Gruel-like food product cooked with hot water

Abstract

To provide a gruel-like food product which is restorable by hot water and has a wide range of textures and is easily eaten even in environments in which there are no microwave ovens, such as in the mountains, at the sea, or during disasters.SOLUTION: A gruel-like food product cooked with hot water includes: puffed dried rice with particle sizes of 3.0 to 5.5 mm; starch puffs with particle sizes of 1200 to 2300 μm, which are obtained by kneading starch with water and puffing it; and thickener. The thickener contains at least one of starch, dextrin or gellan gum.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to instant soup cooked foods. More specifically, it relates to a soup cooked porridge-like food using expanded and dried rice that can be eaten by pouring hot water.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the demand for instant foods that can be provided immediately has been increasing. As an example of instant foods, instant foods using expanded and dried rice can be mentioned. Expanded and dried rice is obtained by gelatinizing starch and then drying it at a high temperature to expand the structure. In general, to eat expanded and dried rice, it is common to add water and heat it for cooking to restore it, or to pour hot water to restore it.

[0003] There are various instant foods using expanded and dried rice. For example, there are curry and hayashi rice to be eaten with a thick and viscous sauce. There are also porridges using expanded and dried rice.

[0004] Porridge is generally recognized as a dish in which grains such as rice, wheat, millet, and buckwheat (especially rice among them) are boiled with a large amount of water until they break down. When reproducing porridge using expanded and dried rice, it is necessary to reproduce the viscosity due to the starch dissolved from the rice and the feeling of being boiled until it breaks down. In Patent Document 1, the feeling of being boiled until it breaks down is reproduced by granulating gelatinized rice, and the viscosity is reproduced by starch powder.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] By the way, the pregelatinized rice of Patent Document 1 is not expanded and dried rice. Therefore, in order to restore it to an edible state, microwave cooking and heating are essential, and there is a problem that cooking is difficult in the absence of a microwave oven. On the other hand, when the pregelatinized rice of Patent Document 1 is replaced with expanded and dried rice, although it can be restored by pouring hot water depending on the degree of expansion, since the whole rice grain is expanded, there is a problem that it is difficult to give a difference in texture depending on the size of the rice grain and to have a wide range of textures of the rice grain itself.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a porridge-like food that can be restored by pouring hot water and has a wide range of textures.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The present inventors have intensively studied a porridge-like food that can be restored by pouring hot water cooking. Then, in addition to expanded and dried rice having a specific degree of expansion and particle size and a thickening polysaccharide, it was newly found that a porridge-like food having a wide range of appearance and texture can be reproduced by combining expanded starch granules having a predetermined particle size, and the present invention has been completed.

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a porridge-like food for pouring hot water cooking, comprising expanded and dried rice having a particle size of 3.0 to 5.5 mm, starch puff having a particle size of 1200 to 2300 μm obtained by kneading starch with water and then expanding it, and a thickening agent.

[0010] According to such a configuration, by using expanded and dried rice and starch puff, the appearance and texture of porridge can be reproduced.

[0011] In the above-described configuration, it is preferable that the thickening agent contains at least one of starch, dextrin, or gellan gum.

[0012] According to such a configuration, a viscous feeling with a soft texture of porridge can be reproduced.

Effects of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to reproduce a porridge-like food having a wide range of appearance and texture using expanded dried rice and starch puff. Thereby, it is possible to easily eat porridge-like food even in an environment without a microwave oven, for example, in mountains, by the sea, or during a disaster.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described.

[0015] <Expanded dried rice> The raw rice used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and various types such as japonica rice, indica rice, long-grain rice, and short-grain rice can be used. Furthermore, old rice can also be effectively utilized.

[0016] Next, the manufacturing process of expanded dried rice using raw rice will be described. First, the rice washing process will be described. In the rice washing process, the raw rice after milling is washed. At this time, the rice washing method is not particularly limited, and known techniques can be used.

[0017] Next, the immersion process will be described. The immersion process is not an essential process and can be appropriately selected. In the immersion process, the raw rice after washing is immersed in water to absorb water. The immersion time depends on the season, temperature, type and state of the rice, but for white rice, it is preferably immersed for 30 minutes or more. By immersing the raw rice after washing in water, the rice absorbs water and cooked rice with good texture and taste can be obtained.

