Decorative sheet food and its manufacturing method

Abstract

Conventional sheet foods, such as nori seaweed, are often manufactured in flat sheets. For decoration, some are printed or cut with a laser, or branded. These are post-processing of two-dimensional elements manufactured in flat sheets, and do not include three-dimensional elements that take into account the thickness of the sheet food. Furthermore, the increase in processes reduces efficiency and has an impact on the sheet food ingredients. [Solution] The present invention provides a decorative sheet food that is not processed after the processing into a flat sheet, but is processed simultaneously with the forming into a sheet. Using a dotted or embossed mold, a mixture of at least water or a binder solution is poured into the shredded food, and the mixture is controlled to create a watermark that creates shades of thick, thin, and plain areas in the sheet food material, thereby providing added value.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a decorated sheet food and a method for producing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventional sheet foods are made as a flat, single plane, and to add value, designs are printed on the surface of the finished sheet food, or burned or cut out with a laser. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 02-016961 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6283838 [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication No. 2014-023453 [Patent Document 4] Utility Model Registration No. 3098030 [Patent Document 5] Patent Publication No. 2012-249585 [Patent Document 6] Patent No. 3766958 [Patent Document 7] Patent Publication No. 58-090985 [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] Shimizu Nori Co., Ltd. Home Page > Laser-processed Nori [Non-patent document 2] How to make transparent paper (http: / / www.nogimasaya.com / research / make / ) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Patent Document 1 describes a basic method for producing sheet-type food, and merely produces a single-plane sheet-type food.

[0006] Patent Document 2 is a paper processing method using basic shapes invented by the inventor, and is not related to food. (This patent also has an application patent aspect to our company.)

[0007] Patent Documents 3, 4, and 5 are a type of printing method, and involve decoration of two-dimensional elements.

[0008] Patent Document 6 is similar to Patent Document 2 but is two-dimensional due to die cutting.

[0009] Patent Document 7 describes a method for applying marks such as letters and figures to the surface of food. This method is applicable to all types of food, and is a two-dimensional element that decorates only the surface by laser irradiation.

[0010] Non-Patent Document 1 uses laser processing, and Patent Document 6 also uses die cutting and printing, but this takes time because it requires processing with a laser beam rather than a watermark.

[0011] The conventional sheet foods mentioned above require post-processing such as single flat sheets without decoration, two-dimensional printing on the surface for decoration, or laser irradiation processing which can only be done by line drawing, which reduces efficiency and causes laser burns on the food material. Furthermore, these are two-dimensional elements and do not take into account the thickness of the sheet. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The present invention provides a novel decorative sheet food product by forming a pattern using watermark elements consisting of a combination of two or more of thick, thin, and plain portions of shredded food material. The watermarks include black watermarks, which show the shape with the material, and white watermarks, which fill the surrounding area with material and leave the shape in white.

[0013] The present invention allows the production of decorated sheet foods using halftone- or embossed molds. Furthermore, the decorated sheet foods produced by the above methods can be transferred onto sheets of food or non-food materials, expanding the range of decoration. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The present invention allows the production of three-dimensional decorated sheet foods, characterized in that in the sheet forming step of a manufacturing method for sheet foods, a mold using a halftone dot technique or an embossed mold is provided, and a mixture of the desired shredded basic food and at least water or a binder solution is poured into the mixture, creating a watermark pattern with varying thickness and light and dark tones in the layers of food material.

[0015] The decorative sheet food of the present invention also expands the range of decoration. It is possible to combine sheet foods with decorated sheet foods composed of watermarked designs. Those made with black watermarks are particularly effective, and sheet foods of the same or different quality as the basic food ingredients can also be used.

[0016] The present invention can be transferred (transferred) to other foods using an edible film or a film that is safe from the viewpoint of food hygiene.

[0017] In practicing the present invention, by varying the quality, quantity and density of the dots, and by using high and low embossing and dot techniques, thick and thin portions of the base food material can be created to create a watermark effect.

