Puffed food including barley bran and production method thereof

Abstract

To provide a puffed food obtained by puffing dough with a high blending ratio of barley bran.SOLUTION: A puffed food is obtained by pressurizing and then depressurizing dough including barley bran to puff the dough. The dough further includes cereal flour. The barley bran is obtained by removing from the barley bran at least a part of matter derived from an outer layer of its barley bran part, the part having an inner layer and the outer layer. The cereal flour may be cereal flour of a gramineous plant except barley. The cereal flour may be either corn flour or rice flour. In the puffed food, the barley bran may constitute more than 50 wt.% and less than 100 wt.% relative to a total of the barley bran and the cereal flour.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an expanded food obtained by expanding a dough containing barley bran by depressurizing after pressurization.

Background Art

[0002] Non-Patent Document 1 discloses expansion by depressurization among the expansion mechanisms of expanded foods. Non-Patent Document 2 discloses that a snack made from barley bran rich in β-glucan was prototyped using a twin-screw extruder.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a bread flour analog having a unique color tone and flavor of buckwheat (Claim 1). The bread flour analog is made by using a raw material containing 51 to 100 parts by weight of buckwheat rice and / or buckwheat flour as a main raw material and 49 to 0 parts by weight of tuberous roots other than buckwheat and / or edible fibrous substances other than buckwheat as a sub-raw material and water, blending the raw material and water with an extruder, extruding and expanding, and then pulverizing. It also discloses that the edible fibrous substance is cereal bran, and the cereal bran is rice bran, wheat bran, barley bran, corn bran, or a mixture of two or more of these (Claims 3, 4).

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a snack (T4A) obtained by blending 40.0 of whole barley flour with 50.0 of soybeans, extruding, and drying at 240 to 310°C (Table 3A, Table 7). It also discloses a snack (T6A) obtained by blending and extruding a multi-grain containing barley flour, rice flour, and corn flour and then drying.

[0005] Patent Document 3 discloses manufacturing a baked confection by baking a dough prepared by blending 30 parts by mass of barley bran with 70 parts by mass of wheat starch and further blending margarine, unsalted butter, granulated sugar, non-fat dry milk, whole eggs, and salt (see Table 1, Invention Product 6). However, such a baked confection contains almost no bubbles, has lower elasticity than bread or cake, has high penetration strength, low moisture content, and low water activity (paragraph

[0010] ).

[0006] Patent Document 4 discloses baking hot cakes with a mixed flour containing 10 parts by mass of whole grain flour of glutinous barley and 66.4 parts by mass of weak flour (Example 13).

[0007] Patent Document

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0008]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Patent Document 5

Non-Patent Documents

[0009]

Non-Patent Document 1

Non-Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0010] The present invention aims to expand the dough while increasing the blending ratio of barley bran in an expanded food obtained by expanding the dough containing barley bran by reducing the pressure after pressurization.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0011] <1> An expanded food obtained by expanding the dough containing barley bran by reducing the pressure after pressurization, wherein the dough further contains cereal flour, at least a part of the outer layer-derived part among the inner layer and the outer layer of the barley bran part is reduced from the barley bran, Expanded food. <2> The cereal flour is cereal flour of a gramineous plant other than barley, The above expanded food. <3> The cereal flour is either corn flour or rice flour, The above expanded food. <4> The barley bran accounts for more than 50% by weight and less than 100% by weight based on the total of the barley bran and the cereal flour, The above expanded food. <5> The outer layer is a part removed from the barley caryopsis when the milling start is 0 part by weight and the milling proceeds from 1 / 8 to 3 / 4 part by weight with respect to 1 part by weight of the barley bran part, The inner layer is a part removed from the barley caryopsis when the milling start is from 1 / 8 to 3 / 4 part by weight and the milling proceeds to 1 part by weight with respect to 1 part by weight of the barley bran part, The above expanded food. <6> The barley bran does not contain the outer layer-derived part, The above expanded food. <7> The barley bran part is a part removed from the barley caryopsis when the milling start is 0% by weight and the milling proceeds from 20 to 40% by weight with respect to 100% by weight of the caryopsis, The above expanded food. <8> A method for producing the above expanded food, By extruding and molding the base material, a constant cross-section is given to the base material along the extrusion axis. While extruding the pressurized base material and reducing the pressure, the base material is expanded around the extrusion axis in the base material. Method. <9> The extrusion molding of the base material is performed by an extruder. The above method. <10> The extrusion molding of the base material is performed by a twin-screw or multi-screw extruder with three or more screws. The above method.

