A method for protecting the texture characteristics of quick-frozen pasta products

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for protecting the textural properties of quick-frozen pasta products, which includes the following steps: pretreatment: adding dough raw materials and hydrogen-rich water to a dough mixer, stirring and mixing at a speed of 50 to 100 r / min, then kneading, pressing, proofing for 0.5 to 1.5 hours, exhausting and dividing to obtain pre-fermented dough; hydrogen-enriched treatment: placing the pre-fermented dough in a container, then introducing hydrogen to empty the air in the container, then sealing under normal pressure and performing ventilation treatment to obtain hydrogen-enriched dough; quick freezing; steaming: thawing the quick-frozen dough at a constant temperature, then proofing for 10 to 20 minutes, then steaming, and then cooling to room temperature to obtain the pasta product; the gas in the ventilation treatment includes hydrogen and / or a second gas; the density of the second gas is 0.17 to 0.18 g / L. The method for protecting the textural properties of quick-frozen pasta products provided by the present invention is beneficial for delaying the aging of steamed buns and protecting the integrity of the dough tissue.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of frozen food processing, in particular to a method for protecting the textural properties of quick-frozen pasta products. Background Art

[0002] During the production and processing of pasta, freezing technology is usually used to process the dough of the product. The dough is frozen and refrigerated in the semi-finished stage. When it is needed, it is thawed and then goes through subsequent processes and production processes until it becomes a finished product. Quick-frozen pasta products are widely used in bread production in Europe and the United States. For Chinese pasta such as steamed buns and other fermented pasta, its industrial production also has great potential. However, during the traditional freezing process, the water in the dough forms large ice crystals, which destroy the gluten network structure, resulting in a decrease in the dough's air holding capacity, loss of elasticity, deterioration of the internal organizational structure, deterioration of texture, hardening and falling apart, loss of the original fluffiness, and loss of flavor. These phenomena have a negative impact on its texture and taste, and reduce the quality of the product. Therefore, the development of new quick-frozen pasta product processing technology has become a hot topic in this field.

[0003] To address the impact of ice crystals during the freezing process, Hu et al. used ultrasound to assist in freezing dough. They found that ultrasound promoted ice crystal nucleation within the frozen dough, resulting in the formation of a large number of fine ice crystals within the frozen dough, improving its quality. Chow et al. used the rupture or movement of bubbles generated by ultrasonic cavitation to induce primary ice nucleation, breaking pre-existing dendritic ice crystals into smaller fragments. This, in turn, produced smaller crystals that promoted secondary ice nucleation, thereby shortening freezing time and improving the quality of the frozen product. Tagompri et al. also found that bubbles can alter the solid-liquid interfacial tension on the crystal surface, reducing the area where ice crystals can grow, thereby affecting ice crystal growth. However, this method can lead to problems such as hard pasta products and poor chewiness. Currently, only carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and xenon are used as gases to assist freezing, and reports on other gases to assist freezing are limited.

[0004] In summary, after extensive searches by the applicant, it has been found that at least in the art, the textural properties of pasta products obtained by the existing assisted freezing methods are still not ideal, and their hardness, chewiness and elasticity are poor. Therefore, it is necessary to develop or improve a method for protecting the textural properties of quick-frozen pasta products. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Based on this, in order to solve the problem that the texture properties of pasta products obtained by the existing auxiliary freezing method are still not ideal, and their hardness, chewiness and elasticity are poor, the present invention provides a method for protecting the texture properties of quick-frozen pasta products. The specific technical solution is as follows:

[0006] A method for protecting the textural properties of a quick-frozen pasta product comprises the following steps:

[0007] Pretreatment: Add the dough ingredients and hydrogen-rich water into a dough mixer, stir and mix at a speed of 50-100 r / min, then knead, press, proof for 0.5-1.5 hours, exhaust and divide to obtain pre-fermented dough;

[0008] Hydrogen enrichment treatment: placing the pre-fermented dough into a container, introducing hydrogen to exhaust the air in the container, and then sealing the container under normal pressure for ventilation to obtain hydrogen-enriched dough;

[0009] Quick freezing: airtightly wrapping the hydrogen-enriched dough, and then placing it in a refrigerator at -30 to -25°C until the center temperature of the hydrogen-enriched dough reaches -20 to -15°C, and then freezing it at -20 to -15°C for 6.5 to 7.5 days to obtain quick-frozen dough;

[0010] Steaming: thawing the quick-frozen dough at a constant temperature, then proofing it for 10 to 20 minutes, steaming it, and then cooling it to room temperature to obtain the pasta product;

[0011] The gas for ventilation treatment includes hydrogen and / or a second gas;

[0012] The density of the second gas is 0.17-0.18 g / L.

