Composition for cheese-like food, stretchability-improving agent for cheese-like food, cheese-like food, method for manufacturing cheese-like food, and method for improving stretchability of cheese-like food

Abstract

Provided is a composition for a cheese-like food that is to be used in a cheese-like food and can improve the stretchability of the cheese-like food over a wide temperature range.　This composition for a cheese-like food contains the following components (a), (b), and (c).　Component (a): an edible starch composition containing a starch-lipid complex obtained by heat-treating potato starch and a polyglycerol fatty acid ester under a pressurized condition of 0-20 MPa inclusive. Component (b): an etherified starch. Component (c): a polysaccharide thickener.

Description

Composition for cheese-like food, agent for improving the spreadability of cheese-like food, cheese-like food, method for producing cheese-like food, and method for improving the spreadability of cheese-like food

[0001] The present invention relates to a composition for cheese-like foods, an agent for improving the spreadability of cheese-like foods, a cheese-like food, a method for producing a cheese-like food, and a method for improving the spreadability of a cheese-like food.

[0002] Recently, dairy product prices have continued to rise worldwide, and natural cheese prices have also been rising at unprecedented rates. The majority of imported cheese is shredded and used in pizza delivery and frozen gratin, raising concerns that the rising prices of imported cheese will be significantly impacted. In this environment, there is a strong demand for cheese-like foods that are primarily made from milk or dairy products (hereinafter referred to as "dairy-based"), such as cheese sauces and cheese foods containing reduced amounts of natural cheese. However, dairy-based cheese-like foods are unable to fully reproduce the texture and stretchiness of natural cheese. Therefore, the development of a cheese-like food product that is lower priced and has the stretchiness of natural cheese as an alternative to cheese-based foods is an urgent priority.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes cheeses that can be used as ingredients in confectionery and bread making, but do not erupt when baked, and have cheese-like stretchiness after being made into products. These cheeses are obtained by adding tapioca starch, dextrin, molten salt, and water to cream cheese, and emulsifying the mixture by heating.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-113126

[0005] However, the cheeses described in Patent Document 1 are stretchable at temperatures between 10 and 25° C., but their stretchability drops sharply at temperatures around 60° C., limiting the products in which they can be used. The present invention provides a composition for cheese-like foods that can provide cheese-like foods with excellent stretchability over a wide temperature range.

[0006] The present inventors have discovered that a composition for a cheese-like food containing a specific starch composition, a specific starch, and a thickening polysaccharide can provide a cheese-like food with excellent spreadability over a wide temperature range, and have completed the present invention.

[0007] That is, the present invention is as follows. [1] A composition for a cheese-like food comprising the following components (a), (b), and (c): Component (a): a food starch composition comprising a starch-lipid complex obtained by heat-treating potato starch and a polyglycerol fatty acid ester under a pressure condition of 0 to 20 MPa, Component (b): an etherified starch, and Component (c): a thickening polysaccharide. [2] The cheese-like food composition according to [1], wherein the cheese-like food contains cheese, and the cheese content in the cheese-like food is 5 to less than 51% by mass. [3] The cheese-like food composition according to [1] or [2], wherein the content of component (b) in the cheese-like food composition is 100 to 1,000 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of component (a). [4] The cheese-like food composition according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the content of component (c) is 1 part by mass or more and 20 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of the total content of component (a) and component (b) in the cheese-like food composition. [5] The cheese-like food composition according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein component (c) is one or two selected from the group consisting of xanthan gum and guar gum. [6] A spreadability improver for cheese-like foods, having as an active ingredient the cheese-like food composition according to any one of [1] to [5]. [7] A cheese-like food comprising the following components (a), (b), and (c): component (a): a food starch composition containing a starch-lipid complex obtained by heat-treating potato starch and a polyglycerol fatty acid ester under a pressure condition of 0 MPa or more and 20 MPa or less; component (b): an etherified starch; and component (c): a thickening polysaccharide. [8] A method for producing a cheese-like food, comprising the step of adding the following components (a), (b), and (c) to a cheese-like food ingredient: Component (a): a food starch composition containing a starch-lipid complex obtained by heat-treating potato starch and a polyglycerol fatty acid ester under a pressure condition of 0 MPa or more and 20 MPa or less, Component (b): an etherified starch, and Component (c): a thickening polysaccharide. [9] A method for improving the spreadability of a cheese-like food, comprising blending the following components (a), (b), and (c) to the cheese-like food.Component (a): A food starch composition containing a starch-lipid complex obtained by heat-treating potato starch and a polyglycerol fatty acid ester under a pressure condition of 0 MPa or more and 20 MPa or less; Component (b): An etherified starch; and Component (c): A thickening polysaccharide.

