BRPI0911703B1 - Process for preparation of a dry vegetable product, dry vegetable product, dry powder vegetable product and food product, free from polysaccharides and food - Google Patents

Description

Process for the Preparation of a Dried Vegetable Product, Dried Vegetable Product, Substantially Polyol Free Dried Vegetable Product and Instant Food Product Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the field of dried food products, in particular, dried vegetables, such as broccoli and a process for the production thereof.

Background of the Invention Green broccoli rapiers form a visually appealing ingredient due to their distinctive green color. Fresh broccoli is unsurpassed in taste, color and “bite”. In addition, broccoli is very nutritious in terms of the high level of antioxidants and vitamins. However, the limited shelf stability of fresh broccoli creates a need in other ways. Frozen broccoli is a well-known alternative, although it is quite expensive and depends on the availability of freezers. In contrast, dried broccoli provides a stable environment alternative and processes for drying broccoli are known. For example, dry soups and dry meals that usually need to be prepared with hot water may contain pieces of dried broccoli. However, dried broccoli by commonly known processes has lost the "bite" of fresh bleached broccoli.

We could simply dry, for example, fresh broccoli by lyophilization without prior heat treatment to obtain a dried broccoli. Such dried broccoli has an unacceptable short life because they still contain relatively high levels of enzymes. Such products are unsuitable for use in the food industry as mass-produced food products must have a long shelf life. The prior art describes several examples of dried broccoli. High amounts of salt, sugar, glycerol, sorbitol, however, severely limit application as the dried product has an inherently too sweet or too salty taste and has lost its “bite”. Relatively large amounts of water are undesirable as water may migrate to other dry food components and cause aggregation as in dry soups.

An example of a very sweet dried vegetable and a process for producing it is described in US 4,832,969. In example 7 thereof, a process is described for producing dried broccoli rapiers comprising heating the rapiers in distilled water containing 0.06 wt% MgCO 3 at 212 ° F (= 100 ° C) for 70 seconds. The vegetable solids content of a dehydrated material prepared as described is only 28% by weight of broccoli rapiers. The dried vegetable product typically comprises more than 40% glycerol and sugar resulting in a very sweet product with limited application. In fact, the product is so sweet that it is recommended to add a bittering agent such as potassium chloride to moderate the sweet taste.

GB 2,114,865 describes a process for preparing dried vegetables. However, all examples show that the resulting dried vegetables contain more than 50% by weight of additives such as NaCl, monosodium glutamate (MSG), proteins or sugars and thus relatively low amounts of vegetable solids. The resulting products have limited application due to the high levels of additives and sweet / salty / umami taste. In addition, dried vegetables prepared according to GB 2,114,865 are chewable and do not have a good bite.

FS Jayaraman et al, (International Journal of Food Science and Technology (1990) 25, 47-60) discloses a process for drying cauliflower, in which cauliflower is incubated in a solution comprising wt.% NaCl and 6 wt.% sucrose for 12 to 16 hours at 0 - 4 ° C. Jayaraman et al. explicitly teaches that more than 3 wt.% NaCl provides no additional benefits. However, this process results in a dried vegetable with a sugar content of 39 wt%, NaCl content of 16 wt% and less than 40 wt% vegetable solids. Once again high salt and sugar levels limit the application of such products. Perhaps most importantly, long immersion causes important nutrients such as vitamin C to be leached out of the vegetable: only 14% of vitamin C remained in the dried vegetable. The bite is not good, but chewable.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a process for the preparation of a dry plant product having the following characteristics: a high vegetable solids content substantially free of polyols such as sorbitol or glycerol with a good bite after use. Rehydration (non-chewable), a relatively neutral flavor that can be used in a wide variety of dry applications, low water activity while maintaining good rehydration properties and good light stability, suitable for packaging with other dry ingredients without undesirable migration. of dry vegetable products and a high vitamin C retention. Another object of the present invention is to provide a dry vegetable product for use in long shelf life mass-produced food products.

Brief Description of the Invention According to a first embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a process for the preparation of a dried plant product comprising the steps of: a. optionally washing and peeling a vegetable; B. optionally grinding a vegetable; ç. subjecting a vegetable to a hypertonic heat shock by contacting (preferably submerging) the vegetable with (in) a hypertonic heat shock solution comprising at least one edible salt at a temperature of 101 to 112 ° C, preferably 102 to 111 ° C, preferably for 1 to 300 seconds, more preferably for 2 to 250 seconds, more preferably for 3 to 225 seconds, said heat shock solution optionally further comprising: - from 0 to 10% by weight. sucrose weight, by weight of the hypertonic thermal shock solution, - from 0 to 1% by weight of a polyol selected from sorbitol, glycerol and mixtures thereof; d. coating the hypertonic heat shock treated vegetable with a coating mixture, and drying the coated hypertonic heat shock treated vegetable.

