Frozen scallops

Abstract

To provide a frozen marine product which is excellent in freshness in comparison with conventional ones.SOLUTION: A frozen marine product production method according to the present application includes the steps of: culturing a marine product; packaging an edible part of the marine product after culturing; and using saturated salt water to freeze the packaged edible part together with its packaging material. A frozen marine product production system according to the present application includes a culturing tank which cultures a marine product; a packaging machine which packages the marine product after culturing; and a freezing machine which freezes the packaged marine product together with its packaging material. A frozen marine product according to the present invention is a frozen edible part of a marine product, with the K value of the edible part after thawing, as measured by high performance liquid chromatography, of 20% or less.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention is scallop Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] A known method for producing frozen seafood is the method for producing frozen scallops (Patent Document 1). In this method, frozen scallops are produced through the following steps: discarding one half of the scallop shell, removing the roe from the flesh adhering to the other half of the shell, separating the flesh from the other half of the shell, washing the peeled flesh and immersing it in seawater for several hours, immersing one half of the shell in chlorine water followed by rinsing under running water and draining, immersing the peeled flesh and the other half of the shell in chlorine water to sterilize them again, placing the peeled flesh on the other half of the shell to combine them, flash-freezing the scallops using a refrigerant such as liquid nitrogen, glazing them, and storing them frozen at -30°C or below. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 3-254632 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the method of Patent Document 1 has the drawback that it is difficult to maintain freshness during the process because it involves many steps before freezing, such as washing the peeled meat and one half of the shell separately and then placing the peeled meat on top of the other half of the shell to combine them.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the problem to be solved is to provide a frozen seafood product that is superior in freshness to conventional frozen seafood products. scallop The purpose is to provide [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] [Frozen seafood manufacturing method] The frozen seafood production method of the present application is a method for producing frozen seafood by freezing seafood, and includes the steps of raising the seafood, packaging the edible portions of the seafood after raising, and freezing the packaged edible portions together with the packaging material using saturated salt water.

[0007] In this application, "marine products" refers to plants and animals that live in the sea, including shellfish, fish, and seaweed. "Raising" refers to the short-term cultivation of landed seafood in tanks such as fish preserves (raising tanks).

[0008] [Frozen seafood production system] The frozen seafood production system in this application is a frozen seafood production system that produces frozen seafood, and is equipped with a farm tank for farming seafood, a packaging machine for packaging the farmed seafood, and a freezer for freezing the packaged seafood together with the packaging material.

[0009] [Frozen scallop ] The present invention is based on freezing. scallop is a seafood product in which the edible portion is frozen, and the K value of the edible portion after thawing, measured by high performance liquid chromatography, is 20% or less. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The frozen seafood production method and frozen seafood production system of the present application can reproduce ATP, which affects the freshness of seafood, by raising seafood, and can freeze seafood without destroying the cells by freezing using saturated salt water, so that highly fresh frozen seafood can be produced. scallop This product is superior in freshness to conventional frozen seafood. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for producing frozen seafood according to the present application. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a frozen seafood production system according to the present application; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] (Embodiment of frozen seafood production method) An example of an embodiment of the frozen seafood production method of the present application will be described with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, the following example will be described in which the seafood is scallops and the edible part is their adductor muscle. The following description will use the symbols shown in Figure 2, but this is for convenience only and does not mean that the system for implementing the frozen seafood production method of the present application is limited to the frozen seafood production system shown in Figure 2.

[0013] As shown in Figure 1, the method for producing frozen seafood in this embodiment mainly comprises a step of raising scallops (raising step) S001, a step of removing the shells from the raised scallops (shelling step) S002, a step of vacuum-packaging the adductor muscles (edible parts) of the removed scallops (vacuum packaging step) S006, and a step of freezing the vacuum-packaged adductor muscles together with the packaging material (freezing step) S007.

