firstly , to achieve a sense of eating or texture close to that of the natural truffle , which is unique to this fungi , an optimum fibrous substance was selected . a suitable fibrous substance must be stable against the thermal effects of cooking when the product is used as an ingredient of a stew or soup . a variety of samples were tested , and alginic acid in the form of calcium salt was found to have a close resemblance , in the sense of texture when chewed , to the natural truffle and be optimum in terms of its thermal stability . alginic acid is available on the market as a sodium salt which is convertible into a calcium salt in the herein disclosed process of production of the artificial truffle . a variety of soluble calcium salts are usable , such as calcium chloride and calcium acetate . with a view toward the safety of food additives , it is desirable to use calcium lactate . secondly , in order to secure the smoothness and stickiness of texture unique to the natural truffle , an optimum protein and starch were selected . soybean protein or albumen was selected as the protein component , and cyclodextrin ( c . d .) is the preferred starch component . c . d . is a derivative of starch which has the empirical formula ( c 6 h 10 o 5 ) n where &# 34 ; n &# 34 ; equals 6 , 7 or 8 and can be represented by the structural formula : ## str1 ## c . d . has the ability of strongly absorbing odors and works to remove the strong odor of a garlic extract which is preferably used as a trace element in the truffle composition , as will be explained hereinafter . lastly , a selection of trace elements was added which are contained in the natural truffle and have restorative effects . ginseng and garlic have restorative effects similar to that of the truffle and were found to be most suitable . garlic extractives were selected because of cost considerations . accordingly , approximately 7 - 15 , preferably about 10 , parts by weight of sodium alginate selected as the fibrous component , approximately 2 . 5 parts by weight of soybean protein or albumen selected as the protein component , approximately 1 part by weight of cyclodextrin selected as the starch component , approximately 0 . 5 part by weight of garlic extractives selected as the trace elements , approximately 2 . 5 parts by weight of black pigment , approximately 3 parts by weight of vegetable oil are mixed with approximately 80 parts by weight of water , and the mixture is kneaded . then , the dough is formed into balls or spheres each weighing about 10 g , with rough surface . the spheres are immersed in 3 % calcium lactate solution for about 20 hours to harden them during which time the sodium alginate is converted to calcium alginate . after the hardening process , the balls are washed well with water to wash away the calcium lactate from their surfaces , and the balls are then immersed and preserved in an appropriate prepared seasoning liquid . the optimum quantity of the sodium alginate is about 9 to 10 parts by weight . when the quantity is below this level , the product is too soft because it has an excessive water content , and when the quantity is above this level , the product is too hard because it has insufficient water content , and as a result , the product has an unsatisfactory sense of eating . the reason for immersing the spheres in the seasoning liquid to give the spheres smell and taste after , rather than before , the completion of the hardening step , is because the smell and taste may be eluted due to osmotic pressure , if the seasoning were present when the balls are immersed in the calcium lactate hardening solution . according to the method of production of the present invention as described so far , it is possible to produce an artificial truffle which gives a sense of eating close to that of the natural truffle , unique to fungi , and of which the appearance is very close to that of the natural truffle . the method of production has the merit of being able to provide artificial truffles in large quantities at low costs , at any time to meet the demand . 