Manufacturing method for textured soy protein material

Abstract

To provide a textured soybean protein material for providing a meat-like food with seasoning sufficiently infiltrated while duplicating the varied (non-uniform) textures of natural meat when eating.SOLUTION: Textured soybean protein material comprises fiber-like soybean protein, and the fiber-like soybean protein contains water, carbohydrate and calcium. The content of the water is 40 wt.% or higher based on the total weight of the textured soybean protein material.The content of the carbohydrate in terms of solid content is 10 wt.% or higher based on the total weight of the textured soybean protein material.The fiber-like soybean protein exposes from the surface of the textured soybean protein material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a textured soy protein material. [Background technology]

[0002] Recently, the social situation surrounding meat ingredients has become increasingly severe, and there is a growing trend toward using vegetable proteins such as soy protein as substitutes for meat or as bulking agents.

[0003] Among vegetable proteins, textured soy protein, which is textured using defatted soybeans or powdered soy protein material as raw materials, is used for a variety of purposes, and textured soy protein is used as a filler for ground meat in processed meat foods such as hamburgers and meatballs. On the other hand, one of the characteristics of the texture of meat-like foods using textured soy protein is that they are inferior in terms of the ability to break apart during mastication compared to natural meat. In particular, there is a problem in that the breaking apart of meat fibers cannot be fully reproduced. Therefore, various studies have been conducted to improve the texture of such textured soy protein.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a textured protein material produced by reacting soy protein raw material and water under heat and pressure in an extruder, blending calcium and starches together, extruding the mixture through a die, and slicing the mixture horizontally in the extrusion direction.

[0005] Patent Document 2 also discloses a method for producing a high-moisture meat-like protein food, which includes the steps of mixing a raw material containing at least protein with water in a mixing container while heating and pressurizing it, extruding the mixture obtained in the mixing process from the mixing container while cooling and imparting orientation to obtain a protein material, and compression-molding this protein material while heating it, and is characterized in that the amount of water supplied to be mixed in the mixing container is adjusted so that 30 to 70 parts by weight of water is contained in 100 parts by weight of the protein material. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6844736 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-8177 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The inventors have discovered that meat-like foods using textured plant proteins such as those disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 lack the diversity (uneven texture) of natural meat and have an artificial texture. Furthermore, in the case of the meat-like protein food containing a large amount of water disclosed in Patent Document 2, a problem was found in that even if a seasoning was added, the seasoning did not sufficiently penetrate into the meat-like protein food. An object of the present invention is to provide a textured soy protein material that reproduces the diverse (non-uniform) texture of natural livestock meat when chewed and provides a livestock meat-like food that is sufficiently permeated with seasonings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention provides a textured soy protein material that can faithfully reproduce the appearance, diverse textures and tastes of natural livestock meat.

[0009] That is, the textured soy protein material of the present invention is a textured soy protein material made from fibrous soy protein, characterized in that the fibrous soy protein contains water, carbohydrates and calcium, the water accounts for 40% by weight or more of the total weight of the textured soy protein material, the carbohydrates account for 10% by weight or more of the total weight of the textured soy protein material in terms of solid content, and the fibrous soy protein is exposed from the surface of the textured soy protein material.

[0010] The textured soy protein material of the present invention is composed of calcium-containing fibrous soy protein, and the binding state of the fibrous soy protein is controlled by carbohydrates. The fibrous soy protein is loosened and exposed from the surface of the textured soy protein material. Therefore, the textured soy protein material of the present invention can achieve a non-uniform texture similar to that of natural meat when chewed, and also has excellent flavoring properties because the fibrous soy protein is loosened and exposed from the surface of the textured soy protein material, allowing seasonings to penetrate through gaps in the fibrous soy protein. Furthermore, the textured soy protein material of the present invention contains 40% by weight or more of water based on the total weight of the textured soy protein material, and optionally 10% by weight or more of oil in solid content terms, thereby achieving a texture that is elastic like natural meat and less dry.

