Hand-stretched style dried noodle and method for producing the same

Abstract

To provide a hand-stretched style dried noodle that is salt-free or low-salt, exhibits excellent workability during the production process (dough binding, extensibility, and drying resistance), and has a favorable texture (elasticity and smoothness) when boiled.SOLUTION: A hand-stretched style dried noodle comprises an appropriate amount of potassium lactate as a raw material.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to hand-stretched air-dried noodles and a method for producing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Hand-stretched dried noodles, such as hand-stretched somen noodles, have a unique texture that is smooth (easy to swallow) and elastic (chewy). These hand-stretched dried noodles are generally produced by kneading 100 parts by mass of wheat flour with 4 to 7 parts by mass of salt and 40 to 50 parts by mass of water, forming the resulting dough into thick strings, applying vegetable oil, starch, and wheat flour to the surface of the strings, twisting and stretching the dough into thin, long strands, drying the resulting thin strands, and then cutting them to a predetermined length. Hand-stretched dried noodles are characterized by the fact that each step of the stretching process is carried out manually, with aging occurring between each step. Salt has an astringent effect on gluten (the effect of strengthening the gluten network structure) and also prevents the dough from drying out due to its water-absorbing properties. Hand-stretched dried noodles are made by repeatedly stretching the noodles to gradually produce thinner noodle strands, which requires the formation of a stronger gluten structure and resistance to drying compared to noodles produced using a rolling machine, and for this reason, a large amount of salt is generally used.

[0003] Because hand-stretched dried noodles are produced using a large amount of salt, adding hand-stretched dried noodles directly to a hot pot or the like makes the broth, such as soup or stock, taste too salty, making them unsuitable for eating. Therefore, before eating, the noodles must be boiled to remove the salt and, optionally, washed (so-called "boiling and draining"). It is desirable to eliminate the hassle of boiling and draining, but reducing the amount of salt used in producing hand-stretched dried noodles results in insufficient contraction of the gluten and maturation of the dough, and the dough tends to dry out during the production process, making it impossible to stretch the noodles to the desired thickness, causing damage such as wear on the noodle surface, and furthermore, the softness and elasticity of the noodles are lost when boiled.

[0004] Various attempts have been made to solve the problems described above. Patent Document 1 discloses a method for producing reduced-salt somen noodles, which enables the production of delicious (reduced-salt) somen noodles in an extremely short time, by forming a raw material block made by mixing strong wheat flour and salt and aging it into strings while applying edible oil at a temperature of about 30 to 38°C, then stretching it into a thin, tightly twisted shape at room temperature or below, and subsequently drying and cutting it at a low temperature. Patent Document 2 discloses hand-pulled noodles that do not require discarding the broth, and are characterized by containing wheat flour, alkaline water, and salt, with the amount of salt being less than 2.0% by weight of the wheat flour (and the amount of alkaline water being less than 0.1% by weight of the wheat flour). Patent Document 3 discloses hand-stretched somen noodles made from ingredients containing 1.5 to 3 parts by weight of salt, 13 to 18 parts by weight of wheat protein, and 0.075 to 0.125 parts by weight of brine per 100 parts by weight of wheat flour, in order to provide hand-stretched somen noodles that are easy to stretch and low in salt, making them suitable for instant noodles. However, in both inventions, the salt content was not sufficient to compensate for the decrease in gluten astringency caused by the salt reduction, and the salt content was too high to make it unnecessary to drain the noodles after boiling. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 01-300862 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-112721 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-189942 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] To provide hand-stretched, air-dried noodles which are salt-free or contain reduced amounts of salt, have excellent workability (dough bond, extensibility, and dry resistance) in the manufacturing process, and have a good texture (elasticity and smoothness) when boiled. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The inventors discovered that by incorporating an appropriate amount of potassium lactate as a raw material, it is possible to obtain hand-stretched, air-dried noodles that are easy to work with in the manufacturing process and have a good texture when boiled, even when salt-free or reduced in salt, and have thus completed the present invention.

[0008] That is, the present invention includes the following aspects. [1] Hand-stretched air-dried noodles containing wheat flour and potassium lactate, wherein the amount of potassium lactate is 1.6 to 6.2 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour. [2] The hand-stretched air-dried noodles described in [1], in which the salt content is 1.5 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour. [3] Hand-stretched, dried noodles as described in [2] that do not contain salt. [4] A mix flour for hand-stretched style dried noodles containing wheat flour and potassium lactate, wherein the amount of potassium lactate is 1.6 to 6.2 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour. [5] The mixed flour for hand-stretched style dried noodles according to [4], wherein the salt content is 1.5 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour. [6] A mixed flour for hand-stretched style dried noodles according to [5], which does not contain salt. [7] A method for producing hand-stretched, dried noodles using wheat flour and potassium lactate, wherein the amount of potassium lactate is 1.6 to 6.2 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour. [8] A method for producing hand-stretched, style-dried noodles according to [7], comprising the steps of mixing potassium lactate and water to prepare kneading water, and mixing the kneading water with wheat flour. [9] A method for producing hand-stretched, dried noodles according to [7] or [8], in which the amount of salt used is 1.5 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour.