[0008] The composition for cheese-like foods of the present invention can provide cheese-like foods with excellent spreadability over a wide temperature range.

[0009] Specific embodiments of the composition for cheese-like foods, the agent for improving the spreadability of cheese-like foods, the cheese-like food, the method for producing a cheese-like food, and the method for improving the spreadability of a cheese-like food of the present invention are described below. Note that, when the upper and lower limits of a numerical range are given in this specification, the upper and lower limits can be appropriately combined, and the resulting numerical range is also considered to be disclosed.

[0010] The cheese-like food composition of the present invention contains the above-mentioned components (a), (b), and (c), and when applied to cheese-like foods, it exhibits excellent extensibility not only at high temperatures immediately after heating but also at low temperatures after cooling, and can impart a cheese-like texture when stretched. In this specification, "high temperatures" refers to temperatures above 50°C and below 100°C, and "low temperatures" refers to temperatures between 1°C and 50°C. Here, "cheese-like foods" refers to foods that have properties similar to cheese and are produced without using cheese as an ingredient or with a reduced cheese content, such as cheese sauces and cheese foods that are specified as having a dairy-based ingredient.

[0011] In the present invention, the cheese-like food composition comprises the following components (a), (b), and (c): Component (a): a food starch composition containing a starch-lipid complex obtained by heat-treating potato starch and a polyglycerol fatty acid ester under a pressure condition of 0 MPa or more and 20 MPa or less; Component (b): an etherified starch; and Component (c): a thickening polysaccharide.

[0012] (Component (a)) The potato starch is one or more types selected from the group consisting of raw potato starch and chemically modified starches of the raw potato starch. Examples of the chemically modified raw potato starch include modified starches obtained by subjecting the raw potato starch to one or more chemical treatments selected from the group consisting of crosslinking, etherification, and monoesterification. Examples of the chemical treatments include one or more types of crosslinking such as phosphate crosslinking and adipic acid crosslinking; etherification such as hydroxypropylation; and monoesterification such as phosphate monoesterification. The potato starch is preferably raw potato starch.

[0013] The constituent fatty acids of the polyglycerol fatty acid ester are not particularly limited, but are preferably saturated fatty acids, more preferably one or more selected from the group consisting of myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, and behenic acid, and even more preferably one or two selected from the group consisting of palmitic acid and stearic acid.

[0014] The polyglycerol fatty acid ester preferably has an HLB value of 1 or more and 13 or less and an average degree of polymerization of 2 or more and 9 or less. Here, the HLB value is more preferably 1 or more and 11 or less, and even more preferably 3 or more and 10 or less. The average degree of polymerization of polyglycerol is more preferably 2 or more and 7 or less, and even more preferably 2 or more and 5 or less. In this specification, the average degree of polymerization of polyglycerol is measured by a method of calculation from the hydroxyl value, or a method of determining the composition of polyglycerol by gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, thin-layer chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, or the like and calculating the average degree of polymerization.

[0015] The component (a) contains a starch-lipid complex obtained by heat-treating the potato starch and the polyglycerol fatty acid ester under a pressure of 0 MPa or more and 20 MPa or less. In this specification, the term "pressure" refers to gauge pressure.

