JPH11239453A - Production of gel-like food - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for producing a gel-like food by heating a mixture containing glucomannan and water and subsequently adding a polysaccharide capable of reacting with the glucomannan to increase the viscosity to the mixture, capable of preventing the sudden increase of the viscosity and capable of producing the gel-like food maintaining its characteristic texture and having a high quality in improved efficiency. SOLUTION: This method for producing a gel-like food containing glucomannan and a polysaccharide capable of reacting with the glucomannan to increase the viscosity comprises heating a mixture containing the glucomannan and water and subsequently adding the polysaccharide capable of reacting with the glucomannan to increase the viscosity to the heated mixture. Therein, those are preferable to add the polysaccharide capable of reacting with the glucomannan to increase the viscosity in a state preliminarily dissolved in hot water to the mixture containing the glucomannan and the water and subsequently to heat the mixture containing the glucomannan and the water at 70-100 deg.C.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method for producing a gel food, and more particularly to a method for producing a gel food containing glucomannan and a glucomannan-reactive thickening polysaccharide.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, jellies containing glucomannan have been developed. The jelly containing glucomannan has been widely accepted by consumers for its konjac-like texture and abundant dietary fiber derived from glucomannan, and its needs are increasing. For example, there has been proposed a jelly for honey beans containing agar and konjac mannan (glucomannan collected from konjac; hereinafter, referred to as glucomannan) as a main component and further containing carrageenan (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-179). ). In view of such a current situation, the present inventors have also researched and developed a jelly containing glucomannan.

However, in producing a jelly containing glucomannan, a thickening polysaccharide and glucomannan are mixed with water for texture adjustment, and the gel solution is heated. 4 if used only
When the gel solution was heated to around 0 ° C. to 50 ° C., the viscosity of the gel solution sharply increased, and the raw materials could not be uniformly mixed. Further, since the gel solution whose viscosity has once increased has a high viscosity, it is difficult for heat to be transmitted, and it takes time to raise the melting temperature of glucomannan to the thickening polysaccharide. That is, the holding time of the gel solution in the high temperature range becomes longer. For this reason, depending on the thickening polysaccharide used,
There is a possibility that the gel-forming ability may be reduced, and when a milk material or the like is added for adjusting the flavor of the jelly, there is also a problem that the material is thermally denatured. As mentioned above,
In producing a high-quality gel food comprising glucomannan and a thickening polysaccharide, there remains a problem to be solved.

[0004] Glucomannan and thickening polysaccharide are
Temperature range where the thickening of the gel solution is remarkable, that is, 40 ° C to 5 ° C
The invention of mixing with hot water in a temperature range higher than 0 ° C. is conceivable, but this time, a problem has occurred in that a texture unique to a gel food containing glucomannan cannot be obtained.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to prevent a sharp increase in viscosity when producing a gel food containing a thickening polysaccharide such as glucomannan, carrageenan, xanthan gum and the like. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a high-quality gel food more efficiently than before, while maintaining a unique texture that is a characteristic of the gel food containing the same.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems The inventors of the present invention have conducted intensive studies to solve the above problems, and as a result, first heated a mixture obtained by mixing glucomannan and water, and then heated the mixture. In addition, the inventors have found that the above-mentioned problems can be achieved by mixing a glucomannan-reactive thickening polysaccharide.

The present invention has been made on the basis of the above findings, and is a method for producing a gel food containing glucomannan and a glucomannan-reactive thickening polysaccharide, wherein the mixture containing the glucomannan and water is prepared. After the heating, a method for producing a gel food characterized by adding a glucomannan-reactive thickening polysaccharide to the mixture.

[0008] Another gist of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a gel food as described above, wherein the glucomannan-reactive thickening polysaccharide is dissolved in hot water in advance and then added to a mixture containing glucomannan and water. A method for producing a gel food, characterized by adding a gel food.

[0009] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a gel food, wherein the mixture of glucomannan and water is heated to 70 ° C to 100 ° C. In the way.

[0010] Another gist of the present invention is that the glucomannan-reactive thickening polysaccharide is one or more of carrageenan, locust bean gum and xanthan gum, and is a gel food. Manufacturing method.

Another gist of the present invention is that the gel food has a gel strength of 900 g / cm ^{2 to} 1500 g / cm ^2.
A method for producing a gel-like food.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail. The gel foods of the present invention are all targets irrespective of flavor, shape or texture as long as they contain glucomannan and glucomannan-reactive thickening polysaccharide. For example, in addition to various desserts such as jelly, bavarois, mousse, and pudding, gummy candy, various filling materials, toppings, and konjac substitutes are included.

