Dried sweet potato packed in bag and producing method thereof

Abstract

To provide dried sweet potatoes packed in bag and a producing method thereof, with which all problems are solved such as expiration date at room temperature, difficulty to take out from a packaging bag, and sticky and dirty hands when eating, even if the dried sweet potatoes are soft and have high sugar content.SOLUTION: There are provided whole dried sweet potatoes 12, a food film 14 for wrapping the whole dried sweet potatoes 12 individually, and a vacuum packing bag 16 for vacuum packing the whole dried sweet potatoes 12 individually, and the whole dried sweet potatoes 12 are vacuum packed in the vacuum packing bag 16 in a state of being wrapped in the food film 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to bagged dried sweet potatoes and a method for producing the same, and more particularly to bagged dried sweet potatoes that have a high sugar content and are rich in molasses, and a method for producing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Today, hoshiimo (also called dried sweet potatoes) are attracting attention as a health food. The general method for producing hoshiimo is to steam or bake sweet potatoes, peel them, and then dry them in the sun or with a dryer. The hoshiimo produced can be in the form of thin plates called flat hoshiimo or whole hoshiimo (dried potatoes without thinly slicing), and are packaged in plastic bags or other containers for commercial sale.

[0003] A trend with dried sweet potatoes is that traditionally, dried sweet potatoes were hard and did not have a high sugar content, making them less susceptible to mold, so they are often sold by packaging multiple dried sweet potatoes in plastic bags or other packaging. However, in recent years, due to improved varieties of sweet potatoes, which are the raw material for dried sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes with high sugar content, such as Anneiimo and Beni-Azuma, are increasingly being used for dried sweet potatoes. Furthermore, there are also manufacturing methods that incorporate measures to increase the sugar content during the dried sweet potato manufacturing process (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). Patent Document 1 describes that the sugar content at 20°C measured with a Brix meter is 45% or higher (48 to 60% in specific examples), and Patent Document 2 describes that the sugar content measured with a Brix meter is 25 to 30%. Furthermore, it is generally said that whole dried sweet potatoes are more difficult to produce than flat dried sweet potatoes, but that it is possible to produce dried sweet potatoes with a high sugar content. As such, today there is a trend to produce dried sweet potatoes with a high sugar content, which are popular with consumers because they are extremely sweet and soft. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-41705 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-108335 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, although dried sweet potatoes with a high sugar content are popular with consumers, there are the following problems in commercializing them: (1) Because dried sweet potatoes have a high sugar content and are soft, they are prone to mold growth, which means that their shelf life at room temperature is shorter than that of traditional dried sweet potatoes, which have a low sugar content and are hard (the shelf life problem). (2) Dried sweet potatoes with a high sugar content tend to leak molasses, and when they are packaged in a plastic bag or other packaging, the sweet potatoes stick to the inside of the bag, making them difficult to remove (the problem of difficulty in removing them from the packaging). In addition, dried sweet potatoes with a high sugar content are sticky, making them difficult to put into a packaging bag in the first place, and vacuum packaging bags are particularly tight, making it even more difficult to put the sweet potatoes into them. (3) Dried sweet potatoes with a high sugar content tend to exude molasses, which can cause consumers to get sticky and dirty hands when they take them out of the packaging and hold them in their hands to eat (the problem of hands getting sticky and dirty when eating).

[0006] In particular, the above problem is likely to occur with dried sweet potatoes having an extremely high sugar content, which is even higher than the sugar contents shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2. As such, dried sweet potatoes with a high sugar content are popular with consumers because they are sweet and soft, but they have the problems mentioned above, and these problems need to be resolved in order to promote sales.

[0007] To provide bagged dried sweet potato, which has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a method for producing the same, which solves all of the problems of expiration date at room temperature, difficulty in taking out the dried sweet potato from a packaging bag, and sticky and dirty hands when eating the dried sweet potato, even if the dried sweet potato has a high sugar content and is soft, and a method for producing the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the object, the bagged dried sweet potato of the present invention is characterized by comprising dried sweet potato, a food film for wrapping each dried sweet potato individually to form a dried sweet potato package, and a vacuum packing bag for vacuum packing each dried sweet potato package, and the dried sweet potato is vacuum packed in the vacuum packing bag in the state of the dried sweet potato package.

[0009] According to the present invention, the dried sweet potato is not directly placed in a vacuum packing bag and then vacuum packed, but is instead wrapped in food film and placed in a vacuum packing bag as a dried sweet potato package. This solves all of the problems of the expiration date at room temperature, the difficulty of removing the sweet potato from the packaging bag, and the sticky mess on hands when eating.

