WO2023243111A1 - Meat substitute, and method for manufacturing meat substitute - Google Patents

Abstract

Proposed are a meat substitute in which costs during manufacturing are minimized and which is brought close to the quality of edible animal meat, and a method for manufacturing the meat substitute. A method for manufacturing a meat substitute in which hyphae of edible mushrooms are caused to proliferate in an edible culture medium for which an edible residue is used, the method comprising a culture medium production step for producing an edible culture medium using the residue, and a culturing step for culturing the hyphae of the edible mushrooms in the culture medium to thereby cause the hyphae to proliferate in the culture medium.

Description

Meat substitutes and methods of producing substitute meats

The present invention relates to an alternative meat to replace edible animal meat and a method for producing the same.

Meat substitutes are known as processed foods that use plant-based ingredients such as soybeans to mimic the texture of animal meat.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of producing a high-protein food by sowing mushroom fungi in an aqueous medium containing high-protein vegetable raw materials such as soybeans and rice, and liquid culturing the fungi in the aqueous medium. has been done.

Patent No. 6931359

However, in conventional techniques such as Patent Document 1, the entire unused plant material is used to generate an aqueous medium, which sometimes increases the cost of producing the aqueous medium.

In addition, with conventional liquid culture using an aqueous medium, additional costs are required to dispose of the waste liquid left after producing high-protein foods, and culture vessels that are strong enough to withstand the weight of the liquid are required for liquid culture. It was necessary to prepare. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of securing water resources and environmental considerations in terms of hygiene, it is desirable to reduce the amount of waste liquid discharged.

Furthermore, there is room for further improvements in the quality of high-protein foods produced by liquid culture of mushroom fungi to bring them closer to edible animal meat.

Therefore, the present invention proposes an alternative meat that reduces production costs and has a quality similar to that of animal meat, and a method for producing the same.

The meat substitute according to the present invention is made by spreading edible mushroom mycelium on an edible medium using edible residue.
As a result, the medium in which edible mushroom mycelium is spread can itself be eaten as a meat substitute.

Furthermore, the method for producing meat substitute according to the present invention includes a medium generation step of generating an edible medium using edible residue, and a step of cultivating edible mushroom mycelia in the medium to spread the mycelia in the medium. and a culturing step.
As a result, the medium in which edible mushroom mycelium is spread can itself be produced as a meat substitute.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a meat substitute that reduces production costs and has a quality close to that of animal meat.

1 is a diagram schematically showing a meat substitute according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing the manufacturing process of the substitute meat of an embodiment. It is a figure showing a culture medium generation process of an embodiment. It is a figure showing a culture medium focused on a culture container of an embodiment. It is a figure showing the culture process of an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which the culture medium of the embodiment is inoculated with seed bacteria. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which hyphae are elongated in a culture medium according to an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the crushed piece which crushed the culture medium of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the crushed piece which crushed the culture medium of embodiment. It is a figure showing the state where the culture container was refilled with the crushed pieces of an embodiment. It is a figure which shows another example of the culture medium production process of embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11.
Note that the configurations described in the drawings referred to in the description of this embodiment are extracted and shown the main parts and the configuration around them necessary for realizing this embodiment. Further, the description in the drawings is schematic, and various changes can be made according to the design etc. without departing from the technical idea of the present invention.

In addition, in the following explanation, substitute meat means an alternative food that has a texture close to that of animal meat. In addition, edible animal meat is referred to as edible animal meat to distinguish it from the above-mentioned alternative meats.

<1. First embodiment>
The meat substitute 1 and its manufacturing method in the first embodiment will be explained.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the meat substitute 1, a medium 2 is infested with edible mushroom mycelia 3. Since the medium 2 is made entirely of edible raw materials, it can be eaten by itself. In other words, the medium 2 is not only used for culturing the mycelium 3, but also serves as a portion corresponding to the meat of edible animal meat.

By adding the texture of the medium 2 to the meat substitute 1 in this way, the texture of the meat substitute 1 can be brought close to the texture of animal meat.

Medium 2 contains mixed edible residue and edible cellulose.
The residue becomes the main raw material for medium 2. As the residue, plant residue, animal residue, microbial residue, etc. are used. In this embodiment, an example using plant residue will be described.
Examples of plant residues include okara, wheat bran, rice bran, defatted rice bran, soy sauce lees, sake lees, beer lees, soy milk lees, apple juice lees, tangerine juice lees, starch lees, germ, glutamic acid fermentation lees, defatted soybean lees, and rapeseed lees. , sesame oil cake, oil cake, DDGS (Distillers Dried Grain with Solubles), cane starch meal, potato starch meal, cassava starch meal, vegetable residues such as vegetable peels, fruit peels, vegetable scraps, and other plant residues. Furthermore, a mixture of a plurality of the above types may be used as the plant residue.

By using the residue of the plant material, that is, the plant residue, instead of using the entire unused plant material as the raw material for the medium 2, it is easier to produce the medium 2 than when using the virgin plant material. costs can be reduced.
In addition, as the animal residue, for example, fish meal, krill, meat and bone meal, and other animal residues are used. A mixture of two or more of the above may be used as the animal residue. Further, as the microbial residue, for example, microbial residue such as yeast residue is used.
Furthermore, as a raw material for the medium 2, it is of course possible to use vegetable raw materials, animal raw materials, or microbial raw materials themselves instead of the residue.
Note that as the raw material for the medium 2, a mixture of any one of a plurality of plant residues, animal residues, microbial residues, vegetable raw materials, animal raw materials, and microbial raw materials may be used.

As the edible cellulose, for example, edible wood flour, coffee grounds, bagasse, beet pulp, and other edible cellulose sources are used. Further, as the edible cellulose, a mixture of a plurality of the above-mentioned celluloses may be used.

