JP3253119U - Pickled radish - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide pickled radish in a jar that is stably produced regardless of the harvest season of the radish and packaged in a bag or container.
[Solution] The daikon radish pickles (2) of this invention are made by salting harvested daikon radishes with salt to make them suitable for long-term storage. After removal at the desired time, the daikon radishes are dried in the sun and then pressure-treated to remove moisture. After drying, the daikon radishes are cut into predetermined shapes, such as half-moon or ginkgo slices, and immersed in a seasoning solution containing sugars, vinegar, soy sauce, etc. for a certain period of time. After undergoing a low-temperature aging process, the salt concentration, sugar content (Brix), and pH are stabilized within predetermined ranges. A predetermined amount of the daikon radish, along with the seasoning solution, is then sealed and packaged in a bag (1) or container. This configuration makes it possible to provide daikon radish pickles of consistent quality throughout the year, regardless of the harvest time or weather.
[Selected Figure] Figure 3

Description

This invention relates to pickled daikon radish that is produced and packaged regardless of the daikon radish's harvest time.

Traditionally, "dried radish" used to make pickled vegetables such as tsubo-zuke refers to a raw material made by sun-drying radish to remove moisture, mainly by companies or agricultural cooperatives located in Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures, and has been widely used as an intermediate material to impart shelf life and a unique texture. The production of this dried radish has been a traditional practice for many years, with particular emphasis placed on the winter (roughly December to February) immediately after the radish harvest. This is due to the fact that winter is a season of low humidity and prone to drying, low temperatures making it ideal for preventing spoilage, and the efficiency of the work carried out immediately after harvest. Therefore, a stable supply of dried radish as a raw material is limited to the radish harvest season.

However, because dried radish production is limited to the winter season, securing the raw materials needed to produce tsubozuke products must be concentrated during that time, posing the challenge of significant effort and cost for raw material procurement, inventory management, and quality maintenance. Furthermore, it is difficult to produce new dried radish outside of the harvest season, hindering the establishment of a stable year-round production system. Furthermore, recent climate change has made the efficiency of sun drying more susceptible to change, raising concerns about the stability of drying quality and the reproducibility of the process. Therefore, there is a need for technology that enables the stable production of tsubozuke products year-round, without relying on traditional dried radish production methods and without being affected by the radish harvest season.

Patent Document 1 discloses a structure obtained through a vegetable pickling process characterized by cutting salted vegetables, washing them with water, dehydrating them using a centrifuge or compressor, fumigating them, and then soaking them in a seasoning liquid. However, this technology is a structure obtained through a process for smoking vegetables such as "Iburi-gakko," which involves fumigation, and has a different purpose from the process for ensuring a stable supply of dried radish. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses methods for preserving vegetables used in pickles, such as salting them as they are, drying radish and then salting it, and salting and refrigerating it. However, this document only relates to methods for preserving vegetables, and does not cover methods for producing tsubo-zuke using sun-dried radish.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 126930/1983 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-336882

The purpose of this invention is to solve the problems of conventional dried radish production, which is dependent on the radish harvest season, such as uneven availability of raw materials, increased inventory management and storage burdens, and unstable drying quality due to weather conditions. In other words, the main objective of this invention is to provide daikon radish pickled in a jar that has been packaged in a bag or container through a process that processes daikon radish into a state that can be stored for a long period of time by salting or other means, and then removes the preserved daikon radish when needed and performs post-processing such as drying, seasoning, and aging, allowing for stable production of daikon radish pickled in a jar throughout the year, regardless of the radish harvest season.

Secondary challenges include stabilizing the drying process by introducing weather-independent moisture removal methods (e.g., squeezing), streamlining the management of conditions in each process (salting, drying, seasoning), and achieving uniformity and standardization of the quality of the final product. Furthermore, by combining these processes into a consistent processing process, it is expected that there will be benefits such as labor savings in manufacturing, increased flexibility in production planning, and reduced raw material waste.

To solve the above problems, the present invention relates to daikon radish pickles manufactured using a structure that includes a process that enables the production of daikon radish pickles regardless of the harvest season. Specifically, the daikon radish pickles of the present invention are characterized by being produced through a series of processes: harvested daikon radishes are salted to make them storable, the processed daikon radishes are removed at a predetermined time, dried and dehydrated, cut into a predetermined shape, soaked in a seasoning liquid, aged, and finally packaged, and then packaged in a bag or container.

