Method for producing instant noodles

Abstract

To provide a method for producing instant noodles, which makes it possible to improve noodle productivity and a mouthfeel and saltiness of the noodles, and reduce a content of sodium.SOLUTION: A method for producing instant noodles is provided: in which, without using salt in water for kneading, main base powder and the water for kneading, which contains 8-40 g of potassium lactate, 1-5 g of sodium glutamate, and 0.5-3 g of gluconate with respect to 1 kg of the main base powder, are mixed and kneaded to make noodle dough. The noodle dough is shaped into noodles, and as needed, the noodles are steamed and then dried. This method improves noodle productivity and a mouthfeel and saltiness of the noodles, and reduce a content of sodium.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing instant noodles having a reduced sodium content. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, many so-called low-salt products with reduced sodium content have been launched on the market to prevent high blood pressure. In the 2010 edition of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's "Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese," the daily salt intake target was less than 9g for adult men and less than 7.5g for adult women, whereas in the 2015 edition, the daily salt intake target was less than 8g for adult men and less than 7g for adult women, and in the 2020 edition, the daily salt intake target was less than 7.5g for adult men and less than 6.5g for adult women. As the daily salt intake target values ​​have been reduced, it is expected that the trend toward reduced salt intake will continue to increase in the future.

[0003] Techniques for reducing the salt content of noodles are disclosed in, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 6.

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes a technique for producing udon noodles that have sufficient firmness even when less salt is added than conventionally, in which the udon noodles contain wheat flour, a thickening composition, and water, and the thickening composition contains xanthan gum, roasted bean gum, and guar gum.

[0005] Patent Document 2 describes noodles that contain either isomaltulose or reduced isomaltulose or both, as well as a method for producing noodles that have a reduced or zero content of sodium salts, particularly table salt and sodium carbonate, and a method for producing such noodles.

[0006] Patent Document 3 describes a method for producing salt-free noodles that uses magnesium chloride contained in nigari (bittern) as a technique for producing salt-free noodles without adding salt.

[0007] Patent Documents 4 to 6 describe instant noodle technologies that reduce salt content by adding potassium lactate. These technologies are superior to existing technologies in terms of noodle production properties, texture, and flavor when it comes to reducing salt content, but potassium lactate, when added in increased amounts to increase the saltiness, gives a bitter taste, the texture becomes soft, and noodle production properties become poor. Thus, there are still issues to be overcome in order to obtain better noodle production properties and texture, as well as a salty taste that resembles table salt. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-84772 A [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 4644298 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 4761534 [Patent Document 4] Patent No. 6353499 [Patent Document 5] Patent No. 6334623 [Patent Document 6] JP 2019-140963 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] The present invention aims to provide a method for producing instant noodles with excellent noodle-making properties, texture and salty taste, and reduced sodium content. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The inventors have intensively studied the salt reduction technology of adding potassium lactate in order to achieve a texture and saltiness closer to that of table salt, and as a result, have discovered the present invention.

[0011] That is, this is a method for producing instant noodles comprising the steps of kneading a main ingredient flour with kneading water to prepare a dough, preparing noodle strands from the prepared dough, and drying the noodle strands, wherein the kneading water does not contain salt, and contains 8 to 40 g of potassium lactate, 1 to 5 g of glutamate, and 0.5 to 3 g of gluconate per 1 kg of the main ingredient flour. Effect of the Invention

[0012] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention makes it possible to provide a method for producing instant noodles that have excellent noodle-making properties, texture, and salty taste and have reduced sodium content. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] The present invention will be described in detail below, although the present invention is not limited to the following description.

[0014] 1. Raw material matching Examples of the main raw material flour used in the production of fried noodles according to the present invention include cereal flours such as wheat flour (including durum flour), buckwheat flour, barley flour, and rice flour, as well as various starches such as potato starch, tapioca starch, and corn starch, and these may be used alone or in combination. As the starch, raw starch, gelatinized starch, and processed starches such as acetylated starch, etherified starch, and crosslinked starch can also be used.

[0015] In the present invention, 8 to 40 g of potassium lactate is dissolved in kneading water and added per 1 kg of the main raw material flour. If the amount of potassium lactate is less than 8 g, the dough will lack extensibility and viscoelasticity, making it difficult to obtain sufficient noodle-making properties, a springy texture, and a sufficient salty taste. If the amount of potassium lactate added alone exceeds 20 g, the noodle will become sticky, the noodle-making properties will deteriorate, and the texture will become soft, but in the present invention, the noodle-making properties and texture are improved by adding sodium glutamate, making it possible to add up to 40 g of potassium lactate.

