably 3 to 50% by mass, and even more preferably 5 to 30% by mass, based on the total mass of the liquid portion of the emulsified sauce. When the content of the milk-derived raw materials in the emulsified sauce is 1% by mass or more based on the total mass of the liquid portion of the emulsified sauce, the rich flavor and smooth texture derived from the milk-derived raw materials are effectively achieved at the same time. In addition, when the content of the milk-derived raw materials in the emulsified sauce is 80% by mass or less based on the total mass of the liquid portion of the emulsified sauce, the stabilization of the emulsion structure and the suppression of heat denaturation of proteins are effectively achieved at the same time.

[0019] In this specification, the "liquid portion of the emulsified sauce" refers to the portion of the emulsified sauce excluding solid ingredients. Specifically, the liquid portion refers to the portion that passes through a sieve of 1 mm mesh size when the emulsified sauce is sieved. In the emulsified sauce of the present invention, the solid ingredients are optional components. Therefore, when the emulsified sauce does not contain solid ingredients, the liquid portion of the emulsified sauce refers to the entire emulsified sauce.

[0020] The emulsified sauce of the present invention preferably further contains a thickener. This can impart appropriate viscosity and water retention to the emulsified sauce, and can further stabilize the emulsified structure. The thickener may be any that can be used in food, and the type is not particularly limited. Examples of such thickeners include xanthan gum, tamarind seed gum, guar gum, tara gum, gellan gum, alginic acid, pectin, gelatin, cellulose ether, agar, glucomannan, and the like. The thickener may be one of these alone or two or more in combination. From the viewpoint of effectively achieving both stabilization of the emulsified structure and suppression of heat denaturation of proteins, it is particularly preferable that the thickener is one or more selected from xanthan gum, tamarind seed gum, and guar gum.

[0021] In order to make the above-mentioned advantages attributable to the thickener more prominent, it is preferable that the emulsified sauce of the present invention contains a predetermined amount of the thickener. Specifically, the content of the thickener in the emulsified sauce is 0.01 to 1.0% by mass, preferably 0.02 to 0.6% by mass, more preferably 0.03 to 0.3% by mass, based on the total mass of the liquid portion of the emulsified sauce. When the content of the thickener in the emulsified sauce is 0.01% by mass or more based on the total mass of the liquid portion of the emulsified sauce, the stabilization of the emulsion structure and the suppression of the heat denaturation of the protein are more effectively achieved at the same time. When the content of the thickener in the emulsified sauce is 1.0% by mass or less based on the total mass of the liquid portion of the emulsified sauce, the emulsified sauce can be prevented from becoming sticky due to an excessive amount of the thickener, and the texture can be prevented from being deteriorated.

[0022] The emulsified sauce of the present invention preferably further contains an emulsifier. This allows the oil contained in the milk-derived raw material to be dispersed more uniformly in the emulsified sauce, and allows both stabilization of the emulsion structure and suppression of heat denaturation of proteins to be achieved. The emulsifier may be any that can be used in foods, and the type is not particularly limited. Examples of such emulsifiers include glycerin fatty acid esters; propylene glycol fatty acid esters; sorbitan fatty acid esters; sucrose fatty acid esters; casein; saponin; lecithin, etc. The emulsifier may be used alone or in combination of two or more of these. From the viewpoint of effectively achieving both stabilization of the emulsion structure and suppression of heat denaturation of proteins, it is particularly preferable that the emulsifier is one or more selected from glycerin fatty acid esters, casein, and sucrose fatty acid esters, and it is particularly preferable that the emulsifier is one or more selected from glycerin fatty acid esters and casein.

[0023] From the viewpoint of making the above-mentioned advantages attributable to the emulsifier more prominent, it is preferable that the emulsified sauce of the present invention contains a predetermined amount of emulsifier. Specifically, the content of the emulsifier in the emulsified sauce is 0.01 to 1.0% by mass, preferably 0.02 to 0.6% by mass, more preferably 0.03 to 0.3% by mass, based on the total mass of the liquid portion of the emulsified sauce. When the content of the emulsifier in the emulsified sauce is 0.01% by mass or more based on the total mass of the liquid portion of the emulsified sauce, the stabilization of the emulsion structure and the suppression of the heat denaturation of the protein are more effectively achieved at the same time. When the content of the emulsifier in the emulsified sauce is 1.0% by mass or less based on the total mass of the liquid portion of the emulsified sauce, the bitterness of the emulsified sauce caused by an excessive amount of emulsifier can be prevented, and the flavor of the emulsified sauce can be prevented from being deteriorated.