[0010] In an embodiment of the bagged dried sweet potato of the present invention, it is preferable that the bag further includes a sealing seal that seals the food film so as to maintain the packaging form of the food film encasing the dried sweet potato. This ensures that the packaging form in which the dried sweet potato is encased in the food film before vacuum packing is maintained. Therefore, the food film of the dried sweet potato package will not unravel due to the suction of air during vacuum packing, and even if molasses seeps out of the dried sweet potato due to the vacuum pressure, it can be prevented from leaking out of the dried sweet potato package.

[0011] In the embodiment of the bagged dried sweet potato of the present invention, the food film is preferably square, with one side of the square being at least 7 cm longer than the length of the dried sweet potato. This allows the dried sweet potato to be completely wrapped in the food film, so that even if molasses seeps out of the dried sweet potato due to the vacuum pressure when vacuum-packed, it can be reliably prevented from leaking out of the dried sweet potato package.

[0012] In the embodiment of the bagged dried sweet potato of the present invention, the food film is preferably in the form of a long tape, and is long enough to form a spirally wound product by spirally winding the dried sweet potato. In this way, by spirally winding the dried sweet potato with the long tape-shaped food film, the dried sweet potato can be wrapped in the food film.

[0013] In the embodiment of the bagged dried sweet potato of the present invention, it is preferable that the dried sweet potato is further heat-sterilized after being vacuum-packed. By heat-sterilizing the vacuum-packed product, which is a dried sweet potato package wrapped in a food film and vacuum-packed in a vacuum packing bag, the shelf life at room temperature can be further improved.

[0014] In the embodiment of the bagged dried sweet potato of the present invention, the dried sweet potato preferably has a sugar content of 70 or more at 20°C as measured by a Brix meter. As such, the present invention is particularly effective for dried sweet potatoes with an extremely high sugar content, as the molasses is more likely to seep out due to the vacuum pressure of the vacuum pack.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the bagged dried sweet potato of the present invention, the dried sweet potato is vacuum-packed while being wrapped in the food film.

[0016] The method for producing bagged dried sweet potatoes of the present invention is characterized by comprising a dried sweet potato preparation step for preparing dried sweet potatoes, a food film packaging step for wrapping the prepared dried sweet potatoes individually in food film to form dried sweet potato packages, and a vacuum packing step for vacuum packing the dried sweet potato packages individually in vacuum packing bags.

[0017] According to the method for producing dried sweet potato in a bag of the present invention, dried sweet potato in a bag can be produced which solves all of the problems of expiration date at room temperature, difficulty in taking the dried sweet potato out of the packaging bag, and sticky and dirty hands when eating the dried sweet potato. In an embodiment of the method for producing bagged dried sweet potatoes of the present invention, the film packaging step preferably further comprises a sealing step of sealing the food film with a sealing seal so as to maintain the packaging form of the food film encasing the dried sweet potatoes. In this way, by sealing the food film encasing the dried sweet potatoes with a sealing seal, the food film can be prevented from unraveling during the vacuum packing step. In a preferred embodiment of the method for producing bagged dried sweet potato of the present invention, a heat sterilization step is further carried out after the vacuum packing step, thereby further improving the shelf life at room temperature. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the bagged dried sweet potato and the method for producing the same of the present invention, even if the dried sweet potato is soft and has a high sugar content, all of the problems of expiration date at room temperature, difficulty in taking the dried sweet potato out of the packaging bag, and sticky and dirty hands when eating the dried sweet potato can be solved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the main components constituting the bagged dried sweet potato according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] A step diagram showing the steps in a method for producing dried sweet potato in a bag according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] An explanatory diagram explaining the sugar content and sugar content measurement of whole dried sweet potatoes used in the manufacturing method of bagged dried sweet potatoes. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an edible film packaging process and a sealing process in a method for producing dried sweet potatoes in a bag according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating another embodiment of the edible film packaging step and the sealing step in the manufacturing method of bagged dried sweet potato according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] An explanatory diagram explaining the vacuum packing process [Figure 7] State diagram of dried sweet potato in a bag according to an embodiment of the present invention [Figure 8] 1 is a perspective view of the dried sweet potato bag according to an embodiment of the present invention, immediately before eating; [Figure 9] Table showing the results of an experiment on the preferred sizes of food film [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating another edible film packaging step and a sealing step in the method for producing dried sweet potato in a bag according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the bagged dried sweet potato and the method for producing the same of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention will be described by the following preferred embodiments. Therefore, the bagged dried sweet potato and the manufacturing method thereof according to the embodiment of the present invention described below are examples, and many modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention, and other embodiments other than the present embodiment can also be used. Therefore, all modifications within the scope of the present invention are included in the scope of the claims.

