Soy protein-containing, packaged, pressurized, heat-sterilized food and its manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a packaged, pressurized, thermal-sterilized food that achieves reduction in a discomfort flavor peculiar to soybean protein.SOLUTION: A method for producing a packaged, pressurized, thermal-sterilized food includes the steps of blending a food containing soybean protein with 0.1-3 mass% of an organic acid and / or a salt thereof and 0.005-0.1 mass% of an antioxidant and heating the blended food at a temperature of 100-130°C for 5-60 minutes.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a container-packed, pressure-heat sterilized food containing soy protein, with a reduced unpleasant flavor characteristic of soy protein.

Background Art

[0002] Soy protein is a vegetable protein that can be consumed even by vegetarians and is an excellent protein source as an alternative to animal protein. Food and drink products for protein supplementation are also used. Granular soy protein has a structured meat-like shape and has conventionally been used as a substitute for livestock meat in cooked foods such as hamburgers and mapo tofu that use minced meat.

[0003] However, soy protein has an unpleasant odor characteristic of protein, so-called soy odor, and its smell is enhanced by heating. In container-packed, pressure-heat sterilized foods, the heat load is large, and the soy odor becomes even stronger. The soy odor has a problem of impairing the taste of cooked foods and lowering the quality. In particular, the green odor of the soy odor is attributed to n-hexanal, and the fatty acid odor is attributed to linoleic acid.

[0004] Regarding the soy odor, methods of masking it with fragrances, spices, tomato processed products, polyphenols extracted from tea, etc., and / or reducing the odor of soy protein itself are known. (Patent Documents 1, 2) However, in both cases, the effect of reducing the soy odor in container-packed, pressure-heat sterilized foods is not sufficient, and there is also a problem that the flavor of the added material itself for masking affects the sensory properties of soy protein-containing foods.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a container-packed pressurized heat-sterilized food containing soy protein with reduced soybean odor and improved taste.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In the study for solving the above problems, it was found that the soybean odor, which was conventionally considered to be one, can be divided into the top flavor felt immediately after starting to eat the food and the flavor remaining after swallowing (aftertaste). From this, it was found that a synergistic effect of reducing soybean odor can be obtained by combining the reduction of the top flavor and the reduction of the flavor remaining later. By suppressing the soybean odor from the time of putting it in the mouth until after swallowing, it is possible to enjoy the deliciousness of the food itself without being conscious of eating soy protein. The problem is solved by adding an antioxidant that reduces the top flavor, an organic acid and / or its salt that reduces the flavor remaining later, to a container-packed pressurized heat-sterilized food containing soy protein. Thus, the container-packed pressurized heat-sterilized food containing soy protein according to the present invention is characterized by blending an organic acid and / or its salt and an antioxidant. At this time, the concentration of the organic acid and / or its salt is preferably 0.1 to 3% by mass in the food. Also, the concentration of the antioxidant is preferably 0.005 to 0.1% by mass in the food. More preferably, gluconic acid and / or gluconate is used as the organic acid and / or its salt, and vitamin E is used as the antioxidant. Also, a method for producing a container-packed pressurized heat-sterilized food according to another invention is the production method described above, and includes a component-containing step of containing an organic acid and / or its salt, an antioxidant, and soy protein in the food, and a heating step of heating at a heating temperature of 100 to 130°C for 5 to 60 minutes after the component-containing step. At this time, as a pretreatment of soy protein, it is preferable to add a boiling step of boiling with an organic acid solution and then a washing step of performing water washing.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it contains soy protein, allows for the intake of vegetable protein, reduces the soybean odor from the beginning to the end, and does not impair the original taste of the food. Furthermore, the influence on the taste by the materials added for masking purposes is relatively small, and a quality without off-flavors can be maintained.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] The soy protein used in the present invention shall be those among those defined in the "Japanese Agricultural and Forestry Standards for Vegetable Protein" (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Notification No. 1684 of July 17, 2012) whose main raw material is soybeans or defatted soybeans. For example, "New Fujinic", "Vegetex" manufactured by Fuji Oil Co., Ltd., "New Soymie", "New Comitex" manufactured by Nisshin Oillio Group Co., Ltd., etc. can be mentioned. Also, for granular soy protein, it is desirable to provide a boiling step of boiling as a pretreatment. More preferably, it is boiled at 90°C or higher for 3 minutes or more using 10 times or more the amount of water of the dry granular soy protein. The boiling treatment can also remove the components causing the soybean odor, and an effect of reducing the soybean odor can be expected.

