Method for evaluating processability of modified wheat flour

Abstract

To provide a method that enables simple evaluation of the extent to which the processability of wheat flour into processed products has changed due to modification treatment.SOLUTION: A simple measurement method for measuring a volume of an emulsified layer in wheat flour emulsification is used to determine a relative value of the emulsifying ability of modified wheat flour with respect to the emulsifying ability of unmodified wheat flour, and a change in the processability of the modified wheat flour can be simply evaluated from the relative value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of processed products using wheat flour, and more particularly relates to an evaluation method that enables the estimation of the processability of wheat flour into processed products such as cookies and sponge cakes.

Background Art

[0002] Modified wheat flour subjected to heat treatment is damaged to the proteins that make up gluten, and the amount and quality of gluten formation affect the dough and product quality. For example, in processed products of wheat flour such as confectionery, the intensity of heat treatment on modified wheat flour is one of the factors determining product quality. Therefore, estimating the degree of modification of wheat flour by heat treatment is useful for indirectly estimating whether the modified wheat flour is suitable for processing. However, conventional analysis methods for estimating the degree of modification by heat treatment using the degree of heat damage to gluten have problems of being complicated and time-consuming for analysis, and furthermore, there has been a problem that the difference is difficult to appear in the analysis values in the comparison between those with too weak and too strong heat treatment. Due to the above circumstances, it is difficult to evaluate whether the modified wheat flour as a raw material is suitable for processing into processed products such as confectionery only by measurement and visual observation using the conventional evaluation method of heat damage to gluten, and it is necessary to actually cook according to the production process of the processed product. However, in order to produce a processed product and evaluate its quality, a large amount of sample is required and it is also laborious. Therefore, in the quality evaluation of processed products, it is desired to establish a simple analysis method that can determine whether the wheat flour to be used is suitable for processing as quickly and simply as possible. A method for evaluating the bread-making quality of wheat flour, in which water and wheat flour are stirred and mixed, oil and fat are added and further stirred and mixed, and the bread-making quality is evaluated from the width of the gel layer generated by centrifuging, is disclosed in Document 1, but there is no description or suggestion that it is correlated with the degree of treatment of modified wheat flour.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a method for simply evaluating how much the processability of wheat flour into processed products (hereinafter also simply referred to as processability) changes by a modification treatment. Another object of the present invention is to provide a simple evaluation method for modified wheat flour for knowing the degree of progress of modification in a method for modifying wheat flour.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The present inventors have found that the change in the processability of wheat flour into processed products due to the modification of wheat flour shows a certain relationship with the change in the emulsifying power due to the modification of wheat flour measured under predetermined conditions (the emulsifying power ratio, which is the relative value of the emulsifying power of the modified wheat flour to the emulsifying power of the unmodified wheat flour measured under predetermined conditions), and have achieved the object of providing a method for simply evaluating the processability of the modified wheat flour. The present inventors have also found that the degree of progress of modification in a method for modifying wheat flour can be simply evaluated by the change in the emulsifying power of wheat flour (emulsifying power ratio) measured under predetermined conditions, and have achieved the above object of providing a simple evaluation method for modified wheat flour for knowing the degree of progress of modification.

