Method for producing plant-based cheese-like food

Abstract

To provide a production method of a cheese-like vegetable food product enhanced in a good taste and flavor typical of that of cheese made from an animal raw material.SOLUTION: A production method of a cheese-like vegetable food product includes causing a raw material including vegetable protein to be treated with nuclease and then acidifying the treated material.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing a plant-based cheese-like food product. [Background technology]

[0002] Cheese is a type of dairy product made from milk collected from animals such as cows, buffalo, sheep, goats, and yaks, and is produced through processes such as coagulation and fermentation.In addition to being eaten as is, it is often used in combination with other foods, such as pizza, pasta, gratin, risotto, and cheese fondue, and demand for it is increasing every year.

[0003] Meanwhile, the rapid increase in animal-based food consumption in recent years has led to serious health problems such as obesity and diabetes, drawing attention to improving health through diet. Furthermore, from the perspectives of environmental awareness and animal welfare, millennials and older generations are increasingly conscious of consuming non-animal foods. In response to this situation, plant-based protein foods are becoming increasingly popular.

[0004] For these reasons, there is a high demand for foods made from soybeans, peas, and other ingredients, and efforts are being made to incorporate plant proteins into a wide range of foods. For example, some studies have been conducted to replace common dairy products such as cheese and yogurt, and soybean materials such as soy milk, isolated soybean protein, and soy flour are used as raw materials containing vegetable protein (Patent Documents 1 to 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-135089 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-233270 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-8691 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, plant-based cheese-like foods generally tend to have less umami than dairy-based cheese. Although umami seasonings can be added, it is difficult to impart a natural cheese-like umami flavor, and with the increasing trend toward natural foods, the use of chemical seasonings is sometimes avoided. In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a plant-based cheese-like food product made from milk and having an enhanced cheese-like flavor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] As a result of intensive research aimed at solving the above problems, the inventors discovered that the above problems can be solved by treating plant milk such as soy milk in advance with a nuclease and then acidifying it, and completed the present invention.

[0008] That is, the present invention encompasses the following technical ideas. (1) A method for producing a plant-based cheese-like food, which comprises treating a raw material containing a plant protein with a nuclease and then acidifying the raw material; (2) The method for producing a plant-based cheese-like food according to (1) above, wherein the nucleolytic enzyme is ribonuclease. (3) The method for producing a plant-based cheese-like food according to (1) or (2), wherein the acidification is lactic acid fermentation. (4) The method for producing a plant-based cheese-like food according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the raw material containing plant protein is derived from beans. (5) The method for producing a plant-based cheese-like food according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the raw material containing plant protein is derived from seeds. (6) The method for producing a plant-based cheese-like food according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the raw material containing plant protein is derived from cereals. (7) A method for producing a plant-based cheese-like food according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein fats and oils are added as raw materials. (8) A method for producing a plant-based cheese-like food according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein a thickener is added as a raw material. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a plant-based cheese-like food product made from milk and having an enhanced cheese-like umami taste. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The plant-based cheese-like food of the present invention is characterized in that a raw material containing plant protein is treated with a nuclease and then acidified. The present invention will be described in detail below.

[0011] (Plant-based cheese-like food) The plant-based cheese-like food of the present invention is a food product produced from plant proteins and, if necessary, other plant ingredients such as vegetable oils and starches, and has a cheese-like product form, flavor, and texture, and can also be used as a cheese substitute. The product form can be any cheese-like product, such as block, shredded, powdered, or paste. The term "plant-based" does not mean that no animal ingredients are contained; specifically, it means that animal-derived ingredients account for less than 50% by weight of the total ingredients. In more preferred embodiments, the animal-derived ingredients may account for 40% by weight or less, 30% by weight or less, 20% by weight or less, 10% by weight or less, or 0% by weight of the total ingredients.

[0012] (vegetable protein) The plant-based cheese-like food of the present invention contains at least a plant protein as a protein. Examples of raw materials containing the plant protein include powdered proteins such as concentrated proteins and isolated proteins, plant milk, and soy flour. The type of plant is not limited, and examples include beans such as soybeans, peas, and broad beans, seeds such as almonds, hazelnuts, cashew nuts, walnuts, peanuts, and pistachios, and grains such as rice and oats. These can also be mixed in an appropriate ratio and used.

[0013] In one embodiment, the plant protein content in a plant-based cheese-like food is 0.1 to 15 wt %, which is appropriate in terms of viscosity during preparation of the food, and is preferably 0.5 to 10 wt %, and more preferably 1 to 3 wt %.

[0014] When using plant milk such as soy milk, for example, in the case of soybeans, general soy milk can be used, which is obtained by extracting whole soybeans or defatted soybeans with water and removing the insoluble fiber, okara, and in this case, an appropriately improved production method can be applied to obtain soy milk with a better flavor. Also, as soy milk, a slurry-like product obtained by finely pulverizing okara without removing it from soy milk can be used.