[0011] The textured soy protein material of the present invention can be produced by loosening the surface fibrous soy protein with, for example, a roller, and can reproduce the uneven texture that occurs naturally in livestock meat.

[0012] The textured soy protein material of the present invention can also be made into a meat-like food by adding seasonings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a photograph showing the appearance of the textured soy protein material of Example 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The textured soy protein material of the present invention is a textured soy protein material made from fibrous soy protein, characterized in that the fibrous soy protein contains water, carbohydrates and calcium, the water accounts for 40% by weight or more of the total weight of the textured soy protein material, the carbohydrates account for 10% by weight or more of the total weight of the textured soy protein material in terms of solid content, and the fibrous soy protein is exposed from the surface of the textured soy protein material.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a photograph of the textured soy protein material of Example 1. This textured soy protein material contains 10% by weight or more of carbohydrates in terms of solid content, and is formed into a sheet shape with the binding state of the fibrous soy protein controlled. Furthermore, the fibrous soy protein is loosened and exposed from the surface of the textured soy protein material, forming an uneven surface. Due to this uneven surface, the textured soy protein material of the present invention can achieve a non-uniform texture similar to that of natural meat when chewed. Furthermore, the textured soy protein material of the present invention also has excellent flavoring properties, as the fibrous soy protein is loosened to form gaps through which seasonings can penetrate. Furthermore, the textured soy protein material of the present invention contains 40% by weight or more of water based on its total weight, and optionally 10% by weight or more of oil in solid content terms, thereby making it possible to make the texture closer to that of natural livestock meat.

[0016] The textured soy protein material of the present invention contains carbohydrates in an amount of 10% by weight or more, calculated as solid content. This is because when the carbohydrate content is within this range, it is easy to control the state of adhesion between fibrous soy protein molecules. This carbohydrate is the total weight of carbohydrates contained in the soy protein raw material that is the raw material for the textured soy protein material, and carbohydrates contained in raw materials other than the soy protein raw material. The upper limit of the carbohydrate content contained in the textured soy protein material of the present invention is, for example, 50% by weight. The textured soy protein material of the present invention preferably contains the above carbohydrates in an amount of 10 to 50% by weight, more preferably 25 to 45% by weight, and even more preferably 36 to 41% by weight, calculated as solid content.

[0017] The textured soy protein material of the present invention preferably contains starch as a carbohydrate source, and the starch is preferably cornstarch, since cornstarch has excellent binding properties for fibrous soy protein.

[0018] The textured soy protein material of the present invention contains 40% by weight or more of water based on its total weight. This water is the total weight of water blended as a raw material for the textured soy protein material and water contained in raw materials such as soy protein raw materials and carbohydrate sources. When the water content is within the above range, the texture of the textured soy protein material of the present invention can be made to approach that of natural livestock meat. The upper limit of the water content in the textured soy protein material of the present invention is, for example, 65% by weight. The water content is preferably 45 to 55% by weight.

[0019] The water to be blended as a raw material for the textured soy protein material of the present invention is not particularly limited, and pure water, mineral water, tap water, distilled water, ion-exchanged water, well water, etc. can be used.

[0020] The textured soy protein material of the present invention contains calcium. The textured soy protein material of the present invention preferably contains 300 mg to 1500 mg of calcium, calculated as solids, per 100 g of the textured soy protein material. This is because when the amount of calcium in the textured soy protein material of the present invention is within the above range, the soy protein is easily fibrous. The calcium content refers to the amount (mg) contained per 100 g of the dry weight (calculated as solids) of the textured soy protein material.

[0021] The form in which calcium is contained is preferably a calcium salt, and is not particularly limited as long as it is a compound that dissociates even slightly to form calcium ions. Examples of calcium salts that can be used include calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, calcium chloride, and calcium hydroxide. Calcium can be added by adding a calcium salt to the raw material, but calcium can also be added by impregnating carbohydrate-containing soy protein extruded under heat and pressure in an extruder with an aqueous solution of such a calcium salt. In addition to calcium salts, magnesium salts can also be used.