[0006] The present invention provides the following aspects. 〔1〕A simple evaluation method for the processability of modified wheat flour into processed products, comprising suspending the wheat flour before and after modification in water and a normal temperature liquid oil respectively to obtain an emulsion, centrifuging this to obtain the volume of each emulsion layer generated, regarding the volume ratio of the emulsion layers of the wheat flour before and after modification as the relative value of the emulsifying power of the wheat flour before and after modification, and judging the processability by the relative value of the emulsifying power before and after modification. 〔2〕A simple method for evaluating the processability of modified wheat flour into processed products, wherein when the relative value y / x of the emulsifying power of the modified wheat flour to the emulsifying power of the wheat flour before modification obtained by the following steps a to e is 1.1 or more, it is determined that the processability of the modified wheat flour is good. Step a: Suspend 1 g of the modified wheat flour in 15 mL of distilled water. Step b: Add 20 mL of room temperature liquid oil to the suspension obtained in Step a and mix to obtain an emulsion. Step c: Centrifuge the emulsion obtained in Step b at 1600×g. Step d: Measure the volume y of the intermediate layer (emulsion layer) separated by the centrifugation in Step c. Step e: Perform Steps a to d on the wheat flour before modification, measure the volume x of the intermediate layer (emulsion layer) of the wheat flour before modification, and obtain the relative value y / x. Here, the relative value y / x is regarded as corresponding to the relative value of the emulsifying power of the modified wheat flour to the emulsifying power of the wheat flour before modification. 〔3〕In a method for modifying wheat flour, a method for evaluating the degree of modification of the wheat flour during the modification process, wherein the degree of modification is evaluated by obtaining the relative value Y / X of the emulsifying power of the wheat flour during the modification process to the emulsifying power of the wheat flour before modification obtained by the following steps A to E. Step A: Collect the wheat flour during the modification process and suspend it in water. Step B: Add room temperature liquid oil to the suspension obtained in Step A and mix to obtain an emulsion. Step C: Centrifuge the emulsion obtained in Step B. Step D: Measure the volume Y of the intermediate layer (emulsion layer) separated by the centrifugation in Step C. Step E: Perform Steps A to D on the wheat flour before modification, measure the volume X of the intermediate layer (emulsion layer) of the wheat flour before modification, and obtain the relative value Y / X. Here, the relative value Y / X is regarded as corresponding to the relative value of the emulsifying power of the modified wheat flour to the emulsifying power of the wheat flour before modification. 〔4〕The method according to 〔3〕, wherein it is determined that the modification is completed when the relative value Y / X is 1.1 or more. 〔5〕The method according to 〔2〕, wherein the volume y of the modified wheat flour measured by Steps a to e is 2.2 cm 3 or more. The method according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the modified wheat flour is wheat flour that has undergone a protein denaturation treatment. The method according to [6], wherein the protein denaturation treatment is a heat treatment. The method according to [7], wherein the heat treatment is a dry heat treatment. The method according to [2] or [4], wherein the modified wheat flour is wheat flour for confectionery.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, by measuring the relative value of the emulsifying power of unmodified wheat flour and modified wheat flour obtained by modifying it, the influence of the modification on the processability of processed products can be simply evaluated. Also, by the method of the present invention, in the method for modifying wheat flour, by measuring the relative value of the emulsifying power of unmodified wheat flour and modified wheat flour, the degree of progress of the modification can be simply evaluated, or the completion of the modification can be determined. The method of the present invention is a useful technique because it can be quantitatively measured even when the degree of modification to gluten is small and cannot be sufficiently evaluated by conventional evaluation methods.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] The first aspect of the present invention is a simple evaluation method for the processability of processed products of modified wheat flour, which includes suspending wheat flour before and after modification in water and normal temperature liquid oil respectively to obtain an emulsion, centrifuging this to obtain the volume of each emulsified layer generated, regarding the volume ratio of the emulsified layers of wheat flour before and after modification as the relative value of the emulsifying power of wheat flour before and after modification, and judging the processability based on the relative value of the emulsifying power before and after modification. The second aspect of the present invention is a method for simply evaluating the processability of modified wheat flour into processed products. When the relative value y / x of the emulsifying power of the modified wheat flour to the emulsifying power of the wheat flour before modification, obtained by the following steps a to e, is 1.1 or more, it is determined that the processability of the modified wheat flour is good. Step a: Suspend 1 g of modified wheat flour in 15 mL of distilled water. Step b: Add 20 mL of room temperature liquid oil to the suspension obtained in step a and mix to obtain an emulsion. Step c: Centrifuge the emulsion obtained in step b at 1600×g. Step d: Measure the volume y of the intermediate layer (emulsion layer) separated by the centrifugation in step c. Step e: Perform steps a to d on the wheat flour before modification, measure the volume x of the intermediate layer (emulsion layer) of the wheat flour before modification, and obtain the relative value y / x. Here, the relative value y / x is regarded as corresponding to the relative value of the emulsifying power of the modified wheat flour to the emulsifying power of the wheat flour before modification.

