Method for manufacturing rice paste

Abstract

To provide a method for manufacturing rice paste that is capable of producing rice paste with excellent hygiene quality.SOLUTION: The method includes a soaking step where rice is soaked in water, and a pasting step where the rice and water after the soaking step are crushed by a rotary blade 10 to form paste. During the soaking step, the rice is soaked in acidic or alkaline water.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing rice paste. [Background technology]

[0002] Rice is an excellent food with high nutritional value. Furthermore, in Japan, where food self-sufficiency is low, rice is practically 100% self-sufficient. On the other hand, the spread of wheat-based foods such as bread and noodles has resulted in a rice surplus. Therefore, in order to further expand the uses of rice, attempts have been made to produce bread, noodles, etc. using rice ingredients such as rice flour as a substitute for wheat flour. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for producing food using rice paste as an ingredient. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-187663 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When rice paste contains a relatively large amount of microorganisms (yeast, etc.), a heating step tends to be necessary from a hygienic standpoint when the rice paste is processed into food (e.g., noodles) or food dough (e.g., noodle dough). When heating promotes gelatinization (gelatinization) of the starch in the rice paste, the texture tends to differ from that of foods or food doughs whose main ingredient is wheat. In addition, the heating step tends to increase production costs.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing rice paste that is capable of producing rice paste that is excellent in terms of hygiene. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is characterized in that it comprises a soaking process in which rice is soaked in water, and a pasting process in which the rice and water after the soaking process are crushed with a rotary blade to form a paste, and in that in the soaking process, the rice is soaked in acidic or alkaline water.

[0007] According to this configuration, by soaking rice in acidic or alkaline water, it is possible to effectively reduce the number of living microorganisms (yeast, etc.), which makes it possible to produce rice paste that is excellent in terms of hygiene.

[0008] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the rice is soaked in acidic water in the soaking step.

[0009] According to this configuration, the rice is less likely to decay than when it is soaked in alkaline water, which makes it easier to produce high-quality rice paste.

[0010] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable to provide a rice washing step in which the rice before the soaking step is washed with acidic or alkaline water.

[0011] According to this configuration, it is possible to effectively remove dirt, microorganisms, etc. adhering to the surface of the rice.

[0012] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that in the rice washing step, the rice before the soaking step is washed with alkaline water.

[0013] According to this configuration, dirt, microorganisms, etc. adhering to the surface of the rice can be removed more effectively than when the rice is washed with acidic water.

[0014] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable to provide a neutralization step of bringing the rice after the soaking step closer to neutral.

[0015] This configuration makes it possible to avoid adverse effects caused by the rice remaining acidic or alkaline in the steps following the soaking step.

[0016] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that a generating step is provided in which acidic water and alkaline water are generated by an electrolysis device that electrolyzes water, and that the generating step is performed prior to the submersion step.

[0017] According to this configuration, for example, it is possible to wash rice using one of the acidic water and alkaline water produced in the production process, and then perform the soaking process using the other water, thereby making it possible to use both the acidic water and alkaline water produced in the production process without waste. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a method for producing rice paste. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the results of an experiment verifying the hygienic effect of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0020] [Rice paste] The rice paste in this embodiment is a mixture containing ground rice and water. Here, in the rice paste, the ground rice is evenly dispersed in the water. This rice paste can be used as a substitute for wheat in food products that are primarily made of wheat, such as bread and noodles, but is not limited thereto.

[0021] The rice pulverized material is not particularly limited as long as it is fine particles obtained by pulverizing rice, and for example, pulverized products of brown rice, white rice, etc. can be used. These may be used alone or in combination. Although not particularly limited, brown rice is particularly suitable for use because of its high nutritional value. In addition, pulverized products of gluten-free grains such as millet, barnyard millet, and beans may be mixed. By mixing such grains, the nutritional value can be increased.

[0022] The following description will be given taking as an example the case where brown rice (ground brown rice) is used as the rice, but the same applies to the case where rice other than brown rice, such as white rice, is used.

[0023] The rice paste may contain, in addition to the above main components, for example, a viscosity reducing agent, a thickening stabilizer (thickening agent), and salt, although there are no particular limitations thereon.

