Method for producing chinese noodles

Abstract

To provide Chinese noodles, which contain high-amylose wheat flour and exhibit superior quality.SOLUTION: A method for producing Chinese noodles includes: obtaining Chinese noodle dough from raw flour comprising high-amylose wheat flour; and producing raw noodles from the dough, the raw flour including 30 mass% or greater of high-amylose wheat flour in the total mass of cereal flour and starch, the high-amylose wheat flour being defined as wheat flour whose amylose content in total starch is 40 mass% or more as analyzed by the concanavalin A method, the high-amylose wheat flour further having a damaged starch content of 4.0 to 6.3 mass% as measured in accordance with AACC Method 76-31, and the Chinese noodles being other than instant noodles.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Starch contained in cereals contains amylose and amylopectin. Amylose is poorly digestible by digestive enzymes, and therefore functions as a resistant component that is not digested by human digestive enzymes, i.e., dietary fiber, and is classified as resistant starch. In recent years, high-amylose wheat has been developed, in which the amylose content has been increased by introducing mutations into enzymes involved in starch synthesis (Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2). Patent Documents 1 to 4 disclose high-amylose wheat that has a point mutation in the gene encoding the starch branching enzyme SBEIIa, resulting in reduced SBEIIa activity and a high amylose content in the starch contained in the grain. Such high-amylose wheat flour is a promising dietary fiber material. The aforementioned Non-Patent Document 2 discloses Chinese noodles containing high-amylose wheat flour.

[0003] Non-patent document 3 describes that the amount of damaged starch in high-amylose wheat flour derived from modified wheat with low SBEIIa activity and an amylose content of approximately 71-84% as measured by iodine colorimetry was 3.6-2.0%, while the amount of damaged starch in flour from wild-type wheat was 4.7%. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

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

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

[0006] The present invention relates to improving the quality of Chinese noodles containing high-amylose wheat flour. [Means for solving the problem]

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

[0008] As representative embodiments of the present invention, the following are provided. [1] A method for producing Chinese noodles, Obtaining Chinese noodle dough from raw flour containing high amylose wheat flour; and producing fresh noodles from the dough; Including, The raw material flour contains 30% by mass or more of high-amylose wheat flour based on the total mass of the flour and starch, The high amylose wheat flour is wheat flour having an amylose content of 40% by mass or more in total starch as analyzed by the concanavalin A method, The high amylose wheat flour has a damaged starch content of 4.0 to 6.3% by mass as measured by AACC method 76-31, and The Chinese noodles are not instant noodles; method. [2] The method described in [1], further comprising gelatinizing the fresh noodles so that they can be eaten. [3] The method described in [2], wherein the gelatinized noodles are not dried. [4] The method described in [2], further comprising refrigerating the gelatinized noodle strings. [5] The method according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the high amylose wheat flour is wheat flour derived from modified wheat having low SBEIIa activity. [6] A flour composition for Chinese noodles, The total mass of flour and starch contains 30% by mass or more of high amylose wheat flour, The high amylose wheat flour is wheat flour having an amylose content of 40% by mass or more in total starch as analyzed by the concanavalin A method, The high amylose wheat flour has a damaged starch content of 4.0 to 6.3% by mass as measured by AACC method 76-31, and The Chinese noodles are not instant noodles; composition. [7] The composition described in [6], wherein the high amylose wheat flour is wheat flour derived from modified wheat with low SBEIIa activity. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The Chinese noodles provided by the present invention have improved elasticity and smoothness in texture compared to noodles made using conventional high-amylose wheat flour. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

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

[0011] Examples of high-amylose wheat flour include wheat flour derived from modified wheat with reduced activity of the starch branching enzyme SBEIIa. Examples of such modified wheat flour include wheat flour derived from high-amylose wheat with a mutation in the SBEIIa gene and reduced SBEIIa activity, as described in Patent Documents 1 to 4. More specific examples include wheat flour derived from high-amylose wheat in which the amount or activity of SBEIIa protein in the grain is less than 2% of the amount or activity in wild-type wheat grain, and wheat flour derived from high-amylose wheat with null mutations in one or more, for example, one or two, SBEIIa genes.

