Liquid food composition for container transportation

Abstract

To prevent the putrefaction and solid-liquid separation of a liquid food composition due to microorganisms, which are generated during its distribution and preservation by a container for liquid transportation.SOLUTION: An organic acid and sodium chloride in a liquid food composition are adjusted to specific levels, and preferably, its viscosity is also adjusted to a fixed value, so that generation of mold can be prevented even when it is preserved for a long time at normal temperature.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for improving a liquid food composition that can be distributed and stored at room temperature in a container without special equipment by appropriately adjusting the components of the composition, for a liquid food composition that is prone to spoilage by microorganisms and solid-liquid separation when stored in a container or a tank truck.

Background Art

[0002] Fermentation starters and fermentation flavorings (hereinafter referred to as fermentation starters), which are auxiliary raw materials for bakery products, are fermented foods mainly made by fermenting cereal flours such as wheat flour and rye flour with yeast and lactic acid bacteria, and are mass-produced by some raw material manufacturers having fermentation technology. Since these products exhibit a liquid to semi-solid state at room temperature, when distributed refrigerated or at room temperature, they are filled and packaged in plastic bottles or bag-in-boxes sized from 1 kg to 20 kg and transported. The merit of using a bag-in-box for the packaging material of the fermentation starter is that when the entire amount of one case cannot be used up, the air in the inner bag can be evacuated for anaerobic storage for the amount used, preventing spoilage by aerobic microorganisms such as mold. Also, even if solid-liquid separation occurs in the liquid product during storage, it can be returned to a homogeneous state for use by tilting and mixing the entire inner bag. However, when the amount of bread produced is large, the labor of opening each package during bread making and the unnecessary packaging materials require box dismantling work and sorting work, including issues that need to be improved in terms of labor shortage and industrial waste reduction.

[0003] Regarding the above problems, Patent Document 1 discloses problems and solutions in live yeast rather than fermentation starters. In this document, live yeast is not made into a product shape in which the cells are compression-molded, called a conventional yeast cake, but is dispersed in an appropriate amount of charged water to be prepared into a cream yeast state, filled into a transportable storage tank that can replace a container, and distributed. As a result, special processing paper for yeast cake packaging and packaging operations are not required, and resource conservation and industrial waste reduction can be improved. However, even when the property is cream yeast, refrigerated storage is necessary, and sedimentation of the cells also occurs over time, so a transportable storage tank equipped with an inlet, an outlet, a charging port, an air purification means, a temperature control means, and a stirring means was required. Patent Document 2 also discloses a method for supplying and distributing liquid yeast, but it is necessary to construct various automatic supply systems between yeast suppliers and consumers, and a large-scale capital investment is required.

[0004] Bread manufacturers using cream yeast and liquid yeast do not necessarily have factories or production lines suitable for transportable storage tanks or automatic supply systems, so a more versatile distribution form is required. For example, it is desirable that products do not deteriorate and can be stored even in containers with a capacity of 100 L or more that do not have temperature control means or stirring means.

[0005] When the fermentation starter is circulated and stored at room temperature in a liquid transport container, the amount of the fermentation starter in the container decreases by the amount used in bread production, so a space is created inside. The liquid surface of the fermentation starter becomes an aerobic environment, which promotes the generation and growth of contaminated mold. Also, depending on the type of fermentation starter, since the water content contained is high, solid-liquid separation occurs after long-term storage. However, since it cannot be easily toppled and mixed like the inner bag of a bag-in-box, it is necessary to take out a stirrer or the like before use to eliminate the solid-liquid separation. Among these solutions, it is considered that improving the properties of the fermentation starter itself is the most versatile, and a fermentation starter with high mold resistance and no solid-liquid separation even when stored at room temperature has been demanded.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to prevent the quality degradation of products that occurs incidentally when supplying a fermentation starter to a baker using a container for liquid transportation. The quality degradation in this case refers to solid-liquid separation and mold spoilage that occur during storage, and even when the container for liquid transportation does not have air purification means, temperature control means, stirring means, etc., it is to prevent these quality degradations from occurring.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] As a result of intensive studies on solving the above problems, the present inventors have found a method that can prevent mold spoilage even during storage at room temperature by adjusting the organic acid and salt in the fermentation starter to a certain concentration. In addition, by adjusting the viscosity of the fermentation starter with an insoluble solid content of a certain concentration or more to a certain value, a method has been found in which solid-liquid separation does not occur for a long time, and the present invention has been achieved.

