Drip-reducing agents and foods containing drip-reducing agents

Abstract

To provide a drip-reducing agent which is composed of a single compound, and does not deteriorate the properties of the agent even when the amount of the compound added is increased, and does not increase dripping. [Solution] A drip-reducing agent containing β-hydroxybutyric acid as an active ingredient, and a food product containing a drip-reducing agent having β-hydroxybutyric acid as an active ingredient. [Effect] By adding a predetermined concentration of β-hydroxybutyric acid as an active ingredient to food, it can exert a drip-reducing effect, making it a convenient drip-reducing agent.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a drip-reducing agent capable of reducing dripping in food, and to a food product using the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, when frozen meat is thawed, a liquid (drip) separates from inside the meat. The water present in the cells expands when frozen, destroying the cell membrane, and when thawed, it leaks out of the damaged cells, along with the water-soluble components in the cells. The drip contains proteins, minerals, vitamins, etc., and not only flavor components but also nutrients escape from the meat. Furthermore, drip can also cause an unpleasant odor.

[0003] For example, anti-drip agents have been developed, such as those disclosed in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses an anti-drip agent characterized by containing xanthan gum and at least one selected from the group consisting of monosaccharides, disaccharides, trisaccharides, dextrins having a DE (Dextrose Equivalent) of 30 or more, sugar alcohols, and salts. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-252108 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The anti-drip agent in Patent Document 1 is composed of xanthan gum and at least one dispersant selected from the group consisting of monosaccharides, disaccharides, trisaccharides, dextrins with a DE (Dextrose Equivalent) of 30 or higher, sugar alcohols, and salts, requiring multiple compounds. Furthermore, if the amount of xanthan gum in a food exceeds 0.1% by weight, the dispersibility of the xanthan gum in an aqueous solution tends to deteriorate, and the texture tends to become more pasty. Furthermore, if the amount of dispersant in a food exceeds 5.0% by weight, the extracellular osmotic pressure becomes too high, making dripping more likely.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a drip-reducing agent which is composed of a single compound, and which does not deteriorate the properties of the agent even when the amount of the compound added is increased, and which does not increase dripping. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The drip-reducing agent according to the present invention for achieving the above object has the following characteristics: It contains β-hydroxybutyric acid as an active ingredient. Furthermore, the food product according to the present invention, which is intended to achieve the above object, is characterized in that it contains a drip-reducing agent containing β-hydroxybutyric acid as an active ingredient.

[0008] Beta-hydroxybutyric acid and its salts (hereinafter referred to as BHB, and when referred to as BHB, it specifically refers to its monomer) are substances that are naturally present in the bodies of animals, and therefore have high biocompatibility. They are therefore expected to be used as an alternative energy source to carbohydrates and as a health food.

[0009] In the examples described below, it has been confirmed that the inclusion of β-hydroxybutyric acid in food products tends to reduce the amount of dripping.

[0010] Therefore, the drip-reducing agent of the present invention can exhibit a drip-reducing effect by adding a predetermined concentration of β-hydroxybutyric acid as an active ingredient to food, making it a convenient drip-reducing agent.

[0011] Further characteristic features of the food product according to the present invention are: The drip-reducing agent is contained in an amount of 0.01% by mass to 7% by mass relative to the total amount of the food material.

[0012] Increasing the amount of β-hydroxybutyric acid added is thought to have little effect on the properties of the agent. Furthermore, if the content of the drip-reducing agent is less than 0.01% by mass of the total amount of food material, the drip-reducing effect cannot be expected. Furthermore, if the content exceeds 7% by mass, the amount of drip does not increase, but the drip-reducing effect is not further improved, and the cost of the drip-reducing agent increases, which is undesirable. Therefore, if the content of the drip-reducing agent relative to the total amount of food material is within the above range, the drip-reducing effect can be obtained.

[0013] A further characteristic feature of the food product according to the present invention is that the food material is a livestock food product. A further characteristic feature of the food product according to the present invention is that the livestock food product is meat or a meat product. Furthermore, a further characteristic feature of the food product according to the present invention is that the meat is beef or pork, and the meat product is minced meat.

