Concentrated seasoning composition

Abstract

To provide a concentrated seasoning composition that is less prone to flavor degradation during long-term storage.SOLUTION: The inventive concentrated seasoning composition contains tamarind and has a moisture content of less than 10 mass%.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a concentrated seasoning composition, and particularly to a concentrated seasoning composition with improved storage stability.

Background Art

[0002] Tamarind is an evergreen tall tree of the genus Tamarind in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae of the legume family, and particularly refers to its sweet and sour fruits. Tamarind is often used in Indian cuisine as a seasoning that imparts an acidic flavor (Non-Patent Document 1). On the other hand, it is not known to incorporate tamarind into concentrated seasoning compositions such as roux.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0003]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In concentrated seasoning compositions such as roux that impart a fruity flavor with mango catsup or apple paste, the flavor deteriorates during storage. Therefore, when using a concentrated seasoning composition after a lapse of time since its production, it is not possible to impart sufficient flavor to the prepared dish. Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a concentrated seasoning composition in which the deterioration of flavor during long-term storage is suppressed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] As a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, the present inventors have found that by incorporating tamarind into a concentrated seasoning composition, it is possible to suppress the decline in the fruity flavor in the dishes prepared using it even after a lapse of time since its production, and have completed the present invention. That is, the present invention provides the concentrated seasoning composition shown below. 〔1〕A concentrated seasoning composition containing tamarind and having a water content of less than 10% by mass. 〔2〕The concentrated seasoning composition according to 〔1〕above, wherein the tamarind is a heat-concentrated product of tamarind fruit. 〔3〕The concentrated seasoning composition according to 〔1〕or 〔2〕above, wherein the tamarind is tamarind paste. 〔4〕The concentrated seasoning composition according to any one of 〔1〕to 〔3〕above, wherein the soluble solid concentration (Brix) of the tamarind is 60% or more. 〔5〕The concentrated seasoning composition according to any one of 〔1〕to 〔4〕above, wherein the content of the tamarind is 5% by mass or less based on the total mass of the concentrated seasoning composition. 〔6〕The concentrated seasoning composition according to any one of 〔1〕to 〔5〕above, which is in the form of a paste.

Advantages of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, by blending tamarind in the concentrated seasoning composition, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the fruity flavor in the dishes prepared using the composition even after a lapse of time after production. Therefore, it is possible to provide a concentrated seasoning composition with improved storage stability.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0007] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail. The "concentrated seasoning composition" described in this specification refers to a cooking ingredient that contains a plurality of seasonings combined. By adding the concentrated seasoning composition to cooked or stir-fried ingredients such as meat and vegetables, various dishes can be easily prepared. For example, using 1 part by mass of the concentrated seasoning composition, a dish of about 5 to about 50 parts by mass or about 10 to about 50 parts by mass can be prepared. The water content of the concentrated seasoning composition of the present invention is less than about 10% by mass, preferably about 1 to about 5% by mass, more preferably about 1.5 to about 3% by mass, based on the total mass of the concentrated seasoning composition. The water content of the concentrated seasoning composition can be measured by a method commonly employed in the art. For example, the water content can be measured by the atmospheric pressure heating drying method (drying temperature: 105 °C, drying time: 16 hours).

[0008] In a typical example, the concentrated seasoning composition of the present invention is in the form of roux. The "roux" described in this specification is a cooking ingredient having a heat-treated mixture of a starchy raw material and fats and oils as a basic constituent, and is a cooking ingredient used when cooking curry, stew, hayashi rice sauce, hash brown beef, soup, and other various sauces, or a combined seasoning (menu seasoning) used to cook a desired vegetable dish containing a plurality of seasonings. The form of the roux is not particularly limited as long as it is commonly employed in the art. For example, it may be in the form of a block (solid roux), flakes, granules, powder, or paste.

[0009] The concentrated seasoning composition of the present invention contains tamarind. The tamarind can be in the form of a seasoning prepared from the fruit and can be incorporated into the concentrated seasoning composition without particular limitation as long as it is commonly used in the art. For example, the tamarind may be a heat-concentrated product of the tamarind fruit or tamarind paste (sometimes also called tamarind extract). Without being bound by a specific theory, it is considered that the tamarind imparts a fruity flavor to the concentrated seasoning composition, and the tamarind gum contained therein contributes to the stabilization of flavor components in the composition.

[0010] The soluble solid content (Brix) of the tamarind is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, about 60% or more, or about 65% or more. Generally, raw materials with a high Brix and a low water content are suitable for producing seasonings or foods with a low water activity. In particular, when the concentrated seasoning composition of the present invention is an oily composition with a low water content (for example, when the oil and fat content is about 20% by mass or more), it is preferable that the amount of water brought in by the raw materials is also small. The content of the tamarind is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, about 5% by mass or less, or about 2% by mass or less, or about 0.05% by mass or more, or about 0.1% by mass or more, based on the total mass of the concentrated seasoning composition. When the tamarind is blended in such an amount, a fruity flavor well-balanced with acidity can be imparted to the dishes prepared from the concentrated seasoning composition.