[0012] The properties of flour can depend on the type of raw grain and the milling process. One indicator of flour properties is the amount of damaged starch, which reflects the water absorption and amylase sensitivity of the starch components contained in the flour. The amount of damaged starch in flour can affect the workability of dough, the expansion rate (fluffiness) of bread, and the texture of noodles. However, different types of raw grains can have different amounts of damaged starch even when milled using the same process. As a result, the amount of damaged starch suitable for use as a food ingredient may differ depending on the type of grain.

[0013] The Chinese noodles of the present invention are produced from a raw material flour containing high-amylose wheat flour with an increased amount of damaged starch compared to conventional high-amylose wheat flour. The high-amylose wheat flour used in the Chinese noodles of the present invention (hereinafter also referred to as "high-amylose wheat flour of the present invention") preferably has a damaged starch content of 4.0 to 6.3% by mass, more preferably 4.1 to 5.7% by mass, and even more preferably 4.3 to 5.0% by mass. High-amylose wheat flour has low amylase sensitivity due to the starch structure with a high amylose content, so when subjected to conventional milling, wheat flour with less damaged starch than ordinary wheat flour is obtained (see Non-Patent Document 3). On the other hand, increasing the amount of damaged starch in high-amylose wheat flour as described above improves the elasticity and smoothness of the texture of Chinese noodles produced using the high-amylose wheat flour, particularly elasticity.

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

[0015] The high-amylose wheat flour of the present invention preferably has an average particle size of 50 to 110 μm, more preferably 60 to 100 μm. The average particle size herein refers to the volume mean diameter (MV) of particles calculated by laser diffraction / scattering method, and can be measured using a commercially available laser diffraction / scattering particle size distribution analyzer (e.g., Microtrac MT3000II; Microtrac Bell Corporation).

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

[0017] The high-amylose wheat flour of the present invention can be produced by milling high-amylose wheat grains according to conventional methods, but adjusting the conditions to increase the amount of damaged starch in the flour. Methods for adjusting the amount of damaged starch in wheat flour are known in the art. Typically, the amount of damaged starch in flour increases when starch is physically destroyed by applying mechanical force or heat to flour during the milling process. For example, if the smooth roller used for milling narrows the roll gap during the milling process of raw wheat (coarse milling process) or the milling process of the milled product (reduction process), the starch becomes more susceptible to damage, increasing the amount of damaged starch. Furthermore, wheat flour of the desired particle size can be obtained by appropriately adjusting the conditions and number of milling processes or by classifying the milled product.

[0018] The content of the high-amylose wheat flour of the present invention in the raw material flour of the Chinese noodles of the present invention is preferably 30% by mass or more, more preferably 40% by mass or more, and even more preferably 50% by mass or more, of the total mass of the flour and starch contained in the raw material flour, and may be 100% by mass.

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

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

[0021] The raw material flour may contain starch. For example, if the Chinese noodles of the present invention are to be stored in a refrigerator or freezer after cooking, it is preferable that the raw material flour contain starch. Examples of such starches are not particularly limited, and include unmodified starches such as potato starch, tapioca starch, wheat starch, cornstarch, waxy cornstarch, and rice starch, as well as modified starches obtained by processing these (for example, by cross-linking, phosphorylation, acetylation, etherification, oxidization, gelatinization, etc.). In the present invention, these unmodified starches and modified starches can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

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

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

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

[0025] The raw material flour can be prepared by mixing the high-amylose wheat flour of the present invention described above with other cereal flours, starches, and other ingredients as needed. The resulting raw material flour is used as a flour composition for Chinese noodles in the production of the Chinese noodles of the present invention.

[0026] Chinese noodle dough is prepared from the raw material flour. The noodle dough can be prepared by kneading the raw material flour with kneading water in a conventional manner. The kneading water can be water, saline, brine, or gas-containing water (such as carbonated water). The amount of kneading water used to prepare the noodle dough is preferably 25 to 65 parts by mass, in terms of the water content of the kneading water, per 100 parts by mass of the raw material flour.