[0010] The third aspect of the present invention is a method for evaluating the degree of modification of wheat flour during the modification process in a method for modifying wheat flour. The degree of modification is evaluated by obtaining the relative value Y / X of the emulsifying power of the wheat flour during the modification process to the emulsifying power of the wheat flour before modification, obtained by the following steps A to E. Step A: Collect the wheat flour during the modification process and suspend it in water. Step B: Add room temperature liquid oil to the suspension obtained in step A and mix to obtain an emulsion. Step C: Centrifuge the emulsion obtained in step B. Step D: Measure the volume Y of the intermediate layer (emulsion layer) separated by the centrifugation in step C. Step E: Perform steps A to D on the wheat flour before modification, measure the volume X of the intermediate layer (emulsion layer) of the wheat flour before modification, and obtain the relative value Y / X. Here, the relative value Y / X is regarded as corresponding to the relative value of the emulsifying power of the modified wheat flour to the emulsifying power of the wheat flour before modification.

[0011] <Processed product> As processed products of wheat flour in the present invention, any item using modified wheat flour can be used without particular limitation. For example, breads, noodles, flour dishes, confectioneries, etc. can be mentioned, and preferably confectioneries can be mentioned. The "suitability for processing into processed products" in this specification means the evaluation items related to the texture of the above-mentioned processed products. More specifically, it means fineness, lightness of texture, melt-in-the-mouth, etc., which are evaluation items related to the damage of gluten in wheat flour, and preferably melt-in-the-mouth.

[0012] <Emulsifying power> Modified wheat flour that has been modified by heat treatment or the like is damaged to the proteins that make up gluten, and the amount and quality of gluten affect the dough and product quality. When manufacturing processed products such as confectioneries using appropriately modified wheat flour by heat treatment or the like, the lightness of texture and melt-in-the-mouth are good, but if the heat treatment is too strong, the product will have no lightness and poor melt-in-the-mouth. The emulsifying power is an index indicating the degree of mixing at the interface when mixing oil and water. The higher the emulsifying power, the better the mixing of water and oil. Wheat flour also has an emulsifying power that shows an emulsifying effect of forming an emulsion at the interface between water and oil. This is presumably because the water-soluble components or oil-soluble components eluted from wheat flour contain components having amphiphilic properties. The inventors of the present application surprisingly discovered that during the process of modifying wheat flour by heat treatment, impact treatment, etc., the emulsifying power of wheat flour changes before and after the modification treatment, and considered that such a change in emulsifying power can be a useful index for evaluating the degree of modification of wheat flour, and thus completed the present invention. For example, in the case of heat treatment by radiation, conduction, etc., denaturation of proteins and gelatinization of starch in wheat flour occur, and in the case of impact treatment by collision, etc., damage occurs to starch in wheat flour, all of which affect the processing suitability and workability of wheat flour. Therefore, the change in the emulsifying power of wheat flour before and after modification can be a useful index for evaluating the processing suitability and workability of modified wheat flour.

[0013] In the above-described method of the present invention, the "volume x," "volume X," "volume y," and "volume Y" measured in the first embodiment, or in steps a to e in the second embodiment or steps A to E in the third embodiment, refer to the volume of each emulsion layer produced by centrifuging the emulsion obtained by suspending wheat flour before and after modification in water and room temperature liquid oil, respectively. These volumes are the amounts of emulsion formed at the interface when oil and water are mixed (emulsion layer volumes), and are indices of the emulsifying power of the unmodified wheat flour and the modified wheat flour obtained by modifying the unmodified wheat flour. Generally, the higher the emulsifying power, the stronger the emulsifying agent's activity, allowing water and oil to be uniformly mixed and dispersed, resulting in a larger amount of emulsion. In this specification, the "volume ratio of the emulsion layers of wheat flour before and after modification" in the first embodiment, or the "relative value y / x" and "relative value Y / X" measured by the methods in the second and third embodiments, are considered to correspond to the relative value of the emulsifying power of the modified wheat flour relative to the emulsifying power of the unmodified wheat flour. Although x and X, and y and Y will each have different values depending on the conditions, the "relative value y / x" and the "relative value Y / X" will theoretically have the same value. It has been found that the relative value of the emulsifying power of modified wheat flour to that of the wheat flour before modification (i.e., the relative value y / x of volume x and volume y, and the relative value Y / X of volume X and volume Y) varies with a certain modification operation. Based on this finding, the method of the present invention can be used to measure the degree or progress of modification during the modification operation. In the present invention, if the relative value of emulsifying power (y / x) or (Y / X) is 1.1 or more, it can be determined that a certain modification operation is effective, and it is preferably 1.2 to 4.0, more preferably 1.4 to 3.0, and even more preferably 1.6 to 2.5.