100 g of sodium alginate , 25 g of soybean protein , and 10 g of β - cyclodextrin ( c . d .) were combined with 700 cc of boiling water , and the mixture kneaded in a mixer for about 10 minutes . secondly , 25 g of black pigment , such as carbon powder made from rape seed oil , was dissolved in 140 cc of water , and this solution was added to the kneaded substance while kneading was continued . further , 5 g of garlic extractives and 30 g of vegetable oil , such as soybean oil , were added little by little while the mixture was kneaded for about 10 minutes . the kneaded substance was taken out of the mixer , and was formed into balls or spheres weighing about 10 g each with a rough surface . the spheres were immersed in 2 liters of 3 % calcium lactate solution . after about 20 hours , the hardened kneaded balls were taken out of the solution and washed with water , and then the balls were immersed and preserved in about 1800 cc of seasoning liquid . as a result , hardened kneaded balls which once weighed about 10 g each were swollen by absorbing the seasoning liquid to produce appropriate spherical artificial truffles , about 25 mm in diameter , and about 12 g in weight . the seasoning liquid was prepared by dissolving 50 g of a seasoning composition mainly consisting of amino acids , 1 . 5 g of truffle flavor , and 10 g of sodium sorbate in 1800 cc of water . the active ingredients of the seasoning composition consist of a mixture of amino acids sold under the trade name &# 34 ; amiflex a1 - 2 &# 34 ;, produced by takeda yakuhin k . k . of 2 - 27 dosyo - machi , higashi - ku , osaka , japan . the following amino acids are present in the seasoning composition : ______________________________________amino acids wt . percent______________________________________lysine 1 . 24histidine 0 . 94arginine 1 . 73asparagine acid 3 . 58threonine 1 . 84serine 3 . 25glutamic acid 20 . 41proline 7 . 43glycine 2 . 21alanine 2 . 81cystine 0 . 26valine 1 . 79methionine 0 . 44isoleucine 0 . 82leucine 1 . 58tyrosine 0 . 21phenylalanine 1 . 82total 52 . 36______________________________________ the truffle flavor used in the seasoning liquid may be a commercial artificial truffle flavor . for example , truffle flavor pg 7474 or truffle flavor no . 7074 sold by takata koryo k . k . of 7 - 22 - 2 tsukaguchihonmachi , amagasaki japan may be used in an amount between 1 - 2 grams . in this way , an artificial truffle , which was nearly indistinguishable from the natural truffle in terms of appearance , sense of eating , flavor , etc . was successfully produced . 90 g of sodium alginate , 25 g of powderized albumen , 10 g of β - cyclodextrin ( c . d .) were put into 700 cc of water , and the mixture was kneaded in a mixer for about 10 minutes . secondly , a very small quantity of brown pigment , such as cocao bean dye extract , was dissolved in 140 cc of water , and the solution was added to the kneaded substance while kneading was continued . further , 5 g of garlic extractives and 30 g of vegetable oil , such as olive oil , were added little by little while the mixture was kneaded for about 10 minutes . the kneaded substance was taken out of the mixer , and was formed into spheres weighing about 10 g each having a rough surface . the spheres were immersed in 2 liters of 3 % calcium lactate solution . after about 20 hours , the hardened kneaded substances were taken out of the solution and washed with water , and then immersed and preserved in a seasoning liquid . the seasoning liquid was prepared by dissolving 50 g of a seasoning mainly consisting of amino acids , 1 . 0 g of truffle flavor , and 1 g of sodium sorbate in 1800 cc of water . in this way , an artificial truffle , which was nearly indistinguishable from the natural truffle in terms of appearance , sense of eating , flavor , etc . was successfully produced . if desired to achieve a texture or sense of eating even closer to that of the natural truffle , there may also be included a quantity of carboxymethylcellulose or a natural gum powder such as gum arabic or xanthone gum . this component may be added to the sodium alginate , protein and starch and mixed with the water before kneading . to achieve the appropriate color , black and / or brown pigments may be added as mentioned . such pigments may comprise common vegetable dyes . for example , the black pigment may be carbon powder derived from rape seed oil , and the brown pigment may be a dye derived from cocao . the albumen used in the example 2 may be a natural dried albumen powder made from chicken eggs . the vegetable oil used in the examples was sirasimeyu ( i . e . soybean oil ) extracted from soybeans , but other vegetable oils may be used , such as olive oil and salad oil .
this disclosure relates to a method of producing an artificial truffle and to a composition forming an artificial truffle . the method includes the steps of mixing quantities of alginic acid , protein and starch with water , kneading the mixture , forming the kneaded mixture into one or more balls resembling the shape of a natural truffle , immersing the ball or balls in a solution of calcium salt until the balls have hardened , removing the balls from the solution , forming a seasoning liquid containing seasoning and flavor , and immersing the balls in the liquid .