Edible printing film

Abstract

The present invention provides an edible printing film that, when attached to food and beverages, is less prone to the smudging of edible ink on which text or other designs are printed over time. [Solution] The edible printing film according to the present invention is characterized by containing scallop protein.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an edible printing film that can be printed by a printing machine equipped with edible ink and can be eaten.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in the field of food, edible films that can be eaten are known. Such edible films are used, for example, as decoration means for these foods and beverages by being placed, attached, or wound around the foods or beverages, and at least brought into contact (hereinafter collectively referred to as "attachment").

[0003] As an example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-116082) describes an edible partition film that can prevent some of the food elements constituting the food from mixing or adhering to hands or containers. Further, Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-103246) describes an edible printing film that can print characters and the like with a printing machine equipped with edible ink and attach them to foods and beverages.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] As described in the above documents, cases of attaching an edible printing film to foods and beverages are known. However, when an edible printing film is attached to foods and beverages, there is a problem that the edible ink printed with characters and the like seeps over time.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an edible printing film that, when attached to food or beverages, is less prone to the bleeding of edible ink on which characters or other designs are printed over time.

[0007] As one embodiment, the problem of this application is solved by the invention described below.

[0008] The edible printing film according to the present invention is characterized by containing scallop protein.

[0009] Furthermore, it is preferable that hydrocolloids are included as the main ingredient.

[0010] Furthermore, the hydrocolloid is preferably a neutral polysaccharide. Alternatively, the hydrocolloid is preferably a cold water-soluble polysaccharide.

[0011] Furthermore, the hydrocolloid may be one or more selected from the group consisting of agar, carrageenan, pullulan, pectin, tamarind seed gum, starch, and cellulose, as an example.

[0012] Furthermore, the edible printing film, on which characters, figures, symbols, patterns, colors, or combinations thereof or images are printed using edible ink, can be made into a sticker-like form integrated with a backing sheet.

[0013] Furthermore, the food and beverage according to the present invention is characterized in that it is attached to an edible printing film on which characters, figures, symbols, patterns, colors, or combinations thereof or images are printed using edible ink.

[0014] Furthermore, the present invention can also be conceived as a method for suppressing the bleeding of edible ink in an edible printing film attached to food and beverages, characterized by containing shirako protein in the edible printing film. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an edible printing film that, when attached to food or beverages, is less prone to the bleeding of edible ink on which characters or other designs are printed over time. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows photographs of Comparative Example 1 and Example 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0017] The present invention includes the invention of an edible printing film that can be printed with characters or the like using a printing press equipped with edible ink and attached to food and beverages, the invention of food and beverages to which the edible printing film is attached, and the invention of a method for suppressing the bleeding of edible ink in an edible printing film attached to food and beverages.

[0018] "Text, etc." printed on edible printing film refers to characters, figures, symbols, patterns, colors, or combinations thereof or images, including, for example, displays using words, sentences, texts, and other characters, as well as pictures, images, and other non-character designs, combinations thereof, and images, etc., and includes all displays that can be printed with edible ink. "Edible ink" also refers to edible ink manufactured for printing presses, as well as pigments and colorants that are suitable for use in food and can be loaded into printing presses.

[0019] (Edible printing film) The edible printing film according to this embodiment (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "film") is characterized by containing shirako protein as an active ingredient. With this configuration, when attached to food or beverages, it is possible to suppress the bleeding of edible ink on which letters or other designs are printed over time.

[0020] Shirakotan white is a protein extracted from the testes of fish such as salmon and herring, as well as other marine organisms. Generally, as a food additive, it is a food component known as shirakotan white, shirakotan white extract, shirakotan white preparation, shirakodecomposed product, nucleoprotein, etc. It is considered that protamine, a basic protein that is the main component of shirakotan white, acts electrostatically on the edible ink to stabilize it and suppress its bleeding.

[0021] For edible printing films, usually, the main raw material serving as the base material is blended, and further, an emulsifier for improving peelability, a plasticizer for improving flexibility, etc. can be blended as needed. Examples of plasticizers include glycerin, sorbitol, sodium lactate, etc.

