A gel-like food made from wood ear mushrooms containing vitamin D

Abstract

To provide: a production method of food obtained from Jew's-ear as a raw material, the food containing nutrients including vitamin D as their core part which are not damaged, being used in a wide range of dishes, and not requiring chewing; and the food.SOLUTION: There is provided a production method of a gel-like food of Jew's-ear which comprises reconstituting dried Jew's-ear with water, disrupting the resultant having the reconstituting water without water draining to thereby make the Jew's-ear in a fine particle form, and then carrying out under-pressure high-temperature treatment at an F value of 4 to 20. There is also provided a retort food of gel-like Jew's-ear containing vitamin D.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] By processing wood ear mushrooms into retort pouches, a highly viscous gel-like food can be created while maintaining the high vitamin D content of wood ear mushrooms, which is one of the nutritional characteristics of wood ear mushrooms compared to other foods. [Background technology]

[0002] Wood ear mushrooms are a food ingredient that can be eaten raw or dried and then rehydrated. In recent years, nutritional analysis has progressed and it has become clear that wood ear mushrooms are particularly rich in dietary fiber and vitamin D.

[0003] Because wood ear mushrooms originate from China, they have traditionally been sold primarily in the form of dried wood ear mushrooms. Recently, as wood ear mushroom cultivation has expanded domestically, fresh wood ear mushrooms have become available, and powdered wood ear mushrooms, made by crushing dried wood ear mushrooms, are also becoming available. Fresh wood ear mushrooms are harvested and never dried, resulting in a chewy texture. They are convenient because they do not require soaking before cooking and can be used immediately. In contrast, dried wood ear mushrooms are harvested and dried for long-term storage. They have a crunchy texture compared to fresh wood ear mushrooms. Because they are dried, they require soaking before cooking. Powdered wood ear mushrooms are made by crushing dried wood ear mushrooms into a powder. Because they are crushed into small pieces, they lack the original crunchy texture, but the nutrients of wood ear mushrooms can be absorbed simply by mixing them, making them useful as a nutritional supplement.

[0004] Vitamin D is the collective term for vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol). Vitamin D2 is produced from ergosterol, which is present in plants, by exposure to ultraviolet light, while vitamin D3 is produced from 7-dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC), which is present in animals. Both vitamins are unstable to light, heat, air oxidation, and acid. Salted bonito, monkfish liver, and dried wood ear mushrooms are known to contain large amounts of vitamin D (Non-Patent Document 1: Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan, 2015 Edition (7th Edition)).

[0005] Vitamin D, a nutrient that maintains bone health, has long been thought to be effective against osteoporosis and other conditions, leading to its use in medical treatments (Non-Patent Document 2: Osteoporosis Prevention and Treatment Guidelines 2015 Edition (edited by the Osteoporosis Prevention and Treatment Guidelines Editorial Committee, Japan Osteoporosis Society, Japan Society for Bone and Mineral Research, Osteoporosis Foundation)). In recent years, medical evidence has been accumulating in the fields of cancer and infectious disease research that considers vitamin D essential for maintaining immunity. Other studies have reported its association with the occurrence of vascular diseases and associated mortality rates, its cardiovascular protective effect via the renin-angiotensin system, its role in fall prevention and skeletal muscle function, and its association with immunity and infection defense (Non-Patent Document 3: Oleoscience (Vol. 14, No. 12 (2014) Review, pp. 531-537)). Its association with a wide range of serious diseases, including cancer, infectious diseases, depression, and diabetes, has also been analyzed.

[0006] Furthermore, amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has been occurring on a global scale since the beginning of 2020, there is a widespread demand for medical measures and health management to maintain individual immunity as a countermeasure against infectious diseases. Medical findings from around the world have reported that vitamin D is an important nutrient for maintaining immunity (Non-Patent Document 4: Aging Clin Exp Res. 2020 Jul;32(7):1195-1198).

