JP4627512B2 - Dried cheese and method for producing the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a dry cheese having a low moisture content and a uniform structure, having a specific texture and flavor, and excellent storage stability, and a method for producing the same.

  Depending on the lactic acid bacteria and curdling enzyme used, or the production conditions such as ripening temperature and ripening period, cheeses with different flavors and textures can be obtained, but with the intention of improving shelf life and expanding applications. Various attempts have been made to dry cheese. However, when the cheese is dried, the drying proceeds remarkably only on the cheese surface. As a result, a hard skin-like structure is formed on the cheese surface, and the internal drying does not proceed. Therefore, it was extremely difficult to prepare dry cheese having a low moisture content and a uniform structure.

  As a method for drying cheese, for example, water is added to raw material natural cheese, and a molten salt and a neutralizing agent are added and emulsified as necessary. For example, refer to Patent Document 1.), a method of adding water to natural cheese and mixing, and freeze-drying the non-emulsified state (for example, refer to Patent Document 2), or emulsified cheese as a main raw material. There has been proposed a method of stirring a water-containing raw material at a temperature lower than the melting temperature and drying it in a shaped state (for example, see Patent Document 3). It has been shown that the dried cheese obtained by these production methods has no oil-off and can be used as a food topping material. However, in all of the methods for drying cheese disclosed in these patent documents, the cheese is once melted and dissolved in an aqueous medium such as water and then dried without being emulsified or emulsified and used as a food topping material. Is. The dried cheese obtained by such a method does not have the cheese's original texture or texture, and its use form and shape are also limited.

  Moreover, it is disclosed also about the manufacturing method (for example, refer patent document 4) of scallop-like cheese. Some cheeses obtained by this production method have a high water content and a different water content in the surface layer and the inside. For this reason, there is no change in texture with cheese having a conventional fibrous structure, and the fibrous structure also deteriorates in a short time.

When the cheese is dried, the drying proceeds remarkably only on the cheese surface, a hard skin-like structure is formed on the cheese surface, and the internal drying does not advance, so the shape and the moisture are tried to be uniform by thinning the shape, A dry cheese having a fibrous structure formed into a columnar shape having a diameter of 5 to 10 mm or a prism having a side length of 5 to 10 mm is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 5). However, the dried cheese disclosed in this patent document has a problem in that the structure and shape are limited, and dried cheese having other structures and shapes cannot be produced.
JP 54-76862 A JP-A-61-135542 JP 63-160548 A JP 57-138342 A JP-A-9-248131

  In the present invention, when the cheese is dried, the drying proceeds remarkably only on the cheese surface, and a hard skin-like structure is formed on the cheese surface, and the internal drying does not proceed. Therefore, preparation of dried cheese having a low moisture and a uniform structure It is an object to solve the problem of dried cheese found in the prior art that is extremely difficult.

In view of the situation as described above, the present inventors conducted extensive research on dried cheese, and the drying behavior of cheese significantly changed depending on the calcium content per protein of cheese, and the calcium content per protein was 1 to 15 mg. In the region of / g, it was remarkably easy to dry, and even when rapidly dried, it was found that the dried cheese had a uniform structure and moisture, and the present invention was completed. In other words, by reducing the calcium content per protein in cheese or cheese curd and drying, the drying time can be remarkably shortened, and the structure after drying is uniform, with elasticity not found in ordinary dry cheese. A dry cheese having a certain texture and texture can be provided.
That is, the present invention relates to a dried cheese characterized in that the calcium content per protein is 1 to 15 mg / g.
Furthermore, this invention relates to the manufacturing method of the dry cheese characterized by drying, after processing the cheese or cheese curd with an acid and reducing the amount of calcium to contain.

  In this invention, after reducing the calcium content in cheese or cheese curd, the drying time of cheese can be shortened remarkably by drying. The dried cheese obtained in the present invention preferably has a moisture content of 35% by weight or less, has a uniform structure, has a unique and resilient texture, and has a fresh cheese flavor and good taste It is possible to provide dry cheese having a good sour taste and excellent storage stability.

  In this invention, after reducing the calcium content in cheese or cheese curd, drying time of cheese can be shortened remarkably by drying.

The present invention will be described in detail below.
As a raw material of the dried cheese of the present invention, cheese curd obtained by coagulating milk or aged cheese can be used.

