Sauces, how to use sauces, packaged sauces

Abstract

The sauce according to the present invention, which comprises 3-15 mass% of a fat or oil, 1-4 mass% of a processed starch, 0.002-1 mass% of a thickener other than the processed starch and 0.05-0.5 mass% of an emulsifier, has a viscosity of 2-8 cm when measured with a Bostwick viscometer at a material temperature of 23°C and a measurement time of 30 seconds. A preferable method of using the sauce according to the present invention comprises packing the sauce in a container and pouring the sauce from the container in a small amount at a time of use. The present invention encompasses a packed sauce consisting of the sauce according to the present invention and a container that houses the sauce, wherein the container holds the sauce in an amount for multiple use.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sauce, which is a liquid or paste-like food used as a seasoning or garnish for other foods. [Background technology]

[0002] In general, sauces are desired to have appropriate fluidity and adhesiveness at the general eating temperature range of 10 to 70°C so that they can be eaten in an appropriate amount attached to other foods. Furthermore, sauces with such properties are produced using various ingredients as raw materials and various processing methods, such as heating, to impart complex flavors to the sauce. The sauces, which are liquid or paste-like compositions produced through such production processes, can fulfill their intended roles, such as seasoning and decoration, if the ingredients are uniformly dispersed during use. Separation of the ingredients during use prevents the sauce from fulfilling these roles. Therefore, the sauces are required to have excellent dispersion stability, so that the ingredients can be maintained in a uniformly dispersed state during storage.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for improving sauces with the aim of improving the dispersion stability of the sauce. Specifically, the technology describes a sauce-like oil-in-water emulsion that maintains an emulsified state even when heated, containing 48 to 68% by weight of water, 20 to 42% by weight of fats and oils, 2 to 9% by weight of protein, starch, a gelling agent and / or a thickener, and an emulsifier.

[0004] Patent Documents 2 and 3 disclose sauce improvement technologies that address the issue of improving the syneresis-inhibiting effect of the sauce on other ingredients, rather than the dispersion stability of the sauce itself, and describe sauces that are said to have excellent syneresis-inhibiting effects. The sauce described in Patent Document 2 is a W / O / W emulsion seasoning that contains 10 to 70 mass% edible oils and fats, an emulsifier, a thickener, egg yolk, and salt, and has a viscosity of 50 to 500 Pa·s. The sauce described in Patent Document 3 contains specific amounts of welan gum, thickening polysaccharides, and modified starch, and has a viscosity of 3 to 19 cm when measured with a Bostwick viscometer at 25°C for 30 seconds. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-189763 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-106612 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-115336 Summary of the Invention

[0006] In a so-called "small-dose" mode of use, where a sauce is stored in a container in an amount sufficient for multiple uses and a portion is dispensed from the container at the time of use, if the ingredients in the sauce separate within the container during storage, the taste of the sauce will change each time the sauce is dispensed from the container. Therefore, the dispersion stability of the sauce is particularly important. Conventional sauces are not suitable for such small-dose use, and there is room for improvement in terms of dispersion stability. Furthermore, when conventional sauces contain ingredients, the ingredients may settle or float in the sauce during storage and separate from the other ingredients. In a small-dose mode of use, although the ingredients should be dispensed evenly from the container each time, there is a problem that the amount of ingredients dispensed per use is prone to variation.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a sauce that has excellent dispersion stability of the ingredients contained therein, and that can maintain a uniform dispersion state of the ingredients even when dispensed in small amounts.

[0008] The present invention relates to a sauce containing 3 to 15 mass% of fats and oils, 1 to 4 mass% of processed starch, 0.002 to 1 mass% of a thickener other than the processed starch, and 0.05 to 0.5 mass% of an emulsifier, and having a viscosity of 2 to 8 cm when measured by a Bostwick viscometer at a product temperature of 23°C for 30 seconds.

[0009] The present invention also provides a method for using the sauce of the present invention, which comprises storing the sauce in a container and dispensing the sauce in small amounts from the container when using the sauce.

