Wheat flour composition

Abstract

A wheat flour composition is a dry heat-treated mixture of wheat flour and dextrin having DE 5-20. A coating material for deep-fried foods contains the wheat flour composition. A method for producing deep-fried foods uses the coating material for deep-fried foods.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to wheat flour compositions and their use in coating materials for fried foods. Background Technology

[0002] Most batter materials for fried foods contain wheat flour as the main ingredient. This paper provides wheat flour compositions with improved properties for use as batter materials. Patent Document 1 describes granulated wheat flour with a specific particle size obtained by granulating raw wheat flour powder with water under non-heating conditions. This results in less agglomeration, less powder dispersion, and excellent processability, making it suitable as a batter material for fried foods and other cooking ingredients. Patent Document 2 describes a wheat flour composition with a specific viscosity obtained by heat-treating raw wheat flour. This composition exhibits good dispersibility in water and good workability, providing a crispy coating for fried foods. Patent Document 3 describes the ability to manufacture fried foods with a good coating texture by using wheat flour with specific alpha content and viscosity obtained by pulverizing wet-heat treated wheat flour. Patent document 4 describes a granular powder made by wet heat treatment of wheat flour and dextrin, and states that when the granular powder is used as a coating material for fried foods, it has good adhesion to the food, the dust does not scatter, the operation is good, and it produces fried foods with crispy coating and juicy food.

[0003] Existing technical documents Patent documents Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-200208 Patent Document 2: International Publication No. WO2017 / 135353 Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-067675 Patent document 4: International Publication No. WO2013 / 039049. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The problem that the invention aims to solve The coating material adhering to the food hardens through frying, forming the coating for fried foods. However, due to this hardening, the coating easily peels off from the food after frying. Therefore, there is a need to improve the properties of coating materials for fried foods, such as hardening through frying, preventing peeling off from the food after coating, and so-called adhesion to the food. For example, the granular powder described in Patent Document 4 improves the adhesion to food when coating, but compared to this, the adhesion to the food after frying cannot be considered sufficient.

[0005] The objective of this invention is to provide a wheat flour material for use as a coating material for fried foods, which can form a coating for fried foods with good adhesion to ingredients and good taste.

[0006] Solution for solving the problem The inventors have discovered that a coating material for fried foods containing a wheat flour composition obtained by dry heating a mixture of wheat flour and dextrin can form a coating for fried foods that has good adhesion to the food and a good texture.

[0007] In this invention, the following solutions are provided as representative embodiments.

[0008] [1] A wheat flour composition, which is a dry heat-treated product comprising a mixture of wheat flour and dextrin of DE5-20.

[0009] [2] The wheat flour composition according to [1], wherein the aforementioned dry heating is heating the aforementioned mixture at a temperature of 120 to 160°C for 5 to 240 minutes without adding water.

[0010] [3] The wheat flour composition according to [1] or [2], wherein the mass ratio of wheat flour to dextrin in the aforementioned mixture is 30:70 to 95:5.

[0011] [4] The wheat flour composition according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the moisture content of the aforementioned mixture is 14% by mass or less.

[0012] [5] The wheat flour composition according to any one of [1] to [4] has an average particle size of 5 to 50 μm.

[0013] [6] A method for manufacturing a wheat flour composition, comprising: dry heating a mixture containing wheat flour and dextrin of DE5-20.

[0014] [7] According to the method of [6], wherein the aforementioned dry heating includes: heating the aforementioned mixture at a temperature of 120 to 160°C for 5 to 240 minutes without adding water.

[0015] [8] The method according to [6] or [7], wherein the mass ratio of wheat flour to dextrin in the aforementioned mixture is 30:70 to 95:5.

[0016] [9] The method according to any one of [6] to [8], wherein the water content of the aforementioned mixture is 14% by mass or less.

[0017]

[10] The method according to any one of [6] to [9] includes: adjusting the average particle size of the aforementioned wheat flour composition to 5 to 50 μm.

[0018]

[11] A coating material for fried foods, comprising any one of the wheat flour compositions described in [1] to [5].

[0019]

[12] A method for manufacturing fried foods, comprising: To make the coating material for fried food described in

[11] adhere to the food ingredients; and The food ingredients coated with the fried food coating material are fried.

[0020] Use of the wheat flour composition described in any one of

[13] , [1] to [5] as a coating material for fried foods.

[0021] Use of any one of the wheat flour compositions described in

[14] , [1] to [5] in the manufacture of coating materials for fried foods.

