Seasoning liquid

Abstract

To provide a seasoning liquid capable of realizing at high levels both production stability and flavor and taste when taken.SOLUTION: A seasoning liquid includes 2-50 mass% of oil and 0.1 mass% or more of emulsifier (preferably 0.1-1.5 mass%). The emulsifier includes glycerin stearate and glycerin oleate, and a content mass ratio of the glycerin stearate and the glycerin oleate is 1:0.2-5 (the former: the latter).SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid seasoning containing an emulsifier and used as a sauce or dressing. [Background technology]

[0002] To simplify cooking at home and in industry, seasonings such as pasta sauces with authentic flavors are commercially available. Commercially available seasonings include emulsified seasonings containing an emulsion of oil and water. Emulsified seasonings contain a large amount of oil, are distributed frozen, refrigerated, or in retort packaging, and are reheated in a microwave oven or the like just before consumption. When consumed, emulsified seasonings are cohesive as a whole due to the emulsification of the oil and water, but it is desirable that the emulsion is partially broken so that the natural flavor of the oil and, if a flavoring ingredient such as garlic is included, the flavor of the ingredient can be felt.

[0003] However, conventional emulsified seasoning liquids are usually blended with an emulsifier to ensure stability during production, and are subjected to strong emulsification. Therefore, the strong emulsification makes the overall taste of the seasoning liquid more homogenous than necessary even when eaten, resulting in a quality that makes it difficult to detect the natural oil flavor, etc. As a technology for preventing the deterioration of flavor, which is a problem specific to seasoning liquids containing such emulsifiers, Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe seasoning liquids in which the emulsion is partially broken by reheating at the time of eating, thereby enhancing the flavor when eaten.

[0004] The sauces and sauces (liquid seasonings) described in Patent Document 1 contain polyglycerol condensed ricinoleic acid ester and glycerol saturated fatty acid monoester as essential emulsifiers. Patent Document 1 states that the glycerol saturated fatty acid monoester is preferably one in which the constituent fatty acid is a saturated fatty acid having 16 to 22 carbon atoms (paragraph

[0009] of Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 also describes, as optional emulsifiers, glycerol unsaturated fatty acid monoesters in which the constituent fatty acid is oleic acid or the like, and polyglycerol fatty acid esters in which the constituent fatty acids are oleic acid, stearic acid, or the like (paragraphs

[0010] and

[0011] of Patent Document 1).

[0005] The pasta sauce (liquid seasoning) described in Patent Document 2 has an oil phase containing an emulsifier and an aqueous phase containing a seasoning in a specific ratio. Patent Document 2 describes that a glycerin fatty acid ester can be used as the emulsifier, and in the examples, a glycerin fatty acid monoester and a polyglycerin condensed ricinoleate are used in combination (Table 3 of Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-300858 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-087014 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] With the recent widespread use of commercially available liquid seasonings, the level of quality requirements for commercially available products such as frozen, refrigerated, or retort products has been increasing. The liquid seasonings described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 can be demulsified by reheating at the time of consumption to enhance their flavor, but they cannot meet the high quality requirements of recent years and have room for improvement in terms of flavor. Furthermore, liquid seasonings that are demulsified by reheating at the time of consumption may have reduced emulsion stability during production, making them unlikely to be produced stably. A liquid seasoning that can achieve both high levels of production stability and flavor at consumption has not yet been provided.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid seasoning that can achieve both high levels of production stability and flavor when eaten. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present inventors have discovered that by using an emulsifier that combines glycerin stearate and glycerin oleate in a specified ratio, it is possible to produce a seasoning liquid that has excellent emulsion stability during production, is partially de-emulsified by reheating, and allows the natural flavor of ingredients such as oil to be tasted when eaten.

[0010] That is, the present invention provides a liquid seasoning containing 2 to 50% by mass of oil and 0.1% by mass or more of an emulsifier, the emulsifier including glycerin stearate and glycerin oleate, and the mass ratio of the glycerin stearate to the glycerin oleate, the former:latter, is 1:0.2 to 5. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, there is provided a liquid seasoning that can achieve both high levels of production stability and flavor at the time of consumption. The liquid seasoning of the present invention has excellent production stability due to its excellent emulsion stability at the time of production, and at the time of consumption, the liquid seasoning is partially de-emulsified, allowing the flavor of ingredients such as oil to be strongly perceived. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The liquid seasoning of the present invention contains at least oil and an emulsifier.