[0022] As the main raw material, agar, carrageenan (κ-carrageenan, ι-carrageenan, λ-carrageenan), alginate, pullulan, pectin (HM pectin, LM pectin), tamarind seed gum, glucomannan, galactomannan (fenugreek gum, guar gum, tara gum, locust bean gum, cassia gum), starch (including modified starch (phosphate-crosslinked starch, hydroxypropylated starch, hydroxypropylated phosphate-crosslinked starch, pregelatinized starch, etc.)), cellulose (powdered cellulose, crystalline cellulose, particulate cellulose, fibrous cellulose, nanocellulose, etc.), and other hydrocolloids can be used.

[0023] Hydrocolloid is a general term for polysaccharides and proteins that are soluble, water-absorbing, or swelling in water, and includes polysaccharides, dietary fibers, gelatin, etc. Hydrocolloids occupy the largest amount of the blending components other than the solvent as the main raw material of the film, and can be appropriately selected according to the target film physical properties (film thickness, appearance, tensile strength, tensile elongation, solubility, texture, etc., and the balance thereof). It is not limited to one type, and multiple types may be combined and blended.

[0024] Of these, one or more types of neutral polysaccharides can be suitably selected as the hydrocolloid. Since neutral polysaccharides do not inhibit the electrostatic stabilization effect of protamine on edible ink, this effect can be fully exerted. Therefore, the bleeding of edible ink over time can be further suppressed. Examples of neutral polysaccharides include pullulan, tamarind seed gum, starch, and cellulose.

[0025] Furthermore, one or more types of cold-water-soluble polysaccharides can be suitably selected as the hydrocolloid. Films containing cold-water-soluble polysaccharides have relatively high solubility, and foods to which such films are attached have good tear resistance when a spoon is inserted, are less prone to wrinkling, and have a crisp texture. In addition, improving solubility in solvents such as water during manufacturing allows the components to mix homogeneously, stabilizing the physical properties of the film. This also contributes to stabilizing the state of the edible ink and further suppressing bleeding over time. Examples of cold-water-soluble polysaccharides include pullulan, pectin (HM pectin, LM pectin), and tamarind seed gum. Here, "cold-water-soluble" means the property of being soluble in solvents such as water at room temperature (5-35°C).

[0026] Edible printable films can be manufactured using methods commonly employed in film formation for the food industry. For example, the components can be dissolved (or dispersed or swollen) in a solvent such as water, the solution (or dispersion or swollen liquid) can be cast onto a support, and dried (the solvent can be evaporated) to form a film. If necessary, a backing sheet can be placed on the support to create a seal-like form integrated with the backing sheet. Text and other designs can then be printed onto the edible printable film using a printing press equipped with edible ink. For practical purposes, films without a backing sheet can be cut to size, and films integrated with a backing sheet can be half-cut to create edible films with printed text or designs. The edible films thus produced can be attached to food either as is or peeled off the backing sheet. The amount of the active ingredient, shirako protein, can be appropriately set according to the type and proportion of other ingredients. For example, it is more preferable that the amount is 0.1 to 1.5 or 2.0 parts by mass, and more preferably 0.2 to 1.5 or 2.0 parts by mass, per 100 parts by mass of the total of all ingredients including shirako protein. If the amount of shirako protein exceeds the preferred range exemplified here, the relative changes in the other ingredients will be larger, and the effect on the physical properties of the film itself will be greater, but there will be no adverse effect on the effect of suppressing the bleeding of edible ink.

[0027] The film thickness of the edible printing film is preferably 10 μm to 1000 μm, more preferably 20 μm to 250 μm, more preferably 20 μm to 200 μm, more preferably 20 μm to 150 μm, and even more preferably 40 μm to 150 μm, from the viewpoint of being able to print characters and the like and improving the texture. If the film thickness of the edible printing film is less than 10 μm, it is difficult to maintain sufficient strength for printing, and if it is thicker than 1000 μm, it is likely to cause a foreign body sensation when eaten. In this embodiment, the product relating to the edible printing film may be referred to as a "sheet" instead of a film depending on the film thickness, but there is no difference in its composition.

[0028] (food and drink) The food and beverage according to this embodiment is characterized by having an edible printing film according to this embodiment attached to which characters, figures, symbols, patterns, colors, or combinations thereof or images are printed using edible ink. When used in contact with the food and beverage, the edible printing film has the function of expressing, communicating, or decorating the food and beverage with the printed characters, etc., and can be eaten as part of the food and beverage.