[0022] Invention Effects The wheat flour composition of the present invention is suitable for use as a coating material for fried foods. The coating material for fried foods containing the wheat flour composition of the present invention forms a coating for fried foods that adheres well to the food and is not easily peeled off. Furthermore, by using the coating material for fried foods containing the wheat flour composition of the present invention, it is possible to produce fried foods with a crispy coating texture. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The wheat flour composition of the present invention is manufactured by dry heating a mixture comprising wheat flour and dextrin having a glucose equivalent (DE) of 5 to 20.

[0024] The wheat flour used as the raw material in the wheat flour composition of the present invention is not particularly limited, as long as it is wheat flour obtained by milling edible wheat grains using conventional methods. Examples of such raw wheat flour include high-gluten flour, semi-high-gluten flour, medium-gluten flour, low-gluten flour, durum wheat flour, coarse wheat flour, and whole grain flour, etc., and any one of these or any combination of two or more can be used. Among these, low-gluten flour is preferred. Preferably, the raw wheat flour is unmodified wheat flour that has not undergone any modification treatment (e.g., heat treatment, enzyme treatment, ultraviolet treatment, granulation treatment, etc.) after milling.

[0025] The dextrin used in the wheat flour composition of the present invention can be prepared by using known methods, such as chemically or enzymatically reducing the molecular weight of the raw starch. Examples of such raw starch include starches from cassava, potato, wheat, corn, glutinous corn, etc., and mixtures thereof; any one of these or any combination of two or more can be used. The glucose equivalent (DE) of the dextrin used in the present invention is only required to be 5 to 20, preferably 7 to 18, more preferably 8 to 15. When the DE of the dextrin is less than 5 or more than 20, the peeling of the coating in fried foods made using the obtained wheat flour composition is not sufficiently improved. In addition, if the DE value of the dextrin is less than 5, the coating of the fried food tends to be sticky; on the other hand, if the DE value of the dextrin is more than 20, the coating of the fried food tends to have a hard texture. By adjusting the aforementioned reduction treatment of the raw starch, a dextrin with the desired DE can be prepared. Alternatively, commercially available dextrin with the desired DE can be purchased.

[0026] The aforementioned raw material wheat flour is mixed with dextrin, and the resulting mixture is used to manufacture the wheat flour composition of the present invention. Both the wheat flour and dextrin are in powder form at room temperature and pressure. They are mixed to prepare a homogeneous mixture. This mixture may consist of raw material wheat flour and dextrin, or it may contain other components. The mass ratio of wheat flour to dextrin in the mixture (wheat flour:dextrin) is preferably 30:70~95:5, more preferably 50:50~95:5, further preferably 70:30~95:5, further preferably 75:25~93:7, and further preferably 80:20~90:10.

[0027] The wheat flour composition of the present invention can be manufactured by dry heating a mixture comprising the aforementioned wheat flour and dextrin. Dry heating refers to a heating method that does not use water as a heating medium, such as a heating method using air, solid matter, or radiant heat as the heating medium. More specific examples of dry heating include heating using heated air as the heating medium, heating using heated metal as the heating medium, and heating using radiant heat from heated stone as the heating medium. Furthermore, composite heating based on multiple heating media, such as heating using an oven or a stirring-type heating and drying apparatus (e.g., a paddle dryer manufactured by Nara Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd.), is also included in dry heating. For example, heating using an oven is a composite heating method based on heating using the atmosphere inside the oven as the heating medium, heating using the bottom of the oven as the heating medium, and heating using radiant heat from the oven walls as the heating medium. Heating using a stirring-type heating and drying apparatus is a composite heating method based on heating using stirring blades (paddles, etc.) and the walls of the stirring tank, or further, heating using heated air as the heating medium.

[0028] The heating temperature in the aforementioned dry heating process, measured using the aforementioned heating medium, is preferably 120-160°C, more preferably 125-155°C, and even more preferably 129-149°C. If the heating temperature is too low, the heating time required to obtain the desired wheat flour composition may become excessively long. On the other hand, if the heating temperature is too high, the wheat flour composition may sometimes discolor or carbonize due to caramelization or Maillard reactions. Furthermore, the heating time in this dry heating process can be adjusted according to the type of heating medium, the heating temperature, and the state of the product. For example, the heating time is preferably adjusted so that the resulting wheat flour composition does not discolor or carbonize due to caramelization or Maillard reactions. The heating time in this dry heating process is preferably 5-240 minutes, more preferably 10-200 minutes, and even more preferably 15-150 minutes.