Advantages of the Invention

[0012] In the present invention, since at least a part of the outer layer-derived part of the barley bran is reduced from the barley bran, the base material can be expanded while increasing the blending ratio of the barley bran.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] In this embodiment, a dough containing barley bran is expanded by depressurizing it after pressurization. Thereby, an expanded food containing barley bran is obtained. When the starch in the dough gelatinizes and expands, bubbles or cavities are formed inside the expanded food. Also, due to the presence of cavities, the penetration strength of the expanded food is low. Therefore, the expanded food has a crispy texture.

[0015] <Barley that provides bran> FIG. 1 shows a cross-section of a barley caryopsis, also called raw barley. The barley caryopsis consists of a central endosperm and a peripheral bran. Also, the outer skin that wraps the caryopsis in the figure and the germ in the caryopsis are omitted. Botanically, the bran part can be further divided into layers of aleurone layer, seed coat, and pericarp from the center to the outside of the barley caryopsis. Also, it may be difficult to distinguish the germ and the bran part during milling. In this embodiment, the bran may contain the powder of the germ generated by milling.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, this embodiment is described based on the outer layer of the bran part, the inner layer of the bran part, and the endosperm that appear in order when milling (polishing) the barley caryopsis. The endosperm is obtained as polished barley. From polished barley, barley flour, that is, barley powder, is obtained. From the bran part of barley, barley bran is obtained. The outer layer of the bran part is the part in contact with the outer skin. Outer layer bran is obtained from the outer layer of the bran part. The inner layer of the bran part is the part in contact with the endosperm. Inner layer bran is obtained from the inner layer of the bran part.

[0017] In FIG. 1, for example, with respect to 100% by weight of the caryopsis, when the start of milling is set to 0% by weight and milling is advanced to 20 to 40% by weight, preferably up to 30% by weight, the part removed from the barley caryopsis can be considered as the bran part.

[0018] In FIG. 1, for example, with respect to 1 part by weight of the bran part, when the start of milling is set to 0 part by weight and milling is advanced to 1 / 20 to 19 / 20 part by weight, preferably up to 1 / 8 to 3 / 4 part by weight, preferably up to 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 part by weight, preferably up to 1 / 3 part by weight, the part removed from the barley caryopsis can be considered as the outer layer of the bran part.

[0019] In FIG. 1, for example, with respect to 1 part by weight of the bran portion, the start of pounding is set to 1 / 20 to 19 / 20 parts by weight, preferably 1 / 8 to 3 / 4 parts by weight, preferably 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 parts by weight, preferably 1 / 3 parts by weight, and when pounding proceeds up to 1 part by weight, the portion removed from the barley caryopsis can be considered as the inner layer of the bran portion.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, mainly the inner layer bran is used for making dough. However, appropriately blending the outer layer bran or the barley flour obtained from polished barley into the dough is not excluded from this embodiment.

[0021] The variety of barley that provides the bran is not particularly limited. Barley is classified into hulled barley and naked barley. Hulled barley, also called covered barley, has the outer skin, also called the husk, tightly attached to the caryopsis, so the outer skin is difficult to separate from the caryopsis. Naked barley has an outer skin that easily separates from the caryopsis. In any case of using barley, the outer skin is removed. Barley is also classified into two-row varieties with large grains and six-row varieties with small grains. Barley is also classified into glutinous and non-glutinous types. One of the preferred varieties in this embodiment is Biew fiber. Biew fiber is naked barley, a two-row variety, and is glutinous. Biew fiber contains a rich amount of β-glucan compared to conventional varieties.

[0022] <Selection of the flour that provides starch> In this embodiment, starch is supplemented to the barley bran to make dough. As a material that provides starch to the dough, flour is preferred. The flour is barley flour, wheat flour, refined flour of other cereals, corn flour, rice flour, or flour of grains of other gramineous plants. Cereals include, in addition to barley and wheat, rye, crow wheat, and adzuki bean. Other gramineous plants include sorghum.