[0015] In one preferred embodiment, when using a low-fat soy protein raw material such as skim milk powder, low-fat or non-fat soy milk obtained by further centrifuging soy milk from whole soybeans to remove the low-specific-gravity, oil-rich cream layer is preferred over skim soy milk obtained from defatted soybeans, because it has less unpleasant flavor and can be adjusted to have a stronger umami flavor. In this case, the lipid content of the low-fat or non-fat soy milk is preferably 5% by weight or less on a dry basis, more preferably 2% by weight or less on a dry basis. Furthermore, in order to be able to adjust the flavor to have a stronger umami flavor, the protein / carbohydrate ratio of the low-fat or non-fat soy milk is preferably 0.01 to 2 by weight, more preferably 0.5 to 2, and even more preferably 1 to 2. In a more preferred embodiment, the soy protein composition preferably has a lower "lipophilic protein" content among the soy proteins, in order to achieve a flavor with less unpleasant flavor. As such a soy protein raw material, for example, the reduced-fat soy protein material described in JP 2012-16348 A can be used. An index of whether or not lipophilic proteins have been reduced can be estimated by determining the LCI (Lipophilic Proteins Content Index) value described in the publication. In the present invention, it is preferable to use a reduced-fat soy protein material with a reduced lipophilic protein content and an LCI value of 40% or less.

[0016] In another preferred embodiment, when a soy protein raw material with a rich flavor, such as dairy-derived fresh cream, is desired, the use of "soy milk cream," a soy emulsion composition rich in lipids and proteins, is also preferred because it allows for the adjustment of a rich flavor. For example, soy milk cream can be obtained by further centrifuging soy milk obtained from whole soybeans to produce a low-specific-gravity, oil-rich cream layer. The lipid content of the soy milk cream is preferably 35% by weight or more, more preferably 40 to 75% by weight, based on the dry matter. The protein content of the soy milk cream is preferably 25% by weight or more, more preferably 30% by weight or more, based on the dry matter. In this case, the lipid / protein ratio of the soy milk cream is preferably 1 or more, more preferably 1.5 or more, and even more preferably 2 or more, based on weight. In a more preferred embodiment of soy milk cream, the "lipophilic proteins" of soy proteins are preferably concentrated, as this provides a richer flavor and a pleasant soybean-derived taste. For example, the soy emulsion composition described in JP 2012-16348 A can be used as such a soy protein raw material. An index of whether or not lipophilic proteins are concentrated can be estimated by determining the LCI (Lipophilic Proteins Content Index) value described in the publication. In the present invention, it is preferable to use soy milk cream with an LCI value of 55% or more, in which lipophilic proteins are concentrated.

[0017] (nucleolytic enzyme) In the plant-based cheese-like food of the present invention, it is important to allow a nuclease to act on raw materials containing plant protein. The nuclease may be any enzyme involved in the hydrolysis of nucleic acids and their degradation products, nucleotides and nucleosides, and specific examples include nucleases such as ribonuclease and deoxyribonuclease. Since the majority of nucleic acids in living organisms are ribonucleic acid (RNA), ribonucleases, which are enzymes involved in RNA degradation, are preferred. Ribonucleases may be endo- or exo-nucleases, and in a more preferred embodiment, exo-5'-phosphodiesterases are used.

[0018] Furthermore, the activity unit of an enzyme is, for example, 1 unit of 5'-phosphodiesterase activity, which is the amount of enzyme that liberates 1 μmol of phosphate per minute when the enzyme acts on the substrate adenosine-3'-monophosphate (3'-AMP) at pH 5.0 and 70°C.

[0019] Furthermore, since the presence of contaminating proteases can cause bitterness due to protein degradation, it is preferable for the nuclease to have low protease activity. The protease activity is suitably 50,000 PUN or less, preferably 30,000 PUN or less, and more preferably 10,000 PUN or less. PUN indicates the activity of liberating Folin color equivalent to 1 μg of tyrosine as a TCA-soluble component per minute when 1 ml of the enzyme solution is added to 5 ml of 0.6% milk casein (pH 7.5, M / 25 phosphate buffer) and allowed to react at 30°C for 10 minutes. The conditions for hydrolysis with a nuclease are not particularly limited, but the treatment is preferably carried out at the optimum temperature and pH for the nuclease, specifically, 20 to 80°C, preferably 30 to 80°C, and more preferably 35 to 75°C. After hydrolysis, a step of inactivating the nuclease may be added as needed. The inactivation conditions are not particularly limited as long as they are at or above the temperature at which the nuclease is inactivated.

