Animal and vegetable lipids are found in processed foods

Abstract

Provided is a processed food product containing an animal or vegetable fat in which clouding that occurs following heat treatment can be suppressed. The processed food product containing an animal or vegetable fat contains, per 1 g of lipids in the food product, 0.5 mg to 50 mg of a monoacylglycerol.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a processed food containing animal or vegetable fat. The present invention further relates to a method for producing a processed food containing animal or vegetable fat, a method for inhibiting clouding of a processed food containing animal or vegetable fat, and an agent for inhibiting clouding of a processed food containing animal or vegetable fat. [Background technology]

[0002] In processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats (solid fats), when the foods are slowly cooled or left to cool after heat treatment such as baking, the solid fats can cause the foods to turn white (become cloudy), resulting in poor appearance and poor taste. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a method of adding an emulsifier made of a specific polyglycerol fatty acid ester to solid fat foods such as margarine and chocolate in order to prevent whitening.

[0003] On the other hand, in the field of processed meat foods, it has been reported that lipase is added to produce processed meat foods that are juicier without impairing the flavor (Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-279267 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-102297 Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technology described in Patent Document 1 was insufficient in suppressing the cloudiness that occurs after heat treatment of processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats, and there was room for improvement.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide a processed food containing animal and vegetable fats that can suppress cloudiness after heat treatment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] As a result of intensive research into solving the above-mentioned problems, the inventors discovered that the above-mentioned problems can be solved by adding lipase to the production of processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats and adjusting the amount of monoacylglycerol per gram of lipid in the food to a specific range, thereby completing the present invention.

[0008] That is, the present invention includes the following. [1] A processed food containing animal or vegetable fats, which contains 0.5 mg to 50 mg of monoacylglycerol per 1 g of lipid in the food. [2] A processed food containing animal and vegetable fats according to [1], further containing 5 mg to 125 mg of diacylglycerol per 1 g of lipid in the food. [3] A processed food containing animal and vegetable fats according to [1] or [2], wherein the ratio (A) of the amount of monoacylglycerol (mg) to the amount of diacylglycerol (mg) per 1 g of lipid in the food is less than 0.2. (A): Monoacylglycerol amount / (monoacylglycerol amount + diacylglycerol amount) [4] The food according to any one of [1] to [3], which is a processed meat food. [5] A method for producing processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats, which comprises adding lipase to the raw materials of processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats, and adjusting the amount of monoacylglycerol per 1 g of lipid in the food to 0.5 mg or more and 50 mg or less. [6] The method according to [5], further comprising adjusting the amount of diacylglycerol per 1 g of lipid in the food to 5 mg or more and 125 mg or less. [7] The method according to [5] or [6], further comprising adjusting the ratio (A) of the amount of monoacylglycerol (mg) to the amount of diacylglycerol (mg) per 1 g of lipid in the food to less than 0.2. (A): Monoacylglycerol amount / (monoacylglycerol amount + diacylglycerol amount) [8] The method according to any one of [5] to [7], wherein the processed food containing animal or vegetable fat is a processed meat food. [9] A method for suppressing cloudiness of processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats, comprising adding lipase to the raw materials of the processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats, and adjusting the amount of monoacylglycerol per 1 g of lipid in the foods to 0.5 mg or more and 50 mg or less.

[10] The method according to [9], further comprising adjusting the amount of diacylglycerol per 1 g of lipid in the food to 5 mg or more and 125 mg or less.

[11] The method according to [9] or

[10] , further comprising adjusting the ratio (A) of the amount of monoacylglycerol (mg) to the amount of diacylglycerol (mg) per 1 g of lipid in the food to less than 0.2. (A): Monoacylglycerol amount / (monoacylglycerol amount + diacylglycerol amount)

[12] A lipase-containing agent for suppressing cloudiness in processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats.

[13] A clouding inhibitor according to

[12] , which is added to a processed food containing animal or vegetable fat so that the monoacylglycerol content per 1 g of lipid in the processed food containing animal or vegetable fat is 0.5 mg or more and 50 mg or less.

[14] The clouding inhibitor according to

[12] or

[13] , further comprising an emulsifier. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a processed food containing animal and vegetable fats that can be prevented from becoming cloudy after heat treatment. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows a plot of turbidity versus the amount of monoacylglycerol (MAG) in lipids (mg / g). Figure 1(a) shows a linear regression line, and Figure 1(b) shows a quadratic regression curve. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows a plot of turbidity versus the amount of diacylglycerol (DAG) in lipids (mg / g). Figure 2(a) shows a linear regression line, and Figure 2(b) shows a quadratic regression curve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] <Terminology> In the present invention, "animal and vegetable fats" means both animal fats and vegetable fats that are solid at 20°C, and examples thereof include pork fat (lard), beef fat (het), chicken fat, rabbit fat, mutton fat, horse fat, milk fat (butter, ghee, etc.), cacao butter, peanut fat, palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, and hardened oils (margarine, shortening, etc.).