[0016] In the present invention, 1 to 5 g of glutamate is dissolved in the kneading water and added to 1 kg of the main raw material flour. Examples of glutamate include monosodium glutamate and potassium glutamate. In particular, monosodium glutamate is used as an umami seasoning, and is also used as a material for the seasoning liquid for instant noodles. However, it is rarely added to the kneading water, and in a situation where a large amount of salt is added to the kneading water, the effect of glutamate in improving noodle-making properties and texture cannot be known. The effect of glutamate in improving noodle-making properties and texture was discovered for the first time when reducing salt. In addition, unlike potassium lactate, glutamate has the effect of tightening the texture with the addition of a small amount, so that even if a large amount of potassium lactate is added, deterioration of the texture can be prevented. If the amount is less than 1 g, it is difficult to obtain sufficient noodle-making properties and texture improvement effects, and if the amount is more than 5 g, the texture becomes too hard and the taste of glutamate becomes strong. Of the glutamates, monosodium glutamate is superior in flavor, but since it contains sodium, potassium glutamate can be used to further reduce salt content as long as it does not affect the flavor.

[0017] Furthermore, in the present invention, 0.5 to 3 g of a gluconate such as sodium gluconate or potassium gluconate is added per 1 kg of main raw material flour. The gluconate may be either a sodium salt or a potassium salt, but potassium salt is preferred in terms of reducing sodium. Addition of gluconate alone has almost no effect on improving noodle production properties, and is weaker than glutamate in improving texture and enhancing saltiness, but it is possible to mask the bitterness caused by adding a large amount of potassium lactate and obtain a salty flavor. If the amount is less than 0.5 g, it is difficult to obtain a flavor improvement effect, and if the amount exceeds 3 g, not only will the texture become hard, but the taste of gluconate will become too strong.

[0018] As other auxiliary ingredients, in the present invention, alkaline agents, phosphates, various thickeners, noodle quality improving agents, edible oils and fats, pH adjusters, various colorants such as carotene colorants, preservatives, and the like that are commonly used in the production of instant noodles can be added. These may be added together with the main ingredient flour, or may be added dissolved or suspended in the kneading water. Salt is not used in the production of noodles except for its use as a noodle flavoring liquid. Furthermore, when alkaline agents such as carbonates or phosphates are added, adding sodium salts does not have a significant effect on salt reduction because the sodium content is low, but in order to further reduce salt, it is preferable to avoid using sodium salts as much as possible, and instead use potassium salts, etc.

[0019] 2. Mixing and kneading process The noodle dough (dough) according to the present invention can be prepared in the usual manner, namely by kneading the noodle raw material flour and kneading water until they are uniformly mixed using a batch mixer, flow jet mixer, vacuum mixer or the like to produce a crumbly dough.

[0020] 3. Noodle making process Next, noodle strands are produced from the dough thus produced. The production method may be a conventional method, and examples of the method include a method in which the dough is made into a coarse noodle band using a roll, then formed into a noodle band by compounding or the like, and further rolled multiple times using a roll to obtain a predetermined noodle band thickness, and then the noodle band is cut out using a cutting roll called a cutting blade to produce noodle strands. Alternatively, a noodle band may be produced using an extruder, and then rolled and cut out, or a plurality of noodle bands may be combined to produce a noodle band having a multi-layer structure, and then rolled and cut out.

[0021] 4. Steaming process If necessary, the raw noodle strands obtained in the noodle-making process are steamed by a conventional method to gelatinize the noodle strands. The preferred steaming conditions vary depending on the type of noodle and the thickness of the noodle, so the preferred conditions can be set appropriately according to the desired texture. As for the steaming method, not only boiling or heating with saturated steam but also heating with superheated steam can be used, and a hydration step such as showering or soaking can also be combined. If necessary, the cooked noodles can be soaked in a seasoning liquid or a loosening agent can be added.

[0022] 5. Drying process In the case of fried noodles, the noodle strands are cut into one serving, weighed, and packed into a container called a drying retainer, where they are fried and dried. The drying temperature is preferably 140 to 160° C. The noodles should be dried so that the moisture content after drying is 1.5 to 5% by weight.