[0014] <Modified wheat flour> The modified wheat flour in the present invention refers to wheat flour modified by specific treatments, preferably wheat flour modified by specific treatments to change the quality of processed products manufactured from the wheat flour or the processability for processed products. The modification methods are heat treatment, acid / alkali treatment, or re-grinding, preferably heat treatment. It is considered that due to the modification, gliadin and water-soluble proteins in the wheat flour are damaged and the proteins are denatured, resulting in a change in emulsifying performance (emulsion stability). Therefore, by measuring the emulsifying power, it is possible to estimate the degree of damage to the proteins in the wheat flour, and further, the processability can be estimated. The modified wheat flour of the present invention may be any one modified so as to have the relative value of the above-described emulsifying power. Preferably, when the absolute value of the emulsifying power is measured by the method of the second aspect, the volume y is 2.2 cm 3 or more, more preferably 2.5 cm 3 or more, still more preferably 2.8 cm 3 or more, even more preferably 3.0 cm 3 or more, or preferably 3.3 cm 3 or more, more preferably 5.5 cm 3 or more, still more preferably 7.0 cm 3 or more. Further, since excessive heat denaturation of the protein has an adverse effect on dough formation and texture, the volume y is preferably 18.0 cm 3 or less. The emulsifying power x of the modified wheat flour before modification may be any value, but preferably 2.0 cm 3 or more, more preferably 2.5 cm 3 or more, even more preferably 3.5 cm 3 or more, still preferably 4.5 cm 3 or more or 5.0 cm 3 or more. Note that the unmodified wheat flour before modification is unmodified wheat flour obtained by partially collecting the wheat flour to be subjected to the modification treatment immediately before the modification.

[0015] Preferably, the modified wheat flour of the present invention is heat-treated wheat flour. The heat-treated wheat flour can be either that obtained by heat-treating unheated wheat flour or that obtained by heat-treating unheated starting wheat flour and then milling the starting wheat flour. The heat treatment applied to the wheat flour or starting wheat flour can be either dry heat treatment or wet heat treatment. Dry heat treatment is a method of heating flour without adding moisture or water vapor, actively evaporating the moisture in the flour. Examples of heat treatment methods include heating flour by exposing it to gas- or solid-mediated conductive heat, radiant heat, reflected heat, hot air, or electromagnetic waves (microwaves). There are no particular limitations on the equipment or machinery used for dry heat treatment; for example, confectionery and bread ovens, reel ovens, roasting kilns, high-temperature dryers, hot air dryers, heat mixers, indirect heating dryers, and microwave generators can be used. Dry heat treatment can be achieved by maintaining the flour in a high-temperature, low-humidity environment. To ensure uniform dry heat treatment, it is preferable to use airflow or mixing with a mixer or the like at appropriate times, or to spread the flour thinly enough to prevent uneven heat conduction. Moisture-heat treatment is a treatment in which the target to be treated (wheat flour or raw wheat) is heated while maintaining the moisture content of the target or while adding moisture to the target. In the moisture-heat treatment, water or steam can be used as the moisture added to the target, and saturated steam is preferably used as the steam. The heating method in the moisture-heat treatment is not particularly limited, and examples include a method in which a heat medium such as hot air is directly brought into contact with the target to be treated, and a method in which the target to be treated is indirectly heated in a high-humidity atmosphere. The equipment used to carry out the moisture-heat treatment is not particularly limited, and examples include an autoclave, a steam oven, and a single- or twin-screw extruder.

