Liquid whole egg and method for producing processed egg product using liquid whole egg

Abstract

The liquid whole egg of the present invention is a liquid whole egg wherein a soluble solids concentration is 24 to 29% by mass, and a ratio of egg white soluble solids content to egg yolk soluble solids content is 0.8 to 3.0.

Description

Method for producing liquid whole egg and egg processed products using liquid whole egg

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing a liquid whole egg and a processed egg product using the liquid whole egg.

[0002] Eggs can be enjoyed on their own in dishes such as tamagoyaki (rolled omelet), fried eggs, and boiled eggs, but they can also be combined with other ingredients to create a variety of dishes. For example, eggs can be combined with milk to make pudding or custard cream, and eggs can be combined with dashi stock to make chawanmushi (savory custard) and rolled omelets. When eggs are combined with other ingredients in this way, not only can the richness and flavor of the eggs be felt, but the flavor of the other ingredients, such as milk and dashi stock, can be enhanced, making the dish even more delicious.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes that by adding cellulose to liquid egg, deterioration of the flavor of processed egg products is suppressed, and foam stability, juiciness, and shape retention are improved, as well as the texture.

[0004] JP 2009-65836 A

[0005] However, there has been no knowledge to date that focuses on devising the composition of the liquid egg itself or on making it easier to sense the flavors of other ingredients, such as milk or broth.

[0006] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a liquid whole egg and an egg processed product using the liquid whole egg, which makes it easier to sense the flavor of other ingredients such as milk or soup stock.

[0007] As a result of extensive research to achieve the above object, the present inventors have discovered that by adjusting the soluble solids concentration of a liquid whole egg and the ratio of egg white soluble solids to egg yolk soluble solids in the liquid whole egg within a predetermined range, a liquid whole egg can be obtained that allows one to easily detect the flavors of ingredients other than egg, such as milk or stock, and have completed the present invention.

[0008] That is, the present invention provides: (1) a liquid whole egg having an egg-derived soluble solids concentration of 24 to 29% and having a ratio of egg white soluble solids to egg yolk soluble solids of 0.8 to 3.0; (2) a liquid whole egg according to (1), having a ratio of egg white soluble solids to egg yolk soluble solids of 1.1 to 3.0; (3) a liquid whole egg according to (1), having a ratio of egg white soluble solids to egg yolk soluble solids of 1.1 to 2.0; (4) a liquid whole egg according to any one of (1) to (3), having a ratio of ingredients other than eggs of 1% or less; (5) a liquid whole egg according to any one of (1) to (4), having a soluble solids concentration of liquid egg white contained in the liquid whole egg of 18 to 24%; (6) a method for producing a processed egg product using the liquid whole egg according to any one of (1) to (5), (7) A method for preparing a liquid whole egg, comprising a step of mixing liquid egg white and liquid egg yolk so that the concentration of egg-derived soluble solids is 24 to 29% and the ratio of the amount of soluble solids in the egg white to the amount of soluble solids in the egg yolk is 1.1 to 3.0; (8) The method according to (7), in which the soluble solids concentration of the liquid egg white used in the mixing step is 18 to 24%.

[0009] According to the present invention, a liquid whole egg can be provided that allows the flavor of other ingredients, such as milk or soup stock, to be more easily perceived.

[0010] The present invention will be described in detail below. In the present invention, "%" means "% by mass."

[0011] <Liquid Whole Egg> The liquid whole egg of the present invention is a liquid product obtained by homogenizing the liquid yolk and liquid egg white of chicken eggs. Except for the egg-derived soluble solids concentration of 24 to 29% and the ratio of egg white soluble solids to egg yolk soluble solids in the liquid whole egg of 0.8 to 3.0, the liquid whole egg has the same appearance and properties as a typical liquid whole egg prepared by cracking shell eggs, removing the shell, and then homogenizing the contents of the eggs. Therefore, the liquid whole egg of the present invention can be used in the same manner as a typical liquid whole egg. Furthermore, the liquid egg yolk and liquid egg white used in preparing the liquid whole egg of the present invention can be obtained by cracking eggs and used as is, or various types can be used, such as those that have been filtered, frozen and thawed, dried and rehydrated, heat-sterilized, concentrated, or diluted. Here, homogenization in the present invention refers to mixing the egg yolk and egg white to a state in which the distinction between the egg yolk and egg white is indistinguishable. Furthermore, the liquid whole egg of the present invention may be appropriately subjected to treatments such as sterilization, freezing, and filtration in order to improve its shelf life.