[0009] That is, the present invention provides (1) A liquid food composition suitable for storage at room temperature in a container for liquid transportation, containing 10% by weight or more of insoluble solids, 0.5% by weight or more of salt, and 0.5% by weight or more of organic acid. (2) The liquid food composition according to (1) above, wherein the viscosity of the liquid food composition is 1000 cp or more. (3) A method for stably storing the liquid food composition according to (1) or (2) above in a container for liquid transportation.

Effects of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, by adjusting the organic acids and salt in the fermentation starter to a certain concentration and further adjusting the viscosity to a certain value as needed, it is possible to prevent solid-liquid separation and mold spoilage even when stored at room temperature without deterioration of the product quality, and to supply the fermentation starter in a liquid transport container.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail. Container transportation in the present invention refers to a distribution form in which, when food raw materials are delivered from a raw material manufacturer to a processing manufacturer, containers or tank lorries are used instead of plastic bottles or bag-in-boxes. The liquid transport container of the present invention is a container for transporting a liquid food composition. When a processing manufacturer orders a liquid food composition, the raw material manufacturer can fill the composition into the container and deliver the whole container to the processing manufacturer as it is. Until the next order arrives, the liquid transport container can also be used as a liquid storage container at the manufacturing site of the processing manufacturer. At the next delivery, a new liquid food composition can be filled into another container and continuously managed by replacing it with the first used and emptied container. Similarly, in the case of a tank lorry, the tank used for production at the raw material manufacturer can be directly transported as a tank lorry and adapted to the same distribution form as container transportation.

[0012] The container for liquid transportation in the present invention is food-grade, excellent in cleanability, chemical resistance, durability, recyclability, corrosion resistance, heat resistance, strength, etc. The material is not particularly selected, but it is preferably made of polypropylene, polyethylene, SUS, etc. There is no limit on the size, but for plastic bottles and bag-in-boxes, a capacity of 15 L or more, which is difficult to transport, is required, and the upper limit is not particularly selected. When transporting a capacity of 0.5 tons or more, it is also possible to use a transport tanker. In addition, the container for liquid transportation has at least one filling port and at least one discharge port for filling or discharging the liquid food composition. The filling port is preferably provided with a freely openable cap or the like to prevent foreign matter from entering except when filling the liquid food composition. The discharge port preferably has a valve with a cock or a discharge hose or the like that can adjust the flow rate of the discharged liquid, or a discharge port that can be attached in a detachable state.

[0013] The liquid food composition in the present invention is a food composition that is liquid to semi-solid and has fluidity at normal temperature or refrigeration. Examples include liquid seasonings, liquid seasonings with ingredients, paste-like seasonings such as mayonnaise and tomato ketchup, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, non-alcoholic beverages, soups, miso soup, milk beverages, dairy products, lactic acid bacteria beverages, fermented milk, fermented starters, etc. Preferably, it is a fermented starter.

[0014] In the present invention, normal temperature means a temperature range in which the liquid food composition does not freeze or evaporate, and food materials, fermentation metabolites, enzymes, useful microorganisms, etc. do not volatilize, undergo browning, thermal denaturation, inactivation, and death. It is 1°C or more and less than 55°C, and more preferably 10°C or more and 40°C or less.

[0015] In the present invention, static storage means storing the liquid food composition without mixing it by stirring or tumbling mixing, etc., except when taking out the liquid food composition from the discharge port of the container or tanker, and storing it in a certain state for 3 days or more and less than 6 months.