By adding edible cellulose as a raw material for the medium 2, it is possible to suppress the sourness that occurs in the meat substitute 1 after the mycelia 3 are cultured in the medium 2. Therefore, it is possible to bring the taste of the substitute meat 1 closer to that of animal meat.
Note that edible cellulose is not an essential component for producing the medium 2, and may not be added as a raw material for the medium 2.

Furthermore, by spreading the mycelia 3 in the medium 2, it is possible to reproduce the tear resistance of edible animal meat in the meat substitute 1. Therefore, the meat quality of the substitute meat 1 can be brought close to that of animal meat. Infestation here refers to a state in which the amount of mycelia 3 in the medium 2 is greater than when the inoculum 3a of the hyphae 3 was inoculated into the medium 2.

Note that, in addition to the vegetable residue and edible cellulose, the culture medium 2 may contain a swelling agent. As the swelling agent, for example, baking soda, alum, etc. are used.

The swelling agent expands the medium 2 to create voids. By extending the hyphae 3 into the voids, the density of bacterial cells in the medium 2 can be increased. By increasing the mycelial density, the tear resistance of edible animal meat can be reproduced in the substitute meat 1, and the quality of the meat substitute 1 can be brought closer to that of edible animal meat.

Mushrooms for spreading mycelia 3 on medium 2 include, for example, oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus/Pleurotus spp.), eryngii mushrooms (Pleurotus eryngii/Pleurotus spp.), shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes), enokitake mushrooms (Flammulina velutipes), and mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) Matsutake (Tricholoma matsutake), Maitake (Grifola frondosa), Ganoderma lucidum, Pleurotus cornucopiae var. citrinopileatus/Pleurotus spp., Morel (Morchella esculenta/Morchella spp.), Morchella con ica), Edible mushrooms such as Phallus indusiatus Vent., Hypholoma sublateritium, Coprinopsis atramentaria, Tuber magnatum, Hypsizygus marmoreus and others are used. Moreover, hyphae 3 obtained by mixing a plurality of the above types can also be used.

Here, from the viewpoint of ease of culturing, it is preferable to use Oyster mushroom mycelia 3. In addition, if you want to improve the texture of the meat substitute 1 when eating, it is preferable to use shiitake or stone mushroom mycelium 3, which has thick mycelium and can strengthen the bond between the raw materials of the medium 2.

Although details will be described later, when producing medium 2, in addition to vegetable residues and edible cellulose, sugars such as granulated sugar and amino acids such as glycine are mixed to promote the elongation (proliferation) of hyphae 3. It may be done. Therefore, although these sugars and amino acids may remain in the meat substitute 1, they are edible and do not affect the quality of the meat substitute 1.

A method for producing meat substitute 1 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2.
In this embodiment, as an example, Okara is used as the vegetable residue that is the raw material for the medium 2, and edible wood flour is used as the edible cellulose. Further, as the edible mushroom mycelium 3, Oyster mushroom mycelium 3 is used.

As shown in FIG. 2, the manufacturing process of the meat substitute 1 includes a first step of spreading mycelia 3 in a medium 2 in steps S101 to S103, and a second step of seasoning and freezing the meat substitute 1 in steps S104 to S105. and a third step of thawing and cooking the substitute meat 1 in steps S106 and S107.

For example, the first and second steps are performed in different factories. This means that in addition to carrying out each process in different factories owned by the business operator, different business operators purchase the unseasoned meat substitute 1 produced in the first process, and then purchase the substitute meat 1 that they own. This also includes performing a second process in a factory. In this way, the substitute meat 1 is distributed on the market even in an unseasoned state. It is also possible for a consumer to purchase such unseasoned meat substitute 1 and perform the second step at home, at a restaurant, or the like.

Further, for example, the third step is performed in the home of the consumer who purchased the meat substitute 1 or in a restaurant. In this way, the seasoned meat substitute 1 produced through the first and second steps is distributed in the market and purchased by consumers. Note that the third step can also be performed in a factory. In this case, the substitute meat 1 is supplied to consumers as a processed food. Further, the first to third steps described above may be performed in the same factory, or may be partially or completely performed in different factories. Further, all or part of the first to third steps performed in the factory may be automated by an industrial robot or the like. For example, an arm robot compatible with AI (Artificial Intelligence) can be made to perform work in each process. At this time, work objects in each process, such as the culture container 100 filled with the culture medium 2, can be connected by a conveyor.

The first step will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 to 10. The first step is a step of producing unseasoned meat substitute 1 in which mycelia 3 are spread in culture medium 2.

First, a medium 2 is generated in the medium generation step of step S101 shown in FIG. Details of the culture medium production process are shown in FIG. 3.

In the culture medium generation process, in step S201, a mixed solution in which viscous sugars and amino acids are dissolved in water is prepared in advance. Here, the amino acid is used to promote the elongation (proliferation) of the hyphae 3 in the initial stage of culture. For example, glycine is used as the amino acid.

Further, in step S202, a mixed powder is prepared by mixing dried okara, wood flour, and powdered sugar. The saccharide mixed here is for promoting the elongation (proliferation) of the hyphae 3 in the early stage of culture. As the sugar, for example, granulated sugar is used. Note that the sugars used in the culture medium production step are not limited to those mentioned above, and various sugars can be used as long as they are edible and promote the growth (proliferation) of mushrooms. Moreover, instead of sugar, all or part of vegetable raw materials, animal raw materials, microbial raw materials, or their residues can be mixed.
Further, for the above mixing, for example, a mixer or a screw feeder can be used.
Note that the steps S201 and S202 are not limited to the order shown in FIG. 3, and each step may be performed one after the other. Alternatively, a mixed powder may be generated by further mixing an amino acid with okara, wood flour, and powdered saccharide in step S202, without preparing a mixed liquid in step S201.