[0012] <Egg-derived soluble solids concentration> The liquid whole egg of the present invention has an egg-derived soluble solids concentration of 24 to 29%. Here, the egg-derived soluble solids concentration refers to the concentration of soluble solids derived from eggs, such as egg yolk, egg white, chalaza, and eggshell membrane. When the egg-derived soluble solids concentration in the liquid whole egg is within the above range, egg processed products can be obtained with an appropriate hardness when used in the same way as regular liquid whole eggs or shell eggs, and the flavors of not only eggs but also other ingredients can be more easily perceived. Since this makes it easier to obtain egg processed products with a better texture and in which the flavors of the ingredients can be more easily perceived, the soluble solids concentration is preferably 24.5 to 28.5%. The egg-derived soluble solids concentration in the present invention is a value measured using a refractometer at 20°C and corresponds to the mass percentage of a sucrose aqueous solution at 20°C. The egg-derived soluble solids concentration can be set within the above-mentioned range, for example, 24.1% or more, 24.2% or more, 24.3% or more, 24.4% or more, 24.5% or more, 24.6% or more, 24.7% or more, 24.8% or more, 24.9% or more, 25% or more, 25.1% or more, 25.2% or more, 25.3% or more, 25.4% or more, 25.5% or more, 25.6% or more, 25.7% or more, 25.8% or more, 25.9% or more, 26% or more, 26.1% or more, 26.2% or more, 26.3% or more, 26.4% or more, 26.5% or more, 26.6% or more, 26.7% or more, 26.8% or more, 26.9 ... It may be 6.5% or more, 26.6% or more, or 26.7% or more, and may be, for example, 28.9% or less, 28.8% or less, 28.7% or less, 28.6% or less, 28.5% or less, 28.4% or less, 28.3% or less, 28.2% or less, 28.1% or less, 28% or less, 27.9% or less, 27.8% or less, 27.7% or less, 27.6% or less, 27.5% or less, 27.4% or less, 27.3% or less, 27.2% or less, 27.1% or less, 27% or less, 26.9% or less, 26.8% or less, or 26.7% or less. Specific ranges of the egg-derived soluble solids concentration may be, for example, 24.1 to 28.8%, 24.2 to 28.6%, 24.3 to 28.4%, 24.4 to 28.2%, 24.5 to 28%, 24.6 to 27.8%, or 24.7 to 27.6%. The upper and lower limits of the above-mentioned numerical ranges exemplified as the egg-derived soluble solids concentration can be combined in any manner.

[0013] <Ratio of Egg White Soluble Solids to Egg Yolk Soluble Solids> The liquid whole egg of the present invention has a ratio of egg white soluble solids to egg yolk soluble solids of 0.8 to 3.0. The egg yolk soluble solids refers to the total amount of soluble solids derived from egg yolk contained in the liquid whole egg, and the egg white soluble solids refers to the total amount of soluble solids derived from egg white contained in the liquid whole egg. Therefore, a ratio of egg white soluble solids to egg yolk soluble solids within the above range means that the ratio of egg yolk to egg white is adjusted so that the amount of soluble solids derived from egg white is slightly higher than that of a typical liquid whole egg. This allows for the production of processed egg products that allow the flavor of other ingredients to be more easily perceived and that also have an excellent texture. Furthermore, since the flavor of the ingredients is more easily perceived, the ratio of egg white soluble solids to egg yolk soluble solids is preferably 1.9 to 2.5, more preferably 1.1 to 2.0. Although the reason why the ratio of egg white soluble solids to egg yolk soluble solids within the above range makes it easier to sense the flavors of other ingredients is unclear, it is thought that the change in the ratio of egg yolk to egg white weakens the flavor masking effect of emulsification, making it easier to sense the flavors of other ingredients, or that the change in the gelling network structure makes it easier for the flavor of dashi or milk to come out when the gel breaks down. The ratio of egg white soluble solids to egg yolk soluble solids can be set within the above-mentioned range, and may be, for example, 1.0 or more, 1.1 or more, 1.2 or more, 1.3 or more, 1.4 or more, 1.5 or more, 1.6 or more, 1.7 or more, 1.8 or more, or 1.9 or more, or may be, for example, 2.9 or less, 2.8 or less, 2.7 or less, 2.6 or less, 2.5 or less, 2.4 or less, 2.3 or less, 2.2 or less, 2.1 or less, or 2.0 or less. Specific ranges for the ratio of the egg white soluble solids content to the egg yolk soluble solids content may be, for example, 1.0 to 3.0, 1.0 to 2.5, 1.0 to 2.2, 1.0 to 2.1, or 1.0 to 2.0, or may also be, for example, 1.1 to 3.0, 1.1 to 2.5, 1.1 to 2.2, 1.1 to 2.1, or 1.1 to 2.0. The upper and lower limits of the above-mentioned numerical ranges exemplified for the ratio of the egg white soluble solids content to the egg yolk soluble solids content can be combined in any desired manner.