[0014] Between the shelling process S002 and the vacuum packaging process S006, there are carried out a process of washing the adductor muscle (first washing process) S003, a process of sorting the adductor muscle according to size etc. (sorting process) S004, and a process of draining the water adhering to the adductor muscle (water draining process) S005.

[0015] After the freezing step S007, there are performed a step of removing salt water adhering to the adductor muscle (second washing step) S008, a step of removing water droplets adhering to the adductor muscle (water removal step) S009, a step of checking the frozen state and finished packaging (inspection step) S010, a step of attaching a label to the packaging (labeling step) S011, and a step of freezing and storing the packaged adductor muscle (hereinafter referred to as "packaged adductor muscle") (frozen storage step) S012. Each of these steps will be explained below.

[0016] [Livestock farming process] The stocking step S1 is a step in which scallops with shells, from which any extraneous matter has been removed after landing, are stocked in a stocking tank 11. Stocking is carried out by placing cages containing scallops in the stocking tank 11.

[0017] For farming, the cages used for transporting the scallops from fishing ports, etc. can be used as they are. This eliminates the need to switch to cages specifically for farming and prevents damage to the scallops during the transfer.

[0018] There is no particular limit to the size of the culture tank 11, but it is preferable to use a container large enough to fit multiple cages arranged vertically and horizontally. In this case, by using a culture tank 11 large enough to stack multiple cages (for example, two cages) up to the upper limit, the amount of livestock that can be cultured at one time can be increased.

[0019] In this embodiment, seawater is used for the farming. The seawater can be cooled seawater from the habitat of the farmed scallops. During farming, the seawater temperature is set within a predetermined temperature range suitable for farming (hereinafter referred to as the "farming temperature range").

[0020] Seawater can be stored in a water storage tank 15 installed near the culture tank 11, and the seawater can be supplied into the culture tank 11 using a supply hose (supply means) 18.

[0021] In this embodiment, a bubble generator 12 attached to the end of a supply hose 18 is submerged in the farm tank 11, and the bubbles generated by this bubble generator 12 cause the amount of dissolved oxygen in the seawater to exceed a predetermined threshold value (hereinafter referred to as the "dissolved oxygen standard value").

[0022] In this embodiment, a device that generates microbubbles is used as the bubble generator 12. As the bubble generator 12, a device that generates various types of bubbles such as nanobubbles or ultrafine bubbles can be used in addition to a device that generates microbubbles. One or more bubble generators 12 can be installed depending on the capacity of the farm tank 11, etc.

[0023] In this embodiment, the action of the microbubbles allows the adhesions on the scallops and waste discharged from the scallops that rise to the water surface to be discharged outside the culture tank 11. Specifically, the amount of seawater in the culture tank 11 is increased and allowed to overflow from the culture tank 11, thereby discharging the adhesions and waste outside the culture tank 11. The adhesions and waste can be discharged outside the culture tank 11 using a wiper or the like, or they can be collected using a net or the like and discharged outside the culture tank 11.

[0024] [Shelling process] The shelling step S002 is a step of removing the shells from the scallops. In this embodiment, the shells of the scallops are manually removed after farming, and the adductor muscle, uro, string, and shell are separated. For the shelling, an existing or new spatula can be used.

[0025] [First cleaning process] The first washing step S003 is a step in which seawater adhering to the adductor muscle removed in the shelling step S002 is washed with a washing liquid to remove foreign matter such as small shells. The washing liquid may be, for example, sterilized and cooled seawater (sterilized cooled seawater) or other liquids.

[0026] Washing can be carried out by spraying the washing solution onto the adductor muscle, or by immersing the adductor muscle in the washing solution. When the washing solution is sprayed onto the adductor muscle, it is preferable to spray the washing solution with a water pressure that is not enough to damage the adductor muscle.

[0027] [Sorting process] The sorting step S004 is a step of sorting the size of the adductor muscle and excluding any defective parts. In this embodiment, an operator visually checks the size of the washed adductor muscle and manually sorts them by size. At this time, if any defective parts are included, they are excluded.