[0023] In the case of non-fried noodles, the noodle strands are cut into serving sizes, weighed, and packed into a container known as a drying retainer, and then dried by a known method such as hot air drying, high-temperature hot air drying, superheated steam drying, microwave drying, etc. Drying using hot air such as hot air drying or high-temperature hot air drying is common, and drying is preferably performed at a drying temperature of 60 to 150°C and at a wind speed of 1 to 70 m / s. The drying step may be performed under a combination of multiple conditions, and the noodles should be dried so that the moisture content after drying is 14.5% by weight or less.

[0024] 6. Other projects The dried noodles go to a packaging process where they are packaged in cups or bags, optionally with soup and other ingredients, and sold as instant noodles.

[0025] As described above, by producing noodles using a mixing water that does not contain salt, and that has 8 to 40 g of potassium lactate, 1 to 5 g of sodium glutamate, and 0.5 to 3 g of gluconate dissolved therein per 1 kg of main raw material flour, it is possible to provide a method for producing instant noodles with reduced sodium that are excellent in noodle production properties, texture, and salty taste.The present embodiment will be described in more detail below with reference to examples.

[0026] <Experiment 1: Study with fried noodles> (Example 1-1) The main ingredient flour consisted of 1000g of medium-strength flour, to which was added 10.2g of 78% potassium lactate aqueous solution (8g as potassium lactate), 2.2g of kansui preparation (sodium carbonate 6: potassium carbonate 4), 2.0g of sodium glutamate, and 1.0g of potassium gluconate dissolved in 347.8g of water, and the mixture was mixed in a normal pressure mixer for 15 minutes to prepare the noodle dough.

[0027] The dough was rolled into a coarse noodle band and combined to produce a noodle band. The noodle band was then rolled out to a final noodle band thickness of 1.1 mm using a roll, and cut into noodle strings using a No. 18 round cutting blade roll.

[0028] The noodle strings were then steamed for 2 minutes in a steamer using saturated steam at 250 kg / h to gelatinize the noodle strings.

[0029] The gelatinized noodle strings were folded in half and packed into a frying retainer (container) at 110 g per serving, and then dried at 150° C. for 2 minutes and 30 seconds to obtain fried noodle samples with a moisture content of 2% by weight.

[0030] (Example 1-2) A fried noodle sample was prepared according to Example 1-1, except that the amount of potassium lactate aqueous solution added was 19 g (15 g as potassium lactate) and the amount of water added was 346 g.

[0031] (Examples 1-3) A fried noodle sample was prepared according to Example 1-1, except that the amount of potassium lactate added was 32 g (25 g as potassium lactate) and the amount of water added was 343 g.

[0032] (Examples 1 to 4) A fried noodle sample was prepared according to Example 1-1, except that the amount of potassium lactate added was 51.2 g (40 g as potassium lactate) and the amount of water added was 338.8 g.

[0033] (Examples 1 to 5) A fried noodle sample was prepared according to the procedure of Example 1-3, except that the amount of monosodium glutamate added was 1 g.

[0034] (Examples 1 to 6) A fried noodle sample was prepared according to the procedure in Example 1-3, except that the amount of monosodium glutamate added was 3 g.

[0035] (Examples 1 to 7) A fried noodle sample was prepared according to the same procedure as in Example 1-3, except that the amount of monosodium glutamate added was 5 g.

[0036] (Examples 1 to 8) A fried noodle sample was prepared according to the procedure of Example 1-3, except that the added amounts of sodium glutamate and potassium glutamate were 1 g and 1.6 g, respectively.

[0037] (Examples 1 to 9) A fried noodle sample was prepared according to the same procedure as in Example 1-3, except that the amount of potassium gluconate added was 0.5 g.

[0038] (Examples 1 to 10) A fried noodle sample was prepared as in Example 1-3, except that the amount of potassium gluconate added was 3 g.

[0039] (Examples 1 to 11) A fried noodle sample was prepared according to Example 1-3, except that the amount of sodium gluconate added was 1 g.

[0040] (Comparative Example 1-1) A mixture of 16g ​​of salt and 2.2g of kansui (sodium carbonate 6:4) dissolved in 350g of water was added to 1000g of all-purpose flour, and the mixture was mixed for 15 minutes in a normal pressure mixer to prepare a noodle dough. The remaining steps in the process were the same as in Example 1-1 to prepare a fried noodle sample.