[0016] <About process a to process e> Steps a to e in the method of the second aspect of the present invention are preferably further carried out as follows. · Step a: Add 1 g of modified wheat flour and 15 mL of distilled water to a 50 mL centrifuge tube and suspend them. The distilled water can be at ambient temperature. The centrifuge tube can be made of any material as long as it can be used for processes such as mixing by a vortex mixer, shaking by a shaker, and centrifuging by a centrifuge. For example, it can be made of plastic such as polyethylene or polypropylene, or of reinforced glass, etc. · Step b: To the suspension obtained in Step a, further add 20 mL of room temperature liquid oil to a 50 mL centrifuge tube and mix. It is sufficient to mix well until emulsification occurs. For example, emulsification can be achieved by stirring for about 10 seconds using a vortex mixer. Any vortex mixer can be used, but in this specification, it is a preferred embodiment to perform mixing for the S-100 of TAIYO for 10 seconds. After the above mixing, it is preferable to further attach the 50 mL centrifuge tube to a shaker and shake it at 300 rpm for 10 minutes. Any shaker can be used, but in this specification, it is preferable to use the SR-2S manufactured by TAITEC and perform shaking at 300 rpm for 10 minutes. · Step c: Attach the 50 mL centrifuge tube containing the emulsion obtained in Step b to a high-speed centrifuge and centrifuge it at 1600 × g for 10 minutes. Any device can be used as the high-speed centrifuge. · Step d: After the centrifugation in Step c, stand the 50 mL centrifuge tube vertically and let it stand still until the interface of the emulsion layer becomes horizontal, and measure the volume y of the emulsion layer. · Step e: Perform Steps a to d for the wheat flour before modification, measure the volume x of the emulsion layer of the wheat flour before modification, and obtain the relative value y / x. In Steps d and e above, instead of obtaining the volume y, measure the distance yd between the upper and lower surfaces of the interface of the emulsion layer, and instead of the volume x, measure the distance xd between the upper and lower surfaces of the interface of the emulsion layer, and the relative value yd / xd of the distances xd and yd can be used instead of the above relative value y / x, and a more convenient measurement can be performed.

Example

[0017] <Production Example 1: Production of heat-treated wheat flour> The temperature setting of the incubator (PH-201 model, manufactured by ESPEC) was set to the processing temperature shown in Table 1. Once the temperature inside the incubator reached the set temperature, ordinary wheat flour A and J (manufactured by Nippon Corporation, product name: Heart) were spread on an aluminum tray measuring approximately 400 mm x 300 mm and placed in the incubator. The heat treatment was performed based on the time from when the temperature inside the oven reached the predetermined processing temperature, which was the processing time shown in Tables 1, 2, and 3. Flours B to I are modified flours made from flour A as the base flour, and flours K to N are modified flours made from flour J as the base flour. After heat treatment, the flours were removed from the incubator and allowed to naturally cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, which was used as the heat-treated flour. After heat treatment, the entire amount of flour to be measured was placed in a plastic bag and shaken for 1 minute to homogenize, and a portion of this was used as the sample.

[0018] Table 1 TIFF2025111905000002.tif21144

[0019] Table 2 TIFF2025111905000003.tif21134

[0020] Table 3 TIFF2025111905000004.tif21134

[0021] <Measurement Example 1: Measurement of emulsifying power> 1 g of wheat flour and 15 mL of distilled water were added to a 50 mL plastic tube (cylindrical, 2.7 cm inner diameter) and shaken by hand for 10 seconds to obtain a suspension. 20 mL of salad oil (Nisshin Oillio Co., Ltd.) was added to the suspension and shaken for 10 seconds in a vortex mixer (TAIYO S-100), followed by shaking at 300 rpm in a shaker (TAITEC SR-2S) for 10 minutes to obtain an emulsion. The emulsion was centrifuged at 1600 × g for 10 minutes in a centrifuge (TOMY LC-220). Immediately after centrifugation, the tube was left standing upright, and separated into four layers: a bottom layer mainly containing wheat flour, a water layer above that, an emulsified layer above that, and an oily layer at the top (see Figure 1). The distance (mm) between the upper and lower interfaces of the emulsified layer was measured, and the inner diameter of the tube was used to calculate the relative value y / x of the volume x of the emulsified layer of unmodified wheat flour (before modification) and the volume y of the emulsified layer of modified wheat flour, and this was evaluated as emulsifying power.