[0029] The moisture content of the mixture supplied for the aforementioned dry heating, measured according to the oven-drying method, is preferably 14% by mass or less, more preferably 12% by mass or less, and even more preferably 10% by mass or less. Furthermore, during this dry heating, no water is added to the mixture except for the amount of moisture inevitably absorbed from the atmosphere. If the moisture content of the mixture is too high, or if water is added to the mixture, the temperature of the mixture will decrease during heating due to the evaporation of the moisture, thus sometimes making it difficult to obtain a wheat flour composition with the desired effect.

[0030] The heat-treated product obtained by the aforementioned dry heating can be appropriately cooled. The resulting heat-treated product is the wheat flour composition of the present invention. The wheat flour composition of the present invention, like the raw materials, is in powder form at room temperature and pressure, and is therefore easy to handle. For example, the wheat flour composition of the present invention can be stored in containers or the like as needed, and can be taken out of the container for use as appropriate. It should be noted that granulation of the wheat flour is unlikely to occur during the aforementioned dry heating process; therefore, the wheat flour composition of the present invention is not substantially granulated wheat flour.

[0031] The wheat flour composition of the present invention is preferred because it exhibits excellent processability and exhibits less deviation in performance when the average particle size is in the range of 5 to 50 μm. More preferably, the average particle size is 15 to 47 μm, and even more preferably, 25 to 45 μm. The average particle size of the wheat flour composition can be adjusted using a sieve or similar classifier after the aforementioned dry heating. In this specification, "average particle size" refers to the cumulative 50% particle size (D50) measured by volume using a laser diffraction scattering particle size distribution measuring device (e.g., MicrotracBEL's "Particle Size Distribution Measuring Device MT3000II") in a dry process.

[0032] The wheat flour composition of the present invention can be used as a coating material for fried foods. A coating material for fried foods containing the wheat flour composition of the present invention provides a coating for fried foods with good adhesion to ingredients and a good texture. Therefore, the present invention also provides a coating material for fried foods containing the wheat flour composition of the present invention. The coating material for fried foods of the present invention (hereinafter also simply referred to as "coating material") may be substantially composed of the wheat flour composition of the present invention, or it may be a composition containing the wheat flour composition of the present invention and other ingredients. The coating material of the present invention is preferably in powder form. The content of the wheat flour composition of the present invention in the coating material is preferably 10% by mass or more, more preferably 20% by mass or more, and even more preferably 50% by mass or more in its total mass.

[0033] Other ingredients that can be used in the coating material of the present invention include, but are not limited to, grain flours other than the wheat flour composition of the present invention; starch; whole egg powder, egg white powder; oils; sugars such as syrup and sugar alcohols; salts; seasonings; leavening agents; emulsifiers; thickeners; enzymes, etc. Grain flours other than the wheat flour composition of the present invention include wheat flour, barley flour, rye flour, rice flour, corn flour, sorghum flour, bean flour, etc. Starches include unprocessed starches such as potato starch, tapioca starch, corn starch, glutinous corn starch, and wheat starch; and their processed starches (α-starch, etherified starch, esterified starch, acetylated starch, cross-linked starch, etc.). The coating material of the present invention may contain any one or any two or more of the other ingredients listed above, depending on the type of fried food manufactured using the coating material. The content of the other components in the coating material of the present invention is the balance of the wheat flour composition of the present invention contained in the coating material, that is, preferably 90% by mass or less, more preferably 80% by mass or less, and even more preferably 50% by mass or less.

[0034] In the manufacture of fried foods using the coating material of the present invention, the coating material of the present invention is applied to the ingredients to produce the raw materials for fried foods. At this time, the coating material of the present invention can be used in powder form or prepared as a batter. Examples of powdered coating materials include dusting powder, karaage flour, and other coating powders. Examples of batter include batter for tempura, batter for karaage frying, and batter for fried foods with breadcrumbs.

[0035] In one embodiment, the coating material of the present invention is used as a coating material existing between the food ingredient and other coating materials. Examples of such coating materials include dusting powder and batter for fried foods containing breadcrumbs. When the coating material of the present invention is present between the food ingredient and other coating materials, the other coating materials are less likely to peel off from the food ingredient due to the adhesive properties of the coating material of the present invention, and fried foods with good texture can be obtained.

[0036] In one embodiment, when the coating material of the present invention is used as a dusting powder, the powdered coating material is adhered to the food ingredient by a conventional operation such as sprinkling. Then, other coatings or batter are applied to it to produce raw materials for fried food. In another embodiment, when the coating material of the present invention is used as a batter, 100 to 200 parts by weight, preferably 120 to 150 parts by weight, of a liquid component are added to 100 parts by weight of the powdered coating material, and the mixture is stirred to prepare a batter. The liquid component can be water, egg liquid, etc. The resulting batter is then applied to the food ingredient to produce raw materials for fried food.