[0013] The oil used in the seasoning liquid of the present invention can be any edible oil, without any particular limitation, and examples thereof include vegetable oils such as soybean oil, olive oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, etc., and animal oils such as lard, tallow, etc. Furthermore, flavor oils obtained by extracting the flavor of a flavoring material such as garlic from these edible oils can also be used.

[0014] The oil content in the liquid seasoning of the present invention is 2 to 50% by mass, preferably 3 to 40% by mass, and more preferably 4 to 30% by mass, based on the total amount of the liquid seasoning. If the oil content is less than 2% by mass, the oil flavor of the liquid seasoning will be insufficient, resulting in a poor taste. On the other hand, if the oil content exceeds 50% by mass, the oil content will be too high, reducing emulsion stability during production and making the liquid seasoning excessively oily, resulting in a poor taste.

[0015] The emulsifier used in the liquid seasoning of the present invention contains at least glycerin stearate and glycerin oleate.

[0016] The glycerin stearic acid esters include monoglycerin stearic acid esters and polyglycerin stearic acid esters, and one or more of these can be used. These may be monoesters or polyesters (diesters, triesters). In particular, polyglycerol stearates are preferred because of their excellent emulsion stability. The polyglycerol stearates preferably have an average degree of polymerization of polyglycerin of 5 to 10.

[0017] The glycerin oleate may be monoglycerin oleate or polyglycerin oleate, and one or more of these may be used. These may be monoesters or polyesters (diesters, triesters). In particular, monoglycerol oleate and polyglycerol oleate having an average degree of polymerization of polyglycerol of 2 to 6 are preferred because of their excellent demulsifying effect.

[0018] In the liquid seasoning of the present invention, the mass ratio of the glycerin stearate to the glycerin oleate, as the former:latter, is 1:0.2 to 5, and preferably 1:1 to 5. When the content of glycerin stearate is taken as 1, if the content of glycerin oleate is less than 0.2, the liquid seasoning will be too emulsified, and partial demulsification by reheating will not proceed, which may result in the natural flavor of ingredients such as oil not being perceived when eaten. If the content of glycerin oleate exceeds 5, the emulsion stability during production of the liquid seasoning will decrease, and demulsification by reheating will be excessive, which may result in a deterioration in the taste of the liquid seasoning.

[0019] The seasoning liquid of the present invention may contain emulsifiers other than the above-mentioned glycerin stearate ester and glycerin oleate ester, but from the viewpoint of more reliably achieving the effects of the present invention, it is preferable to use only these two types of emulsifiers.

[0020] The content of emulsifiers in the liquid seasoning of the present invention (total content of multiple types of emulsifiers contained in the liquid seasoning) is 0.1% by mass or more, preferably 0.1 to 1.5% by mass, more preferably 0.2 to 1.2% by mass, and even more preferably 0.3 to 0.9% by mass, of the total amount of the liquid seasoning. If the content of emulsifiers is less than 0.1% by mass, the emulsion stability during production becomes insufficient, resulting in a poor flavor when eaten. If the content of emulsifiers exceeds 1.5% by mass, depending on the type of liquid seasoning, an unpleasant taste or odor derived from the emulsifier may affect the flavor.

[0021] In the liquid seasoning of the present invention, the mass ratio of oil to emulsifier (oil:emulsifier) ​​is preferably 2:1 to 120:1, more preferably 20:1 to 40:1, and even more preferably 25:1 to 35:1.

[0022] The liquid seasoning of the present invention further contains water in addition to oil and an emulsifier. The water content in the liquid seasoning of the present invention is preferably 45 to 90 mass %, more preferably 55 to 85 mass %, of the total amount of the liquid seasoning. If the water content is too low, the seasoning may lose its cohesion and the taste may be deteriorated, while if the water content is too high, the oil content may be relatively reduced, resulting in a lack of oil flavor and a deterioration in the taste.

