Composition and method for producing coconut milk-containing food

Abstract

To provide a technique which enables a food containing a coconut milk to be provided with a brilliant color.SOLUTION: A production method of a seasoning agent includes the steps of: mixing a plant raw material including a dye with an oil and fat to prepare an emulsified product; and mixing the emulsified product with a coconut milk.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to compositions and methods for producing coconut milk-containing foods. [Background technology]

[0002] Coconut milk is a white ingredient used in a variety of dishes. Some foods that use coconut milk are colored. For example, green curry is a green food that contains coconut milk. Green curry is characterized by its coconut milk flavor and green color, which comes from the color of herbs.

[0003] Appearance is one of the important quality characteristics of food. Therefore, it is desirable to impart a desired color to colored dishes using coconut milk. In addition, in the case of retort pouch foods, it is desirable to maintain the color even after heat sterilization. It is desirable to provide a composition that stably maintains the imparted color even after long-term storage.

[0004] As a technology related to the appearance of foods containing coconut milk, Patent Document 1 (Patent No. 6690888) discloses an invention aimed at providing a method for preparing a green curry-style sauce from a brown curry sauce. The invention described in Patent Document 1 is a powdered additive for turmeric-containing curry sauce, which contains 5% to 70% by weight of coconut milk powder, a calcium-containing edible white powder, and a blue pigment, and the weight ratio of the calcium-equivalent weight of the calcium-containing edible white powder to the blue pigment is 0.015 to 12.0:0.002 to 0.50. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Document 1 (Patent No. 6690888) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When imparting color to foods, etc., it is required that the food be imparted with a desired color. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a means for stably imparting a desired color to foods containing coconut milk, or for stably maintaining the color even after heat sterilization or long-term storage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present inventors have found that the above problems can be solved by the following means. [1] A method for producing a composition, comprising the steps of emulsifying a plant material containing a pigment and an oil or fat to prepare an emulsion, and mixing the emulsion with coconut milk. [2] The manufacturing method described in [1], wherein the step of preparing the emulsion includes any one of a step of shearing the plant material and the oil, a step of mixing the plant material with the oil while shearing, and a step of mixing the sheared plant material with the oil while further shearing. [3] The method according to [1] or [2], wherein the step of preparing the emulsion is carried out under heating. [4] The method according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the pigment comprises a fat-soluble pigment. [5] A method for producing a coconut milk-containing food, comprising the steps of: preparing the composition by the method described in any one of [1] to [4]; and mixing the composition with other food ingredients to prepare a coconut milk-containing food. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to stably impart color to foods containing coconut milk, or to improve the stability in terms of appearance, and it is also possible to provide a composition with improved storage stability in terms of appearance. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. The method according to this embodiment includes a step of emulsifying a plant material containing a pigment and an oil or fat to obtain an emulsion (step S1), and a step of mixing the emulsion with coconut milk to obtain a composition (step S2). According to this method, first, in step S1, an emulsion, which is a dispersion of the pigment, is prepared, thereby determining its color in advance. Then, in step S2, the emulsion is mixed with coconut milk to obtain a composition having a desired color. The composition obtained by this method stably retains the imparted color even after heat treatment or long-term storage, and when used in processed foods, etc., it has the effect of imparting a desired color. Note that when an emulsion containing coconut milk is prepared in step S1, the emulsion turns white, making it impossible to prepare and impart the desired color.

[0010] Each step will be described in detail below.

[0011] (Step S1: Preparation of emulsion) First, a plant material containing a pigment is prepared. The plant material may be in any form. It may be a raw plant or may be in powder form. The type of plant material is not particularly limited as long as it contains a pigment. Examples of pigments include chlorophyll, carotenoids, anthocyanins, capsanthin, lycopene, and phycocyanins. Preferably, the pigment is a fat-soluble pigment, such as carotenoid, chlorophyll, capsanthin, and lycopene. Examples of plant raw materials include spinach, turmeric, blueberries, blackcurrants, purple sweet potatoes, red bell peppers, paprika, tomatoes, carrots, green bell peppers, green chili peppers, broccoli, cruciferous green vegetables, green peas, mulukhiyah, chlorella, and spirulina.