[0022] <Measurement Example 2: Measurement of gluten vitality and gluten index> Conventional methods for evaluating gluten quality include those using gluten vitality or gluten index as an index. Emulsifying power, gluten vitality, and gluten index are all analytical methods capable of confirming the degree of protein denaturation, but emulsifying power is an analytical method for confirming the stability of an oil-water emulsion, whereas gluten vitality is an analytical method for confirming the proportion of soluble crude protein content that dissolves in a dilute acetic acid solution in total crude protein, and gluten index is an analytical method for analyzing the physical properties of wet gluten, so the objects of analysis are different.

[0023] In the present invention, the gluten vitality and the soluble crude protein content (mass%) and total crude protein content (mass%) required for calculating gluten vitality were measured according to the method described in JP 2010-233540 A and calculated using the following formula. Gluten vitality (mass%) = (soluble crude protein content / total crude protein content) / 100 The gluten index was measured according to the approved method (Approved Method 38-12) defined by AACC International. Wet gluten was collected using the The Glutomatic System manufactured by Perten. After the wet gluten was put into a dedicated sieve cassette and centrifuged to remove water, the wet gluten (a) remaining on the sieve was expressed as the ratio (mass%) to the total amount of wet gluten (a + b) on and through the sieve as shown in the following formula. Gluten index (mass%) = (a / (a + b) × 100) The stronger the elasticity of the wet gluten, the more wet gluten that does not pass through the sieve, so the gluten index becomes a larger value. Also, when the protein in wheat grains or wheat flour is damaged by heat treatment, the elasticity of the wet gluten weakens. Therefore, the greater the degree of heat treatment, the smaller the value of the gluten index. When heat treatment is carried out to the extent that wet gluten is not formed, the value of the total wet gluten amount (a + b), which is the denominator of the gluten index, becomes 0. The gluten index in this case is expressed as "not measurable".

[0024] <Test Example 1 Influence of Treatment Temperature and Time on Emulsifying Power> Heat-treated wheat flour was produced according to Production Example 1 except for the treatment temperature and treatment time shown in Table 3, and the emulsifying power (relative value y / x) was evaluated according to Measurement Example 1. At a treatment temperature of 50°C, the emulsifying power did not change even when the treatment time was lengthened, but at 75°C to 150°C, the longer the treatment time, the stronger the emulsifying power. Also, in the range of treatment time from 15 to 60 minutes, when heated for the same treatment time, the higher the treatment temperature, the stronger the emulsifying power.

[0025] Table 4 TIFF2025111905000005.tif41141

[0026] <Test Example 2 Comparison of Emulsifying Power with Other Indicators> In order to compare the characteristics with other indicators used when estimating the degree of heat treatment of heat-treated wheat flour, a comparative test was carried out using wheat flours A to F. Heat-treated wheat flour was produced according to Production Example 1 except that the heat treatment temperature was changed to that shown in Table 2, and the emulsifying power was evaluated according to Measurement Example 1. The same wheat flour was measured according to Measurement Example 2 to evaluate gluten vitality and gluten index. Regarding the emulsifying power, a tendency was confirmed that the value increased as the heat treatment temperature was raised in the range of 50 to 150°C. Regarding the gluten vitality, although a tendency was observed that the value decreased as the heat treatment temperature was raised in the range of 105 to 150°C, no difference was observed in the case of heat treatment in the temperature range of 105°C or lower, and it was difficult to discriminate the degree of heating in the low temperature range of 105°C or lower. Regarding the gluten index, gluten could not be formed in the case of heat treatment at 135°C or higher, and measurement was impossible, and it was difficult to discriminate the degree of heating in the high temperature range of 135°C or higher. Therefore, it was found that the emulsifying power can evaluate a wide range of heat treatment degrees up to heat treatment at 50 to 150°C compared with other indices.