[0012] In the present invention, the term "processed food containing animal and vegetable fats" refers to processed food containing animal and vegetable fats.

[0013] In the present invention, "processed foods" refer to foods prepared by subjecting food ingredients to some kind of processing, and examples thereof include fish paste products, processed meat products, processed dairy products, processed vegetable products, processed fruit products, oily foods, luxury foods, seasonings, confectioneries, frozen foods, retort foods, canned foods, bottled foods, and instant foods.

[0014] In the present invention, "processed meat foods" refers to foods prepared by processing meat from livestock such as beef, pork, horse, sheep, goat, and rabbit; poultry such as chicken, duck, wild duck, turkey, domestic duck, quail, guinea fowl, and goose; wild animal meat obtained by hunting such as boar and deer; and marine mammal meat such as whale, dolphin, and sea lion. "Meat" refers to meat that is intended for consumption. Therefore, of the processed foods mentioned above, foods prepared by processing meat, such as processed meat products and frozen foods, retort foods, canned foods, and bottled foods prepared by processing meat, belong to the category of "processed meat foods."

[0015] In the present invention, "lipid" refers to an organic compound that is substantially insoluble in water and soluble in an organic solvent, and is a general term for fats and oils (triacylglycerol, diacylglycerol, and monoacylglycerol), fatty acids, phospholipids, glycolipids, and sterols.

[0016] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to preferred embodiments thereof. The present invention is not limited to the following description, and each component can be appropriately modified within the scope of the present invention.

[0017] [Processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats] The animal and vegetable fat-containing processed food of the present invention (hereinafter also referred to simply as "food of the present invention") is characterized by containing 0.5 mg to 50 mg of monoacylglycerol (hereinafter also referred to as "MAG") per 1 g of lipid in the food, which prevents the food of the present invention from becoming cloudy after heat treatment.

[0018] In processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats, whitening (clouding) due to crystallization of the animal and vegetable fats can occur during the slow cooling and natural cooling process after heat treatment, resulting in poor appearance and taste. Although technology has been reported to suppress the problem of clouding by adding emulsifiers to physically suppress the crystallization of solid fats, even this technology is not sufficient to suppress the clouding that occurs after heat treatment of processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats (especially processed foods containing animal fats that are prone to crystallization with high melting points), and there is room for improvement.

[0019] In contrast, the present inventors have discovered that adding lipase to processed foods containing animal fats, which are prone to and difficult to resolve the problem of cloudiness after heat treatment, can dramatically suppress cloudiness in the food. While emulsifiers physically prevent solid fats from coagulating and crystallizing while maintaining their molecular structure, lipases deesterify solid fats, altering their molecular structure. The inventors hypothesized that this change in the molecular structure of solid fats contributes to suppressing cloudiness in processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats after heat treatment. Based on this, the present inventors investigated the amount and composition of lipids in processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats after the addition of lipase. As a result, they found that the amount of MAG in lipids correlates with cloudiness after heat treatment, and that cloudiness after heat treatment can be sufficiently suppressed when the MAG amount is within a specific range. The present inventors have also found that a specific range of MAG in lipids can suppress weight loss associated with heat treatment, such as baking, and can achieve good yields. In this way, the present invention achieves both the suppression of cloudiness after heat treatment and the improvement of yield in processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats, and significantly contributes to the productive production of high-quality processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats.

[0020] In order to realize a processed food containing animal and vegetable fats that can suppress clouding after heat treatment, the amount of MAG in the food is 0.5 mg or more per 1 g of lipid in the food, preferably 1 mg or more, 1.5 mg or more, 2 mg or more, 2.5 mg or more, or 3 mg or more. In particular, if the amount of MAG per 1 g of lipid in the food is 3 mg or more, it is preferable because clouding after heat treatment can be significantly suppressed. The amount of MAG per 1 g of lipid in the food is more preferably 4 mg or more, 5 mg or more, 6 mg or more, or 7 mg or more.

[0021] As described in detail in the Examples, the present inventors have discovered that in order to suppress clouding of processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats after heat treatment, the amount of MAG in the lipid is not necessarily higher, but that there is an optimal range (see Figure 1). From the viewpoint of realizing processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats that can suppress clouding after heat treatment, the upper limit of the amount of MAG per 1 g of lipid in the food is 50 mg or less, preferably 45 mg or less, 40 mg or less, 35 mg or less, or 30 mg or less. In particular, if the amount of MAG per 1 g of lipid in the food is 30 mg or less, clouding after heat treatment can be further suppressed, which is preferable. The MAG amount is more preferably 25 mg or less or 20 mg or less. If the amount of MAG per 1 g of lipid in the food is 20 mg or less, clouding after heat treatment can be remarkably suppressed, which is preferable.

[0022] Therefore, in one preferred embodiment, the processed food containing animal and vegetable fats contains 0.5 mg to 50 mg of MAG per 1 g of lipid in the food.

[0023] The amount of MAG per 1 g of lipid in processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats can be measured by the method described in the section "(2) Composition analysis of MAG and DAG" below.

