How to maintain the tenderness of cooked meat

By immersing raw meat in 70% lemon juice and cooking it at 75°C for 1 minute, the method maintains cooked meat tenderness at ambient temperatures for extended periods by altering protein structure with lemon juice components, addressing the limitations of existing tenderizers.

JP2026048236APending Publication Date: 2026-03-17POKKA SAPPORO FOOD & BEVERAGE
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Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-09-05
Publication Date
2026-03-17

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing meat tenderizers, such as those described in Patent Document 1, fail to maintain the tenderness of cooked meat effectively when held at temperatures between 15°C and 35°C for extended periods after cooking.

Method used

Immerse raw meat in a solution containing 70% or more straight lemon juice for 0.5 hours or more, then cook the lemon juice-soaked meat under conditions equivalent to 75°C for 1 minute to create lemon juice-soaked meat, which maintains tenderness when kept at 15°C to 35°C for 1 hour or more.

Benefits of technology

The method ensures that cooked meat retains its tenderness for prolonged periods at ambient temperatures by altering the protein structure with lemon juice components, specifically citric acid, limonene, and polyphenols, preventing hardening.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The present invention provides pre-cooked meat that maintains its tenderness even when kept in an atmosphere of 15°C to 35°C for more than one hour after cooking. [Solution] The problem is solved by soaking raw meat in a solution containing 70% or more by volume of straight lemon juice for 0.5 hours or more to make lemon juice-soaked meat, and then cooking this lemon juice-soaked meat under conditions where the surface and interior are heated to a temperature equivalent to or greater than 75°C for 1 minute, thereby making it cooked meat.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for maintaining the tenderness of cooked meat, etc.

Background Art

[0002] Cooked meat (cooked meat) tends to be preferred for having a tender texture. Furthermore, when provided in households or in the takeout and restaurant industries, there is also a tendency to require a product that maintains a tender texture even after a long time has passed or it has been held after cooking. And, technological development for maintaining or improving the tenderness of cooked meat has been carried out.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a meat tenderizer composed of a sugar composition, wherein the sugar composition contains 35% by mass or more of maltotriose based on the total solid content.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004] [[ID=##]]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The meat tenderizer described in Patent Document 1 above can provide cooked meat with a softened texture without using food additives, but there is room for further improvement in terms of maintaining tenderness when held in an atmosphere at a temperature of 15°C or higher and 35°C or lower for a long time (for example, 1 hour or more) after cooking.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide cooked meat that maintains its tenderness even when held in an atmosphere at a temperature of 15°C or higher and 35°C or lower for 1 hour or more after cooking.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To solve the above problems, the inventors diligently conducted research and discovered that by immersing raw meat in a solution containing 70% or more by volume of straight lemon juice for 0.5 hours or more to produce lemon juice-soaked meat, and then cooking this lemon juice-soaked meat under conditions where its surface and interior are heated to the equivalent of 75°C for 1 minute or more to produce cooked meat, the meat can maintain its tenderness even when kept in an atmosphere of 15°C to 35°C for 1 hour or more after cooking, thus completing the present invention.

