Fermented tofu and its manufacturing method
By adding minerals to soy milk to match dairy product balances, fermented tofu addresses flavor and mineral deficiencies, achieving a dairy-like taste and stability.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-09-04
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-16
AI Technical Summary
Soy milk lacks flavor, has a distinctive soybean smell, is deficient in calcium, and has an imbalanced mineral content, particularly low sodium and high potassium, making it unsuitable as a dairy substitute.
A method of producing fermented tofu by adding minerals such as calcium, sodium, and chloride ions to soy milk, adjusting the mineral balance to match that of dairy products like cow's milk, and incorporating bittern to enhance flavor and heat stability.
The resulting fermented tofu achieves a flavor and mineral balance similar to dairy products, with improved heat resistance and reduced soybean odor, suitable for high-temperature processing and consumption.
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a beverage that is obtained by adding bitter juice to soy milk and adding minerals such as calcium and sodium, which are insufficient in the soy milk and bitter juice, in order to approximate the mineral balance of a predetermined dairy product such as fresh milk, and that approximates the flavor of the predetermined dairy product such as fresh milk, or to a dairy product, that is, fermented bean curd and a method for producing the same.
Background Art
[0002] Currently, there is a worldwide focus on plant proteins, and in particular, regarding soy protein, many products have been developed that have a texture and taste similar to animal meat such as artificial meat and synthetic meat, attracting much attention.
[0003] With the predicted global population growth, food shortages are expected, and in particular, ensuring protein has become a major issue. Among them, soybeans are said to be the food that provides the most efficient protein production. With the development of technology for plant factories that utilize artificial light to produce plants, in the future, large-scale production of soybeans in plant factories in cold regions and desert areas is attracting much attention as one measure to address protein shortages.
[0004] On the other hand, there is a desire to develop easy-to-eat and highly nutritious products that utilize this soy protein. In Asia, particularly in China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, etc., foods that utilize soybeans have been developed since ancient times, and there are numerous soy foods such as tofu, miso, soy sauce, natto, etc.
[0005] However, outside Asia such as in Europe and the United States, such soy products are still in the process of development. Therefore, as described above, new product development such as artificial meat has been actively carried out.
[0006] In such an environment and situation, in Asia, particularly in Japan, soy milk, which is the raw material for tofu, has been provided for drinking as a substitute for milk, and currently, it is growing as a healthy plant-based beverage that competes with milk.
Summary of the Invention
[0007] However, soy milk currently on the market has several drawbacks: it lacks flavor, is deficient in calcium (which is important for health), and has extremely low sodium content, resulting in an imbalance with potassium.
[0008] Furthermore, despite its increasing consumption, soy milk still has a distinctive soybean smell, a bland flavor, and a lack of calcium, and its consumption is still far from sufficient.
[0009] Furthermore, the minerals derived from bittern are rich in magnesium, as well as trace elements such as copper and zinc, making it excellent in terms of both flavor and nutrition. However, it has the drawback of being bland and lacking in umami.
[0010] Furthermore, while soy milk is currently sold, or soy milk to which coffee, cocoa, caramel, fruit juice, vegetable juice, etc. have been added, no soy milk made with fermented tofu (tofu-like soy milk) is currently sold. This type of soy milk is produced by adding bittern, and then adding calcium, phosphorus, chlorine, and sodium to adjust the mineral balance to match that of specific dairy products such as milk, resulting in heat stability, no protein coagulation even after high-temperature sterilization, and a flavor similar to milk.
[0011] The inventors have succeeded in developing a delicious soy milk, or "fermented tofu," which they call "tofu-juu," that takes into account the weaknesses of most existing soy milk, such as flavor issues including soybean odor, calcium issues, and the balanced sodium content and ratio with potassium, bringing it as close as possible to the mineral balance of dairy products such as milk, and furthermore, possessing heat resistance that can withstand high-temperature pasteurization and sterilization. They are now considering commercializing this product and have filed a patent application. [Means for solving the problem]
[0012] The fermented tofu of the present invention consists of soy milk, bittern, and added minerals, characterized in that the minerals are those which are considered to be insufficient in the amount of a predetermined mineral contained in a predetermined dairy product when added to the soy milk and bittern.
[0013] Furthermore, the amount of the added minerals is characterized by being an amount corresponding to the amount of minerals contained in the specified dairy product.
[0014] Furthermore, the amount corresponding to the above mineral content is characterized by being the amount determined from the ratio of the amounts of each mineral contained in the specified dairy product.
[0015] Furthermore, the amount corresponding to the above-mentioned mineral amount is characterized by being an amount of minerals that is considered insufficient to meet the predetermined mineral amount.