[0024] The emulsified sauce of the present invention preferably further contains a phosphate. This can impart appropriate emulsifying properties and water retention to the emulsified sauce, and can simultaneously stabilize the emulsion structure and suppress the heat denaturation of proteins. The phosphate may be an inorganic salt of phosphoric acid that can be used in foods, and the type is not particularly limited. Examples of such phosphates include sodium phosphate salts such as disodium hydrogen phosphate, sodium dihydrogen phosphate, trisodium phosphate, sodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, sodium polyphosphate, and sodium metaphosphate; calcium phosphate salts such as dicalcium hydrogen phosphate, calcium monohydrogen phosphate, calcium dihydrogen phosphate, tricalcium phosphate, and calcium dihydrogen pyrophosphate; potassium phosphate salts such as tripotassium phosphate, tetrapotassium pyrophosphate, potassium polyphosphate, and potassium metaphosphate; ammonium phosphate salts such as diammonium hydrogen phosphate and ammonium dihydrogen phosphate; iron phosphate salts such as ferric pyrophosphate; and magnesium phosphate salts such as trimagnesium phosphate and monomagnesium phosphate. The phosphate salts can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0025] Phosphates are generally broadly classified into orthophosphoric acid, condensed phosphoric acid, and lower phosphoric acid. Condensed phosphoric acid is a condensate of orthophosphoric acid. Among these phosphates, condensed phosphoric acid is preferred because it is effective in suppressing protein precipitation due to its high chelating effect. Examples of such condensed phosphoric acid include metaphosphates such as sodium metaphosphate and potassium metaphosphate; and pyrophosphates such as tetrasodium pyrophosphate. Among these, from the viewpoint of effectively achieving both stabilization of the emulsion structure and suppression of heat denaturation of proteins, the phosphate is particularly preferably a metaphosphate, and more particularly preferably one or more selected from sodium metaphosphate and potassium metaphosphate.

[0026] In order to make the above-mentioned advantages attributable to phosphate more prominent, it is preferable that the emulsified sauce of the present invention contains a predetermined amount of phosphate. Specifically, the content of phosphate in the emulsified sauce is 0.01 to 1.0% by mass, preferably 0.03 to 0.8% by mass, more preferably 0.06 to 0.5% by mass, based on the total mass of the liquid portion of the emulsified sauce. When the content of phosphate in the emulsified sauce is 0.01% by mass or more based on the total mass of the liquid portion of the emulsified sauce, the stabilization of the emulsion structure and the suppression of heat denaturation of proteins are more effectively achieved at the same time. When the content of phosphate in the emulsified sauce is 1.0% by mass or less based on the total mass of the liquid portion of the emulsified sauce, the bitterness of the emulsified sauce caused by an excessive amount of phosphate can be prevented, and the flavor of the emulsified sauce can be prevented from being deteriorated.

[0027] The emulsified sauce of the present invention preferably further contains a processed starch. The processed starch is a starch that has been subjected to a processing treatment on a starch that has not been subjected to any processing. As the processing treatment, any processing that can be used for food even after the processing can be used without any particular limitation. Examples of such processing treatment include esterification treatment, etherification treatment, crosslinking treatment, etc., and these can be performed alone or in combination of two or more. By containing the processed starch in the emulsified sauce, it is possible to impart appropriate viscosity and water retention to the emulsified sauce, and it is possible to simultaneously stabilize the emulsion structure and suppress the heat denaturation of proteins. The raw starch used for the processed starch may be any edible starch, and the type is not particularly limited. Examples of such edible starch include corn starch, waxy corn starch, potato starch, tapioca starch, wheat starch, etc. As the raw starch, one of these can be used alone or two or more can be used in combination. From the viewpoint of effectively achieving both stabilization of emulsion structure and inhibition of heat denaturation of proteins, it is particularly preferred that the processed starch is made of tapioca starch as a raw material starch, and that the tapioca starch is subjected to one or more treatments selected from esterification, etherification and crosslinking.