[0027] Table 5 TIFF2025111905000006.tif57149

[0028] <Test Example 3 Production of Cookies> To verify whether the processability of cookies can be evaluated by the emulsifying power, cookies were produced according to the following Steps 1 and 2 using the heat-treated wheat flour produced according to Production Example 1, and the correlation between the emulsifying power and the sensory evaluation of cookies was verified. The relative value of the volume x of the emulsified layer of unmodified wheat flour A and the volume y of the emulsified layer of the modified wheat flour was determined. Step 1: 46 parts by mass of granulated sugar, 3 parts by mass of nonfat dry milk, 0.8 part by mass of salt, 0.4 part by mass of sodium bicarbonate, 0.5 part by mass of ammonium bicarbonate, and 22 parts by mass of water were mixed at low speed for 5 minutes, then 30 parts by mass of shortening was added, and the mixture was mixed at low speed for 1 minute, medium speed for 3 minutes, and high speed for 3 minutes. Further, 100 parts by mass of the heat-treated wheat flour produced according to Production Example 1 under the conditions of Table 1 and Table 2 was added and mixed at low speed for 1 minute to obtain dough. Step 2: The dough obtained in Step 1 was formed into a shape with a diameter of about 60 mm and a thickness of 7 mm, and baked at 205°C for 14 minutes to obtain cookies. For each of the obtained cookies, the texture was evaluated by 10 skilled panelists according to Evaluation Criteria Table 1, and the quality of the texture evaluation score was regarded as the quality of the processing suitability. The value of the emulsifying power and the sensory evaluations of the melt-in-the-mouth and crispness of the cookies showed a positive correlation up to a heating temperature of 135°C (Examples 1 to 4), and the sensory evaluation score decreased when the temperature was higher than 135°C (Example 5). From the results, it was confirmed that the value of the emulsifying power changed stepwise according to the sensory evaluation score (processing suitability), and the processing suitability of the cookies could be evaluated by measuring the emulsifying power.

[0029] Evaluation Criteria Table 1 TIFF2025111905000007.tif57136

[0030] Table 6: Cookies TIFF2025111905000008.tif57144

[0031] Table 7: Cookies TIFF2025111905000009.tif57142

[0032] <Test Example 4 Production of Sponge Cake> To verify whether the processing suitability for sponge cake could be evaluated by the emulsifying power, heat-treated wheat flour produced according to Production Example 1 was used, and sponge cake was produced according to the following Steps 1 and 2, and the correlation between the emulsifying power and the sensory evaluation of the sponge cake was verified. Step 1: 100 parts by mass of caster sugar and 100 parts by mass of whole eggs were added, mixed at low speed for 1 minute and then at high speed for 10 minutes, and then 40 parts by mass of water was added and mixed at low speed for 30 seconds and at high speed for 4 minutes. Further, 100 parts by mass of heat-treated wheat flour produced according to Production Example 1 under the conditions of Table 2 was added and mixed at low speed for 15 seconds to obtain a dough. Step 2: 350 g of the dough obtained in Step 1 was poured into a sponge mold and baked at 170°C for 30 minutes to obtain a sponge cake. For the obtained sponge cake, the texture was evaluated by 10 skilled panelists according to Evaluation Criteria Table 2, and the quality of the texture evaluation score was regarded as the quality of the processing suitability. The value of the emulsifying power and the sensory evaluations of the spongy cake's melt-in-the-mouth texture and lightness showed a positive correlation up to a heating temperature of 135°C (Examples 9 to 12). When the temperature was higher than 135°C, the sensory evaluation scores decreased (Example 13). Also, when the heating temperature was fixed at 135°C, the value of the emulsifying power and the sensory evaluations of the spongy cake's melt-in-the-mouth texture and lightness showed a positive correlation (Examples 12, 14 to 16). From these results, it was confirmed that the value of the emulsifying power changed stepwise according to the sensory evaluation score (processing suitability), and that the processing suitability of the spongy cake could be evaluated by measuring the emulsifying power. It was also found that the degree of modification, which was difficult to infer from the modification conditions, could be easily evaluated by measuring the emulsifying power. The melt-in-the-mouth texture and lightness when using unmodified wheat flour A or J before modification were used as 3 (reference value) for relative evaluation. x = 2.0 cm 3 For the purpose of confirming that even when it is as small as [not specified in the original, seems incomplete], the processing suitability can be evaluated by measuring the emulsifying power in the same way, tests of Reference Example 4 and Examples 17 to 20 using wheat flour J as the base flour were carried out. When the emulsifying power ratio of Example 20 was 2.0, the evaluations of melt-in-the-mouth texture and lightness were the highest, and the evaluations were higher than those of unmodified wheat flour J in Examples 17 to 20. It was found that even for wheat flours with different original emulsifying powers, the processing suitability could be evaluated by the same emulsifying power ratio.