[0007] As mentioned above, wood ear mushrooms are known to contain relatively high amounts of vitamin D among foods, and are used as an ingredient either raw or dried. However, because both raw and dried versions are solid, they require a fair amount of chewing, making wood ear mushrooms unsuitable as an ingredient for the elderly and young children, who particularly need vitamin D intake, due to their lack of chewing ability and swallowing function. For this reason, there has been a desire to develop a processed food ingredient that does not lose nutrients, especially vitamin D, can be used in a wide range of dishes, and does not require chewing. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0008] [Non-Patent Document 1] Japanese Food Standard Composition Table 2015 Edition (7th Edition) [Non-patent document 2] Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis 2015 Edition (edited by the Committee for the Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis, Japan Osteoporosis Society, Japan Society for Bone and Mineral Research, and Osteoporosis Foundation) [Non-patent document 3] Oleoscience (Vol. 14, No. 12 (2014) Review), 531-537 [Non-patent document 4] Aging Clin Exp Res. 2020 Jul;32(7):1195-1198 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] The present invention aims to provide a food made from wood ear mushrooms, which does not lose nutrients, mainly vitamin D, can be used in a wide range of dishes, and does not require mastication. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention has demonstrated that the above-mentioned problems can be solved by providing a food containing wood ear mushrooms that have been retorted while maintaining a high content of vitamin D. Specifically, the present invention has demonstrated that the above-mentioned problems can be solved by providing a food containing wood ear mushrooms that have been retorted while maintaining a high content of vitamin D, which is edible even for the elderly and infants, by retorting pulverized and gelled wood ear mushrooms.

[0011] More specifically, the present application provides the following aspects to solve the above-mentioned problems: [1]: A method for producing a gelled food product from wood ear mushrooms, which involves soaking dried wood ear mushrooms in water, crushing them together with the soaking water without draining them, and then treating them at high temperature under pressure to an F value of 4 to 20; [2]: The manufacturing method according to [1], which comprises subjecting a high-temperature treatment under pressure at 115°C to 135°C; [3]: The manufacturing method according to [1] or [2], wherein the conditions for the high-temperature treatment under pressure are selected from the following conditions: 10.45 minutes to 52.21 minutes at 115°C, 4 minutes to 20 minutes at 120°C, 1.54 minutes to 7.67 minutes at 125°C, 0.59 minutes (36 seconds) to 2.94 minutes at 130°C, and 0.23 minutes (14 seconds) to 1.13 minutes (1 minute 8 seconds) at 135°C; [4]: The manufacturing method according to [3], wherein the high-temperature treatment under pressure is performed at 120°C for 20 minutes; [5]: The manufacturing method according to any one of [1] to [4], in which the granulation step is carried out once; [6]: The manufacturing method according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the food is in the form of a retort food; [7]: A retort pouched gel-like food made from wood ear mushrooms containing vitamin D; [8]: The retort pouch food described in [7] contains 7.5 μg or more of vitamin D per 100 g of the retort pouch food. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] By producing a wood ear gel food product using the method of the present invention, a wood ear gel food product containing a high content of vitamin D can be provided. This wood ear gel food product can be stored for a long period of time by being produced by high-temperature treatment under pressure, and can be used as an ingredient in a wide range of everyday dishes. At the same time, because it is a gel wood ear food product, it can be eaten by elderly people and young children who have weak chewing and swallowing abilities, allowing them to easily ingest vitamin D. In particular, it can be used as a medical supplementary ingredient, such as in hospital meals and nursing care meals, for elderly people who have difficulty swallowing and who require vitamin D administration. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] As a result of extensive research, the inventors of the present invention have shown that by providing a food containing wood ear mushrooms that have been retorted while maintaining a high vitamin D content, it is possible to provide a food made from wood ear mushrooms that does not lose nutrients, particularly vitamin D, can be used in a wide variety of dishes, and does not require mastication.

[0014] In one aspect, the present invention provides a method for producing a wood ear gel food product, which comprises reconstituting dried wood ear mushrooms with water, crushing them together with the reconstitution water without draining them to form fine grains, and then treating them at high temperature under pressure so that the F value is 4 to 20. The wood ear gel food product produced by the production method of the present invention can be provided as a wood ear gel food product while maintaining a high content of vitamin D contained in the dried wood ear mushrooms used as the raw material.

[0015] In conventional food manufacturing methods using high-temperature processing under pressure, ingredients are generally washed and cooked, then packed and infused into packages, which are then degassed and sealed, and then sterilized by high-temperature processing under pressure (retort sterilization).When wood ear mushrooms were used as the raw material to produce wood ear mushroom food using the conventional food manufacturing method using high-temperature processing under pressure, it was found that a significant loss of vitamin D was found in the final wood ear mushroom food product.

[0016] In response to this, the inventors of the present invention discovered that when dried wood ear mushrooms are subjected to the above-mentioned high-temperature treatment under pressure to produce a wood ear gel food product, a large amount of vitamin D contained in the dried wood ear mushrooms is released into the rehydration water when the dried wood ear mushrooms are rehydrated with water, even though vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. Based on this finding, one characteristic step of the present invention is to use the rehydrated dried wood ear mushrooms together with the rehydration water in the subsequent cooking step without draining them. By adopting this step, vitamin D that would have been released from the wood ear mushrooms and wasted during the rehydration step can be retained in the food.

