Heated egg-like composition and method for producing same

Abstract

[Problem] The present invention addresses the problem of obtaining a heated egg-like composition that has soft texture and appearance, such as that obtained by beating a whole egg and gently heating the egg or heating the egg to a soft cooked state, despite containing no egg or a significantly reduced amount of egg. [Solution] It is possible to obtain a heated egg-like composition that has soft texture and appearance, by mixing a coagulant such as magnesium chloride or bittern and curdlan into a plant-based milk such as soy milk, oat milk, or almond milk, and solidifying the mixture by the coagulating and gelling actions of the coagulant and curdlan.

Description

Heated egg-like composition and method for producing same

[0001] The present invention relates to a heated egg-like composition and a method for producing the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a heated egg-like composition obtained by dissolving and heating whole avian eggs such as chicken eggs, and having the texture of a soft-boiled egg before it is completely solidified.

[0002] Traditionally, many cooked egg-like compositions have been known as foods for people with egg allergies or to reduce cholesterol. In recent years, egg-like foods that do not contain chicken eggs or contain significantly reduced amounts of eggs have been developed from the perspective of animal-free foods for vegans and vegetarians.

[0003] Such egg-like foods are known to contain heat-coagulating proteins or gelling agents, but it has been difficult to reproduce the semi-raw, thick texture of a heated whole egg, such as that of a soft-boiled egg made by heating a melted whole egg, or the soft texture of a cooked whole egg, such as that of a cooked egg that has been stopped just before it becomes a crumbled scrambled egg.

[0004] For example, a previously known egg-like food is an egg white-like food material using curdlan (Patent Document 1), which, by combining curdlan with an emulsifier, fats and oils, alginate, and a slow-acting calcium salt, results in a food material with a texture similar to that of natural egg white, with a firmness and crispness similar to that of the white part of a boiled egg. Also known is a method for producing an egg-like baked coagulated food (Patent Document 2), which involves heating a liquid batter made from a heat-coagulable vegetable protein material and soy cream, with the aim of producing an egg-like baked coagulated food that can be produced using a method similar to that of baked egg foods such as omelets and scrambled eggs. However, Patent Documents 1 and 2 do not provide a technology for producing a soft, semi-raw egg-like food.

[0005] On the other hand, a method for producing a scrambled egg-like food that is soft and has a semi-raw texture (Patent Document 3) is also known, which comprises mixing and heating starch-containing vegetables or starch cells such as beans, potatoes, melons such as pumpkins and chestnuts, and chestnuts with a protein paste, but further improvements have been desired to produce egg-like foods with the semi-raw texture and thick consistency of actual scrambled eggs.

[0006] Furthermore, in recent years, techniques using thickeners or gelling agents have also become known to reproduce such a thick and soft texture. For example, a method for producing an egg-like food product includes a step of mixing a preparation containing alginic acids with an aqueous calcium salt solution to gel it and obtain a gel-like substance (Patent Document 4), a heat-coagulated product prepared using a liquid egg substitute composition containing almond protein extract and curdlan (Patent Document 5), and a scrambled egg-like food product containing a gelled substance and a fluid composition containing vegetable milk, alginic acid and / or a salt thereof (Patent Document 6) aim to produce more authentic scrambled egg-like foods.

[0007] JP 2009-136247 JP 2017-169488 JP 2002-119260 JP 2023-162975 JP 2022-167482 WO2022 / 264330

[0008] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to obtain a heated egg-like composition that does not contain eggs or contains eggs in a greatly reduced amount, yet has a soft texture that can be obtained by dissolving whole eggs and gently heating them or heating them until they become soft-boiled.

[0009] As a result of extensive research, the inventors have found that this problem can be solved by adding a coagulant and curdlan to the plant milk, thereby solidifying it through its coagulation and gelling effects.

[0010] That is, the present invention is as follows: (1) A heated egg-like composition containing plant milk, curdlan, and a coagulant. (2) The heated egg-like composition according to (1) above, wherein the plant milk is soy milk, oat milk, or almond milk. (3) The heated egg-like composition according to (1) above, wherein the coagulant is magnesium chloride and / or calcium chloride. (4) The heated egg-like composition according to (1) above, further comprising a thickener. (5) The heated egg-like composition according to (1) above, wherein the curdlan content is 0.5 to 10 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the plant milk. (6) A method for producing a heated egg-like composition, comprising the step of adding a coagulant to curdlan-dispersed plant milk and heating the composition to 80°C or higher. (7) A method for producing the heated egg-like composition according to (6) above, wherein the curdlan-dispersed plant milk contains a thickener. (8) A method for producing the heated egg-like composition according to (6) above, comprising the step of stirring during or after heating.

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cooked egg-like composition that resembles a soft-boiled beaten whole egg more realistically, and a method for producing said composition.

[0012] (A) Standard scrambled eggs from Preparation Example 1 and (B) Comparative Example 1, (C) Example 1, and (D) Example 2 of the scrambled egg-like foods. (E) Example 5 and (F) Example 7 from Preparation Example 2 and (G) Example 11 and (H) Example 12 of Preparation Example 3 of the scrambled egg-like foods.