[0012] Furthermore, fats and oils are prepared. The fats and oils are not particularly limited. Examples of fats and oils include natural fats and oils, processed fats and oils, vegetable fats and oils, animal fats and oils, and mixtures thereof. Preferably, vegetable fats and oils are used. Examples of vegetable fats and oils include at least one selected from the group consisting of palm oil, almond oil, coconut oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, and margarine. Preferably, palm oil is used as the vegetable fat and oil. Use of palm oil can further enhance the coconut flavor. The oil required for emulsification may be derived from a high-fat vegetable material.

[0013] The prepared plant material and oil are then emulsified to prepare an emulsion, which has a uniform color. Specifically, any of the following steps can be employed: shearing the plant material and the oil / fat, mixing the plant material with the oil / fat while shearing, or mixing the sheared plant material with the oil / fat while further shearing. Preferably, the steps are shearing both the plant material and the oil / fat, and mixing the plant material with the oil / fat while shearing. The term "shearing" refers to breaking down a processed material by shearing force. That is, by mixing a plant material or oil while shearing, water (derived from the plant material or extraneous) and the oil or plant material are broken down and mixed together to form an emulsion. Examples of means for applying shear force include a comitrol, a mixer, a colloid mill, and a homogenizer.

[0014] For example, 30 to 110 parts by mass of plant raw material is mixed with 100 parts by mass of fats and oils. The amount of plant raw material used with respect to 100 parts by mass of fats and oils is preferably 40 to 100 parts by mass, more preferably 50 to 90 parts by mass.

[0015] In preparing the emulsion, raw materials other than those mentioned above may be mixed as needed. For example, other raw materials include almonds. The use of almonds can enhance the coconut flavor. Natural emulsifiers with emulsifying power can be used, and the almonds can be used as nuts with emulsifying power. Increasing the degree of emulsification of the emulsion and composition can improve the color stability of the composition. Furthermore, water is required for the preparation of an emulsion. The water required for emulsification may be derived from plant materials or may be water added from an external source.

[0016] Preferably, the emulsion is prepared under heating, for example, at a heating temperature of 80 to 120°C, preferably 90 to 110°C, and more preferably 95 to 100°C.

[0017] (Step S2: Mixing with coconut milk) Next, the emulsion prepared in step S1 is mixed with coconut milk. This results in the composition according to the present embodiment. The form of the coconut milk is not particularly limited. For example, coconut milk powder can be used.

[0018] Preferably, the emulsion and coconut milk are mixed by heating and mixing, for example, at a product temperature of 80 to 110°C, preferably 90 to 100°C.

[0019] The amount of coconut milk to be blended per 100 parts by mass of the composition is, for example, 40 to 80 parts by mass, preferably 50 to 70 parts by mass in terms of solid content.

[0020] The resulting mixture of emulsion and coconut milk is preferably in the form of a paste.

[0021] If desired, ingredients other than coconut milk may be mixed with the emulsion in this step.

[0022] (composition) The composition according to this embodiment can be obtained by the method described above.

[0023] The resulting composition is mixed with other food ingredients, such as curry sauce, and served as a coconut milk-containing food product.

[0024] In a preferred embodiment, the composition is used as an ingredient for foods that are heat-treated in a sealed state, such as seasonings for retort foods. That is, the composition is filled into a retort container or the like together with other food ingredients, sealed, and subjected to retort processing (heat-pressure sterilization processing) or the like. This results in a retort food or the like as a coconut milk-containing food. Generally, heat processing such as retort processing can cause deterioration in color and flavor of coconut milk. In contrast, use of the composition according to this embodiment suppresses deterioration in color and flavor due to retort processing or the like.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment, the composition is used to prepare retort curry. That is, the composition is mixed with curry sauce, filled into a retort container, sealed, and then retort processed. The amount of seasoning used in the sauce excluding ingredients per 100 parts by mass of curry sauce is, for example, 5 to 25 parts by mass, preferably 8 to 15 parts by mass. The retort curry is preferably green curry. [Example]

[0026] In the following, examples will be described in order to explain the present invention in more detail, but the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the following examples.