[0021] [Bag of dried sweet potatoes] The inventors of the present invention have discovered that vacuum-packing soft, high-sugar dried sweet potatoes makes them less susceptible to mold growth, thereby improving the shelf life issue, one of the challenges of the present invention. However, soft, high-sugar dried sweet potatoes are more likely to leak molasses than those that are not vacuum-packed due to the vacuum pressure of vacuum packing. As a result, the problems of difficulty in removing the sweet potatoes from the vacuum-packed bag (equivalent to a packaging bag) and sticky, dirty hands when eating them are even more severe than those that are not vacuum-packed.

[0022] In particular, in the case of dried sweet potatoes with an extremely high sugar content, the vacuum pressure during vacuum packing makes the molasses more likely to seep out. This causes the problem of the sweet potatoes sticking to the vacuum packing bag and making hands sticky and dirty when eating them. Furthermore, when multiple dried sweet potatoes are placed in a vacuum packing bag and vacuum packed, a new problem occurs in that the vacuum pressure causes the sweet potatoes to stick together and form a block-like mass.

[0023] The bagged dried sweet potato of the present invention solves the conflicting problems of the merit of improving the expiration date brought about by vacuum packing and the demerit that vacuum packing makes it more difficult to take out the dried sweet potato from the packaging bag and makes hands dirty when eating the dried sweet potato. In the embodiment of the present invention, we will explain the use of whole dried sweet potatoes, which have a higher sugar content and tend to exude molasses more easily than flat-dried sweet potatoes, but the present invention can also be applied to flat-dried sweet potatoes and other forms of dried sweet potatoes.

[0024] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the main components constituting a bagged dried sweet potato according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] As shown in Figure 1, the bagged dried sweet potato 10 of the embodiment of the present invention is mainly composed of four components: whole dried sweet potato 12, a food film 14 that wraps each whole dried sweet potato 12 individually to form a dried sweet potato package 24 (see Figures 4 and 5), a vacuum packing bag 16 that vacuum packs each dried sweet potato package 24 individually, and a sealing sticker 18 that seals the food film 14 of the dried sweet potato package 24 to prevent the package from coming undone. Using the above four components, the whole dried sweet potato 12 is vacuum-packed in the vacuum packing bag 16 in the state of the dried sweet potato package 24.

[0026] Here, "wrapping" means wrapping the whole dried sweet potato 12 in the food film 14 so that no part of the whole dried sweet potato 12 is exposed. In the bagged dried sweet potato 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable that the sugar content of the whole dried sweet potato 12 used is 70 or more (synonymous with 70% or more) at 20°C as measured by a Brix meter. This is because the present invention is particularly effective for whole dried sweet potato 12 with an extremely high sugar content, which is more likely to cause molasses to seep out due to the vacuum pressure of the vacuum pack.

[0027] Furthermore, it is preferable that the food film 14 is square, and that the length of one side of the square is 7 cm or more longer than the length of the whole dried sweet potato 12. The reason why the length of one side of the square is 7 cm or more longer than the length of the whole dried sweet potato 12 will be described later using experimental data.

[0028] In another embodiment of the food film 14, the food film 14 can be in the form of a long tape that is long enough to form a spirally wound product 22 (see Figure 5), which is one type of packaging, by spirally winding the dried sweet potato 12. Here, "overlap winding" refers to winding the dried sweet potato 12 in a spiral shape with the food film 14 so that parts of the elongated food film 14 overlap in the width direction.

[0029] The material for the food film 14 is preferably a film that is highly moisture-proof and water-resistant and that is difficult to penetrate with the molasses of the moist dried sweet potato 12. For example, biaxially oriented polypropylene (OPP), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), unoriented polypropylene (CPP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), etc. may be used.

[0030] The vacuum packing bag 16 is a rectangular bag with an opening 16A at the top end, and is formed in a size large enough to hold and vacuum pack a dried sweet potato package 24 (see Figures 4 and 5) made by wrapping whole dried sweet potatoes 12 in a food film 14. In addition, near the opening 16A on the side of the vacuum packing bag 16, a cut 16B is formed to cut the vacuum packing bag 16 when removing the dried sweet potato package 24 from the vacuum packing bag 16 after vacuum packing.

[0031] The vacuum packing bag 16 can be made of nylon, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, etc., but a nylon-polyester vacuum packing bag made of nylon, which is air-resistant, and polyethylene, which is easy to seal with a sealer, is preferred.

[0032] The sealing sticker 18 preferably has adhesive on the back surface and a peel-off portion 18A at one end of the back surface that is free of adhesive. By providing the peel-off portion 18A, the sealing sticker 18 can be easily peeled off from the food film 14.

