Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Fermentation processes – Material is mammal or fowl derived
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-19
2001-10-16
Corbin, Arthur L. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Fermentation processes
Material is mammal or fowl derived
C426S281000, C426S641000, C426S652000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06303162
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a curing agent and a pickle which are used to produce a processed meat such as ham, bacon, roast pork or the like. More specifically, the present invention solves a problem of viscosity increase when transglutaminase is used in a pickle, and qualities of a processed meat such as ham, bacon, roast pork or the like are improved when the pickle is injected.
2. Discussion of the Background
Usually, ham, bacon or the like which is a processed meat is required to be cured by law (according to Japanese Agricultural Standard (JAS)). As this method, a dry curing method and the method of curing in a pickle have been conducted. Recently, they have been mostly conducted by a pickle injection method. In the pickle used at that time, sodium chloride and color-fixing agents are main components. In addition, polyphosphates, different, proteins or the like are incorporated to improve yield, water-holding capacity, binding and the like, and seasonings, preservatives, coloring agents and the like are also incorporated.
Further, transglutaminase (hereinafter abbreviated as “TGase”) has been lately incorporated at times in a pickle to improve texture, sliceability, i.e., yield of slice, and the like. In this instance, a serious problem is as follows. That is, a pickle, in most cases, is allowed to stand overnight at low temperatures after preparation in order to completely dissolve different proteins or to conduct defoaming through degassing, and is then used. However, there is a problem that when TGase is added and dissolved in this pickle, both TGase and different proteins are reacted while being allowed to stand, and the viscosity of the pickle is notably increased, making it impossible to conduct injection. Accordingly, in order to satisfactorily exhibit the function of TGase, it is necessary to control the viscosity of the pickle, i.e., in other words, to control the TGase reaction) . Thus, it is required that even when TGase is added and dissolved in a pickle, the reaction be controlled so as not to increase the viscosity, and the satisfactory effect by using TGase can be exhibited on a processed meat in which the pickle is injected.
To make processed meat which is relatively highly injected, different proteins at the level of 10% have to be incorporated into the pickle. The amount to be added varies depending on qualities of a processed meat required. Generally speaking, typically, soybean protein is between 1 and 8%, casein such as sodium caseinate or the like is between 0.5 and 3%, albumen is between 2 and 5%, and whey protein is between 2 and 5%.
When, for example, from 2 to 5 units of TGase are added to 100 g of this pickle as such, a crosslinking reaction to polymerize protein molecules by TGase proceeds over the course of time, and there occurs a problem that the viscosity of the pickle is increased, making it impossible to conduct injection. For this reason. the use of TGase in the pickle is greatly limited at present. To cope with this, a method is known in which TGase is used in such a state that the amount of soybean protein or casein such as sodium caseinate or the like is decreased in a pickle (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 255, 426/1995) . However, this method involves problems that since the amount of the protein is limited, the function of the protein is not exhibited satisfactorily and when a long period of time lapses after preparation of the pickle, the viscosity is increased, so that the period of time for which to use the pickle is limited.
Against the above background, an object of the present invention is to provide an excellent pickle in which, when incorporating TGase, the above-mentioned problems are avoided.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present inventors have assiduously conducted investigations to solve the above-mentioned problems, and have consequently found that the above-mentioned problems can be successfully addressed with the use of a protein partial hydrolysate as all or part of the protein component. The present invention has been completed on the basis of such a finding.
That is, the present invention relates to a curing agent for meat processing comprising transglutaminase and a protein partial hydrolysate, a pickle in which this is dissolved in water, and a processed meat prepared by using such a pickle. In addition, the present invention relates to a pickle comprising water, transglutaminase and a protein partial hydrolysate, and having a viscosity less than a viscosity of the same pickle wherein the protein partial hydrolysate is replaced with the same protein that is not hydrolyzed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As the protein partial hydrolysate used in the present invention, a partial hydrolysate of a protein which is generally used in a pickle can be used. Examples thereof include partial hydrolysates of casein (including, in addition to free casein, salts such as sodium caseinate and potassium caseinate) soybean protein, albumen, whey protein and plasma.
Of these, it is a soybean protein hydrolysate that increases the viscosity in particular with the addition of TGase. Further, the soybean protein partial hydrolysate imparts an excellent texture to final processed meat in comparison with the other protein partial hydrolysates. Accordingly, the use of a soybean protein partial hydrolysate, among others, especially the soybean protein partial hydrolysate having a hydrolysis rate of from 3 to 20% is quite useful in comparison with the use of other protein partial hydrolysates.
With respect to a pickle comprising TGase, it is a requisite that viscosity increase is limited, but the viscosity may be increased so long as no problems occur in practice. Meanwhile, it makes no sense if the function of TGase and the function of the protein are impaired. It is inevitable that the function of TGase and the desired function provided by the use of the protein are satisfactorily exhibited on processed meat such as ham, bacon, roast pork or the like which is prepared by injecting a pickle having the controlled viscosity.
The soybean protein partial hydrolysate is described in detail below. The soybean protein is generally classified into a soy flour type, a separated protein, and a concentrated protein type. As the protein used in the pickle, the concentrated protein type and the separated protein type are mainly used.
In regard to these types, more native ones are used. However, since these native proteins have a higher reactivity with TGase, the viscosity of the pickle tends to increase. Accordingly, studies have been made on a protein in which the pickle hardly increases the viscosity with the addition of TGase while maintaining the function of these native proteins in the pickle. Consequently, the use of the partially hydrolyzed soybean protein has been found.
The protein partial hydrolysate here referred to is a product obtained by partially hydrolyzing protein, such as soybean protein, with a protein hydrolase, i.e., a protease. As a protease, a protease type (endo type) which cuts a protein molecule successively from an end and a type (exo type) which cuts only a specific site in a molecule are known. In view of controlling the increase in the viscosity, a protein may be treated with any of these proteases. Further, a product which is partially hydrolyzed with a mineral acid such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid or the like is also available.
What is important here is the hydrolysis rate. When a protein which is not hydrolyzed at all is incorporated into a pickle, increase in the viscosity of the pickle is naturally invited. On the contrary, when the hydrolysis rate is extremely high, increase in the viscosity does not occur, but the effect provided by the use of the protein is not exhibited on the product. Therefore, from this standpoint, the hydrolysis rate to meet the object of the present invention is between 2 and 30%, preferably between 3 and 20%. The hydrolysis rate here referred to is; measured as follows. That is, a trichlotoacetic acid (TCA) solutio
Numazawa Toshiya
Susa Yasuyuki
Ajinomoto Co. Inc.
Corbin Arthur L.
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
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