According to a second embodiment of the present invention, a dry plant product is provided comprising: - from 50 to 95% by weight, preferably from 55 to 92% by weight, more preferably from 60 to 90% by weight. weight of plant solids; Aw from 0.1 to 0.45, preferably from 0.15 to 0.40, more preferably from 0.2 to 0.35; from 0.5 to 30% by weight, preferably from 2 to 27% by weight, more preferably from 4 to 25% by weight of NaCl; and from 0.1 to 25% by weight, preferably from 0.5 to 20% by weight, more preferably from 2 to 15% by weight of at least one film-forming compound.

While not wishing to be bound by theory, Depositors believe that by subjecting vegetables to exceptionally high temperatures in a hypertonic aqueous environment for a short time, followed by a coating step combined with the other steps in the process. , surprisingly caused a controlled and moderate destruction at the cellular level, resulting in a dry bite with excellent bite without the need for large amounts of additives such as sucrose, MSG, NaCI, polyols. This was somewhat unexpected since the hypertonic heat shock solution has a surprisingly extreme temperature of at least 101 ° C. The heat shock process is substantially saccharide free to avoid a sweet artificial taste. The process is believed to inactivate enzymes, resulting in a better shelf life required for mass-produced food products. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The term "vegetable" is used to describe any edible plant or edible parts thereof as used in the culinary sense: a vegetable may be used as the main part of a dish. It does not include herbs: green herbs that not used as the main part of a dish, but usually used in small quantities to flavor dishes such as chives, basil, oregano, thyme, leviticum, parsley, dill, rosemary, celery leaves, chervil, coriander leaves ), marjoram, tarragon, mint, lime leaves, lemongrass, Thai basil. In contrast to broccoli, where bite is perhaps as important as flavor, herbs are, without exception, used for their taste. herbs are generally used after cutting into small pieces, so bite is irrelevant. Preservation of flavor after drying is important for herbs and not the bite. Some aromatic roots such as ginger and laos are used in cooking as herbs in small quantities and are not included in the term 'vegetable'. Vegetables, of course, do not include grains and pulses.

Preferably the term "vegetable" includes: broccoli, green beans, peas, green asparagus, spinach, zucchini, chives, arugula, watercress, white Chinese cabbage, green cabbage, lettuce, vine leaves, sweet pepper green, green pepper, potato, sweetcorn, mushroom, bean sprout, cauliflower, non-green cabbage, onion, asparagus, bamboo shoots, leek, radish, celery root, parsley roots, carrot, zucchini yellow, non-green peppers, non-green peppers and mixtures thereof, [0013] Vegetables, as used in this application, do not include spices, which are usually dried seeds or fruits with a very strong aroma such as eominho, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, white peppercorns, mustard seeds This is for the same reason as the one mentioned above for herbs: for spices, the preservation of the “bite” plays an insignificant role compared to the flavor. spices They are traditionally used because of the taste present in the dry form rather than in the fresh form.

Different embodiments of the present invention may be performed using preferred or more preferably conditions (e.g., temperature, time) or amounts of ingredients (e.g. NaCl, film-forming compound). Preferred ranges will often be described in the following format: from x1 to y1, preferably from x2 to y2, more preferably from x3 to y3, with x1 <x2 <x3 <y3 <y2 <y1. This format is intended to include endpoints as well as all sub-ranges included in it (for example, x1 to y3 and x3 to y1). This format is also intended to include the final open ranges: preferably at least x1, more preferably at least x2, more preferably still at least 3x, preferably at most y1, most preferably at most, y2, more preferably still at most y3.

Some features may be described as optional. This means that this feature may or may not be included in the process or composition. For example, the hypertonic heat shock solution optionally comprises from 0 to 10% by weight of sucrose. This means that the hypertonic heat shock solution may or may not contain sucrose. However, if sucrose is present, it will be present at a given interval, in this example in an amount of 0 to 10 wt% where 0 wt% is meant that 0 wt% is present, ie without sucrose. . Such a range including 0% by weight is often used for ingredients that are preferred to be present in small quantities or not present.

Except in the examples, or where otherwise indicated, all percentages are weight / weight percentages. Where the term "comprises" is used in the specification or claims, it is not intended to exclude any terms, steps or characteristics not specifically cited.

Although the description below may often refer to a vegetable it will be obvious to the person skilled in the art that it is possible to use a vegetable or a mixture of vegetables.

