Lobster abstract
A method of producing a paste product like lobster's meat is disclosed
which comprises dividing finely paste product, which product has
been already coagulated by heating; mixing said divided product
with protein mixture and molding the resulting mixture, the mixing
and/or molding procedure being carried out under reduced pressure;
and then heating the molded product. The thus obtained paste product
like lobster's meat according to the present invention has moderately
hard flesh, and during chewing, an elastic and pleasant mouth feel
is obtained as if eating natural lobster's meat.
Lobster claimsWhat is claimed is:
1. A method of producing simulated lobster meat, comprising the
steps of:
preparing a fish paste comprising a first protein mixture, said
first protein mixture comprising minced fish meat;
heat coagulating said fish paste;
finely dividing said heat-coagulated fish paste;
mixing said finely divided, heat-coagulated fish paste with a second
protein mixture as a binder in a weight ratio of 5:5 to 9:1 under
a reduced pressure in the range of 0 to 260 mm Hg for about 5 to
20 minutes, wherein said first and second protein mixtures are the
same or different;
molding the resulting mixture and heating the molded mixture sufficiently
to set said molded mixture thereby obtaining said simulated lobster
meat having a firm structure.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said first protein mixture further
comprises egg white, soybean protein, sodium caseinate or wheat
protein in an amount of from 1 to 100% of the weight of said minced
meat.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein said first protein mixture and
said second protein mixture are the same.
4. A method of producing simulated lobster meat, comprising the
steps of:
heat-coagulating a fish paste;
finely dividing said heat-coagulated fish paste;
mixing said finely divided, heat-coagulated fish paste with a protein
binder in a weight ratio of 5:5 to 9:1 under a reduced pressure
in the range 0 to 260 mm Hg for about 5 to 20 minutes;
molding the resulting mixture; and heating the molded mixture sufficiently
to set said mixture thereby obtaining said simulated lobster meat
having a firm structure.
5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the finely divided fish
paste is cut boiled fish paste, broken boiled fish paste, or a mixture
thereof.
6. A method according to claim 4 wherein protein binder is either
minced fish meat or a mixture of minced fish meat and at least one
member selected from the group consisting of egg white, soybean
protein, sodium caseinate and wheat protein.
Lobster description
The present invention relates to a method of producing paste product
like lobster's meat.
More particularly, it relates to a method of producing paste product
like lobster's meat from heated fish paste and protein mixture.
In general, the lobster has an elastic meat texture and nice crisp
mouth feel, and it tastes very good, therefore it is highly prized.
Meanwhile, paste products from minced meat, have been long known
including a heated fish paste, Chikuwa (a kind of fish paste), Hanpen
(a cake of pounded fish), etc., but, all of them have simple mouth
feel and are uninadequately hard to masticate i.e. they do not have
a firm texture like lobster meat.
More recently, products like crab's meat prepared by dividing finely
the heated fish paste have been making their appearances on the
market, and an attempt to improve said simple mouth feel of paste
product has been started.
The present inventors have pursued their studies of obtaining a
paste product like lobster's meat in order to give variety to mouth
feel of paste product, and then they have succeeded in preparing
a paste product having an improved mouth feel as if eating natural
lobster's meat, by the method according to the present invention.
The present invention involves a method of producing a paste product
like lobster's meat characterized in that the method comprises finely
dividing a paste product, which has been already coagulated by heating;
mixing it with a protein mixture and molding the resulting mixture
into a certain shape, either the mixing or molding procedure or
both procedures being carried out under reduced pressure; and then
heating the shaped product.
The paste product like lobster's meat obtained by the present invention
has moderately hard flesh, and when chewing it, an elastic mouth
feel and a nice mouth feel are obtained as if eating natural lobster's
meat.
Hitherto many paste products have been known, however, the paste
product like lobster's meat obtained by the present invention differs
from the paste product of prior art in mouth feel, therefore the
paste product of the present invention has novel characteristics.
A main feature of this invention lies in that the finely divided
paste product, having been already hardened by heating, is mixed
with protein mixture and is molded the resulting mixture, the mixing
and/or molding procedure being carried out under reduced pressure.
A product prepared by mixing protein mixture with the finely divided
paste product having been hardened by heating and then molding the
resulting mixture at atmospheric pressure without any care contains
considerable air, and thereby the product which is prepared by heating
the air containing molded results in a product which does not have
hard flesh and does not display the elastic and nice mouth feel
peculiar to lobster's meat. On the contray, according to the present
invention, the finely divided fish paste product having been already
coagulated by heating is mixed with protein mixture and/or is molded
the resulting mixture under reduced pressure, so that the texture
of thus obtained one becomes tight by the removal of fine air bubbles,
i.e. the elimination of considerable porosity, and resulting in
a paste product having good mouth feel as if eating natural lobster's
meat.