[0018] In the present invention, enzymes such as oil, emulsifier, polymerized phosphate, antioxidant, and amylase may be added as auxiliary raw materials. Also, seasonings such as salt, soy sauce, and sugar may be used for seasoning.

[0019] Next, the rice cooking process will be described. The rice cooking method in the present invention is not particularly limited, and normal methods such as gas cooking, electric cooking, IH cooking, or cooking by steaming may be used. Also, the amount of water added for cooking may be adjusted appropriately so that cooked rice with a desired texture of stickiness and hardness can be obtained after cooking. For example, the amount of water added can be adjusted appropriately so that the cooking yield is 1.6 to 2.6 (corresponding to 49 to 68% in terms of the moisture content after cooking). Here, the cooking yield is the weight ratio of the rice after cooking to the weight of the rice before cooking. Generally, in order to obtain cooked rice with moderate stickiness and hardness, it is good to set the cooking yield to about 1.8 to 2.4 (corresponding to 53 to 63% in terms of the moisture content after cooking).

[0020] Finally, the processing process will be described. The processing process is a process of processing cooked rice into expanded dried rice by drying, flattening, and puffing drying. Specifically, after loosening the cooked or steamed rice, it is first dried with ventilation at 100°C or lower to adjust the moisture content. The first drying is preferably carried out with ventilation at 100°C or lower, and it is preferably dried until the moisture content reaches 20% to 30% (weight%, the same hereinafter), particularly preferably 22% or more to 28%. By drying within this range, it will not be crushed even by flattening.

[0021] After adjusting the moisture content by the first drying, a flattening process is carried out. As the flattening process, the method of passing the rice grains through between narrow rolls is the simplest, but it may also be pressed by a pressing machine, a crushing machine, etc. When flattening with rolls, the roll gap may be set to about 0.1 to 1 mm, but it is particularly preferably pressed with a roll gap of 0.10 mm or more and 0.60 mm or less, and more preferably pressed with a roll gap of 0.10 mm or more and 0.30 mm or less. Also, it is possible to flatten multiple times. By flattening, tissue destruction occurs inside the rice grains, and this destruction makes it easier for puffing to occur. Note that the stronger the flattening, the easier it is to puff. In the present invention, in order to obtain a better texture, it is good to set it to 0.10 mm or more and 0.30 mm or less.

[0022] After compression, the moisture is adjusted by secondary drying before puffing and drying. The purpose of secondary drying is to obtain an appropriate puffing state. The secondary drying is preferably carried out with ventilation at 100°C or lower, similar to the primary drying. After drying, it may be dried until the moisture content reaches 10% to 25%, particularly preferably 12% or more and less than 18%. After drying, it is preferably sieved and then puffed and dried at a high temperature exceeding 100°C.

[0023] The puffing and drying can be carried out with a high-temperature hot air dryer for food drying or baking. In the present invention, in order to fully puff and improve the rehydration property, the temperature in the chamber is set higher than 100°C, preferably 190°C or higher, more preferably 200°C or higher. In the present invention, the bulk specific gravity of the puffed rice is preferably as small as possible, specifically preferably 0.30 g / ml or less. To puff to such a bulk specific gravity, the degree of puffing can be adjusted according to factors such as temperature, wind speed, and time.

[0024] Also, in order to uniformly puff by applying high-temperature heat at once, it is preferable to puff and dry by blowing a high-temperature and high-speed air flow with a wind speed of 40 m / s or more onto the rice grains. At this time, saturated steam can be added into the high-temperature air flow drying chamber to increase the amount of energy applied to the rice. Furthermore, in addition to the high-temperature and high-speed air flow, superheated steam can also be blown to cause puffing.

[0025] Note that when puffing is carried out at a very high temperature for a short time, the bulk specific gravity can be lowered, but problems such as uneven puffing and high moisture content leading to insufficient drying are likely to occur. Therefore, when using a high-speed hot air dryer, special attention needs to be paid to the temperature and wind speed.

[0026] The time for puffing and drying varies greatly depending on the temperature, wind speed, and amount of rice, and needs to be adjusted appropriately. Generally speaking, about 10 seconds to 1 minute is preferable, and it is good to adjust so that the final moisture content is about 5% to 12% and the bulk specific gravity is 0.30 g / mL or less.

[0027] Furthermore, the expanded and dried rice according to the present invention preferably has a particle size of 3.0 to 5.5 mm. By using expanded and dried rice of this size, it is possible to reproduce a soft and well-absorbing texture like porridge without deviating from the original size of the rice and with easy rehydration during cooking with hot water.