[0024] The inventors have also discovered that in order to suppress cloudiness of processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats after heat treatment, in addition to the MAG amount being within the above range, it is preferable that the amount of diacylglycerol (hereinafter also referred to as "DAG") be within the following range.

[0025] In order to realize a processed food containing animal and vegetable fats that can suppress cloudiness after heat treatment, the DAG content in the food is preferably 5 mg or more, more preferably 10 mg or more, 15 mg or more, or 20 mg or more per 1 g of lipid in the food.If the MAG content is within the above range and the DAG content per 1 g of lipid is 20 mg or more, it is preferable because cloudiness after heat treatment can be further suppressed.The DAG content is more preferably 25 mg or more, 30 mg or more, 35 mg or more, or 40 mg or more.

[0026] As with the MAG content, the present inventors have found that there is an optimal range for the DAG content in order to suppress clouding after heat treatment of processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats (see Figure 2). From the viewpoint of realizing processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats that can suppress clouding after heat treatment, the upper limit of the DAG content per 1 g of lipid in the food is preferably 125 mg or less, more preferably 120 mg or less, 110 mg or less, 100 mg or less, or 90 mg or less. In particular, a DAG content of 90 mg or less per 1 g of lipid in the food is preferable because it can further suppress clouding after heat treatment. The DAG content is more preferably 85 mg or less or 80 mg or less.

[0027] The amount of DAG per 1 g of lipid in processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats can be measured by the method described in the section "(2) Composition analysis of MAG and DAG" below.

[0028] The inventors further discovered that in order to suppress clouding of processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats after heat treatment, it is preferable that the MAG and DAG amounts are within the above ranges, and that the ratio (A) of the MAG and DAG amounts is within a specific range. Ratio (A): MAG amount / (MAG amount + DAG amount)

[0029] From the viewpoint of realizing a processed food containing animal and vegetable fats that can suppress clouding after heat treatment, the ratio (A) of the amount of MAG to the amount of DAG per gram of lipid in the food is preferably 0.9 or less, more preferably 0.8 or less, 0.7 or less, 0.6 or less, 0.5 or less, 0.4 or less, 0.3 or less, 0.2 or less, or less than 0.2. In particular, a ratio (A) value of less than 0.2 is preferable because clouding after heat treatment can be further suppressed. The lower limit of the ratio (A) is not particularly limited as long as the amount of MAG is within the above range, but it can be 0.01 or more, 0.02 or more, 0.03 or more, or 0.05 or more.

[0030] As long as the amount of MAG per 1 g of lipid in the animal and vegetable fat-containing processed food is within the above range, the amount of free fatty acid is not particularly limited.

[0031] As mentioned above, in order to realize the animal and vegetable fat-containing processed food of the present invention in which the MAG amount and the like fall within the above ranges, lipase is added to the raw materials of the food.

[0032] Lipase is an enzyme that has the property of hydrolyzing ester bonds in animal and vegetable fats, and includes, for example, triacylglycerol lipase, triacylglyceride lipase, and the like.

[0033] Lipases of various origins are known, including lipases derived from microorganisms, plants, and animals. In the present invention, the origin is not particularly limited as long as the effects of the present invention are achieved, and lipases of any origin can be used, including recombinant enzymes. Among these, lipases derived from microorganisms are preferred, including lipases derived from bacteria of the genus Alcaligenes, fungi of the genus Penicillium, fungi of the genus Candida, fungi of the genus Aspergillus, and fungi of the genus Rhizopus.

[0034] In the present invention, commercially available lipases provided by various companies can be used, such as lipase QLM (derived from bacteria of the genus Alcaligenes, manufactured by Meito Sangyo Co., Ltd.), lipase PL (derived from bacteria of the genus Alcaligenes, manufactured by Meito Sangyo Co., Ltd.), lipase R (derived from Penicillium roqueforti, manufactured by Amano Enzyme Inc.), lipase A (derived from Aspergillus niger, manufactured by Amano Enzyme Inc.), and lipase AY (derived from fungi of the genus Candida, manufactured by Amano Enzyme Inc.).

[0035] The animal and vegetable fat-containing processed food of the present invention is not particularly limited in type as long as it contains animal and vegetable fats, and broadly encompasses the processed foods described above. From the perspective of more fully enjoying the effects of the present invention, processed foods with a high animal and vegetable fat content are preferred. For example, processed foods with an animal and vegetable fat content of 10% by weight or more, 20% by weight or more, 25% by weight or more, or 30% by weight or more are preferred, assuming the total weight of the food to be 100% by weight. The upper limit of the animal and vegetable fat content in the animal and vegetable fat-containing processed food is not particularly limited, but is usually 70% by weight or less, preferably 60% by weight or less, 55% by weight or less, or 50% by weight or less. The present invention is advantageous because it can suppress cloudiness after heat treatment, even in processed foods with a high content of animal and vegetable fats.