[0028] In order to make the above-mentioned advantages attributable to the processed starch more prominent, the emulsified sauce of the present invention preferably contains a predetermined amount of processed starch. Specifically, the content of the processed starch in the emulsified sauce is 0.05 to 5.0% by mass, preferably 0.1 to 4.5% by mass, more preferably 0.3 to 4.0% by mass, based on the total mass of the liquid portion of the emulsified sauce. When the content of the processed starch in the emulsified sauce is 0.01% by mass or more based on the total mass of the liquid portion of the emulsified sauce, the stabilization of the emulsion structure and the suppression of the heat denaturation of the protein are more effectively achieved at the same time. When the content of the processed starch in the emulsified sauce is 5.0% by mass or less based on the total mass of the liquid portion of the emulsified sauce, the emulsified sauce can be prevented from becoming sticky due to an excessive amount of processed starch, and the texture can be prevented from being deteriorated.

[0029] The emulsified sauce of the present invention may contain various components generally used in the manufacture of emulsified sauces, in addition to containing all of the milk-derived raw materials, thickeners, emulsifiers, phosphates, and processed starch. Examples of the various components include raw materials for the liquid portion of the emulsified sauce, such as water, soup stocks, and flours; unprocessed starches; oils and fats (excluding the oils and fats contained in the milk-derived raw materials); sugars (excluding the sugars contained in the milk-derived raw materials and the processed starches); seasonings; and colorants. The various components may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The various components may be appropriately selected and used depending on the type of the emulsified sauce of the present invention, the desired quality, and the like. The amount of the various components, when contained, may be preferably 12% by mass or more and 98% by mass or less based on the total mass of the liquid portion of the emulsified sauce.

[0030] The emulsified sauce of the present invention may contain solid ingredients (foodstuffs that are solid at room temperature and normal pressure). Examples of solid ingredients include meat, seafood, vegetables, and mushrooms. The solid ingredients may be used alone or in combination of two or more. From the viewpoint of obtaining a good texture derived from the solid ingredients, the maximum diameter of the solid ingredients is preferably more than 1 mm. The amount of the solid ingredients, when contained, may be preferably 0.1% by mass or more and 50% by mass or less based on the total mass of the liquid portion of the emulsified sauce.

[0031] Next, the method for producing the emulsified sauce of the present invention will be described. The emulsified sauce of the present invention can be produced in accordance with the method for producing a normal sauce containing a milk-derived raw material, and the production method is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to produce it by the production method A described below. Note that, for the points not specifically explained in the production method A, the above-mentioned explanation of the emulsified sauce of the present invention is appropriately applied.

[0032] Production method A is characterized in that it includes a step of heating a mixture containing a milk-derived raw material, a thickener, an emulsifier, a phosphate, and a modified starch to at least 80° C. Due to this characteristic, production method A can more stably produce the emulsified sauce of the present invention that combines a rich flavor with a smooth texture.

[0033] Specifically, first, five components, namely, a milk-derived raw material, a thickener, an emulsifier, a phosphate, and a modified starch, are mixed together to produce a mixture. The mixture may contain other ingredients, for example, solid ingredients, and there is no particular limitation on the type of the other ingredients. For example, when the emulsified sauce to be produced is a cream sauce, examples of the other ingredients include olive oil, wheat flour, and consomme base. The method for producing the mixture is not particularly limited, and the raw materials containing the five components may be mixed at once, or may be mixed in any order. The raw materials may be heated before being heated at 80°C or higher as the mixture. That is, the raw materials of the mixture may be pre-heated and then heated (main heating) at 80°C or higher as the mixture. From the viewpoint of ensuring the effect of the main heating, the pre-heating is preferably carried out under conditions in which the product temperature of the raw materials (e.g., milk-derived raw materials) is preferably less than 80°C, more preferably 70°C or higher and less than 80°C. The product temperature of the mixture before the main heating is less than 80°C.

[0034] Next, the mixture is heated until the product temperature of the mixture reaches 80°C or higher. Hereinafter, this step is also referred to as the "mixture heating step". The mixture heating step effectively develops the rich flavor and smooth texture derived from the milk-derived raw material. From the viewpoint of making this advantage more prominent, in the mixture heating step, it is more preferable to heat the mixture under conditions where the product temperature of the mixture reaches 80 to 95°C, and even more preferable to heat the mixture under conditions where the product temperature reaches 85 to 90°C. From the same viewpoint, the time (heating time) during which the product temperature of the mixture in the mixture heating step is maintained at 80°C or higher is preferably 2 to 180 minutes, more preferably 5 to 120 minutes. In the mixture heating step, ingredients other than the five ingredients may be added to the mixture. For example, ingredients whose flavor is easily reduced by heating can be added to the mixture in the mixture heating step and heated in this manner, and the heating time is shorter than when the pre-heating is performed, so that the loss of flavor inherent to the ingredients can be minimized. In this manner, the emulsified sauce of the present invention is produced by production method A.