[0013] Glucomannan is a polysaccharide containing D-glucose and D-mannose as components, and is a substance that is contained abundantly in the corm of a plant of the genus Konjac.
It is supplied in the form of a powder. When powdery glucomannan is used, the particle size is not limited, but in the present invention, it is preferably 120 μm or less, more preferably 30 μm to 50 μm. By using particles having this particle size, the swelling property of glucomannan is enhanced, and viscoelasticity unique to glucomannan is easily obtained.

Glucomannan-reactive thickening polysaccharide (hereinafter, referred to as
The term "reactive thickening polysaccharide" is a polymer substance (hydrocolloid) which is dissolved or dispersed in water to produce a viscous property, and has a lower temperature than 60 ° C, and further has a temperature of 40 ° C to 50 ° C.
It is one that satisfies the following conditions when contained in a glucomannan aqueous solution at ° C. That is, the viscosity of the solution consisting of the system of glucomannan and the reactive thickening polysaccharide is the same as the solution consisting of the single system of glucomannan (the content of glucomannan is the total weight of the glucomannan and the reactive thickening polysaccharide). (The same amount as the above) and a solution consisting of a single system of the reactive thickening polysaccharide (the content of the reactive thickening polysaccharide is the total weight of the glucomannan and the reactive thickening polysaccharide. (Equivalent amount). In addition,
In performing the above viscosity comparison, it is assumed that the temperature of each solution is within the above temperature range, that all solutions are at the same temperature, and that the amount of water contained in each solution is constant. . Examples of the reactive thickening polysaccharide include carrageenan, locust bean gum, xanthan gum and the like.

In the present invention, when producing the gel food, first, the glucomannan and water are mixed.
The water in which glucomannan is mixed may contain a seasoning, a pigment and the like in advance. However, in the present invention,
If the reactive thickening polysaccharide is added at the time of mixing glucomannan and water, the effects of the present invention cannot be achieved. The temperature of the water is preferably 30 ° C. or less, and more preferably 15 ° C. to 25 ° C. By mixing water at the temperature and glucomannan, a gel food having a unique texture derived from glucomannan can be obtained as compared with the case where water outside the above temperature range is used.

The amount of glucomannan mixed with water is
What is necessary is just to set according to the texture of the desired gel food, ie, the viscoelasticity of a gel. For example, a preferable composition for obtaining the viscoelasticity specific to glucomannan is 1 to 10 parts by weight of glucomannan with respect to 100 parts by weight of water at the time of mixing water and glucomannan.
Glucomannan is 3 to 5 parts by weight based on 00 parts by weight.

In the present invention, the mixture is heated after mixing the glucomannan with water. By holding the mixture for 5 minutes or more until the heating is started, the glucomannan can be swollen. Thus, a highly elastic gel food derived from glucomannan can be obtained.

Next, the mixture containing glucomannan and water is heated. The temperature at which the mixture is heated is not particularly limited as long as glucomannan can be dissolved.
In the present invention, the mixture is preferably heated to 70 ° C to 100 ° C, and more preferably to 80 ° C to 85 ° C.
As a result, the glucomannan is completely dissolved and uniformly mixed, so that the resulting gel food has a uniform gel strength in any part, and has a texture that is rich in elasticity. There are no lumps and therefore no roughness.

Next, the above-mentioned reactive thickening polysaccharide is added to the mixture containing glucomannan and water. In the present invention, the greatest effect is obtained when carrageenan is used as the reactive thickening polysaccharide. This is because the gel food containing glucomannan and carrageenan has the largest degree of thickening in the middle of the process, and in the conventional method, lumps are generated at the stage of preparing the gel solution containing glucomannan and carrageenan, or This is because the prolonged heating time causes a problem that the raw material is degraded by heat and the flavor is reduced, and it has been difficult to obtain a high quality gel food.

The method of adding the reactive thickening polysaccharide to a mixture of glucomannan and water is not limited as long as the raw materials can be uniformly mixed. For example, it may be added in the form of a powdery reactive thickening polysaccharide, and mixed until uniform. Alternatively, a reactive thickening polysaccharide previously dissolved in hot water may be added to a mixture of water and glucomannan. The latter method is preferable in that a uniform gel solution without lumps of glucomannan and the thickening polysaccharide can be obtained as compared with the former method.