[0010] The water used for the above boiling can be made into an organic acid solution by adding an organic acid. When adding an organic acid, it is desirable to adjust so that the pH of the liquid after boiling becomes 5.7 or less, and to provide a washing step of washing with water after boiling. By lowering the pH, excessive water absorption of the granular soy protein can be prevented, a firm and more meat-like texture can be obtained, and furthermore, the shape can be maintained. Also, by providing the washing step, the sour taste can be suppressed. Examples of the organic acid include gluconic acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, malic acid, etc. Among them, it is desirable to use gluconic acid which is less likely to feel sour. The blending amount of soy protein in the container-packaged pressurized-heated sterilized food of the present invention is desirably 10 to 90% by mass in the rehydrated state, or 2 to 30% by mass in the dry state.

[0011] The concentration of the organic acid and / or its salt is 0.1 to 3% by mass, more preferably 0.5 to 2% by mass, in the food. If it is too much, it may affect the taste. Gluconic acid is desirable as the organic acid, and examples of the gluconate include sodium gluconate, potassium gluconate, calcium gluconate, etc. The concentration of the antioxidant is 0.005 to 0.1% by mass, preferably 0.02 to 0.08% by mass, more preferably 0.03 to 0.05% by mass, in the food. Even if added in excess, the effect will not increase significantly. Examples of the antioxidant include vitamin E, vitamin C, rosemary extract, catechin, etc., and vitamin E is preferably used. The above vitamin E is preferably solubilized in water by emulsification or the like in order to act uniformly on soy protein. For example, extracted vitamin E emulsion (manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation) etc. may be mentioned.

[0012] The container-packed pressure-heat sterilized food of the present invention is defined in the "Standards for Foods, Additives, etc." (Ministry of Health and Welfare Notification No. 370 of 1959), and regarding the conditions for pressure-heat sterilization, it is stipulated that "for container-packed pressure-heat sterilized foods whose pH exceeds 4.6 and whose water activity exceeds 0.94, the method of heating the central part at 120° for 4 minutes or a method having an efficacy equal to or higher than this" is defined. In particular, those treated at 120°C or higher with a large heat load have a great effect. Examples of the container-packed pressure-heat sterilized food include retort foods (curry, pasta sauce, base for mapo tofu, etc.), canned foods, and foods pressure-heat sterilized using a non-light-shielding pouch. The above food can also mask the bitter taste peculiar to protein by adding sweeteners such as saccharin and thaumatin. Furthermore, in addition to soy protein, other vegetable proteins, livestock meat, and seafood can be used in combination. Test Examples

[0013] Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with test examples. However, these test examples are merely illustrative for explanation, and the present invention is not limited by these in any way.

[0014] (Test Example 1) Examination of Reduction of Soybean Odor by Masking Materials of Granular Soybean Protein To confirm the effect of reducing soybean odor, various masking materials were added and sensory evaluation was carried out. 150 g of a seasoning liquid (a mixed solution of 7% by mass of soy sauce, 2% by mass of sugar, and 1% by mass of monosodium glutamate (MSG)) containing 10% by mass of dry granular soybean protein (New Fujinic BSN manufactured by Fuji Oil Co., Ltd.) was filled into a retort pouch, and the masking materials described in Table 1 were added respectively (component-containing step), and retort sterilization treatment was carried out at 125°C for 20 minutes (heating step).

[0015]

Table 1

[0016] The obtained evaluation samples were warmed by pouring hot water, and sensory evaluation was carried out by 5 trained in-house panelists. The evaluation was carried out by absolute evaluation of "the intensity of soybean odor" and "the influence of the masking material on the taste". For "the intensity of soybean odor", those with a large reduction were marked as ◎, those with a reduction were marked as ○, those with a slight reduction were marked as △, and those with no change were marked as ×. For "the influence of the masking material on the taste", those with no influence on sensory and appearance were marked as ◎, those with almost no influence were marked as ○, those with a slight influence were marked as △, and those with a large influence were marked as ×.

[0017] The results are shown in Table 2.

Table 2

[0018] As a result, "1 Sodium Gluconate" was listed as the most preferable overall. In the case of sodium gluconate, the effect of reducing the soybean odor remaining later was particularly strongly felt. For "2", "3", "4", "5", and "7", the influence on the taste of the material itself was felt.