[0023] The cereal flour is preferably refined flour. The refined flour contains the powder of the endosperm part of the grain, but does not contain the powder of the bran and germ parts. In this embodiment, the cereal flour is mixed with barley bran. The refined flour is preferably wheat flour such as cake flour, corn flour, or rice flour, and rice flour is particularly preferred. Corn flour and rice flour are suitable for providing puffy foods with a crispy texture even when the blending ratio of barley bran is increased compared to barley flour and wheat flour. For example, even when the blending ratio of barley bran is 50% by weight or more based on the total of barley bran and refined flour, the effect on the above texture is easily maintained.

[0024] Among the cereal flours, whole grain flour can also be used as a raw material for the dough. The whole grain flour further contains the powder of the bran and germ parts in addition to the powder of the endosperm part of the grain. When using whole grain flour other than barley, the bran of grains other than barley is mixed into the dough. The whole grain flour is used within a range that does not impair the puffing of the dough. An example of the whole grain flour is whole wheat flour. Whole wheat flour is obtained by milling together the bran and germ parts and the endosperm part without subjecting the bran of wheat to refining. In order to reduce the influence of the bran part in the whole grain flour, the whole grain flour and the refined flour may be mixed and used.

[0025] When the cereal flour providing starch is barley flour, the raw materials are barley flour and barley bran. This can be substituted with whole barley flour. Whole barley flour is obtained by milling together the bran and germ parts and the endosperm part without subjecting the bran part of barley to refining. However, it is preferable to reduce the outer layer of the bran part by refining before milling. Alternatively, inner barley bran may be externally added to the barley flour milled with the bran. In this way, the blending ratio of barley bran can be increased.

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments and examples in which refined flour is selected as the cereal flour are shown, but the refined flour can also be replaced with whole grain flour.

[0027] <Mixing ratio of barley bran, inner bran, and outer bran> In this embodiment, it is preferable to increase the blending ratio of barley bran. For example, with respect to the total of barley bran and refined flour, the blending ratio of barley bran is preferably 25% by weight or more and 100% by weight. The blending ratio of barley bran may be 30, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, or 95%. It is preferable that the blending ratio of barley bran is larger than the blending ratio of refined flour.

[0028] Inner-layer bran is less likely to prevent the binding of powder in the dough and the expansion of the dough than outer-layer bran. In one aspect of this embodiment, at least a part of the bran derived from the outer layer is reduced among the bran derived from the inner layer of the bran part and the bran derived from the outer layer of the bran part in the barley bran contained in the dough. In other words, among inner-layer bran and outer-layer bran, inner-layer bran is preferentially used as a material for the dough.

[0029] With respect to the total of barley bran and refined flour, the proportion occupied by the inner layer of the bran part is preferably 25% by weight or more and 100% by weight. The proportion occupied by the inner layer of the bran part may be 30, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, or 95% by weight.

[0030] With respect to the total of barley bran and refined flour, the blending ratio of outer-layer bran is preferably 0% by weight or more and 50% by weight or less, and more preferably 25% by weight or less. The blending ratio of outer-layer bran may be 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, or 45% by weight. Particularly preferably, the dough does not contain outer-layer bran.

[0031] By appropriately reducing the outer-layer bran in this way, it is possible to provide an expanded food having a crispy texture while increasing the blending ratio of barley bran. Also, by appropriately selecting the cereal flour that provides starch, it is possible to provide an expanded food having a crispy texture while increasing the blending ratio of barley bran.

[0032] <Blending of other materials> For the dough, for example, unground granular grains, crushed nuts, or dried fruits can be added to enhance the texture. The dough can be seasoned with sugar, sweeteners, or salt. Any flavoring components such as shrimp powder, matcha, black tea, almond powder, or sesame can be added to the dough. Food additives for improving the quality of the expanded food may be added to the dough.

[0033] <Manufacturing Conditions>

[0034] The manufacturing conditions of the expanded food can be determined according to the description of this embodiment and the knowledge and experience of those skilled in the art. The water addition rate to the raw material composed of a mixture of barley bran and refined flour may be, for example, 1 to 10% by weight based on 100% by weight of the raw material, or 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9% by weight. In this embodiment, the dough is expanded by pressurizing and then depressurizing. Pressurization and depressurization can be performed using an autoclave or an extruder. For example, barley bran and refined flour can be mixed by an extruder, water can be added thereto, and then extrusion molding and expansion may be carried out.

