Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Gels or gelable composition
Patent
1988-07-13
1990-10-16
Hunter, Jeanette
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Gels or gelable composition
426658, 426804, 426656, A23L 1528
Patent
active
049633830
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a process for producing a konjak (a substance made from the starch of the corms of the plant Amophorphallus Rivievi) jelly which is suitable as a method of diversifying the utilization of konjak, for example, by adding it to various kinds of food with a view to improving their flavor or other properties, or to various kinds of diet food for calorie control purposes.
BACKGROUND ART
Although it has been utilized as a food from ancient times, konjak has recently attracted special interest and has been put in the spotlight because of its non-calorie properties and its usefulness as dietary fiber.
However, konjak is in most cases used in the form of a slab or the like, e.g. in firm gel form in which shape it is usually eaten, so that konjak has not yet been satisfactorily utilized as a processed food material which may be added to a food in order to give it a unique flavor or improve its properties, or which may be utilized as a binder or for calorie control purposes.
The reason for this may be attributed to the slow development of a technique by which a konjak raw material, for example, konjak flour, may be formed into good quality processed food materials or food additives.
More specifically, according to a typical conventional process for producing konjak, 900 to 1200 liters of water is added to about 30 kg of konjak flour, allowing the latter to swell and thus preparing konjak paste, after which lime is added to and mixed with the konjak paste in an amount of 3 to 6% with respect to the amount of konjak flour.
Then, the mixture is placed in a container, forming frame or the like and heated at about 80.degree. C. for about 60 minutes to thereby obtain a piece of konjak in firm gel form. This method has been practiced for many years.
Accordingly, if one is to use konjak flour as a food material for addition to another processed food or the like, it is conventional practice to add konjak flour in the form of a finely-ground powder with a view to facilitating dissolution, or in the form of konjak paste which is formed by making konjak flour swell by addition of water or by mixing lime with konjak flour.
PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION
These conventional methods suffer, however, from the following problems Namely, mannan originated from konjak does not completely set to gel even in the final-product stage, and the pasty state that is retained is rather undesirable. The smell of slaked lime which is used as a solidification agent for konjak paste unfavorably remains. Since the pH of the product inclines toward the alkali side, the taste may be adversely affected.
Accordingly, although it is desired to use a larger amount of konjak in order to improve the properties of food or provide for calorie control, the amount of konjak which is usable is to a substantial extent limited.
In these circumstances, the present inventors made exhaustive studies in order to develop food additives and processed food materials that could be produced with konjak and which are free from the above-described problems, as well as eliminating any risk that the ingredients which constitute the konjak may separate from each other or that water may be irreversibly liberated from solid matter during storage over long periods of time.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
As a result, the present inventors have succeeded in processing a konjak raw material to produce a konjak material in a jelly-like form, i.e. the form of a thermally irreversible, thickened gel, which may conveniently be added to food be processed, thus attaining the above-described object.
More specifically, the present invention provides a process for producing a konjak thickened gel comprising the steps of: adding water to konjak flour to cause the latter to swell and dissolve in the former, and mixing the resulting paste with a basic amino acid, a basic salt, or a mixture thereof; or adding to konjak flour water which has been mixed with a basic amino acid, a basic salt, or a mixture thereof in advance; or mixing kon
REFERENCES:
patent: 4582714 (1986-04-01), Ford et al.
patent: 4676976 (1987-06-01), Toba et al.
Nozaki Hisashi
Sakurai Seiya
Hunter Jeanette
Kabushikikaisha Kibun
Kabushikikaisha Kyowashokuhin
LandOfFree
Process for producing konjak jelly does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Process for producing konjak jelly, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Process for producing konjak jelly will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-848894