[0027] [Composition and curry sauce using the same] Example 1 A composition (paste-like seasoning) according to Example 1 was prepared using the composition shown in Recipe 1 in Table 1. Specifically, an emulsion was first obtained using almond powder, spinach paste previously pulverized at room temperature using a Comitrol, turmeric powder, and palm oil. More specifically, the spinach paste previously pulverized using a Comitrol was further shredded using a Comitrol with shearing force and mixed with other ingredients to obtain an emulsion. The mixing was carried out under heating at 98°C. The resulting emulsion had a uniform color.

[0028] The resulting emulsion was then heated and mixed with coconut milk powder at a heating temperature of approximately 95°C for 10 minutes to obtain the composition of Example 1.

[0029] (Comparative Example 1) Spinach paste, pulverized at room temperature using a Comitrol mill according to the composition shown in Recipe 1 in Table 1, was mixed with almond powder, turmeric powder, and palm oil using a kneader equipped with stirring blades. However, the plant raw materials (spinach paste, turmeric powder) and oil (palm oil) were mixed with a stirring force that was not strong enough to shear them. Furthermore, the obtained mixture was heated and mixed with coconut milk powder in the same manner as in Example 1 to obtain a composition according to Comparative Example 1. (Comparative Example 2) A composition according to Comparative Example 2 was obtained in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1, except that the composition shown in Blend 2 in Table 1 was used.

[0030] Approximately 10 parts by mass of the composition of any one of Example 1, Comparative Example 1, and Comparative Example 2, approximately 2 parts by mass of fish sauce, approximately 3 parts by mass of vegetable and chicken stock extract, approximately 2 parts by mass of seasoning, approximately 10 parts by mass of spices, and the remaining amount of water (total 100 parts by mass) were used to produce green curry by heating and mixing the ingredients in a conventional manner, and then the mixture was pressurized and heated to prepare a retort curry.

[0031] (sensory evaluation) The resulting retort curry was evaluated for "coconut milk flavor" by sensory evaluation. The sensory evaluation was carried out according to the following criteria. The results are shown in Table 2. (Coconut milk flavor) ◎: In addition to the sweet coconut-like scent, it has a unique oily and rich creamy texture. △: Has a sweet coconut-like scent, but lacks body and richness. ×: No sweet coconut-like scent and no distinctive flavor.

[0032] (exterior) The appearance of the curry was observed immediately after production and after heating and pressurizing treatment. The results are shown in Table 2. The results in Table 2 have the following meanings. ◎: The green curry after production and heating and pressure treatment was a bright, vivid yellow-green color. △: The green curry after production and heating and pressure treatment is a dull yellow-green color compared to ◎.

[0033] (Color data) Furthermore, color data was obtained for each of the green curries using the compositions of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 using a colorimeter (SE6000 manufactured by Nippon Denshoku). Measurements were performed at a product temperature of 50°C or higher to prevent whitening due to solidification of the oil. Specifically, Hunter Lab measurements (L value, a value, b value) were taken at several locations on the exterior, and the average values ​​were calculated for each. The L value corresponds to lightness, with L=100 being white and L=0 being black. The larger the L value, the brighter the image tends to be. As the a value increases on the positive side, the image becomes redder, and as the a value increases on the negative side, the image becomes greener. As the b value increases on the positive side, the image becomes yellower, and as the b value increases on the negative side, the image becomes bluer. The results are shown in Table 3. Example 1 had higher brightness and a more vivid yellow-green color tone than Comparative Example 1. That is, Example 1 was superior in coconut milk flavor and color quality to Comparative Example 1. This demonstrates that by mixing plant materials, oils and fats, and coconut milk in a predetermined manner, a composition and coconut milk-containing food product with excellent coconut milk flavor and color quality can be obtained.