  Although it does not specifically limit as a kind of cheese used for the dry cheese of this invention, In the case of the cheese whose calcium content per protein exceeds 15 mg / g, the process of removing calcium from cheese is required. In the present invention, the method for removing calcium from the cheese is not particularly limited, but the most efficient and cost-effective method is to treat the cheese with an acid so that the pH of the cheese is 4.9 to 5.4. A method of releasing colloidal calcium phosphate in cheese micelles and removing the released calcium is suitable. Examples of the method for treating cheese with an acid to adjust the pH of the cheese curd to 4.9 to 5.4 include a method of immersing the cheese in an acid solution to adjust the pH of the cheese curd to 4.9 to 5.4. At this time, in order to efficiently remove calcium, the cheese is shredded in advance, then immersed in an acid solution to remove calcium, and heated and kneaded in warm water to combine the cheeses again. Is possible. In order to carry out such calcium removal more efficiently, it is desirable to use cheese with as low ripeness as possible, preferably cheese within one month after production. Even a method other than the method of immersing in an acid solution can be used as long as the pH of the cheese is 4.9 to 5.4.

  As a raw material for preparing a cheese curd, any milk that is used in conventional cheese manufacture can be used. That is, raw milk, skimmed milk, partially skimmed milk, or a mixture thereof, and any mixture of these with cream, whey cream, and buttermilk can be used. Can be used. In order to make a cheese curd from this raw material milk, it can carry out in accordance with the conventional method of cheese curd manufacture in cheese manufacture. That is, curd is formed by adding a milk-clotting enzyme or acid to raw material milk, and if necessary, lactic acid bacteria or calcium ions (for example, calcium chloride) and keeping them at an appropriate temperature. In addition, the lactic acid bacteria used for this invention can use all if it is the lactic acid bacteria used for the conventional cheese manufacture, and do not need to specifically limit.

Milk for obtaining cheese curd is preferably pasteurized at 60 ° C. for about 30 minutes, but unsterilized milk or pasteurized milk can also be used. It is also possible to adjust the pH to around 6.4, which is optimal for adding a lactic acid solution and treating the curdling enzyme.
Next, a milk coagulation enzyme is added to the sterilized and cooled milk as usual, and left at 35 ° C. for about 30 minutes to coagulate the milk to obtain a cheese curd.

  In the present invention, the method for removing calcium from the cheese curd is not particularly limited. However, as the most efficient and cost-effective method, the cheese curd is treated with an acid so that the pH of the cheese curd is 4.9 to 5.4. It is suitable to release colloidal calcium phosphate in the micelle and to remove the released calcium. As a method of treating cheese curd with acid to make the pH of the cheese curd 4.9 to 5.4, the cheese curd may be immersed in an acid solution to adjust the pH of the cheese curd to 4.9 to 5.4, or lactic acid bacteria are added to the milk in advance. The pH of the cheese curd may be adjusted to 4.9 to 5.4 by lactic acid produced by inoculation and lactic acid fermentation. Even methods other than the above two methods can be used as long as the pH of the cheese curd is adjusted to 4.9 to 5.4.

In this way, calcium is removed from the cheese or cheese curd, and in this case, it is desirable that the calcium content per protein in the cheese or cheese curd is 1 to 15 mg / g. Usually, the calcium content per protein in cheese or cheese curd can be set to 1 to 15 mg / g by treating cheese or cheese curd with an acid and setting the pH of cheese or cheese curd to 4.9 to 5.4. The calcium content can be further reduced by repeatedly washing the cheese or cheese curd treated with acid as necessary with warm water or the like.
Moreover, in this invention, it is also possible to use the cheese curd prepared without the curdling enzyme process. If milk-clotting enzyme is not used, concentrate the milk as a raw material as necessary, add acid such as lactic acid or citric acid little by little to reduce the pH to 4.9-5.4, and coagulate the protein. A cheese curd with reduced per calcium content can be obtained.
In addition, after coagulation or calcium removal, the obtained cheese curd can be subjected to press dehydration and / or heat kneading in hot water for the purpose of moisture adjustment, whey removal, molding and the like.

  The cheese or cheese curd having a reduced calcium content per protein thus obtained can be seasoned if necessary. The seasoning method and the flavoring substance used for seasoning are not particularly limited as long as the calcium content per protein of the dried cheese obtained is maintained in the range of 1 to 15 mg / g. Therefore, salt, saccharides, amino acids, amino acid salts, fragrances and the like used for seasoning foods can be used as necessary.