[0017] Therefore, the method for producing a wood ear gel food of the present invention is characterized by a step of reconstituting dried wood ear mushrooms with water, and then grinding them with the reconstitution water without draining them to granulate the wood ear mushrooms. Since the risk of losing nutritional value increases with each repetition of this granulation step, it is preferable to granulate the wood ear mushrooms as few times as possible. In the present invention, the granulation step is characterized by being performed once.

[0018] The inventors of the present invention further discovered that, although vitamin D is relatively resistant to high-temperature and high-pressure conditions during the high-temperature treatment under pressure that is performed to produce the wood ear gel food of the present invention, vitamin D is lost from the wood ear food when the conditions of the high-temperature treatment under pressure become severe. More specifically, the inventors of the present invention discovered that vitamin D loss from wood ear gel food can be suppressed by achieving a maximum F value of 20 or less while satisfying the condition of high-temperature treatment under pressure of 4 or more required by the Food Sanitation Act. Based on this finding, one characteristic step of the present invention is to perform high-temperature treatment under pressure so that the F value is 4 to 20. By employing this step, vitamin D that would have been lost during the high-temperature treatment under pressure can be retained in the gel food.

[0019] Therefore, the method for producing a gelled wood ear food product of the present invention is characterized by carrying out a step of treating a food material containing wood ear mushrooms sealed in a package at high temperature under pressure to an F value of 4 to 20. Here, the F value is a value obtained by converting the sterilization effect in all heating steps from temperature increase to temperature decrease into the sterilization effect at 120°C. In the specifications and standards for retort sterilized foods, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare stipulates that when foods with a pH exceeding 5.5 and a water activity exceeding 0.94 are retort sterilized, the food's core temperature should be 120°C for 4 minutes or more (F value 4), or by a method with an equivalent or greater effect. The F value is calculated using the following formula:

[0020]

number

[0021] (Here, t is the heating time; Z is the temperature increase required to reduce the sterilization time to 1 / 10 of the initial number of Clostridium botulinum bacteria; and T is the core temperature of the food used for sterilization.) It can be calculated according to the formula:

[0022] According to the above formula, for example, the following conditions can be selected as lower limit conditions for an F value of 4: approximately 10.45 minutes at a temperature of 115°C, 4 minutes at a temperature of 120°C, approximately 1.54 minutes at a temperature of 125°C, approximately 0.59 minutes (approximately 36 seconds) at a temperature of 130°C, and approximately 0.23 minutes (approximately 14 seconds) at a temperature of 135°C. The following conditions can be selected as upper limit conditions for an F value of 20: approximately 52.21 minutes at a temperature of 115°C, 20 minutes at a temperature of 120°C, approximately 7.67 minutes at a temperature of 125°C, approximately 2.94 minutes at a temperature of 130°C, and approximately 1.13 minutes (approximately 1 minute 8 seconds) at a temperature of 135°C. Any temperature and time conditions between these lower and upper limit conditions may be used. The present invention is characterized in that when high-temperature treatment under pressure to give an F value of 4 to 20 is carried out, the high-temperature treatment under pressure can be carried out at 115°C to 135°C, preferably 120°C.

[0023] When the high-temperature treatment under pressure is carried out at 115°C to 135°C and the conditions are set so that the F value is 4 to 20, the heating time for the high-temperature treatment under pressure is as follows.

[0024] [Table 1]

[0025] That is, the temperature during high-temperature treatment under pressure is If you select 115°C, you can set the time between approximately 10.45 minutes (high-temperature processing time under pressure for F value = 4) and approximately 52.21 minutes (high-temperature processing time under pressure for F value = 20). If you select 120°C, you can set the time between 4 minutes (high-temperature processing time under pressure until F value = 4) and 20 minutes (high-temperature processing time under pressure until F value = 20). If you select 125°C, you can set the time between approximately 1.54 minutes (high-temperature processing time under pressure for F value = 4) and approximately 7.67 minutes (high-temperature processing time under pressure for F value = 20). If you select 130°C, you can set the time between approximately 0.59 minutes (approximately 36 seconds) (high-temperature processing time under pressure for F value = 4) and approximately 2.94 minutes (high-temperature processing time under pressure for F value = 20). If you select 135°C, you can set the time between approximately 0.23 minutes (approximately 14 seconds) (high-temperature processing time under pressure for F value = 4) and approximately 1.13 minutes (approximately 1 minute 8 seconds) (high-temperature processing time under pressure for F value = 20). The temperature and time conditions can be selected arbitrarily within these ranges. For example, but not limited to, when the temperature during high-temperature treatment under pressure is 120°C as in the production examples in the Examples, 20 minutes (F value = 20) can be selected.

