Method for producing instant noodle

Abstract

To provide instant noodles containing amylose wheat flour and excellent in friability and texture.SOLUTION: Instant noodles contain high amylose wheat flour, which has a damaged starch content of 4.0 to 7.0 mass% as measured by the AACC method 76-31, and which accounts for 30 mass% or more of the total mass of cereals and starches, where the high amylose wheat flour has an amylose content of 40 mass% or more in the total starch as analyzed by the concanavalin A method.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Depending on the drying method after gelatinization, instant noodles can be divided into fried noodles that are dried in oil and non-fried noodles that are dried with hot air without frying, etc. Patent Document 1 describes that instant noodles or dried noodles that contain 2 to 50 parts by mass of rice flour with 10% or more by mass of damaged starch out of 100 parts by mass of cereal flours or out of a total of 100 parts by mass of cereal flours and starches, enable shortening of the rehydration time and boiling time.

[0003] Starch contained in grains includes amylose and amylopectin. Amylose is poorly digestible by digestive enzymes, and therefore can function as a resistant component that is not digested by human digestive enzymes, i.e., dietary fiber, and is classified as resistant starch. In recent years, high-amylose wheat has been developed in which the amylose content has been increased by having a mutation in an enzyme related to starch synthesis (Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2). Patent Documents 2 to 5 disclose high-amylose wheat that has a point mutation in the gene for starch branching enzyme SBEIIa, which reduces the activity of SBEIIa and has a high amylose content in the starch contained in the grain. Non-Patent Document 3 describes that the amount of damaged starch in high-amylose wheat flour derived from modified wheat with low SBEIIa activity and an amylose content of about 71 to 84% by iodine colorimetry was 3.6 to 2.0%, while the amount of damaged starch in wheat flour from wild-type wheat was 4.7%. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-174755 A [Patent Document 2] Special Publication No. 2007-504803 [Patent Document 3] Special Publication No. 2008-526690 [Patent Document 4] Special Publication No. 2015-504301 [Patent Document 5] Special Publication No. 2019-527054 [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] J Jpn Assoc Dietary Fiber Res, 2003, 7(1):20-25 [Non-Patent Document 2] Trends in Food Science and Technology, 2006, 17:448-456 [Non-Patent Document 3] Carbohydrate Polymers, 2020, 245:116557 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] High amylose wheat flour is one of the promising dietary fiber materials. The present invention relates to providing instant noodles that contain high amylose wheat flour and have excellent loosening properties and texture. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present inventors have discovered that by using high amylose wheat flour which has a higher amount of damaged starch than conventional high amylose wheat flour, instant noodles with improved loosening properties and texture can be obtained.

[0008] As representative embodiments of the present invention, the following are provided. [1] A high amylose wheat flour having a damaged starch content of 4.0 to 7.0% by mass as measured by AACC method 76-31 is contained in an amount of 30% by mass or more of the total mass of flours and starches; The high amylose wheat flour is wheat flour having an amylose content of 40% by mass or more in total starch as analyzed by the Concanavalin A method. Instant noodles. [2] The instant noodles according to [1], wherein the high amylose wheat flour is wheat flour derived from modified wheat having low SBEIIa activity. [3] The instant noodles according to [1] or [2], which contain starches. [4] The instant noodles according to any one of [1] to [3], which are fried noodles or non-fried noodles. [5] A method for producing instant noodles, comprising drying gelatinized noodles, The raw material flour for the instant noodles contains high amylose wheat flour having a damaged starch content of 4.0 to 7.0% by mass as measured by AACC method 76-31 in an amount of 30% by mass or more based on the total mass of flours and starches; The high amylose wheat flour is wheat flour having an amylose content of 40% by mass or more in total starch as analyzed by the Concanavalin A method. method. [6] The method described in [5], wherein the high amylose wheat flour is wheat flour derived from modified wheat having low SBEIIa activity. [7] The method described in [5] or [6], wherein the raw material flour contains starch. [8] The method according to any one of [5] to [7], wherein the instant noodles are fried noodles or non-fried noodles. Effect of the Invention