[0036] Among these, the animal and vegetable fat-containing processed foods of the present invention are particularly preferably processed meat foods, cooked foods (frozen foods, retort foods, canned foods, bottled foods that do not belong to processed meat foods), and confectioneries. Because the appearance and taste of these foods are easily affected by the clouding of animal and vegetable fats, suitable processed meat foods and cooked foods include, for example, hamburger steaks and hamburger steak-like foods, meatballs and meatball-like foods, gyoza and gyoza-like foods, and shumai and shumai-like foods, and suitable confectioneries include, for example, chocolate and chocolate-containing confectioneries.

[0037] The raw materials for processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats may be appropriately selected depending on the type and specifications of the processed food, and are not particularly limited as long as at least a portion of the raw materials contains animal and vegetable fats. Examples of raw materials containing animal and vegetable fats include animal and vegetable fats themselves, as well as raw materials containing animal fats such as pork, beef, chicken, rabbit, mutton, horsemeat, and raw milk, and raw materials containing vegetable fats such as cacao, peanuts, palm pulp and kernel, and coconut pulp and kernel.

[0038] Other ingredients include, for example, protein ingredients such as dried egg white and gluten flour; starchy ingredients such as bread, wheat flour, rice, oatmeal, cornmeal, and vermicelli; thickeners such as methylcellulose, propylene glycol alginate, and sodium polyacrylate; binders such as phosphates (monosodium phosphate, dipotassium phosphate, etc.), and polymerized phosphates (sodium polyphosphate, sodium metaphosphate, etc.); preservatives such as sodium nitrite and sorbic acid; antioxidants such as sodium L-ascorbate and catechin; pH adjusters such as fumaric acid; sucrose fatty acid esters, polyglycerin fatty acid esters, saponin, lecithin, and calcium carbonate. Examples of suitable additives include emulsifiers such as sodium zeinate; seasonings such as salt, soy sauce, and umami seasonings (such as monosodium L-glutamate and monosodium inosinate); flavorings such as beef flavor, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, and sage; colorings such as caramel color, annatto color, and cochineal color; nutritional enhancers such as vitamins (such as L-ascorbic acid, ergocalciferol, and β-carotene), minerals (such as zinc salts, calcium chloride, and ferric chloride), and amino acids (such as sodium L-aspartate, DL-alanine, L-arginine, and L-isoleucine); and other enzymes such as transglutaminase. These may be used singly or in combination of two or more.

[0039] [Method of manufacturing processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats] The present invention also provides a method for producing a processed food containing animal and vegetable fats (hereinafter also simply referred to as "the production method of the present invention").

[0040] The production method of the present invention is characterized by adding lipase to the raw materials of processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats, and adjusting the amount of monoacylglycerol (MAG) per 1 g of lipid in the food to 0.5 mg to 50 mg.

[0041] The ingredients and lipase of animal and vegetable fat-containing processed foods, the amounts of MAG and diacylglycerol (DAG) in the animal and vegetable fat-containing processed foods, the preferred range of the ratio (A) of the amounts of MAG to DAG, and the animal and vegetable fat-containing processed foods are as described above in the "Animal and vegetable fat-containing processed foods" section. For example, from the viewpoint of realizing an animal and vegetable fat-containing processed food that can further suppress cloudiness after heat treatment, it is particularly preferable to set the amount of MAG per 1 g of lipid in the food to 3 mg or more and 30 mg or less. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of realizing an animal and vegetable fat-containing processed food that can further suppress cloudiness after heat treatment, in addition to setting the amount of MAG within a specific range, it is particularly preferable to set the amount of DAG per 1 g of lipid to 5 mg or more and 125 mg or less (more preferably 20 mg or more and 90 mg or less), and to set the ratio (A) of the amounts of MAG to DAG (i.e., [MAG amount / (MAG amount + DAG amount)]) to less than 0.2. From the viewpoint of being able to enjoy the effects of the present invention to a greater extent, processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats are preferably processed foods with a high content of animal and vegetable fats (preferably processed foods with an animal and vegetable fat content of 10% by weight or more, 20% by weight or more, 25% by weight or more, or 30% by weight or more), and among these, processed meat foods, cooked foods (frozen foods, retort foods, canned foods, bottled foods that do not belong to the category of processed meat foods), and confectioneries are particularly preferred.

[0042] In the production method of the present invention, the amount of lipase added is not particularly limited as long as the above-mentioned MAG amount and the like are achieved. The amount of lipase added is typically 1 U (unit) or more, based on enzyme activity, per 1 g of the total weight of the raw materials of the animal and vegetable fat-containing processed food (substantially per 1 g of the food), and may be, for example, 5 U or more, 10 U or more, 20 U or more, 30 U or more, 50 U or more, or 100 U or more. The upper limit of the amount added is not particularly limited as long as the above-mentioned MAG amount and the like are achieved, and is typically 10,000 U or less, for example, 9,000 U or less, 8,000 U or less, 7,000 U or less, 6,000 U or less, or 5,000 U or less per 1 g of food. The enzymatic activity of lipase can be calculated by, for example, allowing lipase to act on an emulsion of olive oil as a substrate for a certain period of time and quantifying the amount of released fatty acids with alkali. In this specification, 1 U is defined as the amount of enzyme that releases 1 μmol of fatty acids per minute at 37°C.