[0037] The ingredients to which the coating material of the present invention is applied are not particularly limited, and examples include meats such as chicken, pork, beef, lamb, and goat; fish and shellfish such as squid, shrimp, fish, and shellfish; vegetables; and plant-based meats such as soybean meat. The ingredients may be seasoned as needed before applying the coating material of the present invention.

[0038] The aforementioned raw materials for fried food coated with the batter material of the present invention can be fried immediately and can be refrigerated or frozen as needed. Fried food is produced by frying the raw materials for fried food. The frying can be carried out according to conventional methods, depending on the type of fried food being produced. There are no particular limitations on the fried food produced using the batter material of the present invention, and examples include, for example, breaded fried foods such as fried pork cutlets, tempura, karaage, and fried chicken. Example

[0039] The present invention will be described in more detail below through embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0040] Experimental Example 1 1) Preparation of wheat flour composition (Manufacturing Example 1-1) The raw materials, wheat flour (low-gluten flour: moisture content 12% by mass) and dextrin (DE=12: moisture content 12% by mass), were blended in the amounts shown in Table 1 and thoroughly mixed. 1000g of the resulting mixture was placed in a paddle dryer (Nara Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd.) without water and heated at 140°C for 120 minutes. Afterward, it was removed from the paddle dryer and cooled to a final temperature of 25°C to produce a wheat flour composition. The average particle size (D50 on a volume basis) of the obtained wheat flour composition was measured dry using a particle size distribution measuring device MT3000II (MicrotracBEL Co., Ltd.).

[0041] (Manufacturing Examples 1-2) Following the same steps as in Manufacturing Example 1-1, a wheat flour composition is manufactured using high-gluten flour as the raw material wheat flour.

[0042] (Comparative Examples 1-1 to 1-3) Following the same steps as in Manufacturing Example 1-1, a wheat flour composition was prepared by adding 10% by mass of water relative to 100% by mass of the mixture of raw wheat flour and dextrin and heating. The resulting wheat flour composition was then separated into three fractions with average particle sizes of 40 μm (Comparative Example 1-1), 80 μm (Comparative Example 1-2), and 180 μm (Comparative Example 1-3) using a sieve.

[0043] (Comparative Examples 1-4) Following the same steps as in Manufacturing Example 1-1, the raw wheat flour and dextrin were separately heat-treated. The heat-treated raw wheat flour and the heat-treated dextrin were then blended and mixed in the amounts shown in Table 1 to prepare a wheat flour composition.

[0044] (See Example 1 for reference) The same steps as in Manufacturing Example 1-1 are followed, except that the raw wheat flour is heated.

[0045] (See Example 2 for reference) The raw material wheat flour from Example 1-1 was mixed with dextrin in the amounts shown in Table 1 and thoroughly mixed. The resulting mixture was used as a wheat flour composition.

[0046] 2) Preparation of fried pork cutlet Prepare a batter by mixing 30 parts by weight of the wheat flour composition prepared in step 1), 10 parts by weight of whole egg, and 45 parts by weight of cold water. For pork tenderloin (120g slice, 1cm thick), coat the entire surface with the prepared batter (40g), then coat with breadcrumbs and deep-fry in salad oil heated to 175°C for 4 minutes to make a pork cutlet. Store the pork cutlet at room temperature (approximately 25°C) for 1 hour. Cut the stored pork cutlet with a knife and evaluate the coating peelability (adhesion). Also evaluate the texture of the coating on the stored pork cutlet. The evaluation was conducted by a panel of 10 experts according to the following evaluation criteria, and the average score of the 10 evaluations was calculated. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0047] <Evaluation Criteria> (Cover peeling: Adhesion) 5 points: Even when the fried food is cut with a knife, the batter does not peel off at all, which is excellent.

[0048] 4 points: Even when the fried food is cut with a knife, the batter floats up slightly but hardly peels off, which is good.

[0049] 3 points: When fried food is cut with a knife, the coating peels off in a portion of less than 10% of the circumference of the cut surface, but the adhesion is acceptable.

[0050] 2 points: When cutting fried food with a knife, the coating peels off or becomes defective in a portion of the entire circumference of the cut surface, which is between 10% and 40%.

[0051] 1 point: When cutting fried food with a knife, the coating peels off in a portion that extends beyond 40% of the circumference of the cut surface, which is extremely undesirable.

[0052] (The texture of the batter) 5 points: Crispy, very crunchy, excellent.