[0020] (acidification) The plant-based cheese-like food of the present invention can be obtained by acidifying a raw material containing plant protein treated with the above-mentioned nuclease. The acidification is suitably performed to a pH of 3.5 to 6, preferably 3.5 to 5.7, and more preferably 4 to 5.5. If the pH is too high, the shelf life tends to be shortened, while if the pH is too low, the sourness becomes too strong, which may result in an unbalanced overall food when used as a soy protein-containing cheese-like food. Therefore, it is appropriate to adjust the pH within the above range. In one embodiment, acidification can be achieved using an organic acid, such as citric acid, lactic acid, malic acid, fumaric acid, gluconic acid, or phytic acid. In one embodiment, acidification can also be achieved by lactic acid fermentation. In this case, acidification can be carried out using a lactic acid bacteria starter at 15 to 45°C until the pH reaches the above-mentioned range. Alternatively, after lactic acid fermentation has progressed partway, the pH may be finally adjusted to the above-mentioned range with an alkali, organic acid, inorganic acid, or the like.

[0021] (Other ingredients) The plant-based cheese-like food of the present invention may or may not contain ingredients other than plant proteins depending on the quality of the product desired.

[0022] ○Oils and fats As the fats and oils, a wide variety of edible fats and oils with a melting point of about 20 to 50°C can be used. Examples of such fats and oils include vegetable fats such as rapeseed oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, rice bran oil, corn oil, safflower oil, olive oil, kapok oil, sesame oil, evening primrose oil, palm oil, shea butter, monkey fat, cacao butter, coconut oil, and palm kernel oil, and animal fats and oils such as milk fat, beef tallow, lard, fish oil, and whale oil. Examples of such fats and oils include the above-mentioned fats and oils used alone or in combination, or processed fats obtained by hardening, fractionating, interesterifying, etc. When fats and oils are added to the plant-based cheese-like food of the present invention, the content is suitably 10 to 50% by weight, preferably 15 to 45% by weight, and more preferably 20 to 40% by weight.

[0023] ○Thickener The plant-based cheese-like food of the present invention is preferably further enriched with a thickener, since this can impart greater viscosity to the plant-based cheese-like food and further improve its suitability for molding processes such as shredding. Preferred thickeners include modified starches such as hydroxypropylated starch, locust bean gum, and guar gum.

[0024] Emulsifier The plant-based cheese-like food of the present invention can use an emulsifier to the extent that it does not impair the flavor. The emulsifier is not particularly limited, and conventionally known emulsifiers can be used, such as lecithin, sucrose fatty acid esters, propylene glycol fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, glycerin fatty acid esters, polyglycerin fatty acid esters, various organic acid monoglycerides such as acetate monoglyceride, tartaric acid monoglyceride, mixed acetate tartaric acid monoglyceride, citric acid monoglyceride, diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride, and lactic acid monoglyceride, and polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid esters.

[0025] In addition to the above, the plant-based cheese-like food of the present invention may contain flavorings such as milk flavor, cheese flavor, and soy milk flavor, various spices, fruit purees, and jams to impart flavor, sweeteners such as sucralose, aspartame, and stevia to impart sweetness, and colorings such as beta-carotene, paprika color, and annatto color. Shelf-life extenders such as glycine, sodium acetate, and egg white lysozyme may also be used to extend shelf life.

[0026] (Manufacturing method) In one embodiment, the soy protein-containing cheese-like food of the present invention can be produced by pre-emulsifying an oil-in-water emulsion containing a mixture of fats and oils, a vegetable protein-containing raw material, starch, salt, a colorant, water, etc., followed by homogenization and sterilization and cooling. Acidification may be performed during pre-emulsification. Heat sterilization is also performed to gelatinize the starch, and is preferably carried out at 70 to 95°C. [Example]

[0027] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples. In the examples, "parts" and "%" are all based on weight.

[0028] (Test Example 1) The following ingredients containing vegetable protein were prepared: Low-fat soy milk (Fuji Oil Co., Ltd., solids: 90.2%, protein: 5.1%, fat: 0.5%, protein / carbohydrate ratio: 1.6) Soy milk cream (Fuji Oil Co., Ltd., solids: 81.0%, protein: 5.6%, fat: 12.3%) ·Soy flour solution (solid content: 8.8%, protein: 3.9%, lipid: 1.9%) Almond milk (Tsukuba Dairy Products Co., Ltd., total solids 9.9%, protein 2.9%, fat 5.6%) Oat Drink (Bridge, protein 0.7%, fat 1.9%) To each of the above raw materials, 0.1% of nuclease "Amano G" (5'-phosphodiesterase, manufactured by Amano Enzyme Inc.) was added as a nucleic acid degrading enzyme, and enzyme treatment was carried out at 70°C for 2 hours. After enzyme treatment, the mixture was sterilized in a direct steam heating sterilizer at 144°C for 4 seconds, and then cooled to obtain an enzyme-treated solution. A sensory evaluation was conducted by comparing the flavor of each reaction solution obtained with the flavor of each raw material before the reaction. The sensory evaluation was conducted by five panelists from the cheese development department who are experienced in evaluating cheese flavor, and they agreed to assign scores of 1 to 5 using the following evaluation criteria. Regarding "umami," the evaluation also took into consideration whether the quality was suitable for cheese flavor. Specifically, the flavor of cheese made from milk was used as the standard, and each panelist judged whether the quality was suitable for umami based on glutamic acid and other components present in this flavor. The results are shown in Table 1. <Evaluation criteria> 1: The umami flavor has not improved at all compared to before the reaction 2: The umami flavor has not improved much since before the reaction. 3: The flavor is improved compared to before the reaction 4: The flavor is significantly improved compared to before the reaction. 5: The umami taste is significantly improved compared to before the reaction.