[0013] Furthermore, the method for preparing hydrogen-rich water comprises the following steps:

[0014] Purified water is placed in a sealed container, and then pure hydrogen is introduced. When the hydrogen concentration in the water reaches 0.5 to 1.0 ppm, the introduction of pure hydrogen is stopped to obtain the hydrogen-rich water.

[0015] Furthermore, the method for preparing the dough raw material comprises the following steps:

[0016] Stirring the starch and the fermentation mixture for 1.5 to 2.5 hours until the surface is smooth, thereby obtaining the dough raw material;

[0017] The mass ratio of the starch to the fermentation mixture is 96-98:1-5;

[0018] The fermentation mixture comprises active dry yeast, white sugar, butter, salt, hydrogen-rich water and purified water, wherein the mass ratio of the active dry yeast, white sugar, butter, salt, hydrogen-rich water and purified water is 1.0-1.2:5.5-6.5:3.5-4.5:0.5-1.5:9.5-10.5:29.5-30.5.

[0019] Furthermore, the ventilation flow rate of the ventilation treatment is 300-1200 mL / min, the ventilation time is 10-100 min, and the ventilation volume is 5-65 L.

[0020] Furthermore, the packaging bag in which the hydrogen-rich dough is airtightly wrapped is a food packaging bag, and the food packaging bag includes one of an aluminum film, a plastic wrap, and a fresh-keeping bag.

[0021] Furthermore, the conditions for constant temperature thawing are a temperature of 26 to 30° C., a humidity of 60 to 80%, and a time of 1 to 1.5 hours.

[0022] Furthermore, the steaming condition is to place the food on a steamer that is boiling and padded with gauze and steam until steam comes out, and continue steaming for 20 to 30 minutes.

[0023] Furthermore, the second gas is helium.

[0024] Furthermore, the gas for ventilation treatment is hydrogen and a second gas, and the volume ratio of the hydrogen and the second gas is 6-8:1-5.

[0025] Furthermore, the temperature of the ventilation treatment is -10 to -5°C.

[0026] The above technical solution adds hydrogen-rich water and conducts hydrogen and helium treatment in the production method of quick-frozen noodle products. By utilizing the good thermal conductivity and diffusivity of hydrogen, it can quickly diffuse into the dough matrix, form tiny bubbles when the dough matrix collapses, and act as ice nuclei; and the appropriate density, that is, the density of helium with a density of 0.17-0.18g / L, inhibits the growth volume of ice crystals and increases the trend of uniform distribution of ice crystals, thereby shortening the freezing time, and expanding the pore size of the pasta products during the steaming stage, promoting the fluffiness of the pasta products.

[0027] Hydrogen and helium are environmentally friendly gases. Using hydrogen and helium to assist freezing can reduce reliance on traditional freezing media, lowering carbon emissions and environmental pollution. Hydrogen has extremely strong permeability and diffusivity, which can increase freezing speed and heat transfer efficiency, shortening freezing time, while helium can increase the fluffiness of pasta products and the range of fixed freezing. Furthermore, based on hydrogen's strong permeability and high diffusivity, and helium's suitable density range for pasta products (0.17-0.18 g / L), hydrogen and helium are pre-introduced into the food before atmospheric pressure immersion freezing. The hydrogen enters the material to form bubbles, which then act as ice nuclei during the freezing process, increasing the overall freezing rate by accelerating the phase transition phase. Helium of appropriate density can expand the pore size of pasta products while inhibiting ice crystal growth, making the ice crystals smaller and more uniform, minimizing the quality degradation caused by ice crystal formation.

[0028] As clean energy sources, hydrogen and helium are low-carbon and environmentally friendly. Using hydrogen and helium to improve the texture of pasta products can reduce the use of certain traditional additives, improve food safety, and reduce carbon emissions during production. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 This is a scan of the longitudinal section of the steamed bun obtained in Comparative Example 1;

[0030] Figure 2 is a scanned image of the longitudinal section of the steamed bun obtained in Example 6;

[0031] Figure 3 is a scanned view of the longitudinal section of the steamed bun obtained in Example 7;

[0032] Figure 4 This is a scanned image of the longitudinal section of the steamed bun obtained in Example 8. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with its embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and do not limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0034] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains. The terms used herein in the specification of the present invention are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the present invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0035] In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for protecting the textural properties of a quick-frozen pasta product comprises the following steps:

[0036] Pretreatment: Add the dough ingredients and hydrogen-rich water into a dough mixer, stir and mix at a speed of 50-100 r / min, then knead, press, proof for 0.5-1.5 hours, exhaust and divide to obtain pre-fermented dough;

[0037] Hydrogen enrichment treatment: placing the pre-fermented dough into a container, introducing hydrogen to exhaust the air in the container, and then sealing the container under normal pressure for ventilation to obtain hydrogen-enriched dough;

[0038] Quick freezing: airtightly wrapping the hydrogen-enriched dough, and then placing it in a refrigerator at -30 to -25°C until the center temperature of the hydrogen-enriched dough reaches -20 to -15°C, and then freezing it at -20 to -15°C for 6.5 to 7.5 days to obtain quick-frozen dough;

[0039] Steaming: thawing the quick-frozen dough at a constant temperature, then proofing it for 10 to 20 minutes, steaming it, and then cooling it to room temperature to obtain the pasta product;

[0040] The gas for ventilation treatment includes hydrogen and / or a second gas;

[0041] The density of the second gas is 0.17-0.18 g / L.

[0042] In one embodiment, the method for preparing hydrogen-rich water comprises the following steps:

[0043] Purified water is placed in a sealed container, and then pure hydrogen is introduced. When the hydrogen concentration in the water reaches 0.5 to 1.0 ppm, the introduction of pure hydrogen is stopped to obtain the hydrogen-rich water.

[0044] In one embodiment, the method for preparing the dough raw material comprises the following steps:

[0045] Stirring the starch and the fermentation mixture for 1.5 to 2.5 hours until the surface is smooth, thereby obtaining the dough raw material;

[0046] The mass ratio of the starch to the fermentation mixture is 96-98:1-5;

[0047] The fermentation mixture comprises active dry yeast, white sugar, butter, salt, hydrogen-rich water and purified water, wherein the mass ratio of the active dry yeast, white sugar, butter, salt, hydrogen-rich water and purified water is 1.0-1.2:5.5-6.5:3.5-4.5:0.5-1.5:9.5-10.5:29.5-30.5.

[0048] In one embodiment, the ventilation treatment has a ventilation flow rate of 300 to 1200 mL / min, a ventilation time of 10 to 100 min, and a ventilation volume of 5 to 65 L.

[0049] In one embodiment, the packaging bag for airtightly wrapping the hydrogen-rich dough is a food packaging bag, and the food packaging bag includes one of an aluminum film, a plastic wrap, and a fresh-keeping bag.

[0050] In one embodiment, the constant temperature thawing conditions are a temperature of 26 to 30° C., a humidity of 60 to 80%, and a time of 1 to 1.5 hours.

[0051] In one embodiment, the steaming condition is to place the food on a steamer that is boiling and padded with gauze and steam until steam is emitted, and continue steaming for 20 to 30 minutes.

[0052] In one embodiment, the second gas is helium.

[0053] In one embodiment, the gas for ventilation treatment is hydrogen and a second gas, and the volume ratio of the hydrogen and the second gas is 6-8:1-5.

[0054] In one embodiment, the temperature of the ventilation treatment is -10 to -5°C.

[0055] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to specific examples.

[0056] Example 1:

[0057] Preparation of hydrogen-rich water: Place pure water in a sealed container, then introduce pure hydrogen until the hydrogen concentration in the water reaches 0.9ppm, then stop introducing pure hydrogen to obtain hydrogen-rich water.

[0058] Preparation of dough raw materials: Add starch and fermentation mixture into a dough mixer, stir and mix at a speed of 80 r / min for 2 hours until the surface is smooth to obtain dough raw materials; the mass ratio of starch to fermentation mixture is 97:3; the fermentation mixture includes active dry yeast, white sugar, butter, salt, hydrogen-rich water and purified water, among which the mass ratio of active dry yeast, white sugar, butter, salt, hydrogen-rich water and purified water is 1.1:6:4:1:10:30.

[0059] Pretreatment: Add the dough ingredients and hydrogen-rich water into a dough mixer and stir at a speed of 70 r / min to mix thoroughly. Then, knead, press, and proof the dough for 1 hour. After exhausting and observing cross-section until there are no obvious large holes, divide the dough into 90g pre-fermented doughs in equal parts to obtain smooth pre-fermented doughs.