[0009] The instant noodles provided by the present invention have improved loosening properties and texture compared to those made using conventional high amylose wheat flour. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] In this specification, high amylose wheat flour refers to wheat flour with an amylose content of preferably 40% by mass or more, more preferably 43% by mass or more, and even more preferably 48% by mass or more. The amylose content of wheat flour refers to the amylose content in the total starch contained in the wheat flour. The amylose content of wheat flour in this specification is defined as a value analyzed by the concanavalin A (ConA) method, and can be measured, for example, by analyzing the wheat flour with an amylose / amylopectin analysis kit (AMYLOSE / AMYLOPECTIN ASSAY KIT) from Megazyme. Conventional methods for analyzing amylose content include (1) a method that utilizes the high binding ability of amylose to iodine (iodine affinity measurement method; for example, amperometric titration method, colorimetric method, AACC61-03 method, etc.), and (2) a method that utilizes the specific binding of amylopectin to ConA (ConA method). However, the method using (1) tends to calculate a higher amylose content. For example, the amylose content of high-amylose wheat flour having a loss-of-function mutation (null mutation) of the SGP-1 gene described in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2 is about 37% by mass when measured by the iodine affinity measurement method, but about 31% by mass when measured by the ConA method. The amylose content of conventional wheat flour is less than 32% by mass when measured by the iodine affinity measurement method, and less than 28% by mass when measured by the ConA method.

[0011] Examples of high amylose wheat flour include wheat flour derived from modified wheat having low activity of the starch branching enzyme SBEIIa. Examples of wheat flour derived from such modified wheat include wheat flour derived from high amylose wheat having a mutation in the SBEIIa gene and reduced SBEIIa activity, as described in Patent Documents 2 to 5. More specific examples include wheat flour derived from high amylose wheat having an amount or activity of SBEIIa protein in the grain that is less than 2% of the amount or activity in wild-type wheat grain, wheat flour derived from high amylose wheat having one or more, for example one or two, null mutations in the SBEIIa gene, and the like.

[0012] The instant noodles of the present invention are produced from a raw material flour containing high amylose wheat flour having an increased amount of damaged starch compared to conventional high amylose wheat flour. The high amylose wheat flour used in the instant noodles of the present invention (hereinafter also referred to as "high amylose wheat flour of the present invention") preferably has a damaged starch amount of 4.0 to 7.0 mass%, more preferably 4.0 to 6.0 mass%, and even more preferably 4.5 to 5.0 mass%. The increased amount of damaged starch in the high amylose wheat flour leads to improved loosening properties and texture of instant noodles produced using the high amylose wheat flour.

[0013] The properties of flour may depend on the type of raw grain and the milling process. One of the indicators of flour properties is damaged starch, which reflects the amylase sensitivity of the starch components contained in the flour. High amylose wheat flour has low amylase sensitivity due to the influence of the starch structure with a high amylose content, so when it is milled in a normal way, wheat flour with less damaged starch is obtained compared to general wheat flour (see Non-Patent Document 3). In addition, if the type of raw grain is different, the amount of damaged starch may differ even if it is milled in the same process, so that the amount of damaged starch suitable for food ingredients may differ depending on the type of grain. For example, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, an increase in the amount of damaged starch in the raw rice flour of instant noodles does not necessarily lead to an improvement in the texture of the instant noodles.

[0014] The amount of damaged starch in wheat flour in this specification is a value measured according to AACC Method 76-31, that is, the damaged starch contained in a sample is decomposed into maltosaccharides and limit dextrins with mold-derived α-amylase, then decomposed into glucose with amyloglucosidase, and the amount of glucose generated is quantified, and represents the amount of amylase-sensitive starch. A commercially available kit (e.g., Starch Damage Assay Kit, manufactured by MegaZyme) can be used to measure the amount of damaged starch according to AACC Method 76-31.

[0015] The high amylose wheat flour of the present invention preferably has an average particle size of 20 to 110 μm, more preferably 60 to 100 μm. The average particle size in this specification refers to the volume mean diameter (MV) of particles calculated by a laser diffraction / scattering method, and can be measured using a commercially available laser diffraction / scattering particle size distribution analyzer (e.g., Microtrack MT3000II; Microtrack Bell Corporation).

[0016] The high amylose wheat flour of the present invention may be wheat flour that essentially contains only the endosperm fraction of high amylose wheat kernels, or it may be wheat flour (e.g., whole wheat flour) that contains the endosperm fraction of high amylose wheat kernels as well as germ and bran fractions.