The amount of the reactive thickening polysaccharide to be added to the mixture of water and glucomannan may be adjusted according to the desired gel strength of the gel food, and is not particularly limited.
For example, when the preferred blending ratio of glucomannan and the reactive thickening polysaccharide is expressed as the amount of the reactive thickening polysaccharide with respect to the amount of water, the result is as follows. That is, water 100
0.5 part by weight of reactive thickening polysaccharide to 2 parts by weight
5 parts by weight, more preferably 1.0 to 1.5 parts by weight of the reactive thickening polysaccharide to 100 parts by weight of water. In addition, when the preferable mixing ratio of the reactive thickening polysaccharide is represented by the amount of the reactive thickening polysaccharide relative to the amount of glucomannan, the reactive thickening polysaccharide 1 is added to 1 part by weight of glucomannan. Parts by weight to 4 parts by weight.

The gel solution containing the above-mentioned raw materials is preferably heated until the contained glucomannan and thickening polysaccharide are dissolved. The heating of the gel solution may be maintained at a temperature equal to or higher than the melting temperature of the thickening polysaccharide for a certain time.

[0023] In addition to the above essential ingredients, for example, gelatin, gellan gum, sodium alginate,
Thickening stabilizers such as tragacanth gum, guar gum, karaya gum, and tamarind seed gum (which do not cause a significant increase in viscosity even when mixed with an aqueous glucomannan solution) may be used for texture adjustment or to improve heat resistance. Further, it may optionally contain milk ingredients such as milk and yogurt, fruit, pulp, sucrose, seasonings such as various flavors, various coloring agents and the like. In addition, these raw materials may be added at any time before the gel solution is gelled.However, it is better to add the mixture after subjecting the mixture of glucomannan and water to heat treatment to form a gel of glucomannan. This is preferable in that the influence on performance is small.

Next, the gel solution is filled in a mold or a container having a desired shape and cooled to obtain a gel food. The gel food has a desired gel strength. In the present invention, the gel strength of the gel food is not limited, but the gel strength is 900 g / cm ² or more.
1500 g / cm ² , and further, 1000 g / cm ^{2 to} 13
It is suitable as a method for producing a relatively hard type gel food such as 00 kg / cm ² . This is because, when a gel-type food having a hard texture is produced, the viscosity of the gel solution tends to increase.

The gel strength was measured using a rheometer having a range of 0 g to 10000 g equipped with a plunger having a diameter of 8 mm, and the plunger at a rate of 6 cm / min. Means the maximum load applied to the plunger at the time when the sample was broken when the sample was intruded into a gel food sample having a temperature of 5 ° C. and a thickness of 30 mm.

The method of the present invention, having the above constitution, prevents the occurrence of a remarkable thickening phenomenon at the time of producing a gel food containing glucomannan and glucomannan-reactive thickening polysaccharide, and reduces glucomannan. It is possible to maintain the unique elasticity which is a characteristic of the gelled food including the gelled food, and to easily produce a high quality gelled food more than before. Next, the present invention will be specifically described based on examples, but the present invention is not limited to the examples.

[0027]

EXAMPLE 1 5 parts by weight of glucomannan powder having a center distribution of 30 μm to 50 μm in 518 parts by weight of water at 25 ° C.
2 parts by weight of gellan gum, 260 parts by weight of sucrose, and 2 parts by weight of sodium citrate were added and mixed, followed by holding for 5 minutes to obtain 787 parts by weight of a glucomannan mixture. Then the mixture was heated to 70 ° C. After the temperature of the mixture reached 70 ° C., 8 parts by weight of carrageenan and 2 parts by weight of locust bean gum were added as glucomannan-reactive thickening polysaccharides, and mixed and stirred until uniform. Thereafter, the temperature of the mixture was raised to 80 ° C., and then 200 parts by weight of grape juice and 3 parts by weight of citric acid were added to obtain 1000 parts by weight of a gelling agent gel solution. Next, 200 parts by weight of the gelling agent gel solution was dispensed into a container, and cooled and gelled in a 5 ° C. atmosphere to obtain five grape-flavored jellies of 200 parts by weight.

Among them, one jelly is arbitrarily selected,
And cut into a thickness of 30mm as a sample, where the gel strength of the sample was measured by rheometer equipped with a plunger having a diameter of 8 mm, 1300 g / cm ²
Met. In this measurement, the temperature of the jelly was 5 ° C., and the rising speed of the sample stage of the rheometer was 6 c.
m / min.