[0033] The sealing seal 18 is not necessarily required if the food film 14 is difficult to unwrap when the air inside the vacuum packing bag 16 is sucked out with a vacuum packing sealer (not shown) after the dried sweet potato package 24 is placed in the vacuum packing bag 16.

[0034] Next, a method for producing the bagged dried sweet potato 10 using the above four components will be described. [How to make dried sweet potatoes in bags] FIG. 2 is a step diagram showing the steps in the method for producing bagged dried sweet potato according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, the method for producing bagged dried sweet potatoes in an embodiment of the present invention involves five steps before commercialization: step 1, a dried sweet potato preparation step (S1) for preparing whole dried sweet potatoes 12; step 2, a food film packaging step (S2); step 3, a sealing step (S3); step 4, a vacuum packing step (S4); and a heat sterilization step (S5).

[0035] Since the expiration date of the whole dried sweet potato 12 is improved by the vacuum packing process (S4) in step 4, the heat sterilization process (S5) is not necessarily required depending on the setting of the expiration date. However, in this embodiment, a case where the heat sterilization process (S5) is performed after the vacuum packing process (S4) will be described as a method for further improving the expiration date.

[0036] In step 1, the dried sweet potato preparation process, the dried sweet potato 12 is formed into a generally cylindrical shape that is gradually thicker from one end of the length to the other and is slightly flattened, as shown in Fig. 1. In this embodiment, dried sweet potato 12 with a length of about 7 to 8 cm and a width of 3 to 4 cm (at the thickest part) was used. In this embodiment, dried sweet potatoes 12 having an extremely high sugar content of 70 or more and from which molasses easily oozes are used.

[0037] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the sugar content and sugar content measurement method of the dried sweet potato 12 used in this embodiment, in which (A) is a table showing the measurement results of the sugar content of the dried sweet potato 12, and (B) is an explanatory diagram showing the locations of the dried sweet potato 12 where the sugar content was measured.

[0038] For the measurements, a total of four dried sweet potatoes 12 were used: two samples A each about 8 cm long and two samples B each about 7 cm long, which were randomly selected from the commercial dried sweet potatoes 12 that were 7 to 8 cm long. Then, as shown in FIG. 3 (B), the sugar content of each of samples A and B was measured by pressing the tip of a saccharometer against three points on the dried sweet potato 12: the center, the left, and the right. The saccharometer used for the measurements was a Brix-type saccharometer manufactured by Atago Co., Ltd., and was measured at 20°C. The measurement range of this saccharometer was 0.0 to 85.0%, and the measurement accuracy was ±0.2% (verified with sucrose solution).

[0039] As a result, as can be seen from the table in Figure 3 (A), Sample A showed a sugar content ranging from a minimum of 77.1 (left part) to a maximum of 82.1 (right part). Sample B also showed a sugar content ranging from a minimum of 72.3 (middle part) to a maximum of 77.3 (right part). Looking at the results for the middle, left, and right parts, the average sugar content of the middle part was 76.6, the average sugar content of the left part was 76.7, and the average sugar content of the right part was 77.3. The overall average sugar content was 76.9.

[0040] The method for producing the dried sweet potato 12 having an extremely high sugar content of 70 or more, such as the dried sweet potato 12 used in the embodiment of the present invention, is a matter of know-how and is not the object of the present invention, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0041] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram mainly illustrating the food film packaging step of step 2 and the sealing step of step 3 in the method for producing bagged dried sweet potato according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] As shown in Figure 4, in the manufacturing method of bagged dried sweet potato in this embodiment, first, as shown by arrow T1, the whole dried sweet potato 12 prepared in the whole dried sweet potato preparation process in step 1 is placed at the center of the end of the food film 14 so that it is parallel to the diagonal line H1 of the square of the food film 14 (orthogonal to the diagonal line H2).

[0043] Next, as shown by arrow T2, one triangular portion X1, which is the vertex side (the vertex side closer to the dried sweet potato 12) corresponding to the diagonal line H2 of the square food film 14, is folded back in the direction of arrow Q1 and the dried sweet potato 12 is wrapped around it once.

[0044] Next, as shown by arrow T3, the triangular portion Y1 corresponding to the diagonal line H1 of the food film 14 is folded back in the direction of arrow Q2, and the triangular portion Y2 is folded back in the direction of arrow Q3 to wrap the dried sweet potato 12 in the longitudinal direction.