[0027] The noodle dough preferably contains an kansui ingredient. For example, the noodle dough can be prepared by mixing the raw material flour, the kansui ingredient, and kneading water. Alternatively, the noodle dough can be prepared by mixing the raw material flour with kneading water containing the kansui ingredient. Kansui ingredients commonly used in the production of Chinese noodles can be used, such as potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, disodium hydrogen phosphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, sodium polyphosphate, and sodium metaphosphate. These kansui ingredients can be used alone or in combination of two or more. Kansui ingredients primarily composed of potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, or a combination of these are preferably used. The kansui ingredient may be a commercially available product, and commercially available kansui ingredients containing potassium carbonate and / or sodium carbonate (such as "Powdered Kansui Blue" manufactured by Oriental Yeast Co., Ltd.) can be used. Preferably, the content of the kansui ingredient in the noodle dough is 0.1 to 2.0 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the total amount of flour and starch contained in the raw material flour of the dough.

[0028] Fresh noodles are produced from the resulting noodle dough. Conventional methods can be used to produce fresh noodles from noodle dough. Examples include a method in which the noodle dough is rolled using a noodle roller to obtain a noodle band, and then this noodle band is cut using a cutting blade or the like to obtain noodle strands, and a method in which the noodle dough is extruded to obtain noodle strands. The above noodle bands can also be layered to form multilayer noodles. The produced fresh noodles can also be dried to form dried noodles.

[0029] Cooked Chinese noodles are produced by gelatinizing the above-described Chinese noodles of the present invention so that they can be eaten. The gelatinization can be carried out by a conventional method used for cooking noodles, such as boiling or steaming. Water, saline, or the like can be used as the water used for boiling or steaming. If necessary, the gelatinized noodles are cooled by washing with water, air-cooling, air-cooling, or the like. Alternatively, the produced raw noodles can be stored in a semi-cooked or heat-sterilized state, and then further cooked and gelatinized so that they can be eaten.

[0030] On the other hand, the Chinese noodles of the present invention are consumed without undergoing a drying process after being gelatinized. In other words, instant noodles (fried noodles produced by deep-drying gelatinized noodles and non-fried noodles produced by drying gelatinized noodles) are not included in the Chinese noodles of the present invention. Here, drying refers to a process for actively reducing the moisture content of noodles in a temperature- or humidity-controlled environment, and is different from the reduction in moisture content that occurs during standing or storage.

[0031] The resulting cooked Chinese noodles may be refrigerated or frozen. Refrigeration or freezing of the cooked noodles can be carried out according to conventional procedures. For example, the cooked noodles may be packaged in batches of one to several servings and stored refrigerated or frozen. The cooked noodles may also be flash-frozen before being stored frozen. The cooked Chinese noodles of the present invention can be eaten as is, or thawed or reheated as needed. [Example]

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

[0033] Preparation of high amylose wheat flour High-amylose wheat (wheat with a low SBEIIa expression level that carries the SBEIIa mutant gene) was tempered and then milled. By adjusting the breaking, grading, purification, and reduction steps during milling, high-amylose wheat flours (HAW Nos. 1 to 7) with the properties listed in Table 1 were produced. The amylose content of the wheat flour was measured using an amylose / amylopectin analysis kit (Megazyme). The amount of damaged starch was measured using a Starch Damage Assay Kit (MegaZyme). The average particle size was measured as the volume mean diameter (MV) using a Microtrac MT3000II (Microtrac Bell Corporation).

[0034] [Table 1]

[0035] Test 1: Production of cooked Chinese noodles To 100 parts by mass of raw material flour made from the high-amylose wheat flour shown in Table 2, 40 parts by mass of water and 1 part by mass of kansui (blue kansui: Oriental Yeast Co., Ltd.) were added and mixed to prepare dough. The dough was rolled and combined using a noodle-making roll to produce a noodle band, which was then cut using a cutting blade (#18 square) to produce raw Chinese noodle strands (noodle thickness: 1.7 mm). The resulting noodle strands were boiled to a yield (based on noodles) of 170%, producing cooked Chinese noodles.