[0017] The high amylose wheat flour of the present invention can be produced by milling the grains of the high amylose wheat described above according to a conventional method, but adjusting the conditions so as to increase the amount of damaged starch in the wheat flour. Methods for adjusting the amount of damaged starch in wheat flour are known in the art. Usually, when starch is physically destroyed by applying mechanical force or heat to the flour during the milling process, the amount of damaged starch in the flour increases. For example, in the grinding process of the raw wheat (coarse grinding process) or the grinding process of the ground product (reduction process), if the smooth roller used for grinding narrows the roll gap, the starch becomes more susceptible to damage and the amount of damaged starch increases. In addition, wheat flour of the desired particle size can be obtained by appropriately adjusting the conditions and number of times of the grinding process, or by classifying the ground product.

[0018] The content of the high amylose wheat flour of the present invention in the raw material flour for the instant noodles of the present invention is preferably 30 mass% or more, more preferably 50 mass% or more, and even more preferably 60 to 80 mass%, of the total mass of the flours and starches contained in the raw material flour.

[0019] The raw material flour may contain other cereal flours than the high amylose wheat flour of the present invention. Examples of the other cereal flours include wheat flours other than the high amylose wheat flour of the present invention, rice flour, barley flour, waxy barley flour, buckwheat flour, soy flour, corn flour, oat flour, rye flour, bran flour, etc. The above-listed cereal flours can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0020] Preferably, the other cereal flour is a flour other than the high amylose wheat flour of the present invention. For example, the other cereal flour is a non-high amylose wheat flour (typically a wheat flour with an amylose content of less than 28% by mass). Examples of the non-high amylose wheat flour include strong flour, semi-strong flour, medium strength flour, weak flour, durum flour, whole wheat flour, etc. These wheat flours can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0021] The raw material flour may contain starches. Examples of the starches are not particularly limited, and include unmodified starches such as potato starch, tapioca starch, wheat starch, corn starch, waxy corn starch, and rice starch, as well as modified starches obtained by processing these (e.g., cross-linking, phosphorylation, acetylation, etherification, oxidation, gelatinization, etc.). In the present invention, these unmodified starches and modified starches may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0022] Preferably, the starches are selected from tapioca starch and potato starch. The tapioca starch and potato starch may be unmodified or modified. For example, modified tapioca starch and modified potato starch may be subjected to one or more processes selected from the group consisting of acetylation, etherification, and cross-linking. These modified starches may be cross-linked. The above-listed tapioca starches and potato starches may be used alone or in combination of two or more. More preferably, the starches are modified tapioca starch. Preferably, the modified tapioca starch is one or more selected from the group consisting of etherified tapioca starch and acetylated tapioca starch. The etherified starch and acetylated starch may be cross-linked.

[0023] Preferably, the raw material flour contains starches. The total content of the starches in the raw material flour is preferably 10 to 50 mass%, more preferably 20 to 40 mass%, of the total mass of the flours and starches contained in the raw material flour. The total content of the flours and starches including the high amylose wheat flour of the present invention in the raw material flour is preferably 80 mass% or more, more preferably 90 mass% or more, and may be 100 mass%, of the total mass of the raw material flour.

[0024] The raw material flour may further contain other ingredients that can be used in the production of noodles, in addition to the above-mentioned cereal flours and starches, as necessary. Examples of the other ingredients include proteins such as gluten, soy protein, milk protein, egg yolk powder, egg white powder, whole egg powder, and skim milk powder; fats and oils such as animal and vegetable oils and fats, emulsified fats and oils, and shortening; salt; raw kansui water; sugars; sweeteners; calcined calcium; dietary fiber; spices; seasonings; vitamins, minerals, nutritional enhancers; colorants; flavorings; dextrin (including resistant to digestion); leavening agents; emulsifiers; thickeners; water retention agents; preservatives; enzymes; pH adjusters; and oxidation-reducing agents, but are not limited to these. These other ingredients can be used alone or in combination of two or more. The amount of each of the other ingredients in the raw material flour can be appropriately determined depending on the type of noodles desired. The total content of the other components in the raw material flour is preferably 20 mass% or less, and more preferably 10 mass% or less, of the total mass of the raw material flour, or the raw material flour may not contain the other components.