[0045] Next, as shown by arrow T4, the food film 14 is wound in the direction of arrow Q4 to form the dried sweet potato package 24. When the dried sweet potato package 24 has been formed, the other triangular portion X2 corresponding to the diagonal line H2 of the food film 14 becomes the final end of the winding, so a sealing sticker 18 is attached to prevent the triangular portion X2 from unraveling. In this way, the whole dried sweet potato 12 is entirely wrapped in the food film 14, and the dried sweet potato package 24 with the sealing sticker 18 attached is formed.

[0046] Another packaging method will be described with reference to FIG. This method is similar to the method shown in Figure 4, so only the differences will be explained. As indicated by reference numeral 102 in Figure 10, the whole dried sweet potato 12 is placed in approximately the center of the food film 14. Then, as indicated by reference numeral 104, the food film 14 is folded back, with the left corner of the food film 14 as viewed in the drawing facing the opposite corner.

[0047] In this case, the left and right corners of the food film 14, as viewed in the drawing, indicated by reference numeral 102, do not overlap perfectly, but rather a gap is created as indicated by the arrows indicated by reference numeral 112 in the drawing indicated by reference numeral 104. This allows consumers of this product to easily open the food film 14 due to the gap.

[0048] Next, as shown in the drawing with reference numeral 106, the top and bottom corners of the food film 14 (the top and bottom corners of the food film 14 as seen from the drawing with reference numeral 102) are folded back towards the dried sweet potato 12. Next, the food film 14 is wound around the whole dried sweet potato 12 while rotating it toward the right corner of the food film 14, until it takes on a shape as shown by the reference numeral 107.

[0049] Thereafter, as shown by reference numeral 108, a sealing sticker 18 may be attached to the corner (the right corner in the drawing indicated by reference numeral 102) to prevent the food film 14 from unraveling. Since the food film 14 will then be placed in a vacuum packing bag 16 and vacuum packed, there is no need to attach the sticker 18 if the food film 14 can be vacuum packed so as not to unravel.

[0050] The sealing sticker 18 has no adhesive at the peel-off portion 18A at the tip as viewed in the drawing, and the consumer can easily peel off the sticker 18 by holding and pulling this portion. By packaging in this way, a consumer can hold and eat the whole dried sweet potato 12 with the part of the food film 14 still wrapped in the food film 14 in his / her hands without having to completely peel off the food film 14, and can eat the whole dried sweet potato 12 simply and easily without getting his / her hands dirty.

[0051] 4 and 10 are examples of preferred packaging methods for the food film packaging step (S2) and the sealing step (S3), but the packaging methods are not limited to these. For example, the packaging method shown in FIG. 5 can also be used.

[0052] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating another embodiment of the food film packaging step (S2) and the sealing step (S3). First, the route A (arrow A1 to arrow A3), which is the top route in FIG. 5, will be described.

[0053] As shown by arrow A1, the dried sweet potato 12 prepared in step 1 is placed at the center of the end of the food film 14, parallel to the sides of the food film 14, and is wound into a roll. In this way, as shown by arrow A2, a roll-shaped wound product 20 is formed in which the dried sweet potato 12 is wound into a roll with the food film 14. In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, if the side size L1 of the square food film 14 is 15 cm and the length L2 of the dried sweet potato 12 is 8 cm, folded-back portions 14A of length L3 where the dried sweet potato 12 is not wound are formed on the top and bottom of the dried sweet potato 12.

[0054] Then, as shown by arrow A3, the folded-back portions 14A of the food film 14 of the roll-shaped wound product 20 are folded back in the direction of joining (the direction of arrow P) and sealed with the sealing sticker 18 so that the folded-back portions 14A are connected to each other. In this way, a dried sweet potato package 24 is formed in which the whole dried sweet potato 12 is entirely wrapped in the food film 14.

[0055] Route B (arrow B1 to arrow B3), which is the route in the middle of Figure 5, is similar to route A in that the food film 14 is a square with a side length of at least 7 cm longer than the dried sweet potato 12.

[0056] In the case of route B, as shown by arrow B1, the dried sweet potato 12 prepared in step 1 is placed in the center of the food film 14 parallel to the sides of the food film, and then the food film 14 is folded back so that the two opposing sides parallel to the dried sweet potato 12 overlap. In this state, the dried sweet potato 12 is rotated as shown by arrow B2 to create a rolled product 20.

[0057] Then, as shown by arrow B3, the folded portion 14A of the food film 14 that is not wrapped around the whole dried sweet potato 12 in the roll-shaped wound product 20 is folded in the direction of joining and sealed with the sealing sticker 18. In this way, a dried sweet potato package 24 is formed in which the whole dried sweet potato 12 is wrapped in the food film 14.