[0036] The texture (elasticity, smoothness) of the prepared Chinese noodles was evaluated by 10 trained panelists according to the following criteria, and the average scores were calculated. The results are shown in Table 2. <Evaluation criteria> (elasticity) 5 points: Compared to the control, the chewiness is very good, typical of Chinese noodles. 4 points: Compared to the control, it has a good elasticity typical of Chinese noodles. 3 points: Compared to the control, the chewiness typical of Chinese noodles is slightly better. 2 points: Elasticity is the same as the control. 1 point: Compared to the control, it lacks the elasticity typical of Chinese noodles. (Smoothness) 5 points: Much smoother than the control. 4 points: Smoother than the control. 3 points: Slightly smoother than the control. 2 points: Smoothness equivalent to the control. 1 point: Less smooth than the control.

[0037] [Table 2]

[0038] Test 2: Production of refrigerated cooked Chinese noodles A dough was prepared by adding 45 parts by mass of water and 1 part by mass of kansui (blue kansui: Oriental Yeast Co., Ltd.) to a raw material flour consisting of 50 parts by mass of high-amylose wheat flour, 20 parts by mass of non-high-amylose wheat flour (regular wheat flour), and 30 parts by mass of modified starch (acetylated cross-linked tapioca starch) as shown in Table 3, and mixing. The dough was rolled and combined using a noodle-making roll to produce a noodle band, which was then cut using a cutting blade (#18 square) to produce raw Chinese noodle strands (noodle thickness: 1.7 mm). The resulting noodle strands were boiled to a yield (per noodle) of 170%, washed with water, and cooled. The resulting boiled noodles were packaged in individual servings and stored in a refrigerator (4°C) for 24 hours. The texture of the produced refrigerated cooked Chinese noodles was evaluated using the same procedure as in Test 1. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0039] [Table 3]

[0040] Test 3: Production of refrigerated cooked Chinese noodles A dough was prepared by adding 45 parts by mass of water and 1 part by mass of kansui (blue kansui: Oriental Yeast Co., Ltd.) to a raw material flour consisting of 30 parts by mass of high-amylose wheat flour, 50 parts by mass of non-high-amylose wheat flour (regular wheat flour), and 20 parts by mass of modified starch (acetylated cross-linked tapioca starch) as shown in Table 4, and mixing. The dough was rolled and combined using a noodle roll to produce a noodle band, which was then cut using a cutting blade (#18 square) to produce raw Chinese noodle strands (noodle thickness: 1.7 mm). The resulting noodle strands were boiled to a yield (relative to noodle) of 170%, washed with water, and cooled. The resulting boiled noodles were packaged as individual servings and stored in a refrigerator (4°C) for 24 hours. The texture of the produced refrigerated cooked Chinese noodles was evaluated using the same procedure as in Test 1. The results are shown in Table 4.

[0041] [Table 4]

Claims

1. A method for producing Chinese noodles, Obtaining Chinese noodle dough from raw flour containing high amylose wheat flour; and producing fresh noodles from the dough; Including, The raw material flour contains 30% by mass or more of high-amylose wheat flour based on the total mass of the flour and starch, The high-amylose wheat flour is wheat flour having an amylose content of 40% by mass or more in total starch as analyzed by the Concanavalin A method, The high amylose wheat flour has a damaged starch content of 4.0 to 6.3% by mass as measured by AACC method 76-31, and The Chinese noodles are not instant noodles; method.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising gelatinizing the raw noodles so that they can be eaten.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the gelatinized noodles are not dried.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising refrigerating the gelatinized noodle strings.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the high amylose wheat flour is wheat flour derived from modified wheat having reduced SBEIIa activity.

6. A flour composition for Chinese noodles, The total mass of flour and starch contains 30% by mass or more of high amylose wheat flour, The high-amylose wheat flour is wheat flour having an amylose content of 40% by mass or more in total starch as analyzed by the Concanavalin A method, The high amylose wheat flour has a damaged starch content of 4.0 to 6.3% by mass as measured by AACC method 76-31, and The Chinese noodles are not instant noodles; composition.

7. The composition according to claim 6, wherein the high amylose wheat flour is wheat flour derived from modified wheat having reduced SBEIIa activity.

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