The jelly had a chewy and elastic texture, that is, a konjac-like texture. In addition, no lumps were observed and the film had a uniform and good appearance. Furthermore, in the process up to the preparation of the gel solution, the viscosity of the gel solution was measured with an E-type viscometer. As a result, the viscosity was suppressed to a maximum of 7000 cp. Was also good.

[0030]

Comparative Example 1 5 parts by weight of the same glucomannan powder used in Example 1, 2 parts by weight of gellan gum, 8 parts by weight of carrageenan, 2 parts by weight of locust bean gum in 518 parts by weight of water at 25 ° C. 260 parts by weight of sucrose and 2 parts by weight of sodium citrate were added and mixed, and then kept for 5 minutes to obtain 525 parts by weight of a glucomannan mixture. Then the mixture was heated to 70 ° C. Thereafter, the mixture was heated to 80 ° C., and after reaching 80 ° C., 200 parts by weight of grape juice and 3 parts by weight of citric acid were added,
1000 parts by weight of the gel solution was obtained. Next, 200 parts by weight of the gel solution was dispensed into a mold, and each was cooled and gelled in an atmosphere of 5 ° C. to obtain five grape flavor jellies of 200 parts by weight. The gel strength of this jelly was determined in Example 1.
It was 1300 g / cm < ² > when measured by the method similar to.

However, in the above grape flavor jelly, powder such as glucomannan and gellan gum remained as lump and remained inferior in appearance to the product of Example 1. In addition, the texture was rough because the lumps remained. Further, in the process until the gel solution is adjusted, the gel solution is 40 ° C. to 50 ° C.
At the time of C, its viscosity exceeded 30,000 cp at the maximum, and it was not possible to sufficiently mix the raw materials. Further, the temperature of the product during heating cannot be raised smoothly, and the time required to raise the temperature to 80 ° C. is about 5 times the time required to raise the temperature to 80 ° C. in Example 1. It took.

[0032]

According to the present invention, when producing a gel food containing glucomannan and a reactive thickening polysaccharide, the time when glucomannan and water are mixed and the reactive thickening polysaccharide is mixed with glucomannan and water The following effects can be obtained by specifying the timing of mixing with the mixture. That is, it has become possible to prevent the occurrence of a remarkable thickening phenomenon in the gel solution preparation stage. In addition, the unique viscoelasticity characteristic of the gel food containing glucomannan can be maintained. According to the present invention that has achieved the above effects, it is possible to produce a gel food having higher quality than conventional products.

In producing the above-mentioned gel food, a reactive gelling agent is dissolved in water in advance, heated, and then added to a mixture containing glucomannan and water to obtain a more uniform gel food. Is obtained.

Further, by heating the mixture of glucomannan and water to 70 ° C. to 100 ° C., and then adding the glucomannan-reactive gelling agent, the viscosity of the gel solution can be prevented more reliably. . As a result, effects of improving work efficiency, shortening work time, and further improving the quality of the gel food can be obtained.

According to the present invention, a remarkable effect can be obtained when producing a gel food containing glucomannan and carrageenan. That is, the increase in viscosity of the gel solution of the gel food is the largest, which is a major obstacle in production. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily produce a food having excellent texture and appearance quality as compared with conventional gel foods containing glucomannan and carrageenan.

It should be noted, the present method, the gel strength of the gelled food, order to prevent that ^{900g / cm 2 ~1500g / cm 2} , the thickening of the gel solution in the production of a relatively hard texture It is effective. This is because, in order to produce a gel food having the above gel strength, the gel solution in the middle step also tends to have a high viscosity. As a result, it is possible to produce the above-mentioned gel-strength gel food, which is superior in quality to conventional products.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A method for producing a gel food containing glucomannan and a glucomannan-reactive thickening polysaccharide, wherein the mixture containing glucomannan and water is heated, and then the glucomannan-reactive thickener is added to the mixture. A method for producing a gel food, comprising adding a polysaccharide. 2. The production of a gel food according to claim 1, wherein the glucomannan-reactive thickening polysaccharide is dissolved in hot water in advance and added to a mixture containing glucomannan and water. Method. 3. A mixture of glucomannan and water,
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the heating is performed at a temperature of from about 100.degree.
Or the method for producing a gel food according to claim 2. 4. The glucomannan-reactive thickening polysaccharide is at least one of carrageenan, locust bean gum and xanthan gum, or two or more thereof. 13. The method for producing a gel food according to the above item. 5. The gel food has a gel strength of 900 g / c.
The method for producing a gel-like food product according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the m ² ~1500g / cm ^2.