JPH034741A - Preservation method of mugwort and its frozen composition - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To preserve mugwort in excellent state while keeping the characteristic bluish green color of mugwort and preventing the deterioration of the taste and flavor by adding a mugwort to an aqueous solution of salt or sugar and freezing the mugwort. CONSTITUTION:Whole grass of mugwort having leaves, leaves of mugwort or their chopped product are added to an aqueous solution of common salt or a sugar (preferably glucose, sucrose, sorbitol or dextran) having a concentration of >=5% and preserved in frozen state.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention uses mugwort as table salt or t! at least about 5 of the
More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for preserving mugwort obtained by freezing mugwort in addition to an aqueous solution of about 5%, and a frozen composition of mugwort prepared by freezing mugwort in an aqueous solution of at least about 5% of tri. An excellent method for preserving mugwort that does not change its blue-green color (1), does not reduce its flavor and aroma, and does not cause any discoloration even when partially thawed at the time of product packaging or thawed at the time of use. Regarding the frozen composition.

[Conventional technology] Mugwort is a perennial plant that grows wild in the mountains and fields of various parts of Japan.The stems are multi-branched, the rhizomes lie horizontally and vine, and the leaves are alternate, oval, divided into separate parts, and lobed. There are 2 to 4 pairs of leaves, and there are also notches or teeth, but the upper leaves are green or bluish-green, and the lower leaves are white because they are densely covered with white hairs. Also known as chigusa, it has been used in many foods and folk medicines for its natural color, beautiful blue-green color, flavor and aroma, and has been used in many foods and folk medicines since ancient times, such as in kusa mochi and confectionery.

When using mugwort in food, usually a small amount of table salt or sodium bicarbonate is added after washing the mugwort with water.
It was used by cooking it in boiling water. Mugwort stems are collected only once in the spring, and cannot be collected throughout the year.Mugwort stems collected during this period are boiled in boiling water with a small amount of salt or sodium bicarbonate added, and then dried. Or, the dried product was shredded or made into powder, preserved, and used in food.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, the dried mugwort thus obtained had deteriorated or decreased natural color tone, flavor, and aroma.

Furthermore, there is a method of boiling mugwort leaves in boiling water and then freezing them for cryopreservation. When frozen in layers of about 10 cm thick, the center of the mugwort becomes bluish-yellow or yellow, and the flavor and aroma deteriorate.Furthermore, this frozen product tends to discolor when thawed before use. . In addition, to avoid the disadvantage of freezing in thick layers, if you layer mugwort that has been boiled in boiling water and freeze it in a thin layer, some of the frozen material may thaw and discolor when it is packed into bags for product packaging. The inventor of the present invention has discovered that the conventional freezing method for preserving mugwort has various drawbacks. Although I was only able to obtain a sample of mugwort, I washed the collected mugwort with water and pre-treated it with hot brine treatment by boiling it in boiling water with a small amount of table salt or sodium bicarbonate added, and then drained the mugwort. , adding the thus pretreated mugwort or its shreds to an aqueous solution of at least about 5% of salt or a sugar such as glucose, sigwi, sorbitol or dextran;
We then discovered an excellent preservation method that does not cause discoloration or deterioration of flavor or aroma over a long period of time by freezing it, and also does not cause any discoloration even when partially thawed during product packaging or when thawed before use. Ta. Furthermore, according to the present invention, when mugwort is frozen in an aqueous solution of at least about 5% of table salt or The present invention also provides an excellent mugwort frozen composition that does not cause any discoloration.

The present invention was completed based on the above findings, and it is possible to combine mugwort with salt or I! A method for preserving mugwort, which is characterized by freezing mugwort in an aqueous solution containing at least about 5% of salt or sugar, and a frozen composition of mugwort, which comprises freezing mugwort in an aqueous solution containing at least about 5% of salt or sugar. The mugwort of the invention may be either naturally grown or artificially cultivated in the mountains and fields of Honshu, Shikoku, and Izuyo, and the new surface is harvested in spring, and the leaves or stems as well as the leaves. Examples include leafy grasses with In addition, such a mugwort stopper may be prepared using, for example, a small amount of common salt or an aqueous solution of water-soluble salts such as sodium bicarbonate, preferably 1~
Cook for one to several minutes in hot salt water, which is a boiling water solution of about 3% aqueous solution, while cooling or after cooling, or use a metal or synthetic resin colander or drainboard to ensure that almost no water drops fall.
For example, use mugwort that has been drained to an extent that the water weight has increased by about 15 to 30% compared to the original weight, or treated with hot brine and drained, or use mugwort that has the natural color and flavor of these mugworts. Processed with hot salt water and drained before the aroma and aroma deteriorated, and then cut into pieces.
It may be crushed or pulverized, or the harvested mugwort may be cut in advance or treated with hot brine and drained.