[0011] The concentrated seasoning composition of the present invention can be produced by any method commonly used in the art. For example, when the concentrated seasoning composition is in the form of roux, a mixture of a starchy raw material and oil and fat is heated while stirring to prepare a heat-treated mixture such as wheat flour roux, and other raw materials including the tamarind are appropriately added thereto. After heating the mixture while stirring, the target roux may be produced through steps such as a cooling step, a filling step, and a solidification step. The "starchy raw material" described in this specification refers to a food raw material mainly composed of starch. The starchy raw material is not particularly limited as long as the concentrated seasoning composition can be produced, and may be, for example, at least one selected from the group consisting of starches such as wheat starch, corn starch, rice starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, tapioca starch, waste starch, and processed starch, and flours such as wheat flour, corn flour, rice flour, rye flour, buckwheat flour, millet flour, sorghum flour, adzuki bean flour, and foxtail millet flour. The content of the starchy raw material is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, about 20 to about 50% by mass, preferably about 25 to about 40% by mass, based on the total mass of the concentrated seasoning composition.

[0012] As used herein, the term "oil and fat" refers to natural or processed oils and fats for food use. As the oil and fat, those commonly used in the art can be adopted without particular limitation. For example, the oil and fat may be at least one selected from the group consisting of animal fats such as butter, beef tallow, and lard, vegetable fats such as margarine, palm oil, cottonseed oil, and corn oil, hardened oils thereof, and mixed oils thereof. The melting point of the oil and fat is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected to produce the roux of the desired shape. For example, for producing a solid concentrated seasoning composition, an oil and fat with a melting point of 35°C or higher is preferred. The content of the oil and fat is not particularly limited. For example, it may be about 20% by mass or more, preferably about 30% to about 40% by mass, based on the total mass of the concentrated seasoning composition.

[0013] The concentrated seasoning composition of the present invention may further contain any food raw material and / or any additive commonly used in the art, as long as the object of the present invention is not impaired, or may further contain other additives effective for enhancing the storage stability. The any food raw material and / or the any additive are not particularly limited. For example, they may include aqueous raw materials, powder raw materials (including dextrin), spices, seasonings, emulsifiers, thickeners, antioxidants (such as vitamin C and vitamin E), flavors, sweeteners, colorants, or acidulants. In other words, the concentrated seasoning composition can contain the any food raw material and / or the any additive according to the type of the target dish.

[0014] Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described by way of examples, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Examples

[0015] 〔Production Example〕 26 parts by mass of wheat flour and 26 parts by mass of edible oil (solid oil at normal temperature) were put into a heating kettle, heated and stirred, and wheat flour roux was prepared by a conventional method. This wheat flour roux was mixed with the remaining raw materials (including the remaining edible oil) described in Table 1 below and heat-treated to prepare a molten roux. The molten roux was cooled, filled into a container, and further cooled and solidified to prepare a block-shaped solid roux. When the moisture content of each solid roux was measured by the normal pressure heating drying method (drying temperature: 105 °C, heating time: 16 hours), it was about 3% in each case.

[0016]

Table 1

[0017] 〔Test Example〕 50 parts by mass of solid roux and 300 parts by mass of hot water were put into a heating kettle and boiled to prepare a curry sauce. The fruity flavor of the prepared curry sauce was evaluated by 5 panelists according to the following criteria, and the scores of each panelist were averaged. Also, the solid roux was stored under the conditions of a temperature of 35 °C and a humidity of 85%, and the same test was conducted 2 months later, 3 months later, or 4 months later. The results are shown in Table 2. 5: Strongly feel the fruity flavor (Example 1 before storage) 4: Do not feel the fruity flavor as strongly as "5", but feel the fruity flavor 3: Slightly feel the fruity flavor 2: Hardly feel the fruity flavor (Comparative Example 4 after 2 months) 1: Do not feel the fruity flavor at all

[0018]

Table 2

[0019] When using the solid roux before storage, a fruity flavor could be strongly felt in any curry sauce. However, for solid roux containing mango chutney or apple paste, which have conventionally been known as raw materials for roux, as time passed after their preparation, the fruity flavor of the curry sauce prepared from the solid roux decreased (Comparative Examples 1 to 4). On the other hand, for solid roux containing tamarind paste, even after time passed after its preparation, the curry sauce prepared from the solid roux maintained a good fruity flavor. Also, from the results of this storage test (accelerated test), the expiration dates of each solid roux were determined to be 24 months for Examples 1 and 2, 18 months for Comparative Example 1, and 12 months for Comparative Examples 2 to 4.

[0020] From the above, it was found that by blending tamarind into the concentrated seasoning composition, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the fruity flavor in the dishes prepared using it even after time has passed after its preparation. Therefore, it becomes possible to provide a concentrated seasoning composition with improved storage stability.

Claims

1. A concentrated seasoning composition containing 5% by mass or less of tamarind and having a water content of less than 10% by mass, wherein the tamarind is a heat-concentrated product of tamarind fruit or tamarind paste.

2. The concentrated seasoning composition according to claim 1, wherein the soluble solid concentration (Brix) of the tamarind is 60% or more.

3. The concentrated seasoning composition according to claim 1 or 2, which is in the form of a paste.

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