[0010] The present invention also provides a bottled sauce comprising the sauce of the present invention and a container for containing the sauce, the container containing an amount of the sauce sufficient for multiple uses. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The sauce of the present invention contains fats and oils. As the fats and oils, any edible fats and oils can be used without any particular limitation, and examples thereof include vegetable fats and oils, animal fats and oils, and processed fats and oils. These fats and oils can be used alone or in combination of two or more. Examples of vegetable oils include soybean oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, rice bran oil, safflower oil, olive oil, sesame oil, palm oil, coconut oil, and palm kernel oil. Examples of animal fats and oils include beef tallow, lard, and chicken oil. Processed fats and oils are a general term for fats and oils that have been subjected to physical, enzymatic, or chemical processing on raw fats and oils (e.g., vegetable fats and oils or animal fats and oils). The processing method for fats and oils to obtain processed fats and oils is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include fractionation, hydrogenation, and interesterification. Two or more processing methods may be combined.

[0012] The fat content in the sauce of the present invention is 3 to 15% by mass, and preferably 4 to 12% by mass, based on 100% by mass of the sauce. If the fat content in the sauce is outside the range of 3 to 15% by mass, the dispersion stability of the contained ingredients becomes insufficient. In particular, if the fat content is less than 3% by mass, the ingredients are likely to separate when the sauce contains ingredients, and if it exceeds 15% by mass, the fat content is likely to separate.

[0013] The sauce of the present invention contains modified starch. Modified starch is a general term for starch that has been subjected to physical, enzymatic, or chemical processing. Any edible starch can be used as the modified starch without any particular limitation, and one type can be used alone or two or more types can be used in combination. Examples of starch that can be used as the raw material for modified starch include tapioca starch, wheat starch, corn starch, potato starch, and rice starch. The method of processing starch to obtain modified starch is not particularly limited, and examples include cross-linking, esterification, etherification, and oxidation. Two or more processing methods may be combined. The modified starch is preferably a cross-linked starch, and more preferably a phosphate cross-linked starch, which is expected to further improve the dispersion stability of the ingredients contained in the sauce.

[0014] The content of the modified starch in the sauce of the present invention is 1 to 4% by mass, and preferably 1.3 to 3.5% by mass, based on 100% by mass of the sauce. If the content of the modified starch in the sauce is outside the range of 1 to 4% by mass, the dispersion stability of the contained ingredients will be insufficient. In particular, if the content is less than 1% by mass, separation of the oil and fat will be more likely to occur, and if the sauce contains ingredients, separation of the ingredients will also be more likely to occur. If the content exceeds 4% by mass, the sauce will become viscous and its handleability will be reduced, which may make it difficult, for example, to place the sauce in a container or to remove the sauce from the container.

[0015] The sauce of the present invention contains a thickener other than modified starch. The thickener other than modified starch can be any edible thickener without any particular limitation, and examples thereof include thickening polysaccharides such as gelatin, gellan gum, carrageenan, furcellanus, xanthan gum, locust bean gum, tamarind gum, tara gum, guar gum, sodium alginate, alginic acid esters, and pectin, and these can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0016] The content of the thickener other than the processed starch in the sauce of the present invention is 0.002 to 1% by mass, and preferably 0.005 to 0.5% by mass, relative to 100% by mass of the sauce. If the content of the thickener other than the processed starch in the sauce is outside the range of 0.002 to 1% by mass, the dispersion stability of the contained ingredients will be insufficient. In particular, if it is less than 0.002% by mass, separation of the oil and fat will be more likely to occur, and if the sauce contains ingredients, separation of the ingredients will also be more likely to occur. If it exceeds 1% by mass, the sauce will become viscous and its handleability will be reduced, which may make it difficult, for example, to place the sauce in a container or to remove the sauce from the container.

[0017] The sauce of the present invention contains an emulsifier. Any edible emulsifier can be used without any particular limitation, and examples thereof include monoglycerin fatty acid esters, polyglycerin fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, lecithin, and lysolecithin. These emulsifiers can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0018] The content of emulsifier in the sauce of the present invention is 0.05 to 0.5% by mass, and preferably 0.1 to 0.3% by mass, based on 100% by mass of the sauce. If the content of emulsifier in the sauce is outside the range of 0.05 to 0.5% by mass, the dispersion stability of the contained ingredients will be insufficient. In particular, if the content is less than 0.05% by mass, separation of oils and fats will be more likely to occur, and if the sauce contains ingredients, separation of the ingredients will also be more likely to occur. If the content exceeds 0.5% by mass, the sauce will become viscous and its handleability will be reduced, which may make it difficult, for example, to store the sauce in a container or to remove the sauce from the container.

