PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for producing a mature food, enabling even a person challenged of chewing and swallowing to recognize what food is being ingested and ingest it with a sense of satisfaction, and efficiently and readily producing, in a short time matured food retaining the original shape of a food material and softened, and especially, mainly dissolving the connective tissue protein of an animal food material, adjusting the extent of dissolution, reducing the elasticity, and improving the palatability.SOLUTION: This method for producing the mature food comprises a splitting enzyme introducing process of evenly containing splitting enzyme which is brought into contact with the surface of a food material in the inside of the food material by pressure treatment, and a maturing process of dissolving an enzyme substrate contained in the food material, while the shape of the food material is retained by the action of the splitting enzyme. The splitting enzyme introducing process has a swelling process of making the food material swell in a condition of retaining the shape by reduced pressure treatment, and a compression process of compressing the swollen food material into a volume which is smaller than that of the original food material.COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT【課題】咀嚼・嚥下が困難な者も摂取する食品が何であるかを認識し満足感をもって摂取することができ、食品素材の本来の形状を保持して軟化させた熟成食品を短時間で効率よく、容易に製造することができ、特に、動物性の食品素材の結合組織タンパク質を主として分解させ、その程度を調整し弾力性を低下させ、呈味性を向上させることができる熟成食品の製造方法を提供する。【解決手段】食品素材の表面に接触させた分解酵素を圧力処理により食品素材の内部に均一に含有させる分解酵素導入工程、分解酵素の作用により食品素材の形状を保持したまま食品素材に含まれる酵素基質を分解させる熟成工程を含み、分解酵素導入工程が、食品素材を減圧処理により形状を保持した状態で膨張させる膨張工程と、膨張した食品素材を元の食品素材の体積より小さい体積に圧縮させる圧縮工程とを有する。【選択図】なし