[0016] The fermented starter in the present invention is a fermented food obtained by using cereal flour, vegetables, fruits, milk or dairy products, or a combination of two or more of these as a fermentation substrate and fermenting with yeast or lactic acid bacteria, or two or more kinds of these microorganisms. The fermented starter is often used as an auxiliary raw material for bread, and as an additive effect, it is expected to improve the quality of bakery products such as flavor imparting, texture modification, shelf life improvement, and improvement of the extensibility of bakery dough, and also to improve workability during production. The bakery products described here are processed products mainly made from starchy raw materials and manufactured by heat treatment such as baking, frying, steaming, or baking, and examples include breads, dried bread products, cakes, waffles, shu, donuts, fried confectioneries, pies, pizzas, crepes, etc. Examples of breads include meal bread (e.g., sandwich bread, rye bread, French bread, dry bread, variety bread, roll bread, croissant, etc.), cooking bread (e.g., hot dog, hamburger, sandwich, curry bread, pizza pie, etc.), sweet bread (e.g., jam bread, anpan, cream bread, raisin bread, melon bread, sweet roll, brioche, Danish, corona, etc.), steamed bread (e.g., meat bun, Chinese bun, anman, steamed bun, etc.), special bread (e.g., grissini, muffin, pizza dough, nan, etc.). Examples of dried bread products include rusks and breadcrumbs. Examples of cakes include steamed cakes, sponge cakes, butter cakes, roll cakes, hot cakes, dorayaki, busse, Baumkuchen, pound cakes, cheesecakes or snack cakes, etc.

[0017] The cereal flour used for the fermentation starter of the present invention can be exemplified by flour prepared by grinding cereals, the endosperm of cereals, or the endosperm with germ and epidermis attached. The cereals described herein include wheat, rice (polished rice, glutinous rice), barley, rye, corn, millet, sorghum, and adzuki bean, etc. Examples of cereal flour include wheat flour (e.g., strong flour, semi-strong flour, medium flour, weak flour, whole grain flour, etc.), rice flour (newly milled flour, high-quality flour, mochi rice flour, white rice flour, brown rice flour, etc.), barley flour, rye flour (whole rye flour or finely ground, medium ground, coarsely ground, stone-ground peeled rye), corn flour, millet flour, sorghum flour, adzuki bean flour, etc. When the cereal flour used in the invention is wheat flour, it may be any one or more of strong flour, semi-strong flour, medium flour, weak flour, and whole grain flour. When fermenting with yeast and lactic acid bacteria, medium flour or weak flour is preferred, and weak flour is more preferred, for reasons such as workability and quality stability. These cereal flours may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.

[0018] The vegetables or fruits used for the fermentation strain of the present invention can include, for example, purees or pastes obtained by simply crushing vegetables or fruits, and fruit juices from which peels, seeds, etc. have been removed. Furthermore, as fruit juices, straight juices obtained by crushing and squeezing, concentrated juices (purees, pastes) obtained by concentrating straight juices, and reduced juices of concentrated juices can also be exemplified. The vegetables described herein include Solanaceae vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplants, bell peppers, green peppers, and potatoes; Apiaceae vegetables such as carrots, celery, ashitaba, and parsley; Brassicaceae vegetables such as cabbages, red cabbages, mibuna (petite veal), Chinese cabbages, bok choy, daikon radishes, kale, cress, komatsuna, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, wasabi, and mustard; Chenopodiaceae vegetables such as spinach and beets; Asteraceae vegetables such as lettuce, shungiku, salad turnips, burdock, and mugwort; Alliaceae vegetables such as onions, garlic, and leeks; Cucurbitaceae vegetables such as pumpkins, cucumbers, and bitter gourds; Fabaceae vegetables such as kidney beans, broad beans, fava beans, and edamame; Amaranthaceae vegetables such as amaranth, asparagus, ginger, sweet potatoes, purple sweet potatoes, perilla, red perilla, and corn, etc. Fruits include citrus fruits such as lemons, oranges, navel oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, limes, sudachi, yuzu, shikuwasa, and tankan; fruits such as apples, plums, peaches, cherries, apricots, plums, prunes, kumquats, pears, European pears, loquats, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, currants, cranberries, blueberries, melons, watermelons, kiwifruits, pomegranates, grapes, bananas, guavas, acerolas, pineapples, mangoes, passion fruits, and raisins, etc. These vegetables or fruits can be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.

