Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Preserving or modifying color by use of diverse additive
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-18
2001-09-04
Corbin, Arthur L. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Preserving or modifying color by use of diverse additive
C426S268000, C426S643000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06284297
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for developing the color of a crustacean such as a lobster, a crab, or the like, having a carotenoid pigment into red in a fresh state without heating, and relates to color-developed crustaceans.
2. Description of the Related Art
Crustaceans such as lobsters, crabs, etc. are popular foods because of their charming red external appearances and their deliciousness. Most of crustaceans however exhibit dark red, blue, purple or green in a fresh state, and do not turn into vivid red before they are heated. Human appetite is not stimulated before dark-color lobsters, crabs, etc. are color-developed into vivid red. Accordingly, generally, lobsters, crabs, etc. are color-developed by heating. With respect to the color development of lobsters, crabs, etc. by heating, it is considered that a pigment such as astaxanthine, or the like, which is a carotenoid pigment, is bonded to protein to thereby exhibit various color tones, and the pigment is liberated by heating so as to be color-developed into vivid red.
However, if a crustacean such as a lobster, a crab, or the like, is heated by means of boiling in water, steaming, or the like, in order to develop the color of the crustacean, protein in crustacean meat is denatured so that the quality of meat having sweetness and deliciousness peculiar thereto is quite deteriorated. Therefore, JP-A-61-242565 has proposed a method of so-called branching color development in which only the shell of a lobster is color-developed by boiling in a short time so that the quality of the meat inside the shell is kept as fresh as possible. Further, JP-A-63-129973 has disclosed a method for heating a crustacean such as a lobster, a crab, or the like, by far-infrared radiation under the presence of water vapor.
The conventional method for color development of a crustacean by boiling in a short time cannot be applied to a lobster such as “USHIEBI” (Penaeus monodon) which is generally called black tiger, or the like, and exhibits a dark color in a stripped fresh state. That is, because only the shell is color-developed, the surface of a stripped lobster cannot be color-developed into red by boiling while the quality of the meat inside the shell is kept fresh. If the surface of a stripped lobster inside the shell is color-developed by the conventional method, protein in the meat portion is necessarily denatured by heating so that the quality of the meat cannot be kept fresh. On the other hand, in the far-infrared heating method, the quality of the meat inside the shell is denatured by heating so that the quality of the meat cannot be kept fresh.
To color-develop the surface of a stripped crustacean exhibiting a dark color in a fresh state into vivid red while keeping the stripped crustacean fresh perfectly, therefore, Applicant of the present application has proposed, in Japanese Patent No. 2607204, a method for color development of a crustacean in a fresh state, comprising treating a crustacean such as a lobster, a crab, or the like, having a shell thereof left as it is or removed, with an alkaline aqueous solution to thereby develop the color of a carotenoid pigment into red.
However, if the method for color development of a crustacean disclosed in the Japanese Patent No. 2607204 is used, dark black spots appear in the surface of a stripped lobster which has been color-developed into red, when a short time is passed after the stripped lobster is color-developed into red in a fresh state. There arises a serious problem particularly in the case where dark black spots appear in a color-developed product a short time after a user has defrosted the color-developed product which had been frozen and shipped. Although the cause of the generation of such dark black spots is not yet clear, it is considered that the cause may be in the color-development chemicals remaining in the stripped body of a lobster, or the like.
Further, when a stripped lobster, or the like, which has been color-developed by the aforementioned method is subjected to a taste test, there is a case where the lobster meat is slightly bitter, resulting in some problem in taste.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for preventing dark black spots from appearing in the surface of a stripped body of a crustacean such as a lobster, a crab, or the like, when the crustacean is left for a short time after the crustacean which is treated with an alkaline aqueous solution so as to be color-developed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a crustacean such as a lobster, a crab, or the like, which is treated with an alkaline aqueous solution so as to be color-developed while the crustacean is prevented from having slight bitter in its taste.
In order to achieve the foregoing objects, the present inventor has made research continuously eagerly. As a result, the inventor has found that it is possible to keep the color of the surface of a stripped crustacean red clearly while preventing dark black spots from appearing in the surface of the stripped crustacean even when a considerable time is passed after color development or even when the crustacean once frozen is defrosted, by the steps of: treating the crustacean such as a lobster, a crab, or the like, with ar alkaline aqueous solution; and treating the crustacean with an aqueous solution of an edible acid such as an acetic acid, or the like, to thereby perform neutralization so that the surface of the crustacean exhibits weak alkali, and the inventor has found that bitter taste slightly remaining in a stripped body of a lobster, or the like, can be eliminated to thereby provide excellent taste by immersing the color-developed stripped lobster in a weak concentration of a flavoring liquid consisting of sugar such as sucrose, or the like, having sweetness, and sodium chloride.
That is, in order to achieve the above objects, according to an aspect of the present invention, provided is a method for color development of a crustacean in a fresh state, comprising the steps of: treating a crustacean such as a lobster, a crab, or the like, in which a shell thereof is left as it is or removed, with an alkaline aqueous solution having a pH value in a range of from 10 to 14 to thereby develop the color of a carotenoid pigment into red; and treating the crustacean with an aqueous solution of an edible acid such as an acetic acid, or the like, to thereby perform neutralization up to the time when the surface of a stripped body of the crustacean exhibits weak alkali.
According to another aspect of the present invention, provided is a method for color development of a crustacean in a fresh state, comprising the steps of: treating a crustacean such as a lobster, a crab, or the like, in which a shell thereof is left as it is or removed, with an alkaline aqueous solution having a pH value in a range of from 10 to 14 to thereby develop the color of a carotenoid pigment into red; and treating the crustacean with an aqueous solution of an edible acid such as an acetic acid, or the like, to thereby perform neutralization up to the time when the surface of a stripped body of the crustacean exhibits a pH value in a range of from 7.5 to 10.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, provided is a method for color development of a crustacean in a fresh state, comprising the steps of: treating a crustacean such as a lobster, a crab, or the like, in which a shell thereof is left as it is or removed, with an alkaline aqueous solution having a pH value in a range of from 10 to 14 to thereby develop the color of a carotenoid pigment into red; and treating the crustacean, after washing or neutralizing, with a flavoring liquid consisting of an aqueous solution containing 2 to 15% by weight of sucrose or a concentration of sweetening sugar exhibiting like sweetness, and 1 to 6 % by weight of sodium chloride.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, provided is a method for color development of
Bacon & Thomas PLLC
Corbin Arthur L.
Munesho Co., Ltd.
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