As the fish paste product coagulated by heat used in the present
invention, it is possible to use either heated fish paste produced
by conventional techniques or such paste prepared by heating protein
mixture used in the present invention to be coagulated. The method
of producing said fish paste product is not restricted particularly.
Next, the present invention will be described by taking a heated
fish paste as an example.
First of all, the heated fish paste is finely divided by the method
in which it is finely divided into the form of fine string or fine
stick by cutting blade, or it is finely cut into small pieces or
fine granules. It is also possible that it be previously broken
into large flakes, and at the time of ulterior mixing with protein
mixture, the large flakes are broke into small pieces.
And as the protein mixture used in the present invention, it is
possible to use either minced fish meat (Surimi) or a mixture prepared
by mixing minced fish meat with egg white, soybean protein, sodium
caseinate or wheat protein in an amount which is about equal to,
or slightly smaller than the amount of minced fish meat (1 to 100%
egg white etc. relative to the minced fish meat). In this case,
it is possible to mix starch, seasoning, oil, flavor etc. therewith
according to requirements.
The finely divided heated fish paste is mixed with the protein
mixture. In this case, the finely divided heated fish paste to protein
mixture weight ratio may vary from about 5:5 to about 9:1 the preferred
range being from about 6:4 to about 8:2 in order to obtain nice
mouth feel. When the protein mixture is used in a large amount which
is equal to or more than said weight ratio of 5:5 the resulting
texture becomes similar to that of boiled fish paste; on the contrary,
when the protein mixture is used in a small amount which is equal
to or less than said weight ratio of 9:1 it has insufficient effect
as a binder, so that the resulting product is devoid of nice elasticity
which is desirable property.
The finely divided heated fish paste and protein mixture are mixed
and/or molded under reduced pressure. Ordinarily, the mixing under
reduced pressure is accomplished by agitating in an agitator that
can be sealed hermetically and can provide inside an environment
of reduced pressure. The degree of reduced pressure is preferably
about 0 to 260 mm Hg; in the present invention, it is preferred
to agitate rapidly at a reduced pressure near vacuum. It is a matter
of course that the present invention may be successfully accomplished
under weakly reduced pressure, at 260 mm of Hg pressure or less.
In this case, the bond degree of the fibers is lowered, and therefore
it is necessary to take care of the viscosity of protein mixture,
the combination ratio of finely divided heated fish paste and protein
mixture, the state of the bond of finely divided heated fish paste
and protein mixture after heating, and so on.
As the agitator, a mixer, kneader, cutter and so on which permit
adequate agitation can be all utilized. For example, it is preferred
to use such an agitator that is provided with a moving vane inside
thereof which rotates at the rate of about 40 r.p.m. It is undesirable
to rotate the moving vane too fast, because it causes breakage of
the fibrous texture of finely divided heated fish paste. The agitator
is provided with cover in the upper part to be sealed hermetically
and is connected with a decompression device via hose to keep the
pressure of 0 to about 260 mm Hg inside the agitator.
The finely divided heated fish paste and the protein mixture are
put in an agitator and agitated for about 5 to 20 minutes under
reduced pressure. The thus obtained mixture may be directly molded
into a shape of lobster's meat by using molds of various shapes
or it may be molded by an automatic molding machine.
In addition, in the present invention, the heated fish paste (Kamaboko),
being finely divided, is mixed with the protein mixture at atmospheric
pressure followed by molding of the resulting mixture in the automatic
molding machine wherein the reduced pressure is kept, so that it
is also possible to carry out decompression of the mixture sufficiently.
In this case, it is also preferred to keep pressure of about 0
to about 260 mm Hg. In addition, in the present invention, both
mixing and molding procedures can be carried out under reduced pressure.
The mixture is decompressed and molded, followed by heating for
example steaming, boiling or broiling. In case of heating with steam,
the heating procedure is accomplished by heating it with steam at
a temperature of 90.degree. C. for about 15 minutes. According to
requirements, it is also possible that the mixture is subjected
to setting before the heating procedure in order enhance coagulation.
The mixture which has been subjected to the heating with steam
scarcely contains any ununited finely divided heated fish paste,
and to the contrary it is united to the protein mixture, and to
all appearances, it does not differ from conventional paste product
in appearance. However, when eating it, lobsterlike taste, toughness,
elastic texture and mouth feel are obtained.
Thus obtained lobsterlike paste product is frozen or chilled and
then sold commercially. When eating, the frozen or chilled product
is broiled and sauce may be placed thereon, and then eaten. A nice
mouth feel is obtained as if eating natural lobster's meat.