[0035] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the extruder 10. Extrusion molding and expansion may be continuously performed by the extruder 10. In the barrel 11, the screw 12 rotates to knead the bran, refined flour, and water to produce the dough. By extruding the dough from the die 13, a certain cross-sectional shape is given to the dough. The shape of the holes in the die 13 may be circular or other shapes. The number of holes in the die 13 may be 1 or 2 or more. The dough continuously extruded from the die 13 expands around the extrusion axis when released from the pressure when it is extruded from the die 13. That is, the dough expands by being depressurized after being pressurized in the barrel 11. The expanded dough is continuously cut at a certain frequency by the pelletizer 14 to obtain the fragmented expanded food 15. The expanded food 15 is cut by the pelletizer 14 in an expanded state. The expanded food 15 may be cooled by being left at room temperature and the moisture may be dried with the residual heat. If necessary, it may be dried by hot air.

[0036] In FIG. 2, the extruder 10 may be a single-screw extruder having only one screw 12. The extruder 10 may also be a twin-screw extruder having two screws 12 arranged in parallel. The twin-screw extruder kneads and pressurizes the dough with the meshing screws. Therefore, the puffing degree and texture of the puffed food can be arbitrarily changed. The extruder 10 may also be a multi-screw extruder such as a triple-screw extruder having three screws 12 arranged in parallel or a quadruple-screw extruder having four screws 12 arranged in parallel. The multi-screw extruder may be, for example, the one described in Patent Document 5. Among these extruders, a twin-screw or a multi-screw extruder with three or more screws is preferred, and a twin-screw extruder is more preferred.

[0037] In FIG. 2, the barrel 11 may be heated. When the heat of the barrel 11 is transferred to the dough, the starch contained in the refined flour is gelatinized. The temperature of the barrel 11 may be a temperature between 50°C and 300°C, and may also be 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, 250°C. The temperature of the barrel may be increased as it approaches the die 13.

[0038] In FIG. 2, the residence time of the dough in the barrel 11 may be from 1 second to 150 seconds, and may also be 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 90, 120 seconds.

[0039] Instead of drying the puffed food 15 shown in FIG. 2 at room temperature, it may be dried under hot air. The drying temperature may be, for example, from 100°C to 400°C, and may also be 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300, 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, 360, 370, 380, 390°C. The drying time may be from 1 minute to 600 minutes, and may also be 3, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 150, 180, 240, 300 minutes.

[0040] The expansion of the expanded food 15 shown in FIG. 2 can be evaluated by the degree of expansion. The degree of expansion is represented by the ratio of the cross-sectional diameter of the expanded food 15 to the inner diameter of the die 13. Here, for example, in the case of an extruded dough, the cross-sectional diameter of the cross-sectional diameter of the expanded food 15 may be considered as the diameter in the direction spreading around the extrusion axis. The degree of expansion may be greater than 1 and not more than 10. The degree of expansion may be 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and may also be 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9, 4.0, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8, 4.9.

Example

[0041] <Analysis of Barley Bran>

[0042] Table 1 shows the results of analyzing the weight ratios of the components of barley flour, inner-layer bran, and outer-layer bran. Here, Niigata Prefecture-produced Nijo barley (variety: View Fiber) was polished. The polishing ratio was 70%. The outer-layer bran was obtained from the barley caryopsis when the polishing was advanced from 0 to 10% by weight. The inner-layer bran was obtained from the barley caryopsis when the polishing was advanced from 10 to 30% by weight. The polished barley was milled into barley flour.

[0043]

Table 1

[0044] The content of moisture was determined by the normal pressure heating drying method, protein by the combustion method (modified Dumas method), lipid by the acid decomposition method, carbohydrate by the subtraction method, ash by the direct ashing method, and dietary fiber by the Prosky modification method. The amount obtained by subtracting dietary fiber from carbohydrates was regarded as saccharides. The content of other components was determined according to the 2020 Edition (Eighth Revision) Analysis Manual of the Japanese Food Standard Composition Table. The content of β-glucan was measured in accordance with AOAC Method 995.16, using a β-glucan analysis kit (K-BGLU manufactured by Megazyme) and following the (A) analysis method for oats and barley powder or fiber samples of the kit. In Table 1, the sum of moisture, protein, lipid, carbohydrate, and ash amounts to 100 (g). The weight of saccharides is calculated by subtracting the weight of dietary fiber from the weight of carbohydrates. The weight of β-glucan is an independent value from the weights of moisture, protein, lipid, carbohydrate, and ash. Therefore, in Table 1, β-glucan is described separately by a broken line.