[0014] By applying the drip-reducing agent of the present invention to the above-mentioned food materials, a drip-reducing effect can be obtained. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows the results of tests on minced meat (beef and pork). [Figure 2] FIG. 1 shows the results of a test using minced meat (beef). [Figure 3] FIG. 1 shows the results of a test using minced meat (pork). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The drip-reducing agent according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

[0017] As used herein, "active ingredient" refers to any component that exhibits the effect of reducing the amount of drip produced by the drip-reducing agent of the present invention in food ingredients. Furthermore, as used herein, "drip" refers to the liquid that seeps out from within a frozen food when the frozen food is thawed at room temperature (approximately 18°C) or refrigerated (approximately 4°C). Drip contains not only water, but also water-soluble proteins, inorganic salts such as sodium and calcium, and vitamins.

[0018] As used herein, the term "drip-reducing agent" refers to an agent that, when added to food ingredients, can reduce the amount of drip generated from the food ingredients. Furthermore, as used herein, "food ingredients" refers to ingredients used in cooking, such as meat products and livestock foods.

[0019] As used herein, "meat" refers to meat that is used for food, and primarily refers to meat derived from livestock, poultry, and other wild animals that is used for food. Examples of livestock include pigs, cows, sheep, goats, horses, camels, and rabbits. Examples of poultry include chickens, pigeons, ducks, geese, and quails. Examples of wild animals include deer, boars, and bears. In the present invention, meat may be meat derived from the above animals that has been cut into any size or shape. Furthermore, in this specification, the term "meat product" refers to a product that is made primarily from edible meat and that has been further processed by cutting, grinding, etc., or a product that has been processed and then subjected to a combination of operations such as seasoning, salting, smoking, heating, cooling, shaping, tenderizing, tumbling, etc. Examples include minced meat, meat patties, hamburger steaks, and bacon.

[0020] Beta-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB) can be obtained, for example, by adding BHB-producing Halomonas bacteria to a fermentation process, separating and removing the Halomonas bacteria from the resulting fermentation broth, and purifying the broth. The fermentation process can be carried out by adding the BHB-producing Halomonas bacteria directly to a raw material solution containing a carbohydrate nutrient source, such as fruit juice, followed by aerobic fermentation and microaerobic fermentation (see JP 2013-081403 A). This converts the carbohydrates into BHB, which is then produced in the fermentation broth. The produced BHB can then be separated and purified by membrane separation or other conventional methods and used as pure BHB.

[0021] The BHB contained as an active ingredient in the drip-reducing agent of the present invention may be a salt of BHB. Examples of BHB salts include potassium salt, sodium salt, calcium salt, and magnesium salt. Alternatively, either BHB or a salt of BHB, or both, may be contained.

[0022] In the drip-reducing agent of the present invention, the concentration of BHB or a BHB salt relative to the total weight of the food material is preferably 0.01% by mass to 7% by mass (equivalent to a BHBNa concentration of 0.01% by mass to 8.48% by mass), more preferably 0.1% by mass to 6% by mass (equivalent to a BHBNa concentration of 0.12% by mass to 7.27% by mass), and particularly preferably 0.1% by mass to 5% by mass (equivalent to a BHBNa concentration of 0.12% by mass to 6.06% by mass).

[0023] By maintaining the BHB concentration within the above range, the amount of drip generated from ingredients can be effectively reduced. If the BHB concentration is less than 0.01% by mass, this effect is difficult to expect. If the BHB concentration exceeds 7% by mass, the drip reduction effect is not significantly improved and the cost of the drip-reducing agent increases, which is undesirable.

[0024] The drip-reducing agent of the present invention may be sprinkled directly onto food materials, injected into the food materials, or immersed in a liquid ingredient such as a seasoning liquid in which the drip-reducing agent is dissolved. There are no particular limitations on the timing of adding the drip-reducing agent of the present invention.