According to an optional step in one embodiment of the process, the fresh vegetable may be washed and peeled if desired. The starting material is preferably fresh, although in some cases frozen vegetables may be used. The vegetable is usually large enough so that when eaten, it will be chewed to try the bite of it, such as the size of the peas. Larger vegetables usually need to be cut into bite-sized pieces that can be easily processed in an industrial filling line. For example, broccoli and cauliflower can be cut into rapiers, where the largest dimension measured along either axis can be from 15 to 20 mm. Green beans, asparagus and other similar vegetables in size can be cut transversely into pieces of about 15 to 20 mm. Bean and spinach sprouts are so thin that they may or may not be cut. If whole, the largest dimension measured along either axis may be 40 to 80 mm, that is, the total length of a bean sprout, respectively, spinach leaf. Vegetable-thick leaves such as cabbage usually need to be cut so that the largest dimension measured along either axis can be from 15 to 20 mm. Thus, the desired size will depend on the application and the type of vegetable, but the largest dimension along any of the vegetable axes prior to thermal shock will preferably be at least 5 mm, more preferably at least 5 mm. 10 mm, more preferably still at least 15 mm, preferably at most 100 mm, more preferably at most 30 mm. The smallest dimension measured along either axis will also depend on the type of vegetable. The smaller size influences the efficiency of hypertonic heat shock. For vegetables like spinach, it will be the thickness of the leaf itself. For cauliflower and broccoli, will be the thickness of the branches or shoots, respectively.

However, for vegetables such as carrots, zucchini, squash, it will depend greatly on how it is cut. In these cases the smallest dimension may be a maximum of 20 mm, preferably a maximum of 15 mm. For broccoli, cut stems of similar size may also be used. The volume of the vegetable prior to thermal shock will preferably be from 9 mm3 to 27 cm3, preferably from 20 mm3 to 27 cm3.

Following the optional washing and peeling steps, grinding is essential for subjecting the vegetable to a hypertonic heat shock in contact with the vegetable, with (in) a hypertonic heat shock solution, (preferably by submerging the vegetables in the hypertonic thermal shock solution).

The process for preparing the dried vegetable product and the dried vegetable product itself is preferably substantially free of polyols such as sorbitol and glycerol. While not wishing to be bound by theory, the Depositor believes that polyols, when added to the dried vegetable product, for example in the hypertonic heat shock solution or coating mixture, decrease the "bite" of the dried vegetable product. The term "substantially free of polyols" is intended to describe a hypertonic heat shock solution, a coating mixture or dry plant product optionally comprising from 0 to 3% by weight of polyols such as sorbitol and glycerol and mixtures thereof. Preferably, the hypertonic heat shock solution, coating mixture or dry plant product comprises at most 3 wt%, preferably at most 0.1 wt%, more preferably 0 wt% polyol and, preferably at least 0.01 wt.%, more preferably at least 0.05 wt.%, more preferably still at least 0.1 wt.% of the hypertonic heat shock solution, of the coating mixture. or the dried plant product respectively.

The hypertonic heat shock solution is an aqueous solution and comprises an effective amount of at least one osmotic agent as an edible salt to be hypertonic. For best results, the hypertonic heat shock solution preferably has a certain osmolality. The hypertonic heat shock solution preferably has an osmolality of from 1,000 to 12,400 mOsmol / kg, preferably from 1,250 to 10,000 mOsmol / kg, more preferably 1,500 to 8,500 mOsmol / kg. According to a preferred embodiment, the hypertonic thermal solution comprises from 5 to 35% by weight, preferably from 10 to 33% by weight, more preferably from 15 to 30% by weight of at least one edible salt by weight. of hypertonic thermal shock solution. At least one edible salt is preferably a chloride salt, usually NaCl. Mixtures of other edible salts may be used, for example mixtures of two or more of the following salts may be used: NaCl, KCl, Mg salts, Calcium salts.

To obtain the advantages, the Depositor found that it was important to subject the plants to exceptionally high temperatures in a hypertonic aqueous environment for a short time. The hypertonic heat shock solution has a temperature of from 101 to 112 ° C, preferably from 102 to 111 ° C, more preferably from 105 to 111 ° C, most preferably at atmospheric pressure. Such high temperatures could be forced into an aqueous environment at atmospheric pressure using sufficient amounts of salt or salt mixture as described above. Thus, according to this embodiment it is preferable that the hypertonic heat shock solution comprises a sufficient amount of at least one edible salt to increase the boiling temperature at atmospheric pressure from 101 to 112 ° C, preferably from 102 to 111 °. Ç.

Preferably, the vegetable is contacted with the hypertonic heat shock solution, preferably for 1 to 300 seconds, more preferably for 2 to 250 seconds, more preferably for 3 to 225 seconds. .

Typical times are 5 seconds for spinach, between 50 and 120 seconds for broccoli and between 30 and 300 seconds for carrot pieces.