[0058] The difference between Route A and Route B is whether the dried sweet potato 12 is placed at the end of the food film 14 and then wound, or whether the dried sweet potato 12 is placed in the center of the food film 14 and then wound. Due to this difference, when the food film 14 is unwound to eat the dried sweet potato 12, Route B has the advantage that the dried sweet potato 12 can be held in the hand with the dried sweet potato 12 sandwiched in the center of the food film 14, rather than Route A, and the hands are less likely to get dirty.

[0059] Route C (arrows C1 to C3), which is the bottom route in Fig. 5, uses a long tape-like film as the food film 14. The length of the food film 14 is set to ensure a length sufficient to allow the dried sweet potato 12 to be folded back in the longitudinal direction when the dried sweet potato 12 is spirally wound and overlapped to create the spirally wound product 22. The width of the food film 14 is preferably set to a width sufficient to wrap the whole dried sweet potato 12 by spirally winding the dried sweet potato 12 3 to 5 times.

[0060] In the case of Route C, the whole dried sweet potato 12 prepared in Step 1 is spirally wrapped with the food film 14 from the top or bottom end of the whole dried sweet potato 12, as shown by arrow C1, to create a spirally wound product 22, as shown by arrow C2. Next, as shown by arrow C3, the folded-back portions 14A of the food film 14 that are not wrapped around the whole dried sweet potato 12 of the spirally wound product 22 are folded back in the direction of joining together and sealed with a sealing sticker 18. This forms a dried sweet potato package 24 in which the whole dried sweet potato 12 is entirely wrapped in the food film 14.

[0061] Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the vacuum packing process (S4) in step 4. Although the dried sweet potato package 24 is illustrated as being packaged using the packaging method of Fig. 4, it is the same when packaged using the packaging method of Fig. 5.

[0062] The dried sweet potato package 24 formed by the packaging method described with reference to Figures 4, 5, and 10 is placed in a vacuum packing bag 16 and set in a vacuum packing sealer (not shown). After the air inside the vacuum packing bag 16 is sucked out, the opening 16A of the vacuum packing bag 16 is sealed by heat and pressure. This produces the bagged dried sweet potato 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 7. The same applies to the spirally wound product 22. Reference numeral 26 denotes the heat and pressure sealed portion of the vacuum packing bag 16.

[0063] That is, the bagged dried sweet potato 10 of the embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the whole dried sweet potato 12 is not vacuum-packed in a state in which it is placed directly in the vacuum packing bag 16, but is vacuum-packed in the vacuum packing bag 16 in the state of a dried sweet potato package 24 formed by wrapping the whole dried sweet potato 12 in food film 14.

[0064] Thus, even in the case of whole dried sweet potatoes 12 having an extremely high sugar content of 70 or more, not only can the expiration date be improved by vacuum packing, but also the problems of difficulty in taking them out of the vacuum packing bag 16 and getting hands sticky and dirty when eating can be solved.

[0065] The bagged dried sweet potato 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention manufactured as described above is preferably subjected to a heat sterilization step (S5) in step 5, as explained in Fig. 2, in order to further improve the shelf life. The heat sterilization step is carried out by immersing the bagged dried sweet potato 10 in hot water at 100°C for at least two minutes. This not only enables heat sterilization, but also makes it possible to check whether the bag is securely sealed without air leakage when vacuum-packed.

[0066] Next, the case of eating the whole dried sweet potato 12 in the bagged dried sweet potato 10 produced as described above will be described. When eating the whole dried sweet potato 12 in the bagged dried sweet potato 10, the route of the edible film wrapping step (S2), the sealing step (S3) and the vacuum packing step (S4) is carried out in reverse.

[0067] 4 and 10, for example, the opening opening 16A of the vacuum packing bag 16 is torn at the position of the cut opening 16B of the vacuum packing bag 16. Then, the dried sweet potato package 24 is removed from the vacuum packing bag 16. As a result, even if the molasses of the whole dried sweet potato 12 seeps out due to the vacuum packing, it will not adhere to the inside of the vacuum packing bag 16 because the whole dried sweet potato 12 is packaged in the food film 14. Therefore, it becomes easy to remove the whole dried sweet potato 12 from the vacuum packing bag 16. Next, the sealing sticker 18 is peeled off from the dried sweet potato package 24, and the food film 14 is then partially rewound. As a result, the whole dried sweet potato 12 is sandwiched between the food film 14, so that a person eating the whole dried sweet potato 12 can grab the food film 14 with the hand 28, with the whole dried sweet potato 12 sandwiched between them. In this state, the triangular portion Y1 or Y2 of the food film 14 is pulled down and spread to expose a part of the dried sweet potato 12 (in Fig. 10, the portion corresponding to Fig. 4 is operated in the same way). As a result, as shown in Fig. 8, the dried sweet potato 12 can be eaten without directly touching the hand 28, and the hand 28 will not get dirty.