[0025] The reason why the drip-reducing agent of the present invention is able to reduce dripping of food ingredients is not clear, but it is thought to be due to the following reasons.

[0026] Cells contain a lot of water. When the environmental temperature drops below 0°C, the water around the cells begins to freeze first, forming ice crystals inside and outside the cells. During this process, a local concentration gradient is created, causing substances to move and destroying the cells. Then, upon thawing, drips flow out from the destroyed areas. BHB-Na is not cytotoxic and is membrane-permeable. Therefore, it is thought that BHB-Na can eliminate the local concentration gradient that occurs during the freezing process and reduce drips.

[0027] The drip-reducing agent of the present invention contains BHB, a substance naturally present in the human body, as its active ingredient, making it highly safe and suitable for oral ingestion without any discomfort. Furthermore, BHB is a stable compound, making it suitable for use in the processing of food ingredients. [Example]

[0028] The present invention will be described in more detail below based on examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0029] The minced meat was divided into approximately 20 g portions and weighed. BHB-Na was added to the minced meat in amounts of 0 mass%, 0.1 mass%, 0.5 mass%, 1.0 mass%, and 5.0 mass%. Each sample was then placed in a small zippered bag and frozen at -20°C. Each sample was then thawed in a refrigerator at 4°C. The drips generated during thawing were absorbed into a pre-weighed paper cloth, and the weight of the paper cloth after absorbing the drips was measured. The weight of the drips was calculated by subtracting the weight of the paper cloth before absorbing the drips from the weight of the paper cloth after absorbing the drips, and this was calculated as the drip weight per gram of meat (g / g). Similar tests were also conducted on ground beef or pork to evaluate the drip reduction effect of BHB. The results are shown in Tables 1 to 3 and Figures 1 to 3.

[0030] [Table 1]

[0031] Table 1 and Figure 1 show the results of tests using ground meat (beef and pork). As is clear from Table 1 and Figure 1, the addition of 0.1% by mass of BHB was effective in reducing dripping compared to the control (no BHB added). Furthermore, the addition of 0.5% by mass of BHB reduced the amount of dripping by half compared to the control. Even when 5.0% by mass of BHB was added, the amount of dripping did not increase compared to when 1.0% by mass of BHB was added.

[0032] [Table 2]

[0033] Table 2 and Figure 2 show the results of tests using ground beef. It can be seen that even with beef, the addition of 0.1% BHB by mass reduced dripping compared to the control (no BHB added). Furthermore, the addition of 1.0% BHB by mass reduced dripping by half compared to the control. Even with the addition of 7.0% BHB by mass, the amount of dripping did not increase compared to the addition of 1.0% BHB by mass.

[0034] [Table 3]

[0035] Table 3 and Figure 3 show the results of a test using minced pork. It can be seen that even with pork, the addition of 0.1% BHB by mass reduced dripping compared to the control (no BHB added). Even with the addition of 7.0% BHB by mass, there was no increase in dripping compared to the addition of 1.0% BHB by mass.

[0036] As described above, it was found that adding β-hydroxybutyric acid to food ingredients has the effect of reducing the amount of dripping. Furthermore, increasing the amount of β-hydroxybutyric acid in the food ingredients did not increase the amount of dripping. <Another embodiment>

[0037] In addition, the configurations disclosed in the above embodiments can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments as long as no contradictions arise, and the embodiments disclosed in this specification are examples, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to these and can be modified as appropriate within the scope that does not deviate from the purpose of the present invention.

Claims

1. A drip-reducing agent containing β-hydroxybutyric acid as an active ingredient.

2. A food product containing a drip-reducing agent having β-hydroxybutyric acid as an active ingredient.

3. The food product according to claim 2 , wherein the drip-reducing agent is contained in an amount of 0.01% by mass to 7% by mass of the total amount of the food material.

4. The food product of claim 3 , wherein the food material is a livestock food product.

5. The food product of claim 4 , wherein the livestock food product is meat or a meat product.

6. 6. The food product of claim 5, wherein the meat is beef or pork and the meat product is ground meat.

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