The cheese or cheese curd having a reduced calcium content per protein thus obtained is dried by freeze drying or cold air drying so that the water content is preferably 35% by weight or less. In addition, when the calcium content per protein is less than 1 mg / g, the tissue becomes uneven and loose, which is not preferable.
On the other hand, if the calcium content per protein exceeds 15 mg / g, it takes a long time to dry the cheese, and it is impossible to obtain a cheese having a non-uniform and elastic texture.

In the freeze-drying method, the cheese or cheese curd with a reduced calcium content per protein prepared as described above is frozen to -20 ° C. or less, and the frozen cheese is heated on a shelf at a vacuum degree of 0.1 to 1.0 torr. Dry at a temperature of 20-60 ° C. for about 8-24 hours. In the cold air drying method, cheese or cheese curd with a reduced calcium content per protein is placed in a dryer equipped with a dehumidifier, and dried with cold air. The cold air preferably has a temperature of 20 ° C. or lower. When the temperature of the cold air exceeds 20 ° C., there is a problem that fat in the cheese is eluted. Therefore, it is preferable to dry within the above range. Moreover, since the drying time is shortened, the relative humidity of cold air is so low that it is preferable.
The cheese is dried by the freeze-drying method or the cold-air drying method so that the moisture content of the cheese is preferably 35% by weight or less, more preferably 15 to 30% by weight. As a result, the tissue is uniform, has a unique and resilient texture, has a fresh cheese flavor and a good sour taste, and becomes a dry cheese with excellent storage stability.

  In the present invention, the calcium content per protein of cheese or cheese curd is preferably 1 to 15 mg / g for the following reason. That is, when ordinary cheese or cheese curd is dried by a freeze drying method or a cold air drying method, moisture is first removed from the surface layer of the cheese or cheese curd by evaporation or sublimation, but at the same time the internal moisture is also As the water content decreases, it moves to the surface layer and decreases. However, since the movement of moisture inside the cheese is slower than the evaporation and sublimation of moisture from the surface layer portion, only the surface layer portion proceeds to evaporate and sublimate to form a hard structure to form a film. As a result, since the movement of moisture is inhibited by the formed film, the drying speed of the cheese is remarkably slow, and the dried cheese has a non-uniform structure in which the moisture content in the surface layer and the inside is different. Therefore, in the present invention, the calcium content per protein of cheese or cheese curd is preferably reduced to 1 to 15 mg / g, and the cheese or cheese curd structure is made into a brittle micelle structure, thereby forming a hard film on the surface. I try not to. As a result, quick drying is possible, the tissue is uniform, has low moisture and a unique elastic texture, and has a fresh cheese flavor and good acidity, and has excellent storage stability. Cheese can be obtained.

  In this invention, there is no restriction | limiting in particular as a shape of cheese. Even in the case of block cheese, which has been difficult to produce as dry cheese in the past, it is possible to produce dry cheese with a uniform structure, and it is columnar, plate-like, rod-like, string-like, granular or It can be formed into any shape such as powder and dried cheese. In order to produce dried cheese having such a shape, after reducing the calcium content per protein of cheese or cheese curd, it is molded by a conventional method for producing cheese to obtain a desired shape to obtain dried cheese.

  In addition, the dried cheese of the present invention is not limited to “natural cheese” defined by ministerial ordinances regarding milk and dairy product component standards (such as milk ordinances), “process cheese” obtained by heating and melting natural cheese, and other than milk ingredients "Cheese food" that contains ingredients but contains 51% or more of cheese in the product, or "food that uses milk as the main ingredient" that contains less than 51% of cheese in the product, the dried processed cheese obtained, As long as the calcium content per protein of a food mainly made of cheese food or milk is maintained in the range of 1 to 15 mg / g, it can be produced by blending each auxiliary material. Therefore, “dried cheese” as referred to in the present invention includes foods whose main raw materials are such processed cheese, cheese food, milk and the like.

  The present invention will be specifically described with reference to the following examples, and the effects of the present invention will be shown more clearly by showing comparative examples and test examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the following examples. .