[0008] In other words, the present invention is as follows <1> ~ <8> Includes embodiments. <1> A method for maintaining the tenderness of cooked meat when it is kept in an atmosphere with a temperature of 15°C to 35°C for one hour or more, The method is characterized by immersing raw meat in a solution containing 70% or more by volume of straight lemon juice for 0.5 hours or more to produce lemon juice-soaked meat, and then cooking the lemon juice-soaked meat under conditions that result in a heating history equivalent to or greater than 75°C for 1 minute on the surface and inside to produce cooked meat. Methods for maintaining the tenderness of cooked meat. <2> The lemon juice-soaked meat is the lemon juice-soaked meat obtained by soaking the raw meat in the soaking solution for 1.0 hour or more. <1> Methods for maintaining the tenderness of cooked meat as described above. <3> The meat in question is chicken. <1> or <2> Methods for maintaining the tenderness of cooked meat as described above. <4> The aforementioned method for maintaining tenderness is a method in which, when the cooked chicken is boiled at 100±5℃ for 4 minutes and has a thickness of 20 mm, the difference between the load required to compress the thickness of the cooked chicken immediately after cooking to a 60% compression ratio and the load required to compress the thickness of the cooked chicken held in an atmosphere at 23℃ for 1 hour to a 60% compression ratio is maintained within 15N. <3> Methods for maintaining the tenderness of cooked meat as described above. <5> A method for producing cooked meat, A soaking process to obtain lemon juice-soaked meat by soaking raw meat in a soaking solution containing 70% or more by volume of straight lemon juice for 0.5 hours or more, The process includes a heating step of heating the lemon juice-soaked meat under conditions that result in a heating history equivalent to or greater than 75°C for 1 minute on the surface and inside, in order to obtain cooked meat. A method for producing pre-cooked meat. <6> The immersion step is a step of immersing the raw meat in the immersion liquid for 1.0 hour or more to obtain the lemon juice-immersed meat. <5> The method for producing pre-cooked meat as described above. <7> Furthermore, the system includes a holding step of maintaining the cooked meat in an atmosphere with a temperature of 15°C to 35°C for at least one hour. <5> or <6> The method for producing pre-cooked meat as described above. <8> The meat in question is chicken. <5> ~ <7> A method for producing pre-cooked meat as described in any one of the following. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide cooked meat that maintains its tenderness even when kept in an atmosphere of 15°C to 35°C for one hour or more after cooking. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The present invention will now be described. The present invention provides a method for maintaining the tenderness of cooked meat when it is kept in an atmosphere of 15°C to 35°C for 1 hour or more, comprising: immersing raw meat in an immersion solution containing 70% or more by volume of straight lemon juice for 0.5 hours or more to make lemon juice-soaked meat; and then cooking this lemon juice-soaked meat under conditions that result in a heating history equivalent to or greater than 75°C for 1 minute on the surface and inside to make the cooked meat described above. (Hereafter, this will also be referred to as "the method for maintaining the tenderness of cooked meat according to the present invention"). Furthermore, the present invention also includes a method for producing cooked meat, comprising: an immersion step of immersing raw meat in an immersion solution containing 70% or more by volume of straight lemon juice for 0.5 hours or more to obtain lemon juice-immersed meat; and a cooking step of cooking the lemon juice-immersed meat under conditions in which the surface and interior are heated to a temperature equivalent to or greater than 75°C for 1 minute to obtain cooked meat (hereinafter, this will also be referred to as "the method for producing cooked meat according to the present invention").

[0011] Here, in this invention, "meat" refers to livestock meat (animal meat) or poultry meat (poultry) used for food. Examples of livestock meat (animal meat) include the meat of domestic animals such as cattle, pigs, horses, sheep, and goats, and examples of poultry meat (poultry) include the meat of domestic animals such as chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, and geese, but are not limited to these. Furthermore, the part of the animal is not particularly limited and may be breast meat, thigh meat, belly meat, loin meat, tenderloin meat, minced meat, etc. Furthermore, the shape is not particularly limited and may be in the shape commonly used for meat, such as julienned, diced, chopped, chunks, cubes, diced, or finely chopped. In the case of minced meat, it is preferable that it is formed into a predetermined shape. In addition, there are no particular limitations on the size, etc., but for example, the weight of each piece (each slice) may be between 1g and 400g, and this upper limit may be 300g or less, 250g or less, 200g or less, or 150g or less. Furthermore, one of the features of this invention is that it is sufficiently effective even with meats that tend to harden relatively easily (difficult to maintain tenderness) when kept at a predetermined temperature after cooking, such as chicken (especially chicken breast).

[0012] The following will first describe in detail the method for maintaining the tenderness of cooked meat according to the present invention.

[0013] <Meat treated with lemon juice marinade> In the method for maintaining the tenderness of cooked meat according to the present invention, raw meat (meat that has not been frozen or heated) is immersed for 0.5 hours or more in an immersion solution containing 70% or more by volume of straight lemon juice to obtain lemon juice-immersed meat. Then, this lemon juice-immersed meat is heated under predetermined conditions to obtain cooked meat.

[0014] The immersion solution used for this raw meat immersion treatment contains 70% or more by volume of straight lemon juice, as described above (the volume of straight lemon juice in the total volume of the immersion solution is 70 v / v or more). However, to better demonstrate the effects of the present invention, the content of straight lemon juice in this immersion solution is more preferably 75% or more by volume, even more preferably 80% or more by volume, even more preferably 85% or more by volume, even more preferably 90% or more by volume, and even more preferably 95% or more by volume. Furthermore, this immersion solution may consist solely of straight lemon juice (100% straight lemon juice).

