HK1261031B - Method for producing non-fried noodles - Google Patents

Description

Method for producing non-fried noodles

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method for producing non-fried noodles with reduced sodium content.

Background Art

In recent years, a large number of so-called low-salt products have been released to prevent high blood pressure. The 2010 edition of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's "Dietary Intake Guidelines for Japanese People" set the daily salt intake target at less than 9g for adult men and less than 7.5g for adult women. In contrast, the 2015 edition of the "Dietary Intake Guidelines for Japanese People" set the daily salt intake target at less than 8g for adult men and less than 7g for adult women. These reductions suggest that the desire to reduce salt intake will continue to grow.

As a technique for reducing salt in the surface, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 4 are disclosed.

Patent Document 1 describes a technique for producing udon noodles having sufficient elasticity even with a smaller amount of added salt than conventional udon noodles. The technique describes udon noodles comprising wheat flour, a paste composition, and water, and containing xanthan gum, locust bean gum, and guar gum as the paste composition.

Patent Document 2 describes a technique for producing salt-free or reduced-salt Chinese noodles by mixing arginine or an arginine salt with wheat flour.

Patent Document 3 describes noodles containing one or both of isomaltulose and reduced isomaltulose and a method for producing the noodles as noodles with a reduced or even zero content of sodium salt, particularly salt and sodium carbonate, and a method for producing the noodles.

Patent Document 4 describes a method for producing noodles using magnesium chloride contained in bittern as a technique for producing salt-free noodles without adding salt.

Prior art literature

Patent Literature

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-84772

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-213434

Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent No. 4644298

Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent No. 4761534

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing low-sodium non-fried noodles that are excellent in noodle making properties and have excellent texture and flavor.

Means used to solve problems

The inventors studied the technology of making noodles without adding salt during the process of reducing salt. As a result, they found that when potassium lactate was added to make noodles, the noodles could be made as good as those made by adding salt in the past, and the flavor and taste were not inferior, which led to the present invention.

That is, a method for producing non-fried noodles, characterized by comprising: a step of kneading a main ingredient flour, water, and, as a secondary ingredient, potassium lactate in an amount of at least 1 to 3% by weight relative to the total weight of the main ingredient flour to prepare a raw dough; a step of preparing noodles from the prepared raw dough; a step of steaming and gelatinizing the prepared noodles; and a step of drying the gelatinized noodles with hot air.

In the present invention, it is preferred that the 7-14 wt% non-fried noodles dried by hot air be further heated with high-temperature hot air at 120-200°C, a mixed gas of high-temperature hot air and water vapor, or superheated steam until the moisture content is reduced to 3-6 wt%.

Effects of the Invention

According to the present invention, a method for producing low-sodium, non-fried noodles having excellent noodle making properties, texture, and flavor can be provided.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the following description.

1. Raw material combination

Examples of the main raw material flour used in the production of the non-fried noodles of the present invention include wheat flour (including durum wheat flour), buckwheat flour, barley flour, rice flour, and other cereal flours, as well as various starches such as potato starch, tapioca starch, and corn starch. These can be used alone or in combination. Raw starch, pregelatinized starch, and processed starches such as acetylated starch, etherified starch, and cross-linked starch can also be used as the starch.

In addition, in the present invention, potassium lactate is added as a secondary raw material at 1 to 3% by weight relative to the total weight of these main raw material flours. By adding potassium lactate, non-fried noodles with sufficient noodle-making properties and a good taste can be produced even without adding salt. The method of addition is not particularly limited, but it is preferably added by dissolving it in the kneading water. If potassium lactate is less than 1% by weight, the stretchability and viscoelasticity of the raw material will be insufficient without adding salt, making it difficult to obtain noodles with sufficient noodle-making properties and an elastic texture. On the other hand, if more than 3% by weight of potassium lactate is added, not only will the flavor of the noodles be affected, but the water absorption will increase, causing the noodles to become soft during cooking. A more preferred amount of potassium lactate added is 1.5 to 2.0% by weight relative to the total weight of the main raw material flours.

Other auxiliary ingredients commonly used in the production of non-fried noodles in the present invention include salt, alkaline agents, phosphates, various thickeners, noodle improvers, edible oils and fats, pH adjusters, various pigments such as carotene pigments, and preservatives. These can be added with the main ingredient flour or dissolved or suspended in the kneading water. When adding alkaline agents such as carbonates or phosphates, even if sodium salts are added, the sodium content is low and thus does not significantly affect salt reduction. However, it is preferable to use potassium salts and avoid sodium salts as much as possible.