[0035] The emulsified sauce of the present invention is heated before consumption, and as described above, the heating may be completed at any stage before consumption, and the means and timing of heating are not important. The emulsified sauce of the present invention includes both heated and non-heated emulsified sauces. The heated emulsified sauce is an emulsified sauce that requires heating when used, specifically, an emulsified sauce that needs to be heated at a stage after the production stage (distribution stage, consumption stage). The non-heated emulsified sauce is an emulsified sauce that does not require heating when used. "Heated" here refers to high-temperature heating such that the product temperature of the emulsified sauce reaches, for example, 80°C or higher. The emulsified sauce for heating may or may not be heated at a high temperature during the production stage. The emulsified sauce for heating may be, for example, heated to a product temperature of 80° C. or higher during the production stage and then stored at room temperature, refrigerated, or frozen. The non-heating emulsified sauce is typically heated at a high temperature during production. The non-heating emulsified sauce may be, for example, heated to a product temperature of 80° C. or higher during production and then refrigerated or frozen. In this case, when the non-heating emulsified sauce is consumed, the emulsified sauce is left in a room temperature environment until the product temperature of the emulsified sauce reaches about 10 to 20° C., and then the emulsified sauce is consumed. Regardless of whether the emulsified sauce is heated at high temperatures during the production stage, heating it at high temperatures at a later stage in the production stage is effective in reducing the bitterness caused by the emulsifier contained in the emulsified sauce and reducing the rough texture caused by the unheated starch contained in the emulsified sauce, etc., so the emulsified sauce of the present invention is preferably for heating, and in particular is preferably heated to a product temperature of 80°C or higher at the consumption stage before being consumed.

[0036] The emulsified sauce of the present invention can be used in general food products using sauces containing milk-derived ingredients. Examples of such foods include Western-style dishes such as stew, hamburger steak, spaghetti, and gratin; Japanese-style dishes; and ethnic dishes. The emulsified sauce of the present invention can typically be used by pouring it over other foods (hamburger steak, pasta, etc.) or mixing it with other foods. EXAMPLES

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

[0038] [Examples 1 to 12 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4] First, 20 parts by mass of olive oil was placed in a pot and heated. 20 parts by mass of wheat flour was added to this, and heated while stirring to avoid burning. Next, 55 parts by mass of water was gradually added to the pot. While stirring slowly, the contents were heated at 90-93°C for 30 minutes until the contents thickened. After that, 5 parts by mass of consommé base was added to the pot and dissolved, obtaining an intermediate sauce, which is an intermediate product in the manufacturing process.

[0039] A cream sauce was produced using the following ingredients. First, the intermediate sauce and water were placed in a pan and heated, and the temperature of the contents was maintained at 75°C. One or more selected from thickeners, emulsifiers, phosphates, and processed starches were added to the pan so as to obtain the contents shown in Table 1, and dissolved while stirring. Then, fresh cream (milk-derived raw material) was further added to the pan and stirred, and the temperature of the contents was maintained at 75°C. The contents, i.e., a mixture containing a milk-derived raw material and one or more selected from thickeners, emulsifiers, phosphates, and processed starches, were heated over low heat, and after the product temperature of the mixture reached 85°C, the mixture was stirred for 30 minutes while maintaining the product temperature at 85°C (mixture heating process). Then, the heat was turned off, and the moisture content of the mixture was adjusted by adding water to the mixture, etc., to produce an emulsified sauce.

[0040] [Examples 13 to 45 and Comparative Examples 5 to 12] Emulsified sauces were produced in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the contents of the milk-derived raw materials, thickeners, emulsifiers, phosphates, and modified starch were changed to the contents shown in Tables 3 to 7.

[0041] [Examples 46 to 49] An emulsified sauce was produced in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the heating temperature of the mixture in the mixture heating step was changed as shown in Table 8.