[0026] The packaging form of the wood ear mushroom food of the present invention may be any form that can withstand high-temperature treatment under pressure, such as canned, bottled, or retort-packaged food. These packaging forms can be selected depending on the intended use, and the retort-packaged form is preferred when, for example, considering the convenience of reheating at the time of consumption or the reduction of weight during transportation.

[0027] In another aspect, the present invention also provides a retort pouched wood ear mushroom food product produced by the method for producing a wood ear mushroom gel. The wood ear mushroom gel food product produced by the method of the present invention can be provided as a wood ear mushroom gel food product while maintaining a high vitamin D content that was contained in the dried wood ear mushroom as the raw material.

[0028] As mentioned above, in conventional food manufacturing methods using high-temperature processing under pressure, ingredients are generally washed and cooked, then packed into packages and filled with liquid, which are then degassed and sealed, and then sterilized by high-temperature processing under pressure (retort sterilization).However, when wood ear mushroom foods were manufactured using the conventional food manufacturing method using high-temperature processing under pressure, it was found that a significant amount of vitamin D was lost in the final wood ear mushroom food product.

[0029] In contrast, the wood ear food produced by the production method of the present invention can suppress the loss of vitamin D during the production process, and is therefore characterized as a wood ear retort food containing vitamin D. In the present invention, "containing vitamin D" means that the wood ear retort food contains 7.5 μg or more of vitamin D, preferably in the range of 7.5 μg to 20 μg, per 100 g.

[0030] In this retort pouch food, the raw material, wood ear mushroom, is reconstituted with water, then granulated with the reconstituted water and subjected to high-temperature treatment under pressure. The granulation process increases the viscosity and allows the wood ear mushroom to function as a natural thickener. As a result, the final wood ear mushroom food product is gel-like overall, making it suitable for consumption by the elderly and young children who have difficulty chewing and swallowing.

[0031] Therefore, the retort pouched food product of the present invention has the advantage that even elderly people and young children who have weak chewing and swallowing abilities can easily ingest vitamin D. In particular, it can be used as a medical supplementary food ingredient, such as in hospital food or nursing care food, for elderly people who have difficulty swallowing and who need vitamin D from the perspective of bone metabolism.

[0032] The present invention will be specifically illustrated by the following examples, which are not intended to limit the present invention in any way. [Example]

[0033] Example 1: Example of manufacturing retort food using wood ear mushroom as raw material In this example, a production test was carried out with the aim of producing a retort pouch food product using wood ear mushrooms as a raw material that does not lose the vitamin D contained in wood ear mushrooms.

[0034] The raw material, wood ear mushrooms (100 g) grown and dried by Haruka International Co., Ltd., were used. The wood ear mushrooms were rehydrated in 1000 ml of water for 24 hours. The rehydrated wood ear mushrooms were then placed in a blender (eDLC-N10J2PS, manufactured by Cuisinart) along with the rehydration water, and pulverized at 1500-1800 rpm for approximately 20 seconds.

[0035] 400 g of granulated wood ear mushrooms were placed in a retort pouch bag and subjected to high-temperature treatment at 120°C for 20 minutes using a high-temperature treatment device (hot water retort sterilizer, manufactured by Hisaka Seisakusho Co., Ltd.). After the retort treatment was completed, the retort pouch containing the granulated wood ear mushrooms was returned to room temperature and stored.

[0036] Retort food was produced twice under the above manufacturing conditions, and gel-like foods containing wood ear mushrooms were successfully produced. The vitamin D content of each retort food sample was then measured (Japan Food Research Laboratories, a general incorporated foundation).

[0037] The results of the analytical tests on the two samples confirmed that sample 1, a retort food, contained 7.5 μg of vitamin D per 100 g, and sample 2, a retort food, contained 17.6 μg of vitamin D.

[0038] Comparative Example 1: Comparative Example of Retort Food Using Wood Ear Fungus as a Raw Material In this example, a comparative production test was carried out on retort pouch foods using wood ear mushrooms as a raw material.