In step S203, the above-mentioned liquid mixture is added little by little to the mixed powder and further mixed to generate the medium 2.
At this time, it is desirable that the produced medium 2 has a ratio of okara, wood flour, granulated sugar, and glycine of 10:5:1:1, and a water content of 50 to 80%. In addition, in producing the medium 2, the amounts of wood flour, granulated sugar, and glycine to be added may be reduced or may not be added.

Note that an expanding agent may be further mixed in the mixed powder mixed with the mixed liquid. For example, baking soda is mixed as an expanding agent. In the medium 2 thus produced, it is desirable that the ratio of okara, wood flour, granulated sugar, glycine, and baking soda be 10:5:1:1:1.

In the following step S204, the culture medium 2 produced as shown in FIG. 4 is filled into one or more culture containers 100. By filling the culture container 100 with the medium 2, preparations for culturing the hyphae 3 are completed. At this time, the culture container 100 is filled with the culture medium 2 to a thickness of about 1 cm, for example.

When filling the culture container 100 with the culture medium 2, it is desirable to shape the culture medium 2 so that its density is 0.38 g/cm ³ and voids are generated. In order to ensure the above-mentioned density, for example, after filling the culture container 100, the medium 2 is shaped so that voids are formed at a ratio of 50 to 60% by volume of the medium 2. Specifically, for example, grooves with a width of 1 to 10 mm may be provided at intervals of 1 to 10 mm in the culture medium 2 after filling the culture container 100. Note that instead of the grooves, holes with a diameter of 1 to 10 mm may be provided so that the volume ratio of the medium 2 is 50 to 60%.

By providing voids in the medium 2 during molding in this manner, the mycelia 3 can easily extend into the voids during culture, and the bacterial density of the meat substitute 1 at the end of culture increases. As the bacterial cell density increases, the amount of bacterial cells contained in the meat substitute 1 increases, and the amount of glutamic acid and guanylic acid, which are the causative substances of mushroom flavor, increases. Therefore, the flavor components contained in the meat substitute 1 can be increased. Furthermore, as the bacterial cell density increases, the chewiness of the meat substitute 1 improves, and the texture of the meat substitute 1 can be brought closer to that of animal meat.

Note that before filling the culture container 100 with the culture medium 2, the culture medium 2 may be previously blanched in boiling water for about 30 minutes and cut into 1 cm square pieces. This stabilizes the shape of the culture medium 2 filled in the culture container 100. In addition, by cutting into 1 cm square pieces, voids are likely to be created during filling, and an environment in which the hyphae 3 can easily grow can be easily created.

Furthermore, although the culture container 100 is described here as having a box-like shape, the culture container 100 may be of any type as long as it can be sealed after inoculating the filled medium 2 with the mycelia 3. Various shapes such as bag-like ones are possible.
For example, if all or part of the first to third processes performed in a factory are automated by an industrial robot or the like, the shape of the culture container 100 should be suitable for the automation. Can be done. In addition, when proceeding through the steps from the culture medium generation step in step S101 to the sterilization step in step S102, which will be described later, and the culture step in step S103, the shape of the culture container 100 is made to be such that it can be easily transported between each step. You can also do that. In this case, for example, a connecting member may be added to the outer edge of the culture container 100 so that a plurality of culture containers 100 can be connected.

By filling the culture container 100 with the culture medium 2, the culture medium generation process shown in FIG. 3 is completed.
Returning to FIG. 2, when the culture medium generation process in step S101 is completed, a sterilization process is performed in step S102.

In the sterilization process, the culture medium 2 filled in the culture container 100 is sterilized. For example, if each medium 2 is 150 g, four mediums 2 can be sterilized by moist heat sterilization at 121° C. for about 120 minutes. Although the sterilization conditions vary depending on the volume of the medium 2, if the moist heat sterilization is performed at 100° C. or higher, the medium 2 can be uniformly sterilized by adjusting the moist heat time.

The purpose of this sterilization process is to maintain the sanitary condition of the medium 2, but it is also important to avoid the possibility that the growth of bacteria in the medium 2 will put pressure on the growth area of the hyphae 3 and inhibit their growth. There is also the purpose of preventing such occurrences and improving the quality of substitute meat 1. This is also an important step in the sense of preventing a situation in which the metabolic system of the hyphae 3 changes due to contamination with bacteria and secretes substances that may affect the human body.

Subsequently, the mycelium 3 is cultured in the medium 2 in the culture step of step S103. Details of the culture process are shown in FIG. 5.

In the culturing process, in step S301, the culture medium 2 is inoculated with the seed culture 3a created from the mycelia 3 of Oyster mushroom, for example, by scattering the seed culture 3a on the surface of the culture medium 2, as shown in FIG. By inoculating the inoculum 3a without touching the medium 2, contamination of the medium 2 with various bacteria can be prevented. Incidentally, the inoculum 3a is, for example, a fragment of a medium in which hyphae are cultured using an agar plate or Okara as a medium, or a mycelium cultured in liquid. Furthermore, in order to spread the hyphae 3 evenly over the medium 2, it is desirable that the seed bacteria 3a be uniformly spread over the surface of the medium 2.

Thereafter, the culture container 100 is sealed to prevent contamination with germs, and culture of the hyphae 3 is started in step S302. The culture temperature is desirably set to a temperature at which the elongation rate of the hyphae 3 is the fastest. A suitable culture temperature is, for example, 25°C.

When inoculating the seed 3a, it is desirable to spread the seed 3a on the surface of the medium 2 in order to avoid contamination with contaminants, but if culture is started in this state, the density of the hyphae 3 in the medium 2 will be lower than that on the surface. It may be higher than that of the hyphae, and the hyphae 3 may be unevenly distributed.