[0043] The lipase may be added in the above amount at once to the raw materials of the processed food containing animal and vegetable fats, or may be added in small amounts so as to reach the above amount.

[0044] The conditions for adding lipase to the raw material and allowing it to act on the animal or vegetable fat vary depending on the type of animal or vegetable fat and the type of lipase, but the temperature is usually 0° C. or higher, preferably 2° C. or higher, 3° C. or higher, 4° C. or higher, or 5° C. or higher. The upper limit of the temperature is usually 60° C. or lower, preferably 50° C. or lower, 40° C. or lower, 30° C. or lower, or 20° C. The pH is usually in the range of 3 to 11, and preferably 4 to 9.

[0045] The production method of the present invention may further include known processing steps that are commonly performed when producing processed foods containing animal or vegetable fats. For example, lipase may be added to the raw materials of the food, and the resulting mixture may be molded or packed into a casing or the like. Other processing steps that may be performed include pickling (salting, miso pickling, soy sauce pickling, etc.), heating (baking, drying, boiling, smoking, braising, temperature control, etc.), and fermentation.

[0046] According to the production method of the present invention, in which lipase is added to raw materials to set the MAG content per gram of lipid in the food within a specific range, cloudiness after heat treatment can be suppressed, as described above, and processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats with good appearance and taste can be produced. In addition, according to the production method of the present invention, the outflow of lipids during heat treatment can be suppressed, and the yield can be improved. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, the production method of the present invention includes a step of adding lipase to raw materials for processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats and heating the mixture obtained.

[0047] After the heat treatment, the processed food containing animal and vegetable fats may be slowly cooled or allowed to stand to cool to room temperature before eating. The processed food containing animal and vegetable fats produced by the production method of the present invention can suppress the occurrence of cloudiness caused by the animal and vegetable fats during the process of slowly cooling or allowing to stand to cool to room temperature after the heat treatment, and can maintain the good appearance and taste of a freshly made or freshly cooked food.

[0048] After heat treatment, the food may be stored at room temperature, or may be cooled (refrigerated) or frozen. When cooling or freezing, the food may be cooled with running water, cooled to about 2°C to 10°C in a refrigerator, or quickly frozen to -20°C or below in a freezer. Processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats produced by the production method of the present invention contribute to reducing cloudiness caused by animal and vegetable fats even during such storage, refrigeration, and freezing processes, and can also suppress cloudiness after heat treatment if the food is heat-treated again before consumption.

[0049] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method for producing a processed meat food is described below. Depending on the specific specifications of the processed meat food, ingredients such as meat, other protein ingredients, starch materials, thickeners, binders, preservatives, antioxidants, pH adjusters, emulsifiers, seasonings, flavorings, colorings, and nutritional enhancers are mixed in a mixer. Lipase is added to the ingredients during this mixing process. The ingredients of the processed meat food may be added to the mixer all at once and mixed, or may be divided into sections, such as a meat section, a binder section containing thickeners and binders, a seasoning section containing seasonings and flavorings, and an other protein section containing other protein ingredients, and then added and mixed separately. When the ingredients are added and mixed separately, lipase may be added after mixing all the sections, or after mixing some of the sections. When lipase is added after mixing some of the sections, the remaining sections may be added and mixed after adding lipase. The resulting mixture is then shaped and subjected to a heat treatment such as steaming or baking.

[0050] [Method for suppressing cloudiness in processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats] The present invention also provides a method for inhibiting clouding of processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats (hereinafter simply referred to as "the method for inhibiting clouding of the present invention" or "the method of the present invention").

[0051] The method for inhibiting clouding of the present invention is characterized by adding lipase to the raw materials of processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats, and adjusting the monoacylglycerol (MAG) content per gram of lipid in the food to 0.5 mg to 50 mg.

[0052] The raw materials and lipases for animal and vegetable fat-containing processed foods, the amounts of MAG and diacylglycerol (DAG) in the animal and vegetable fat-containing processed foods, the preferred range of the ratio (A) of the amounts of MAG to DAG, and the animal and vegetable fat-containing processed foods are as described above in the "Animal and vegetable fat-containing processed foods" section. For example, from the viewpoint of further suppressing cloudiness of the animal and vegetable fat-containing processed foods, it is particularly preferable to set the amount of MAG per 1 g of lipid in the food to 3 mg to 30 mg. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of further suppressing cloudiness of the animal and vegetable fat-containing processed foods, in addition to setting the amount of MAG within a specific range, it is particularly preferable to set the amount of DAG per 1 g of lipid to 5 mg to 125 mg (more preferably 20 mg to 90 mg), and to set the ratio (A) of the amounts of MAG to DAG, i.e., [MAG amount / (MAG amount + DAG amount)], to less than 0.2. From the viewpoint of being able to enjoy the effects of the present invention to a greater extent, processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats are preferably processed foods with a high content of animal and vegetable fats (preferably processed foods with an animal and vegetable fat content of 10% by weight or more, 20% by weight or more, 25% by weight or more, or 30% by weight or more), and among these, processed meat foods, cooked foods (frozen foods, retort foods, canned foods, bottled foods that do not belong to the category of processed meat foods), and confectioneries are particularly preferred.