In most cases the hypertonic heat shock solution will be substantially free of saccharides selected from the group sucrose, fructose, glucose, maltose, honey, maltitol, hydrogenated corn syrup, fructose rich corn syrup and mixtures thereof. to avoid unnaturally sweet-tasting products. Substantially saccharide free means that only a small amount of saccharide is present in the hypertonic heat shock solution, for example, at most 10 wt%, preferably at most 5 wt% or more preferably 0 wt% saccharide is present. Optionally, from 0 to 10 wt% or from 0 to 5 wt% saccharide is present in the hypertonic heat shock solution. (All weight weights of hypertonic heat shock solution).

The hypertonic heat shock solution will often be substantially free of monosodium glutamate. 'Substantially free of monosodium glutamate' means that only a small amount of monosodium glutamate is present in the hypertonic heat shock solution, for example, at most 10 wt.%, Preferably at most 5 wt.% Or more preferably. 0% by weight of monosodium glutamate is present. Optionally, from 0 to 10% by weight or from 0 to 5% by weight of monosodium glutamate is present in the hypertonic heat shock solution. (All weight weights of hypertonic heat shock solution). The hypertonic heat shock solution preferably contains from 0 to 300 ppm zinc.

Although the amount of hypertonic heat shock solution to be used in the process can be very diverse, it is advantageous to use certain w / w ratios between the amount of vegetable to be treated with heat shock and the amount of hypertonic heat shock solution. for optimum hypertonic thermal shock. Preferably, the ratio (w / w) of the vegetable to the hypertonic heat shock solution ranges from 1:01 to 1: 10G, preferably from 1: 0.5 to 1:20, more preferably from 1 to : 1 to 1:10.

Following heat shock, the hypertonic heat shock treated plant may optionally be washed in water to remove excess salt, depending on the salt level in the hypertonic heat shock solution and the desired application.

The vegetable treated with hypertonic heat shock can also be refrigerated. Preferably, the temperature of the vegetable treated with hypertonic heat shock after thermal shock, but coating arts be cooled to a temperature of at least 20 ° C, preferably at least 30 ° C, more preferably at least 50 ° C. preferably at most 80, more preferably at most 70, most preferably at most 60 ° C. On the other hand, the temperature of the vegetable treated with hypertonic heat shock after the heat shock is cooled to these temperatures during the coating step described below using a coating mixture having a temperature of 20 to 80 ° C, preferably 30 to 70 ° C, more preferably 50 to 60 ° C.

In a key step after heat shock, the hypertonic heat shock treated vegetable is coated with a coating mixture. The relative amount of coating mixture may be selected by the person skilled in the art. Best results can be obtained when the ratio (w / w) of the hypertonic heat shock treated vegetable to the coating coating ranges from 1: 0.1 to 1: 100, preferably from 1: 0.2 to 1:20. more preferably from 1: 0.5 to 1:10.

The coating mixture comprises: - at least one film-forming compound is sufficient to form a film after drying of the vegetable, preferably selected from starch, a dextrin, trehalose, soluble fibers, gums, agar, gelatin and mixtures thereof; from 0.1 to 25% by weight, preferably from 0.3 to 10% by weight, more preferably from 0.5 to 5% by weight of an edible salt composition; and preferably from 0.1 to 15% by weight, preferably from 0.3 to 10% by weight, more preferably from 0.5 to 3.5% by weight of a sweetening agent. weight percentages by weight of the total coating mixture.

The coating mixture comprises an effective amount of the film-forming compound. An effective amount is an amount sufficient to form a film upon drying of the vegetable. Exact amounts may depend on the type of film-forming compound, but in general the coating mixture comprises from 0.05 to 33% by weight, preferably from 0.3 to 15% by weight, more preferably from 0 to 2 to 13% by weight, and at least one film-forming compound by weight of the total coating mixture. The film-forming compound is preferably selected from starch, a dextrin, trehalose, soluble fibers, gums (e.g. gum arabic, guar) agar, gelatin, or mixtures thereof. It is noted that monosaccharides and disaccharides such as glucose and sucrose are not film-forming compounds for the purposes of the present application, but sweetening agents. Trehalose is considered a film-forming compound for purposes of the present and not a sweetening agent. The coating mixture may further comprise from 0.1 to 15% by weight, preferably from 0.3 to 10% by weight, more preferably from 0.5 to 3.5% by weight of a sweetening agent. all weight percentages by weight of the total coating mixture.