Therefore, in the process of culturing the hyphae 3, the medium 2 being cultured is crushed in step S303, and the hyphae 3 is re-cultivated using the crushed medium 2. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, when the hyphae 3 has expanded to 30 to 90% of the medium 2, the medium 2 is crushed as shown in FIG. At this time, it is desirable that the particle size of the pulverization is uniform. Then, the crushed pieces 2a are mixed in a culture container 100 as shown in FIG. 9, and culturing of the hyphae 3 is started again.

By pulverizing and mixing the medium 2 in this manner, the pulverized pieces 2a in which mycelia 3 are infested are evenly distributed in the culture container 100.

Thereby, when re-cultivating, it is possible to uniformly spread the mycelia 3 even to parts distant from the place where the seed fungus 3a was inoculated, as shown in FIG. As a result, the texture of each part of the generated substitute meat 1 can be made uniform.

If you try to spread the hyphae 3 throughout the medium 2 with the density of the hyphae 3 biased toward the surface, it will take a considerable amount of culture time to spread the hyphae, but as described above, once the medium 2 is crushed, By mixing, the crushed pieces 2a in which mycelia 3 are spread are evenly distributed throughout the culture container 100, and the culture time until the mycelia 3 are spread throughout the medium 2 is shortened.

Also, by mixing the crushed pieces 2a of the culture medium 2, new voids are created, and the mycelium 3 extends into the voids, thereby increasing the bacterial cell density of the meat substitute 1 at the end of culture. This improves the texture and the difficulty of tearing the substitute meat 1, making it possible to bring the texture closer to that of animal meat.

Furthermore, by pulverizing the medium 2 once, the carbon dioxide released from the hyphae 3 during the culture process is discharged from the bottom of the medium 2. As a result, the elongation momentum of the hyphae 3 is activated again.

Furthermore, it is desirable to crush the medium 2 during cultivation when the hyphae 3 have expanded to 30 to 90% of the medium 2. The ratio of the hyphae 3 here can be considered as, for example, the hyphae 3 elongated to 30 to 90% of the length at the depth of the medium 2. Furthermore, it can be considered that the hyphae 3 are widespread up to 30 to 90% of the volume of the medium 2.

Elongation of 30% or more of the hyphae 3 is an environmental condition in which the hyphae 3 can stably proliferate (elongate) in the culture container 100 even if the medium 2 is crushed. This is because if the mycelium 3 accounts for less than 30%, the amount of fungal cells that serve as the basis for proliferation will be too small, and re-cultivation will require time.

Furthermore, by elongating the hyphae 3 by more than 30%, no area is left in the medium 2 where bacteria can grow. This ensures hygiene during grinding and mixing. Further, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the metabolic system of the hyphae 3 changes due to proliferation of various bacteria and secretes substances that may affect the human body.

Incidentally, when mixing the crushed pieces 2a of the medium 2, granulated sugar may be further added in order to activate the elongation momentum of the hyphae 3 cut by the crushing.

Returning to FIG. 5, after re-cultivation of the mycelium 3 is started in step S303, in step S304, the culture temperature is lowered from 25°C by 1 to 10°C 1 to 4 days before the cultivation of the hyphae 3 is completed. I do.

By applying low temperature stimulation immediately before the completion of culture, the elongation of the hyphae 3 is further promoted, and the thickness of the hyphae 3 becomes thicker. Therefore, the density of mycelia 3 in medium 2 increases. As a result, the amount of bacterial cells contained in the meat substitute 1 increases, thereby increasing the flavor and providing a flavor similar to that of animal meat. Moreover, the chewiness of the substitute meat 1 is improved, and the texture of the substitute meat 1 can be brought closer to that of animal meat.

The culture process shown in FIG. 5 is completed when the hyphae 3 spread throughout the medium 2. The medium 2 itself in which this mycelium 3 is spread is produced as the substitute meat 1. Note that the culturing process is completed before the hyphae 3 in the medium 2 grow into fruiting bodies. Note that in the culturing process, steps S303 to S304 can be omitted.
As described above, the first process of steps S101 to S103 in FIG. 2 is completed, and the unseasoned meat substitute 1 is manufactured.

The second step will be explained with continued reference to FIG. 2. The second step is a step of seasoning and freezing the substitute meat 1.

After the cultivation is completed in step S103, the substitute meat 1 is seasoned in the seasoning process of step S104. In the seasoning process, the meat substitute 1 is first sterilized, and then the meat substitute 1 is sliced into 0.5 to 3 cm thick slices. Note that if it takes 5 hours or more from the completion of the culture process in step S103 to the start of the seasoning process in S104, the sterilization process is performed at the end of the culture process.

Then, the sliced meat substitute 1 is soaked in a seasoning solution made by adding glutamic acid and seasonings to water for 3 to 12 hours. By immersing the substitute meat 1 in the seasoning liquid, substances that cause sourness and odor remaining in the substitute meat 1 flow into the water and are removed. Thereby, the taste of the substitute meat 1 can be brought closer to the taste of animal meat.

After that, in the freezing step of step S105, the substitute meat 1 is frozen for 5 hours or more while immersed in the seasoning liquid. The freezing step is a necessary step in order to increase the flavor components of the meat substitute 1 in the thawing step described later.

Through the above steps, the second process of steps S104 to S105 in FIG. 2 is completed, and seasoned and frozen meat substitute 1 is manufactured.

The third step will be explained with continued reference to FIG. 2. The third step is a step of thawing and cooking the frozen meat substitute 1.

In the thawing process of step S106, the substitute meat 1 frozen in the above freezing process is thawed. In the thawing process, in order to promote protein binding before water flows out from the meat substitute 1, it is desirable to reduce the thawing time in a low temperature range and thaw the meat all at once. Therefore, it is desirable to thaw the substitute meat 1 in a microwave oven so that the temperature range of the meat substitute 1 reaches 40 to 80°C in a short time. For example, it is preferable to heat it in a microwave oven at 500 W for about 6 minutes.