[0015] Here, straight lemon juice refers to lemons that have been crushed and squeezed or strained to remove the peel, seeds, etc., or concentrated and then diluted to return to the state of squeezed juice (including juice that has been diluted in the preparation of the immersion solution and is substantially equivalent to the state of squeezed juice in the immersion solution). Furthermore, it may be cloudy juice, semi-clear juice, or clear juice. Although not limited, it is more preferable that the straight lemon juice contained in the immersion solution has an acidity (acidity in the state of straight juice) of 4.5% or more as anhydrous citric acid acidity, as this makes it easier to exhibit the effects of the present invention. In other words, it is more preferable that the immersion solution contains a predetermined amount or more of straight lemon juice with an acidity of 4.5% or more as anhydrous citric acid acidity. The lower limit of this acidity (anhydrous citric acid acidity) is more preferably 5.0% or more, more preferably 5.5% or more, and more preferably 6.0% or more. The upper limit of this acidity (anhydrous citric acidity) may be, for example, less than 9.0%, or 8.5% or less. This acidity (anhydrous citric acidity) is a value that indicates the concentration (mass / mass%) of acid contained in straight lemon juice, converted to anhydrous citric acid; in other words, it is an anhydrous citric acid equivalent value (anhydrous citric acid equivalent acidity). This acidity (anhydrous citric acidity) is calculated by the neutralization titration method in accordance with the Japanese Agricultural Standards for Fruit Beverages (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Notification No. 3118, December 24, 2013).

[0016] Furthermore, the immersion liquid may also contain other components besides straight lemon juice, to the extent that it does not significantly affect the effects of the present invention. Examples of such components include spices, colorants, flavorings, sweeteners (such as sugars), acidulants, bittering agents, extracts, umami seasonings (such as amino acids), fermented seasonings (such as soy sauce, miso, and mirin), protein hydrolysates, antioxidants, emulsifiers, pH adjusters, thickeners and stabilizers, alcohols (such as white wine, red wine, sake, and cooking sake), oils and fats, salt, and purified water. Two or more of these may be used in combination.

[0017] Then, the raw meat is subjected to a dipping treatment for 0.5 hours or more using the dipping liquid in an amount such that the entire raw meat (the entire surface) is immersed, resulting in lemon juice-dipped processed meat. That is, the raw meat is immersed so that it is held (immersed) in the dipping liquid for 0.5 hours or more. This dipping time is more preferably 1.0 hours or more, even more preferably 1.5 hours or more, and even more preferably 2.0 hours or more because the effects of the present invention are more likely to be exhibited. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but it may be 50 hours or less, 40 hours or less, or 30 hours or less.

[0018] Also, the temperature of this dipping treatment (the temperature of the dipping liquid) is not limited, but from the perspective of microbial control, etc., it is more preferably 0°C or higher and 10°C or lower. And this lower limit may be 1°C or higher, or 2°C or higher. This upper limit may be 8°C or lower, or 6°C or lower.

[0019] Furthermore, the amount of the dipping liquid used in this dipping treatment is not limited as long as the entire surface of the raw meat to be dipped can come into contact with (immerse in) this dipping liquid. However, if the amount of the straight lemon juice contained in the dipping liquid per 100 g of the raw meat to be dipped is 100 mL or more, the effects of the present invention are more likely to be exhibited, so it is more preferable. This lower limit is more preferably 150 mL or more, and even more preferably 200 mL or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but for example, it may be 1000 mL or less, or 500 mL or less.

[0020] As described above, lemon juice-dipped processed meat in which the components contained in the straight lemon juice penetrate to the inside is obtained from the raw meat.

[0021] <Cooked meat> Next, the lemon juice-dipped processed meat is cooked under predetermined conditions to obtain cooked meat.

[0022] This cooking method is not limited to any other condition as long as the surface and interior (i.e., the whole) of the lemon juice-soaked meat undergoes a heating history equivalent to or greater than 75°C for 1 minute (conditions in which a heating state equivalent to or greater than holding at 75°C for 1 minute as indicated in the Food Sanitation Law, etc., such as conditions in which the surface and interior are held at 75°C or higher for 1 minute or more). Examples include boiling (simmering, stewing), grilling, frying (deep-frying, deep-frying), and steaming. Furthermore, cooking methods involving two or more of these are also acceptable. The heating method is not particularly limited, and gas, electricity, charcoal, microwave ovens, etc., can be used. The upper limit of the temperature under the conditions exemplified above is not limited, but may be, for example, 250°C or less. Similarly, the upper limit of the heating time under the conditions exemplified above is not limited, but may be, for example, 30 minutes or less.