[0019] The milk or dairy products used for the fermentation strain of the present invention include raw milk, cow milk, special milk, raw goat milk, pasteurized goat milk, raw ewe milk, partially skimmed milk, skimmed milk, processed milk, cream, cream cheese, butter, cheese, concentrated whey, whipped cream, condensed milk, skimmed condensed milk, unsweetened condensed milk, unsweetened skimmed condensed milk, sweetened condensed milk, sweetened skimmed condensed milk, whole milk powder, cream powder, whey powder, buttermilk powder, sweetened whole milk powder, prepared milk powder, milk beverage, skimmed milk powder, protein concentrated whey powder, casein calcium, casein sodium, casein potassium, casein magnesium, whey protein concentrate, total milk protein, etc. These milk or dairy products may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.

[0020] The lactic acid bacteria used in the fermentation strain of the present invention are not particularly limited as long as they can grow well and ferment when using cereal powder, vegetables or fruits, milk or dairy products alone or in combination as a substrate. For example, Enterococcus durans, Lactobacillus alimentarius, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus delburueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus farciminis, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus fructivorans, Lactobacillus gallinarum, Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus namurensis, Lactobacillu paralimentarius, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rossiae, Lactobacillus salivarius, Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis, Leuconostoc citreum, Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp.Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Weissella cibaria, Weissella confusa, Weissella paramesenteroides, Pediococcus argentinicus, Pediococcus inopinatus, Pediococcus pentosaceus, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, etc. These lactic acid bacteria may be used alone or in combination of two or more species.

[0021] The yeast used in the fermentation species of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it can grow well and ferment when using cereal flour, vegetables or fruits, milk or dairy products alone or in combination as a substrate. For example, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces rosei, Saccharomyces chevalierii, Saccharomyces florentinus, Saccharomyces exiguous, Saccharomyces bailii, Kluyveromyces lactis, Torulaspora delbrueckii, Candida utilis, Candida kefir, etc. These yeasts may be used alone or in combination of two or more species.

[0022] The insoluble solids in the present invention refer to the components that constitute the precipitate when the liquid food composition undergoes solid-liquid separation. For example, when the liquid food composition is a fermentation starter, the outer skin of the cereal flour used as a fermentation substrate, starch before heat puffing, gluten, the peel or seed coat of vegetables or fruits, etc. correspond to such components. The insoluble solids contained in the liquid food composition have no concentration limit as long as they do not inhibit the growth or fermentation of lactic acid bacteria or yeast, but preferably are 10% or more and 75% or less, more preferably 20% or more and 60% or less, and even more preferably 30% or more and 50% or less. When the concentration is lower than 10%, the components corresponding to the fermentation substrate used for the growth of microorganisms also decrease, so the growth of lactic acid bacteria or yeast is likely to be abnormal. Also, when the concentration is higher than 75%, the osmotic pressure in the liquid food composition increases, inhibiting the growth of lactic acid bacteria or yeast. When measuring the insoluble solids of the liquid food composition, a certain amount (Ag) of the composition is weighed into a centrifuge tube, solid-liquid separation is performed with a centrifuge, and the centrifugal precipitate is recovered and dried, and the dried product is taken as the insoluble solids (Bg). The insoluble solids concentration is determined by the following formula. Insoluble solids concentration = B(g) / A(g) × 100 (%)