[0014] <Other Ingredients> The liquid whole egg of the present invention may contain ingredients other than eggs as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired. However, in order to facilitate use in a variety of applications, the concentration of soluble solids from ingredients other than eggs is preferably 1% or less, more preferably 0.5% or less, more preferably 0.1% or less, and more preferably none at all.

[0015] <Egg processed products> In the present invention, the term "egg processed product" refers to a processed product prepared using the liquid whole egg of the present invention. Examples of egg processed products include scrambled eggs, omelets, tamagoyaki (rolled omelet), scrambled eggs, thinly baked eggs, shredded eggs, custard cream, pudding, chawanmushi (savory steamed egg custard), oyakodon (chicken and egg rice bowl), etc. In particular, egg processed products containing milk or dashi are more preferred, as these are more likely to produce the effects of the present invention.

[0016] <Method for Preparing Liquid Whole Egg> The method for preparing the liquid whole egg of the present invention is not particularly limited, as long as the liquid whole egg is prepared so that the egg-derived soluble solids concentration in the liquid whole egg is 24 to 29% and the ratio of egg white soluble solids to egg yolk soluble solids is within the range of 0.8 to 3.0. For example, the liquid whole egg can be prepared by preparing a liquid egg white with a high solids content by concentrating the liquid egg white or adding dried egg white, and then adjusting the mixing ratio of the liquid egg white to the liquid egg yolk. The liquid egg white used in preparing the liquid whole egg of the present invention is preferably liquid egg white with a soluble solids concentration of 18 to 24%, and more preferably liquid egg white with a soluble solids concentration of 19 to 23%, because this makes it easy to adjust the egg-derived soluble solids concentration and the ratio of egg white soluble solids to egg yolk soluble solids within the specified ranges. The soluble solids concentration of the liquid egg white can be set within the above-mentioned range and may be, for example, 18.1% or more, 18.2% or more, 18.3% or more, 18.4% or more, 18.5% or more, 18.6% or more, 18.7% or more, 18.8% or more, 18.9% or more, or 19% or more, and may be, for example, 23.9% or less, 23.8% or less, 23.7% or less, 23.6% or less, 23.5% or less, 23.4% or less, 23.3% or less, 23.2% or less, 23.1% or less, or 23% or less. Specific ranges of the soluble solids concentration of liquid egg white may be, for example, 18.1 to 24%, 18.2 to 24%, 18.3 to 24%, 18.4 to 24%, 18.5 to 24%, 18.6 to 24%, 18.7 to 24%, 18.8 to 24%, 18.9 to 24%, or 19 to 24%, or may also be, for example, 18.1 to 23%, 18.2 to 23%, 18.3 to 23%, 18.4 to 23%, 18.5 to 23%, 18.6 to 23%, 18.7 to 23%, 18.8 to 23%, 18.9 to 23%, or 19 to 23%. The upper and lower limits of the above-mentioned numerical ranges exemplified for the soluble solids concentration of liquid egg white can be combined in any desired manner. The soluble solids concentration of the liquid egg yolk is not particularly limited, but may be 40 to 55%. The soluble solids concentration of the liquid egg yolk is the value obtained when a chicken egg is cracked and separated into liquid egg yolk and liquid egg white, after removing a portion of the liquid egg white that is mixed into the liquid egg yolk.In this preparation method, the concentration of egg-derived soluble solids in the liquid whole egg, the ratio of egg white soluble solids to egg yolk soluble solids, and the like can be determined without limitation from the embodiments (numerical ranges, etc.) exemplified in the description of liquid whole egg.

[0017] A more specific embodiment of the method for preparing liquid whole egg includes, for example, a preparation method comprising a step (mixing step) of mixing liquid egg white and liquid egg yolk so that the concentration of egg-derived soluble solids is 24 to 29% by mass and the ratio of egg white soluble solids to egg yolk soluble solids is 1.1 to 3.0. The egg-derived soluble solids concentration and the ratio of egg white soluble solids to egg yolk soluble solids in the mixing step can be any of the embodiments (numerical ranges, etc.) exemplified in the description of liquid whole egg, without any restrictions.