Typical amounts of film-forming compounds include gelatin (2 to 5 g / l), starch (10 g / l, possibly combined with 30 to 60 g / l trehalose), gums (1 to 3 g / l). L); trehalose (can be combined with a starch), fibers (10 to 50 g / l), maltodextrin (50 to 200 g / l). Maltodextrin may have a Dextrose Equivalence of 3 to 50, preferably 5 to 30, more preferably 10 to 25. Mixtures of film-forming compounds may also be used successfully, such as a starch mixture. and maltodextrin and optionally trehalose, sucrose (30 to 50 g / l) and / or a fiber. Suitable forms of soluble fiber include corn soluble fiber, soluble apple fiber.

Any starch may be used. Starch in the coating mixture may be gelatinised. Preferably, a pregelatinized starch is used. Wheat flour can also be used as a source of starch. Suitable sources of starch include cassava flour, rice, corn, potato starch and mixtures thereof.

According to a preferred embodiment, the coating mixture comprises a mixture of at least one maltodextrin and at least one starch, preferably: from 0.5 to 25% by weight, preferably from 1 to 20%. more preferably by weight from 3 to 10% by weight of a maltodextrin; and from 0.05 to 8% by weight, preferably from 0.1 to 5% by weight, more preferably from 0.2 to 3% by weight of a starch, preferably a swollen native starch. cold, all weight percentages of the total coating mixture by weight.

The coating mixture is preferably an aqueous solution such as water. In some cases, it may be desired to include an edible salt composition in the coating mixture, said edible salt composition comprising: 1 to 100 wt.%, Preferably 5 to 80 wt. 10 to 70% by weight of NaCl; preferably from 1 to 90% by weight, preferably from 5 to 80% by weight, more preferably from 10 to 70% by weight of at least one potassium salt, preferably in the form of KCl; optionally from 0.2 to 40% by weight, preferably from 0.5 to 30% by weight, more preferably from 1 to 20% by weight of at least one Mg salt, all weight percentages. by weight of the composition of an edible salt. The magnesium salt is preferably selected from a MgCl2 salt, carnalite (KMgCh x 6H20), epsomite (Mg (SO4) x 7H20), picromerite K2Mg (SO4) 2 and mixtures thereof. The edible chloride salt composition preferably comprises NaCl, KCl, MgCl2, CaCl2 or a mixture thereof. Little sea salt or seaweed can also be a source of Mg salt. Algae, for example spirulina, can also be used in the coating mixture as a source of magnesium and fiber.

The sweetening agent may be sucrose, glucose, fructose, any other compound used to sweeten food products and mixtures thereof.

The coating mixture will often be substantially free of monosodium glutamate. 'Substantially free of monosodium glutamate' means that only a small amount of monosodium glutamate is present in the coating mixture, for example, a maximum of 10% by weight, preferably a maximum of 5% by weight or more preferably. 0.0% by weight of monosodium glutamate is present.

Optionally, from 0 to 10% by weight or from 0 to 5% by weight of monosodium glutamate is present in the coating mixture. (All weights by weight of coating mixture).

The coating step should preferably be performed at a given temperature for best results. Preferably for the coating step, the hypertonic heat shock treated vegetable is contacted with the coating mixture for 1 to 30 minutes, preferably 2 to 25 minutes, more preferably 3 to 20 minutes; and - the coating mixture has a temperature of from 20 to 80 ° C, preferably from 30 to 70 ° C, more preferably from 50 to 60 ° C.

[0043] mistura ρΗ of the coating mix or the hypertonic heat shock solution can be adjusted to the type of vegetable. For green vegetables, the pH of the coating mixture is from 6.5 to 8, preferably a pH from 7 to 7.8. Green vegetables include broccoli (rapier, sliced stems), green beans, peas, green asparagus, spinach, zucchini, chives, arugula, watercress, white cabbage, green cabbage, lettuce, vine leaves, green peppers, green pepper and your mixtures.

The pH of the coating mixture or the coating mixture may be lower for non-green vegetables. For example, for potato, sweet corn, mushroom, bean sprouts, cauliflower, non-green cabbage, onions, asparagus, bamboo shoots, leeks, radishes, celery roots, parsley roots, and mixtures thereof. The pH of the coating mixture may be at least 5 and preferably at most 6.5.

In the case of carrots (yellow, red, purple), pumpkin, beets, white cabbage, red, cauliflower, celery roots, parsley roots, mushroom, yellow zucchini, non-green peppers, non-green pepper and their In mixtures, the pH of the coating mixture or hypertonic heat shock solution may be even lower, at least 3.5 and preferably at most 5. The desired pH may be obtained using any acid or base. food grade, such as citric acid, a fruit juice, a concentrated fruit juice, vitamin C, lactic acid, KCI, Mg salts such as MgCh, MgSOi, carnalite or epsomite.