[0053] The conditions for adding lipase to the raw material and allowing it to act on the animal and vegetable fats are as explained in the above section [Method for producing processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats].

[0054] According to the method of the present invention, clouding of processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats after heat treatment can be suppressed. When a processed food containing animal and vegetable fats is heat-treated without adding lipase, the turbidity of the effluent animal and vegetable fat-containing material after a certain time (e.g., 1 hour) after heat treatment is defined as T0. The turbidity T achieved by the method of suppressing clouding of the present invention is preferably T0 x 0.9 or less, more preferably T0 x 0.8 or less, T0 x 0.7 or less, or T0 x 0.6 or less. According to the method of the present invention, even when producing processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats with high contents of animal and vegetable fats that tend to become significantly cloudy after heat treatment (particularly processed foods containing animal fats with high contents of animal fats that easily turn into high-melting-point crystals), it is possible to reduce the turbidity by the order of 10% or several tens of percent, as described above, and suppress clouding.

[0055] [An agent for preventing cloudiness in processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats] The present invention also provides an agent for inhibiting clouding of processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "the clouding inhibitor of the present invention" or "the agent of the present invention").

[0056] The clouding inhibitor of the present invention is characterized by containing lipase.

[0057] Lipase and processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats are as explained above in the section "Processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats." From the viewpoint of being able to enjoy the effects of the present invention more effectively, processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats are preferably processed foods with a high content of animal and vegetable fats (processed foods with an animal and vegetable fat content of preferably 10% by weight or more, 20% by weight or more, 25% by weight or more, or 30% by weight or more), and among these, processed meat foods, cooked foods (frozen foods, retort foods, canned foods, bottled foods that do not belong to processed meat foods), and confectioneries are particularly preferred.

[0058] In order to suppress the clouding of processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats, the clouding inhibitor of the present invention is added to the processed food containing animal and vegetable fats by adjusting the amount and conditions of addition so that the monoacylglycerol (MAG) content is 0.5 mg to 50 mg per gram of lipid in the processed food containing animal and vegetable fats. Therefore, in one embodiment, the clouding inhibitor of the present invention is added to the processed food containing animal and vegetable fats so that the MAG content is 0.5 mg to 50 mg per gram of lipid in the processed food containing animal and vegetable fats. The preferred ranges for the MAG content, diacylglycerol (DAG) content, and the ratio (A) of the MAG content to the DAG content are as explained in the above section [Processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats], and the amount and conditions of addition of the agent of the present invention are adjusted to satisfy these preferred ranges.

[0059] The agent of the present invention may further contain an emulsifier. By containing an emulsifier, cloudiness of the processed food containing animal and vegetable fats can be further suppressed. As the emulsifier, a known emulsifier used in producing processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats can be used, such as sucrose fatty acid ester, polyglycerin fatty acid ester, saponin, lecithin, sodium caseinate, etc.

[0060] The agent of the present invention may further contain other physiologically acceptable ingredients as long as they do not inhibit the effects of the present invention. Examples of such ingredients include salts for enhancing lipase activity, sugars for improving powder properties in powdered agents, and dispersion media such as water in liquid agents.

[0061] In the agent of the present invention, the content of lipase varies depending on the type and potency of lipase, but is usually 1% by weight or more, for example, 2% by weight or more, 3% by weight or more, 4% by weight or more, or 5% by weight or more. The upper limit of the lipase content is not particularly limited, but is usually 99% by weight or less, for example, 98% by weight or less, 96% by weight or less, 95% by weight or less, 90% by weight or less, or 80% by weight or less. [Example]

[0062] The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to examples, although the present invention is not limited to the examples shown below.

[0063] (1) Manufacturing of processed foods containing animal and vegetable fats (hamburger steak) (a) The lean pork meat listed in Table 1 was placed in a KitchenAid mixer (KSM5ER (Empire Red), manufactured by FMI Co., Ltd.) and mixed at first speed for 30 seconds while adding salt. Then, the remaining ingredients and lipase were added and mixed at first speed for 4 minutes, and then at second speed for another 1 minute. (b) The mixture obtained in (a) above was filled into a muffin plate at 30 g per hole and molded. The weight of the muffin plate filled with the molded food product was measured, and the weight M1 (g) of the resulting molded food product was calculated based on the weight of the muffin plate itself. (c) The muffin plates filled with the food product obtained in (b) above were vacuum-packed and kept in a refrigerator at 5°C for 18 hours. (d) The muffin plate filled with the food product was removed from the packaging and baked in a steam convection oven at 200°C for 9 minutes to produce a hamburger steak. The weight M2 (g) of the baked hamburger steak was measured.