[0023] Furthermore, in the method for maintaining the tenderness of cooked meat according to the present invention, pre-treatment such as applying flavoring ingredients or coating materials to the lemon juice-soaked meat may be performed before cooking, to the extent that it does not significantly affect the effects of the present invention. Alternatively, flavoring may be applied during cooking. Examples of flavoring ingredients include those that may be included in the aforementioned soaking liquid (including in powder form). Examples of coating materials include wheat flour, potato starch, rice flour, and cornstarch, and two or more of these may be used in combination.

[0024] In this way, by heating the lemon juice-soaked meat under predetermined conditions, it is possible to obtain cooked meat that maintains its tenderness (softness in texture, etc.) even when kept in an atmosphere of 15°C to 35°C for more than one hour after heating. Furthermore, it is also possible to obtain cooked meat that maintains its tenderness even when kept in the above atmosphere for more than two hours, more than 2.5 hours, or even more than three hours.

[0025] For example, using chicken as an example of maintaining tenderness, raw chicken is treated by immersion as described above to make lemon juice-soaked chicken, and then boiled at 100±5℃ for 4 minutes to make cooked chicken with a thickness of 20mm, the difference between the load required to compress the thickness of this cooked chicken immediately after cooking to a 60% compression ratio and the load required to compress the thickness of this cooked chicken after holding it in an atmosphere at 23℃ for 1 hour to a 60% compression ratio can be maintained within 15N, further within 14N, and further within 13N. In addition, the difference between the load required to compress the thickness of this cooked chicken immediately after cooking to a 60% compression ratio and the load required to compress the thickness of this cooked chicken after holding it in an atmosphere at 23℃ for 3 hours to a 60% compression ratio can also be maintained within 15N, further within 14N, and further within 13N.

[0026] Here, in this invention, the "compression ratio" of the thickness of the cooked chicken meat refers to the percentage by which the thickness of the measured portion is compressed from its original thickness when a load is applied to the cooked chicken meat using a creep meter (RE2-33005C, manufactured by YAMADEN), with the plunger (disc type, No. 2, φ40 mm) positioned so that the axis of the plunger strikes the surface of the measured portion of the cooked chicken meat approximately perpendicular to the surface of the measured portion and the entire surface of the opposing surface of the plunger (the surface facing the surface of the measured portion of the cooked chicken meat) is in contact with the cooked chicken meat. For example, a compression ratio of 60% means that the thickness is compressed by 60% from the original thickness (the thickness becomes 40% of the original thickness). The "thickness" of the cooked chicken meat refers to the thickness (width) of the measured portion in the direction approximately perpendicular to the surface. Furthermore, "the load required to compress to a 60% compression ratio" refers to the load (N) required to compress the thickness of the measured section of cooked chicken meat to a 60% compression ratio from its original thickness, measured using the above-mentioned creep meter, with the plunger positioned as described above, under conditions of a plunger speed of 1 mm / sec and an amplifier magnification of 1. The same applies to the "compression ratio of 20%" and the load required to achieve it in the examples described later. Furthermore, the load required to compress cooked meats other than chicken to a predetermined compression ratio can be measured in the same manner as described above.

[0027] In the method for maintaining the tenderness of cooked meat according to the present invention, in order to exert its effect, it is necessary to obtain lemon juice-soaked meat through a predetermined soaking treatment and then cook it under predetermined conditions, as described above. Although the mechanism is not clear, as shown in the examples described later, there is no significant change in the amount of water released after cooking whether or not the above soaking treatment is performed (there is no significant effect on water retention in maintaining the meat after cooking). Therefore, it is presumed that the main factor is that by performing a predetermined soaking treatment with a soaking solution that has a high proportion of straight lemon juice, not only citric acid contained in lemon juice but also other components such as limonene, polyphenols, and vitamin C penetrate the raw meat, and the protein structure changes due to the combined effect of these components.

[0028] Next, the method for producing cooked meat according to the present invention will be described in detail. The method for producing pre-cooked meat according to the present invention comprises at least a soaking step of soaking raw meat in a soaking solution containing 70% or more by volume of straight lemon juice for 0.5 hours or more to obtain lemon juice-soaked meat, and a cooking step of cooking the lemon juice-soaked meat under conditions in which the surface and interior are heated to a temperature equivalent to or greater than 75°C for 1 minute to obtain pre-cooked meat. These steps and other details will be described below.