[0016] Here, the term "starch-lipid complex" refers to a complex formed by the interaction of starch and a polyglycerol fatty acid ester. It is not easy to specifically identify the structure, and much remains to be elucidated. However, for example, it is thought that the polyglycerol fatty acid ester is encapsulated in the helical structure of the amylose molecule in the raw potato starch. Alternatively, the glycerol fatty acid ester may be attached to the surface of the helical structure of the amylose molecule. Alternatively, the polyglycerol fatty acid ester may interact with a portion other than the amylose molecule. In the starch-lipid complex, the potato starch may have its starch chains cleaved to form lower molecular weight molecules, or its starch chains may be polymerized to form higher molecular weight molecules, or it may contain both.

[0017] The content of the polyglycerol fatty acid ester in the starch-lipid complex relative to 100 parts by mass of the potato starch is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.1 parts by mass or more and 5 parts by mass or less, more preferably 0.2 parts by mass or more and 4 parts by mass or less, even more preferably 0.3 parts by mass or more and 2 parts by mass or less, and even more preferably 0.5 parts by mass or more and 1 part by mass or less.

[0018] The total content of the potato starch and the polyglycerol fatty acid ester in the starch-lipid complex is preferably 90% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less, more preferably 95% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less, and even more preferably 98% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less.

[0019] The content of particles in the starch-lipid complex that fall under a 0.25 mm sieve according to JIS-Z8801-1 standard is preferably 70% by mass or more, more preferably 80% by mass or more, even more preferably 90% by mass or more, and even more preferably 95% by mass or more, based on the total mass of the starch-lipid complex. There is no upper limit to the content of particles that fall under a 0.25 mm sieve, and the content is 100% by mass or less based on the total mass of the starch-lipid complex.

[0020] The content of particles remaining on a JIS-Z8801-1 sieve having a mesh size of 0.075 mm in the starch-lipid complex is 50% by mass or more, preferably 60% by mass or more, more preferably 65% ​​by mass or more, and even more preferably 70% by mass or more, based on the total mass of the starch-lipid complex. The content of particles remaining on a 0.075 mm mesh sieve is 100% by mass or less, preferably 90% by mass or less, based on the total mass of the starch-lipid complex.

[0021] The starch-lipid complex is contained in an amount of preferably 60% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less, more preferably 70% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less, even more preferably 80% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less, and even more preferably 90% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less, based on the entire component (a).

[0022] (Component (b)) The etherified starch is a starch that has been subjected to an etherification treatment, and is preferably a hydroxypropylated starch. As long as the etherified starch has been subjected to an etherification treatment, it may be subjected to a chemical modification treatment other than the etherification treatment, but it is preferred that the chemical modification treatment be solely etherification treatment.

[0023] The raw starch for the etherified starch is not particularly limited, but for example, starch derived from plants is preferred, and starch derived from regular corn, waxy corn (waxy corn), high-amylose corn, non-glutinous rice, glutinous rice, wheat, potato, or cassava is more preferred, and starch derived from cassava is even more preferred. The etherified starch may be a starch obtained by etherifying a mixed starch obtained by mixing one or more of these raw starches. Note that when the etherified starch corresponds to component (a), it is considered to be component (a) and not component (b).

[0024] (Component (c)) The thickening polysaccharide is not particularly limited as long as it is one that is commonly used in foods. Examples of such thickening polysaccharides include xanthan gum, carrageenan (e.g., kappa carrageenan, iota carrageenan, lambda carrageenan, etc.), alginic acids (e.g., alginic acid, alginate, etc.), gellan gum (e.g., deacylated gellan gum, native gellan gum, etc.), pectin (e.g., LM pectin, HM pectin, etc.), galactomannan (e.g., guar gum, locust bean gum, tara gum, etc.), tamarind seed gum, psyllium seed gum, desert mugwort seed gum, glucan gum, guar ... Examples of suitable cellulose gums include lucomannan, rhamsan gum, welan gum, curdlan, pullulan, karaya gum, tragacanth gum, ghatti gum, gum arabic, cassia gum, macrophomopsis gum, agar, gelatin, microcrystalline cellulose, microfibrous cellulose, fermented cellulose, cellulose derivatives (e.g., methylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, etc.), soybean polysaccharides, chitin, chitosan, etc. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Among these, one or two selected from the group consisting of xanthan gum and guar gum are preferred.