[0028] [Draining process] The draining step S005 is a step of removing water adhering to the adductor muscle. This step can be performed by, for example, blowing air onto the washed adductor muscle placed in a basket, rotating the basket containing the washed adductor muscle, or by other methods.

[0029] [Vacuum packaging process] The vacuum packaging step S006 is a step of vacuum-packaging the adductor muscle that has been subjected to the above steps. In this embodiment, the adductor muscle is vacuum-packaged by so-called skin pack packaging, which involves thermocompression bonding so that no gaps form between the film and the adductor muscle.

[0030] This vacuum-sealed packaging prevents moisture from escaping from the adductor muscle, preserving the freshness of the adductor muscle. However, the packaging method shown here is only an example, and the adductor muscle can also be packaged in other ways.

[0031] In this embodiment, multiple adductor muscles are vacuum-packaged with the adductor muscles arranged at equal intervals between the films. A resin film with a thickness of approximately 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm can be used for the film. The thickness and material of the film are merely examples, and other thicknesses and materials may also be used.

[0032] [Freezing process] The freezing step S007 is a step of freezing the packaged scallops together with the packaging material. In this embodiment, the packaged scallops are frozen by the so-called hybrid ice method, which uses a high-concentration salt solution (saturated salt water) at a temperature of -21.3°C and a salt concentration of 23.5%.

[0033] For freezing using the hybrid ice method, an existing freezer 17, such as a hybrid ice freezer, can be used. When using a hybrid ice freezer, the packaged adductor muscle is immersed in sludgy ice flowing at a predetermined flow rate for a predetermined time, and then the packaged adductor muscle is frozen.

[0034] There is no particular limit to the time for immersion in the muddy ice, but it is preferable to immerse the scallops until the core temperature drops to -5°C or below, which is the lower limit of the maximum ice crystal formation zone.

[0035] Freezing using the hybrid ice method allows the scallops to pass through the maximum ice crystal formation zone of -1°C to -5°C in a short period of time, which has the advantage of making it less likely for the adductor muscle cells to be damaged and making it easier to maintain the umami components and ATP (adenosine triphosphate) contained in the adductor muscle.

[0036] In this embodiment, high-concentration saline solution at -21.3°C is used, but the temperature of the high-concentration saline solution may be other than this, and can be set appropriately within the range of, for example, about -21.3°C to -20.0°C.

[0037] [Second cleaning process] The second washing step S008 is a step of washing away salt that has adhered to the film (packaging material) during freezing in the freezing step S007. This step can be performed, for example, by immersing the packaged adductor muscle in fresh water stored in a container, by spraying fresh water onto the packaged adductor muscle, or by other methods.

[0038] [Water removal process] The water removal step S009 is a step of removing water adhering to the surface of the packaging material. This step can be performed, for example, by blowing jet air onto the packaged adductor muscle or by other methods. An existing water removal machine can be used for the water removal.

[0039] [Inspection process] The inspection step S010 is a step of inspecting whether there are any problems with the freezing state of the packaged scallops or the finish of the packaging (whether it meets predetermined standards). Packaged scallops that do not meet the predetermined standards are rejected in this step.

[0040] [Labeling process] The labeling step S011 is a step of attaching a product label or the like to the packaged adductor muscle. An existing device can be used for the labeling step. The labeling step S011 can also be performed manually.

[0041] [Frozen storage process] The frozen storage step S012 is a step of storing the packaged scallops with product labels and the like attached in a frozen state together with the packaging. For the frozen storage, an existing freezer or the like can be used.

[0042] The frozen scallop (frozen seafood) produced through the rearing step S001, the shelling step S002, the vacuum packaging step S006, and the freezing step S007 of this embodiment has a K value of 20% or less and a yield stress of 0.003 kgf / mm when measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). 2 That was all.