[0023] The salt in the present invention may be included as a raw material of the liquid food composition or may be separately attached. When the concentration in the liquid food composition is less than the concentration required for spoilage inhibition, the component adjustment may be performed to achieve the target concentration. In the present invention, it is adjusted to contain 0.5% by weight or more, preferably 1.0% by weight or more of salt. In the present invention, there is no upper limit to the salt content, but from the viewpoints of the flavor and productivity of the food to which the composition is added, less than 15% by weight is desirable. When the liquid food composition is a fermentation starter and the fermentation starter is added to bread, the amount of salt contained in the fermentation starter is subtracted from the amount of salt originally added to the bread, and the shortage is added during the preparation of the bread dough. However, when the salt content becomes 15% by weight or more, the adjustment of the addition amount as described above becomes difficult and the salt becomes excessive. Also, it inhibits the growth of baker's yeast contained in the bread dough and becomes a factor in volume reduction.

[0024] The organic acids in the present invention are preferably organic acids and their salts accumulated in the liquid food composition in fermentation using lactic acid bacteria or yeast. For example, lactic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, gluconic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, malic acid, etc. and their salts can be mentioned. Preferably, lactic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, malic acid, more preferably acetic acid, citric acid, and even more preferably acetic acid. When the concentration of the organic acid produced by the above microorganisms is less than the concentration required for inhibiting spoilage in the liquid food composition, the component adjustment may be performed so as to reach the target concentration. The organic acid contained in the liquid food composition of the present invention may be an organic acid that is a fermentation metabolite produced by the above microorganisms, or an organic acid contained in a food material or a food additive may be separately added and used. In the present invention, when salt is included, it is adjusted to contain an organic acid. The organic acid is adjusted to contain 0.5% by weight or more of that measured by the following method. Although there is no upper limit to the organic acid content, from the viewpoints of the flavor and productivity of the food to which the composition is added, less than 25% by weight is desirable. When the liquid food composition is a fermentation starter and the fermentation starter is added to bread, if the organic acid concentration becomes 25% by weight or more, not only the flavor balance of the bread is disrupted, but also the bread dough sags and cannot be molded, or the growth of baker's yeast is inhibited, which becomes a factor in volume reduction.

[0025] In the present invention, when a fermentation starter is used in the liquid food composition, after the fermentation is completed, the composition may be subjected to organic acid composition analysis by high performance liquid chromatography (hereinafter referred to as HPLC) to confirm the concentration of the organic acid contained in the composition. An example of the analysis method is to weigh a liquid food composition solution diluted 5 times with distilled water into a centrifuge tube and perform solid-liquid separation with a centrifuge. To 1 mL of the centrifuged supernatant, 20 μL of 20% methyl sulfosalicylic acid is mixed, and after protein removal, centrifuged, and the centrifuged supernatant is filtered through a disk filter with a pore size of 0.45 μm, and the filtrate is subjected to HPLC analysis. HPLC analysis conditions Shimadzu Prominence Organic Acid Analysis System Separation column: Shim-pack SCR-102H Mobile phase: p-toluenesulfonic acid (9.51 g / 100 ml) Buffer: p-Toluenesulfonic acid (9.51 g / 100 ml), Bis-Tris (41.85 g / 100 ml), EDTA-2Na (0.29 g / 100 ml) Flow rate: 0.8 ml / min Column oven: 40 °C Detector: Conductivity detector

[0026] The liquid food composition in the present invention may also be used as a food composition that can impart multiple additive effects when used in combination with other food additives or food materials. Examples of food additives or food materials that can be used in combination with the composition include, for example, monoglycerin fatty acid ester, calcium stearoyl lactate, sodium stearoyl lactate, wheat gluten, corn starch, modified dextrin, xylanase, wheat starch, dextrin, processed oil, palm hardened oil, sucrose fatty acid ester, sorbitan fatty acid ester, diacetyl tartaric acid monoglyceride, propylene glycol, guar gum, tricalcium phosphate, α-amylase, β-amylase, glucose oxidase, hemicellulase, protease, potato starch, corn starch, salt, vitamin E, L-ascorbic acid, vitamin C, carotene pigment, lecithin, enzymatically decomposed lecithin, sodium caseinate, D-sorbitol, yeast extract, cystine, dietary fiber, wheat flour, lipase, phospholipase, etc.