  100 kg of raw milk adjusted to 2.8% fat was sterilized by heating at 60 ° C. for 30 minutes, and 0.1% of a 3% milk curd enzyme (HR Rennet: CHR.HANSEN) solution was added to obtain a cheese curd. The cheese curd was cut into 10 mm cubes, whey was removed while gently stirring, and then immersed in a 1.0% acetic acid solution for 5 minutes. This cheese curd was squeezed and dehydrated, and then kneaded and molded in warm water. Furthermore, the dried cheese of this invention was obtained by performing the cold-air drying for 24 hours at 10 degreeC and 70% of humidity. The change over time in the moisture of the cheese during drying was measured. In addition, the protein content, calcium content and pH of the cheese after drying were measured, and the tissue and texture were sensory evaluated.

  100 kg of raw milk adjusted to 2.8% fat was sterilized by heating at 60 ° C for 30 minutes, and after adding 100 g of lactic acid bacteria starter culture (CHR.HANSEN) to this, 3% milk coagulation enzyme (HR Rennet: CHR. HANSEN) 0.1% of the solution was added to obtain cheese curd. The cheese curd was chopped into 10 mm cubes and stirred at 37 ° C. for 5 hours. After removing whey and pressing and dewatering, the cheese curd was kneaded in hot water. Furthermore, the dried cheese of this invention was obtained by performing the cold-air drying for 24 hours at 10 degreeC and 70% of humidity. The change over time in the moisture of the cheese during drying was measured. In addition, the protein content, calcium content and pH of the cheese after drying were measured, and the tissue and texture were sensory evaluated.

  Commercial Gouda cheese was cut into approximately 1 cm squares and immersed in a 1.0% acetic acid solution for 5 minutes. Thereafter, the cheese was kneaded and molded in warm water. Furthermore, the dried cheese of this invention was obtained by performing the cold-air drying for 24 hours at 10 degreeC and 70% of humidity. The change over time in the moisture of the cheese during drying was measured. In addition, the protein content, calcium content and pH of the cheese after drying were measured, and the tissue and texture were sensory evaluated.

  100 kg of raw milk adjusted to 2.8% fat was sterilized by heating at 60 ° C. for 30 minutes, and 0.1% of a 3% milk curd enzyme (HR Rennet: CHR.HANSEN) solution was added to obtain a cheese curd. The cheese curd was cut into 10 mm cubes to eliminate whey, and then immersed in a 0.1% acetic acid solution for 5 minutes. This cheese curd was squeezed and dehydrated, and then kneaded and molded in warm water. Furthermore, the dried cheese of this invention was obtained by performing the cold-air drying for 24 hours at 10 degreeC and 70% of humidity. The change over time in the moisture of the cheese during drying was measured. In addition, the protein content, calcium content and pH of the cheese after drying were measured, and the tissue and texture were sensory evaluated.

[Comparative Example 1]
100 kg of raw milk adjusted to 2.8% fat was sterilized by heating at 60 ° C. for 30 minutes, and 0.1% of a 3% milk curd enzyme (HR Rennet: CHR.HANSEN) solution was added to obtain a cheese curd. The cheese curd was shredded into 10 mm cubes, whey was removed, and pressed and dehydrated, and then kneaded and molded in hot water. Furthermore, it dried with cold air for 24 hours at 10 degreeC and 70% of humidity, and obtained dry cheese. The change over time in the moisture of the cheese during drying was measured. In addition, the protein content, calcium content and pH of the cheese after drying were measured, and the tissue and texture were sensory evaluated.

[Test Example 1]
The time-dependent change of the water | moisture content of the dry cheese obtained by the Example and comparative example of this invention was measured, and the drying rate was evaluated. The moisture content of the dried cheese was measured by an official method.