[0025] The content of the component (b) in the cheese-like food composition relative to 100 parts by mass of the component (a) is preferably 100 parts by mass or more and 1,000 parts by mass or less, more preferably 200 parts by mass or more and 800 parts by mass or less, and even more preferably 300 parts by mass or more and 500 parts by mass. By setting the content within the above range, a cheese-like food product with improved cheese-like stretchiness can be obtained.

[0026] The content of component (c) in the cheese-like food composition is preferably 1 part by mass or more and 20 parts by mass or less, more preferably 2 parts by mass or more and 10 parts by mass or less, and even more preferably 3 parts by mass or more and 8 parts by mass or less, relative to 100 parts by mass of the total content of component (a) and component (b). By setting the content within the above range, a cheese-like food product with improved cheese-like stretchiness can be obtained.

[0027] Since the composition for cheese-like foods can improve the spreadability of cheese-like foods, the composition for cheese-like foods can be used as an active ingredient to improve the spreadability of cheese-like foods. The content of the composition for cheese-like foods in the spreadability improver for cheese-like foods is, for example, 50% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less.

[0028] The cheese-like food of the present invention contains the component (a), the component (b), and the component (c). The cheese-like food may be prepared by adding the cheese-like food composition containing the component (a), the component (b), and the component (c) to a cheese-like food raw material, or each of the components may be added to the cheese-like food raw material; however, it is preferable to add the cheese-like food composition to the cheese-like food raw material. By including the component (a), the component (b), and the component (c), the cheese-like food can have improved cheese-like stretchiness.

[0029] The total content of the components (a), (b) and (c) in the cheese-like food is preferably 1% by mass or more and 20% by mass or less, more preferably 2% by mass or more and 10% by mass or less, and even more preferably 4% by mass or more and 7% by mass or less, based on the total amount of the cheese-like food.

[0030] The cheese-like food product contains a cheese-like food ingredient in addition to the components (a), (b), and (c). The cheese-like food ingredient preferably contains cheese, edible oil and fat, and water, and may further contain, as necessary, emulsifiers, antioxidants, pH adjusters, seasonings, flavorings, and the like that are commonly used in the food industry.

[0031] The cheese-like food product may not contain cheese, but preferably contains cheese. The cheese content in the cheese-like food product is preferably 1% by mass or more and 70% by mass or less, more preferably 5% by mass or more and less than 51% by mass, and even more preferably 10% by mass or more and 45% by mass or less.

[0032] The water that the cheese-like food may contain is not particularly limited as long as it is water that is used in foods, and examples thereof include natural water and tap water. Water-containing liquids such as animal milks (e.g., cow's milk); plant milks (e.g., soy milk and almond milk); and plant juices (e.g., fruit juice, vegetable juice) may also be used. The water content of the cheese-like food of the present invention is preferably 30% by mass or more and 70% by mass or less, and more preferably 40% by mass or more and 60% by mass or less. When using a water-containing liquid, the amount of water contained in the liquid should satisfy the above-mentioned content.

[0033] The edible oils and fats that can be contained in the cheese-like food are not particularly limited as long as they are suitable for use in food. Examples include one or more selected from the group consisting of vegetable oils and fats such as soybean oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, rice oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, olive oil, peanut oil, kapok oil, evening primrose oil, linseed oil, perilla oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, and coconut oil; animal oils and fats such as fish oil, lard, beef tallow, and milk fat; medium-chain fatty acid triglycerides, and processed oils and fats obtained by one or more of the above processes selected from the group consisting of interesterification, hydrogenation, and fractionation. Among these, the edible oils and fats preferably include one or more selected from the group consisting of palm oil and processed palm oil, and more preferably palm oil. The edible oils and fats can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose and application. In the cheese-like food of the present invention, the content of edible oils and fats is preferably 0.1% by mass or more and 40% by mass or less, more preferably 1% by mass or more and 35% by mass or less, even more preferably 5% by mass or more and 30% by mass or less, and particularly preferably 10% by mass or more and 25% by mass or less, based on the total amount of the cheese-like food.