[0028] <Starch puff> Using a starch puff is also one of the features of the present invention. Here, the starches that can be used in the present invention include tapioca starch, potato starch, corn starch, waxy corn starch, sweet potato starch, wheat starch, rice starch, sago, high amylose corn, pea, cassava, waxy potato, waxy tapioca, etc., and various starches can be used without particular limitation.

[0029] Also, the starch according to the present invention may be a processed starch. Here, the processed starch referred to in the present invention means starch obtained by chemically processing starch as a raw material. Examples of chemical processing include cross-linking treatment, phosphorylation treatment, esterification treatment, hydroxypropylation treatment, etc. Examples of processed starches include acetylated starch, acetylated adipic acid cross-linked starch, acetylated phosphate cross-linked starch, hydroxypropyl starch, hydroxypropylated phosphate cross-linked starch, phosphorylated starch, phosphate cross-linked starch, etc. In the present invention, it is preferable to use starch subjected to acetylated phosphate cross-linking treatment or hydroxypropylated phosphate cross-linking treatment.

[0030] The method for producing the starch puff is not particularly limited. As an example, after kneading the starch, it is flattened. Subsequently, the flattened product is shredded into an appropriate size and dried. After pulverizing and sizing the dried product, it is roasted to expand. In addition, expanded puffs can be obtained by other methods as well.

[0031] <Thickener> In the present invention, it is preferable to use a thickener to reproduce the viscosity of the porridge. Examples of the thickener include thickening polysaccharides such as starch, LM pectin, HM pectin, pullulan, guar gum, guar gum degradation product, xanthan gum, native gellan gum, deacylated gellan gum, locust bean gum, tara gum, galactomannan, glucomannan, konjac mannan, curdlan, carrageenan, tamarind seed gum, psyllium seed gum, succinoglycan, ramzan gum, alginic acid, sodium alginate, propylene glycol alginate, soybean polysaccharides, methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, agar, gelatin, etc. Among these, starch, LM pectin, HM pectin, native gellan gum, deacylated gellan gum, curdlan, and carrageenan are preferable. The addition amount of the preferable thickener cannot be generally determined because it varies depending on the ratio of the expanded dried rice, the flour puff, and the amount of hot water supplied, as well as the titer of the thickener. However, it is preferable to set the amount of the thickener so that the viscosity at 5 minutes after the start of adding hot water is 300 to 3,000 mPa·s (measured with a viscometer (VISCO-895, ATAGO CO., LTD.) at a product temperature of 70°C), and the viscosity at 10 minutes after the start of adding hot water is 300 to 3,000 mPa·s (measured with a viscometer (VISCO-895, ATAGO CO., LTD.) at a product temperature of 70°C).

[0032] The container for storing the porridge-like food according to the present invention is preferably a rigid container such as a cup-shaped or bowl-shaped container, and more preferably a container made of heat-insulating foamed paper. Also, a soft packaging material type such as a standing pouch may be used. A water level indicating the amount of water required for reconstitution cooking is provided inside the container, but if the container is transparent, the water level may be provided outside the container. In the present invention, it is preferable that the expanded dried rice, the expanded flour granules, and the thickener are all stored together in the container. With this configuration, it can be made edible simply by pouring hot water.

[0033] As a method of eating the porridge-like food according to the present invention, the container is opened, and hot water is poured into the container from the opening up to the water intake line indicated inside the container. Then, the expanded dried rice and the expanded starch granular material are restored by leaving them for several minutes after pouring the hot water. Then, they are stirred with a spoon or the like and eaten after being integrated.

[0034] In addition, since the product of the present invention does not require a cooking appliance such as a microwave oven, it can be eaten even in the mountains, at sea, or during a disaster.

Example

[0035] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail based on examples. In addition, each characteristic of the present invention was evaluated by the following method.