[0045] In Table 1, carbohydrates include saccharides and dietary fiber. Dietary fiber includes water-insoluble ones such as cellulose and some arabinoxylans, and water-soluble ones such as β-glucan and some arabinoxylans. Cellulose is a polymer in which glucose units are β-1,4-linked. Arabinoxylan is a polymer in which xylose is 1,4-linked. β-glucan derived from barley and oats is a water-soluble dietary fiber in which glucose is linked in a linear structure by β-1,3-glycosidic bonds and β-1,4-glycosidic bonds.

[0046] As shown in Table 1, saccharides decreased in the order of barley flour, inner bran, and outer bran. On the contrary, dietary fiber increased in this order. In the inner bran, the weight of saccharides exceeded that of dietary fiber, but in the outer bran, the weight of dietary fiber exceeded that of saccharides. Therefore, it can be said that the inner bran is the part of the bran where the weight of saccharides exceeds that of dietary fiber, and conversely, the outer bran is the part of the bran where dietary fiber exceeds saccharides.

[0047] As shown in Table 1, in barley flour, among dietary fibers, the amount of water-soluble dietary fiber was greater than that of water-insoluble dietary fiber. In contrast, in the inner bran and outer bran, the amount of water-soluble dietary fiber was less than that of water-insoluble dietary fiber. Therefore, it can be said that bran is a layer in which the amount of water-soluble dietary fiber is less than that of water-insoluble dietary fiber.

[0048] In Table 1, the amount of β-glucan in barley flour is described as a slightly higher value compared to dietary fiber. This apparent difference is within the range of measurement errors in the respective measurement methods of dietary fiber and β-glucan. Therefore, the measurement results indicate that almost all of the water-soluble dietary fiber contained in barley flour is β-glucan. On the other hand, each measured value of the inner bran and outer bran is consistent with the fact that, as conventionally known, in addition to β-glucan, water-soluble arabinoxylan and other water-soluble dietary fibers are present in the bran part of barley. Therefore, in this embodiment, while incorporating more β-glucan into the expanded food, it is also possible to further incorporate water-soluble arabinoxylan and other water-soluble dietary fibers. Also, as shown in Table 1, the inner bran contains more β-glucan than the outer bran. In this embodiment, by preferentially using the inner bran over the outer bran, the efficiency of incorporating β-glucan into the expanded food is increased compared to the case of using the entire bran part.

[0049] <Expanded food of barley flour>

[0050] By extruding the raw material while heating and pressurizing it with a twin-screw extruder, a puffed food obtained by decompression was obtained. Barley flour (BF) and barley bran were mixed at a predetermined blending ratio to obtain the raw material. The raw material was fed into the twin-screw extruder at a rate of 300 g / min. The rotational speed of the screw of the twin-screw extruder was 200 rpm. 3% by weight of water was injected into the twin-screw extruder based on 100% by weight of the raw material. The dough was prepared while kneading the raw material in the twin-screw extruder. The temperature inside the twin-screw extruder was initially set at 60°C and raised to 100°C by the time it reached the die. The increase in temperature promoted the gelatinization of starch in the dough. The die had one hole with a pore diameter of 5 mm. By rotating a two-tooth pelletizer at 10 Hz, the dough continuously extruded from the die was successively cut to obtain a large amount of puffed food. The puffed food was dried by exposing it to hot air at 120°C for 90 minutes.

[0051] Figure 3 is a photograph of a puffed food obtained by decompressing the dough containing barley flour and the inner or outer layer of barley bran after pressurization. The dough was prepared by blending barley flour and barley bran, or prepared with only one of them. Barley flour is the so-called flour of the endosperm of barley. The shape of the puffed food obtained by decompressing after pressurization was rod-shaped.