[0019] The sauce of the present invention is typically composed mainly of a sauce body that is liquid or pasty at room temperature and normal pressure, and the sauce as a whole has fluidity at room temperature and normal pressure. The essential components (oils and fats, modified starch, thickeners other than modified starch, and emulsifiers) are typically all contained in the sauce body. The sauce body may contain ingredients other than the essential ingredients. These ingredients may be any of various ingredients commonly used in this type of sauce, provided they do not impair the effects of the present invention, and include, without limitation, water, unprocessed starches, seasonings such as salt and monosodium glutamate, animal and plant extracts, dairy products such as milk, cream, butter, and cheese, sugars such as starch syrup, dextrin, reduced dextrin, cyclodextrin, sorbitol, and trehalose, eggs such as egg yolk and egg white, organic acids or salts thereof such as vinegar and citric acid, antioxidants such as ascorbic acid or its salts and vitamin E, coloring agents, flavoring agents, sweeteners, and preservatives. These ingredients may be used alone or in combination. The content of the other components in the sauce of the present invention (the main body of the sauce) is preferably 80% by mass or less, and more preferably 70% by mass or less, based on 100% by mass of the sauce (the main body of the sauce).

[0020] The sauce of the present invention may contain ingredients that do not have fluidity at room temperature and normal pressure, such as solid food ingredients. The sauce of the present invention includes a form consisting of only the sauce body, and a form containing the sauce body and ingredients. Examples of ingredients include meats such as beef, pork, and chicken; seafood such as flounder, crab, and shrimp; fish eggs such as cod roe; vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, and carrots; and fungi such as mushrooms. The content of ingredients in the sauce of the present invention is preferably 40% by mass or less, more preferably 5 to 30% by mass, based on 100% by mass of the sauce.

[0021] A preferred example of an ingredient used in the present invention is an ingredient that does not pass through a sieve with 1 mm openings but passes through a sieve with 10 mm openings (hereinafter also referred to as a "specific ingredient"). As mentioned above, when ingredients are added to conventional sauces, the ingredients tend to separate from other ingredients such as fats and oils during storage, resulting in uneven distribution, which can lead to problems such as difficulty in stabilizing the amount of ingredients dispensed when the sauce is dispensed in small amounts. In contrast, when such specific ingredients are used as ingredients in the sauce of the present invention having the above-mentioned composition, problems caused by such ingredients are less likely to occur, and it is possible to maintain a high level of dispersion stability of the ingredients while enjoying the benefits of sauces containing ingredients (improved taste, texture, appearance, etc.). The content of the specific ingredient in the sauce of the present invention is preferably 5 to 30% by mass, more preferably 8 to 20% by mass, based on 100% by mass of the sauce, from the viewpoint of balancing the benefits of including the ingredient in the sauce with the dispersion stability of the contained ingredients.

[0022] The sauce of the present invention has a viscosity (hereinafter also referred to as "Bostwick viscosity") of 2 to 8 cm, preferably 2.5 to 7.5 cm, and more preferably 3 to 7 cm, measured at a product temperature of 23°C for 30 seconds using a Bostwick viscometer. A Bostwick viscometer is a device for measuring the consistency of a fluid's viscosity, measuring the distance traveled by a fluid in a given time or the time required for a fluid to travel a given distance. Having a sauce with a Bostwick viscosity within the specified range improves the dispersion stability of the ingredients, allowing the ingredients to remain uniformly dispersed even when dispensed in small amounts. A sauce with a Bostwick viscosity of less than 2 cm reduces the handleability of the sauce, making it difficult to dispense the sauce from the container in small amounts. In particular, when a flexible container with an opening for dispensing the contents is used as the sauce container, removing (squeezing) the sauce from the container through the opening may require a relatively large amount of pressure to remove the sauce. Furthermore, a sauce with a Bostwick viscosity exceeding 8 cm results in insufficient dispersion stability of the ingredients, making the ingredients more likely to separate when the sauce contains ingredients. The Bostwick viscosity of a sauce can be adjusted by adjusting the type and content of the ingredients.