[0016] Furthermore, the above-mentioned minerals are added so that the pH is the same as that of the specified dairy product.
[0017] Furthermore, the desired dairy product is characterized by being milk.
[0018] Furthermore, the desired dairy product is characterized by being ice cream, yogurt, pudding, condensed milk, or powdered milk.
[0019] Furthermore, the added minerals are characterized by being at least one of calcium, sodium, phosphorus, and chloride ions, or all of them.
[0020] Furthermore, the method for producing fermented tofu according to the present invention is characterized by adding nigari (magnesium chloride) to soy milk, determining which minerals to be added to the soy milk from among the minerals contained in a predetermined dairy product, and determining the amount of these determined minerals to be added to the soy milk in accordance with the amount of minerals contained in the predetermined dairy product, and then adding them to the soy milk.
[0021] Also, it is characterized in that minerals added to the soy milk, or the amount of minerals, are determined so as to be the same as the pH of the above-mentioned predetermined dairy product.
[0022] Also, the above-mentioned desired dairy product is characterized in that it is cow's milk.
[0023] Also, the above-mentioned desired dairy product is characterized in that it is ice cream, or yogurt, or pudding, or condensed milk, or powdered milk.
[0024] Also, the minerals added to the soy milk are characterized in that they are at least one, or all of calcium, sodium, phosphorus, and chloride ions.
[0025] Also, it is characterized in that any one of caffe latte, or chocolate, or cocoa, or caramel, or a beverage is added.
[0026] Also, it is characterized in that vegetable fat is further added to make it creamy.
Advantages of the Invention
[0027] According to the present invention, by adding calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and chloride ions and combining them with trace elements derived from bitter juice to make the mineral components in soy milk as close as possible to the mineral components in dairy products such as cow's milk, the bean flavor can be reduced, and the heat resistance can be adjusted to be equivalent to that of a predetermined dairy product such as cow's milk, and the flavor can also be made close to that of dairy products such as cow's milk, and delicious pickled tofu as referred to in the present invention can be produced.
[0028] Also, since soy milk is derived from soybeans, it has extremely high potassium and low sodium, resulting in a watery and bland flavor and lacking in deliciousness. However, by bringing the potassium and sodium contents and their ratio closer to the mineral balance of a predetermined dairy product such as cow's milk, the flavor has been significantly improved, and a delicious pickled tofu with heat stability can be produced.
Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention
[0029] Examples of the present invention will be described below. [Examples]
[0030] The present invention provides a method for producing fermented tofu, which involves adding a desired amount of bittern to soy milk, determining which minerals, such as calcium, sodium, phosphorus, and chloride ions, are present in a specific dairy product, such as fresh milk, and adding those minerals to the soy milk if they are insufficient in the soy milk and bittern. The method also involves determining the amount of each determined mineral in proportion to the amount of minerals present in the specific dairy product, such as fresh milk, and adding these minerals to the soy milk to produce fermented tofu that closely matches the mineral balance of the specific dairy product.
[0031] Generally, since bittern contains a lot of magnesium, copper, and zinc, the minerals that should be added to the soy milk to approximate the mineral balance of the specified dairy product mentioned above are preferably calcium, sodium, phosphorus, and chloride ions, with sodium and calcium being particularly preferred.
[0032] Furthermore, for example, the amount of minerals to be added to soy milk per unit volume will be within the range of the amounts of each mineral that are said to be contained in the specified dairy product, such as milk, per unit volume.
[0033] Furthermore, the amount of minerals to be added to soy milk per unit volume may be determined by considering the ratio of each mineral amount contained in the specified dairy product, such as milk, per unit volume.
[0034] The amount of minerals to be added as described above may be calculated by subtracting the amount of minerals contained in soy milk or bittern.
[0035] Furthermore, if other additives are added, it is acceptable to add an amount that is less than the amount of minerals contained in those additives.
[0036] Furthermore, it is preferable to bring the mineral balance of the fermented tofu produced as described above as close as possible to the mineral balance of a specific dairy product, such as milk.
[0037] Furthermore, it is preferable to add a pH adjuster as needed to maintain a pH of 5.0 to 7.0.
[0038] In addition to adding a separate pH adjuster, if any of the minerals in the specified dairy product mentioned above include pH-adjustable minerals such as sodium citrate, the pH may be adjusted by adjusting the amount of those minerals.
[0039] Furthermore, the pH of the manufactured fermented tofu may be adjusted to be the same as, or close to, the pH of a specific dairy product, such as fresh milk.