The salting process includes a pressing process called Ichioshi or Nioshi, which processes the radish into a state suitable for long-term storage. The salting process involves adding a predetermined amount of salt to the radish, then applying pressure to remove moisture in order to ferment and mature the radish, and this process is carried out over a period of at least two months. Furthermore, due to the need for process optimization and to prevent spoilage, the drying process is characterized by being sun-dried for at least one hour and no more than five days.

Furthermore, to maintain a texture similar to that of dried radish, the radish is subjected to a moisture removal process in which residual moisture is removed by applying a pressure 1 to 6 times atmospheric pressure. Furthermore, if the weight of the dried radish has not decreased by a specified percentage (e.g., 15%) or more since the raw material was delivered, the moisture removal process is continued to maintain a texture similar to that of dried radish. Furthermore, if the salt concentration after drying is not 5% or more, a correction process is performed to increase the salt concentration to prevent spoilage. Furthermore, if the salt, sugar (Brix), and pH contained in the radish meet specified standard values before packaging, for example, a salt content of 2 to 10% by mass, a sugar (Brix) content of 8 to 40% by mass, and a pH of 4.0 to 5.1, the packaging process is carried out. If the above standards are not met, correction processes to optimize each value or non-conforming product disposal can be performed.

According to this invention, daikon radish is salted to make it storable for long periods, and then removed when needed for drying, seasoning, aging, and other processes. This eliminates the need to mass-produce dried daikon radish by sun-drying immediately after harvest, as was done in the past, and makes it possible to produce stable, potted pickled products year-round, regardless of the harvest season.

In addition, by combining the moisture removal process with a process that applies pressure to remove residual moisture, stability issues associated with the sun drying process, which is easily affected by climate and weather conditions, are avoided, improving quality reproducibility and manufacturing process planning.

Furthermore, by appropriately selecting the aging process according to the salt concentration and weight change of the radish after drying, it is possible to achieve uniformity in the saltiness and texture of each product, thereby increasing the stability of product quality. This is expected to improve product value and consumer satisfaction.

In addition, ensuring flexibility in raw material procurement, inventory storage, and manufacturing schedules brings practical benefits such as more efficient manufacturing management, leveling out production costs, and reducing raw material waste.

Therefore, this invention is an extremely useful technology that overcomes the technical constraints of the traditional pickle production process and contributes to the establishment of a pickle production system that can accommodate year-round supply.

1 is a flowchart showing the manufacturing process of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart showing a modified example of the manufacturing process of the present invention. 1 is a schematic diagram of the present invention's tsubozuke packaged in a bag.

The following describes the manufacturing process for daikon radish pickled in a jar according to this invention, and the daikon radish pickled in a jar produced by this manufacturing process.

Figure 1 is a flowchart showing the steps for producing the daikon radish pickled in a container according to this invention. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the daikon radish pickled in a container produced by the above-mentioned process and packaged in a bag.

The process for producing daikon radish pickled in a jar will be described according to the steps shown in FIG.
First, in Step 1, harvested radishes are prepared, and in Step 2, these radishes are salted and then pressed. The salting process is called "ichioshi" or "nioshi," and involves adding salt to the radishes and pressing them with weights to remove moisture and improve their shelf life.

Next, in Step 3, the radishes are removed as raw materials to be used in manufacturing and shipped out. Note that the salted radishes can also be stored at low temperature or room temperature for a certain period of time before being shipped out.

Then, in Step 4, the radish is sun-dried, and once a certain level of drying has occurred, the process moves to Step 5, where the dried radish undergoes a moisture removal process known as sanoshi. Sanoshi is a process in which the radish is further physically dehydrated using a press or similar. In the judgment process of Step 6, it is checked whether the weight of the radish has decreased by 15% or more since it was shipped from the raw material warehouse. If a decrease of 15% or more is confirmed, the process moves to Step 7; if a decrease of 15% or more is not confirmed, the process returns to Step 5 and the moisture removal process continues.

The next step, Step 8, checks whether the salt concentration is 5% or higher. If it is 5% or higher, proceed directly to Step 9, where the radish is cut into the specified shape, such as half-moon or ginkgo slices. If the salt concentration is less than 5%, correction processing is performed in Step 8-1, and additional processing is performed to bring the salt concentration to 5% or higher.