[0023] The liquid seasoning of the present invention may contain other ingredients in addition to the above-mentioned ingredients (oil, emulsifier, and water). The other ingredients can be any of those conventionally used in this type of liquid seasoning, without any particular limitation. Examples of the other ingredients include flavoring materials such as garlic, ginger, celery, and herbs; solid ingredients such as meat, fish, and vegetables; seasonings such as salt, fermented seasonings, sugars, and amino acids; spices such as chili pepper and pepper; flavorings; coloring agents; nutritional components; and starch. One or more of these can be selected. The type and content of the other ingredients can be adjusted appropriately depending on the desired properties of the liquid seasoning.

[0024] The liquid seasoning of the present invention has the above-mentioned characteristics, which provide an excellent flavor when eaten, and from the viewpoint of making the most of these characteristics, it is preferable that the liquid seasoning of the present invention contains the above-mentioned flavor material. The content of the flavor material in the liquid seasoning of the present invention is preferably 0.1 to 25% by mass, more preferably 1 to 25% by mass, of the total amount of the liquid seasoning.

[0025] The solid ingredients are excluded from the calculation of the content of each of the aforementioned components (oil, emulsifier, water, flavor material, etc.). In other words, when the liquid seasoning of the present invention contains solid ingredients, the content of each of the aforementioned components is the content in the liquid seasoning excluding the solid ingredients.

[0026] The liquid seasoning of the present invention may be used to be eaten with solid foods such as noodles or rice, or may be used to be eaten as is. The liquid seasoning of the present invention used for the former purpose may be called a "sauce or dressing." The liquid seasoning of the present invention used for the latter purpose may be called a "soup." Specific examples of uses of the seasoning liquid of the present invention include pasta sauce; seasoning sauces for solid foods such as meat and fish; various soups; and curry sauce.

[0027] The liquid seasoning of the present invention is useful as a sauce for noodles, particularly as a pasta sauce. Due to the aforementioned property of being partially de-emulsified upon consumption, the liquid seasoning of the present invention adheres well to noodles such as pasta, and when used in pasta dishes, the pasta dish can be made to have a good flavor due to the excellent unity of the liquid seasoning and pasta as a pasta sauce. An example of a pasta sauce suitable for the liquid seasoning of the present invention is an oil-based sauce containing flavoring ingredients such as oil and garlic. Specific examples of the oil-based sauce include peperoncino sauce, vongole bianco sauce, vongole rosso sauce, pesto sauce, and cod roe sauce.

[0028] The seasoning liquid of the present invention may be used as is after production, or may be stored for a certain period before use. Examples of methods for imparting shelf life to the seasoning liquid of the present invention include sealing and sterilizing the liquid after production, and then storing it at room temperature, or storing it in a refrigerator or frozen state at low temperatures. A specific example of the sterilization treatment is pressure-heat sterilization (retort) treatment. The seasoning liquid of the present invention may be a retort seasoning liquid that has been subjected to pressure-heat sterilization (retort) treatment, or a frozen seasoning liquid that has been subjected to freezing treatment. When using (eating) the seasoning liquid of the present invention that has been given shelf life, the seasoning liquid is usually heated using a heating cooker such as a microwave oven. Considering the heating during the production of the seasoning liquid, such heating at the time of eating is considered "reheating." This reheating promotes demulsification of the seasoning liquid of the present invention, which can further improve the flavor.

[0029] The liquid seasoning of the present invention can be produced by the same method as for liquid seasonings containing this type of emulsifier. One example of a method for producing the liquid seasoning of the present invention includes a step of heating a mixture (intermediate) containing oil and an emulsifier under conditions such that the product temperature of the mixture is preferably 75 to 100°C, more preferably 75 to 90°C (heating step). In the heating step, if the product temperature (heating temperature) of the mixture during heating is too low, there is a risk of the mixture spoiling due to the proliferation of microorganisms derived from the raw materials, and insufficient gelatinization of raw materials such as starch, and if the heating temperature is too high, there is a risk of the flavor of the seasoning liquid being reduced. The heating time of the mixture in the heating step (the time during which the product temperature is maintained) is preferably 1 to 10 minutes, and more preferably 1 to 5 minutes.