[0064] The raw materials used in the production of the hamburger steak are as follows: Lean pork, salt, and pork fat were all general food ingredients and products. The lipases used were various commercially available lipases (A to F) shown in Table 2. For each lipase, the amount added was changed within the range of 100 to 5000 U / g, and three samples were produced (two samples for lipase C) (17 samples in total; Samples No. 1 to 17 in Table 3).

[0065] [Table 1]

[0066] [Table 2]

[0067] As a control sample, a hamburger steak was produced in the same manner as above except that no lipase was added (Sample No. 18 in Table 3).

[0068] (2) Composition analysis of MAG and DAG <Extraction of lipids from samples> For each hamburger steak sample, a sample extract was prepared according to the following procedures (i) to (xii). (i) Approximately 250 mg of the hamburger steak sample obtained in (1) above was precisely weighed into a test tube. (ii) 1 mL of distilled water, 2.5 mL of methanol, and 1 mL of chloroform were added. (iii) The mixture was mixed using a vortex mixer and subjected to ultrasonic irradiation for 10 minutes. (iv) Further, 1.5 mL of chloroform and 1.25 mL of distilled water were added. (v) The mixture was stirred for 1 minute using a vortex mixer. (vi) Centrifugation was carried out at 3000 rpm for 10 minutes, and the lower layer was transferred to another test tube. (vii) 2 mL of chloroform was added to the remaining upper layer. (viii) The mixture was stirred for 1 minute using a vortex mixer. (ix) The lower layer was combined with the test tube in (vi). (x) The contents of the test tube (ix) were evaporated to dryness under a stream of nitrogen. (xi) 10 mL of chloroform was added and dissolved. (xii) Chloroform was added to dilute the solution 5 times to obtain the sample extract.

[0069] A solution obtained by carrying out only the above steps (ii) to (xii) without using the hamburger steak sample was used as a blank.

[0070] <7-component mixed standard stock solution (hereinafter referred to as 7mix STK)> Monopalmitin, dipalmitin, tripalmitin, monostearin, tristearin, monoolein, and triolein were dissolved and mixed in chloroform to prepare 7mix STK with a concentration of 50 μg / mL for each component.

[0071] <Standard solutions and sample solutions> 1 mL of each of the standard stock solution, sample extract, and blank was placed in a GC glass vial, dried under a nitrogen stream, and then redissolved in 0.5 mL of pyridine. 0.05 mL of N-methyl-N-trimethylsilyl-trifluoroacetamide (MSTFA) was added, and the mixture was shaken at 37°C for 30 minutes. 0.5 mL of chloroform was added and mixed to obtain the standard solution (STD), sample solution, and blank, respectively.

[0072] <Measurement conditions> The standard solution, sample solution and blank were each measured once. ·GC Department Column used: Rtx-65TAG, inner diameter 0.25 mm, column length 30 m, df. 0.10 μm (Restek) Column temperature: 80°C (2 min) → 10°C / min → 360°C (12 min) Injection temperature: 360℃ Interface temperature: 348℃ Carrier gas control mode: Constant linear velocity 49 cm / sec Sample introduction method: Split 1:5 Injection volume: 1μL ·MS Department Ionization method: EI method Ion source temperature: 300℃ Mode: scan Mass range: m / z 45-650

[0073] (3) Evaluation of cloudiness (turbidity) The liquid that spilled after baking the hamburger steak was collected from the muffin plate into a 50 mL Falcon tube. The collected liquid was heated to 60 °C to melt the lipid solids, then centrifuged at 4000 g for 10 minutes, and 200 μL of the supernatant was dispensed into a 96-well microplate. The dispensed microplate was heated at 60 °C for more than 2 hours, and then immediately measured for OD (optical density) at a wavelength of 660 nm at room temperature using a microplate reader ("SpectraMax M5", Molecular Devices Japan).

[0074] (4) Yield evaluation The yield was calculated using the measured weights M1 and M2 as follows: Three hamburger steaks were produced for each sample, and the yield was calculated by averaging these values. Yield (%) = 100 x M2 / M1

[0075] The measurement results for each sample, including the amount of MAG (mg / g) and DAG (mg / g) in the lipids, turbidity (1 hour after the start of measurement), and yield, are summarized in Table 3. Figure 1 shows a plot of turbidity versus the amount of MAG (mg / g) in the lipids. Specifically, Figure 1(a) shows the linear regression line, and Figure 1(b) shows the quadratic regression curve. Figure 2 shows a plot of turbidity versus the amount of DAG (mg / g) in the lipids. Specifically, Figure 2(a) shows the linear regression line, and Figure 2(b) shows the quadratic regression curve.