[0027] As a liquid food composition used in the present invention, for example, in the case of a fermentation starter obtained by fermenting a cereal flour with lactic acid bacteria using the cereal flour as a fermentation substrate, 50 - 500 parts by weight of water and 0.001 - 20 parts by weight of a lactic acid bacteria starter or lactic acid bacteria fermentation broth are added to 100 parts by weight of the cereal flour, mixed, and fermented. Since the viscosity with respect to water varies depending on the type of cereal flour used, the blending ratio of the cereal flour and water is adjusted as appropriate according to the desired properties. Also, the lactic acid bacteria to be used may be selected from bacterial species or strains that can metabolize the cereal flour used as a nutrient source, and the addition amount, fermentation temperature, and fermentation time can be adjusted according to their growth characteristics. The maintenance of the fermentation temperature only requires equipment that can control a constant temperature. For small-scale production, an incubator or a constant temperature water bath may be used, and in the case of industrial-scale production, a fermentation tank with a temperature control function can be used. Also, depending on the characteristics of the lactic acid bacteria used in the fermentation starter, any of static culture, agitation culture, or intermittent agitation culture can be performed. When performing agitation culture on a small scale, a stirrer or the like can be used, and in industrial-scale production, a tank equipped with agitation blades is preferably used. When using a substrate other than cereal flour, it can be produced in the same manner. Also, in the case of a fermentation starter fermented with yeast, the raw material blending of the fermentation starter, the method for selecting the yeast bacterial species or strain, the fermentation conditions, and the production method conform to the selection criteria of the above lactic acid bacteria.

[0028] In the case where the liquid food composition in the present invention is a fermentation starter, the criterion for the end of fermentation is confirmed by measuring the pH value and acidity. The method for measuring the pH value follows the glass electrode method. The ranges of both measured values of the fermentation starter in the present invention are pH 2.5 - 5.5 and acidity 2 - 30 (mL / 10g·0.1N-NaOH).

[0029] When measuring the viscosity of the liquid food composition in the present invention, any one of a rotational viscometer (B-type or E-type), a capillary viscometer, a falling ball viscometer, a vibrating viscometer, a rheometer, and a rheology spectrometer may be used. The measurement method may be, for example, adjusting the composition to room temperature (25°C) using a constant temperature bath or the like, weighing the composition in a certain volume into a 300 mL beaker or the like after the product temperature becomes uniform, and measuring the value when the value stabilizes with a B-type rotational viscometer as the measured value. In the present invention, the viscosity of the liquid food composition is preferably 1000 cp or more. More preferably, it is 1400 cp or more, and particularly preferably 1500 cp or more.

[0030] In the present invention, the method of adding the liquid food composition to the food is not particularly limited. For example, it may be added as part of the raw material when manufacturing the food, or it may be added after being mixed with other raw materials. The timing of addition is not particularly limited, and preferably, in terms of ease of making food, it is added before or during the mixing of the raw materials.

[0031] In the present invention, the presence or absence of mold spoilage can be visually confirmed by directly sowing a mold spore dilution solution into the liquid food composition so that it becomes 10 2 CFU / g with respect to the food composition after storage at room temperature. In addition, in order to confirm the occurrence of mold that cannot be visually confirmed, a test medium or a measurement kit may be used. The mold can reproduce its growth by storing the mold capable of growing in the composition in a constant temperature bath set at 25°C. The method for evaluating spoilage is to periodically observe the evaluation sample stored in a constant temperature bath at 25°C visually.