2. Mixing process

The method for producing the raw dough of the present invention can be carried out according to conventional methods. Specifically, the raw flour and kneading water can be uniformly mixed using a batch mixer, fluidized jet mixer, vacuum mixer, or the like to produce the raw dough in a chopped form.

3. Noodle making process

Next, noodles are made from the prepared raw dough. Conventional methods can be used, including methods where the raw dough is extruded using an extruder or similar device to produce noodles; methods where the raw dough is passed through rollers to form a thick noodle strip, then formed into a noodle strip by laminating or other methods. The strip is then passed through rollers and rolled multiple times to a desired thickness, and then cut using cutting rollers, known as cutting blades, to produce noodles. When producing noodles after the noodle strip is produced, the noodle strip can be produced using an extruder and then rolled and cut. Alternatively, multiple layers of noodle strips can be stacked and then rolled and cut. When producing the noodle strip or noodles using an extruder or similar device, it is preferably done under reduced pressure.

4. Steaming process

The raw noodles obtained in the noodle-making process are steamed using conventional methods to gelatinize the noodles. The preferred steaming conditions vary depending on the type and thickness of the noodles, so the preferred conditions can be appropriately selected based on the desired texture. Steaming methods are not limited to boiling or heating with saturated steam; heating with superheated steam can also be used, and can be combined with water replenishment steps such as spraying or immersion. The cooked noodles can also be dipped in a seasoning solution or added with a leavening agent, as needed.

5. Drying process

Cut the noodles into single-serving portions, measure them, and place them in a container called a drying holder to dry. Drying is generally performed at a temperature of 60-100°C. A combination of drying conditions can be used to achieve a moisture content of 14.5% by weight or less after drying.

At this point, the dried non-fried noodles are preferably further heat-treated. For non-fried noodles dried to 7-14% by weight, the dried noodle blocks are preferably heated and dried with high-temperature hot air at 120-200°C, a mixture of high-temperature hot air and steam, or superheated steam until the moisture content is reduced to 3-6% by weight. Heat-treating the dried noodles reduces the bitterness characteristic of potassium lactate.

According to the above method, a main ingredient flour, water, and potassium lactate as a secondary ingredient in an amount of at least 1 to 3% by weight relative to the total weight of the main ingredient flour are kneaded to produce a raw dough, noodles are made from the prepared raw dough, and the noodles are steamed and hot-air dried to produce non-fried noodles. This method can provide a low-sodium non-fried noodle production method with excellent noodle making properties, texture, and flavor.

Example

The present embodiment is further described in detail with reference to the following examples.

<Experiment 1> Addition amount of potassium lactate

(Example 1-1)

5 g of calcium carbonate was powdered as a secondary raw material into a main raw material powder consisting of 950 g of wheat flour and 50 g of acetylated tapioca starch. Then, kneading water prepared by dissolving 19.2 g of a 78% potassium lactate aqueous solution (as 15 g of potassium lactate), 3 g of trisodium phosphate, 1 g of sodium pyrophosphate, and 0.4 g of a tocopherol preparation in 350 g of water was added and mixed for 15 minutes using a normal pressure mixer to prepare a raw dough.

The prepared raw dough was rolled into a rough noodle strip and laminated to produce a noodle strip. The prepared noodle strip was rolled using a roller to a final thickness of 0.9 mm and cut using a No. 26 round cutting blade roller to produce noodles.

Next, the noodles were steamed for 2 minutes and 30 seconds in a steaming tank into which saturated steam at 270 kg/h was introduced to gelatinize the noodles.

The gelatinized noodles were immersed in a 1L loosening solution containing 12g of soybean dietary fiber, 4g of sodium glutamine, and 1g of emulsified oil dissolved in water. The noodles were then cut into approximately 30cm pieces and a 120g portion was placed in a container. The noodles were then dried at 70°C for 50 minutes to obtain a non-fried noodle sample with a moisture content of 7% by weight. The noodle weight at this point was 50g.

(Example 1-2)

A non-fried noodle sample was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1-1 except that the amount of potassium lactate added was 12.8 g (10 g as potassium lactate).

