JP2025034326A - Pumpkin sauce for frozen foods and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention aims to provide an alternative method for the use of pumpkin paste or pumpkin puree, which are raw materials in pumpkin sauce for frozen foods.
[Solution] The problem is solved by a pumpkin sauce for frozen foods containing pumpkin powder and frozen potato paste and/or potato puree. The blending amount of frozen potato paste and/or potato puree is preferably 0.1 to 4.5 times the pumpkin powder in terms of solid content, and when the pumpkin sauce is a cream sauce, the viscosity of the pumpkin sauce for frozen foods at 80°C is preferably 1.4 to 7 Pa·s.
[Selection diagram] None

Description

The present invention relates to a pumpkin sauce for frozen foods and a method for producing the same.

So far, there are a variety of frozen foods on the market that can be easily eaten by cooking in a microwave oven. Among these, frozen foods that use pumpkin sauce include pasta, gratin, and doria, and many frozen foods containing pumpkin sauce are on the market.

Technology relating to pumpkin sauce is known from Patent Document 1.

Patent Document 1 describes a pumpkin sauce that has a rich pumpkin flavor and a smooth texture, making it ideal for use as a sauce, and describes a pumpkin sauce that contains 0.5 to 15% by mass of pumpkin puree as solids, 5 to 20% by mass of milk ingredients as solids, and 0.1 to 2% by mass of phosphate cross-linked starch (excluding those that use alpha-phosphate cross-linked starch as an ingredient).

In recent years, however, crop production has become unstable due to abnormal weather and the outbreak of diseases thought to be caused by global warming. In addition, the supply of raw materials has frequently become unstable due to price hikes caused by increased demand in various countries around the world in recent years and rising fuel and transportation costs, making it inevitable that a stable supply of products will be disrupted. In the past, the price of pumpkins has also risen sharply due to reduced imports from overseas caused by disasters, making it difficult to obtain pumpkin puree steadily and cheaply.

Patent No. 7080127

The present invention aims to provide an alternative method to pumpkin paste and pumpkin puree, which are the raw materials used in pumpkin sauce for frozen foods.

The inventor was developing a pumpkin sauce for frozen pasta, but the supply of pumpkin paste was interrupted, making it impossible to produce the product. As a result of investigating ways to replace the pumpkin paste, the inventor came up with the invention.

That is, it is a pumpkin sauce for frozen foods that contains pumpkin powder and frozen potato paste.

In addition, it is preferable that the amount of frozen potato paste and/or potato puree mixed with the pumpkin powder of the present invention is 1 to 4.5 times the solid content.

The pumpkin sauce for frozen foods according to the present invention preferably has a viscosity of 1.4 to 7 Pa·s at 80°C.

The present invention provides an alternative method to pumpkin paste and pumpkin puree, which are the raw materials used in pumpkin sauce for frozen foods.

The present invention will be described in detail below. However, the present invention is not limited to the following description.

1. Pumpkin sauce The pumpkin sauce for frozen foods according to the present invention is a sauce containing pumpkin as a raw material, and is usually a pumpkin sauce that uses pumpkin paste or pumpkin puree as a raw material. Specifically, it can be a cream sauce or white sauce that contains pumpkin paste or pumpkin puree used in pasta, gratin, doria, etc.

In this invention, paste refers to a product made by grinding raw or cooked ingredients, and puree refers to a product that has been ground into a paste and then strained to make it smooth.

(Pumpkin powder)
The raw material of the pumpkin sauce for frozen foods according to the present invention includes pumpkin powder. The type of pumpkin for the pumpkin powder is not particularly limited, and any of Japanese pumpkin, Western pumpkin, and Hepo pumpkin can be used. It is preferable in terms of flavor to use the same type of pumpkin as the pumpkin paste or pumpkin puree to be substituted. In addition, pumpkin powder is mainly dried and powdered from the flesh of the fruit excluding the skin and seeds, but pumpkin powder containing the skin may also be used. The particle size of the powder is not particularly limited, and it may be in a powder form.