[0022] The textured soy protein material of the present invention preferably contains an oil content of 10% by weight or more, calculated as solid content. When the textured soy protein material of the present invention contains an oil content in the above range, it can achieve an elasticity similar to that of natural meat and a texture with little dryness. The oil content is the total weight of the oil contained in the soy protein raw material, carbohydrate source, etc., which are the raw materials for the textured soy protein material, and the oil optionally blended as a raw material for the textured soy protein material. The upper limit of the oil content contained in the textured soy protein material of the present invention is, for example, 30% by weight. The textured soy protein material of the present invention preferably contains 10 to 20% by weight, more preferably 13 to 18% by weight of oil in terms of solid content.

[0023] When oil is optionally added in addition to the soy protein raw material, carbohydrate source, etc., which are the raw materials for the textured soy protein material, the type of oil is not particularly limited, and oils and fats that can generally be used in foods can be used.

[0024] In the textured soy protein material of the present invention, the fibrous soy protein preferably has a fiber diameter of, for example, 0.01 to 1000 μm, more preferably 10 to 100 μm.

[0025] The textured soy protein material of the present invention is preferably in the form of a sheet. When the textured soy protein material of the present invention has the above-mentioned shape, its appearance becomes closer to that of natural livestock meat. When the textured soy protein material of the present invention is in the form of a sheet, its thickness is preferably 0.5 to 5.0 mm.

[0026] Next, a method for producing the textured soy protein material of the present invention will be described. The textured soy protein material of the present invention is produced through an extrusion process (textured soy protein production process) in which a raw material mixture containing soy protein raw materials is extruded to produce textured soy protein, and a compression process (pressing process) in which the textured soy protein is clamped between rollers and compressed in a direction perpendicular to the extrusion direction to crush it.

[0027] (Soybean protein mixture preparation process) First, a raw material mixture for the textured soy protein material is prepared by adding water to a soy protein raw material such as full-fat soy protein or isolated soy protein, and carbohydrates (corn starch), and then adding the calcium salts and the like mentioned above, and kneading the mixture. The carbohydrate content in the raw material is 10% by weight or more, preferably 10 to 50% by weight, of the textured soy protein material, calculated as solid content. This is because when the carbohydrate content is within the above range, it is easy to control the binding state of the fibrous soy protein. The full-fat soy protein contains 20% by weight to 30% by weight of oil in terms of solid content, and the oil content can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of full-fat soy protein.

[0028] (Textured soy protein production process and pressing process) The prepared raw material mixture of textured soy protein material is fed into an extruder (extrusion molding machine), and then the raw material is pressurized and heated to become thermoplastic, and is extruded through a die (mouthpiece) attached to the tip of the screw. At this time, the raw material composition can be adjusted to 5-89 wt% soy protein in solid content, and the pressurized heating conditions can be adjusted to a screw rotation speed of 150-550 rpm and a heating temperature of 25-180°C. In the present invention, the size of the slit in the die through which the textured soy protein material is extruded is 1 to 5 mm thick and 10 mm or more wide. The extruded textured soy protein sheet is pressed in a direction perpendicular to the extrusion direction (up and down) using a roller or press. Pressing can be performed, for example, by setting the clearance of the press within the range of 0.1 to 2 mm and pressing to a predetermined thickness. The fibrous soy protein is loosened and exposed from the surface of the pressed textured soy protein material. The textured soy protein material as a whole is in a sheet form. The sheet-like textured soy protein material thus formed is cut to a predetermined length in a direction perpendicular to the extrusion direction to produce flat textured soy protein material of a size suitable for cooking or eating.

[0029] Through the above steps, the textured soybean protein material of the present invention can be produced.