[0013] In the present invention, plant milk refers to a colloidal liquid derived from plants containing proteins that have been emulsified by extracting or eluting proteins and other components from plant materials, and specific examples include soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, hemp milk, coconut milk, cashew milk, macadamia milk, hazelnut milk, pea milk, rice milk, etc. In order to more closely resemble the texture of a soft-boiled egg, soy milk, oat milk, and almond milk are preferred, with soy milk being even more preferred.

[0014] In the present invention, curdlan is a general term for heat-coagulable polysaccharides primarily composed of β-1,3-glucosidic bonds. Such curdlan can also be produced by microorganisms of the genus Alcaligenes or Acrobacterium. Powdered curdlan is preferred for ease of dispersion in plant milk. Finely powdered curdlan with an average particle size (median diameter) of 30 μm or less is more preferable for ease of handling, and finely powdered curdlan with an average particle size of 10 to 30 μm is particularly preferred. Such finely powdered curdlan can be commercially available, or can be obtained by grinding commercially available powdered curdlan using conventional methods. The amount of curdlan relative to the plant milk can be determined depending on the solids content of the plant milk used and the softness of the resulting heated egg-like composition. A curdlan content of 10 parts by weight or less, preferably 8 parts by weight or less, per 100 parts by weight of plant milk results in a softer, more scrambled egg-like heated egg-like composition, and also provides a moderate increase in viscosity during heating, making it preferred. Furthermore, if the amount of curdlan is too small, it will be difficult to achieve the desired texture, so the content of curdlan is preferably 0.5 part by weight or more, more preferably 1.0 part by weight or more, per 100 parts by weight of the vegetable milk content.

[0015] The coagulant used in the present invention may be magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, magnesium sulfate, calcium sulfate, glucono-delta-lactone, or a mixture thereof, or a bittern containing a mixture thereof (also known as natural seawater bittern or crude seawater magnesium chloride). More preferably, due to their high coagulability, bitterns containing one or more of magnesium chloride or calcium chloride as the main components are preferred, with magnesium chloride being even more preferred. The amount of coagulant relative to the plant milk can be determined based on the type and concentration of the coagulant, the protein content and solids content of the plant milk used, and the softness of the resulting heated egg-like composition. For example, an aqueous solution of coagulant or bittern may be used in an amount of 0.1 to 10 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of plant milk.

[0016] The heated egg-like composition of the present invention may be produced by adding a thickener to the plant milk. Here, the thickener may be any thickening polysaccharide that increases the viscosity of a liquid when added to the liquid, excluding curdlan. Examples of such thickening polysaccharides include xanthan gum, guar gum, locust bean gum, tara gum, carrageenan, alginic acid, pectin, welan gum, and succinoglycan. One of these thickening polysaccharides may be used alone, or two or more may be used in combination. Xanthan gum is preferably used, and xanthan gum and locust bean gum are more preferably used. The amount of these thickeners added may be appropriately determined so that the resulting heated egg-like composition has the desired texture.

[0017] Food ingredients and food additives such as seasonings, spices, colorings, yeast extract, starch derivatives such as modified starch and dextrin, and oils and fats may be added to the heated egg-like composition of the present invention for purposes such as improving flavor and texture, increasing shelf life, and providing nutritional supplementation, as long as the effects of the invention are not impaired.

[0018] The heated egg-like composition of the present invention can be obtained by incorporating curdlan into plant milk, adding a coagulant, and then heating. Since curdlan is insoluble in water in the neutral range, it can be in a dispersed state in the plant milk containing curdlan. Furthermore, since curdlan is soluble in the alkaline range, it can also be in a dissolved state when an alkaline agent or basic amino acid is optionally added, or depending on the type of coagulant of the present invention. The method for incorporating curdlan into plant milk may be to simply add curdlan powder, or to disperse or dissolve curdlan in water in advance and then mix it with the plant milk. In the present invention, a liquid containing curdlan in plant milk is called curdlan-dispersed plant milk, regardless of the dissolved or dispersed state of the curdlan.

[0019] A heated egg-like composition with a granular texture similar to scrambled eggs can be produced by stirring the curdlan-dispersed plant milk simultaneously with or after heating. Furthermore, by stirring after the start of heating and then stopping the stirring after the curdlan-dispersed plant milk begins to coagulate, a heated egg-like composition that is soft yet cohesive like a soft-boiled omelet can be produced. The curdlan and coagulant may be added simultaneously as long as they are added before heating, but it is preferable to incorporate the curdlan into the plant milk by any method and then add the coagulant, as this facilitates uniformity.

[0020] The curdlan-dispersed plant milk may be heated in a heating vessel, which may be a flat vessel such as a griddle, frying pan, or oven dish, or a spherical vessel such as a shallow bowl, round-bottomed pot, or pan. Stirring may be performed continuously or intermittently during heating, or during or after cooling after heating, and any implement may be used, whether it is a rod-shaped implement such as chopsticks or a stirring rod, or a flat-shaped implement such as a spatula or stirring blade, and whether the rod or surface is straight or flat, curved or curved, or a combination thereof.