[0018] In the manufacturing method of the present invention, in order to maintain the contrast between the thick and thin portions using mold materials with various patterns, if a water-permeable support is used, the basic food material will remain and be shaped. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] Flowchart of the manufacturing process for decorated sheet food [Figure 2] Schematic diagram of the molding process [Figure 3]Schematic diagram of the mold material using the black watermark method (the black basic shape indicates the full opening) [Figure 4] Phase diagram of the mixture when pouring into the sheet forming process (support on the mold material) [Figure 5] Cross-sectional view of the mixture after it has been poured in and dried [Figure 6] Schematic diagram of sheet food on a support after drying [Figure 7] Schematic diagram of the molding material using the black watermark method (black indicates full openings, the rest are halftone holes) [Figure 8] Phase diagram of the mixture when pouring into the sheet forming process (support on the mold material) [Figure 9] Cross-sectional view of the mixture after it has been poured in and dried [Figure 10] Schematic diagram of sheet food on a support after drying (thick and thin food material) [Figure 11] Schematic diagram of the molding material using the white watermark method (black indicates full openings, gray indicates halftone holes) [Figure 12] Phase diagram of the mixture when pouring into the sheet forming process (support on the mold material) [Figure 13] Cross-sectional view of the mixture after it has been poured in and dried [Figure 14] Schematic diagram of sheet food on a support after drying (thinned portion within the basic shape) [Figure 15] Schematic diagram of the mold material using the black watermark method (the design is the same as Figure 3) [Figure 16] Phase diagram when the mixture is poured into the sheet forming process (replacement of the mold material and support) [Figure 17] Cross-sectional view of the mixture after it has been poured in and dried [Figure 18] Schematic diagram of sheet food on a support after drying [Figure 19] Schematic diagram of a mold material using the black watermark method with embossing (white is embossing) [Figure 20] Phase diagram of the mixture flowing into the sheet forming process using embossed mold material [Figure 21] Cross-sectional view of the mixture after it has been poured in and dried [Figure 22] Schematic diagram of sheet food on a support after drying [Figure 23] Schematic diagram of a black watermark mold with a different embossing [Figure 24] Phase diagram of the mixture flowing into the sheet forming process [Figure 25] Cross-sectional view of the mixture after it has been poured in and dried [Figure 26] Schematic of sheet food on support after drying (thinned areas are created by halftone dot holes) [Figure 27] Schematic diagram of a mold material with embossing for the white watermark method [Figure 28] Phase diagram of the mixture flowing into the sheet forming process [Figure 29] Cross-sectional view of the mixture after it has been poured in and dried [Figure 30] Schematic diagram of sheet food on a support after drying (thick and thin sections are formed) [Figure 31] In the example, an image of a decorative sheet food, seaweed, transferred onto a carrot sheet. [Figure 32] Schematic diagram of an application example in which decorative sheet food seaweed is transferred onto a rice ball [Figure 33] Image of decorative sheet food with seaweed transferred in the example DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] The following description will be given based on FIGS. 1 to 33. [Example]

[0021] The method for producing sheet foods is based on that shown in Patent Document 1, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-016961. However, this only applies to single-plane sheet foods, and Patent Documents 2 to 7 and Non-Patent Document 1 involve decorating the sheet foods to add value. This decorating process involves printing or cutting out decorations on the surface of the single-plane sheet food after it is completed, and is two-dimensional, not a three-dimensional technical method that takes into account the thickness of the layers of the sheet food.

[0022] This invention is a three-dimensional watermarking technique that takes into account the thickness of sheet-type food, and creates gradation. It is possible to produce decorated sheet foods with a blurred effect.

[0023] Figure 1 is a flowchart showing the basic manufacturing process for sheet food, which adds the decoration process of the present invention to the sheeting process. After creating a mold using an image processed by a computer and placing it in a molding machine, the basic food ingredients are pre-processed by washing and shredding, and then mixed with at least water and a binder solution, which is then poured into the molding machine. After sheeting, post-processing such as drying and transfer (transfer) is performed to produce a decorated sheet food.