[0030] The mixture subjected to the heating step typically contains all of the components contained in the seasoning liquid to be produced, but may contain only some of the components, for example, oil, emulsifier, and water. In this case, after the heating step, the remaining components, for example, flavoring materials such as garlic and spices such as chili peppers, are blended into the mixture that has been subjected to the heating step. The method for preparing the mixture is not particularly limited. One example of the method for preparing the mixture is a method in which only the emulsifiers contained in the liquid seasoning to be produced are mixed to obtain an emulsifier mixture, and then the emulsifier mixture is mixed with other components (oil, water, etc.) contained in the liquid seasoning. In such a method for preparing a mixture, when the liquid seasoning to be produced contains only two emulsifiers, the glycerin stearate ester and the glycerin oleate ester, the two emulsifiers may be mixed separately with the other components of the liquid seasoning without being mixed together.

[0031] The method for producing a liquid seasoning of the present invention may include, after the heating step, one or more steps selected from a sterilization treatment such as retort treatment, a refrigeration step, and a freezing step.

[0032] The present invention encompasses cooked foods containing the liquid seasoning of the present invention described above. The cooked foods of the present invention contain the liquid seasoning of the present invention and cooked noodles, and require heat treatment before consumption. The heat treatment can be carried out using a heating cooker such as a microwave oven. The cooked noodles are heat-treated noodles (gelatinized noodles), and examples of such noodles include pasta, udon, soba, and Chinese noodles. The cooked food of the present invention may be a frozen cooked food that has been subjected to a freezing process. [Example]

[0033] 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.

[0034] [Examples 1 to 16 and Comparative Examples 1 to 7: Production of Peperoncino Sauce] Peperoncino sauces with the compositions shown in Tables 1 to 4 below were produced as seasonings for pasta sauces. Specifically, olive oil was placed in a pot, and chopped garlic (flavoring ingredient) and chili peppers (spices) were added. The mixture was heated and thoroughly stir-fried, taking care not to burn the mixture. Next, seasonings and water were added to the pot. Separately, an emulsifier mixture was prepared by mixing only the multiple emulsifiers used in the seasoning. The emulsifier mixture was then added to the contents of the pot and mixed to obtain a mixture. The mixture was heated under conditions such that the product temperature of the mixture was maintained at 85°C for 1 minute, thereby producing the desired peperoncino sauce (seasoning). Details of the ingredients used in producing the seasoning are as follows:

[0035] (emulsifier) Monoglycerin stearate Decaglycerin stearate (average degree of polymerization of polyglycerin: 10) Monoglycerin oleate Diglycerin oleate (average degree of polymerization of polyglycerin: 2) Decaglycerin oleic acid ester (average degree of polymerization of polyglycerin: 10) Polyglycerol condensed ricinoleate Monoglycerin linoleic acid ester Sucrose fatty acid esters Decaglycerin erucic acid ester Soy lecithin (ingredients other than emulsifiers) ·olive oil ·seasoning

[0036] [Evaluation test] The liquid seasonings of each Example and Comparative Example were evaluated for production stability and flavor by the following methods, and the results are shown in Tables 1 to 4 below.

[0037] (Method for evaluating manufacturing stability) The emulsified state of the seasoning liquid to be evaluated immediately after production was visually observed, and the seasoning liquid was filled into a container and evaluated according to the following evaluation criteria. The evaluation was carried out by a trained panel of 10 experts. The arithmetic mean of the evaluation points of the 10 experts was used as the evaluation result of the seasoning liquid. <Evaluation criteria for manufacturing stability> 5 points: It can be visually confirmed that the entire seasoning liquid is emulsified evenly and without any unevenness, and there is no variation in the amount of oil mixed in when filling the container, which is extremely good. 4 points: It can be visually confirmed that the entire seasoning liquid is emulsified, and there is almost no variation in the amount of oil mixed in when filling the container, which is good. 3 points: A small amount of oil droplets separated from the top of the seasoning liquid can be visually confirmed, or there is some variation in the amount of oil mixed in when filling the container, but it is not a problem. 2 points: A relatively large amount of oil droplets separated from the top of the seasoning liquid can be visually confirmed, or the amount of oil mixed in when filling the container varies, making it defective. 1 point: A large amount of oil layer separated from the top of the seasoning liquid can be visually confirmed, or the amount of oil mixed in when filling the container varies greatly, making it extremely poor quality.