[0033] Evaluation Criteria Table 2 TIFF2025111905000010.tif62146

[0034] Table 8: Spongy Cake TIFF2025111905000011.tif57144

[0035] Table 9: Spongy Cake TIFF2025111905000012.tif52129

[0036] Table 10: Spongy Cake TIFF2025111905000013.tif57143

Claims

1. A simple method for evaluating the processability of modified wheat flour into processed products, which includes suspending wheat flour before and after modification in water and room-temperature liquid oil respectively to obtain an emulsion, centrifuging the emulsion, and determining the volume of each emulsion layer produced, considering the volume ratio of the emulsion layers of the wheat flour before and after modification as the relative value of the emulsifying power of the wheat flour before and after modification, and judging the processability based on the relative values of the emulsifying power before and after modification.

2. A simple method for evaluating the processability of modified wheat flour into processed products, in which when the relative value y / x of the emulsifying power of the modified wheat flour to the emulsifying power of the wheat flour before modification obtained by the following steps a to e is 1.1 or more, it is judged that the processability of the modified wheat flour is good. Step a: Suspending 1 g of modified wheat flour in 15 mL of distilled water Step b: Adding 20 mL of room-temperature liquid oil to the suspension obtained in step a and mixing to obtain an emulsion Step c: Centrifuging the emulsion obtained in step b at 1600×g Step d: Measuring the volume y of the intermediate layer (emulsion layer) separated by the centrifugation in step c Step e: Performing steps a to d on the wheat flour before modification, measuring the volume x of the intermediate layer (emulsion layer) of the wheat flour before modification, and obtaining the relative value y / x Here, the relative value y / x is regarded as corresponding to the relative value of the emulsifying power of the modified wheat flour to the emulsifying power of the wheat flour before modification.

3. In a method for modifying wheat flour, a method for evaluating the degree of modification of wheat flour during the modification process, which evaluates the degree of modification by obtaining the relative value Y / X of the emulsifying power of the wheat flour during the modification process to the emulsifying power of the wheat flour before modification obtained by the following steps A to E. Step A: Sampling the wheat flour during the modification process and suspending it in water Step B: Adding room-temperature liquid oil to the suspension obtained in step A and mixing to obtain an emulsion Step C: Centrifuging the emulsion obtained in step B Step D: Measuring the volume Y of the intermediate layer (emulsion layer) separated by the centrifugation in step C Step E: Performing steps A to D on the wheat flour before modification, measuring the volume X of the intermediate layer (emulsion layer) of the wheat flour before modification, and obtaining the relative value Y / X Here, the relative value Y / X is regarded as corresponding to the relative value of the emulsifying power of the modified wheat flour to the emulsifying power of the wheat flour before modification.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein when the relative value Y / X is 1.1 or more, it is judged that the modification is completed.

5. The volume y of the modified wheat flour measured by processes a to d is 2.2 cm 3 or more, the method according to claim 2.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the modified wheat flour is wheat flour subjected to protein denaturation treatment.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the protein denaturation treatment is heat treatment.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the heat treatment is a dry heat treatment.

9. The method according to claim 2 or 4, wherein the modified wheat flour is confectionery wheat flour.

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