[0018] In the mixing step, methods for adjusting the egg-derived soluble solids concentration and the ratio of egg white soluble solids to egg yolk soluble solids within the above-mentioned ranges include, for example, using an egg white liquid having a higher soluble solids concentration than that obtained by cracking ordinary eggs. As described above, methods for obtaining such an egg white liquid having a high soluble solids concentration include, for example, concentrating liquid egg white obtained by cracking eggs, adding dried egg white to liquid egg white obtained by cracking eggs, and reconstituting dried egg white with water to a higher concentration than before drying, as well as selecting and using eggs having a higher soluble solids concentration in the egg white liquid than that of ordinary eggs. The specific numerical range for the soluble solids concentration of the liquid egg white used in the mixing step is as described above. The egg yolk liquid used in the mixing step may be the egg yolk liquid obtained by cracking ordinary eggs as is.

[0019] The present invention will be specifically described below based on examples and comparative examples, but the present invention is not limited to these.

[0020] <Preparation of Liquid Whole Eggs> Chicken eggs were separated into egg yolk and egg white, and then liquid egg white, prepared by reconstituting dried egg white with water to a high concentration, was mixed with the egg white to prepare multiple liquid egg whites with different soluble solid concentrations. The liquid egg white was then mixed with liquid egg yolk in the ratios shown in Table 1 to prepare the liquid whole eggs of Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4. A commonly available liquid whole egg was also used as a control. The soluble solid concentrations were measured using a digital refractometer (RX-7000i digital refractometer manufactured by Atago Co., Ltd.) at a temperature adjusted to 20°C.

[0021] Test Example 1: Preparation of pudding The prepared liquids were each mixed (20% whole egg, 50% milk, 17% fresh cream, and 13% granulated sugar), poured into a container, and steamed at 85°C for 30 minutes to prepare a pudding. The prepared puddings were tasted by three expert panelists and evaluated for milk flavor according to the following criteria. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0022] [Flavor evaluation criteria] ◎: The milk flavor is more noticeable than the control. ○: The milk flavor is somewhat more noticeable than the control. △: The milk flavor is the same as the control. ×: The milk flavor is less noticeable than the control.

[0023]

[0024] As shown in Table 1, it was found that by using a liquid whole egg having a soluble solids concentration of 24 to 29% and a mass ratio of egg white soluble solids to egg yolk soluble solids of 0.8 to 3.0, the flavor of other ingredients (milk) can be more easily perceived.

[0025] Test Example 2: Preparation of chawanmushi A mixture of 21% of the liquid whole egg of the Control Example, Example 2, Comparative Example 2, or Comparative Example 3, 1.3% mirin, 1.1% soy sauce, 0.8% salt, 0.7% bonito stock, and 75.1% fresh water was poured into a container and steamed at 85° C. for 30 minutes to prepare chawanmushi. Three expert panelists tasted the prepared chawanmushi and evaluated the broth flavor according to the following criteria.

[0026] [Evaluation criteria for flavor] ◎: The flavor of the dashi soup stock is easier to detect compared to the control. ○: The flavor of the dashi soup stock is somewhat easier to detect compared to the control. △: The flavor of the dashi soup stock is the same as that of the control. ×: The flavor of the dashi soup stock is less noticeable compared to the control.

[0027] As a result, the chawanmushi prepared using the liquid whole egg of Example 2 had a stronger dashi flavor than the control chawanmushi. On the other hand, the chawanmushi prepared using the liquid whole eggs of Comparative Examples 2 and 3 had a weaker dashi flavor than the control chawanmushi. Furthermore, the chawanmushi prepared using the liquid whole egg of Example 2 had a good melt-in-the-mouth texture.

Claims

1. A liquid whole egg having an egg-derived soluble solids concentration of 24 to 29% by mass, and a ratio of egg white soluble solids to egg yolk soluble solids of 0.8 to 3.

0.

2. The liquid whole egg according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the soluble solids content of the egg white to the soluble solids content of the egg yolk is 1.1 to 3.

0.

3. The liquid whole egg according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the soluble solids content of the egg white to the soluble solids content of the egg yolk is 1.1 to 2.

0.

4. A liquid whole egg according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the proportion of ingredients other than eggs is 1 mass% or less.

5. A liquid whole egg according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the liquid whole egg contains liquid egg white having a soluble solids concentration of 18 to 24%.

6. A method for producing a processed egg product using the liquid whole egg according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. A method for preparing liquid whole egg, comprising the step of mixing liquid egg white and liquid egg yolk so that the concentration of soluble solids derived from eggs is 24 to 29% by mass and the ratio of egg white soluble solids to egg yolk soluble solids is 1.1 to 3.

0.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the liquid egg white used in the mixing step has a soluble solids concentration of 18 to 24%.