[0024] The viscosity reducing agent reduces the viscosity of the rice paste (mixture). The viscosity reducing agent is not particularly limited, but examples of the viscosity reducing agent that can be used include oligosaccharides, trehalose, starch syrup, dextrin, and maltose.

[0025] A thickening agent (thickening agent) is an additive used as a gelling agent, thickener, or stabilizer, and increases the viscosity of the rice paste (mixture). The thickening agent is not particularly limited, but examples of the thickening agent include HPMC (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose), CMC (carboxymethylcellulose), modified starch, and thickening polysaccharides (carrageenan, xanthan gum, guar gum, pectin, etc.).

[0026] The rice paste may also contain an oil or fat component.

[0027] In addition, by freezing the rice paste, it is possible to obtain a frozen rice paste having excellent storage stability and transportability.

[0028] Rice paste can be used, for example, as an alternative ingredient to wheat flour in noodle dough. When making noodles from rice paste, for example, the rice paste may be put into a noodle making device and the noodle may be made by driving the noodle making device.

[0029] [Method of producing rice paste] The method for producing rice paste according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0030] In the production step, acidic water and alkaline water are produced by the electrolysis device F that electrolyzes water. In this manner, in this embodiment, a production step is provided in which acidic water and alkaline water are produced by the electrolysis device F that electrolyzes water.

[0031] Next, in the primary washing step (corresponding to the "rice washing step" of the present invention), the rice before the soaking step (described below) is washed with acidic or alkaline water. At this time, impurities such as rice scraps are removed as appropriate. In the primary washing step, although there are no particular limitations, it is preferable to wash the rice before the soaking step with alkaline water.

[0032] In this manner, the present embodiment includes a primary washing step in which rice before the soaking step is washed with acidic or alkaline water. Also, in the primary washing step, rice before the soaking step is washed with alkaline water.

[0033] However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the primary washing step, the rice before the soaking step may be washed with neutral water.

[0034] Next, a soaking step is performed in which the washed brown rice is soaked in water. In this embodiment, the rice is soaked in acidic or alkaline water in the soaking step. Although not particularly limited, it is preferable to soak the rice in acidic water in the soaking step.

[0035] In this manner, the present embodiment includes a soaking step of soaking rice in water. Also, the preparation step is performed prior to the soaking step.

[0036] Although there is no particular limitation to the water immersion step, it is preferable to immerse the material at a low temperature (10° C. or lower) for about one day. After the water immersion step, the immersion water is removed.

[0037] After the soaking water is removed, the rice is washed with running water (neutral water) in the secondary washing step (corresponding to the "neutralization step" of the present invention). This brings the rice closer to neutral. In this way, the present embodiment includes a secondary washing step that brings the rice closer to neutral after the soaking step.

[0038] Then, the washed brown rice and water are put into the crusher 1. After that, a pasting process is carried out in which the rice in the crusher 1 is crushed and pasted.

[0039] The crusher 1 is equipped with a rotary blade 10. In the pasting process, a mixture containing brown rice after the soaking process and water is crushed by the rotary blade 10 to form a paste. In this manner, in this embodiment, the crusher 1 is equipped with a pasting process in which the rice after the soaking process and water are crushed by the rotary blade 10 to form a paste.

[0040] In addition, in the pasting process, the above-mentioned viscosity reducing agent, thickening stabilizer (thickening agent), salt, and oil and fat components may be added. For example, in the pasting process, if a viscosity reducing agent is added beforehand or during pasting, the temperature rise during the pasting process is suppressed. This makes it possible to prevent the starch in the paste from becoming gelatinized (gelatinized). In addition, the addition of a viscosity reducing agent is preferable because it enables the paste to be formed more quickly.

[0041] The rice paste is completed through the above-mentioned pasting process. The temperature of the completed rice paste is not particularly limited, but is preferably 45° C. or lower. Then, although not particularly limited, the completed rice paste may be subjected to a cooling process.

[0042] The cooling step is not particularly limited, but for example, the rice paste is rapidly cooled in a freezer. This rapid cooling freezes the rice paste, making it possible to obtain frozen rice paste. In addition, in the cooling step, the rice paste may be cooled in a refrigerator instead of a freezer. This allows the rice paste to be stored at low temperature for a certain period of time.