[0030] The textured soy protein material of the present invention may be supplemented with sugars, seasonings, vegetables such as carrots, burdock, sesame and onions, seaweed such as wakame seaweed and hijiki seaweed, meat such as minced meat, and the like.

[0031] The textured soy protein material can be used by cutting and processing it into a predetermined shape, adding seasonings, and cooking it. Cooking may be performed by an appropriate combination of baking, steaming, boiling, frying, electromagnetic heating, etc.

[0032] The products obtained as described above can be provided in the form of meat-like foods such as hamburger steaks, meatballs, fried chicken, and grilled meat ingredients. [Example]

[0033] Examples 1 to 4 (Preparation of textured soy protein material) Whole-fat soy protein (product name: Soya Flour NSA, manufactured by Nisshin Oillio Co., Ltd.) containing approximately 26% oil by weight in terms of solid content, isolated soy protein (product name: SUPRO PM, manufactured by DuPont Co., Ltd.), corn starch, calcium sulfate, and water were mixed according to the compositions shown in Table 1, and the mixture was fed to a twin-screw extruder and subjected to pressure and heat treatment. A sheet of textured soy protein was extruded from the twin-screw extruder through a cooling die and pressed with a roller. The pressure and heat treatment in the twin-screw extruder was performed at a screw rotation speed of 500 rpm, an outlet temperature of 131°C, a pressure of 2.5 MPa, a cooling water temperature of 60°C, and a die slit width of 60 mm and a thickness of 2.5 mm. The pressing treatment was performed using a twin-screw roller with a roller clearance adjusted to 0.7 mm. The above-described treatments yielded the textured soy protein materials of Examples 1 to 4.

[0034] 1 is a photograph of the appearance of the textured soy protein material of Example 1. It was confirmed that the unraveled fibrous soy protein was exposed from the surface of the textured soy protein material. Table 2 shows the raw material compositions of Examples 1 to 4. The proportions (wt%) of water, protein, oil, and carbohydrates in the full fat soy protein, isolated soy protein, and corn starch shown in Table 2 indicate the content per 100 g. Analysis of the compositions of the textured soy protein materials obtained in Examples 1 to 4 revealed that they almost exactly reflected the raw material compositions.

[0035] [Table 1]

[0036] [Table 2]

[0037] (Production of meat-like foods) The textured soy protein materials according to Examples 1 to 4 were soaked in a seasoning liquid having the following composition for 5 hours to prepare meat-like foods, which were then heated at 180°C to prepare baked samples.

[0038] (Composition of seasoning liquid) Reduced starch syrup 40 parts by weight 20 parts by weight of white sugar Regular salt 5 parts by weight Pepper 0.5 parts by weight Monosodium glutamate 5 parts by weight Soy sauce 10 parts by weight Garlic powder 2 parts by weight Solid fat 20 parts by weight 120 parts by weight of water Caramel color 2 parts by weight

[0039] When the baked samples of Examples 1 to 4 were eaten, it was found that the texture was close to that of natural meat and that the flavor of the seasoning liquid had fully penetrated. The texture of the baked samples of Examples 1 and 2 was closer to that of natural meat than that of the baked samples of Examples 3 and 4. This is thought to be because the textured soy protein materials of Examples 1 and 2 have a high carbohydrate content, which allows for excellent binding of protein fiber, and also because they have a high oil content, which means that they do not have a dry feeling.

Claims

1. A process for producing a textured soy protein sheet containing 40% or more by weight of water and 10% or more by weight of carbohydrates in terms of solid content by mixing soy protein raw material, carbohydrates, calcium, and water, and extruding the mixture into a sheet using an extruder with a nozzle slit of 1 to 5 mm in thickness and 10 mm or more in width; and setting the clearance of the press to 0.1 to 2 mm and pressing the textured soy protein sheet in a direction perpendicular to the extrusion direction.

2. 2. The method for producing a textured soy protein material according to claim 1, wherein the textured soy protein material contains an oil content of 10% by weight or more in terms of solid content based on the total weight of the textured soy protein material.

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