[0023] The Bostwick viscosity can be measured using a commonly available Bostwick viscometer in accordance with the standard measurement method for the viscometer used. Commercially available Bostwick viscometers, such as the Bostwick Consistometer (Nippon Genetics Co., Ltd.), can be used. As an example of a method for measuring Bostwick viscosity, the following method using the Bostwick consistency meter can be exemplified. The Bostwick consistency meter is placed on a level table using a spirit level, and with the gate of the device closed, the reservoir is filled with a sample adjusted to a product temperature of 23°C up to the top surface. The trigger is pressed to open the gate, and the time is measured at the same time, and the flow distance of the sample in the trough is measured after 30 seconds have elapsed. The maximum flow distance at the center of the trough and the minimum flow distance at the trough end are measured, and their arithmetic mean is calculated to be the Bostwick viscosity of the sample.

[0024] The sauce of the present invention can be produced basically in the same manner as this type of sauce. One example of a method for producing the sauce of the present invention is to first mix and stir the essential ingredients (oils and fats, processed starch, thickeners other than processed starch, and emulsifiers), and then, while heating the mixture of essential ingredients as needed, add and mix the other ingredients and / or ingredients other than the essential ingredients that make up the main part of the sauce. Another example of a method for producing the sauce of the present invention is to first produce an intermediate sauce product using other ingredients and / or ingredients other than the essential ingredients in a conventional manner, and then, while heating this intermediate as needed, add and mix the essential ingredients.

[0025] The sauce of the present invention has excellent dispersion stability of the ingredients, and separation of the ingredients is unlikely to occur not only immediately after production but also when stored for long periods after production in a container, etc. Therefore, the sauce of the present invention is suitable for use in small portions, in which an amount of sauce sufficient for multiple uses is stored in a container and a portion is taken out of the container at the time of use, and the portion of the sauce taken out from the container will always have the ingredients, including the ingredients, uniformly dispersed. A preferred example of the use of the sauce of the present invention is to use it in a manner in which the sauce contained in a container is dispensed in small amounts. The sauce of the present invention is also suitable for use as a bottled sauce, which comprises the sauce and a container for containing the sauce, and the container contains an amount of the sauce sufficient for multiple uses.

[0026] The container for containing and storing the sauce of the present invention is not particularly limited, and containers made of materials such as plastic and glass can be used. A preferred example of the container is a flexible container having an opening for dispensing the contents, which can be squeezed out (squeezed out) from the opening by pressing the container during use. The inner diameter of the opening of the container is, for example, about 1 to 12 mm. Such flexible containers are used to store condiments that are fluid at room temperature and normal pressure, such as ketchup and mayonnaise. [Example]

[0027] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0028] [Examples 1 to 19, Comparative Examples 1 to 13] The ingredients in the proportions shown in Tables 1 to 4 below were added and mixed with base sauce A (white sauce) produced by the method described below, and the mixture was heated while stirring. Once it had boiled, the heating was stopped to produce the white sauce. The ingredients added to base sauce A are as follows: Modified starch A: Phosphate cross-linked tapioca starch Modified starch B: Acetylated corn starch Raw starch: Tapioca starch Thickener A: Xanthan gum Thickener B: Guar gum Emulsifier A: Glycerin fatty acid ester Emulsifier B: Lecithin

[0029] <Method of manufacturing base sauce A> A mixture was prepared by mixing 50 g of plain wheat flour and 800 mL of milk and stirring. A pot was placed on the stove and 80 g of butter was melted. 720 g of the mixture was added to the melted butter and heated for 10 minutes while stirring to prevent boiling. 200 g of fresh cream was then added in small portions and mixed while adjusting the heat to prevent boiling. Once the mixture was homogenous, it was heated for another 20 minutes. Fresh water was added to bring the total volume to 1000 g, producing a white sauce (oil content 11% by mass) that served as base sauce A.