According to the method of the present invention, it is possible to replace all or part of the pumpkin paste or pumpkin puree normally used in pumpkin sauce. Therefore, the content of pumpkin powder in the pumpkin sauce for frozen foods according to the present invention is not particularly limited, as it varies depending on the amount of pumpkin paste or pumpkin puree substituted, but generally, the solid content of the pumpkin paste or pumpkin puree substituted and the solid content of the pumpkin powder should be mixed in equal amounts, and fine adjustments can be made according to the flavor, etc.

(Potato paste and potato puree)

The raw materials for the pumpkin sauce for frozen foods according to the present invention include potato puree and/or potato paste. There are no particular limitations on the type of potato used for the potato puree and potato paste, but considering the appearance of the pumpkin, it is preferable for the flesh to be yellow to white in color. Domestic varieties include Danshaku, May Queen, Kitaakari, Inka no Mezame, Hokkai Kogane, Nishiyutaka, and Toyoshiro, but overseas varieties are also acceptable.

The amount of potato paste and potato puree can be adjusted as appropriate to match the texture and residual feel of the pumpkin paste or pumpkin puree that is substituted, and it is acceptable to use only potato paste or only potato puree, or a combination of the two.

Potato paste and potato puree are made by mashing raw peeled potatoes as is, or boiling or steaming them, then mashing them, or mashing them and straining them before freezing them. Using potatoes that have been frozen once improves the texture and residue, making them closer to the texture of pumpkin paste and pumpkin puree.

There are no particular limitations on the amount of potato paste and/or potato puree added, and it may be adjusted according to the amount of pumpkin paste or pumpkin puree to be substituted. However, it is preferable to add the amount of potato paste and/or potato puree so that the solid content is approximately equal to or greater than the weight of the pumpkin paste or pumpkin puree to be substituted, and the weight of the potato paste and/or puree is preferably in the range of 1 to 5 times, more preferably 1.5 to 3.5 times, the weight of the pumpkin paste or pumpkin puree to be substituted.

(Ratio of pumpkin powder to potato paste or/and potato puree)
The blending ratio of pumpkin powder and potato paste and/or potato puree according to the present invention varies depending on the flavor of the pumpkin powder used and the mouthfeel and residual feeling of the potato paste and/or potato puree used, but it is preferable to adjust the weight of the potato paste and/or potato puree in terms of solid content to be about 1 to 4.5 times the weight of the pumpkin powder. If the proportion of potato paste and/or potato puree is low, it is difficult to obtain the mouthfeel and residual feeling of pumpkin paste and pumpkin puree, and conversely, if the proportion of potato paste and/or potato puree is too high, the soup becomes viscous, not only resulting in a poor flavor, but also making it difficult to feel the mouthfeel and residual feeling. It is more preferable to adjust the ratio to be about 1.3 to 3 times.

(Other raw materials)
Other ingredients of the pumpkin sauce for frozen foods according to the present invention can be any ingredients that are usually used for pumpkin sauce. Examples include seasonings such as salt, sugar, soy sauce, sodium glutamate, nucleic acid, consommé, protein hydrolysate, and yeast extract, spices such as pepper, parsley, and garlic, dairy products such as butter, margarine, fresh cream, milk, and cheese, oils and fats such as eggs, wheat flour, and olive oil, alcoholic beverages such as white wine and cooking sake, flavorings, thickeners such as xanthan gum and guar gum, processed starches such as normal starch, phosphate cross-linked starch, etherified starch, and esterified starch, and colorings. Ingredients such as onions and bacon can also be added as ingredients as long as they are large enough to be filled into the sauce. Pumpkin paste and pumpkin puree can also be used.

The viscosity of the pumpkin sauce for frozen foods according to the present invention is not particularly limited, but in the case of a sauce for frozen pasta, if the viscosity of the sauce when eaten is too high, it is difficult to feel the texture and residual feeling of pumpkin paste or pumpkin puree, and conversely, if the viscosity of the sauce when eaten is too low, the flavor of the sauce is not integrated with the texture and residual feeling. Therefore, in the case of a sauce for frozen pasta, the viscosity of the pumpkin sauce for frozen foods according to the present invention is preferably 1.4 to 7 Pa·s at 80°C. The viscosity can be measured by heating the sauce to 80°C using a B-type viscometer.