[0036] <Examination of expanded dried rice> First, an examination was conducted on the expanded dried rice suitable for the present invention. In the examination, two types of expanded dried rice with different degrees of expansion were prepared. One is expanded dried rice with a particle size of 2.7 to 4.0 mm and a bulk specific gravity of 0.47 g / mL (hereinafter simply referred to as "expanded dried rice A"). The other is expanded dried rice with a particle size of 3.0 to 5.5 mm and a bulk specific gravity of 0.25 g / mL (hereinafter simply referred to as "expanded dried rice B"). 28 g of expanded dried rice A and B were placed in each container, and 250 g of hot water at 98°C was poured. After pouring the hot water, it was left standing for 5 minutes and then stirred for 30 seconds, and a sensory evaluation was conducted by 4 panelists based on the following evaluation criteria, and the average value was obtained.

[0037] (Sensory evaluation) 2 points: It looks like it has fallen apart when cooked, has no resistance when chewed, and has a texture that easily collapses and becomes mushy. 1 point: The shape of the rice grains remains firm, softer than cooked rice, but does not collapse and become mushy when chewed. 0 point: The shape of the rice grains remains firm, and when chewed, it feels as hard as cooked rice.

[0038] Table 1 shows the average of the results of the panelists.

[0039]

Table 1

[0040] As is clear from Table 1, expanded and dried rice B received an evaluation that it was more like congee. On the other hand, expanded and dried hemp A received an evaluation that it was similar to cooked rice that was cooked slightly softer. Therefore, it was suggested that the lower the bulk specific gravity, the more suitable it is for congee-like foods.

[0041] <Examination of starch puffs> Subsequently, using expanded and dried rice B, an examination was conducted on starch puffs. The test was conducted as follows. 28 g of expanded and dried rice B, 5 g of starch, 5 g of dextrin, and 0.3 g of gellan gum were placed in a container, and further 10 g of starch puffs with different particle sizes in the following table were added.

[0042]

Table 2

[0043] 250 g of hot water at 98°C was poured into each sample to which starch puffs of each particle size were added. After pouring the water, it was left standing for 5 minutes and then stirred for 30 seconds. Within 3 to 5 minutes after the completion of the re-boiling cooking, a sensory evaluation was conducted by 5 panelists. The sensory evaluation was based on a commercially available retort congee (manufactured by Hong Kong Pinzhenlou Japan Co., Ltd.: product name Congee with Scallops. Hereinafter referred to as the "reference example"), and the evaluation was made on the thickness, balance of graininess, and congee-likeness of the texture. The results were calculated as the average value.

[0044] (Sensory evaluation) 2 points: The thickness, balance of graininess, and texture are reproduced to the same extent as the reference example. 1 point: Slightly inferior to the reference example, but the thickness, balance of graininess, and texture are good, and it has the appearance of congee. 0 point: The thickness, balance of graininess, and texture are poor, and it does not have the appearance of congee.

[0045] The results are shown in Table 3.

[0046]

Table 3

[0047] As is clear from the results in Table 3, it can be seen that the larger the particle size, the higher the evaluation. In particular, from the results of Test Examples 3 and 4, it was suggested that the particle size of the starch puff exceeding 1.0 mm is important for reproducing the balance of stickiness, graininess and texture. This is presumably because when the particle size of the starch puff is too small, it is difficult to feel the presence of the starch puff during eating. On the other hand, from the results of Test Examples 3 and 4, it can be seen that the evaluation decreases when the particle size of the starch puff exceeds 2300 μm. This is presumably because when the particle size of the starch puff is larger than 2300 μm, it becomes difficult to distinguish it from the expanded dried rice, and it becomes difficult to feel the disintegration feeling during cooking.

[0048] In this example, particularly favorable results were obtained in Test Examples 2 and 3. From this, it was suggested that the particle size of the starch puff in the range of 1200 to 2300 μm is a preferable range for reproducing the balance of stickiness, graininess and texture.

[0049] Furthermore, as can be seen from Test Example 6, when no starch puff was added, no matter how much thickener was added, the balance of stickiness, graininess and texture was poor, and it was evaluated that it could not be called porridge.

[0050] As described above, according to the present invention, by combining expanded dried rice, starch puff and thickener, it is possible to provide a porridge-like food that can reproduce a porridge with an unprecedented stickiness, a good balance of graininess and texture simply by pouring hot water.

Claims

1. Puffed and dried rice with a particle size of 3.0 to 5.5 mm, a starch puff with a particle size of 1200 to 2300 μm obtained by kneading starch with water and then puffing it, a thickener, and comprising a hot water cooked porridge-like food.

2. The hot water cooked porridge-like food according to Claim 1, wherein the thickener contains at least one of starch, dextrin or gellan gum.

Images