[0029] The foods and beverages to which the edible printing film according to this embodiment is applied are not particularly limited. The solubility (dissolution time) of the film itself will vary depending on the temperature, form (e.g., whether it is aerated and formed into foam, etc.), and water content of the food and beverage, but the effect of suppressing the bleeding of edible ink over time according to the present invention is a property that can be exhibited with any food and beverage. However, it is particularly suitable for foods and beverages with a relatively high water content that are generally prone to bleeding of edible ink in a relatively short time. Examples of such foods and beverages include jelly, pudding and other gel-like foods, foods with a relatively high water content such as yogurt, ice cream, soft serve ice cream, fresh cream, mayonnaise, ketchup, foamy dressing, espuma, stew, soup, and porridge, as well as various beverages such as water, juice, carbonated drinks, tea, and coffee. Furthermore, by applying it to beverages with foam formed on their surface that are relatively difficult for the film to dissolve (e.g., cappuccino, latte, mocha, macchiato, beer, etc.), it is possible to enjoy clear lettering, etc., for a relatively long period of time. Furthermore, by applying it to ingredients in a bento box typically prepared in the morning (for example, omelets), it is possible to enjoy the beautifully printed text or other designs when eating the lunch at lunchtime. Of course, the edible printing film according to this embodiment can also be suitably applied to foods with relatively low moisture content, such as pancakes, bread, cheese, and cookies.

[0030] (Method for preventing bleeding of edible ink) The present invention can also be conceived as a method for suppressing the bleeding of edible ink in an edible printing film attached to food and beverages, characterized by containing shirako protein in the edible printing film according to this embodiment. Each component has been described above. [Examples]

[0031] The present invention will be further described below based on examples. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these examples. Table 1 shows the materials used in the tests.

[0032] [Table 1]

[0033] Test 1 (Method of sample preparation) Edible printing films were prepared using hydrocolloids as the main raw material, including examples containing scallop protein and comparative examples without scallop protein. First, the amount of each component shown in Table 3 was measured and added to water as a solvent. Next, the water containing each component was heated to 90°C and mixed for about 2 hours with appropriate stirring to prepare a raw material solution (suspension). Then, the raw material solution was cast onto a backing sheet on a support and dried at around 90°C for about 5 minutes to produce an edible printing film integrated with the backing sheet. The composition of each example was adjusted according to the type of main raw material to be suitable for long-term film shape retention and edible ink state retention. Additives were added as needed to adjust viscosity, but these viscosity modifiers had little effect on the bleeding of the edible ink. The composition shown in Table 3 is expressed in parts by mass.

[0034] The film thickness of the fabricated films was in the range of 40 μm to 70 μm. Subsequently, the fabricated films were printed with a predetermined text and image using a food printer (NE-210S, manufactured by Newmind Co., Ltd.) equipped with edible ink, and then half-cut.

[0035] (Testing methods, evaluation criteria) Films printed with the specified labels, prepared using the sample manufacturing method described above, were placed on commercially available cup-packaged jelly, cup-packaged pudding, omelet, and cheese. Each food item with the film placed on it was left to stand at room temperature, and the bleeding of the edible ink was observed at regular intervals of 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 3 hours, and 6 hours. The bleeding was evaluated based on the five-point evaluation criteria shown in Table 2.

[0036] [Table 2]

[0037] (Test results) Table 3 shows the formulation composition of each example and the results of each example evaluated using the test method described above. Figure 1 shows photographs of Comparative Example 1 (left) and Example 1 (right) taken 30 minutes after the film was placed on the jelly.

[0038] [Table 3]

[0039] As shown in Table 3 and Figure 1, in Comparative Example 1, bleeding of the printed design (edible ink) on the film was observed after about 10 minutes with jelly and pudding, which have relatively high water content, and after about 30 minutes with omelet and cheese, which have relatively low water content. On the other hand, in Examples 1 to 7, which contained shirako protein, no bleeding was observed for more than one hour, even with jelly and pudding, which have relatively high water content. This indicates that edible printing films containing shirako protein can suppress the bleeding of edible ink over time compared to those that do not contain shirako protein.