[0052] In the upper row of the photograph in Figure 3, from left to right, the puffed foods obtained by decompressing the dough with the blending ratio of the inner layer bran being 0, 25, 50, 75%, and 100% by weight are shown. In the lower row of the photograph, from left to right, the puffed foods obtained by decompressing the dough with the blending ratio of the outer layer bran being 25%, 50, and 75% by weight are shown. While extruding the dough with a twin-screw extruder, the puffed food was fragmented by cutting with a pelletizer. Note that the dough with 100% outer layer bran did not bind to each other as powders, so it spurted out from the die of the extruder and could not be processed to give the dough a shape. Also, the dough with a blending ratio of 50% or 75% of the outer layer bran was more difficult to form compared to the dough with other blending ratios.

[0053] As shown in the photograph of Fig. 3, in both the inner layer bran dough and the outer layer bran dough, the higher the blending ratio of bran, the more the expansion was suppressed. The expansion of the outer layer bran dough was inferior to that of the inner layer bran dough at any proportion. Therefore, it is preferable to reduce the outer layer bran in the dough, and it is more preferable that the dough does not contain the outer layer bran. Also, even when adding the outer layer bran, it was found that the blending ratio is preferably 50% by weight or less, more preferably 25% by weight or less, based on the total of barley bran and refined flour.

[0054] <Puffed foods made from other refined flours> The refined flour was changed from barley flour (BF) to wheat flour (WF), corn flour (CF), and rice flour (RF). Cake flour was used for the wheat flour. The inner layer of barley bran was used. Other manufacturing conditions were the same as those for the puffed food made from barley flour.

[0055] Fig. 4 is a photograph of puffed foods made from doughs of wheat flour, corn flour, and rice flour. In the dough of wheat flour, as in the dough of barley flour (Fig. 3), the expansion was suppressed as the blending ratio of bran increased. On the other hand, in the doughs of corn flour and rice flour, the suppression of expansion was moderate even when the blending ratio of the inner layer bran increased up to 50%. When comparing under the condition where the blending ratio of the inner layer bran was 75%, the dough of rice flour expanded better than the doughs of barley flour (Fig. 3), wheat flour, and corn flour. The shape of the puffed food was nearly spherical in the doughs of wheat flour and rice flour, and was a rod shape extending along the extrusion axis in the dough of corn flour.

[0056] Fig. 5 is a graph of the puffing degree of the puffed food. The puffing degree in this example was evaluated in the direction of expansion in the radial direction from the extrusion axis. Here, the puffing degree is represented by the magnification of the diameter of the puffed food with respect to the diameter of the die. However, since the dough of corn flour expands in a rod shape along the extrusion axis, its puffing degree is lower. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate all the puffed foods in combination with the photograph of Fig. 4. In the figure, * p < 0.05 indicates that when the significance level is 5%, the null hypothesis that the puffing degrees are the same among different blending ratios is rejected in the two-sided test of the puffing degree.

[0057] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when comparing under the condition that the blending ratio of the inner layer bran is 50%, the expansion ratios of the doughs of corn flour and rice flour were higher than those of the doughs of barley flour and wheat flour. Also, as shown in the photograph of FIG. 4, the doughs of corn flour and rice flour swelled well around the extrusion axis compared to the dough of wheat flour.

[0058] <Evaluation of Physical Properties Affecting Texture>

[0059] The upper part of FIG. 6 is a photograph of a test apparatus for deforming an expanded food by applying a load from above the expanded food and pushing it at a constant speed. A test apparatus was used to evaluate whether the expanded food could provide a crispy texture. The compression jig is a disk with a diameter of 75 mm. The sample was distorted by compressing it from a height of 100% to 50%. The magnitude of the distortion was expressed with the distortion at a height of 100% as 0% and the distortion at a height of 50% as 50%. The compression speed was 5 mm / s. The number of tests was 30 samples per test group.

[0060] The lower part of FIG. 6 is a schematic graph showing the relationship between the magnitude of the distortion and the magnitude of the load. As the distortion increases, a larger load is required. The larger the maximum load, the harder the texture indicates. The smaller the maximum load, the lighter the texture indicates. The vibration of the load reflects the state of the internal structure of the expanded food collapsing. The smaller the depth of the downward peak of the vibration, the better the crispy and crushable texture appears. The larger the depth of the peak, the better the crunchy and resilient texture appears.