In addition, [1] in the present invention is not limited in any way as long as it is a water-soluble and edible saccharide, and includes monosaccharides, trisaccharides, trisaccharides, etc. Examples include tlMllfI, dextran, soluble starch polysaccharides, and other sugar alcohols such as sorbitol and mannitol, and preferred examples include glucose, cy=1#a, sorbitol, and dextran. Furthermore, the salt used in the present invention or IJ! In order to achieve sufficient preservation of mugwort according to the present invention, it is sufficient to use an aqueous solution with a concentration of at least about 5% or more, and to prepare an aqueous solution with a concentration of 5% or more, salt, Two or more types selected from the group consisting of saccharides may be used in combination to adjust the total concentration to 5% or more.

Furthermore, when adding mugwort to the aqueous salt or sugar solution prepared in this way, if the mugwort is in a hydrated state that has been treated with hot brine and drained, it should be at least 0.3 parts by weight, preferably 0.3 parts by weight, per 1 part by weight of mugwort. 5 to 2 parts by weight, particularly preferably 1 to 2 parts by weight, of an aqueous solution of common salt or II with a concentration of 5% or more may be used, and if an excessive amount of the aqueous solution is used, extra energy is required for subsequent freezing. It is only necessary to select an appropriate quantitative relationship.

Next, for freezing, it is sufficient to freeze using an existing deep freezer or freezing machine, for example, by freezing an aqueous solution of salt or sugar to which mugwort has been added at about -40°C for 10 hours or more in a certain container, e.g. It is convenient to fill a plastic bag, plastic container, or wooden container, which also serves as a product packaging form, and then freeze it. During this freezing, preferably, the air inside the container is removed and the container is sealed. The frozen composition obtained in this manner may be stored, for example, in a cold storage at about -20°C.

The frozen mugwort composition stored in this way can be thawed as necessary, washed with water, steamed, powdered or crushed, and then converted into mochi raw materials such as mochi powder, sugar, starch syrup, and salt, or flour, sugar, and salt. It can be mixed with various food raw materials such as confectionery ingredients such as shigo toning and used according to conventional methods, and the resulting food retains its natural bluish-green color, which is the color of mugwort, without discoloration, and has a good flavor and aroma. You can get something that doesn't degrade.

[Example] Next, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to Examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Example 1 200g of common salt and 100g of sodium bicarbonate in 2ON of water
50K of leaf grass containing fresh mugwort leaves in boiling water with g
g, boiled for about 1 minute, taken out into a large bamboo colander, cooled in the air, and drained until no water droplets fell (the weight increased by about 20% compared to the mugwort used). 0.06 cm, 15 x 22 cm) was filled with 500 g of each 3% and 5% saline solution, 300 g, 500 g, 700 g, and 1000 g of the above-mentioned treated mugwort were filled in each bag, the air was removed from the plastic bag, and the bag was sealed.
It was placed in a deep freezer for fish at -40°C for 15 hours and frozen. Thereafter, this frozen mugwort composition was stored in a cold storage at -20°C, and the properties of the frozen mugwort composition were examined depending on the storage period (number of days).

The results are shown in Table 1 (for 3% saline solution) and Table 2 (
5% saline solution).

Table 1 +) There is some discoloration in the color tone without changing the natural bluish-green color of mugwort (maintaining 1, but also reducing the flavor and aroma □±).

-) There is a change in color tone and a decrease in flavor and aroma.

*) Blue-yellow discoloration after 200 days.