[Test Example 2]
The protein content of the dried cheese was measured by the Kjeldahl method described below and calculated using the milk protein standard factor 6.38 of dairy products.
That is, 3 g of dried cheese was put in a mortar and ground with a pestle while adding an acetic acid solution to obtain a suspension. This cheese suspension was transferred to a 100 ml volumetric flask and an acetic acid solution was added to prepare a 100 ml cheese suspension. This was warmed to 50 ° C. and 25 ml of it was placed in a Kjeldahl flask. 10 g of potassium sulfate and a small amount of copper sulfate and 25 ml of concentrated sulfuric acid were added to the Kjeldahl flask, and the mixture was pyrolyzed for 3 to 3.5 hours. After decomposition, about 250 ml of distilled water was added, a small amount of zinc particles and 100 ml of 45% sodium hydroxide were added, and this was attached to a distillation apparatus. Further, 25 ml of 0.1N hydrochloric acid and 5 drops of methyl red indicator were added to the Erlenmeyer flask and attached to the receiving side of the distillation apparatus. Thereafter, the flask was heated and distilled until 150 to 200 ml of extract was obtained in the receiving Erlenmeyer flask. The acid solution was titrated with 0.1N sodium hydroxide until a pale yellow color was obtained. From the titration amount of 0.1N sodium hydroxide, the protein content of the dried cheese was calculated using the following formula.
Protein content (%) = {(25-blank) -titer amount} × 0.0014 × 6.38 × 100 / sample weight 3 g
In addition, a blank represents the titration amount when measuring operation is performed without adding dry cheese etc.

[Test Example 3]
The calcium content of the dried cheese was measured by the method described below.
That is, 3 g of dried cheese was taken in a crucible and heated to 250 ° C. in an electric furnace to be ashed. The ash thus obtained was dissolved in hydrochloric acid and then analyzed by plasma emission spectroscopy (Optima 4300DV: Perkin Elmer Instruments) to calculate the calcium content of the dried cheese.

[Test Example 4]
The pH of dried cheese was measured by the method described below.
That is, 40 g of distilled water was added to 12 g of dried cheese and sufficiently pulverized with a pulverizer. The pH of this solution was measured using a pH meter (TD-95: Toko Chemical Laboratries).

[Test Example 5]
The structure and texture of the dried cheese were evaluated by sensory tests by 20 specially trained sensory panelists.
Here, the slightly elastic texture refers to the elastic texture like a squid. The sensory test scores were as follows.
5 points: It has a uniform and good structure and has a very good and elastic texture.
4 points: It has a uniform and good structure, and has a good and soft texture.
3 points: It has a thin skin-like structure on the surface of dried cheese, and has a good and resilient texture.
2 points: It has a skin-like structure on the surface of dried cheese, and the elasticity inside the dried cheese is poor.
1 point: It has a thick skin-like structure on the surface of dried cheese, and the elasticity inside the dried cheese is poor.
The average score of 20 sensory panelists was calculated, and the structure and texture of dried cheese were sensory evaluated.

[Test results]
The results of Test Example 1 performed on Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Example 1 are shown in FIG. 1, and the results of Test Examples 2 to 5 are shown in Table 1. The calcium content per milk protein in the table was calculated from the results of Test Examples 2 and 3.

As is clear from FIG. 1 and Table 1, the dried cheese having a calcium content of 1 to 15 mg / g per protein obtained in Examples 1 to 4 has a moisture content of 35% by weight or less after 12 hours of cold air drying. However, the dried cheese having a calcium content per protein of more than 15 mg / g obtained in Comparative Example 1 can have a moisture content of 35% or less even after 24 hours of cold air drying. There wasn't. Therefore, the dried cheese having a calcium content per protein of 1 to 15 mg / g according to the present invention is twice or more faster in drying rate than the dried cheese having a calcium content per protein exceeding 15 mg / g, and the moisture content is rapidly increased. It can be seen that it has a remarkable effect that can be made 35 wt% or less.
Furthermore, as is clear from Table 1, the dried cheese having a calcium content of 1 to 15 mg / g per protein obtained in Examples 1 to 4 obtained a high score in the sensory test, and was obtained in Comparative Example 1. There was a significant difference from dry cheese with calcium content per protein exceeding 15 mg / g. Evaluation of the average value of the score is excellent in storability, does not produce a skin-like structure on the surface, has a uniform structure, has a unique and resilient texture, and has a fresh cheese flavor And has a good acidity.

The time-dependent change of the water | moisture content of the dry cheese obtained by the Example and comparative example of this invention is shown.

Claims (2)

A dry cheese having a calcium content per protein of 1 to 15 mg / g , a water content of 35% by weight or less, and a pH of 4.9 to 5.4 . After processing cheese or cheese curd with acid to reduce the calcium content to 1-15 mg / g of calcium per protein , the water content is dried to 35 wt% or less, and the pH is 4.9 to 5.4. A method for producing dry cheese, characterized in that