[0019] (Test Example 2) Examination of the Appropriate Amount of Sodium Gluconate The amount of sodium gluconate was changed, and the masking effect on soybean odor and its influence on taste were evaluated. 150 g of a seasoning liquid (a mixed solution of 7% by mass of soy sauce, 2% by mass of sugar, and 1% by mass of MSG) containing 10% by mass of granular soy protein in a dry state (New Fujinic BSN manufactured by Fuji Oil Co., Ltd.) was filled into a retort pouch, and sodium gluconate was added at 0, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 5% by mass, respectively, followed by retort sterilization at 125°C for 20 minutes.

[0020] (Test Example 1) Evaluation was carried out in the same manner. The influence on taste was that the "strength of soybean odor" was greater than the "influence of the masking material on taste", and a comprehensive evaluation emphasizing the evaluation result of the "strength of soybean odor" was carried out and scored. The score was out of 5 points, with a preferable one being 5 points and an unpreferable one being 0 points. The evaluation results are shown in Table 3.

Table 3

[0021] The higher the amount of sodium gluconate, the more the masking effect was felt, but the influence on taste also increased. When the amount exceeded 3% by mass, there was a risk of impairing the original taste, and it was confirmed that if it was 2% by mass or less, the influence on taste was not significant. Although the soybean odor was sufficiently masked by the addition of gluconic acid, a slight soybean odor was felt in the aftertaste.

[0022] (Test Example 3) Study on reducing soybean odor with antioxidants in granular soy protein The cause of the green odor of soybean odor is n-hexanal, and the cause of fatty acid odor is linoleic acid. It is presumed that the components generated by the oxidation of fatty acids contribute to soybean odor. For the purpose of suppressing the oxidation of components derived from soy protein by heating, appropriate antioxidants were studied. 150 g of a seasoning liquid (a mixed solution of 7% by mass of soy sauce, 2% by mass of sugar, and 1% by mass of MSG) containing 10% by mass of granular soy protein in a dry state (New Fujinic BSN manufactured by Fuji Oil Co., Ltd.) was filled into a retort pouch, and the antioxidants described in Table 4 were added respectively, followed by retort sterilization treatment at 125°C for 20 minutes. For the vitamin E emulsion, a preparation with a vitamin E content of 20% by mass was used, and the same vitamin E emulsion was used for the tests below.

[0023]

Table 4

[0024] (Test Example 1) Evaluation was carried out in the same manner. The results are shown in Table 5.

Table 5

[0025] Overall, the preferable ones were found to be "2 Vitamin E emulsion" and "6 Japanese plum extract preparation". For "2", the top aroma was significantly reduced, while for "6", an overall reduction effect was felt, and overall, "6" had the most obvious effect. Also, since "2" was an emulsion, some turbidity was observed. For "1", "3", and "4", the influence of the raw material itself on the taste such as sourness and bitterness was felt.

[0026] (Test Example 4) Examination of the combined use of masking materials and antioxidants Since masking materials and antioxidants are considered to reduce the soybean odor by different mechanisms, the combined effect was confirmed. 150 g of a seasoning liquid (a mixed solution of 7% by mass of soy sauce, 2% by mass of sugar, and 1% by mass of MSG) containing 10% by mass of granular soy protein in a dry state (New Fujinic BSN manufactured by Fuji Oil Co., Ltd.) was filled into a retort pouch, and a masking material and an antioxidant described in Table 6 were added respectively, followed by retort sterilization treatment at 125°C for 20 minutes. For the vitamin E emulsion, a preparation with a vitamin E content of 20% by mass was used, so the vitamin E content was 0.04% by mass.

[0027]

Table 6

[0028] (Test Example 1) was evaluated in the same manner. The influence on taste was that the "strength of soybean odor" was greater than the "influence of the masking material and antioxidant on taste", and a comprehensive evaluation emphasizing the evaluation result of the "strength of soybean odor" was carried out and scored. The score was out of 5 points, with the preferred ones being 5 points and the non-preferred ones being 0 points. The results are shown in Table 7.

Table 7

[0029] It was confirmed that using a masking material and an antioxidant in combination has a greater effect than using them individually. Furthermore, when combined with sodium gluconate, the vitamin E emulsion achieved a greater effect than the Japanese quince extract preparation, which was the most effective when used alone. By combining vitamin E, which greatly reduces the top note of the soybean odor, and sodium gluconate, which reduces the remaining aroma, a synergistic effect was obtained. Moreover, since the effects of these materials on the taste are small, a sample with a good taste and few off-flavors and off-odors that does not impair the quality of the food itself was obtained overall. Regarding the Japanese quince extract, it is considered to have been the most effective in the single-ingredient evaluation because it was effective in both the top flavor and the remaining flavor. However, by combining vitamin E, which has a great effect on reducing the top flavor, and sodium gluconate, which has a great effect on reducing the remaining flavor, it became possible to obtain an effect of greatly reducing the soybean odor throughout compared to the Japanese quince extract.

