JP2025173000A - Sheet-shaped processed food material and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a sheet-like processed food material having a meat-like texture, such as chicken skin, and a method for producing the same.
[Solution] At least one material selected from a vegetable protein material and a dietary fiber material is mixed with at least vegetable milk, a konjac raw material, an alkalizing agent, and water to obtain a raw material mixture, which is then formed into a sheet and heated to solidify, thereby obtaining a sheet-like processed food material having a meaty texture similar to chicken skin.
[Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a sheet-like processed food material containing at least one selected from a plant protein material and a dietary fiber material, and a konjac raw material, and a method for producing the same.

Konjac is a widely loved food used in dishes such as oden and simmered dishes. Konjac is produced by kneading konjac flour or grated konjac yam with water to make a paste, adding a coagulant containing an alkalizing agent, and heating to form an irreversible gel, which then solidifies. Konjac yam, the raw material for konjac, contains approximately 10% by mass of the water-soluble polysaccharide mannan, and this polysaccharide mannan is the main component of konjac.

In recent years, with the diversification of dietary habits and growing health consciousness, konjac has been used to develop processed foods with a variety of textures and flavors.

As one such attempt, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a method for producing a food ingredient in which konjac flour is mixed with hot water until it becomes jelly-like, then raw egg and soy pulp are mixed with this mixture, and an alkaline solution made by dissolving calcium hydroxide in lukewarm water is added to the mixture to form a coagulated shape, which is then cut into appropriate pieces and heated to remove the remaining alkali, giving the food a meaty texture.

Furthermore, the following Patent Document 2 describes a processed food characterized by uniformly mixing 33 to 83 parts by weight of soy pulp, 67 to 17 parts by weight of konjac raw materials, and 2.5 to 5.0 times the weight of the konjac raw materials with nagaimo, and solidifying the mixture with an alkaline solution.

Furthermore, Patent Document 3 below describes a processed soybean pulp food in which a soybean pulp component and a food polysaccharide component with thickening stability are integrally bound together and molded into a cube, rectangular parallelepiped, sphere, dome, polygonal prism, polygonal pyramid, sausage, or hamburger shape, with the soybean pulp component dispersed throughout the entire surface and inside the food as minute particles measuring 0.05 mm to 1 mm.

Patent No. 3498087 Patent No. 3721351 Utility Model Registration No. 3124102

As shown in the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 to 3, various meat-like processed foods containing konjac ingredients and soy pulp have been proposed, but no attempts have been made to create a sheet-like processed food with a meat-like texture, such as chicken skin.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet-like processed food material that has a meat-like texture, such as chicken skin, and a method for producing the same.

To achieve the above objective, the sheet-shaped processed food material of the present invention is characterized by containing at least one selected from a plant protein material and a dietary fiber material, plant-based milk, konjac raw material, and an alkaline agent, and being formed into a sheet.

The sheet-like processed food material of the present invention is preferably formed into a sheet and heat-coagulated.

It is also preferable that it is heat-coagulated by frying.

Furthermore, it is preferable that at least one of the vegetable protein materials and dietary fiber materials is at least one selected from soy meat, soy protein, wheat protein, defatted soy flour, pea protein, soy flour, soybean pulp, bran, and rice bran.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the plant-based milk is prepared from at least one selected from coconut milk, almond milk, cashew nut milk, peanut milk, macadamia milk, walnut milk, oat milk, barley milk, rice milk, sunflower milk, sesame milk, quinoa milk, amaranth milk, hemp milk, and pea milk.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the surface is uneven and shaped like chicken skin.

On the other hand, the method for producing sheet-form processed food materials of the present invention is characterized by comprising a raw material mixing step in which at least one material selected from a plant protein material and a dietary fiber material is mixed with at least plant-based milk, a konjac raw material, an alkalizing agent, and water to obtain a raw material mixture, and a forming step in which the raw material mixture is formed into a sheet to obtain a pre-cooked sheet-form product.

The method for producing a sheet-like processed food material of the present invention preferably further includes a heat-coagulation step in which the uncooked sheet-like product is heated to gelatinize and heat-coagulate the konjac raw material.