[0034] The cheese-like food may be produced through a step of mixing the components (a), (b), and (c) with the cheese-like food raw material to obtain a mixture (mixing step). If necessary, a step of heating and stirring the obtained mixture (heating and stirring step) may also be carried out. In the mixing step, all of the components to be used may be mixed simultaneously, or any two or more components may be mixed in advance and then mixed with other components.

[0035] In the heating and stirring step, the mixture is preferably heated and stirred until it becomes uniform, and the mixture is heated, for example, to a temperature of 60°C or higher but lower than 100°C, more preferably 65°C or higher but lower than 95°C, and even more preferably 70°C or higher but lower than 90°C. By heating and stirring the mixture, the mixture becomes a paste, which can impart a cheese-like stretchiness. The mixture preferably contains an excess amount of water relative to the composition of the cheese-like food, and the excess water is evaporated in the heating and stirring step. The amount of excess water is preferably, for example, 5 to 20 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the cheese-like food.

[0036] The stirring method in the heating and stirring step may be any method that can achieve uniform mixing, including manual stirring, or stirring using a stirrer such as a propeller-type stirrer, cutter mixer, homomixer, cooker-type emulsifier, kettle-type emulsifier, Stephan-type emulsifier, or surface-scraping emulsifier, or a combination of different stirring methods. After the heating and stirring step, the product can be cooled as needed to ensure stable storage for long periods of time. The cooling temperature is preferably above 0°C and not higher than 10°C. The cheese-like food of the present invention maintains its quality stability without losing its cheese-like stretchiness even after cooled storage within the temperature range required for consumption.

[0037] The cheese-like food of the present invention obtained in this manner retains cheese-like stretch not only immediately after heating but also after the temperature has dropped, and can be suitably used in foods such as take-out bento boxes and side dishes.

[0038] The cheese-like food can be suitably used as a cheese substitute. The cheese-like food of the present invention can be used as a food in combination with other ingredients and is suitable as a topping or filling for cooked foods. Specific examples of such foods include toast, pizza, gratin, doria, lasagna, hamburger steak, risotto, etc. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when used as a topping or filling for cooked foods, the cheese-like food of the present invention not only has a cheese-like stretch and a cheese-like flexibility or softness upon heating, but also retains the cheese-like stretch and cheese-like flexibility or softness even after the temperature drops, making it particularly useful as a cheese substitute for cooked cheese. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a cheese-like food with cheese-like stretch can be provided without using, or using a reduced amount of, milk-derived ingredients such as cheese. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to respond to the increasing health consciousness and diversifying dietary needs due to allergies, and also reduce raw material costs.

[0039] The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples in any way.

[0040] (1) Raw Materials The following ingredients were used in preparing the cheese-like food.

[0041] <Food Starch Composition (Component (a))> Food Starch Composition 1 was prepared according to the method described below. Production Example 1 (Food Starch Composition 1) A raw material mixture of 2 kg of unprocessed potato starch and 15 g of a polyglycerol fatty acid ester (GRINDSTED PGE55-M manufactured by DuPont Specialty Products (HLB: approximately 7, average degree of polymerization of polyglycerol: 3 or less, constituent fatty acids: stearic acid, a few percent palmitic acid)) was heat-treated in a twin-screw extruder (KEI-45-15 manufactured by Kowa Kogyo Co., Ltd.) while adding water at a rate of 11.5% by mass (50 g / min) relative to the flour. The resulting heat-treated product was placed in a thermostatic chamber set to 110°C for 30 minutes and dried. The dried heat-treated product was pulverized in a benchtop pulverizer and passed through a JIS-Z8801-1 sieve with 0.25 mm mesh size, and the undersize fraction was collected to obtain food starch composition 1. The conditions for the twin-screw extruder were a barrel temperature of 30°C to 170°C, an outlet temperature of 100°C to 170°C, a maximum pressure in the barrel of 5 MPa, and a screw rotation speed of 230 rpm.