[0040] In Examples 1, 2, 4, and 5, which used neutral polysaccharides as the main ingredient, bleeding over time was suppressed more effectively overall compared to Examples 3, 6, and 7. Similarly, in Examples 1, 2, 3, and 5, which used cold-water-soluble polysaccharides as the main ingredient, bleeding over time was suppressed more effectively overall compared to Examples 6 and 7. Furthermore, in Examples 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, bleeding over time was suppressed more effectively overall compared to Examples 6 and 7, indicating that pullulan, pectin, tamarind seed gum, and starch are more suitable as the main ingredients of the film. In particular, in Examples 1 and 5, no bleeding was observed for more than 3 hours even with pudding, which has a relatively high water content, and for more than 6 hours with jelly. From this, it was shown that pullulan and tamarind seed gum are especially suitable as the main ingredients of the film.

[0041] Test 2 (Method of sample preparation) Edible printing films were prepared using hydrocolloid as the main raw material, including examples containing shirako protein and comparative examples not containing shirako protein. Edible printing films integrated with a backing were prepared using the same method as in Test 1, with the formulations shown in Table 5. The films used in this test were designed to maintain their shape for as long as possible, assuming placement on beverages, and were formulated with cellulose as the main raw material, with starch and other viscosity modifiers added as appropriate. The formulations shown in Table 5 are in parts by mass.

[0042] The thickness of the fabricated film was approximately 130 μm. Subsequently, a design consisting of predetermined characters and images was printed on the fabricated film using the same method as in Test 1, and then it was cut in half.

[0043] (Testing methods, evaluation criteria) Films printed with the specified labeling, prepared using the sample manufacturing method described above, were placed on top of corn chowder, coffee, and orange juice. The corn chowder and coffee were commercially available instant products (powdered products) prepared according to the instructions, while the orange juice was a commercially available product used as is. Each beverage with the film placed on it was left to stand at room temperature, and the bleeding of the edible ink was observed at regular intervals of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 minutes. The bleeding was evaluated based on the five-point evaluation criteria shown in Table 4.

[0044] [Table 4]

[0045] (Test results) Table 5 shows the formulation composition of each example and the results of each example evaluated using the test method described above. [Table 5]

[0046] As shown in Table 5, in Comparative Example 2, bleeding of the printed design (edible ink) on the film was observed after about 5 minutes with coffee and after about 10 minutes with corn potage and orange juice. On the other hand, in Example 8, which contained shirako protein, no bleeding was observed after 20 minutes or more with coffee and after 30 minutes or more with corn potage and orange juice. This indicates that edible printing films containing shirako protein can suppress the bleeding of edible ink over time, not only with food but also with beverages, compared to those that do not contain shirako protein. Furthermore, it was shown that even with acidic foods and beverages with relatively low pH, such as orange juice, the bleeding of edible ink over time can be suppressed by using shirako protein as an active ingredient.

[0047] Based on these results, the edible printing film according to the present invention makes it possible to suppress the bleeding of edible ink on which text or other designs are printed when attached to food or beverages. Even with food or beverages that have a relatively high water content, bleeding of the edible ink can be prevented for a long period of time.

Claims

1. Contains shirako protein An edible printing film characterized by the following features.

2. Hydrocolloid is included as the main ingredient. The edible printing film according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. The hydrocolloid is a neutral polysaccharide. The edible printing film according to claim 2, characterized by the above.

4. The hydrocolloid is a cold water-soluble polysaccharide. The edible printing film according to claim 2, characterized by the above.

5. The hydrocolloid is one or more selected from the group consisting of agar, carrageenan, pullulan, pectin, tamarind seed gum, starch, and cellulose. The edible printing film according to claim 2, characterized by the above.

6. The product must have letters, figures, symbols, patterns, colors, or combinations thereof, or images printed on it using edible ink. An edible printing film according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by the above.

7. It is in the form of a sticker integrated with the backing paper. The edible printing film according to claim 6, characterized by the above.

8. The edible printing film described in claim 6 is attached. Food and beverages characterized by the following.

9. A method for suppressing the bleeding of edible ink in an edible printing film attached to food and beverages, The edible printing film contains shirako protein. A method for suppressing the bleeding of edible ink, characterized by the following features.

Images