By providing the freezing and thawing process in steps S105 and S106, the cell wall can be destroyed and the guanylate synthase can flow out of the cell, increasing the chances of the enzyme coming into contact with the ribonucleic acid. As a result, the amount of guanylic acid, which is a flavor component of the meat substitute 1, can be increased, and the taste of the meat substitute 1 can be brought closer to that of animal edible meat.

Thereafter, in the cooking process of step S107, the defrosted meat substitute 1 is cooked. The meat substitute 1 can be used in various dishes as a substitute for animal meat.

Through the above steps, the third process of steps S106 to S107 is completed, and the produced meat substitute 1 is provided for consumption by consumers. This completes the manufacturing process shown in FIG.

Note that in the manufacturing process shown in FIG. 2, steps S105 to S106 may be omitted. In this case, after dehydrating the substitute meat 1 immersed in the seasoning liquid in the seasoning process of step S104, the substitute meat 1 is directly cooked in the cooking process of step S107.

<2. Second embodiment>
A meat substitute 1 and a method for manufacturing the same according to a second embodiment will be explained.
It should be noted that parts not mentioned in this embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment, and their explanation will be omitted.

The medium 2 of the meat substitute 1 in the second embodiment contains mixed vegetable residue, konjac flour, and a coagulant.

By adding konjac flour as a raw material for the medium 2, the elasticity of the medium 2 is improved, and the chewiness of the meat substitute 1 can be made closer to that of animal meat.

The coagulant may be any substance that makes the pH of the medium 2 alkaline when culturing the hyphae 3 in the culture container 100, and for example, calcium carbonate, calcined shell calcium, calcium hydroxide, etc. are used. The use of a coagulant improves the moldability of the medium 2.

In addition to the above-mentioned raw materials, edible cellulose and a swelling agent may be further added. Further, as in the first embodiment, when producing the medium 2, in addition to the above-mentioned raw materials, sugar such as granulated sugar and amino acids such as glycine may be mixed. Therefore, these sugars and amino acids may remain in Substitute Meat 1.

A method for producing meat substitute 1 in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 11. In the present embodiment, as an example, okara is used as the vegetable residue serving as the raw material for the medium 2, and calcium carbonate is used as the coagulant. Further, as the edible mushroom mycelium 3, Oyster mushroom mycelium 3 is used.

This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the culture medium generation step of step S101 shown in FIG. Therefore, the medium production process will be extracted and explained in FIG. 11.

In the culture medium generation process, in step S201, a mixed solution in which viscous sugars and glycine are dissolved in water is prepared in advance. Further, in step S202, a mixed powder is prepared by mixing dried okara and powdered sugars. As the sugar, for example, granulated sugar is used.
Note that the steps S201 and S202 are not limited to the order shown in FIG. 11, and each step may be performed one after the other.

In step S203, the above-mentioned liquid mixture is added little by little to the mixed powder and mixed.
At this time, it is desirable that the ratio of the amounts of okara, granulated sugar, glycine, and water be 25:1:1:50. Note that the amounts of granulated sugar and glycine added may be reduced or may not be added. Furthermore, edible cellulose may be added.

Then, in step S211, a paste-like material dissolved in water and kneaded until it becomes paste-like is further added to the konjac flour and mixed. At this time, it is desirable that the ratio of the amount of dissolved konjac powder to water be 15:200. Note that the value of the ratio of konnyaku flour can be reduced to 2, and the value of the ratio of water can be increased to 400. Further, the amount of konnyaku flour is preferably 1 to 20% of the amount of okara mixed in the production of medium 2.

Further, in step S212, calcium carbonate dissolved in water is added little by little and further mixed to generate a base for the medium 2. At this time, the ratio of the amount of dissolved calcium carbonate to water is preferably 1:5. Adding calcium carbonate solidifies the base material and improves formability.

The base material produced here is formed into a flat plate with a thickness of 4 cm or into multiple spheres with a diameter of 1 to 4 cm, and simmered in boiling water for 30 minutes. Note that the thickness when the base material is made into a flat plate and the diameter when it is made into a spherical shape are not limited to the above ranges, but the boiling time can be shortened by keeping them within the above ranges.

When the simmering is completed, the stewed base material is poured into a colander or the like and rinsed with water to remove the rough heat.Then, the base material is cut as necessary so that it can be easily placed in the culture container 100.

In step S204, the culture container 100 is filled with a matrix and left to stand for 30 minutes, thereby completing the production of the medium 2 for culturing the mycelia 3. At this point, the culture medium generation process shown in FIG. 11 is completed.

After that, returning to FIG. 2, the substitute meat 1 is manufactured through the manufacturing process from step S103 onwards, as in the first embodiment, and is provided to consumers.

<3. Summary and modifications>
According to the embodiment described above, the meat substitute 1 is prepared by invading an edible medium 2 made of vegetable residue such as okara, bran, or rice bran with mycelium 3 of an edible mushroom such as oyster mushroom. It is something. That is, the medium 2 itself, in which the edible mushroom mycelia 3 are spread, is provided as the meat substitute 1.

Therefore, by adding the texture of the medium 2 itself in addition to the texture of the mycelium 3, it is possible to bring the texture of the meat substitute 1 closer to that of animal meat, making it suitable for use as a meat substitute 1. Quality improves.

In addition, the substitute meat 1 can be produced by, for example, a culture medium generation step (see S101 in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, etc.) of producing an edible medium 2 using plant residues, and culturing edible mushroom mycelia 3 in the medium 2. It is manufactured by a culture step of spreading the hyphae 3 in the medium 2 (see S103 in FIG. 2, FIG. 5, etc.).