2. Pumpkin sauce production There is no particular limitation on the production of pumpkin sauce, and it may be produced by adding the above-mentioned raw materials and water, if necessary, according to the method for producing ordinary pumpkin sauce, and heating it. There is no particular limitation on the heating temperature or time, but it is preferable to heat the sauce so that the temperature is at least 80°C or higher, since this not only makes it edible but also serves as sterilization. The heated sauce is cooled before filling.

3. Production of Frozen Foods Examples of the frozen food according to the present invention include pasta, gratin, doria, etc. In the case of pasta, dried or raw noodles are boiled and cooked, then packed into a freezing container, the pumpkin sauce for frozen foods according to the present invention is poured on top of it, and ingredients are added as necessary and frozen to produce a frozen food. In the case of gratin, cooked macaroni and ingredients are poured into a freezing container, the pumpkin sauce according to the present invention is poured on top of it, cheese and breadcrumbs are poured on top, and if necessary, the frozen food is produced by heating in an oven and then freezing. In the case of doria, cooked rice is poured into a freezing container, the pumpkin sauce according to the present invention is poured on top of it, cheese and breadcrumbs are poured on top, and if necessary, the frozen food is produced by heating in an oven and then freezing.

There are no particular limitations on the freezing method, and conventional techniques can be applied. For example, not only commercial freezing devices such as air blast type tunnel freezers, spiral freezers, wagon freezers, quick freezers, and brine type flexible freezers, but also general commercial and household freezers can be applied. It is particularly preferable to perform quick freezing using a tunnel freezer or spiral freezer at a temperature of -35°C or below.

The frozen food can then be placed in a bag, sealed, and sealed in an outer packaging material along with any additional seasonings or toppings, if necessary, and sold commercially as a frozen food.

4. Cooking When the frozen food according to the present invention is pasta, it is preferable to cook it in a water bath or in a microwave oven. When the frozen food according to the present invention is gratin or doria, it is preferable to cook it in a microwave oven or in an oven.

The following examples will explain this embodiment in more detail.

<Combination study of pumpkin powder and potato paste>
(Pumpkin sauce for frozen foods)
The ingredients listed in Blending Examples 1 to 8 in Table 1 below were placed in a tank, heated to 85°C while stirring with a kneader, maintained at that temperature for 10 minutes, and then cooled to 50°C to produce a pumpkin sauce (cream sauce) for frozen foods. Note that the pumpkin powder and pumpkin paste are raw materials derived from Western pumpkins, and the pumpkin powder was unheated dried powder, while the pumpkin paste was unheated frozen. For the potato paste, Toyoshiro potatoes were used, which were ground raw and made into a paste, then frozen.

(Main ingredient)
Fresh tagliatelle noodles (width 5 mm) were boiled in boiling water for about 4 minutes, then drained, cooled in cold water at 10° C. for 30 seconds, and drained again to prepare cooked pasta.

(frozen food)
Example 1
A circular-bottomed freezer container (radius: 140 mm, container height: 580 mm) was filled with 160 g of cooked pasta as the main ingredient, and then 100.5 g of pumpkin sauce for frozen foods of Formulation Example 4 was filled on top of the pasta.

The freezer container was then placed in an air blast type quick freezer at -35°C and frozen for 45 minutes, after which the frozen noodle block was removed from the freezer container and placed in a plastic bag for microwave cooking to produce frozen pasta.

Example 2
Frozen pasta was prepared according to the method of Example 1, except that the pumpkin sauce for frozen foods was Formulation Example 5 and the filling amount was 101.5 g.

Example 3
Frozen pasta was prepared according to the method of Example 1, except that the pumpkin sauce for frozen foods was Formulation Example 6 and the filling amount was 102.5 g.