[0024] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a simple flow of the sheeting process. The mixture is poured into a laminate of molds and supports installed in a molding machine, leaving the base food material on the support. It is then dried using infrared light or the like, and then transferred (transferred) from the support to another sheet material to complete the process.

[0025] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a mold 3a for making sheet food using the black watermark method. It uses a water-resistant material such as film, and the black part is fully open in the shape of a basic figure, with some parts being halftone-dot processed. If the black part is made high-density by halftone-dot processing, the same effect as a fully open part can be obtained.

[0026] Figure 4 shows the process for forming sheet food using the black watermark method. In a forming machine 1 equipped with a reed 2, a mold 3a made of a watertight material and a hygienically safe support 4 that is permeable to water are placed on top of the reed 2, and a mixture 5 of at least water and a binder solution is poured into the shredded base food, and air and water are sucked in from below.

[0027] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the state after the mixture is poured into the mold 3a in the molding process shown in Figure 3 and then dried. The mixture 5 is absorbed into all the openings of the mold 3a, but less into the dotted areas. The basic food ingredients 5' and 6', from which water and other substances have been removed, remain on the support 4 and are in a dried state.

[0028] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a sheet-shaped food product of a basic food material 6' formed on a support 4 in the form of a basic figure, with a thick base of the basic food material 5' and thin base portions of the dotted areas.

[0029] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of mold 3b, which is used to create sheet food products by overlapping a thick sheet of a basic shape onto a thin, full-surface sheet, and uses the waterproof material mentioned above. The entire surface is perforated with halftone dot processing, and the black part is fully open in the shape of the basic shape. In addition, by controlling the size and density of the holes with halftone dot processing, it is possible to control the thickness of the sheet.

[0030] Figure 8 shows the process for forming sheet food using the black watermark method. In a forming machine 1 equipped with a reed 2, a mold 3b made of a watertight material and a hygienically safe support 4 that is permeable to water are placed on top of the reed 2, and a mixture 5 of at least water and a binder solution is poured into the shredded base food, and air and water are sucked in from below.

[0031] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the state after the mixture is poured into the molding process using mold 3b and then dried. Mixture 5 is sucked out, and most of the basic food ingredients 5' from which water and other substances have been removed remain in the areas of support 4 that correspond to all the openings of mold 3b. The remaining areas are perforated by halftone dot processing, leaving only a small amount of basic food ingredients 6', which are in a dried state.

[0032] 10 is a schematic diagram of a sheet food product in which a thick sheet of basic food material 5' of the basic shape is overlaid on a thin, full-sheet basic food material 6' to form an integrated sheet food. In addition, the dotted areas inside the basic shape are thin and transparent, making part of the basic food material 5' transparent.

[0033] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a mold 3c for making sheet food in which a thick, full-surface sheet is overlaid with a thin, basic-shape sheet. The black part is made of the waterproof material mentioned above, and the entire opening is made in a shape other than the basic shape. The gray areas are halftone processed to control the size and density of the holes.

[0034] Figure 12 shows the process of forming sheet food using the white watermark method. In a forming machine 1 equipped with a reed 2, a mold 3c made of a watertight material and a hygienically safe support 4 that is permeable to water are placed on top of the reed 2, and a mixture of chopped basic food with at least water and a binder solution is poured into the mold 1, and air and water are sucked in from below.

[0035] Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view of the state after the mixture is poured in and dried during the molding process using mold 3c in Figure 11. Mixture 5 is sucked out, and most of the basic food ingredients 5' from which water and other substances have been removed remain on support 4 in the areas that correspond to all the openings of mold 3c, while the remaining areas are perforated by halftone dot processing, leaving only a small amount of basic food ingredients 6' remaining, resulting in a dried state.

[0036] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of a thick, full-sheet basic food material 5' overlaid with a thin, basic-shape sheet of basic food material 6'. The gray areas of mold 3c in Figure 11 are processed with halftone dots to control the size and density of the holes, which creates a thick and thin shading in the food sheet.