[0029] <Soaking process> This immersion process involves immersing raw meat in an immersion solution containing 70% or more by volume of straight lemon juice for 0.5 hours or more to obtain lemon juice-immersed meat in which components contained in the straight lemon juice have permeated the meat. This process may be the same as the immersion process in the method for maintaining the tenderness of cooked meat according to the present invention. Therefore, the contents of the immersion solution (percentage of straight lemon juice and other components, etc.), the amount used, and the immersion conditions (time, temperature, etc.) can be the same as those in the embodiments described above in this immersion process.

[0030] <Cooking process> This heating process involves heating the lemon juice-soaked meat under conditions that result in a heating history equivalent to or greater than 75°C for 1 minute on the surface and inside, in order to obtain cooked meat. This process may also be the same as the heating process for maintaining the tenderness of cooked meat according to the present invention. Therefore, the heating conditions (cooking method, holding time, temperature, etc.), heating method, pre-treatment of the lemon juice-soaked meat (seasoning before heating, etc.), seasoning during heating, etc., can also be adopted in this heating process as in the embodiments described above.

[0031] <Holding process> Furthermore, the method for producing pre-cooked meat according to the present invention may include a holding step of holding the pre-cooked meat in an atmosphere with a temperature of 15°C to 35°C for one hour or more. Even after such a holding step, the resulting pre-cooked meat will retain its tenderness. Furthermore, the conditions for this holding process may be to hold the meat in the above atmosphere for 2 hours or more, more precisely, 2.5 hours or more, or even more precisely, 3 hours or more. The upper limit of the holding time is not limited, but from a hygienic standpoint, it may be limited to, for example, 6 hours or less. Furthermore, the relative humidity of the above atmosphere is also not limited, but in the case of holding the meat in an unpackaged state, for example, it is preferable to have an atmosphere with the above temperature and a relative humidity of 30% to 90%. The lower limit of this relative humidity may be 40% or more, and the upper limit may be 80% or less, or even 60% or less. The holding of cooked meat in the method for maintaining the tenderness of cooked meat according to the present invention described above may also be under the same conditions as above.

[0032] Furthermore, the method for producing cooked meat according to the present invention may further include other steps (such as steps commonly used in the production of cooked meat), such as a shredding step for cutting the cooked meat, to the extent that it does not significantly affect the effects of the present invention. These other steps may be performed in conjunction with the immersion step, cooking step, or holding step described above, or they may be separate steps.

[0033] By producing pre-cooked meat in the manner described above, it is possible to obtain pre-cooked meat that maintains its tenderness even when kept in an atmosphere of 15°C to 35°C for more than one hour after cooking (mainly due to suppression of hardening caused by a gradual temperature decrease and prolonged keeping in the above temperature range). Furthermore, it is also possible to produce pre-cooked meat that maintains its tenderness even when kept in the above atmosphere for more than two hours, more than 2.5 hours, or even more than three hours.

[0034] The following describes embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the technical concept of the present invention. [Examples]

[0035] (Example 1) Raw chicken breast (10g x 9 pieces, each piece approximately 25 x 25 mm with a thickness of approximately 20 mm) was soaked in 200 mL of a saturation solution consisting of straight lemon juice (acidity (anhydrous citric acid acidity) 6.5%: Pokka Lemon 100, manufactured by Pokka Sapporo Food & Beverage Co., Ltd.) under refrigerated conditions (4°C) for 120 minutes (2.0 hours). The resulting lemon juice-soaked chicken breast samples were then boiled (at 100±5°C for 4 minutes, under conditions that resulted in a core temperature equivalent to or higher than 75°C for 1 minute) to prepare cooked chicken breast samples (with soaking treatment). For comparison, cooked chicken breast samples were also prepared by boiling raw chicken breast (10g x 1 piece, same size as above) under the same conditions without soaking treatment (without soaking treatment).

[0036] For each sample obtained, the load required to achieve a compressibility of 20% or 60% was measured immediately after boiling (0 hours after cooking), and after 0.5 hours, 1 hour, and 3 hours after boiling, while the unpackaged samples were kept in a constant temperature and humidity chamber (LHL-114, manufactured by Espec) at a temperature of 23°C and a relative humidity of 50%. In addition, the amount of moisture released was also measured for each sample. The load required to achieve a compressibility of 20% or 60%, as well as the amount of moisture released, were measured as follows.