It is also preferable that the method further includes a step of freezing or refrigerating the uncooked sheet-shaped product, and a heat-coagulating step of heating the uncooked sheet-shaped product after the frozen or refrigerated storage to gelatinize and heat-coagulate the konjac raw material.

It is also preferable that the heat solidification process be carried out by frying in oil.

Furthermore, it is preferable that at least one selected from the vegetable protein material and dietary fiber material is at least one selected from soy meat, soy protein, wheat protein, defatted soy flour, soy processed products, soy flour, pea protein, soybean pulp, bran, and rice bran.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the plant-based milk is prepared from at least one selected from coconut milk, almond milk, cashew nut milk, peanut milk, macadamia milk, walnut milk, oat milk, barley milk, rice milk, sunflower milk, sesame milk, quinoa milk, amaranth milk, hemp milk, and pea milk.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the raw material mixture further contains a seasoning.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the raw material mixture further contains a food ingredient containing konjac gel coagulum.

Furthermore, the forming step preferably comprises forming the raw material mixture into a sheet, providing multiple irregularities on the surface of the sheet, cutting the sheet to a predetermined width, and forming it into a chicken skin-like shape.

The sheet-like processed food material of the present invention contains at least one selected from a vegetable protein material and a dietary fiber material, vegetable milk, a konjac raw material, and an alkaline agent, and is formed into a sheet shape. This provides a sheet-like processed food material that has a texture similar to chicken skin, is low in fat and oil, and can be used as a healthy meat substitute.

Furthermore, the method for producing sheet-form processed food materials of the present invention includes a raw material mixing step in which at least one material selected from a plant protein material and a dietary fiber material is mixed with at least plant-based milk, a konjac raw material, an alkalizing agent, and water to obtain a raw material mixture, and a forming step in which the raw material mixture is formed into a sheet to obtain a pre-cooked sheet-form product. This makes it possible to produce a sheet-form processed food material that has a texture similar to chicken skin, is low in fat, and can be used as a healthy meat substitute.

1 is a photograph of the sheet-shaped processed food material of the present invention obtained in Example 1.

The present invention will be described below with reference to preferred embodiments.

[Plant protein material]
In the present invention, the vegetable protein material may be one or more selected from the group consisting of soy meat, soy protein, wheat protein, defatted soy flour, pea protein, and soy flour. Among these, soy meat is preferred. Here, soy meat is produced by drying soybeans from which the oil has been squeezed out under heat and pressure, and becomes a food ingredient with a meat-like texture when rehydrated in water or hot water. It is preferable to use vegetable protein materials adjusted to a sieve size of preferably 12 mesh pass or less, more preferably 300 mesh pass or less. In the present invention, the mesh size is in accordance with the JIS Z 8801 standard.

[Dietary fiber ingredients]
In the present invention, the dietary fiber material is preferably insoluble dietary fiber collected from plant materials, and for example, one or more types selected from soybean pulp, bran, rice bran, etc. are usable. Among these, dried and powdered soybean pulp is particularly preferred. It is preferable to use a dietary fiber material adjusted to preferably pass 12 mesh or less, more preferably pass 300 mesh or less.

[Plant-based milk]
In the present invention, the term "plant-based milk" refers to milk prepared from plant ingredients, and may be one or more selected from coconut milk, almond milk, cashew nut milk, peanut milk, macadamia milk, walnut milk, oat milk, barley milk, rice milk, sunflower milk, sesame milk, quinoa milk, amaranth milk, hemp milk, pea milk, soy milk, etc. Among these, milk made from nuts, such as coconut milk, almond milk, cashew nut milk, peanut milk, macadamia milk, and walnut milk, is preferably used. Milk made from nuts can be prepared, for example, by crushing nuts soaked in water using a mixer or the like, adding water, and filtering the residue using gauze or the like.