After coating the vegetable, the vegetable treated with hypertonic heat shock is dried. Any conventional drying method may be used including air (hot), freeze drying, microwave drying, sun drying. It may be dried until a water activity (Aw) is obtained from 0.1 to 0.45, preferably from 0.15 to 0.40, more preferably from 0.2 to 0.35, [0048] Prior to the drying step, the coated hypertonic heat shock treated vegetable may be frozen to form a coated hypertonic heat shock treated vegetable. The advantage of the intermediate freezing step is that the frozen product can then be sent to another location for the drying step. This results in a more flexible supply chain as it allows for hypertonic heat-shock treatment of vegetables near where they are harvested without the need to build drying facilities. In addition, it allows for a higher quality of plant products as vegetables can be processed right after harvesting without having to transport them first. In addition, the vegetable treated with hypertonic heat shock will typically have a much smaller volume than the fresh vegetable, significantly reducing transportation costs.

The dried vegetable product obtained from this process has a remarkable fresh "bite" in contrast to the dried vegetables using the processes known in the art. The dried vegetable product obtained from this process is also free from other drawbacks, allowing for broad application: contains excellent color and flavor preservation while not having an artificial sweet or salty taste Has a surprisingly high level of vegetable solids Vegetable solids are defined as the solids of dried vegetable products minus the amount of water, sucrose, film-forming compound and edible salt. Surprisingly, the products of this process also show good vitamin C retention.

In most cases, the dried plant product will be substantially free of added sucrose to avoid artificial sweet taste products. 'Substantially sucrose-free added' means that only a minimum amount of sucrose is present in the dried plant product, for example at most 10 wt%, preferably at most 5 wt% or more preferably 0 wt%. by weight sucrose is present. Optionally, from 0 to 10 wt% or from 0 to 5 wt% sucrose is present in the dried plant product. (All weights by weight of dried plant product). The amount of "added sucrose" is defined as the additional amount of sucrose present in a dried plant product compared to a bleached reference. A bleached reference is the same vegetable bleached in water only for the same period, at the same temperature and drying in the same way as the dried vegetable product with which it is compared.

The dried plant product will often be substantially free of monosodium glutamate. 'Substantially free of monosodium glutamate' means that only a small amount of monosodium glutamate is present in the dried plant product, for example a maximum of 10% by weight, preferably a maximum of 5% by weight or more preferably 0%. by weight of monosodium glutamate is present. Optionally, from 0 to 10 wt% or from 0 to 5 wt% monosodium glutamate is present in the dried plant products. (All weights by weight of dried plant product).

Thus, according to a further embodiment, a dried plant product is provided comprising: - from 50 to 95% by weight, preferably from 55 to 92% by weight, more preferably from 60 to 90% by weight. weight of plant solids; Aw from 0.1 to 0.45, preferably from 0.15 to 0.40, more preferably from 0.2 to 0.35; - from 0.5 to 30% by weight, preferably from 2 to 27% by weight, more preferably from 4 to 25% by weight of NaCl; from 0.1 to 25% by weight, preferably from 0.5 to 20% by weight, more preferably from 2 to 15% by weight of at least one film-forming compound.

The dried plant product is preferably substantially free of polyols selected from glycerol and sorbitol. Preferably at least 0.01 wt.%, More preferably 0.05 wt.%, More preferably still at least 0.1 wt.% And preferably at most 1 wt.%. more preferably at most 0.1 wt%, more preferably still 0 wt% polyol;

The dried plant product preferably comprises from 0.2 to 20% by weight, preferably from 0.5 to 10% by weight, more preferably from 1.5 to 5% by weight of atomic K; from 0.05 to 7% by weight, preferably from 0.1 to 4% by weight, more preferably from 0.25 to 2% by weight of atomic Mg; and optionally from 0.1 to 10% by weight, preferably from 0.2 to 7% by weight, more preferably from 1.0 to 3% by weight of atomic Ca; all weight percentages by weight of the total dry vegetable product.

Said dried plant product is obtained by a process as described above.

Preferably, it is a coated dry vegetable product, preferably treated with hypertonic heat shock.

Preferably, no solvent is used in the process for preparing the dried plant product. Antioxidants such as vitamin C may also be added to the coating mixture to reduce the darkening effect or unpleasant taste development due to oxidation, for example in the case of carrots, peppers, celery roots, cabbage, cauliflower and tomato. The dried vegetable product is preferably heat treated, such as hypertonic heat shock to deactivate the enzymes present in the vegetable to increase shelf life.

The dried plant product may advantageously be used in instant food products.

Instant foods are typically food product packages in which the consumer only needs to add hot water or cook with some water to prepare, for example, a soup, meal, side dish or sauce.