[0037] [Load required to achieve a compressibility of 20% or 60%] For each sample (chicken breast) after boiling (boiling and draining), at each elapsed time, a creep meter (RE2-33005C, manufactured by YAMADEN) was used. A plunger (disc type, No. 2, φ40 mm) was used, positioned so that the axis of the plunger struck approximately perpendicular to the surface of the sample's measurement area and the entire opposing surface of the plunger was in contact with the sample. A load was applied with a plunger speed of 1 mm / sec and an amplifier magnification of 1, and the load (N) required to compress the thickness of the measurement area from its original thickness to a compression ratio of 20% or 60% was measured. Furthermore, the change in load relative to the load after 0 hours (change from 0 hours: ΔN) was also calculated.

[0038] [Moisture release amount] The weight (g) of chicken breast was measured at various time intervals after boiling (boiling and draining), and the difference between this and the weight (g) of chicken breast immediately after boiling (after 0 hours) was defined as the amount of moisture released (g). For each of these, the percentage change relative to the weight of chicken breast immediately after boiling (after 0 hours) was also calculated ((amount of moisture released / weight of chicken breast immediately after boiling) × 100, %).

[0039] These results are shown in Table 1 (load required to achieve a compressibility of 20% or 60%) and Table 2 (amount of water released). These results show that, compared to chicken breast that has not undergone this soaking treatment, soaking raw chicken breast in a predetermined amount of soaking solution followed by predetermined cooking results in the chicken remaining tender even after being held in an atmosphere within a predetermined temperature range for a certain period of time after cooking (hardening of texture is suppressed). Furthermore, it was shown that there was no significant difference in the amount of water released after cooking between the presence and absence of this soaking treatment (it is highly likely that the maintenance of tenderness after cooking is due to a different factor than the maintenance of water retention after cooking). Furthermore, it can be estimated that the same trend will be observed even if the chicken breast meat treated with lemon juice is cooked by grilling or frying under the specified conditions. Moreover, it can be estimated that the same trend will be observed even if the immersion time for obtaining the lemon juice-treated chicken breast meat is changed, as long as the components contained in the straight lemon juice penetrate sufficiently into the meat.

[0040] [Table 1]

[0041] [Table 2]

Claims

1. A method for maintaining the tenderness of cooked meat when it is kept in an atmosphere at a temperature of 15°C to 35°C for one hour or more, The method is characterized by immersing raw meat in a solution containing 70% or more by volume of straight lemon juice for 0.5 hours or more to produce lemon juice-soaked meat, and then cooking the lemon juice-soaked meat under conditions that result in a heating history equivalent to or greater than 75°C for 1 minute on the surface and inside to produce cooked meat. Methods for maintaining the tenderness of cooked meat.

2. The method for maintaining the tenderness of cooked meat according to claim 1, wherein the lemon juice-soaked meat is lemon juice-soaked meat obtained by soaking the raw meat in the soaking solution for 1.0 hour or more.

3. The method for maintaining the tenderness of cooked meat according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the meat is chicken.

4. The method for maintaining the tenderness of cooked meat according to claim 3, wherein the cooked chicken meat is 20 mm thick and boiled at 100 ± 5°C for 4 minutes, and the difference between the load required to compress the thickness of the cooked chicken meat immediately after cooking to a compression ratio of 60% and the load required to compress the thickness of the cooked chicken meat held in an atmosphere at 23°C for 1 hour to a compression ratio of 60% is maintained within 15 N.

5. A method for producing cooked meat, A soaking process to obtain lemon juice-soaked meat by soaking raw meat in a soaking solution containing 70% or more by volume of straight lemon juice for 0.5 hours or more, The process includes a heating step of heating the lemon juice-soaked meat under conditions that result in a heating history equivalent to or greater than 75°C for 1 minute on the surface and inside, in order to obtain cooked meat. A method for producing pre-cooked meat.

6. The method for producing cooked meat according to claim 5, wherein the immersion step is a step of immersing the raw meat in the immersion liquid for 1.0 hour or more to obtain the lemon juice immersed meat.

7. Furthermore, the method for producing cooked meat according to claim 5 or 6, comprising a holding step of holding the cooked meat in an atmosphere with a temperature of 15°C to 35°C for one hour or more.

8. The method for producing cooked meat according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the meat is chicken.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Meat softening agent, meat softening method using the same, and meat with texture softened by the method

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