[0068] 5, the food film 14 of the roll-shaped wound material 20 is rewound in a similar manner. In this case, when the food film 14 is completely rewound, the whole dried sweet potato 12 is exposed, so after rewinding it partway, one of the folded-back portions 14A of the food film 14 is pulled down and spread to expose part of the dried sweet potato 12. This allows the dried sweet potato 12 to be eaten without directly touching the hands 28, and the hands 28 do not get dirty. 5, the tape-like food film 14 wound around the spirally wound material 22 is gradually unwound to gradually expose the whole dried sweet potato 12. This allows the whole dried sweet potato 12 to be eaten without directly touching the hands 28, and the hands 28 do not get dirty.

[0069] [Preferred size of square food film] FIG. 9 is a table showing the results of an experiment carried out to determine why it is preferable to use a square food film 14 whose side length is 7 cm or more longer than the length of the dried sweet potato 12.

[0070] In the experiment, a square food film 14 made of biaxially oriented polypropylene (OPP) was used. The dried sweet potato 12 used in the experiment had a length of about 7 to 8 cm and a width of 3 to 4 cm (at the widest part). Then, whole dried sweet potatoes 12 with a sugar content of 70 or more were wrapped in edible film 14 using the method described in Figure 4 and sealed with a sealing sticker 18 to form dried sweet potato packages 24. The formed dried sweet potato packages 24 were placed in nylon vacuum pack bags 16 and vacuum packed using a vacuum pack sealer to create bagged dried sweet potatoes 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. For the bagged dried sweet potato 10 thus prepared, the dried sweet potato package 24 was removed from the vacuum pack bag 16. Then, it was visually inspected whether the molasses of the whole dried sweet potato 12 wrapped in the food film 14 had leaked out of the dried sweet potato package 24, i.e., out of the food film 14, due to the vacuum pressure of the vacuum pack.

[0071] As shown in the table of FIG. 9, the above experiment was repeated five times for five different sizes of square food film 14: 8 cm, 10 cm, 12 cm, 15 cm, and 17 cm.

[0072] As a result, when the side size of the food film 14 was 8 cm, 10 cm, or 12 cm, in five repeated experiments, molasses leaked out of the roll-shaped wound object 20 at least once in any of the experiments. In addition, the number of times molasses leaked tended to decrease as the side size of the food film 14 increased.

[0073] On the other hand, when the side size of the food film 14 was 15 cm and 17 cm, in five repeated experiments, the molasses did not leak out to the outside of the dried sweet potato package 24. This shows that if the side size of the food film 14 is 15 cm or more, the molasses of the whole dried sweet potato 12 wrapped in the food film 14 can be effectively prevented from leaking out to the outside of the dried sweet potato package 24 due to the vacuum pressure caused by the vacuum pack.

[0074] From the results of this experiment, it is preferable to use a food film 14 that is square and one side of the square is at least 7 cm longer than the length of the dried sweet potato.

[0075] Incidentally, the upper limit of the size of one side of the square in the food film 14 is preferably such that when the triangular portions Y1, Y2 or the folded portion 14A of the food film 14 are folded in the direction of joining, the triangular portions Y1, Y2 or the folded portion 14A of the food film 14 do not overlap. The reason for this is that if the triangular portions Y1, Y2 or the folded portion 14A of the food film 14 overlap, the thickness of the rolled product 20 increases, which makes it more likely that air will not be able to escape completely near the dried sweet potato packages 24 during vacuum packing, which could adversely affect the expiration date.

[0076] [Summary of bagged dried sweet potato and its manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention] The bagged dried sweet potato and its manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention described above can solve all of the problems of expiration date, difficulty in removing the sweet potato from the packaging bag, and sticky, dirty hands when eating the sweet potato, even if the sweet potato is soft and has a high sugar content, as summarized below.

[0077] (A) One of the problems of the present invention, the problem of the expiration date that can be kept for a long time at room temperature, can be solved by placing the dried sweet potato 12 in a vacuum pack bag and vacuum packing it. In this case, since the dried sweet potato 12 is vacuum packed individually in the present invention, there is no problem of the dried sweet potato 12 sticking together and forming blocks, which occurs when multiple dried sweet potatoes 12 are vacuum packed, and the dried sweet potato 12 is easy to eat. In addition to the expiration date provided by the vacuum pack, the expiration date can be further improved by heat sterilizing the dried sweet potato 10 in the bag.