[Konjac ingredients]
The konjac raw material used in the present invention may contain mannan, a water-soluble polysaccharide derived from konjac root, and may be gelatinized in the presence of water to form konjac paste. Examples include grated raw konjac root, thinly sliced and dried corms with the skin removed, and optionally pulverized (commonly referred to as "coarse flour"); coarse flour pulverized into fine flour with the lighter starch removed (commonly referred to as "refined flour"); and refined flour treated with alcohol or the like to remove impurities other than glucomannan. Konjac paste is usually in the form of a jelly or paste, and when heated in the presence of an alkalizing agent, an irreversible gel is formed from the mannan derived from the konjac root and solidifies. Refined flour is the predominant konjac raw material used in industrial konjac production, and is also preferably used in the present invention.

[Alkalizing agent]
The alkalizing agent used in the present invention may be any agent capable of alkalizing the konjac paste, forming an irreversible gel with the mannan derived from the konjac root, and solidifying the konjac paste. Examples include calcined shell calcium, calcined eggshell calcium, calcium hydroxide, calcium carbonate, calcium bicarbonate, calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, magnesium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, etc. The main raw materials for konjac used in industrial konjac production are calcined shell calcium powder and edible calcium hydroxide powder, which can also be preferably used in the present invention.

[Other ingredients]
Other ingredients that can be used include seasonings such as salt, sugar, soy sauce, mirin, and amino acids, flavorings such as yeast extract and dashi stock ingredients, and fragrances.

Food ingredients containing konjac gel coagulated matter can also be added. Here, konjac gel coagulated matter-containing food ingredients are food ingredients made by mixing a plant fiber material such as soy pulp, konjac raw materials, and ingredients containing an alkaline agent, and then heat-treating the mixture to form a gel. For example, processed food ingredients produced by the method described in Patent No. 5044145 can be used.

Fats and oils can also be added. Examples of fats and oils include edible animal oils (beef tallow, lard, mutton tallow, etc.), edible vegetable oils (soybean oil, corn oil, rapeseed oil, peanut oil, rice bran oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, sesame oil, palm oil, coconut oil, camellia oil, kaya oil, etc.), fish oils (cod oil, sardine oil, liver oil, herring oil, mackerel oil, squid oil, etc.), oily paste foods (sesame paste, peanut butter, etc.), spice-derived oils (chili oil, mustard oil, clove oil, perilla oil, etc.), oily dairy products (butter, cheese, margarine, etc.), egg yolk oil, and cocoa butter.

[Mixing ratio]
The blending ratio of each ingredient may be appropriately determined within the scope of common sense of a person skilled in the art so that the product can be formed into a sheet and heat-coagulated, but may be, for example, the following ratio: The blending amount is calculated based on 100 g of at least one kind (dry matter) selected from the vegetable protein material and dietary fiber material.

At least one selected from vegetable protein materials and dietary fiber materials: 100g
Plant-based milk: 10-400g
Konjac raw material (as refined flour): 20-150g
Alkaline agent (as solid content): 1.4 to 10.5 g
Water (total amount of added water other than plant-based milk): 400-3000g
The amount of other ingredients such as seasonings to be added may be determined appropriately within the range that allows the raw material mixture to be formed into a sheet and solidified by heating.

[Raw material mixing process]
The method for producing a sheet-form processed food material of the present invention includes a raw material mixing step in which the raw materials are mixed to obtain a raw material mixture. The raw material mixing procedure is not particularly limited, but the raw materials can be preferably mixed according to the following procedure.

(1) If at least one of the plant protein material and the dietary fiber material is a dried product, add water or hot water to rehydrate it, and then finely grind and stir it using a grinder such as a food processor.

(2) Mix water and an alkaline agent to prepare an alkaline aqueous solution, and add and mix this alkaline aqueous solution with the ground material from (1).

(3) If necessary, seasonings, flavorings such as yeast extract and dashi stock ingredients, fragrances, and ingredients containing konjac gel coagulated material are added to the mixture of (2) and further stirred.

(4) Add the plant-based milk to the mixture in (3) and stir.

(5) Meanwhile, water or hot water is added to the konjac raw material and mixed to swell the konjac raw material, resulting in the konjac paste.

(6) Add the konjac paste (5) to the mixture (4) and stir.

[Molding process]
In the forming step, the raw material mixture obtained in the raw material mixing step is formed into a sheet. The method for forming into a sheet is not particularly limited, but for example, extrusion molding, roll molding, stretch molding using a rod, etc. can be used.