[0043] The K value is a numerical value that indicates the freshness of seafood (especially seafood such as fish and shellfish), with a lower value indicating higher freshness. A K value of 20% or less is about one-third of the value of frozen scallops produced using conventional methods. As shown in Table 1 below, seafood with a K value of 20% or less is considered suitable for eating raw as sashimi.

[0044] The yield stress is a numerical value that indicates the elasticity of seafood, and the higher the value, the higher the elasticity (the firmer the texture). Yield stress: 0.003 kgf / mm 2 This is about 1.4 times the value of frozen scallops produced using conventional methods.

[0045] (Another embodiment of the frozen seafood production method) In the above embodiment, the seafood is scallops as an example, but the frozen seafood production method of the present application can be used as a frozen seafood production method using seafood other than scallops, for example, various bivalve shells such as oysters, surf clams, clams, and manila clams, squid, octopus, and edible jellyfish.

[0046] In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which seawater in a water storage tank 15 installed near the farm tank 11 is supplied into the farm tank 11 by the supply hose 18, but seawater can also be supplied directly into the farm tank 11 from a water truck or the like. Also, if the processing facility is located near a fishing port or aquaculture farm, seawater can be supplied directly to the farm tank 11 using a pump or the like.

[0047] In the above embodiment, the case where marine products are cultivated in seawater is taken as an example, but the cultivation can also be carried out in a liquid other than seawater, such as an artificial liquid made from water and salt that has components similar to seawater.

[0048] Although not explained in the above embodiment, the frozen seafood production method of the present application is not limited to use for producing frozen seafood from wild seafood, but can also be used as a method for producing frozen seafood from cultured seafood.

[0049] In the above embodiment, an example is given in which all processes from the livestock farming process S001 to the frozen storage process S012 are carried out as a series of processes, but not all of the processes in the above embodiment are essential processes, and unnecessary processes can be omitted as appropriate.

[0050] In the above embodiment, an example is given in which each step from the livestock farming step S001 to the frozen storage step S012 is carried out in the order indicated, but the steps in the above embodiment do not always have to be carried out in that order, and the order can be changed as necessary.

[0051] The configuration of the above embodiment is an example, and the frozen seafood production method of the present application is not limited to this configuration. The frozen seafood production method of the present application can be modified, such as by adding, omitting, or replacing components, within the scope of achieving the intended purpose.

[0052] The frozen seafood production method of the present application can be implemented, for example, using the frozen seafood production system described below or other systems.

[0053] (Embodiment of frozen seafood production system) An example of an embodiment of a frozen seafood production system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The frozen seafood production system shown in Fig. 2 includes a culture tank 11, a bubble generator 12, a measuring device 13, a control means 14, a water storage tank 15, a packaging machine 16, and a freezer 17.

[0054] The stock raising tank 11 is a tank for raising marine products. An existing fish cage or the like can be used as the stock raising tank 11. The size and shape of the fish cage can be determined appropriately depending on the size, shape, and quantity of the marine products to be raised. In this embodiment, a fish cage with a capacity large enough to hold two stacked cages containing marine products is used.

[0055] In this embodiment, the culture tank 11 has a temperature adjustment function, and the seawater temperature in the culture tank 11 is maintained within the culture temperature range.

[0056] The bubble generator 12 is a device for supplying bubbles into the culture tank 11. In this embodiment, a microbubble generator 12 that generates microbubbles is used as the bubble generator 12. The bubble generator 12 may be a device other than a microbubble generator, such as a nanobubble generator 12 that generates nanobubbles.

[0057] In this embodiment, seawater stored in a water storage tank 15 can be supplied to the culture tank 11 using a supply hose 18, and a microbubble generator is attached to the tip of the supply hose 18. The microbubble generator is submerged in the seawater in the culture tank 11 so that microbubbles can be supplied into the seawater.