[0060] Hydrogen enrichment treatment: the pre-fermented dough is placed in a container, hydrogen is introduced into the container to exhaust the air, and then the container is sealed under normal pressure for ventilation to obtain hydrogen-enriched dough;

[0061] Quick freezing: the hydrogen-enriched dough is sealed and then placed in a -25°C refrigerator until the center temperature of the hydrogen-enriched dough reaches -18°C, and then frozen at -18°C for 7 days to obtain quick-frozen dough;

[0062] Steaming: Thaw the quick-frozen dough at a constant temperature of 26°C and 80% humidity for 1 hour, then proof for 15 minutes, and then steam it. The steaming conditions are as follows: place it on a steamer with boiling water and lined with gauze until steam is emitted, and continue steaming for 25 minutes, and then cool it to room temperature to obtain a pasta product.

[0063] The conditions of the ventilation treatment are shown in Example 1 in Table 1.

[0064] Examples 2 to 9:

[0065] The other parts are the same as Example 1, except that the conditions of the ventilation treatment and the hydrogen concentration of the hydrogen-rich water are different. The conditions of the ventilation treatment and the hydrogen concentration of the hydrogen-rich water are shown in Examples 2 to 9 in Table 1.

[0066] Comparative Example 1:

[0067] Preparation of dough raw materials: Add starch and fermentation mixture into a dough mixer, stir and mix at a speed of 80 r / min for 2 hours until the surface is smooth to obtain dough raw materials; the mass ratio of starch to fermentation mixture is 97:3; the fermentation mixture includes active dry yeast, white sugar, butter, salt, and purified water, among which the mass ratio of active dry yeast, white sugar, butter, salt, and purified water is 1.1:6:4:1:40.

[0068] Pretreatment: Add the dough ingredients and purified water into a dough mixer and stir at a speed of 70 r / min to mix thoroughly. Then, knead, press, and proof the dough for 1 hour. After exhausting and observing cross-section until no obvious large holes are found, the dough is evenly divided into 90g pre-fermented doughs to obtain smooth pre-fermented doughs.

[0069] Quick freezing: the pre-fermented dough is sealed and then placed in a -25°C refrigerator until the center temperature of the pre-fermented dough reaches -18°C, and then frozen at -18°C for 7 days to obtain quick-frozen dough;

[0070] Steaming: Thaw the quick-frozen dough at a constant temperature of 26°C and 80% humidity for 1 hour, then let it rise for 15 minutes, and then steam it. The steaming conditions are as follows: place it on a steamer that is boiling and padded with gauze and steam it until steam comes out, and continue steaming for 25 minutes, then cool it to room temperature to obtain the pasta product.

[0071] Comparative Example 2:

[0072] The other parts are the same as those in Example 1, except that the conditions for the ventilation treatment are different. The conditions for the ventilation treatment are shown in Comparative Example 2 in Table 1.

[0073] Performance testing of texture properties

[0074] The hardness, chewiness and elasticity of the pasta products (steamed buns) were measured using a texture analyzer. The steamed buns prepared in Examples 1 to 8 and Comparative Examples 1 to 2 were covered with dry gauze and tested for the properties of the quick-frozen pasta products according to the following method.

[0075] Steamed buns were cut longitudinally into slices 15 mm thick using a knife. Using a P36R probe, the slices were placed on the test bench for TPA testing. Various data were obtained. The slices obtained were the middle section of each bun. Each sample was tested three times in parallel, and the average value was calculated after removing the maximum and minimum values. The parameters were set as follows: pre-test rate 1.0 mm / s, test rate 1.0 mm / s, post-test rate 1.0 mm / s, compression level 50%, trigger force 5 g, and pause time between compressions of 5 seconds. The performance test results for Examples 1-8 and Comparative Examples 1-2 are shown in Table 2.

[0076] Table 1:

[0077]

[0078]

[0079] Table 2:

[0080] project Hardness (g) Chewing power (g) elasticity Example 1 2074.67±21.56 1270.86±8.05 0.852±0.004 Example 2 1952.00±24.17 1265.85±18.9 0.898±0.007 Example 3 1900.67±20.42 1156.12±6.51 0.908±0.005 Example 4 1853.50±32.32 1147.30±7.92 0.917±0.003 Example 5 1827.33±30.27 1129.31±4.30 0.922±0.001 Example 6 1789.33±14.64 1117.65±9.13 0.939±0.02 Example 7 1748.00±36.99 1115.85±10.76 0.942±0.014 Example 8 1616.67±30.87 1112.56±1.81 0.964±0.007 Comparative Example 1 2460.00±27.47 1282.49±9.73 0.784±0.003 Comparative Example 2 2241.33±44.79 1278.93±26.37 0.816±0.005