[10] A method for producing hand-stretched, dried noodles according to [9], which does not use salt. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain hand-stretched style dried noodles which are salt-free or have reduced salt content, have excellent workability in the production process, and have a good texture when boiled, without the need for boiling. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention relates to wind-stretched dried noodles containing wheat flour and potassium lactate, wherein the amount of potassium lactate is 1.6 to 6.2 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour.

[0011] potassium lactate In the present invention, potassium lactate can be used in an amount of 1.6 to 6.2 parts by mass, preferably 2.5 to 5.7 parts by mass, and more preferably 3.5 to 4.5 parts by mass, per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour. Like salt, potassium lactate possesses gluten astringency and water absorption properties, allowing it to be used in place of part or all of the salt in conventional hand-stretched dried noodles. Even with salt-free or reduced salt content, potassium lactate can maintain workability during the manufacturing process and the texture of the boiled noodles. When the amount of potassium lactate is 1.6 parts by mass or more, the gluten astringency and water absorption properties are fully exerted, preventing dough sagging, loss of noodle strand cohesion, and drying of the noodle strands during the noodle-making process. Furthermore, drying is stable and not too rapid during the drying process. Furthermore, when the amount of potassium lactate is 6.2 parts by mass or less, extensibility is maintained, noodle strands are less likely to break, and yield and workability are improved. Furthermore, the bitterness of potassium lactate is absent, resulting in a good taste. When salt is not used, it is more preferable that the amount of potassium lactate is 1.9 parts by mass or more per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour.

[0012] flour The wheat flour used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is obtained by milling hexaploid wheat using a known method. Examples of such wheat flour include extra-hard wheat flour, hard wheat flour, semi-hard wheat flour, medium-hard wheat flour, soft wheat flour, and wheat flour mixtures of two or more of these wheat flours. Wheat flour with a protein content of 8.5 to 13.0% by mass, and more preferably 10 to 12% by mass, or wheat flour mixed and prepared to achieve the above protein content, is preferably used. Wheat flour with a protein content of 8.5% by mass or higher will ensure good noodle string binding, while wheat flour with a protein content of 13.0% by mass or lower will maintain the extensibility of the dough.

[0013] salt In the hand-stretched, air-dried noodles of the present invention, the amount of salt can be reduced to such an extent that boiling is not necessary, and it is also possible to use no salt at all. In the hand-stretched, air-dried noodles of the present invention, the salt content is preferably 1.5 parts by mass or less, more preferably less than 1.5 parts by mass, even more preferably 1.0 part by mass or less, per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour, and even more preferably no salt is contained.

[0014] When salt is contained, the total amount of salt and potassium lactate is preferably 1.9 parts by mass or more per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour, and the amount of potassium lactate is preferably 1 part by mass or more per 1 part by mass of salt.

[0015] Other ingredients (optional ingredients) In addition to the above ingredients, any ingredient normally used as a noodle ingredient can be used without any particular limitation, including cereal flours other than wheat flour, such as barley flour, rye flour, rice flour, and corn flour; starches such as tapioca starch, potato starch, wheat starch, and corn starch; modified starches obtained by chemically modifying starches such as etherification, physically modifying starches such as gelatinization, or enzyme-modifying starches such as amylase treatment; fiber materials such as resistant starch, resistant dextrin, and ground wheat bran; eggs and egg products such as whole eggs, egg white powder, and egg yolk powder; proteins such as soy protein and milk protein; sugars; inorganic salts; emulsifiers; preservatives; coloring agents; flavorings; vitamins; and nutritional enhancers.

[0016] The Japanese Agricultural Standards for hand-stretched dried noodles define "hand-stretched dried noodles" as noodles made by adding salt water to wheat flour and kneading it, then coating it with edible vegetable oil or starch, twisting it, and stretching it out to form noodles, which are then dried, and which are produced using a method that meets the established standards for the ratio of salt water to wheat flour, the manual process, and the maturation period. The standard for manual processes stipulates that all of the steps of stretching the noodles, from the small-pulling process to the drying process, must be done by hand.

[0017] The hand-stretched air-dried noodles of the present invention may be salt-free, and may include noodles in which the noodle strands are stretched not only by hand but also by machine. That is, as long as wheat flour and potassium lactate are used, the hand-stretched air-dried noodles of the present invention may be produced by a conventional method for hand-stretched dried noodles, or the noodle strands may be stretched using a mechanical stretching method, for example, as exemplified in JP 2010-68792 A. The production method of the present invention preferably includes a step of mixing potassium lactate and water to prepare a kneading water, and a step of mixing the kneading water with wheat flour. Furthermore, it is preferable that salt is not used in the production method of the present invention.

[0018] The conventional method for manufacturing hand-stretched dried noodles includes the steps of cutting, oil-returning, fine-grinding, kneading, wrapping, fine-pulling, dividing, drying, cutting, and resting. Each step will be explained below using hand-stretched somen as an example.