Instant food products have the advantage of long shelf stability at room temperature. An instant food product may comprise 0.01 to 15 wt%, preferably 0.05 to 13 wt%, more preferably 0.1 to 10 wt% water. Preferably an instant food product will have a water activity (Aw) of 0.1 to 0.7, more preferably 0.15 to 0.6, more preferably 0.2 to 0. , 5. In contrast to dried vegetables, according to prior art processes, the dried vegetable product according to the present invention does not introduce undesirable amounts of water into the instant food product. Additional water would cause the instant product, which is usually at least partially powdered, to agglomerate and decrease shelf stability and flowability. Thus, according to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, an instant food product is provided, selected from soup, meal, accompaniment, sauce and mixtures thereof, comprising a dried vegetable product according to the present invention.

The present invention is best illustrated by the following non-limiting examples, showing some preferred embodiments of the present invention.

Examples Example A

Fresh broccoli was washed and rapiers were cut, with the largest dimension along an axis being about 15 to 20 mm. Example A was prepared by submerging 300 g of broccoli rapiers in 3 L of the hypertonic heat shock solution at 103 ° C for 60 s. The hypertonic heat shock solution included 750 g of NaCl dissolved in 3 liters of water. (20 wt% NaCl) Broccoli rapiers treated with hypertonic heat shock were drained but not rinsed before being added to the coating mixture. The w / w ratio of coating to vegetable mixture was 7.5 to 1.

The composition of 11% of the coating mixture was 6.75 wt% DE 20 (wheat) maltodextrin, 2.25 wt% NaCl and 0.72 wt% potato starch. The coating mixture was heated to gelatinize the starch and cooled to 55 ° C. The pH of the coating mixture was 6.8.

The coating step was performed at 55 ° C for 10 (s') with occasional stirring. The coated vegetables were removed from the coating mixture and dried in a conventional air dryer at 70 ° C for 180 min. Example B

Similar to Example A except for the coating mixture. The coating mixture is the same as Example (A ') except that instead of 2.25 wt% NaCl, it contained 2.25 wt% Synevo sodium salt, formerly Naturis. The pH of the coating mixture was 7.2. Naturis Mineral Salts is a mixture of some sodium salt comprising about 40 wt% NaCl, 40 wt% KCI and about 17 wt% Mg salts (mainly epsomite crystals).

Comparative Example I

Comparative Example which was prepared using broccoli rapiers as prepared for Example A. Broccoli rapiers were heated for 3 min at 90 to 95 ° C in water. After draining, the rapiers were dried as in Example A. No coating was performed.

Comparative Example II

Comparative Example II was prepared, according to KS Jayaraman et al., (International Journal of Food Science and Technology (1990) 25, 47 to 60): after bleaching, the broccoli rapiers were drained and infused by Immersion in 3% salt and 6% sucrose in the immersion solution, 6 to 8 ° C for 15 hours and then dried.

For example C and D, broccoli was prepared on a small pilot scale according to Example A, except that the hypertonic heat shock solution comprised 13 wt% NaCl. .

For Example C, hand-cut broccoli rapiers (size 15 to 20 mm) were used, while in Example D, industrial cut rapiers of the same raw material of similar size were used. Example E

Fresh cauliflower rapiers were prepared on a small pilot scale according to Example C and D, except that the coating mixture further contained 0.1 wt.% Citric acid to lower the pH. Table 3 Dried vegetables according to the present invention had an excellent bite compared to Comparative Examples I and II. The dried vegetables according to the present invention comprised more vegetable solids, did not contain added polyols, had better rehydration behavior, were not chewable, but had a good bite and fresh taste. The vegetables prepared according to Comparative Example II were artificially sweet, which limits their application.

Example E

The vegetables were prepared according to the present invention (Example A), except that before the drying step the vegetables were frozen at -40 ° C. The dried vegetables prepared with an intermediate freezing step were excellent quality and comparable to vegetables treated with hypertonic heat shock prepared without the intermediate freezing step.

Vitamin C Retention

Vitamin C retention of vegetables prepared according to K. S. Jayaraman et al., (International Journal of Food Science and Technology (1990) 25, 47-60) was compared with vegetables prepared according to the present invention. Example F was prepared as described above for Comparative Example II. Examples G and H were prepared according to Examples A and B, respectively. The results show that broccoli rapiers prepared according to the present invention had much higher vitamin C retention than those prepared according to Jayaraman et al.