[0041] (Comparative Example 1-2) A fried noodle sample was prepared according to the method of Comparative Example 1-1, except that no salt was added.

[0042] (Comparative Example 1-3) A fried noodle sample was prepared according to the method of Example 1-1, except that sodium glutamate and potassium gluconate were not added.

[0043] (Comparative Examples 1-4) A fried noodle sample was prepared according to the method of Example 1-2, except that sodium glutamate and potassium gluconate were not added.

[0044] (Comparative Examples 1-5) A fried noodle sample was prepared according to the method of Example 1-3, except that sodium glutamate and potassium gluconate were not added.

[0045] (Comparative Examples 1-6) A fried noodle sample was prepared according to the method of Example 1-4, except that sodium glutamate and potassium gluconate were not added.

[0046] (Comparative Examples 1-7) A fried noodle sample was prepared according to the method of Example 1-3, except that potassium gluconate was not added.

[0047] (Comparative Examples 1-8) A fried noodle sample was prepared according to the method of Example 1-3, except that sodium glutamate was not added.

[0048] The noodle production properties and cooked noodle texture of each test group in Experiment 1 were evaluated with Comparative Example 1-1 as the standard. Noodle production properties were given a rating of 5 for those equivalent to Comparative Example 1-1, a rating of 4 for those slightly inferior to Comparative Example 1-1 but still good, a rating of 3 for those inferior to Comparative Example 1-1 but capable of continuous machine noodle production, a rating of 2 for those inferior to Comparative Example 1-1 and where continuous machine noodle production may be impossible due to noodle band breakage, and a rating of 1 for those significantly inferior to Comparative Example 1-1 and clearly unable to be used for continuous machine noodle production.

[0049] Sensory testing was performed by cooking and eating each sample. The fried noodle samples were cooked by placing them in 500 ml of boiling water and boiling them in a pan for 3 minutes. Evaluation was performed by five experienced panelists, and in terms of texture, samples with good elasticity like Comparative Example 1-1 were given a rating of 5, samples with slightly stronger or weaker elasticity than Comparative Example 1-1 but generally good were given a rating of 4, samples with stronger or weaker elasticity than Comparative Example 1-1 but acceptable as a product were given a rating of 3, samples with too stronger or weaker elasticity than Comparative Example 1-1 and therefore unacceptable as a product were given a rating of 2, and samples with significantly stronger or weaker elasticity than Comparative Example 1-1 and therefore unacceptable as a product were given a rating of 1.

[0050] The saltiness was evaluated based on the strength of the saltiness and the aftertaste (harshness or bitterness). The strength of the saltiness was rated as 4 for the same as Comparative Example 1-1, 5 for stronger than Comparative Example 1-1, 3 for slightly weaker than Comparative Example 1-1 but acceptable as a product, 2 for weaker than Comparative Example 1-1 and unacceptable as a product, and 1 for almost no saltiness (same as Comparative Example 1-2).

[0051] Regarding the unpleasant aftertaste (bitterness or astringency), using Comparative Example 1-1 as the standard, those that were equivalent and had no unpleasant taste were given a rating of 5, those that had a slight bitterness or astringency but were acceptable were given a rating of 4, those that had a bitterness or astringency but were acceptable as a product were given a rating of 3, those that had a strong bitterness or astringency and were not acceptable as a product were given a rating of 2, and those that had an extremely bitterness or astringency that was not edible were given a rating of 1.

[0052] The noodle making properties and sensory evaluation results for each test group in Experiment 1 are shown in Table 1 below.

[0053] [Table 1]

[0054] As shown in Comparative Examples 1-2 to 1-6, when salt was not added to the kneading water, the addition of potassium lactate increased the strength of the saltiness. However, once the amount added to the main ingredient flour reached 15g, the noodle-making properties began to deteriorate, with the noodle becoming sticky, the texture becoming soft, and the bitter taste unique to potassium lactate becoming more pronounced.

[0055] In contrast, as shown in Examples 1-1 to 1-4, by adding glutamate and gluconate in addition to potassium lactate to the kneading water, fried noodles with excellent saltiness as well as noodle-making properties and texture were obtained compared to the same amount of potassium lactate added. In particular, when the amount of potassium lactate added was small, not only were the noodle-making properties and texture improved, but the saltiness was also improved, and when the amount of potassium lactate added was large, the effects of suppressing the deterioration of noodle-making properties and softening of the texture, and the bitterness of potassium lactate were observed. In the present invention, the amount of potassium lactate added is preferably 8 to 40 g per 1 kg of main raw material flour, because the smaller the amount added, the weaker the saltiness, and the greater the amount added, the stronger the bitterness of potassium lactate as well as the noodle-making properties and texture.