[0040] Furthermore, the resulting fermented tofu will have a mineral balance that approaches that of the specified dairy products such as milk, and its thermal stability will also approach that of the specified dairy products such as milk. For example, if it is milk, it will be possible to produce fermented tofu that can withstand high-temperature sterilization of 120°C or higher, does not undergo protein coagulation, and has a flavor that is very close to that of milk, making it a divalent ion-rich product.
[0041] In addition to milk, the specified dairy products mentioned above include, for example, yogurt, cream, condensed milk, ice cream, powdered milk, and lactic acid bacteria beverages.
[0042] Furthermore, it can be used in beverages for infants and young children, especially those with milk allergies, cholesterol-free beverages, beverages for the elderly, and in powdered milk.
[0043] Furthermore, by adding vegetable fat to the fermented tofu produced as described above, it is possible to manufacture fermented tofu cream and whipped cream, which are flavorful creams without the soy odor.
[0044] Furthermore, since the fermented tofu produced above is nearly identical in physical properties and flavor to a designated dairy product such as milk, it is also possible to add any or a combination of beverages such as café latte, chocolate, cocoa, caramel, fruit juice, or vegetable juice to the fermented tofu produced above, just as with designated dairy products such as milk, to produce, for example, fermented tofu with café latte, fruit juice, or vegetable juice.
[0045] Traditionally, the minerals derived from bittern were rich in magnesium, as well as trace elements such as copper and zinc, making it excellent in terms of flavor and nutrition. However, it had the drawback of being bland and lacking in umami.
[0046] Therefore, in this invention, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and chloride ions are added to this, and together with the trace elements from the bittern, the mineral components in soy milk are brought as close as possible to the mineral components in a predetermined dairy product such as milk. This reduces the bean flavor and adjusts the heat resistance to be equivalent to that of a predetermined dairy product such as milk, resulting in a flavor similar to that of a predetermined dairy product such as milk, making it possible to produce delicious fermented tofu.
[0047] Furthermore, because soy milk is derived from soybeans, it has an extremely high potassium content and low sodium content, resulting in a watery and bland flavor that lacks deliciousness. However, by adjusting the potassium and sodium content and their ratio to those of certain dairy products such as cow's milk, the flavor was dramatically improved, and a delicious, heat-stable fermented tofu product could be produced.
[0048] By utilizing this technology in product development, we can provide consumers with a variety of foods, beverages, desserts, creams, and other products that can address the global protein shortage.
[0049] Furthermore, in the future, it will be possible to manufacture new, nutritionally balanced beverages by mixing fermented tofu with milk.
Claims
1. Soy milk and Bitter juice, With added minerals, The fermented tofu is characterized in that the mineral is a mineral that is considered to be insufficient in the amount of a predetermined mineral contained in a predetermined dairy product when used in the above-mentioned soy milk and bittern.
2. The fermented milk according to claim 1, characterized in that the amount of added minerals is an amount corresponding to the amount of minerals contained in the specified dairy product.
3. The fermented milk according to claim 2, characterized in that the amount corresponding to the above mineral amount is the amount determined from the ratio of the amounts of each mineral contained in the above-specified dairy product.
4. The tofu milk according to claim 2, characterized in that the amount corresponding to the above mineral amount is an amount of minerals that is considered insufficient to meet the above predetermined mineral amount.
5. The fermented tofu according to claim 1, characterized in that the above-mentioned minerals are added so that the pH is the same as that of the specified dairy product.
6. The desired dairy product is milk, as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.
7. The desired dairy product is ice cream, or yogurt, or pudding, or condensed milk, or powdered milk, as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.
8. The fermented tofu according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the added minerals are at least one of calcium, sodium, phosphorus, and chloride ions, or all of them.
9. A method for producing fermented tofu, characterized by adding bittern to soy milk, determining which minerals to be added to the soy milk from among the minerals contained in a predetermined dairy product, and determining the amount of these determined minerals to be added to the soy milk in proportion to the amount of minerals contained in the predetermined dairy product, and then adding them to the soy milk.
10. The method for producing fermented tofu according to claim 9, characterized in that the amount of minerals added to the soy milk is determined so that the pH is the same as that of the specified dairy product.
11. The method for producing fermented milk according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the desired dairy product is milk.
12. The method for producing fermented tofu according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the desired dairy product is ice cream, yogurt, pudding, condensed milk, or powdered milk.
13. The method for producing fermented tofu according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the minerals added to the soy milk are at least one of calcium, sodium, phosphorus, and chloride ions, or all of them.
14. A method for producing fermented tofu according to claim 9 or 10, characterized by adding either a caffè latte, chocolate, cocoa, caramel, or a beverage.
15. A method for producing fermented tofu according to claim 9 or 10, characterized by further adding vegetable fat to make it creamy.