Mushroom Food Composition With Structuring for Meat-Like Texture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing processed foods containing mushrooms lack the meat-like texture and flavor preferred by many consumers, limiting their consumption beyond traditional autumn and winter seasons.
Innovation Solution
A food composition comprising mushroom-derived solid content and a structuring material that forms a meat-like structure, with specific ratios and conditions for mixing and standing to achieve a peak strain of 10% to 60% and a load of 2 N or more at a strain of 30% in a load test.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mushrooms are used as the main ingredient in processed foods, then health benefits and dietary fiber content are improved, but meat-like texture and flavor are not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines mushroom-derived solid content with specific structuring materials (proteins, polysaccharides, or their complexes) to create a composite food composition. This composite structure enables the product to simultaneously exhibit health benefits from mushrooms and meat-like texture through the synergistic interaction between mushroom components and structuring materials, resolving the contradiction between health functionality and sensory quality.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional mushroom dishes are prepared, then culinary simplicity is maintained, but consumption is limited to autumn and winter seasons
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms mushrooms from fresh fruiting bodies into dried solid content through controlled drying processes, fundamentally changing the physical state and storage properties. This parameter change enables year-round availability while maintaining culinary versatility, as the dried solid content can be rehydrated and processed into various dishes throughout the year, breaking the seasonal limitation while preserving ease of preparation.
3Reliability
If mushroom solid content is increased in processed foods, then immunomodulatory effects are enhanced, but texture and structural properties deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces structuring materials (proteins, polysaccharides, or their complexes) as intermediary components that mediate between mushroom solid content and the final product structure. These structuring materials act as a bridge, providing the necessary structural support and meat-like texture while allowing high concentrations of mushroom solid content to maintain immunomodulatory effects, thus resolving the contradiction between functionality and structural integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
It is possible to provide a food composition obtained using mushrooms as a raw material and capable of exhibiting a texture similar to that of meat. One aspect of the present invention is a food composition. The food composition includes: mushroom-derived solid content; and a structuring material that structures the solid content together. The solid content in the food composition is 1.3 to 49.0 mass %, and the content of the structuring material in the food composition is 1.5 to 90.0 mass %. In addition, the food composition has a peak at a strain of 10% to 60% and a load of 2 N or more at a strain of 30% in the following load test. (Load test) A cylindrical plunger having a diameter of 1 cm is attached to a rheometer, and the load of a test sample (height: 3 cm) is measured at a speed of 1 mm/s at room temperature.