Next, in Step 10, the daikon radish is immersed in a seasoning liquid primarily composed of sugar, soy sauce, mirin, vinegar, etc. In Step 11, a maturation process is performed, in which the daikon radish is left to stand at low temperature for a certain period of time to stabilize its taste and flavor. In Step 12, a determination is made as to whether the salt, sugar (Brix), and pH meet predetermined standards. If they do, the process proceeds to Step 13, where an appropriate amount of the daikon radish pickled in a container (2) including the seasoning liquid is filled and sealed in a packaging container or bag 1 (see Figure 3), and finished by heat sterilization or other processes to produce the product. The standard values here are, for example, 2-10% by weight for salt, 8-40% by weight for sugar (Brix), and 4.0-5.1 for pH, but other ranges may be used depending on the region, consumer preferences, environmental conditions, etc.
If the standard values are not met, the process proceeds to Step 12-1, where additional corrections are made to meet the standard values, or non-conforming products are disposed of, such as discarded. If corrections are made, the process returns to Step 12, where a determination is made again as to whether the standard values are met. On the other hand, if corrections are not made, the product is disposed of.

The above process is unique in that it stabilizes product quality by establishing appropriate decision-making processes at each stage of processing, rather than simply relying on seasonal factors. In particular, measuring the weight loss rate and salt concentration in Steps 6 and 8 makes it possible to accurately grasp the progress of drying and moisture removal, which is extremely effective in obtaining products with little variation. Furthermore, measuring the salt content, sugar content (Brix), and pH before packaging makes it possible to predict the shelf life and sensory characteristics of the final product, allowing for scientifically-backed decisions on whether packaging is appropriate. While relying on sun drying, the above process allows for consistent production of tsubozuke under consistent quality control by setting judgment criteria according to the progress and condition of the drying process.

Table 1 shows the results of a quality evaluation of daikon radish pickles produced using the process described above. As can be seen from Table 1, pickles produced using the process described above have received high marks over a long period of time in both sensory tests for flavor, etc., and microbial tests.

Due to bad weather or unforeseen circumstances, the order of Step 4 sun drying and Step 5 moisture removal treatment (three pushes) in Example 1 can be reversed. Figure 2 shows a flowchart for such a modified example. That is, the moisture removal treatment (three pushes) is performed first as Step 4-1, and if the judgment process of Step 5-1 does not confirm a decrease of 15% or more, the process returns to Step 4-1 and continues the moisture removal treatment. If a decrease of 15% or more is confirmed, the process proceeds to Step 6-1 and performs sun drying. The subsequent processes are the same as in Example 1.

According to this invention, daikon radish is salted to make it storable, and then dried, seasoned, and aged as needed, allowing for the stable production of jar-pickled products throughout the year, regardless of the daikon radish harvest season. Previously, dried daikon radish had to be produced in bulk in the winter and used as a raw material, but this invention separates the process of salting and preservation, making it possible to level out the supply of raw materials and flexibly schedule production. Furthermore, by being structured to handle sudden inclement weather, it becomes easier to stabilize quality and plan production. This will enable a wide range of food processors, including small and medium-sized pickle manufacturers, to produce jar-pickled products more stably and at lower cost than before, and is expected to have a wide range of industrial uses, including for processing local agricultural products, preserving traditional foods, and expanding into new markets.

1. A bag containing pickled radish.
2. Pickled radish in a container packaged in a bag.

Claims (8)

Harvested radishes are salted to make them storable, then removed at a predetermined time and dried and dehydrated, then cut into a predetermined shape, soaked in a seasoning liquid, matured, and finally packaged in a bag or container. The daikon radish pickled in a jar described in claim 1, characterized in that the salting process involves adding a predetermined amount of salt to the daikon radish, applying pressure to remove moisture, and continuing this salting process for at least two months. The daikon radish pickled in a jar described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the drying treatment is sun drying for at least 1 hour and up to 5 days. The pickled daikon radish in a pot described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the moisture removal process involves applying a pressure of 1 to 6 times atmospheric pressure to the daikon radish to remove residual moisture. The method for pickling daikon radish according to claim 4, further comprising a step of continuing the moisture removal process for daikon radish that has not experienced a weight loss of 15% or more since the time of raw material delivery. The pickled daikon radish described in claim 4, wherein moisture is removed so that the salt concentration of the daikon radish after drying is 5% or more. Pickled daikon radish according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the packaging is carried out if the salt content, sugar content (Brix), and pH content of the daikon radish meet predetermined standard values before packaging. The daikon radish pickled in a jar described in claim 7 is characterized in that the reference values are a salt content of 2 to 10% by mass, a sugar content (Brix) of 8 to 40% by mass, and a pH of 4.0 to 5.1.