[0061] The upper part of Fig. 7 shows the maximum load [kgf] per fabric, and the lower part shows the average peak depth [kgf]. In any fabric, the greater the blending ratio of bran, the greater the tendency for the maximum load and the average peak depth to increase. From a blending ratio of 50% to 75% of the inner layer bran, the increase in the rice flour fabric in terms of the maximum load and the average peak depth was suppressed. The corn flour fabric was next to this. In the wheat flour fabric, the average peak depth was suppressed at a blending ratio of 50% of the inner layer bran, but the average peak depth was large at a blending ratio of 75% of the inner layer bran.

[0062] As described by citing Figs. 4 to 7, it was found that the cereal flour, which is a cereal flour of a gramineous plant other than barley, is suitable for providing an expanded food having a crispy texture even when the blending ratio of barley bran is increased compared to barley flour. Furthermore, it was found that corn flour and rice flour are even more suitable than wheat flour.

[0063] <Expansion and Physical Property Adjustment>

[0064] The expanded food according to this embodiment and the examples can arbitrarily change the level of its expansion and the physical properties that affect the texture by changing the kneading conditions of the fabric by a twin-screw extruder. Therefore, the screw pattern, screw rotation speed, water addition rate, and temperature during kneading of the twin-screw extruder were changed to produce expanded foods made of various fabrics. As the fabric, a mixture of inner layer bran and rice flour in a ratio of 2:1 was used. Other manufacturing conditions were the same as in the above examples.

[0065] As a result of evaluating the produced expanded food, the level of the expansion degree could be adjusted to various values between 1.5 and 2.3. The level of the maximum load could be adjusted to various values between 9 and 19 [kgf]. The level of the average peak depth could be adjusted to various values between 0.6 and 2.4 [kgf]. The magnitude of the strain [%] reaching the maximum load could be adjusted to various values between 17 and 37 [%]. Thus, it was confirmed that by applying a twin-screw extruder to a fabric containing the inner layer bran of barley and not containing the outer layer bran, a texture of being crushable and a texture with a biting response can be freely expressed.

[0066] <Application to various confectioneries>

[0067] By selecting the method of forming the dough, puff-shaped snack confectioneries of bite size, sugar rush-like crackers, and long and thin stick-shaped biscuit confectioneries (φ = 3 [mm] × d = 11 [cm]) could be produced. Further, by entangling granular puffs with chocolate, chocolate with puffs could be produced. Since the cereal fragrance felt from whole grain flour was added to the expanded food of this example, the compatibility with chocolate coating was good.

Explanation of symbols

[0068] 10: Extruder, 11: Barrel, 12: Screw, 13: Die, 14: Pelletizer, 15: Expanded food

Claims

1. An expanded food product obtained by expanding a dough containing barley bran by depressurizing it after pressurization, wherein the dough further contains cereal flour, and at least a part of the barley bran derived from the outer layer among the inner and outer layers of the barley bran part is reduced, Expanded food product.

2. The cereal flour is cereal flour of a gramineous plant other than barley, The expanded food product according to Claim 1.

3. The cereal flour is either corn flour or rice flour, The expanded food product according to Claim 1.

4. The barley bran accounts for more than 50% by weight and less than 100% by weight of the total of the barley bran and the cereal flour, The expanded food product according to Claim 1.

5. The outer layer is the part removed from the barley caryopsis when the polishing start is 0 part by weight with respect to 1 part by weight of the barley bran part and the polishing proceeds from 1 / 8 to 3 / 4 part by weight, The inner layer is the part removed from the barley caryopsis when the polishing start is 1 / 8 to 3 / 4 part by weight with respect to 1 part by weight of the barley bran part and the polishing proceeds up to 1 part by weight, The expanded food product according to Claim 1.

6. The barley bran does not contain the part derived from the outer layer, The expanded food product according to Claim 1.

7. The barley bran part is the part removed from the barley caryopsis when the polishing start is 0% by weight with respect to 100% by weight of the caryopsis and the polishing proceeds from 20 to 40% by weight, The expanded food product according to Claim 1.

8. A method for producing the expanded food product according to Claim 1, By extruding the dough, giving a constant cross-section to the dough along the extrusion axis While extruding the pressurized dough and depressurizing it, expanding the dough around the extrusion axis in the dough, Method.

9. The extrusion molding of the dough is performed with an extruder, The method according to Claim 8.

10. The extrusion molding of the dough is performed with a twin-screw or multi-screw extruder, The method according to Claim 9.

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