[0030] [Examples 20 to 23, Comparative Examples 14 to 20] The ingredients in Table 5 below were added to and mixed with base sauce B (Bolognese sauce) prepared by the method described below, and the mixture was heated while stirring. Once it had boiled, the heating was stopped to prepare Bolognese sauce. The ingredients added to base sauce B were the same as those added to base sauce A.

[0031] <Method of manufacturing base sauce B> Crushed garlic, 80g of chopped onion, and 80g of carrot were fried in a pan with olive oil to produce a soffritto. Separately, 400g of ground beef seasoned with salt and pepper was first fried in chunks, and once the surface was browned, it was further fried, breaking it up. The soffritto was then added and mixed until uniform. After mixing, the solids were removed from the pan and sieved. The portion of the solids that did not pass through a 1mm sieve but passed through a 10mm sieve was removed to obtain the specific ingredient, and 450g of the specific ingredient was returned to the pan. 100mL of wine was added to the pan and heated to a boil. Once boiling, add 200 mL of bouillon, 500 g of tomato paste, and 80 mL of spaghetti cooking water, and mix while adjusting the heat to prevent boiling. Once the mixture is uniform, heat for a further 20 minutes, add fresh water to bring the total volume to 1000 g, and produce base sauce B, Bolognese sauce (oil content 7% by mass).

[0032] [Examples 24 to 29, Comparative Examples 21 to 22] The ingredients in Table 6 below were added to and mixed with base sauce C or D (white sauce) prepared by the method described below, and the mixture was heated while stirring. Once boiling, the heating was stopped to prepare the white sauce. The ingredients added to base sauces C and D were the same as those added to base sauce A.

[0033] <Method of manufacturing base sources C and D> Base sauce C, a white sauce (oil content 13% by mass), and base sauce D, a white sauce (oil content 9% by mass), were produced in the same manner as base sauce A, except that the amount of soft wheat flour and the amount of fresh cream were changed appropriately.

[0034] [Performance evaluation] The dispersion state of the ingredients in the sauces of each Example and Comparative Example was evaluated according to the following Test Examples 1 and 2. The results are shown in Tables 1 to 6. The values ​​in the "Evaluation of Sauce" column in Tables 1 to 6 are the arithmetic mean values ​​of the evaluation scores of 10 expert panelists.

[0035] [Test Example 1] 400 g of the sauce to be evaluated was placed in a commercially available deep-dish plastic container and allowed to stand at room temperature for 8 hours. After standing, the sauce in the container was scooped up with a 100 mL ladle and poured onto a flat plate. This sauce-removal operation was repeated three times in succession, and 100 mL of sauce was dispensed onto each of three flat plates. Ten expert panelists visually observed the sauce on the three flat plates and evaluated the state of separation of the ingredients according to the following evaluation criteria.

[0036] [Test Example 2] 300 g of the sauce to be evaluated was placed in a commercially available mayonnaise container and allowed to stand at room temperature for 8 hours. This mayonnaise container was a flexible container with a dispensing opening for the contents, and the contents could be removed from the opening by pressing the container during use. After leaving the container, the opening of the mayonnaise container was faced downward, and a tray was placed directly below the opening. The mayonnaise container was then pressed to squeeze the sauce out of the opening and into the tray. This sauce removal operation was repeated twice in succession, and 100 mL of sauce was dispensed onto each of the two trays. Ten expert panelists visually observed the sauce on the two trays and evaluated the state of separation of the ingredients according to the following evaluation criteria.