[0076] [Table 3]

[0077] As can be seen from Table 3 and Figure 1, samples with MAG content in the lipids of 0.5 to 50 mg / g, within the range of the present invention, had lower turbidity and were able to suppress cloudiness after baking compared to a conventional lipase-free sample (Sample No. 18). Comparing the linear regression line in Figure 1(a) with the quadratic regression curve in Figure 1(b) reveals that the relationship between MAG content in the lipids and turbidity is more consistent with quadratic regression than with linear regression (the correlation coefficient R2 is higher for quadratic regression), indicating that there is an optimal range for the MAG content in the lipids to suppress cloudiness after baking. In particular, when the MAG content in the lipids is in the range of 3 to 30 mg / g, the turbidity falls below 1, further suppressing cloudiness after baking. In particular, when the MAG content in the lipids is in the range of 3 to 20 mg / g, cloudiness after baking tends to be significantly suppressed. In terms of taste, in samples where the MAG content in the lipids was outside the range of the present invention, a difference was felt between the solidified fat and the other food ingredients when chewed, and the strange taste specific to the solidified fat remained in the mouth, resulting in a lack of unity in the taste, whereas samples where the MAG content in the lipids was within the range of the present invention (especially samples where the MAG content in the lipids was in the preferred range of 3 to 30 mg / g) presented a good, unity-like taste.Furthermore, it was confirmed that samples where the MAG content in the lipids was within the range of the present invention also had an improvement in yield on the order of 100% compared to a conventional sample (sample No. 18) without added lipase.

[0078] Furthermore, as can be seen from Table 3 and Figure 2, it was confirmed that samples in which the DAG content in the lipids was in the range of 5 to 125 mg / g suppressed cloudiness after baking. Comparing the linear regression line in Figure 2(a) with the quadratic regression curve in Figure 2(b), the relationship between the DAG content in the lipids and turbidity is more consistent with quadratic regression than with linear regression (the correlation coefficient R2 is higher for quadratic regression), indicating that there is an optimal range for the DAG content in lipids to suppress cloudiness after baking. In particular, when the DAG content in lipids was in the range of 20 to 90 mg / g, cloudiness after baking tended to be significantly suppressed.

[0079] Furthermore, as can be seen from Table 3, samples in which the amount of MAG in the lipid was within the range of the present invention and the ratio of the amount of MAG to the amount of DAG [MAG / (MAG+DAG)] was less than 0.2 tended to be able to significantly suppress cloudiness after baking.

Claims

1. A processed meat food containing one or more animal fats selected from lard, milk fat, chicken fat and horse fat, obtained by adding lipase to the raw materials of a processed meat food containing one or more animal fats selected from lard, milk fat, chicken fat and horse fat, wherein the food contains 0.5 mg to 30 mg of monoacylglycerol per 1 g of lipid in the food.

2. 2. The processed meat food according to claim 1, further comprising 5 mg to 125 mg of diacylglycerol per 1 g of lipid in the food.

3. 3. A processed meat food according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ratio (A) of the amount of monoacylglycerol (mg) to the amount of diacylglycerol (mg) per 1 g of lipid in the food is less than 0.

2. (A): Monoacylglycerol amount / (monoacylglycerol amount+diacylglycerol amount)

4. The food according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the content of one or more animal fats selected from lard, milk fat, chicken fat, and horse fat is 20% by mass or more.

5. A method for producing a processed meat food product, comprising adding lipase to a raw material for the processed meat food product containing one or more animal fats selected from lard, milk fat, chicken fat, and horse fat, and adjusting the amount of monoacylglycerol per 1 g of lipid in the food product to 0.5 mg or more and 30 mg or less.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising adjusting the amount of diacylglycerol per gram of lipid in the food to 5 mg or more and 125 mg or less.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, further comprising adjusting the ratio (A) of the amount of monoacylglycerol (mg) to the amount of diacylglycerol (mg) per 1 g of lipid in the food to less than 0.

2. (A): Monoacylglycerol amount / (monoacylglycerol amount+diacylglycerol amount)

8. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the content of one or more animal fats selected from pork fat, milk fat, chicken fat, and horse fat in the processed meat food is 20% by mass or more.

9. A method for suppressing clouding of processed meat foods, comprising adding lipase to the raw material of a processed meat food containing one or more animal fats selected from lard, milk fat, chicken fat, and horse fat, and adjusting the amount of monoacylglycerol per gram of lipid in the food to 0.5 mg to 30 mg.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising adjusting the amount of diacylglycerol per 1 g of lipid in the food to 5 mg or more and 125 mg or less.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, further comprising adjusting the ratio (A) of the amount of monoacylglycerol (mg) to the amount of diacylglycerol (mg) per 1 g of lipid in the food to less than 0.

2. (A): Monoacylglycerol amount / (monoacylglycerol amount+diacylglycerol amount)

12. A clouding inhibitor for processed meat foods containing one or more animal fats selected from lard, milk fat, chicken fat, and horse fat, the clouding inhibitor containing lipase being added to the processed meat foods so that the content of monoacylglycerol per gram of lipid in the foods is 0.5 mg or more and 30 mg or less.

13. The clouding inhibitor according to claim 12, which is added to a processed meat food so that the diacylglycerol content per 1 g of lipid in the processed meat food is 5 mg or more and 125 mg or less.

14. The clouding inhibitor according to claim 12 or 13, further comprising an emulsifier.

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