[0032] In the present invention, the presence or absence of solid-liquid separation may be determined by allowing the liquid food composition to stand and store at room temperature (for example, 25°C) until the insoluble components contained in the composition precipitate and separate into a lower layer and an aqueous layer composed of a water-soluble component and water, etc., or by accelerating the separation with a centrifuge. The evaluation can be made by comparing the volume of the aqueous layer part or putting it in a graduated container, etc., and comparing it by the thickness of the aqueous layer part.

Examples

[0033] The present invention will be specifically described below using Examples and Comparative Examples. Note that the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0034] When a liquid food composition is stored at room temperature and left standing in a container for liquid transportation, conventionally, solid-liquid separation and spoilage by microorganisms have occurred, resulting in a deterioration in the quality of the composition. Methods for suppressing these quality deteriorations will be described as <Example 1> Examination of a method for suppressing mold spoilage and <Example 2> Examination of a method for suppressing solid-liquid separation.

[0035] <Example 1> Examination of a method for suppressing mold spoilage For the liquid food composition, a fermentation starter obtained by fermenting wheat flour with lactic acid bacteria was used. When this composition is stored at room temperature and left standing under aerobic conditions, mold, which is an aerobic microorganism, is likely to occur. To suppress mold spoilage, salt, organic acid, and ethanol were used, and the spoilage suppression effect was examined.

[0036] (Method for adjusting the fermentation starter) The raw materials and formulation of the fermentation starter are shown in Table 1. Wheat flour, sugar, and water were weighed into a 3 L stainless steel beaker, mixed, and then a lactic acid bacteria fermentation broth was added, followed by culturing in a thermostatic bath at 30 °C for 24 hours. As the lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis isolated from bread starter was used. The pH and acidity after fermentation were 3.6 and 11.0 (0.1N-NaOH mL / 10 g), respectively. In addition, to confirm whether there was a difference in the speed of solid-liquid separation and the way of spoilage between the container and the laboratory-level container, the fermentation starter was also adjusted in a 500 L tank with the same raw materials and formulation ratio, and the storage state in terms of the container size was observed. It was confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography that when the fermentation starter was cultured under the above culture conditions, it contained 0.7 mass% of lactic acid and 0.3 mass% of acetic acid in the fermentation starter.

[0037]

Table 1

[0038] (Method for adjusting components of fermentation starter) Salt, organic acid, and ethanol were mixed with the above fermentation starter according to Tables 2 and 3 respectively to obtain samples for evaluation. Food-grade salt and organic acid were used, and acetic acid was used as the organic acid. Reagent-grade ethanol was used.

[0039]

Table 2

[0040]

Table 3

[0041] (Mold test) As the mold, Penicillium roqueforti which was confirmed to grow on the fermentation starter was used, and inoculated into the fermentation starter so that the inoculum level became 10 2 CFU / g. It was stored in a thermostat set at 25°C for 6 months.

[0042] (Method for evaluating mold-induced spoilage) The samples for evaluation stored in a thermostat at 25°C and a 500 L tank adjusted to 25°C were observed visually at regular intervals to check for the presence or absence of mold growth. Also, every month, the presence or absence of mold growth that could not be visually confirmed was checked using Compact Dry YM (Nissui Pharmaceutical).

[0043] (Results) The presence or absence of mold growth is shown in Tables 4 and 5. It was shown that the fermentation starter could suppress mold growth under the storage conditions of 25°C for 2 months by mixing 0.5% salt and 0.5% or more acetic acid, or 4% salt and 1.5% or more ethanol. However, increasing the salt concentration could not suppress mold growth, and a combination of organic acid and salt could suppress mold growth with low concentrations of salt and organic acid. Also, there was no difference in mold growth between the laboratory-level evaluation samples and the samples adjusted in a 500 L tank.