In the culture medium generation process, by using plant residues instead of whole unused plant raw materials as raw materials for culture medium 2, the cost of producing culture medium 2 is lower than when using unused plant raw materials. reduced. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the manufacturing cost of the meat substitute 1 and provide the inexpensive meat substitute 1 to the market.

Note that the vegetable residues used include, for example, the above-mentioned okara, bran, or rice bran, but vegetable residues such as vegetable peels, fruit peels, and vegetable scraps can also be used. In this case, the fibers of vegetables and fruits imitate the fibers of edible animal meat, and the texture of the meat substitute 1 can be brought closer to the texture of edible animal meat.

In addition, in the medium generation step, the medium 2 can be generated by mixing sugar such as granulated sugar with the plant residue. By mixing granulated sugar with the plant residue, it is possible to promote the elongation (proliferation) of the hyphae 3 at the initial stage of culturing.

Furthermore, in the medium generation step, the medium 2 can also be generated by mixing an amino acid such as glycine with the plant residue. By mixing glycine with the plant residue, it is possible to promote the elongation (proliferation) of the hyphae 3 at the initial stage of culturing.

In addition, by culturing mycelium 3 in medium 2 without using an aqueous medium in the culture process, there is no need to dispose of waste liquid generated when an aqueous medium is used, and the manufacturing cost of meat substitute 1 can be reduced. Can be done. Furthermore, since an aqueous medium is not used, there is no need to prepare a culture container 100 strong enough to withstand the weight of the liquid, so the range of choices for the culture container 100 for culturing the hyphae 3 is expanded.

Furthermore, since there is no need to discard the medium 2 in which the mycelia 3 have been cultured in the culture process, disposal costs can be reduced, and there is no fear that the disposal of the medium 2 will affect the ecosystem or environment. That is, it becomes possible to produce the substitute meat 1 with consideration to the environment.

In the meat substitute 1 in the embodiment, the medium 2 may be mixed with edible cellulose such as wood flour. In this case, the medium 2 is generated, for example, by mixing vegetable residue and edible cellulose in the medium generation process (see S202, etc. in FIG. 3).

By adding edible cellulose as a raw material for the medium 2, it is possible to suppress the sourness that occurs in the meat substitute 1 after culturing the mycelia 3. Therefore, the taste of the meat substitute 1 can be brought closer to that of animal meat, and the quality of the meat substitute 1 is improved.

In the meat substitute 1 in the embodiment, the culture medium 2 may be mixed with an expanding agent such as baking soda. In this case, the medium 2 is generated, for example, by mixing a swelling agent with the plant residue in the medium generation process (see S202 in FIG. 3, etc.).

When the medium 2 is expanded by the expansion agent, voids are created inside. As a result, the mycelia 3 extend into the voids created during culture, thereby increasing the bacterial cell density of the medium 2. By increasing the mycelial density, the tear resistance of edible animal meat can be reproduced in the substitute meat 1, the quality of the meat substitute 1 can be brought closer to that of edible animal meat, and the quality of the substitute meat 1 is improved.

Additionally, as the mycelium density increases, the amount of glutamic acid and guanylic acid, which are the substances responsible for the umami flavor of mushrooms, increases. This increases the flavor components contained in the meat substitute 1, making it possible to bring the taste closer to that of animal meat.

In the meat substitute 1 in the embodiment, konjac flour and a coagulant may be mixed in the medium 2. In this case, for example, in the medium generation step, the medium 2 is generated by mixing konjac flour and a coagulant with the vegetable residue (see S211 to S212 in FIG. 11, etc.).

By adding konjac flour as a raw material for the medium 2, the elasticity of the medium 2 is improved, the chewiness of the meat substitute 1 can be brought closer to that of animal meat, and the quality of the meat substitute 1 is improved. Furthermore, the moldability of the medium 2 is improved by mixing the coagulant.
Furthermore, before filling the culture container 100 with the culture medium 2 mixed with konjac flour and a coagulant, the culture medium 2 can be previously blanched in boiling water for about 30 minutes and cut into 1 cm square pieces. Thereby, voids are likely to be formed when the culture container 100 is filled, and an environment in which the hyphae 3 can easily grow can be easily realized.

In the meat substitute 1 in the embodiment, seaweed or wood ear fungus may be mixed in the medium 2. Examples of seaweed used here include grated yam kelp and wakame wakame. In addition, it is desirable that the stems of wakame and wood ear mushrooms are cut into 1 to 5 mm square pieces.

By mixing seaweed and wood ear mushrooms, it is possible to simulate the texture of the muscle and cartilage of animal meat. In this way, it is also possible to reproduce the texture of a specific part of animal meat.

In this case, for example, in the culture medium generation step, seaweed or wood ear fungus can be mixed at any timing of steps S202, S203, S211, and S212 shown in FIG.
At this time, it is desirable that the ratio of amounts of mixed vegetable residue (okara), granulated sugar, glycine, seaweed, etc. be 25:1:1:75.

In the culturing step in the embodiment, the medium 2 is crushed once during culturing of the mycelium 3, and after the crushed pieces 2a are mixed, the mycelium 3 can be cultured again (S103 in FIG. 2, FIG. (See S303, etc.). As a result, re-cultivation is performed in a state in which the crushed pieces 2a in which mycelia 3 have spread and the crushed pieces 2a in which mycelia 3 have not sufficiently spread are substantially uniformly mixed.

Therefore, the hyphae 3 can be uniformly spread as shown in FIG. 10, even in areas distant from the place where the seed fungus 3a is inoculated as shown in FIG. As a result, the texture of each part of the generated meat substitute 1 can be made uniform, and the quality of the meat substitute 1 can be further improved.