[0034] The figures are parts by mass [Table 1] "←" indicates that the column is the same as the one on the left.

[0035] [Table 2] [Table 3]

[0036] [Composition and color data] (Examples 1 to 3) In addition to Example 1, compositions of Examples 2 and 3 were prepared. Table 4 shows the formulations of Examples 1 to 3. In Examples 1 and 2, the spinach paste was sheared using a Comitrol and mixed with ingredients other than coconut milk powder to obtain a mixture, which was then heated and mixed with the coconut milk powder. For Example 3, first, the ingredients other than coconut milk powder were mixed while shearing using a Comitrol to obtain a mixture. The resulting mixture was then heated and mixed with coconut milk powder. In each Example, the heating conditions during shearing and heating were the same as in Example 1. Each of the produced compositions was subjected to a pressurized heat treatment, and color data was obtained using the measurement method described above for each composition that had been stored for a certain period after production and after the pressurized heat treatment.

[0037] The figures are parts by mass [Table 4] It should be noted that "Example 1" refers to Example 1. The same applies to the other numbers.

[0038] [Table 5] After storage for the equivalent of two months, a forced test is conducted to show the results after storage at room temperature for the equivalent of two months. After storage for the equivalent of 4 months, a forced test is conducted to show the results after storage at room temperature for the equivalent of 4 months. ΔLabE was calculated as the rate of change after storage for the equivalent of two months compared to storage for the equivalent of four months.

[0039] The results are shown in Table 5. Example 1 had high brightness and a vivid yellow-green color, demonstrating its excellent performance. This indicates that a vivid color can be achieved by first preparing an emulsion of plant ingredients and fats and oils, and then mixing it with coconut milk. Furthermore, the color did not change much after storage, demonstrating excellent stability. In Example 2, where only spinach was used as the plant material containing the pigment, the brightness was high and the yellow-green color was vivid. In Example 2, the brightness was high and the yellow-green color was vivid. This demonstrates that even when spinach is the only plant material containing the pigment, a vivid color can be imparted by preparing an emulsion in advance. In Example 3, in which only turmeric was used as the plant material containing the pigment, the brightness was high and the yellow-green color was vivid. This demonstrates that even when turmeric is the only plant material containing the pigment, a vivid color can be imparted by preparing an emulsion in advance.

[0040] Examples 4 to 6 Compositions according to Examples 4 to 6 (paste-like seasoning materials containing tomato paste, carrot paste, and paprika color) were prepared according to the formulations shown in Table 6. Specifically, the ingredients other than coconut milk powder were mixed under shear using a Comitrol to obtain a mixture. The resulting mixture was then heated and mixed with coconut milk powder. In each example, the heating conditions for the shearing treatment and heating and mixing were the same as in Example 1.

[0041] [Table 6]

[0042] [Table 7]

[0043] The results are shown in Table 7. Example 4, which used tomato paste, had a vivid red color and was excellent. In Example 5, which used carrot paste, yellow was predominant, and the L value showed a high brightness. Example 6, which used paprika pigment, resulted in a high brightness in terms of L value.

Claims

1. A step of emulsifying a plant material containing a pigment, oils and fats, and nuts to prepare an emulsion; mixing the emulsion with coconut milk; A method for producing a heat-pressure sterilized composition, comprising: The production method, wherein the step of preparing the emulsion comprises any one of a step of shearing the plant material and the oil / fat, a step of mixing the plant material with the oil / fat while shearing, and a step of mixing the sheared plant material with the oil / fat while further shearing, and is carried out under heating.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pigment comprises a fat-soluble pigment.

3. In the step of preparing the emulsion, 30 to 110 parts by mass of the plant material is mixed with 100 parts by mass of the oil or fat, The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the amount of coconut milk blended per 100 parts by mass of the composition is 40 to 80 parts by mass in terms of solid content.

4. Preparing the composition by the method of any one of claims 1 to 3; mixing the composition with other food ingredients to prepare a coconut milk-containing food product; A method for producing a coconut milk-containing food product, comprising:

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