[0081] As can be seen from Table 2, compared with Examples 1 to 8 and Comparative Examples 1 to 2, the chewiness of the steamed buns prepared by the method of the above technical solution is between 1112 and 1270; the elasticity is between 0.852 and 0.964; and the hardness is maintained at 1616.67 to 2074.67. The texture characteristic scores of the steamed buns prepared by the method of the above technical solution are better than those of Comparative Examples 1 and 2; and hardness is usually the most intuitive indicator and characterization method for evaluating the aging of steamed buns. From the above test data, it can be seen that when the gas volume ratio of the ventilation treatment is hydrogen: helium = 6:4 and the concentration of hydrogen in hydrogen-rich water is 0.7ppm, the effect of ice crystals on the quality deterioration of the dough structure during the quick freezing process is effectively slowed down, and the elasticity, hardness and chewiness of the steamed buns prepared therefrom change significantly. In summary, the method for protecting the textural properties of quick-frozen pasta products provided by the present invention is beneficial to delaying the aging of steamed buns, and can make the frozen dough bread maintain a relatively softer taste after freezing, so that the obtained dough is of better quality and the integrity of the dough tissue is protected, providing new ideas and methods for the development of the field of frozen pasta product processing technology.

[0082] Figures 1 to 4 The longitudinal sections of the frozen dough steamed buns obtained in Comparative Example 1 and Examples 6 to 8 are scanned. Figures 1 to 4 It can be seen from the figures that the steamed buns prepared by the method for protecting the textural properties of quick-frozen pasta products provided by the present invention are more fluffy and have a more delicate internal structure, thereby improving the quality properties of the frozen dough.

[0083] The technical features of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-mentioned embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0084] The above-described embodiments merely illustrate several implementations of the present invention, and while their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art would be able to make numerous variations and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present invention, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the patent for this invention shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for protecting the textural properties of quick-frozen pasta products, characterized in that: It includes the following steps: Pretreatment: Add the dough ingredients and hydrogen-rich water into a dough mixer, stir and mix at a speed of 50-100 r / min, then knead, press, proof for 0.5-1.5 hours, exhaust and divide to obtain pre-fermented dough; Hydrogen enrichment treatment: placing the pre-fermented dough into a container, introducing hydrogen to exhaust the air in the container, and then sealing the container under normal pressure for ventilation to obtain hydrogen-enriched dough; Quick freezing: airtightly wrapping the hydrogen-enriched dough, and then placing it in a refrigerator at -30 to -25°C until the center temperature of the hydrogen-enriched dough reaches -20 to -15°C, and then freezing it at -20 to -15°C for 6.5 to 7.5 days to obtain quick-frozen dough; Steaming: thawing the quick-frozen dough at a constant temperature, then proofing it for 10 to 20 minutes, steaming it, and then cooling it to room temperature to obtain the pasta product; The gas for the ventilation treatment includes hydrogen and a second gas, the volume ratio of the hydrogen and the second gas is 6-8:1-5, and the second gas is helium; The density of the second gas is 0.17-0.18 g / L.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method for preparing hydrogen-rich water comprises the following steps: Purified water is placed in a sealed container, and then pure hydrogen is introduced. When the hydrogen concentration in the water reaches 0.5-1.0 ppm, the introduction of pure hydrogen is stopped to obtain the hydrogen-rich water.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method for preparing the dough raw material comprises the following steps: The starch and the fermentation mixture are stirred and mixed for 1.5 to 2.5 hours until the surface is smooth, thereby obtaining the dough raw material; The mass ratio of the starch to the fermentation mixture is 96-98:1-5; The fermentation mixture includes active dry yeast, white sugar, butter, salt, hydrogen-rich water and purified water, and the mass ratio of the active dry yeast, white sugar, butter, salt, hydrogen-rich water and purified water is 1.0-1.2:5.5-6.5:3.5-4.5:0.5-1.5:9.5-10.5:29.5-30.

5.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The ventilation flow rate of the ventilation treatment is 300-1200 mL / min, the ventilation time is 10-100 min, and the ventilation volume is 5-65 L.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The packaging bag in which the hydrogen-rich dough is airtightly wrapped is a food packaging bag, and the food packaging bag comprises one of an aluminum film and a plastic wrap.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The package bag in which the hydrogen-rich dough is airtightly wrapped is a fresh-keeping bag.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The constant temperature thawing conditions are as follows: temperature 26-30° C., humidity 60-80%, and time 1-1.5 h.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The steaming condition is to place the food on a steamer that is boiling and padded with gauze and steam until steam comes out, and continue steaming for 20 to 30 minutes.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The temperature of the ventilation treatment is -10~-5°C.

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