[0025] An instant noodle dough is prepared from the raw material flour. The noodle dough can be prepared by kneading the raw material flour with kneading water in a conventional manner. The kneading water can be water, saline, kansui (brine water) or gas-containing water (such as carbonated water). The amount of kneading water used to prepare the noodle dough is preferably 25 to 65 parts by mass, in terms of the water content of the kneading water, per 100 parts by mass of the raw material flour.

[0026] Fresh noodles are produced from the obtained noodle dough. Conventional means can be used to produce fresh noodles from the noodle dough. For example, there is a method in which the noodle dough is rolled with a noodle making roll to obtain a noodle band, and this noodle band is then cut with a cutting blade or the like to obtain noodle strands, and a method in which the noodle dough is extruded to obtain noodle strands. The above noodle bands may be laminated to form multi-layer noodles. The type of noodle is not particularly limited, and examples include Chinese noodles, udon, and soba.

[0027] The produced raw noodles are then gelatinized. The means for gelatinizing the noodles is not particularly limited, and examples include boiling and steaming. The gelatinized noodles obtained are dried to produce the instant noodles of the present invention. The instant noodles may be fried or non-fried.

[0028] When producing fried noodles, the gelatinized noodles are fried in oil according to a conventional method. For example, the gelatinized noodles can be divided into individual portions, formed into noodle blocks or packed into a mold as necessary, and then fried at 140 to 150°C for 1 to 3 minutes to produce fried instant noodles.

[0029] When producing non-fried noodles, the gelatinized noodles are dried without frying in a conventional manner. Examples of drying methods include hot air, cold air, microwave heating, freeze-drying, and the like. Of these, hot air drying is preferred. For example, non-fried noodles can be produced by dividing the gelatinized noodles into individual portions, forming them into noodle blocks or packing them into molds as necessary, and then drying them with hot air at 70 to 150°C for about 1 to 120 minutes.

[0030] The instant noodles of the present invention obtained after drying preferably have a moisture content of 10% by mass or less, more preferably 8% by mass or less. It is preferable to adjust the drying conditions, such as temperature and time, so that the moisture content of the dried noodles falls within the above range.

[0031] The produced instant noodles can be reconstituted so that they are edible by contacting them with hot water (preferably immersing them). The temperature of the hot water for reconstituting the noodles is preferably 65°C or higher, more preferably 85°C or higher, and even more preferably 90°C or higher. For example, the instant noodles can be boiled in boiling water. Alternatively, hot water can be poured onto the instant noodles in a container and allowed to stand. Alternatively, water or hot water can be poured onto the instant noodles in a container and heated in a microwave oven. The contact time with hot water for reconstituting the noodles can be appropriately set depending on the type, shape, amount of the noodles, the preference of the eater, etc. EXAMPLES

[0032] The present invention will be described in more detail below by way of examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0033] Preparation of high amylose wheat flour High amylose wheat (wheat with low SBEIIa expression level having SBEIIa mutant gene) was conditioned and milled. High amylose wheat flour (HAW No. 1-7) with the properties listed in Table 1 was produced by adjusting the breaking, grading, purification, and reduction processes during milling. The amylose content of the wheat flour was measured using an amylose / amylopectin analysis kit (Megazyme). The amount of damaged starch was measured using a Starch Damage Assay Kit (MegaZyme). The average particle size was measured by volume mean diameter (MV) using Microtrack MT3000II (Microtrack Bell Co., Ltd.). The measured value of amylose content using the above-mentioned amylose / amylopectin analysis kit (ConA method) is higher than that measured by the iodine affinity measurement method. For example, the amylose content of HAW No. 4 was about 68% as measured by iodine affinity assay (colorimetric method).

[0034] [Table 1]

[0035] Production Example 1: Fried noodles (udon) To 100 parts by mass of raw material flour made of high amylose wheat flour (HAW No. 1 to 7) listed in Table 1, 35 to 45 parts by mass of water containing 1.5 parts by mass of salt was added and mixed to prepare noodle dough. The dough was rolled and combined using a noodle roll to produce a noodle band, which was then cut using a cutting blade (#10 square) to produce raw udon noodle strands (noodle thickness 1.2 mm). The obtained raw noodle strands were steamed for 3 minutes, then divided into portions of approximately 65 g each, and fried for 2 minutes (150°C) to produce fried instant noodles (udon). As a reference example, fried instant noodles (udon) were produced using the same procedure using raw material flour made of ordinary wheat flour (medium-strength flour, amylose content 21% by mass).