[0037] Until now, the molding process has been carried out by placing the support 4 on top of the mold materials 3a, 3b, and 3c, but it is now possible to switch the two and place the mold materials 3a, 3b, and 3c on top of the support 4, thereby forming a thicker food material 5'. The most important prerequisite is that both materials be safe from a food hygiene perspective, and this is explained in the next section.

[0038] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of a mold 3a for making sheet food in the shape of a basic figure only. It uses a water-impermeable material such as film, and the black part is fully open in the shape of the basic figure, with some parts being halftone dot holes. The black part also has a high density halftone dot, which can achieve the same effect.

[0039] Figure 16 is a diagram of the process in which a mold 3a is placed on a support 4 and the mixture is poured in, showing the black watermark technique in which the basic food material thickens into the shape of a basic figure. In a forming machine 1 equipped with a blind 2, a support 4 that is safe from a food hygiene standpoint and that allows water to pass through, and a mold 3a made of a waterproof material are placed on top of the blind 2, and a mixture of chopped basic food mixed with at least water and a binder solution is poured in, and air and water are sucked in from below.

[0040] Figure 17 is a cross-sectional view of the state after the mixture has been poured into the molding process using the mold 3a in Figure 15 and has been dried. The mixture 5 is sucked through all the openings and dotted areas of the mold 3a, and the basic food ingredients 5' and 6' from which water and other substances have been removed remain on the support 4 and are in a dried state.

[0041] FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram of the support after the mixture is poured into the molding process using the mold material 3a of FIG. The mixture 5 is sucked and passes through all the openings of the mold 3a, and the water and other substances are removed from the basic food material 5'. becomes thick on the support 4. Since part of the basic shape is perforated with halftone dots, only a small amount passes through, and the basic food material 6' remains thin on the support 4 and is left in a dried state.

[0042] Figure 16 illustrates the state in which the mold 3a and the support 4 in Figure 4 are interchanged, but it is also possible to produce the above-mentioned decorated sheet food even if the molds 3b, 3c and the support 4 are interchanged as in Figures 8 and 12.

[0043] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of the black watermark method for making sheet food of a basic shape, in which an embossed portion 23a is formed on the white part of the support 4 other than the basic shape using a water-impermeable material, and the black part is the full opening of the basic shape.

[0044] Figure 20 is a diagram of the state in which a waterproof embossed section 23a is provided on a water-permeable support 4 and a mixture is poured into it, showing the black watermark technique in which the basic food material becomes thick in the shape of a basic figure. In a forming machine 1 equipped with a blind 2, an embossed section 23a made of a water-impermeable material is provided on a food-hygienically safe support 4 that allows water to pass through above the blind 2, and a mixture of shredded basic food mixed with at least water and a binder solution is poured into this, and air and water are sucked in from below.

[0045] Figure 21 is a cross-sectional view of a support 4 in Figure 19, which has a waterproof embossed area 23a in the white area other than the basic shape, and which shows the state in which the mixture is poured into the support 4 during the molding process, and then dried, leaving the basic food material 5' other than the embossed area 23a.

[0046] FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram showing a sheet food product in which the basic food ingredient 5' remains only in the area of ​​the basic figure due to the waterproof embossed portion 23a provided outside the basic figure, resulting in a black outline.

[0047] Figure 23 shows a thin, full-sheet sheet overlaid with a thick, basic-pattern sheet to create a watermarked sheet food product, with an embossed section 23b formed using a waterproof material on the support 4. The black section is fully open in the shape of the basic pattern, and the gray section is a schematic diagram of a halftone-dot embossed section with controlled hole size and density. Note that if the black section is also subjected to a high-density halftone-dot process, the same effect as a full open section can be achieved.