[0042] <Etherified Starch (Component (b))> Etherified starch: "POT-05" (hydroxypropylated tapioca starch) manufactured by J-Oil Mills Co., Ltd.

[0043] <Thickening polysaccharides (ingredient (c))> Xanthan gum: "Echo Gum" manufactured by Sumitomo Pharma Food & Chemical Co., Ltd. Guar gum: "Guar Gum D" manufactured by Takaragen Co., Ltd.

[0044] <Cheese-like food ingredients> (Cheese) Cheddar cheese: manufactured by Fonterra Gouda cheese: manufactured by Fonterra Mozzarella cheese: manufactured by Fonterra (Other ingredients) Refined palm oil: manufactured by J-Oil Mills Co., Ltd. Trisodium citrate: manufactured by Fuso Chemical Co., Ltd. 90% lactic acid: "Fermented Lactic Acid 90" manufactured by Fuso Chemical Co., Ltd.

[0045] (2) Formulation and Production of Cheese-Like Foods (2-1) Production of Cheese-Like Food Compositions (Examples 1 and 2, Comparative Examples 1 and 2) Cheese-like food compositions were produced by mixing ingredients based on the formulations in Table 1.

[0046]

[0047] (2-2) Production of Cheese-Like Foods (Example 1-1, Examples 2-1 to 2-2, Comparative Examples 1-1, 2-1 to 2-2) Cheese-like foods were produced according to the formulations in Table 2 using the following method. 1. All ingredients were placed in a pot. The pot from 2.1 was placed on an induction heater (MR-Z30J, manufactured by Toshiba Lifestyle Products Corporation) and heated over medium heat to 50°C while stirring with a spatula. 3. A handy food processor (M300, manufactured by Bamix) was placed in the heated ingredients and stirred at 17,000 rpm for 1 minute. 4. The handy food processor was removed, and heating was continued until the temperature reached 80°C, and the food was cooked until 10 parts by mass of water had evaporated, thereby preparing a cheese-like food. 5. The prepared cheese-like food was placed in 400g portions in plastic bags and rapidly cooled to -35°C for 2 minutes in a shock freezer (HBC-6B3, manufactured by Hoshizaki Corporation). 6. The rapidly cooled cheese-like food was stored in a refrigerator set at 4°C.

[0048]

[0049] (3) Evaluation of Cheese-Like Food (3-1) Tensile Test The cheese-like food was heated to 60°C or 20°C in a hot water bath. However, the cheese-like food of Comparative Example 1-1 was heated to 60°C only. The heated cheese-like food was filled to the brim in an Aznol Petri dish (diameter 40 mm, thickness 13.5 mm, manufactured by AS ONE Corporation). The filled cheese-like food was placed on the stage of a texture analyzer (TA.Xtplus, manufactured by Stable Microsystems) set as follows, and the jig was lowered at 1.0 mm / sec. When the load reached 1.0 g, the jig was further lowered at 1.0 mm / sec until it was buried in the cheese-like food. Next, measurement was performed using the Test Mode described below, and the distance until the cheese-like food attached to the jig broke (breakage distance) was measured and evaluated according to the evaluation criteria described below.

[0050] [Test Mode Settings for Texture Analyzer] Jig: 20 mm diameter disc Test Mode: Tensile test Target Mode: Distance Trigger Type: Auto (Force) Trigger Force: 1.0 g Test Speed: 0.5 mm / sec

[0051] [Evaluation criteria for breaking distance at 60°C] 3: 50.0 mm or more 2: 40.0 mm or more but less than 50.0 mm 1: Less than 40.0 mm [Evaluation criteria for breaking distance at 20°C] 3: 50.0 mm or more 2: 36.0 mm or more but less than 50.0 mm 1: Less than 36.0 mm For both of the above evaluation criteria, a score of 2 or more was considered to be acceptable.