[0043] [Hygiene benefits] The results of an experiment verifying the hygienic effects of the present invention are shown in Figure 2. More specifically, Figure 2 shows the general viable bacteria count and yeast count for samples A, B, and C.

[0044] Samples A, B, and C were all rice that had been subjected to the above-mentioned primary washing, soaking, and secondary washing steps, and were sampled immediately after the secondary washing step. The treatments for each of the samples A, B, and C were identical to each other, except for the points described below.

[0045] Sample A was washed with normal (neutral) water, not with acidic or alkaline water, in the primary cleaning step, and was immersed in normal (neutral) water, not with acidic or alkaline water, in the immersion step.

[0046] Sample B was washed with normal (neutral) water in the primary washing step, not with acidic or alkaline water, and was immersed in acidic water in the water immersion step.

[0047] Sample C was washed with strong alkaline water in the primary cleaning process, and was immersed in strong acidic water in the immersion process.

[0048] Comparing sample A and sample B, sample B has a lower general viable bacteria count and yeast count. In particular, the general viable bacteria count is significantly lower in sample B. Thus, by soaking rice in acidic water during the soaking process, it is possible to reduce live microorganisms more effectively than when the rice is soaked in normal (neutral) water.

[0049] Comparing sample B and sample C, sample C has a significantly lower general viable bacteria count and yeast count. In particular, no yeast was detected in sample C. In this way, by washing the rice with alkaline water in the primary washing step, it is possible to reduce live microorganisms more effectively than when washing with normal (neutral) water. Also, the stronger the alkalinity of the water in the primary washing step and the stronger the acidity of the water in the soaking step, the more effectively it is possible to reduce live microorganisms.

[0050] In FIG. 2, "water" means neutral water (pH about 7.0). "Acid" means acidic water (e.g., water that is more acidic than pH 5.0 water and less acidic than pH 3.5 water). "Strongly acidic" means strongly acidic water (e.g., water that is more acidic than pH 3.5 water and less acidic than pH 2.0 water). "Strongly alkaline" means strongly alkaline water (e.g., water that is more alkaline than pH 11.0 water and less alkaline than pH 13.0 water).

[0051] According to the above-described configuration, by soaking rice in acidic or alkaline water, it is possible to effectively reduce the number of living microorganisms (yeast, etc.), which makes it possible to produce rice paste that is excellent in terms of hygiene.

[0052] Other embodiments (1) After the primary washing step, a pre-soaking neutralization step may be provided to neutralize the rice before the soaking step. The pre-soaking neutralization step may be, for example, a step of washing the rice with running water (neutral water).

[0053] (2) In the soaking process, the rice may be soaked in alkaline water, which softens the rice. In the primary washing process, the rice may be washed in acidic water before the soaking process.

[0054] (3) Some or all of the generating process, the primary cleaning process, the secondary cleaning process, and the cooling process do not have to be provided.

[0055] The configurations disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiments (including other embodiments, the same applies below) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, unless a contradiction occurs. In addition, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and can be appropriately modified within the scope of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0056] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used in a method for producing rice paste. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 10: Rotary blade F: Electrolysis device

Claims

1. A soaking process in which rice is soaked in water; A pasting process in which the rice and water after the soaking process are crushed by a rotary blade to form a paste. A method for producing rice paste, in which the rice is soaked in acidic or alkaline water in the soaking step.

2. 2. The method for producing rice paste according to claim 1, wherein the rice is soaked in acidic water in the soaking step.

3. 3. The method for producing rice paste according to claim 1, further comprising a rice washing step of washing the rice with acidic or alkaline water before the soaking step.

4. 4. The method for producing rice paste according to claim 3, wherein in the rice washing step, the rice before the soaking step is washed with alkaline water.

5. The method for producing rice paste according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a neutralization step of making the rice after the soaking step closer to neutral.

6. A generating step of generating acidic water and alkaline water by an electrolysis device that electrolyzes water, The method for producing rice paste according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the generating step is carried out before the soaking step.

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