[0044]

Table 4

[0045]

Table 5

[0046] <Example 2> Examination of the Method for Suppressing Solid-Liquid Separation (Example 2-1) A certain amount of fermentation starters with different viscosities were weighed into mayonnaise jars and stored statically at room temperature (25°C) for 1 month, and then the state of solid-liquid separation was observed. As the fermentation starters, Sourdough Direct 25, Sourdough Moist, Poolte RT100, Poolte Van Strain, Poolte Apple Strain, Poolte Cold Ripened Strain (all of the above are manufactured by Mitsubishi Corporation Life Sciences Ltd.) and Prototype A were used. The viscosity of each fermentation starter, the thickness of the aqueous layer of solid-liquid separation, and the insoluble solid content concentration (%) were measured.

[0047] (Results) The results of Example 2-1 are shown in Table 6. It was shown that the lower the viscosity, the thicker the aqueous layer tended to be, and the higher the viscosity, the less solid-liquid separation occurred.

[0048]

Table 6

[0049] (Example 2-2) A certain amount of fermentation starters with different viscosities were weighed into centrifuge tubes and centrifuged with a centrifuge (500 rpm, 1 - 60 minutes). The centrifugation time and the thickness of the centrifuged supernatant after solid-liquid separation were measured and compared as an accelerated test of solid-liquid separation that occurs spontaneously under static storage.

[0050] (Results) The results of Example 2-2 are shown in Table 7. For fermentation seeds with a viscosity of 1000 cp or less, the thickness of the aqueous layer tended to increase as the centrifugation time increased, and no solid-liquid separation occurred when the viscosity was 1000 cp or more. From this, it was shown that solid-liquid separation could be prevented by maintaining the viscosity at 1000 cp or more.

[0051]

Table 7

[0052] (Example 2-3) From the results of Example 2-1 and Example 2-2, it was considered that solid-liquid separation could be prevented by adjusting the viscosity to 1000 cp or more regardless of the substrate and formulation used for the fermentation seed. Therefore, the viscosity of the prototype B with a viscosity of 360 cp was gradually adjusted with a thickener, and the presence or absence of solid-liquid separation was confirmed by storing it at room temperature (25°C). The type of thickener was not particularly selected, but xanthan gum was used in this example.

[0053] (Results) The results of Example 2-3 are shown in Table 8. By adjusting the viscosity of the fermentation seed with a viscosity of 1000 cp or less to 1000 cp or more with a thickener, it was possible to store it without solid-liquid separation even after 2 months of storage at room temperature.

[0054]

Table 8

[0055] From the results of (Example 2-1) to (Example 2-3), it was possible to store the fermentation seed homogeneously without solid-liquid separation even after storage at room temperature for 2 months by adjusting the viscosity to 1000 cp or more. Furthermore, it was found that no solid-liquid separation occurred even after 6 months at room temperature by adjusting the viscosity to 1400 cp or more.

Industrial Applicability

[0056] As described above, according to the present invention, when the fermentation starter, which is a raw material for bakery products, is stored at room temperature under aerobic conditions, mold grows on the liquid surface and solid-liquid separation occurs. However, by adding organic acids and salt at appropriate concentrations, the occurrence of mold can be suppressed, and by adjusting the viscosity to 1000 cp or more with a thickening agent or the like, the suppression of solid-liquid separation can be achieved. Such storage conditions are likely to occur when a liquid food composition is distributed in a container or the like, and by adjusting as described above, it is possible to distribute without special equipment.

Claims

1. A fermentation starter for a liquid transport container suitable for storage at room temperature in a liquid transport container, containing 35% by weight or more and 60% by weight or less of insoluble solids, 0.5% by weight or more of sodium chloride, and 1.5% by weight or more of the total of lactic acid and acetic acid, and having a viscosity of 1160 cp or more.

2. A method for preventing solid-liquid separation and mold-induced spoilage in a liquid transport container by making the fermentation starter contain 35% by weight or more and 60% by weight or less of insoluble solids, 0.5% by weight or more of sodium chloride, and 1.5% by weight or more of the total of lactic acid and acetic acid, and having a viscosity of 1160 cp or more.

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