It is also preferable to form an uneven pattern on the surface of the sheet when or after it is formed into a sheet. By forming an uneven pattern on the surface, it is possible to make the sheet look like chicken skin or other animal skin. The uneven pattern on the sheet surface can be formed, for example, by pressing the sheet with a mold that has unevenness on the pressing surface side, or by rolling the sheet with rollers that have uneven surfaces.

The thickness of the molded sheet is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1 to 20 mm, more preferably 2 to 12 mm, and even more preferably 3 to 7 mm. The sheet thickness was measured by cutting the sheet perpendicular to the plane and measuring the thickness at five arbitrarily selected points on the cut cross section, and expressed as the average value.

The sheet thus formed (pre-cooked sheet-like product) can be stored frozen or refrigerated as is, and when ready for use, removed and subjected to the heat-solidification step described below to obtain a sheet-like processed food ingredient. It can also be frozen or refrigerated after being heat-solidified using the heat-solidification step described below, but if it is deep-fried, for example, the fats and oils may oxidize during storage, resulting in a deterioration in flavor. In contrast, freezing or refrigerating the pre-cooked sheet-like product has the advantage of being less susceptible to problems such as fats and oils oxidizing. Furthermore, freezing or refrigerating the pre-cooked sheet-like product allows for the use of a heat treatment method suited to the user's intended use and preferences.

[Heat solidification process]
The uncooked sheet-like product obtained in the forming step is heated to gelatinize and solidify the konjac raw material. The heating method is not particularly limited, but examples include deep-frying, heating using a hot plate or frying pan, steaming using a steamer, heating in a microwave oven, and baking using heating means such as electricity or gas. Among these, deep-frying is preferred to achieve a flavor and texture similar to that of animal skin, such as chicken skin. Deep-frying is preferably performed at an oil temperature of 160 to 200°C for approximately 90 to 150 seconds.

[Sheet-type processed food ingredients]
The sheet-like processed food material obtained in this way has a texture similar to chicken skin, and when skewered and grilled, it becomes a food product with a texture similar to that of yakitori skin. Also, by changing the thickness, it can be made to have the texture of animal skin or offal other than chicken.

Even if the ingredients include vegetable protein materials, dietary fiber materials, konjac ingredients, alkaline agents, etc., adding vegetable milk can impart a chicken skin-like flavor. Furthermore, adding flavorings such as seasoning liquid, yeast extract, and dashi ingredients, as well as fragrances, can impart an even better flavor.

The sheet-form processed food of the present invention can be used as an ingredient in a variety of dishes, such as fried foods, baked foods, simmered foods, salads, and noodles.

The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the following examples. However, these examples are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

Example 1
(1) 1000 ml of water was added to 100 g of soy meat, and after soaking in water, the water was squeezed out to make 500 g of water-containing product.

(2) The above-mentioned hydrated soy meat was stirred in a food processor and finely pulverized.

(3) Meanwhile, 3.5 g of calcium hydroxide was dissolved in 110 g of water to prepare a 2.6% by mass calcium hydroxide aqueous solution.

(4) The entire amount of the calcium hydroxide aqueous solution was added to 500 g of the hydrated material obtained in (3) and stirred using a kneader.

(5) A seasoning liquid containing amino acids was further added to and mixed with the mixture of (4) above.

(6) 300 g of coconut milk was added to the mixture of (5) and mixed.

(7) Meanwhile, 50 g of konjac flour (refined flour) was added to 2,000 g of water and stirred thoroughly to swell the konjac flour, creating konjac paste.

(8) The mixture obtained in (6) was added to the konjac paste and stirred.

(9) The raw material mixture obtained in (8) above was formed into a sheet using an extrusion molding device. This sheet was then rolled using a roller with an uneven surface to form chicken skin-like unevenness on the sheet surface. The thickness of the sheet thus formed was 5 mm. The sheet formed above was cut into a size of 20 mm x 50 mm.

(10) The sheet pieces obtained in (9) were immersed in rapeseed oil at 170°C and deep-fried for 90 seconds, causing the konjac raw material to gel and solidify by heating.