[0058] The measuring instrument 13 is a device for measuring the amount of dissolved oxygen in the seawater in the culture tank 11. An existing dissolved oxygen meter can be used as the measuring instrument 13. The measuring instrument 13 may be provided as needed, and can be omitted if not required. When the measuring instrument 13 is provided, the measurement results from the measuring instrument 13 can be transmitted to the control means 14.

[0059] In this case, the control means 14 determines from the transmitted numerical value whether the amount of dissolved oxygen in the seawater in the culture tank 11 is equal to or greater than the dissolved oxygen standard value, and if it is less than the dissolved oxygen standard value, the output of the bubble generator 12 can be controlled so that the amount of dissolved oxygen in the seawater is equal to or greater than the dissolved oxygen standard value.

[0060] Measurement by the measuring device 13 and control of the bubble generator 12 by the control means 14 are repeated to ensure that the amount of dissolved oxygen in the seawater in the culture tank 11 is always equal to or greater than the dissolved oxygen reference value. This control may be performed as needed, and can be omitted if not required.

[0061] The control means 14 starts and stops the supply of seawater based on a control signal from a switch (not shown), and also adjusts the seawater temperature in the culture tank 11 based on a control signal from a temperature regulator (not shown). The control means 14 also controls the operation of the valve generator 12, etc.

[0062] The water storage tank 15 is a tank for storing seawater to be used for farming. In this embodiment, a tank equipped with a cooling means 15a for keeping the stored seawater at a constant temperature and a stirring means 15b for stirring the stored seawater is used as the water storage tank 15. The capacity of the water storage tank 15 can be determined appropriately depending on the size, shape, quantity, etc. of the marine products to be farmed.

[0063] In this embodiment, the temperature of the seawater stored in the water storage tank 15 is set to be the same as or lower than the temperature of the seawater in the culture tank 11. In this case, when the seawater temperature in the culture tank 11 rises during the culture process, there is an advantage in that the seawater temperature in the culture tank 11 can be lowered by supplying the seawater in the water storage tank 15 into the culture tank 11.

[0064] The water storage tank 15 is provided with a supply hose 18 that supplies the stored seawater into the culture tank 11. As described above, the bubble generator 12 is attached to the tip of the supply hose 18. The tip of the supply hose 18 to which the bubble generator 12 is attached is submerged in the liquid in the culture tank 11.

[0065] The packaging machine 16 is a device for packaging marine products after farming. In this embodiment, a vacuum seal packaging machine that seals marine products in film and vacuum packages them is used as the packaging machine 16. The use of a vacuum seal packaging machine has the advantage that the cells of the adductor muscle to be packaged are not destroyed, making it easier to maintain freshness.

[0066] The freezer 17 is a device for freezing packaged seafood together with the packaging material. In this embodiment, a hybrid ice freezer is used as the freezer 17, which is equipped with a freezing tank 17a that stores saturated salt water and a flow means 17b that flows the saturated salt water in the freezing tank 17a.

[0067] The hybrid ice freezer of this embodiment is equipped with a cooling means 17c for maintaining the temperature of the saturated salt water in the freezing tank 17a at approximately -21.3°C, and a speed control means 17d for controlling the flow rate of the saturated salt water in the freezing tank 17a.

[0068] Marine product cells are easily destroyed when passing through the maximum ice crystal formation zone, which is between -1°C and -5°C. However, as in this embodiment, packaged seafood can be immersed in saturated salt water maintained at approximately -21.3°C, along with the packaging, to pass through the maximum ice crystal formation zone in a short time. As a result, the adductor muscle cells are less likely to be destroyed, and the umami components and ATP (adenosine triphosphate) contained in the adductor muscle can be maintained.

[0069] (Other embodiments of the frozen seafood production system) In the above embodiment, an example is given in which one water storage tank 15 is provided, but it is also possible to provide two or more water storage tanks 15. For example, if two water storage tanks 15 are provided, one can store seawater at a higher temperature than the seawater in the culture tank 11, and the other can store seawater at a lower temperature than the seawater in the culture tank 11.