Table 4 Claims

Claims (13)

Process for the preparation of a dried vegetable product, characterized in that it comprises: (a) optionally washing and peeling one (b) optionally grinding a vegetable; (c} subjecting a vegetable to a hypertonic heat shock by contacting (preferably submerging) the vegetable with (in) a hypertonic heat shock solution comprising at least one edible salt at a temperature of 101 to 112 ° C, preferably from 102 to 111 ° C, preferably from 1 to 300 seconds, more preferably from 2 to 250 seconds, more preferably from 3 to 225 seconds, (d) coating the hypertonic heat shock treated vegetable with a coating mixture, and (e) drying the coated hypertonic heat shock treated vegetable. Process according to claim 1, characterized in that the hypertonic heat shock solution has an osmolarity of from 1,000 to 12,400 mOsmol / kg, preferably from 1,250 to 10,000 mOsmol / kg, more preferably 1,500 to 8,500 mOsmol / kg. Process according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the hypertonic heat shock solution comprises from 5 to 35% by weight of at least one edible salt of the hypertonic heat shock solution, preferably a chloride salt. Process according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the coating mixture comprises: at least one film-forming compound in an amount sufficient to form a film after drying of the vegetable, preferably selected from starch, a dextrin, trehalose, soluble fiber, gum, agar, gelatin and mixtures thereof; from 0.1 to 25% by weight, preferably from 0.3 to 10% by weight, more preferably from 0.5 to 5% by weight of an edible salt composition; and preferably from 0.1 to 15% by weight, preferably from 0.3 to 10% by weight, more preferably from 0.5 to 3.5% by weight of a sweetening agent, all by weight percent. by weight of the total coating mixture. Process according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the coating mixture comprises a mixture of at least one maltodextrin and at least one starch, preferably: from 0.5 to 25%. by weight, preferably from 1 to 20% by weight, more preferably from 3 to 10% by weight of a maltodextrin; and from 0.05 to 8% by weight, preferably from 0.1 to 5% by weight, more preferably from 0.2 to 3% by weight of a starch, preferably a cold-swelling native starch. , all weight percentages by weight of the total coating mixture. Process according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that for the coating step, the vegetable treated with hypertonic heat shock is brought into contact with the coating mixture for 1 to 30 minutes. preferably for 2 to 25 minutes, more preferably for 3 to 20 minutes; and - the coating mixture has a temperature of 20 to 80 ° C, preferably 30 to 70 ° C, more preferably 50 to 60 ° C. Process according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the coated hypertonic heat shock treated vegetable is dried until an Aw is obtained from 0.1 to 0.45, preferably from 0, 15 to 0.40, more preferably from 0.2 to 0.35. Process according to Claim 4, characterized in that the edible salt composition in the coating mixture comprises: from 1 to 100 wt.%, Preferably from 5 to 80 wt. 10 to 70% by weight of NaCl; preferably from 1 to 90% by weight, preferably from 5 to 80% by weight, more preferably from 10 to 70% by weight of at least one potassium salt, preferably in the form of KCl; optionally from 0.2 to 40% by weight, preferably from 0.5 to 30% by weight, more preferably from 1 to 20% by weight of at least one Mg salt, all weight percentages. by weight of the composition of an edible salt. Process according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the vegetable is selected from broccoli, green beans, peas, green asparagus, spinach, zucchini, chives, arugula, white cabbage Chinese, green cabbage, lettuce, vine leaves, green peppers, green pepper and mixtures thereof and wherein the coating mixture has a pH of 6.5 to 8, preferably a pH of 7 to 7.8. Process according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that prior to the drying step, the coated hypertonic heat-treated vegetable is frozen. 11. Dry vegetable product, characterized in that it has: - from 50 to 95% by weight, preferably from 55 to 92% by weight, more preferably from 60 to 90% by weight of vegetable solids; A is from 0.1 to 0.45, preferably from 0.15 to 0.40, more preferably from 0.2 to 0.35; from 0.5 to 30% by weight, preferably from 2 to 27% by weight, more preferably from 4 to 25% by weight of NaCl; and from 0.1 to 25% by weight, preferably from 0.5 to 20% by weight, more preferably from 2 to 15% by weight of at least one film-forming compound. 12. Substantially polyol-free dry vegetable product selected from glycerol and sorbitol, characterized in that it has: - from 0,2 to 20% by weight, more preferably from 0,5 to 10% by weight, of preferably from 1.5 to 5% by weight of atomic K; from 0.05 to 7% by weight, preferably from 0.1 to 4% by weight, more preferably from 0.25 to 2% by weight of atomic Mg; optionally from 0.1 to 10% by weight, preferably from 0.2 to 7% by weight, more preferably from 1.0 to 3% by weight of atomic Ca; all percent by weight by weight of the total dry vegetable product; and from 0.1 to 25% by weight, preferably from 0.5 to 20% by weight, more preferably from 2 to 15% by weight of at least one film-forming compound. Instant food product selected from soup, meal, side dish, sauce and mixtures thereof, characterized in that it comprises a dry vegetable product as defined in one of claims 11 to 12.