Next, the present invention is described in the following Example.
EXAMPLE 1
The heated fish paste which had been seasoned like lobster was
divided into a shape of about 3.times.20.times.30 cm, and was further
divided into the form of fibers of 0.5.times.0.5.times.20 mm, on
an average, by a cutter.
7 kg of the resulting heated fish paste in the form of fibers and
3 kg of saline pollack minced meat seasoned like lobster were put
in to an agitator of closed type connected with a decompression
pump, and then were agitated under reduced pressure, at a pressure
of 5-10 mm Hg, at the rate of 40 r.p.m. for 5 minutes.
The thus obtained mixture was put in an automatic molding machine
where it was molded into irregular lump like lobster, and it was
allowed to stand in a steam chamber of 35.degree. C. for 10 minutes
to accomplish the setting.
Thus obtained product was subjected to a heating treatment with
steam at a temperature of 90.degree. C. for 10 minutes in a continuous
cooker. And then the surface thereof was broiled to obtain a product
like broiled lobster.
Thus obtained paste product had an excellent elastic mouth feel
and tight textural properties resembling those of lobster's meat.
EXAMPLE 2
A heated fish paste which had been seasoned like lobster was divided
into a shape of about 3.times.20.times.30 cm, and was further divided
into the form of fiber of 0.5.times.0.5.times.20 mm, on an average,
by cutter.
7 kg of thus obtained heated fish paste having the shape of fibers
and a protein mixture (such one prepared by mixing 1.5 kg of pollack
minced meat, 25 g of table salt, 1 kg of egg white, 300 g of soybean
protein and 20 g of lobster oil flavor) were put in a closed type
agitator connected with a decompression pump, and then were agitated
under reduced pressure, at a pressure of 5 to 10 mm Hg, at the rate
of 40 r.p.m. for 5 minutes.
Thus obtained mixture was put in an automatic molding machine where
it was molded into irregular lump like lobster, and it was allowed
to stand in a steam chamber of 35.degree. C. for 10 minutes to accomplish
the setting.
The thus obtained product was subjected to a heating treatment
with steam at a temperature of 90.degree. C. for 10 minutes in a
continuous cooker. And then red color was applied on the surface
thereof to obtain the paste product like lobster.
Thus obtained paste product had an excellent elastic mouth feel
and tight textural properties resembling those of lobster's meat.
EXAMPLE 3
A heated fish paste which had been seasoned like lobster was divided
into a shape of about 3.times.20.times.30 cm, and was further divided
into the form of fiber of 0.5.times.0.5.times.20 mm, on an average,
by cutter.
7 kg of thus obtained heated fish paste having the shape of fibers
and 3 kg of saline pollack minced meat seasoned like lobster were
put in an agitator and agitated at the rate of 40 r.p.m. for 5 minutes.
Thus obtained mixture was put in an automatic vacuum molding machine
where it was molded into irregular lump like lobster under reduced
pressure, at a pressure of 60 mm of Hg pressure, and then it was
allowed to stand in a steam chamber of 35.degree. C. for 10 minutes
to accomplish the setting.
The thus obtained product was subjected to a heating treatment
with steam at a temperature of 90.degree. C. for 10 minutes in a
continuous cooker to obtain a paste product like lobster.
Thus obtained paste product had an excellent elastic mouth feel
and tight textural properties resembling those of lobster's meat.
EXAMPLE 4
A heated fish paste which had been seasoned like lobster was divided
into a shape of about 3.times.20.times.30 cm, and was further divided
into the form of fibers of 0.5.times.0.5.times.20 mm, on an average,
by cutter.
7 kg of thus heated boiled fish paste having the shape of fibers
and protein mixture (such one prepared by mixing 3 kg of saline
pollack minced meat, 2 kg of egg white and 30 g of table salt) were
put in a closed type agitator connected with a decompression pump,
and then were agitated under reduced pressure, at a pressure of
5-10 mm Hg, at the rate of 40 r.p.m. for 5 minutes.
The thus obtained mixture was put in an automatic vacuum molding
machine where it was molded into irregular lump like lobster under
reduced pressure, at a degree of reduced pressure of 60 mm Hg, and
then it was allowed to stand in a steam chamber of 35.degree. C.
for 10 minutes to accomplish the setting.
The thus obtained product was subjected to a heating treatment
with steam at a temperature of 90.degree. C. for 10 minutes in a
continuous cooker. And then red color was applied on the surface
thereof to obtain the paste product like lobster.
Thus obtained paste product had an excellent elastic mouth feel
and tight textural properties resembling those of lobster's meat.
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