[0029] (Table 1) TIFF0007750268000001.tif35138

[0030] As shown in Table 1, although there was some variation, the effect of improving the umami taste compared to before the reaction was observed for all raw materials.

[0031] (Test Example 2) To 80 parts of each of the raw materials after enzyme treatment and before enzyme treatment obtained in Test Example 1, 1 part of glucose and 19.99 parts of water were added, and 0.01 part of lactic acid bacteria (Streptococcus thermophilus) was added, followed by lactic acid fermentation at 40°C until the pH reached 4.6, and the flavor was evaluated in the same manner as in Test Example 1. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0032] (Table 2) TIFF0007750268000002.tif35138

[0033] As shown in Table 2, the combination of enzyme treatment and lactic acid fermentation tends to enhance the umami flavor.

[0034] Example 1 Using the soy milk cream that had been subjected to enzyme treatment and lactic acid fermentation prepared in Test Example 2, a plant-based cheese-like food was produced as follows. 36 parts of palm oil mid-melting point fraction (slope melting point 30°C / SFC: 90% at 10°C, 80% at 20°C), 30 parts of the soy milk cream after enzyme treatment and fermentation obtained in Test Example 2, 11 parts of tapioca-derived processed starch, 1 part of salt, 22 parts of water, 1.1 parts of a pH adjuster containing lactic acid, and 0.002 parts of a coloring matter were mixed at 55°C for 10 minutes to pre-emulsify, and then further mixed at 100 kg / cm 2 The mixture was homogenized under a pressure of 1000 kJ / min. After homogenization, the mixture was passed through a scraped surface continuous heat exchanger, heat sterilized at 80-90°C, filled, rapidly cooled in a tunnel freezer, and then aged in a refrigerator to obtain a soy protein-containing cheese-like food. For comparison, a cheese-like food was similarly obtained using soy milk cream that had been lactic acid fermented without enzyme treatment as in Test Example 2. When flavor evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Test Example 1, the flavor of the plant-based cheese-like food tended to be enhanced by adding enzyme treatment, as in the simple evaluation system of Test Example 2. Furthermore, the umami had qualities suitable for the flavor of cheese.

[0035] Examples 2 to 5 Plant-based cheese-like food samples were also prepared from the low-fat soy milk, soy flour solution, almond milk, and oat drink obtained in Test Example 2 that had been subjected to enzyme treatment and lactic acid fermentation in the same manner as in Example 1. Flavor evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Test Example 1. The samples that had undergone enzyme treatment all tended to have an enhanced umami flavor compared to samples that had undergone lactic acid fermentation only without enzyme treatment, and the umami had qualities suitable for the flavor of cheese.

Claims

1. A method for producing a vegetable cheese-like food, comprising the steps of: treating a raw material containing vegetable protein with an exonuclease as a nucleic acid-degrading enzyme; and then acidifying the resulting mixture to a pH of 3.5 to 5.

7. However, animal-derived ingredients account for less than 50% by weight of all ingredients of the plant-based cheese-like food.

2. A method for producing the plant-based cheese-like food described in claim 1, characterized by acidifying the food to a pH of 4 to 5.

5.

3. 3. The method for producing a plant-based cheese-like food product according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the acidification is lactic acid fermentation.

4. 4. The method for producing a plant-based cheese-like food according to claim 1, wherein the raw material containing plant protein is derived from beans.

5. 4. The method for producing a plant-based cheese-like food according to claim 1, wherein the raw material containing plant protein is derived from seeds.

6. 4. The method for producing a plant-based cheese-like food according to claim 1, wherein the raw material containing plant protein is derived from cereals.

7. 7. The method for producing a plant-based cheese-like food according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein fats and oils are added as raw materials.

8. 8. The method for producing a plant-based cheese-like food product according to claim 7, wherein a thickener is added as an ingredient.

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