[0036] Production Example 2: Non-fried noodles (Chinese noodles) To 100 parts by mass of raw material flour made from high amylose wheat flour (HAW No. 1 to 7) listed in Table 1, 35 to 45 parts by mass of water containing 1 part by mass of salt and 0.4 part by mass of kansui (water soy sauce) was added and mixed to prepare noodle dough. The dough was rolled and combined using a noodle roll to produce a noodle band, which was then cut using a cutting blade (#24 round) to produce raw Chinese noodle strands (noodle thickness 1.1 mm). The obtained raw noodle strands were steamed for 3 minutes, then divided into portions of approximately 65 g each, and dried with hot air at 90°C for 20 minutes to produce non-fried instant noodles (Chinese noodles). As a reference example, non-fried instant noodles (Chinese noodles) were produced using the same procedure using raw material flour made from ordinary wheat flour (semi-strong flour, amylose content 23% by mass).

[0037] Production Example 3: Fried noodles (Chinese noodles) To 100 parts by mass of raw flour consisting of 70 parts by mass of high amylose wheat flour and 30 parts by mass of processed starch (SAKURA1000; Matsutani Chemical Industry, acetylated tapioca starch) as shown in Table 1, 35 to 45 parts by mass of water containing 1 part by mass of salt and 0.2 parts by mass of kansui (water soy sauce) was added and mixed to prepare noodle dough. The dough was rolled and combined using a noodle making roll to produce a noodle band, which was then cut using a cutting blade (#20 round) to produce raw noodle strings (noodle thickness 1.2 mm). The obtained raw noodle strings were steamed for 3 minutes, then divided into portions of approximately 65 g each, and fried in oil (150°C) for 2 minutes to produce fried instant noodles (Chinese noodles).

[0038] Production Example 4: Fried noodles (Chinese noodles) Fried instant noodles (Chinese noodles) were produced in the same manner as in Production Example 3, except that raw material flours consisting of 50 parts by mass of high amylose wheat flour shown in Table 1, 20 parts by mass of semi-strong flour (amylose content 23% by mass), and 30 parts by mass of processed starch (SAKURA1000; Matsutani Chemical Industry, acetylated tapioca starch) were used.

[0039] Test 1 The instant noodles produced in Production Examples 1 to 4 were reconstituted with hot water and evaluated for texture and loosening. The evaluation was carried out by 10 trained panelists according to the following evaluation criteria, and the average score of the 10 panelists was calculated. The evaluation results are shown in Tables 2 to 5. <Evaluation criteria> (Texture) 5 points: Crisp compared to the control. 4 points: Slightly crisper than the control. 3 points: Equal crispness to the control. 2 points: Slightly less crisp than the control. Score 1: Less crisp than the control. (Relax) 5 points: Better loosening than the control. 4 points: Slightly better loosening than the control. 3 points: The loosening is equivalent to that of the control. 2 points: Slightly poorer loosening than the control. 1 point: Poor loosening compared to the control.

[0040] [Table 2]

[0041] [Table 3]

[0042] [Table 4]

[0043] [Table 5]

Claims

1. The high amylose wheat flour having a damaged starch content of 4.0 to 7.0% by mass as measured by AACC method 76-31 is 30% by mass or more of the total mass of flours and starches; The high amylose wheat flour is wheat flour having an amylose content of 40% by mass or more in total starch as analyzed by the Concanavalin A method. Instant noodles.

2. 2. The instant noodles according to claim 1, wherein the high amylose wheat flour is wheat flour derived from modified wheat having low SBEIIa activity.

3. 2. The instant noodles according to claim 1, which contain starch.

4. 2. The instant noodles according to claim 1, which are fried noodles or non-fried noodles.

5. A method for producing instant noodles, comprising drying gelatinized noodles, The raw material flour for the instant noodles contains high amylose wheat flour having a damaged starch content of 4.0 to 7.0% by mass as measured by AACC method 76-31 in an amount of 30% by mass or more based on the total mass of flours and starches, The high amylose wheat flour is wheat flour having an amylose content of 40% by mass or more in total starch as analyzed by the Concanavalin A method. method.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the high amylose wheat flour is wheat flour derived from modified wheat having low SBEIIa activity.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the feedstock flour comprises starches.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the instant noodles are fried noodles or non-fried noodles.

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