Also, by refilling the culture container 100 with the crushed pieces 2a, voids are created inside. As a result, the hyphae 3 extend into the voids created during re-cultivation, further increasing the cell density of the medium 2. By increasing the mycelial density, the tear resistance of edible animal meat can be reproduced in the substitute meat 1, the quality of the meat substitute 1 can be brought closer to that of edible animal meat, and the quality of the substitute meat 1 is improved. Furthermore, by increasing the mycelium density, the flavor components contained in the meat substitute 1 can be increased.

Furthermore, by filling the culture container 100 with the crushed pieces 2a in which mycelium 3 is spread almost uniformly, the culture time until the mycelium 3 spreads throughout the medium 2 can be shortened. Furthermore, by pulverizing the medium 2 once, the carbon dioxide emitted from the hyphae 3 during the culture process is emitted from the lower part of the medium 2, and the elongation momentum of the hyphae 3 is activated again.

In addition, in the culture medium generation step, instead of pulverizing and refilling the medium 2, the culture medium 2 during culture may be stacked or rolled into a roll to perform reculture. By doing this, the hyphae 3 concentrated on the surface side of the medium 2 can be rearranged inside the medium 2 as shown in FIG. It is possible to shorten the time it takes to do so.

In the culturing process in the embodiment, the culturing temperature of the hyphae 3 can be made lower in a predetermined period immediately before the end of the culturing process than in a period other than the predetermined period (see S304 in FIG. 5, etc.). The predetermined period here is, for example, 1 to 4 days before the completion of culture.

By applying low temperature stimulation immediately before the completion of culture, the elongation of the hyphae 3 is further promoted. Therefore, the density of mycelia 3 in the medium 2 increases, the texture and taste of the meat substitute 1 can be brought closer to those of animal meat, and the quality of the meat substitute 1 is improved.

Furthermore, as the flavor of the meat substitute 1 itself increases and the quality approaches that of animal meat, it becomes possible to omit the seasoning step of seasoning the meat substitute 1 shown in step S104 in FIG. .

In the embodiment, a seasoning process may be further provided in which the substitute meat 1 that has been cultured in the above-mentioned culture process is immersed in a seasoning liquid (see S104 in FIG. 2, etc.). As a result, the substitute meat 1 is seasoned, and by immersing it in the liquid, substances that cause sourness and odor remaining in the substitute meat 1 flow out into the liquid.

Therefore, it is possible to remove the sour taste and odor peculiar to the meat substitute 1, while providing a seasoning similar to that of animal meat. Thereby, the quality of the substitute meat 1 can be further improved.

In the embodiment, a freezing step of freezing the substitute meat 1 that has been cultured in the above-mentioned culturing step can be further provided (see S105 in FIG. 2, etc.). As a result, when the meat substitute 1 is thawed, the cell walls constituting the meat substitute 1 are destroyed, the guanylate synthase is allowed to flow out of the cells, and the chances of the enzyme coming into contact with ribonucleic acid can be increased.

Therefore, the amount of guanylic acid, which is a flavor component of the meat substitute 1, can be increased, making the taste of the meat substitute 1 more similar to that of animal meat, and the quality of the meat substitute 1 is improved.

In addition, methods to destroy the cell wall and to lose the enzyme activity related to the formation of flavor components of mycelia 3 prevalent in the medium 2 of the meat substitute 1 include freezing and thawing the meat substitute 1, drying it, immersing it in water, and pressurizing it. etc. are possible. Cell walls can be disrupted by one or a combination of these techniques. Each method can be performed in the steps described above; for example, drying, immersion in water, and pressurization may be performed in the seasoning step shown in step S104 in FIG. 2.

Furthermore, by frying the generated meat substitute 1 after the culturing process in step S103 shown in FIG. 2 of the embodiment is completed, the sticky texture of the meat substitute 1 is removed and the texture becomes that of animal meat You can get close.

In this case, the produced meat substitute 1 is cut into pieces about 5 mm thick and fried in oil at a temperature of 130 to 150°C for about 10 seconds to 3 minutes. Then, fry twice in oil at a temperature of 150-180°C for about 10 seconds to 3 minutes.

After the double frying is completed, the fried meat substitute 1 is cooled while removing the oil. Then, the cooled meat substitute 1 is steamed for about 20 seconds. As a result, excess moisture in the meat substitute 1 is removed, and the moisture content of the meat substitute 1 can be made uniform.

Furthermore, after the culturing process in step S103 of the embodiment is completed, so-called extruder processing can be performed. Specifically, the produced meat substitute 1 is pulverized, and the pulverized meat substitute 1 is mixed with an extruder, heated, and pressurized while adding water if necessary, to form the fibrous meat substitute 1 again. In addition, the substitute meat 1 can be dried before or after pulverization. By drying Alternative Meat 1 in advance, the amount of flavor produced can be increased by adding water with an extruder.

By forming fibers through extruder processing, the texture of meat substitute 1 can be brought closer to that of animal meat. Furthermore, by pulverizing the meat substitute 1, the bitterness and sourness after culturing can be reduced, making it easier to perceive the flavor.

Furthermore, after the culturing process in step S103 of the embodiment is completed, the substitute meat 1 can be manufactured, for example, by performing a freezing process (S105), a thawing and seasoning process (S106, S104), and a cooking process (S107) in this order.

Specifically, after the cultivation process is completed, as a freezing process, the medium 2 (substitute meat 1) in which mycelium 3 is spread is transferred to a container such as a vial, and freeze-dried for 1 to 10 days using a freeze dryer. The minimum temperature for freezing is set at -20 to -40°C.
This freeze-drying prevents the meat substitute 1 from denaturing and removes excess water while maintaining the nutritional value of the meat substitute 1. By uniformly removing moisture within the meat substitute 1, the fibrous texture of animal meat can be more reproduced.