[0070] By doing this, if the seawater temperature in the culture tank 11 rises during the culture process, the seawater temperature in the culture tank 11 can be lowered simply by supplying seawater with a lower temperature than the seawater in the culture tank 11.

[0071] On the other hand, if the seawater temperature in the culture tank 11 drops during the culture process, there is an advantage in that the seawater temperature in the culture tank 11 can be raised simply by supplying seawater with a higher temperature than the seawater in the culture tank 11. In either case, it is easy to adjust the seawater temperature in the culture tank 11.

[0072] The frozen seafood production system of the above embodiment does not include any of the steps included in the frozen seafood production method that are performed manually, such as the shelling step and the sorting step, but if these steps can be performed using equipment, the system can also be configured to include these equipment.

[0073] The configuration of the above embodiment is an example, and the frozen seafood production system of the present application is not limited to the above configuration. The frozen seafood production system of the present application can be modified, such as by adding, omitting, or replacing components as appropriate, within the scope of achieving the intended purpose.

[0074] (component analysis) In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method for producing frozen seafood of the present application, the applicant conducted a component analysis of the adductor muscle of a scallop processed by the method for producing frozen seafood of the present application.

[0075] In the component analysis, we analyzed the K value and ATP (adenosine triphosphate), ADP (adenosine diphosphate), AMP (adenosine monophosphate), IMP (inosinic acid), HxR (inosine), and Hx (hypoxanthine), which are used to calculate the K value.

[0076] As mentioned above, the K value is an index that represents the freshness of seafood and is calculated using the following formula 1. [Formula 1] TIFF0007735448000001.tif52166

[0077] After seafood dies, ATP is not regenerated, but changes to ADP → AMP → HxR → Hx. The ATP in the adductor muscle immediately after shelling affects the K value, and the higher the amount of ATP, ADP, and AMP, the better the K value.

[0078] Although there are differences depending on the type of seafood, generally, the lower the K value, the higher the freshness, and it is evaluated as shown in Table 1 below (Journal of the Japanese Society of Fisheries Science, Vol. 24 (9) (Saito Tsuneyuki, Enomoto Noriyuki, Matsuyoshi Minoru, Japanese Society of Fisheries Science, 1959, pp. 749-750)). [Table 1]

[0079] The results of this component analysis are shown in Table 2. [Table 2]

[0080] This component analysis confirmed that the frozen seafood production method of the present invention can produce frozen scallops with a K value of 20% or less.

[0081] (Compression test) The present applicant conducted a compression test to measure the elasticity of the frozen seafood obtained by the frozen seafood production method of the present application. In this compression test, the amount of force required to crush the adductor muscle to 10 mm was measured. The compression test was conducted on the adductor muscle used in the component analysis. A conventional rheometer was used for the compression test.

[0082] The results of this compression test are shown in Table 3. [Table 3]

[0083] According to the compression test, the yield stress of the frozen seafood manufacturing method of the present application was 0.003 kgf / mm 2 It was confirmed that the above frozen scallops could be obtained. [Industrial Applicability]

[0084] The frozen seafood production method and frozen seafood production system of the present application can be used as a method and system for producing frozen seafood from various seafood. scallop may be manufactured and sold as an independent commercial object. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 11 Livestock tank 12 Bubble Generator 13 Measuring Instruments 14 Control Measures 15 Water Tank 15a Cooling means 15b Stirring means 16 Packaging machine 17 Refrigeration Machine 17a Freezer 17b Fluid means 17c Cooling means 17d Speed ​​control means 18 Supply hose (supply means)

Claims

1. Frozen scallop adductor muscle, The K value of the thawed adductor muscle is 20% or less as measured by high performance liquid chromatography, and the yield stress of the thawed adductor muscle is 0.003 kgf / mm 2 or more as measured by a compression test that measures the force required to crush the adductor muscle 10 mm.

1. A frozen scallop characterized by:

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