[0048] Figure 24 shows the state of the mixture poured into a waterproof embossed section 23b on a water-permeable support 4, and is a black watermark technique in which the basic food material becomes thick in the shape of a basic figure. In a forming machine 1 equipped with a blind 2, a food-hygienically safe support 4 that allows water to pass through and an embossed section 23b made of a water-impermeable material are provided above the blind 2, and a mixture of chopped basic food mixed with at least water and a binder solution is poured into the embossed section, and air and water are sucked in from below.

[0049] Figure 25 shows a cross-sectional view of a thick basic food material 5' because the basic shape is not embossed and has a full opening, while the entire sheet portion and the inside of the basic shape are embossed with a halftone dot process, resulting in a low flow rate of the mixture 5 and a thin basic food material 6'.

[0050] FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram showing a thick basic food material 5' integrated onto a shading basic food material 6' due to halftone embossing.

[0051] Figure 27 shows a sheet food product with a watermark, in which a thick, full-sheet is overlaid with a thin, basic-shape sheet, and an embossed portion 23c is formed on the support 4 using a waterproof material. The black portion is fully open in shapes other than the basic shape, and the gray portion is a schematic diagram of a halftone-dot embossed portion with controlled hole size and density. If the black portion is also subjected to a high-density halftone-dot process, an effect similar to that of a fully open portion can be obtained.

[0052] Figure 28 is a diagram of the state in which a waterproof embossed section 23c is provided on a water-permeable support 4 and a mixture is poured into it, showing the white openwork technique in which the basic food material becomes thin in the shape of a basic figure. In a forming machine 1 equipped with a blind 2, a food-hygienically safe support 4 that allows water to pass through and an embossed section 23c made of a water-impermeable material are provided above the blind 2, and a mixture of shredded basic food mixed with at least water and a binder solution is poured into this, and air and water are sucked in from below.

[0053] FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view of a thin basic food material 6' with a small flow rate due to the halftone dots and embossing being applied to a part of the basic shape.

[0054] FIG. 30 is a schematic diagram showing a thick basic food material 5' and a shading basic food material 6' integrated together.

[0055] Figure 31 shows an image of a sheet food made by shredding carrots and transferring (transferring) the decorated sheet food of the present invention to nori seaweed as shown in Figure 2. As can be seen in the image, the degree of shrinkage of each food material must be taken into consideration.

[0056] FIG. 32 is a schematic diagram showing the present invention transferred to a rice ball made with white rice.

[0057] Figure 33 shows an image of the present invention in which a decorated sheet food product was made from seaweed and transferred onto a rice ball.

[0058] 6, 18 and 22 show the process of forming a sheet food product on a support 4. Once this forming is complete, there is a possibility that the connection between the sheet-shaped food products of each basic shape may be lost. Therefore, it is possible to transfer (transfer) the product onto a sheet of food material or non-food material as described in claim 5. Figure 31 shows the product transferred (transferred) onto food material, and Figure 33 shows the product transferred (transferred) onto a rice ball after being transferred (transferred) onto non-food material. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 1 Molding machine 2 Blinds 3a Profile material 3b Profile material 3c profile material 23a Embossed section 23b Embossed section 23c Embossed section 4 Support 5 mixture 5' Basic Food Ingredients 6' Basic Food Ingredients

Claims

1. This decorated sheet-like food is characterized in that the pattern is formed by openwork elements consisting of a combination of two or more of thick parts, thin parts and plain parts of shredded food material.

2. 10. A decorated sheet food product according to claim 1, wherein the decorated sheet food product is formed on a sheet material made of food or non-food material.

3. This method for producing a decorated sheet-like food is characterized by placing a layered body consisting of a mold material and a support on a bamboo blind, pouring a mixture of chopped food material mixed with at least water or a binder solution into the layered body, sucking the water or binder solution from the bottom of the bamboo blind, and forming a watermark pattern consisting of the food material on the support.

4. 5. The method for producing a decorated sheet food according to claim 4, wherein the mold material is a member that has been subjected to a dot or embossing process.

5. A method for producing a decorated sheet food, comprising transferring the decorated sheet food produced according to claim 3 onto a sheet of food material or non-food material.

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