(Examples 1-3)

A non-fried noodle sample was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1-1 except that the amount of potassium lactate added was changed to 25.6 g (20 g as potassium lactate).

(Examples 1-4)

A non-fried noodle sample was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1-1 except that the added amount of potassium lactate was changed to 38.4 g (30 g as potassium lactate).

(Comparative Example 1-1)

A non-fried noodle sample was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1-1 except that 5 g of powdered calcium carbonate was mixed as a secondary ingredient with a main raw material flour consisting of 950 g of wheat flour and 50 g of acetylated tapioca starch. Kneading water prepared by dissolving 15 g of salt, 3 g of trisodium phosphate, 1 g of sodium pyrophosphate, and 0.4 g of a tocopherol preparation in 350 g of water was added, and the mixture was mixed for 15 minutes using a normal pressure mixer to prepare a raw dough.

(Comparative Example 1-2)

A non-fried noodle sample was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1-1 except that the added amount of potassium lactate was changed to 6.4 g (5 g as potassium lactate).

(Comparative Examples 1-3)

A non-fried noodle sample was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1-1 except that the added amount of potassium lactate was changed to 44.8 g (35 g as potassium lactate).

The noodle preparation properties of each test area, as well as the texture and flavor of the cooked noodles, were evaluated based on Comparative Example 1-1. Noodle preparation properties that were equally good as those of Comparative Example 1-1 were rated as ◎, those that were generally good were rated as ○, those that were poor in preparation properties but could be machine-made were rated as △, and those that were poor in preparation properties and could not be machine-made were rated as ×.

Regarding the cooking method, the noodle sample and powder soup were placed in a cup-shaped foam paper cup container, 380 ml of boiling water was added, the lid was closed, and the noodle was cooked for 3 minutes. The texture and flavor were then tasted and evaluated. Evaluations were conducted by five experienced panelists. Texture was rated as good, similar to Comparative Example 1-1, with moderate springiness; slightly firm or slightly soft but generally good; slightly firm or slightly soft with a poor texture; and too firm or too soft with a very poor texture. Flavor was rated as good, similar to Comparative Example 1-1; generally good; bitter and poor; and strongly bitter and very poor.

The noodle making properties and sensory evaluation results of each test area in Experiment 1 are shown in Table 1 below.

[Table 1]

<Experiment 2> Heating after drying

(Example 2-1)

The non-fried noodles dried in Example 1-1 were heated at 140° C. and a wind speed of 50 m/s until the moisture content reached 4% by weight, thereby producing non-fried noodles.

(Example 2-2)

The non-fried noodles dried in Example 1-1 were heated with a mixture of hot air at 140°C and a velocity of 50 m/s and saturated steam (absolute humidity 200 g/m ³ ) until the moisture content became 4 wt %, to prepare non-fried instant noodle samples.

(Example 2-3)

The non-fried noodles dried in Example 1-1 were heated with superheated steam at 140° C. and 80 kg/h until the moisture content reached 4% by weight, thereby preparing non-fried instant noodle samples.

The sensory evaluation results of the flavor of each test area in Experiment 2 are shown in Table 2 below. Regarding the evaluation method, Example 1-1 was used as the benchmark. A score of ◯ indicated no bitterness compared to Example 1-1, a score of △ indicated equivalent to Example 1-1, and a score of × indicated inferior to Example 1-1.

[Table 2]

test area Flavor Commentary Example 2-1 ○ Almost no bitterness Example 2-2 ○ Almost no bitterness Example 2-3 ○ No bitterness at all

Claims (2)

1. A method for manufacturing non-fried noodles, characterized in that it includes: The process of mixing main raw material powder, water, and secondary raw materials to make raw fabric, wherein the secondary raw materials include potassium lactate in an amount of 1% to 3% by weight relative to the total weight of the main raw material powder. The process of making noodles from the prepared raw material; The process of steaming and boiling the prepared noodles to achieve α-cooking; The process of drying the α-treated noodles with hot air. 2. The method for manufacturing non-fried noodles according to claim 1, characterized in that, For non-fried noodles that are dried to 7% to 14% by weight in the process of drying the noodles by hot air, they are heated with high-temperature hot air at 120°C to 200°C, a mixture of high-temperature hot air and water vapor, or superheated steam until the moisture content is 3% to 6% by weight.