After the freezing step, the substitute meat 1 is cooked by immersing the frozen substitute meat 1 in a seasoning solution while thawing it in the thawing and seasoning step, and baking the substitute meat 1 cut into approximately 5 mm thick pieces in the cooking step. Ru.

A method for producing the meat substitute 1 described above may also include a method that does not use a freeze dryer.
For example, after the cultivation step is completed, the meat substitute 1 is frozen at −20° C. or lower for 24 hours or more as a freezing step. Thereafter, in a thawing and seasoning process, the substitute meat 1 is thawed, and drips generated from the thawed substitute meat 1 are removed by centrifugal dehydration or the like, and then immersed in a seasoning liquid. The defrosting here may be performed using a microwave oven or by heating. In addition, when heating, it is necessary to adjust the temperature to a level that does not cause the substitute meat 1 to burn. In the subsequent cooking process, the seasoned meat substitute 1 is cooked, for example, by cutting it into pieces about 5 mm thick and baking them.
By such a method, the substitute meat 1 that reproduces the fibrous texture of animal meat can be produced at a lower cost than using a freeze dryer.

Furthermore, a drying step can be performed instead of the freezing step (S105) and the thawing step (S106) of the embodiment. In this case, after the culturing process in step S103 shown in FIG. 2 is completed, a drying process, a seasoning process (S104), and a cooking process (S107) are performed in this order.

For example, after the culturing process is completed, the cultured meat substitute 1 is cut into 1-5 mm thick pieces and dried in the drying process. During drying, heat may be applied at a temperature that does not cause burning (60 to 80°C is preferred). By blowing air and dehumidifying at the same time as heating, the speed of drying can be improved.
By drying the meat substitute 1 in this way, the meat substitute 1 can be provided to consumers as a food that can be stored for a long period of time. Further, as described above, the substitute meat 1 that reproduces the fibrous texture of animal meat can be produced at a lower cost than using a freeze dryer.

After the above drying process, the substitute meat 1 is immersed in water or a seasoning liquid one day before cooking as a seasoning process, and then, as a cooking process, the substitute meat 1 is cooked by grilling or otherwise rehydrating it.

Further, after the culturing process in step S103 of the embodiment is completed, the meat substitute 1 can be cut into pieces about 2 cm thick, the cut meat substitute 1 and the seasoning liquid can be packed in a pouch, and the pouch can be degassed and packaged. In this case, the meat substitute 1 and the seasoning liquid packed in the pouch are sterilized by a retort sterilizer and then provided to the consumer. Sterilization is carried out at 100-130°C for about 3 minutes to 2 hours.
This saves the consumer the trouble of additionally cooking and seasoning the food, and it is possible to provide the food to the consumer as a food that can be stored at room temperature for a long period of time.
Note that at this time, a bag compatible with a retort can also be used as the culture container 100. In this case, after the culturing process in step S103 is completed, the seasoning liquid can be directly filled into the bag of the culturing container 100 containing the substitute meat 1, and sterilization can be performed using a retort sterilizer. This makes it possible to eliminate the step of enclosing the substitute meat 1 in another bag after the culturing step.
Also in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, after the culture process in step S103 is completed, the culture container 100 used in the culture process may be used as is until the thawing process in step S106. That is, the culture container 100 used in the culture process can be used as is as packaging for the meat substitute 1 when provided to consumers. This also makes it possible to eliminate the step of transferring the substitute meat 1 to another container after the culturing step.

Finally, the effects described in this disclosure are examples and are not limited, and other effects may be achieved or only some of the effects described in this disclosure may be achieved. It's okay. Furthermore, not all combinations of configurations described in the embodiments are essential to solving the problem.

1 Meat substitute 2 Medium 2a Crushed pieces 3 Mycelia 3a Inoculum 100 Culture container

Claims (18)

1. a medium generation step of generating an edible medium using the edible residue;
   A culturing step of spreading the mycelium in the medium by culturing the mycelia of edible mushrooms in the medium;
   A method for producing a substitute meat comprising:
2. The method for producing a meat substitute according to claim 1, wherein in the medium generation step, the medium is generated by mixing the residue and edible cellulose.
3. The method for producing a meat substitute according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the culturing step, the medium in which the hyphae are cultured is crushed, and after the pulverized medium is mixed, the hyphae are cultured again. .
4. The method for producing meat substitute according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the culture temperature of the mycelium is lowered during a predetermined period immediately before the end of the culturing step than during a period other than the predetermined period.
5. The method for producing a meat substitute according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the medium generation step, the medium is generated by mixing sugar with the residue.
6. The method for producing a meat substitute according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the medium generation step, the medium is generated by mixing an expanding agent with the residue.
7. The method for producing a meat substitute according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the medium generation step, the medium is generated by mixing konjac flour and a coagulant with the residue.
8. The method for producing a meat substitute according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the medium generation step, the medium is generated by mixing seaweed or wood ear fungus with the residue.
9. The method for producing a meat substitute according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the medium generation step, the medium is generated by mixing amino acids with the residue.
10. The method for producing a meat substitute according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a seasoning step of immersing the medium in which the mycelia have been spread in the culturing step in a seasoning liquid.
11. The method for producing meat substitute according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a freezing step of freezing the medium in which the mycelia have been spread in the culturing step.
12. The method for producing a meat substitute according to claim 1 or 2, wherein okara, bran, or rice bran is used as the residue.
13. The method for producing a meat substitute according to claim 2, wherein wood flour is used as the edible cellulose.
14. A meat substitute made by spreading edible mushroom mycelia in an edible medium using edible residue.
15. The meat substitute according to claim 14, wherein the medium is mixed with edible cellulose.
16. The meat substitute according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the medium is mixed with a swelling agent.
17. The meat substitute according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the medium contains konjac flour and a coagulant.
18. The meat substitute according to claim 14 or 15, wherein seaweed or wood ear fungus is mixed in the medium.

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