[0021] The heating method may be heating by direct flame or electric heat from outside the container, or by bathing in hot water or a heated solvent, but it is desirable that the heating temperature be such that the curdlan-dispersed plant milk reaches 80°C or higher.

[0022] When the heated egg-like composition obtained in this manner is heated to 80°C or higher, the coagulation of proteins by the coagulant and the thermally irreversible gel formation by the curdlan occur, and even if no eggs are used or the amount of eggs is reduced, the composition has a soft texture just like that of a cooked egg product obtained by soft-boiling or gently heating whole eggs, and therefore can be used as a scrambled egg-like food or a soft-boiled omelet-like food.

[0023] The obtained heated egg-like composition can be used as a food product as is, or it can be mixed with the plant milk used as a raw material or a plant milk other than that used as a raw material and prepared as a sol-like texture (i.e., by stretching or diluting it) to give it a thicker texture before being used as a food product.

[0024] The present invention will be explained in more detail below by showing examples, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0025] The curdlan used in the examples was "Curdlan NS," a fine powder curdlan having an average particle size of 30 μm or less, manufactured by the applicant company.

[0026] [Preparation Example 1] A scrambled egg-like food product was prepared using the cooked egg-like composition shown in Table 1, unsweetened soy milk (protein content 5%) as the plant milk, and magnesium chloride (30 wt% solution) as the coagulant. A control scrambled egg was also prepared using whole chicken eggs. The control scrambled egg was prepared by adding 15 parts by weight of water and 0.5 parts by weight of salt to 100 parts by weight of whole chicken eggs, followed by a standard method to obtain a soft-boiled scrambled egg. The scrambled egg-like food products of the Examples and Comparative Examples were prepared as follows: All ingredients except the coagulant were added to the plant milk and mixed. Finally, the coagulant was added, and the mixture was heated in a hot water bath to 80°C. During heating, the mixture was intermittently mixed and stirred. After heating, the mixture was cooled to room temperature while cooling with cold water, and then further stirred to obtain the scrambled egg-like food product.

[0027] The appearance of the scrambled egg-like foods obtained was evaluated according to the following criteria: ◎: Appearance equivalent to the standard scrambled eggs; ◯: Appearance slightly different from the standard scrambled eggs, not equivalent, but still grainy and with little syneresis; △: Grainy and syneresis, with an appearance different from the standard scrambled eggs; ×: No grainy appearance, with a lot of syneresis, and an appearance clearly different from the standard scrambled eggs

[0028] The results of evaluation based on the above criteria and comments on texture from sensory evaluation by trained panelists are shown in Table 1. A photograph of the sample of Preparation Example 1 is shown in Figure 1.

[0029]

[0030] [Preparation Example 2] A scrambled egg-like food product was prepared in the same manner as in Preparation Example 1, using the heated egg-like composition with the formulation shown in Table 2. The same plant milk and coagulant as in Preparation Example 1 were used, and other ingredients were commercially available products. The thickener was a mixture of xanthan gum and locust bean gum in a weight ratio of 1:1. Evaluation was also performed in the same manner as in Preparation Example 1, and the results are shown in Table 2.

[0031]

[0032] [Preparation Example 3] Scrambled egg-like foods were prepared as heated egg-like compositions using the same blending amounts as in Example 7, but with different types of plant milk or coagulant. Example 11 was prepared using a blend in which the coagulant in Example 7 was changed from magnesium chloride to calcium chloride (30 w / w% solution), and Examples 12 and 13 were prepared using blends in which the plant milk in Example 7 was changed to oat milk (protein content 0.2%) or almond milk (protein content 0.5%), respectively. Evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Preparation Example 1, and the results are shown in Table 3.

[0033]

[0034] Photographs of the scrambled egg-like foods prepared with stirring from Preparation Examples 2 and 3 are shown in FIG.

[0035] From the above results, it was revealed that egg-cooking-like compositions containing curdlan and a coagulant in plant milk such as soy milk, oat milk, or almond milk have an appearance and texture similar to that of a food made by heating a soft-boiled egg made from beaten chicken eggs.

Claims

1. A heated egg-like composition containing vegetable milk, curdlan and a coagulating agent.

2. The heated egg-like composition according to claim 1, wherein the plant milk is soy milk, oat milk, or almond milk.

3. The heated egg-like composition according to claim 1, wherein the coagulating agent is magnesium chloride and / or calcium chloride.

4. The heated egg-like composition according to claim 1, further comprising a thickener.

5. A heated egg-like composition according to claim 1, wherein the curdlan content is 0.5 to 10 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the vegetable milk content.

6. A method for producing a heated egg-like composition, comprising the step of adding a coagulant to curdlan-dispersed plant milk and heating the mixture to 80°C or higher.

7. A method for producing a heated egg-like composition according to claim 6, wherein the curdlan-dispersed plant milk contains a thickener.

8. A method for producing a heated egg-like composition according to claim 6, which comprises a step of stirring during or after heating.

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