[0038] (Method for evaluating flavor and how well it mixes with noodles) 50 g of the seasoning liquid (peperoncino sauce) to be evaluated was mixed with 200 g of pre-boiled pasta noodles to obtain a pasta dish (peperoncino). The pasta dish was frozen at -15°C and stored for 24 hours, after which the frozen pasta dish was thawed by heating in a household microwave oven at 600 W for 4 minutes to obtain a pasta dish ready to eat. A trained panel of 10 experts tasted the pasta dish and evaluated its flavor and how well it mixed with the noodles according to the following evaluation criteria. The arithmetic mean of the scores of the 10 experts was used as the evaluation result of the seasoning liquid.

[0039] <Flavor evaluation criteria> 5 points: The natural flavor of the oil and other ingredients is strongly felt, and the taste is extremely good. 4 points: The natural flavor of the oil and other ingredients can be felt, which is good. 3 points: The natural flavor of the oil and other ingredients is a little weak, but not a problem. 2 points: The natural flavor of the oil and other ingredients is weak, making it poor quality. 1 point: The natural flavor of the oil and other ingredients is barely noticeable, making it extremely poor quality. The flavor of a seasoning liquid and the degree of demulsification are closely related, with seasoning liquids with a strong flavor having a relatively high degree of demulsification, and seasoning liquids with a weak flavor having a low degree of demulsification.

[0040] [Table 1]

[0041] As shown in Table 1, the Examples contained glycerin stearate (specifically, monoglycerin stearate) and glycerin oleate (specifically, decaglycerin oleate) as emulsifiers in the seasoning liquid, and therefore received higher ratings in both production stability and flavor than the Comparative Examples which did not meet these requirements.

[0042] [Table 2]

[0043] As shown in Table 2, the mass ratio of glycerin stearate ester to glycerin oleate ester in the seasoning liquid in the Examples was in the range of 1:0.2-5 (former: latter), and therefore both production stability and flavor were highly rated compared to the Comparative Examples which did not satisfy this range.

[0044] [Table 3]

[0045] As shown in Table 3, the Examples had an emulsifier content of 0.1% by mass or more in the seasoning liquid, and therefore were highly rated in both production stability and flavor compared to the Comparative Examples which did not meet this requirement.

[0046] [Table 4]

[0047] As shown in Table 4, Examples 15 and 16 were particularly highly rated for flavor compared to the other Examples. Both Examples have the common feature of "using a polyglycerol stearate (specifically, decaglycerol stearate) as the glycerol stearate, and using a monoglycerol oleate (Example 15) or a polyglycerol oleate having an average degree of polymerization of polyglycerol of 2 (Example 16, specifically, diglycerol oleate) as the glycerol oleate," which is not found in the other Examples in Table 4. Therefore, it can be seen that having this feature is effective in achieving both high levels of production stability and flavor for the liquid seasoning.

Claims

1. Contains 2 to 50% by mass of oil and 0.1% by mass or more of an emulsifier, The emulsifier includes glycerin stearate and glycerin oleate, The seasoning liquid has a mass ratio of the glycerin stearate ester to the glycerin oleate ester, the former:the latter, of 1:0.2 to 5.

2. The seasoning liquid according to claim 1, containing 0.1 to 1.5% by mass of the emulsifier.

3. the glycerol stearate is a polyglycerol stearate, The seasoning liquid according to claim 1, wherein the glycerin oleate is a monoglycerin oleate and / or a polyglycerin oleate having an average degree of polymerization of 2 to 6.

4. The seasoning liquid according to claim 1, which is a frozen seasoning liquid.

5. The method for producing the seasoning liquid according to claim 1 or 2, A method for producing a seasoning liquid, comprising a step of heating a mixture containing oil and an emulsifier under conditions such that the product temperature of the mixture becomes 75 to 100°C.

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