[0039] The raw material, wood ear mushrooms (Agaricaceae), were cultivated by Haruka International Co., Ltd. and dried and processed. 100 g of wood ear mushrooms were used. These wood ear mushrooms were rehydrated in 1000 ml of water for 24 hours. The water was then separated from the rehydrated wood ear mushrooms, and fresh water was added to the extracted wood ear mushrooms to make a total of 1100 g. This was then placed in a mixer (DLC-N10J2PS, Cuisinart) and pulverized at 1500-1800 rpm for approximately 20 seconds.

[0040] 400 g of granulated wood ear mushrooms were placed in a retort pouch bag and subjected to high-temperature treatment at 120°C for 20 minutes using a high-temperature treatment device (hot water retort sterilizer, manufactured by Hisaka Seisakusho Co., Ltd.). After the retort treatment was completed, the retort pouch containing the granulated wood ear mushrooms was returned to room temperature and stored.

[0041] Retort food was produced under the above manufacturing conditions, and a gel-like food containing wood ear mushrooms was produced. The vitamin D content of the retort food samples was then measured (Japan Food Research Laboratories, a general incorporated foundation).

[0042] As a result of the analytical test of the samples, it was confirmed that the retort food produced under the conditions of this comparative example did not contain vitamin D.

[0043] Comparative Example 2: Comparative Example of Retort Food Using Wood Ear Fungus as a Raw Material In this example, a comparative production test was carried out on retort pouch foods using wood ear mushrooms as a raw material.

[0044] The raw material, wood ear mushrooms (100 g) grown and dried by Haruka International Co., Ltd., were used. The wood ear mushrooms were rehydrated in 1000 ml of water for 24 hours. The rehydrated wood ear mushrooms were then placed in a blender (DLC-N10J2PS, Cuisinart) along with the rehydration water, and pulverized for approximately 20 seconds at 1500-1800 rpm.

[0045] 400 g of granulated wood ear mushrooms were placed in a retort pouch bag and subjected to high-temperature treatment at 120°C for 30 minutes using a high-temperature treatment device (hot water retort sterilizer, manufactured by Hisaka Seisakusho Co., Ltd.). After the retort treatment was completed, the retort pouch containing the granulated wood ear mushrooms was returned to room temperature and stored.

[0046] Retort food was produced under the above manufacturing conditions, and a gel-like food containing wood ear mushrooms was produced. The vitamin D content of the retort food samples was then measured (Japan Food Research Laboratories, a general incorporated foundation).

[0047] As a result of the analytical test of the samples, it was confirmed that the retort food produced under the conditions of this comparative example did not contain vitamin D. [Industrial Applicability]

[0048] By producing a gel-like wood ear food product using the method of the present invention, it is possible to provide a gel-like wood ear food product containing a high content of vitamin D. This wood ear food product can be stored for a long period of time by being produced by high-temperature treatment under pressure, and can be used as an ingredient in a wide range of everyday dishes. At the same time, because it is a gel-like wood ear food product, it can be eaten by elderly people and young children who have weak chewing and swallowing abilities, allowing them to easily ingest vitamin D. In particular, it can be used as a medical supplementary ingredient, such as in hospital meals and nursing care meals, for elderly people who have difficulty swallowing and who require vitamin D administration.

Claims

1. The dried wood ear mushroom is reconstituted in water, and crushed together with the reconstituted water without draining the water to make the wood ear mushroom into fine particles. Then, the wood ear mushroom is crushed by the following formula: [Equation 1] (Here, t is the heating time (unit: minutes); Z is the temperature rise required to reduce the sterilization time to 1 / 10 of the initial number of Clostridium botulinum bacteria, where Z = 12°C; and T is the core temperature of the food used for sterilization.) A method for producing a gelled food product from wood ear mushrooms, which involves high-temperature treatment under pressure at T = 115 to 135°C so that the F value calculated based on the above is 4 to 20.

2. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the conditions for the high-temperature treatment under pressure are selected from the following ranges: 10.45 minutes to 52.21 minutes at 115°C, 4 minutes to 20 minutes at 120°C, 1.54 minutes to 7.67 minutes at 125°C, 0.59 minutes (36 seconds) to 2.94 minutes at 130°C, and 0.23 minutes (14 seconds) to 1.13 minutes (1 minute 8 seconds) at 135°C.

3. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the high-temperature treatment under pressure is carried out at 120°C for 20 minutes.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the step of granulation is carried out once.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the food is in the form of a retort food.

6. A retort pouched gel-like food made from wood ear mushrooms (excluding snow ear mushrooms) containing vitamin D.

7. 7. The retort pouch food according to claim 6, which contains 7.5 μg or more of vitamin D per 100 g of the retort pouch food.

Images