Example 4
Frozen pasta was prepared according to the method of Example 1, except that the pumpkin sauce for frozen foods was Formulation Example 7 and the filling amount was 105.5 g.

Example 5
Frozen pasta was prepared according to the method of Example 1, except that the pumpkin sauce for frozen foods was Formulation Example 8 and the filling amount was 108.5 g.

(Comparative Example 1)
Frozen pasta was prepared according to the method of Example 1, except that the pumpkin sauce for frozen foods was Formulation Example 1 and the filling amount was 100 g.

(Comparative Example 2)
Frozen pasta was prepared according to the method of Example 1, except that the pumpkin sauce for frozen foods was Formulation Example 2 and the filling amount was 98.5 g.

(Comparative Example 3)
Frozen pasta was prepared according to the method of Example 1, except that the pumpkin sauce for frozen foods was Formulation Example 3 and the filling amount was 100.5 g.

The frozen pasta prepared for each test group was cooked in a microwave oven, eaten, and subjected to a sensory evaluation. Cooking conditions were 600W for 4 minutes. Sensory evaluation was performed on flavor and texture (feel on the tongue and residual feeling), and the evaluation was performed with a score of 5 for something equivalent to Comparative Example 1, a score of 4 for something slightly inferior to Comparative Example 1 but good, a score of 3 for something inferior to Comparative Example 1 but generally acceptable, a score of 2 for something inferior to Comparative Example 1 and unacceptable, and a score of 1 for something significantly inferior to Comparative Example 1 and unacceptable.

For the pumpkin sauce for frozen foods, blend examples 1 and 4-8, the viscosity was measured when heated to 80°C using a B-type viscometer (Toki Sangyo Co., Ltd. VISCOMETER TVB-15M rotor No. 2).

The sensory evaluation results and viscosity measurement results are shown in Table 2.

As shown in Comparative Examples 1 and 2, when pumpkin powder was used as a substitute for pumpkin paste, even if the solid content was roughly the same, no texture or residual feeling was obtained, and it was an insufficient substitute. As shown in Comparative Example 3, by adding sweet potato paste to the formulation of Comparative Example 2, the pumpkin-like texture and residual feeling increased, but the sweet potato flavor was too strong and the pumpkin flavor was no longer noticeable.

In contrast, as shown in Example 1, when the potato paste was used in a solid content amount (0.9 times) similar to that of the pumpkin paste substitute, the flavor was not affected and the pumpkin-like texture and residual feeling increased. However, the texture was generally acceptable. Furthermore, as shown in Examples 2 and 3, by increasing the amount of potato paste added, the pumpkin-like texture and residual feeling increased, and when the potato paste was used in a solid content amount (1.8 times) similar to that of the pumpkin paste substitute, the texture was almost the same as in Comparative Example 1.

As shown in Examples 4 and 5, by increasing the amount of potato paste added, not only did the viscosity increase and the pumpkin-like texture and residual feeling weaken, but the pumpkin flavor also weakened.

As described above, by using pumpkin powder and potato puree and/or pumpkin paste as a substitute for pumpkin puree or pumpkin paste, it is possible to produce a pumpkin sauce for frozen foods that has a pumpkin-like flavor, texture, and residual feeling.

Claims (5)

A pumpkin sauce for frozen foods comprising pumpkin powder and frozen potato paste and/or potato puree. The pumpkin sauce for frozen foods according to claim 1, characterized in that the amount of frozen potato paste and/or potato puree mixed is 1 to 4.5 times the amount of pumpkin powder in terms of solid content. The pumpkin sauce for frozen foods according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the viscosity of the pumpkin sauce for frozen foods at 80°C is 1.4 to 7 Pa·s. A method for producing pumpkin sauce for frozen foods, characterized by using pumpkin powder and frozen potato paste or/and potato puree. A method for producing an alternative to pumpkin paste or pumpkin puree for frozen foods, characterized by using pumpkin powder and frozen potato paste or/and potato puree.