[0030] (Test Example 5) Examination of Boiling Treatment as a Pretreatment Gluconic acid, an organic acid, was added to a solution for boiling granular soy protein to obtain an organic acid solution, and a boiling step of boiling treatment was performed, followed by washing with water (washing step). Thereafter, the yield measurement and sensory evaluation after retort sterilization were performed. 30 g of dry granular soy protein (New Fujinic BSN manufactured by Fuji Oil Co., Ltd.) was boiled for 10 minutes in gluconic acid aqueous solutions of various concentrations (organic acid solutions) brought to a boil (boiling step), and then washed with water (washing step). The ratio to the dry granular soy protein was 1:10. Thereafter, 150 g of a seasoning liquid containing 40% by mass of the boiled granular soy protein (in the seasoning liquid: a mixed solution of 7% by mass of soy sauce, 2% by mass of sugar, and 1% by mass of MSG) was filled into a retort pouch and subjected to retort sterilization treatment at 125°C for 20 minutes.

[0031] The results are shown in Tables 8 and 9. The texture similar to meat was rated as ◎, the texture slightly similar to meat was rated as ○, the texture slightly different from meat was rated as △, and the texture completely different from meat was rated as ×.

Table 8

Table 9

[0032] It was confirmed that as the pH after boiling treatment approached around 4.5, the isoelectric point of soy protein, the yield after boiling treatment decreased and the water absorption amount decreased. The same result was obtained for the yield after retort sterilization. In terms of sensory evaluation, the texture was firmer as the yield was lower. Compared with the texture of wheat gluten-like products boiled without adding organic acids, it was good as a meat substitute. Also, in terms of appearance, there was little collapse and the shape could be maintained. However, as the addition amount of organic acid increased, acidity remained, which might affect the taste of the food. Therefore, by performing water rinsing with running water for 30 minutes after boiling treatment, the influence of acidity could be reduced while maintaining the texture.

[0033] (Test Example 6) Verification in retort foods (curry, meat sauce) Retort foods were produced using the present invention and sensory evaluations were conducted. As menu items for evaluation, curry and meat sauce were selected as those produced in large quantities as retort foods. The evaluation was carried out by comparative evaluation between (1) "verification products" produced using the present invention and (2) "comparative products" not using the present invention. The conditions of (1) and (2) are described in Table 10. In the production, livestock meat was not used. For each of (1) and (2), 150 g of curry and meat sauce were filled into retort pouches and subjected to retort sterilization treatment at 125°C for 20 minutes to obtain evaluation samples.

[0034]

Table 10

[0035] In both the curry and meat sauce, in the group where sodium gluconate and vitamin E were added, the soybean odor was significantly reduced compared to the group without addition, and it was confirmed that a good flavor was achieved. Not only in curry where a masking effect by spices can be expected, but also in meat sauce, since the effect of reducing the soybean odor was felt, it was confirmed that the invention can be applied to various foods. The influence of sodium gluconate and vitamin E on the taste was also slight and did not inhibit the original taste of the curry and meat sauce. Further, by boiling treatment with a gluconic acid solution, the shape of the granular soy protein was maintained and the appearance was also good, and furthermore, it did not become too soft and the texture was favorable. As described above, by adding sodium gluconate and vitamin E to food, and in addition, boiling the granular soy protein in an organic acid solution (boiling step) and performing a water exposure treatment (water washing step), it was confirmed that an unpleasant flavor derived from soy protein can be suppressed, and a retort food containing granular soy protein with a favorable flavor and excellent appearance and texture can be obtained.

Claims

1. A container-packaged, pressurized, and heated sterilized food containing granular soy protein, the food comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of gluconic acid, sodium gluconate, potassium gluconate, and calcium gluconate ...

2. A method for producing a container-packaged, pressurized and heat-sterilized food as described in claim 1, comprising an ingredient-containing step of containing at least one selected from the group consisting of gluconic acid, sodium gluconate, potassium gluconate and calcium gluconate, as well as vitamin E and granular soy protein in the food, and a heating step of heating the food at a heating temperature of 100 to 130°C for 5 to 60 minutes after the ingredient-containing step.

3. A method for producing a containerized, pressurized, and heated sterilized food as described in claim 2, which includes a boiling process in which granular soy protein is boiled in a gluconic acid solution as a pretreatment of the granular soy protein, followed by a water washing process in which the granular soy protein is washed with water.

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