[0053] 4 points: Crispy, good.

[0054] 3 points: Slightly lacking in crispness, but not unsatisfactory.

[0055] 2 points: Slightly sticky or slightly hard, lacking a crisp and crunchy texture, poor.

[0056] 1 point: Extremely sticky or hard, not brittle, extremely poor.

[0057] [Table 1] .

[0058] Experimental Example 2 The DE value of the dextrin used was changed as shown in Table 2. Otherwise, the wheat flour composition was prepared following the same steps as in Manufacturing Example 1-1. Using the prepared wheat flour composition, fried pork chops were prepared and evaluated following the same steps as in Experimental Example 1. The results are shown in Table 2.

[0059] [Table 2] .

[0060] Experimental Example 3 The proportions of raw wheat flour and dextrin were varied as shown in Table 3. Otherwise, the wheat flour composition was prepared following the same procedures as in Manufacturing Example 1-1. Using the prepared wheat flour composition, fried pork chops were prepared and evaluated following the same procedures as in Experimental Example 1. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0061] [Table 3] .

[0062] Test Example 4 The heat treatment conditions were changed as shown in Table 4, but the wheat flour composition was prepared following the same steps as in Manufacturing Example 1-1. Using the prepared wheat flour composition, fried pork chops were prepared and evaluated following the same steps as in Experimental Example 1. The results are shown in Table 4.

[0063] [Table 4] .

[0064] Experimental Example 5 Squid karaage was prepared using the wheat flour composition produced in Experimental Example 1 (Preparation Example 1-1 and Comparative Examples 1-1 to 1-3). The body of a squid was cut into rings approximately 1 cm wide and thoroughly dried. The squid pieces were coated with the wheat flour composition in an amount of 10 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the squid. A batter was prepared by mixing 100 parts by weight of low-gluten flour with 150 parts by weight of water. The batter was applied to the squid coated with the wheat flour composition, and the squid karaage was fried in salad oil heated to 170°C for 2 minutes. The squid karaage was cooled to approximately 60°C and evaluated. The evaluation was conducted by a panel of 10 experts according to the following evaluation criteria, and the average score of the 10 evaluations was calculated. The results are shown in Table 5.

[0065] (Cover peeling: Adhesion) 5 stars: The batter did not peel off at all and adhered to the food as a whole, which is excellent.

[0066] 4 points: There are cracks in part of the dough, but the dough adheres well to the food.

[0067] 3 points: There are cracks or floating of ingredients in part of the dough, but it is within acceptable limits.

[0068] 2 points: The dough peeled off in some areas, exposing the food, which is undesirable.

[0069] 1 point: The dough was observed peeling off in various places, exposing the food, which is extremely undesirable.

[0070] (The texture of the batter) 5 stars: Not sticky, very crispy, excellent.

[0071] 4 points: Slightly sticky, but crispy, good.

[0072] 3 points: It feels sticky, but it's within acceptable limits.

[0073] 2 points: It feels sticky and not crispy enough, not good.

[0074] 1 point: It feels very sticky and has almost no crispness, which is extremely poor.

[0075] [Table 5] .

Claims

1. A wheat flour composition, which is a dry heat-treated product comprising a mixture of wheat flour and dextrin of DE5 to 20.

2. The wheat flour composition according to claim 1, wherein, The dry heating refers to heating the mixture at a temperature of 120~160℃ for 5~240 minutes without adding water.

3. The wheat flour composition according to claim 1, wherein, The mass ratio of wheat flour to dextrin in the mixture is 30:70 to 95:

5.

4. The wheat flour composition according to claim 1, wherein, The water content of the mixture is less than 14% by mass.

5. The wheat flour composition according to claim 1, wherein the average particle size is 5-50 μm.

6. A method for manufacturing a wheat flour composition, comprising: A mixture containing wheat flour and dextrin of DE5-20 was subjected to dry heating.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, The dry heating method includes heating the mixture at a temperature of 120-160°C for 5-240 minutes without adding water.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein, The mass ratio of wheat flour to dextrin in the mixture is 30:70 to 95:

5.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein, The water content of the mixture is less than 14% by mass.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising: The average particle size of the wheat flour composition is adjusted to 5-50 μm.

11. A coating material for fried foods, comprising the wheat flour composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

12. A method for manufacturing fried foods, comprising: The coating material for fried food as described in claim 11 is applied to the food ingredients; as well as The food ingredients coated with the fried food coating material are fried.

13. Use of the wheat flour composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5 as a coating material for fried foods.

14. Use of the wheat flour composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5 in the manufacture of coating materials for fried foods.