[0052] (3-2) Cheese-like texture 200 g of the cheese-like food was dispensed into a 200 mL tall beaker and the temperature was adjusted to 20° C. or 60° C. The cheese-like texture when the cheese-like food after temperature adjustment was scooped up with a spatula was evaluated according to the following evaluation criteria.

[0053] [Evaluation criteria for cheese-like texture] 4: Cheese-like, supple texture. 3: Cheese-like, soft texture. 2: Soft and loose texture, not like cheese. 1: Hard and brittle texture, not like cheese. A cheese-like texture of 3 or higher was considered to be acceptable.

[0054]

[0055] The cheese-like foods of Examples 1-1, 2-1 to 2-2 had long breaking distances at both 60°C and 20°C, and had a soft or supple texture reminiscent of cheese. In particular, the cheese-like food of Example 2-1 had a particularly long breaking distance at both 60°C and 20°C, and had a supple texture reminiscent of cheese. On the other hand, the cheese-like food of Comparative Example 1-1 had a short breaking distance at 60°C, a soft and loose texture, and was not like cheese. The cheese-like food of Comparative Example 2-1 had a long breaking distance at 60°C, and had a supple texture reminiscent of cheese, but at 20°C, the breaking distance was short, and the texture was hard and brittle, and not like cheese. The cheese-like food of Comparative Example 2-2 had a long breaking distance at 60°C, but a hard and brittle texture, and not like cheese. At 20°C, the breaking distance was short, and the texture was soft and loose, and not like cheese.

Claims

1. A composition for cheese-like food comprising the following components (a), (b) and (c). Component (a): A food starch composition comprising a starch-lipid complex obtained by heat-treating potato starch and a polyglycerol fatty acid ester under a pressure condition of 0 MPa or more and 20 MPa or less. Component (b): Etherified starch Component (c): thickening polysaccharide

2. The cheese-like food composition according to claim 1 , wherein the cheese-like food contains cheese, and the cheese content in the cheese-like food is 5% by mass or more and less than 51% by mass.

3. The cheese-like food composition according to claim 1, wherein the content of component (b) in the cheese-like food composition is 100 parts by mass or more and 1000 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of component (a).

4. The cheese-like food composition according to claim 1, wherein the content of component (c) is 1 part by mass or more and 20 parts by mass or less relative to 100 parts by mass of the total content of component (a) and component (b) in the cheese-like food composition.

5. The cheese-like food composition according to claim 1, wherein the component (c) is one or two selected from the group consisting of xanthan gum and guar gum.

6. A spreadability improver for cheese-like foods, comprising the composition for cheese-like foods according to any one of claims 1 to 5 as an active ingredient.

7. A cheese-like food comprising the following components (a), (b) and (c). Component (a): A food starch composition comprising a starch-lipid complex obtained by heat-treating potato starch and a polyglycerol fatty acid ester under a pressure condition of 0 MPa or more and 20 MPa or less. Component (b): Etherified starch Component (c): thickening polysaccharide

8. A method for producing a cheese-like food, comprising the step of adding the following components (a), (b) and (c) to a cheese-like food raw material: Component (a): A food starch composition comprising a starch-lipid complex obtained by heat-treating potato starch and a polyglycerol fatty acid ester under a pressure condition of 0 MPa or more and 20 MPa or less. Component (b): Etherified starch Component (c): thickening polysaccharide

9. A method for improving the stretchability of a cheese-like food, comprising blending the following components (a), (b) and (c) into the cheese-like food: Component (a): A food starch composition comprising a starch-lipid complex obtained by heat-treating potato starch and a polyglycerol fatty acid ester under a pressure condition of 0 MPa or more and 20 MPa or less. Component (b): Etherified starch Component (c): thickening polysaccharide