[0042] 〔evaluation〕 The emulsified sauces of each Example and Comparative Example were cooled to a product temperature of 25°C and stored as such for 6 hours. The emulsified sauces were then reheated and 10 expert panelists ate the emulsified sauces at a product temperature of 60°C. The expert panelists were asked to evaluate the richness and smoothness of the texture of the emulsified sauces according to the following evaluation criteria. The average evaluation scores of the 10 expert panelists are shown in Tables 1 to 8 below. Tables 2, 7 and 8 show the results of Example 1 again.

[0043] The emulsified sauces that received 4 points in each of the following evaluation criteria (hereinafter referred to as "reference sauces") are as follows. In each of the following evaluation criteria, the emulsified sauces to be evaluated were evaluated based on these reference sauces. (Reference Source) In the same manner as in the above-mentioned Examples, 20% fresh cream, 50% intermediate sauce, and 30% water were mixed into the intermediate sauce, and the mixture was heated until the product temperature reached 60° C. to prepare the reference sauce. In other words, the heating temperature in the mixture heating step in the production of the reference sauce was 60° C. The reference sauce contains fresh cream (a dairy-derived raw material) and does not contain any thickener, emulsifier, phosphate, or modified starch.

[0044] <Kokumi evaluation criteria> 5 points: Very good, with a very rich flavor. 4 points: Good, with a rich, full-bodied flavor. 3 points: The flavor is a little lacking, but still within acceptable limits. 2 points: The flavor is not rich enough, so it is poor quality. 1 point: No body flavor at all, very poor.

[0045] <Evaluation criteria for smoothness of texture> 5 points: The sauce is uniform throughout and has a smooth texture; very good. 4 points: The sauce feels slightly grainy in some places, but the texture is almost entirely smooth and good. 3 points: The sauce is slightly grainy in places, but within acceptable limits. 2 points: The sauce is rough overall and poor quality. 1 point: The sauce is generally grainy with some clumps, very poor quality.

[0046] [Table 1]

[0047] [Table 2]

[0048] [Table 3]

[0049] [Table 4]

[0050] [Table 5]

[0051] [Table 6]

[0052] [Table 7]

[0053] As is clear from the results shown in Tables 1 to 7, the emulsified sauces obtained in the Examples have improved body and smoothness in texture compared to the emulsified sauces obtained in the Comparative Examples.

[0054] [Table 8]

[0055] In Example 46 in Table 8, the heating temperature in the mixture heating step was less than 80° C., and therefore the result showed a noticeable decrease in full-bodied flavor compared to the other Examples in Table 8 in which the heating temperature was 80° C. or higher. Also, emulsified sauces such as those in Example 46, in which the milk-derived raw materials were not heated to a product temperature of 80° C. or higher during the production stage, may not be sufficiently heat-sterilized and may have poor long-term storage stability. The reference sauce has a good full-bodied taste, even though the heating temperature in the mixture heating step is 60°C and the milk-derived raw materials are not heated to a product temperature of 80°C or higher during the production stage. This is because the reference sauce does not contain the four essential components of the emulsified sauce of the present invention, namely, thickener, emulsifier, phosphate, and processed starch. According to the findings of the present inventors, a sauce containing milk-derived raw materials in addition to these four components may lose flavor if it is heated to a temperature below 80°C, but by setting the heating temperature to 80°C or higher, the flavor, particularly the full-bodied taste, is improved.

Claims

1. An oil-in-water emulsion sauce containing a milk-derived raw material, The oil-in-water emulsified sauce further comprises 0.01 to 1.0% by mass of a thickener, 0.01 to 1.0% by mass of an emulsifier, 0.01 to 1.0% by mass of a phosphate, and 0.05 to 5.0% by mass of a modified starch.

2. 2. The oil-in-water emulsified sauce according to claim 1, comprising 1 to 80% by mass of the milk-derived raw material.

3. 3. The oil-in-water emulsified sauce according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the thickener is one or more selected from the group consisting of xanthan gum, tamarind seed gum and guar gum.

4. 3. The oil-in-water emulsified sauce according to claim 1, wherein the phosphate is a metaphosphate.

5. 3. The oil-in-water emulsion sauce according to claim 1, which is for heating.

6. A method for producing the oil-in-water emulsion sauce according to claim 1 or 2, comprising the steps of: A method for producing an oil-in-water emulsified sauce, comprising the step of heating a mixture containing a milk-derived ingredient, a thickener, an emulsifier, a phosphate, and a modified starch to 80°C or higher.

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