Through the above process, a chicken skin-like sheet-like processed food material was obtained. This sheet-like processed food material was skewered and lightly grilled to produce chicken skin-like grilled skewers. A photograph of this is shown in Figure 1. This sheet-like processed food material had a texture and flavor similar to chicken skin. Its appearance was also similar to that of chicken skin.

(Comparative Example 1)
In step (6) of Example 1, coconut milk was not added, but instead 200 g of water was added and mixed, and otherwise the same procedure as in Example 1 was repeated to obtain a chicken skin-like sheet-shaped processed food material.

This sheet-like processed food ingredient had a rough texture, no fatty flavor, and did not have the texture or flavor of chicken skin.

Example 2
In accordance with the method described in Japanese Patent No. 5044145, a raw material containing okara, konjac raw material, and an alkaline agent was mixed, and the mixture was heated to gelatinize the mixture, thereby producing a konjac gel coagulated product.

In Example 1, 250 g of the pulverized konjac gel coagulated product was added and mixed during step (5). Otherwise, a chicken skin-like sheet-like processed food material was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 above.

This sheet-shaped processed food material had a texture and flavor similar to chicken skin. The texture was even closer to chicken skin.

Claims (15)

A sheet-like processed food material characterized by containing at least one selected from a plant protein material and a dietary fiber material, plant-based milk, konjac raw material, and an alkaline agent, and being formed into a sheet. The sheet-like processed food material according to claim 1, which has been formed into a sheet and heat-coagulated. The sheet-like processed food material according to claim 2, which has been heat-coagulated by frying. The sheet-form processed food material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the at least one selected from the vegetable protein material and dietary fiber material is at least one selected from soy meat, soy protein, wheat protein, defatted soy flour, pea protein, soy flour, soybean pulp, bran, and rice bran. The sheet-form processed food material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plant-based milk is prepared from at least one selected from coconut milk, almond milk, cashew nut milk, peanut milk, macadamia milk, walnut milk, oat milk, barley milk, rice milk, sunflower milk, sesame milk, quinoa milk, amaranth milk, hemp milk, and pea milk. The sheet-like processed food material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which has an uneven surface and is formed into a chicken skin-like shape. A method for producing a sheet-like processed food material, comprising: a raw material mixing step in which at least one material selected from the group consisting of a plant protein material and a dietary fiber material is mixed with at least plant-based milk, a konjac raw material, an alkalizing agent, and water to obtain a raw material mixture; and a forming step in which the raw material mixture is formed into a sheet to obtain a pre-cooked sheet product. The method for producing a sheet-like processed food material according to claim 7, further comprising a heat-coagulating step of heating the uncooked sheet-like formed product to gelatinize and heat-coagulate the konjac raw material. The method for producing a sheet-like processed food material according to claim 7 further comprises a step of freezing or refrigerating the uncooked sheet-like material, and a heat-coagulating step of heating the uncooked sheet-like material after the frozen or refrigerated storage to gelatinize and heat-coagulate the konjac raw material. The method for producing a sheet-like processed food material according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the heat-coagulation step is carried out by deep-frying. The method for producing a sheet-form processed food material according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the at least one selected from the vegetable protein material and dietary fiber material is at least one selected from soy meat, soy protein, wheat protein, defatted soy flour, processed soy products, soy flour, pea protein, soybean pulp, bran, and rice bran. The method for producing a sheet-shaped processed food material according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the plant-based milk is prepared from at least one selected from coconut milk, almond milk, cashew nut milk, peanut milk, macadamia milk, walnut milk, oat milk, barley milk, rice milk, sunflower milk, sesame milk, quinoa milk, amaranth milk, hemp milk, and pea milk. The method for producing a sheet-shaped processed food material according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the raw material mixture further contains a seasoning. The method for producing a sheet-shaped processed food material according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the raw material mixture further contains a food material containing coagulated konjac gel. The method for producing a sheet-like processed food material according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the forming step comprises forming the raw material mixture into a sheet, providing multiple irregularities on the surface of the sheet, cutting the sheet to a predetermined width, and forming the sheet into a chicken skin-like shape.