**) After 60 days, blue-yellow discoloration.

As a result of Table 2 and above, in the case of a 3% saline solution, this saline solution 5
If a large amount of mugwort is stored in 00g, an unsuitable freezing composition will be found in some of the pieces, whereas in the case of a 5% saline solution, up to twice the amount of mugwort can be stored in 500g of this saline solution. A good frozen composition was obtained in which the natural bluish-green color of mugwort was maintained without discoloration1, and the flavor and aroma did not deteriorate.

Example 2 In place of the saline solution in Example 1, 3% and 5% glucose aqueous solutions were used, and the same procedure as in Example 1 was conducted and tested. The results are shown in Table 3 (for 3% glucose aqueous solution) and Table 4 (for 5% glucose aqueous solution).
Shown below.

Table 3 Example 3 Instead of the saline solution in Example 1, 3% of sig sugar
The following procedure was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1 using and 5% aqueous solution,
Inspected. The results are shown in Table 5 (in the case of 3% sig sugar aqueous solution) and Table 6 (in the case of 5% sucrose aqueous solution).

Table 5 Skewers) After 100 days, blue-yellow discoloration Umbrella 1) After 100 days, blue-yellow discoloration.

Table 4) After 100 days, blue-yellow discoloration. II) After 60 days, yellow discoloration.

Table 6 Example 4 In place of the saline solution in Example 1, 3%, 5% and 7% aqueous solutions of sorbitol were used, and the same tests as in Example 1 were carried out and tested. The results are shown in Table 7 (for 3% aqueous sorbitol solution), Table 8 (for 5% aqueous sorbitol solution), and Table 9 (for 7% aqueous sorbitol solution).

Table 7 Table 8 *) Blue-yellow discoloration after 100 days.

Table 9 *) 100 days later, **) After 60 days, Blue-yellow discoloration.

Yellowing.

Example 5 In place of the saline solution in Example 1, 7% and 10% aqueous solutions of dextran (powdered candy) were used, and the same procedure as in Example 1 was conducted and tested. The results are shown in Table 10 (
In the case of 7% dextran aqueous solution), Table 11 (in the case of 10% dextran aqueous solution) is shown in Table 10*) After 100 days, blue-yellow discoloration.

Table 11 Example 6 200g of salt and 1 part of sodium bicarbonate in 20ffi of water
5. Add 00g of leaf grass to boiling water and add fresh mugwort leaves.
0 kg was added, boiled for about 1 minute, taken out into a large bamboo colander, cooled in the air, and drained to the extent that no water droplets fell. The hot brine treated product thus obtained was cut into 8-12 mm pieces using a KR800 type shabu cutter (manufactured by Kobara Machine Co., Ltd.).
Furthermore, a chopper (manufactured by Naganuma Seisakusho, chopper type 32)
A plastic bag (0.06 cm thick, 15 x 22 cm) was extruded through a 6 mm diameter hole and cut.
Filled with 500g of 5% sorbitol aqueous solution, filled each with 1000g of the above-mentioned treated mugwort, removed the air from the plastic bag, sealed it, and stored it in a deep freezer for fish at -40°C for 15 hours. It froze.

As a result, Honjima exhibited good color tone even after 200 days of storage, and was good with no deterioration in flavor or aroma.

〔Effect of the invention〕

The present invention provides mugwort with at least about 5% of salt or sugars.
By adding the frozen mugwort to an aqueous solution, the natural bluish-green color of mugwort is uniformly maintained without discoloration1, and the flavor and aroma do not deteriorate, further improving the quality of the product. To provide an excellent method for preserving mugwort that does not cause any discoloration even when partially thawed at the time of packaging or thawed at the time of use, and a frozen composition thereof.

Claims (6)

[Claims] (1) A method for preserving mugwort, which comprises adding mugwort to an aqueous solution containing at least about 5% salt or sugar and freezing the mixture. (2) The preservation method according to claim 1, wherein the mugwort is a grass or a leaf having leaves of mugwort, or a cut product thereof. (3) The preservation method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mugwort is treated mugwort treated with hot brine and drained, or a cut product thereof. (4) The preservation method according to claim 1, wherein the saccharide is glucose, sucrose, sorbitol, or dextran. (5) A frozen mugwort composition obtained by freezing mugwort in an aqueous solution containing at least about 5% of salt or sugar. (6) The frozen composition according to claim 5, wherein the saccharide is glucose, sucrose, sorbitol, or dextran.