[0078] (B) Regarding the problem of the dried sweet potatoes 12 being difficult to remove from the packaging bag due to molasses that tends to seep out of them when vacuum packed, the dried sweet potatoes 12 are not directly placed in the vacuum packing bag 16 and vacuum packed, but rather the dried sweet potatoes 12 are wrapped in food film 14 and then placed in the vacuum packing bag 16 for vacuum packing. As a result, even if molasses seeps out from the dried sweet potatoes 12 due to the vacuum pressure of vacuum packing, the dried sweet potatoes 12 are wrapped in food film 14, so the molasses can be effectively prevented from adhering to the inside of the vacuum packing bag 16.

[0079] In this case, the food film 14 is square, and by making the length of one side of the square at least 7 cm longer than the length of the whole dried sweet potato, the molasses is further prevented from leaking out of the food film 14, and therefore the adhesion of the molasses to the inside of the vacuum pack bag 16 can be more effectively prevented.

[0080] (C) Regarding the problem of hands getting sticky and dirty when eating, the dried sweet potato 12 is not taken out directly from the vacuum pack bag 16, but the dried sweet potato package 24 in which the dried sweet potato 12 is wrapped in food film 14 is taken out from the vacuum pack bag 16. Then, the dried sweet potato 12 can be eaten by holding the outside of the food film 14 wrapping the dried sweet potato 12 with the hands 28, which solves the problem of hands getting sticky and dirty when eating.

[0081] (D) In ​​this way, the bagged dried sweet potato 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention can solve all of the problems of expiration date at room temperature, difficulty in removing the sweet potato from the packaging bag, and sticky and dirty hands when eating the sweet potato, even if the sweet potato is soft and has a high sugar content.

[0082] (E) The dried sweet potato packages 24 of whole dried sweet potatoes 12 are vacuum-packed individually in vacuum packing bags 16, so they can be carried in a pocket, bag, etc. without taking up too much space. Also, as described above, the whole dried sweet potatoes 12 are wrapped in food film 14 before being vacuum-packed, so they can be eaten without getting your hands dirty. Therefore, for example, when you get a little hungry while out and about, you can take them out of your pocket, bag, etc. and eat them anytime, anywhere without getting your hands dirty.

[0083] In the above explanation of the present invention, whole dried sweet potatoes 12 have been used as an example, but it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to flat-dried sweet potatoes instead of the whole dried sweet potatoes 12, and similar effects can be achieved. However, since whole dried sweet potatoes produce more molasses, applying the present invention to whole dried sweet potatoes is more effective. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 10...dried sweet potato in a bag, 12...whole dried sweet potato, 14...food film, Y1...triangular part, 14A...folded part, 16...vacuum pack bag, 16A...opening opening, 16B...cut edge, 18...sealing seal, 18A...peel-off part, 20...roll-shaped wound product, 22...spiral-shaped wound product, 24...dried sweet potato packaging, 26...heat-sealed part, 28...hand, X1...triangular part, X2...triangular part, Y1...triangular part, Y2...triangular part

Claims

1. Dried sweet potato and a food film that wraps the dried sweet potato individually to form a dried sweet potato package; and a vacuum packing bag for vacuum packing the dried sweet potato packaged product one by one. The dried sweet potato in the bag is vacuum-packed in the vacuum packing bag in the state of the dried sweet potato package.

2. The bagged dried sweet potato according to claim 1, further comprising a sealing seal for sealing the food film of the dried sweet potato package to prevent the package from coming undone.

3. 3. The bag-packed dried sweet potato according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the food film is square, and the length of one side of the square is 7 cm or more longer than the length of the dried sweet potato.

4. 3. The bagged dried sweet potato according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the food film is in the form of a long tape and has a length that allows the dried sweet potato package to be formed by spirally winding the dried sweet potato.

5. 3. The bagged dried sweet potato according to claim 1, further heat-sterilized after said vacuum-packing.

6. 3. The bagged dried sweet potato according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sugar content of the dried sweet potato at 20°C measured with a Brix meter is 70 or more.

7. 3. The bagged dried sweet potato according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the dried sweet potato is vacuum-packed while being wrapped in the food film.

8. The dried sweet potato preparation process, a food film packaging step of wrapping each of the prepared dried sweet potato pieces in a food film to form a dried sweet potato package; and a vacuum packing step of vacuum-packing the dried sweet potato packages one by one in vacuum packing bags.

9. The method for producing bagged dried sweet potato according to claim 8, further comprising a sealing step of sealing the food film of the dried sweet potato package with a sealing seal to prevent the package from coming undone, in the food film packaging step.

10. The method for producing bagged dried sweet potato according to claim 8 or 9, further comprising a heat sterilization step after the vacuum packing step.

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