[0037] <Evaluation criteria for the separation of ingredients in white sauce> 5 points: No floating of oil or fat, no separation due to sedimentation, very good. 4 points: No oil or fat floating, slight separation due to sedimentation but within the acceptable range, good. 3 points: There is a small amount of oil floating, and some separation due to sedimentation is also observed. 2 points: There is some oil floating and separation due to sedimentation, poor quality. 1 point: Floating oil and fats are observed, and there is a lot of separation due to sedimentation, very poor quality. <Evaluation criteria for the separation of ingredients in Bolognese sauce> 5 points: There is absolutely no oil floating on top, and there is no imbalance in the amount of ingredients between the sauce portions, making it very good. 4 points: There is absolutely no oil floating on top, and although there is a slight imbalance in the amount of ingredients between the portions of sauce, it is within the acceptable range and is good. 3 points: There is a small amount of oil floating on top, and there is also a slight imbalance in the amount of ingredients contained in the sauce. 2 points: There was some oil floating on top, and the amount of ingredients was uneven between the portions of sauce, so it was poor. 1 point: There was oil floating on top, and there was a lot of imbalance in the amount of ingredients in the sauces, so it was very poor.

[0038] [Table 1]

[0039] As shown in Table 1, the sauces of the Examples each contained a processed starch (processed starch A and / or processed starch B), a thickener other than the processed starch (thickener A and / or thickener B), and an emulsifier (emulsifier A and / or emulsifier B), and therefore had superior dispersion stability of the ingredients compared to the Comparative Examples which did not meet these requirements.

[0040] [Table 2]

[0041] As shown in Table 2, the sauces of each Example had a modified starch content in the range of 1 to 4% by mass, and therefore had superior dispersion stability of the ingredients compared to the Comparative Examples which did not meet this requirement.

[0042] [Table 3]

[0043] As shown in Table 3, the sauces of each Example had a content of thickener other than processed starch in the range of 0.002 to 1% by mass, and therefore had superior dispersion stability of the ingredients compared to the Comparative Examples which did not meet this requirement.

[0044] [Table 4]

[0045] As shown in Table 4, the sauces of each Example had an emulsifier content in the range of 0.05 to 0.5% by mass, and therefore had superior dispersion stability of the ingredients compared to the Comparative Examples which did not meet this requirement.

[0046] [Table 5]

[0047] The sauces of the Examples and Comparative Examples shown in Table 5 all contain ingredients (specific ingredients), which differs from the sauces of the Examples and Comparative Examples shown in Table 1, which do not contain ingredients. As shown in Table 5, the sauces of the Examples had excellent dispersion stability of the ingredients, even though they contained ingredients.

[0048] [Table 6]

[0049] As shown in Table 6, the sauces of the Examples had Bostwick viscosities in the range of 2 to 8 cm, and therefore had superior dispersion stability of the ingredients compared to the Comparative Examples which did not meet this requirement. [Industrial Applicability]

[0050] According to the present invention, there are provided sauces and container-packed sauces which have excellent dispersion stability of the ingredients and can maintain a uniform dispersion state of the ingredients even when dispensed in small amounts.

Claims

1. The sauce contains 3 to 15% by mass of fats and oils, 1 to 4% by mass of processed starch, 0.002 to 1% by mass of a thickener other than processed starch, 0.05 to 0.5% by mass of an emulsifier, and 5 to 20% by mass of an ingredient that does not pass through a sieve with 1 mm openings but passes through a sieve with 10 mm openings, and white sauce or Bolognese sauce as a base sauce, The oil or fat is at least one selected from vegetable oil or fat, animal oil or fat, and processed oil or fat, The processed starch is obtained by subjecting a raw material starch to one or more treatments selected from a phosphate cross-linking treatment and an acetylation treatment, The thickener other than the modified starch is a thickening polysaccharide, the emulsifier is at least one selected from a glycerin fatty acid ester and a lecithin, A sauce having a viscosity of 2 to 8 cm when measured at a product temperature of 23°C for 30 seconds using a Bostwick viscometer.

2. A method for using the sauce according to claim 1, which comprises storing the sauce in a container and dispensing the sauce in small amounts from the container when using the sauce.

3. 3. The method for using a sauce according to claim 2, wherein the container is a flexible container having an opening for taking out the contents, and the sauce can be taken out from the opening by pressing the container when in use.

4. A bottled sauce comprising the sauce according to claim 1 and a container for containing the sauce, the container containing the sauce in an amount sufficient for multiple uses.

5. 5. The bottled sauce according to claim 4, wherein the container is a flexible container having an opening for taking out the contents, and the sauce can be taken out from the opening by pressing the container when in use.

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