[0056] As shown in Examples 1-3 and 1-5 to 1-7, when the amount of monosodium glutamate added is small, the effect of improving noodle-making properties and texture and the strength of the salty taste are weakened, and when the amount of monosodium glutamate added is too large, not only does the dough become hard, the noodle-making properties deteriorate, and the texture becomes hard, but the bitterness of monosodium glutamate is also felt. Furthermore, as shown in Example 1-8, the same effect was observed when a part of the monosodium glutamate was replaced with potassium glutamate. Therefore, it is considered that the amount of glutamate added in the present invention is preferably 1 to 5 g per 1 kg of main raw material flour.

[0057] As shown in Examples 1-3 and 1-9 to 1-10, when the amount of potassium gluconate added is small, the effect of masking the bitterness of potassium lactate is weak, and when the amount is too large, the dough becomes hard like monosodium glutamate, the noodle making property becomes poor, the texture becomes hard, and the bitterness of potassium gluconate becomes noticeable. Also, as shown in Example 1-11, the same effect was observed when sodium was used instead of potassium gluconate. Therefore, it is considered that the amount of gluconate to be added in the present invention is preferably 0.5 to 3 g per 1 kg of main raw material flour.

[0058] <Experiment 2: Study with non-fried noodles> (Example 2-1) The main raw material flour consisted of 950g of wheat flour and 50g of acetylated tapioca starch, and a kneading water containing 32g of 78% potassium lactate aqueous solution (25g as potassium lactate), 2.0g of sodium glutamate, 1.0g of potassium gluconate, 3g of trisodium phosphate, 1g of sodium pyrophosphate, and 0.4g of a tocopherol preparation dissolved in 343g of water was added and mixed in a normal pressure mixer for 15 minutes to prepare noodle dough.

[0059] The dough was rolled into a coarse noodle band and combined to produce a noodle band. The noodle band was then rolled out to a final noodle band thickness of 0.9 mm using a roll, and cut into noodle strings using a No. 26 round cutting blade roll.

[0060] The noodle strings were then steamed for 2 minutes and 30 seconds in a steamer using 270 kg / h of saturated steam to gelatinize the noodle strings.

[0061] The gelatinized noodle strings were immersed in a loosening liquid made by dissolving 12 g of soybean dietary fiber, 4 g of sodium glutamate, and 1 g of emulsified oil in water and making up to 1 L, then cut into pieces of approximately 30 cm, packed into a retainer to make 120 g per serving, and dried at 70°C for 50 minutes to obtain a non-fried noodle sample with a moisture content of 7% by weight.

[0062] (Comparative Example 2-1) A non-fried noodle sample was produced in the same manner as in Example 2-1, except that a main ingredient flour consisting of 950 g of wheat flour and 50 g of acetylated tapioca starch was mixed with a 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, and mixed for 15 minutes in a normal pressure mixer to prepare a noodle dough.

[0063] (Comparative Example 2-2) A non-fried noodle sample was produced as in Example 2-1, except that sodium glutamate and potassium gluconate were not added.

[0064] Experiment 2 was evaluated in the same manner as Experiment 1. However, for the cooking method, the noodle sample and powdered soup were placed in a cup-shaped foam paper cup container, 380 ml of boiling water was added, the lid was placed, and the sample was cooked for 3 minutes, eaten, and the texture and flavor were evaluated. The noodle production properties and texture were evaluated based on Comparative Example 2-1. The noodle production properties and sensory evaluation results for each test group in Experiment 2 are shown in Table 2 below.

[0065] [Table 2]

[0066] As shown in Experiment 2, in non-fried noodles, in addition to potassium lactate, glutamic acid By adding salt and gluconate, it is believed that more potassium lactate was added to enhance the saltiness. It prevents stickiness of the noodles, which can lead to poor noodle making, softening of the texture, and enhances the saltiness. I was also able to mask Tsuegumi.

Claims

[Claim 1] The main ingredient flour, The instant noodles contain 8 to 40 g of potassium lactate, 1 to 5 g of glutamate, and 0.5 to 3 g of gluconate per 1 kg of main raw material flour.

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