[0019] In the cutting process, the dough, which is made by kneading the ingredients and letting them mature, is cut into noodle strips approximately 10 cm wide and 5 cm thick. Several noodle strips are combined and passed through a roll to make a single noodle strip, and several of these single noodle strips are then combined again to make a single noodle strip, a process that is repeated. In the oil-returning process, the resulting noodle strips are passed through a roll and twisted to make noodle strings approximately 20 mm in diameter. After leaving the noodle strings to mature for approximately two hours, in the thinning process, the noodle strings are twisted and rolled to a diameter of approximately 12 mm. The thinned noodle strings are left to mature for approximately one hour, and then in the konashi process, they are further twisted to make the noodle strings thinner to a diameter of approximately 6 mm.

[0020] The elongated noodle strings are left to mature for about four hours, and then in the wrapping process, a wrapping machine is used to twist the noodle strings and wrap them around two tubes in a figure-eight pattern. These noodle strings are placed in a box and allowed to mature for about three hours, after which in the small-stretching process, the noodle strings are stretched to a length of about 50 cm, taking into account the progress of the aging and the weather. The stretched noodle strings are placed in a box and allowed to mature for about 15 hours, after which in the dividing process, the noodle strings are removed from the box and stretched to about 1.3 m.

[0021] In the gate drying and drying process, the small noodle strings (tubes) are attached to the hata (tsukemae work), the noodles attached to the hata are stretched to about 1.6m (ashizuke work), and then gradually stretched further from 1.6m to 2m (hatauwanukiage work), the noodles attached to the hata are cut evenly with chopsticks (hand handling work), the hata is placed in a drying chamber and the noodles are dried (hatamowari work), and while the entire hata is drying evenly, it is checked for any abnormalities such as dangling noodles (drying work).

[0022] In the cutting process, somen noodles that have been dried to a moisture content of about 12% are cut into 19cm lengths and checked. In the resting process, the cut somen noodles are boxed and stored in a warehouse.

[0023] Hand-stretched dried noodles, which are obtained by stretching dough while twisting it in one direction, have a gluten network structure that is arranged in the longitudinal direction of the noodles, forming dense bundles, resulting in a strong elasticity and a chewy texture. Furthermore, the surface is extremely smooth, resulting in a good slipperiness (feels good down the throat). In contrast, noodles produced by applying pressure to dough and stretching it using a rolling machine have a non-uniform gluten network structure and fine voids on the noodle surface, resulting in a lack of elasticity and slipperiness compared to hand-stretched dried noodles.

[0024] The present invention also relates to a flour mix for hand-stretched, dried noodles, which contains wheat flour and potassium lactate. The amount of potassium lactate is 1.6 to 6.2 parts by mass, preferably 2.5 to 5.7 parts by mass, and more preferably 3.5 to 4.5 parts by mass, per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour. The salt content in the flour mix is ​​preferably 1.5 parts by mass or less, more preferably less than 1.5 parts by mass, even more preferably 1.0 part by mass or less, per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour, and even more preferably zero. [Example]

[0025] The present invention will be described in more detail below based on examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0026] Reference Example 1: Manufacturing hand-stretched dried noodles 100 parts by mass of wheat flour (Nippon Co., Ltd.: Maru S, protein content 11% by mass) and 54.5 parts by mass of mixing water (6.5 parts by mass of salt dissolved in 48 parts by mass of water) were placed in a mixer and kneaded at 10 rpm for 30 minutes at normal pressure to obtain a dough. This dough was gathered and formed into a sheet, and hand-stretched somen noodles were obtained according to a standard method. The standard method includes a cutting process, an oil-returning process, a fine-mesh process, a pounding process, a wrapping process, a small-pulling process, a portioning process, a drying process, a cutting process, and a resting process.

[0027] Reference Example 2: Manufacturing of reduced-salt hand-stretched dried noodles Reduced-salt hand-stretched dried noodles of Reference Example 2 were produced in the same manner as Reference Example 1, except that the amount of salt used was reduced to 3.0 parts by mass and the amount of water was adjusted so that the dough had approximately the same hardness as in Reference Example 1.

[0028] Reference Example 3: Production of unsalted hand-stretched somen noodles The salt-free hand-stretched dried noodles of Reference Example 3 were produced in the same manner as Reference Example 1, except that no salt was used and the amount of water was adjusted so that the dough hardness was similar to that of Reference Example 1. However, significant tearing of the noodle strings occurred during the dough stretching process, and hand-stretched dried noodles could not be obtained.

[0029] Evaluation example 1: Workability evaluation Ten experienced panelists evaluated the dough's connection when forming it into a sheet, the dough sagging throughout the manufacturing process, the dough's extensibility in the "kakemaki" and "kobiki" processes, and the dough's drying resistance in the "kado-boshi and drying" process, according to the evaluation criteria in Table 1. Reference Example 1 was given a rating of 5 points, Reference Example 2 a rating of 3 points, and Reference Example 3 (excluding "drying resistance") a rating of 1 point. Reference Example 3 had significantly poorer workability and did not reach the kado-boshi and drying process, so drying resistance could not be evaluated.

[0030] [Table 1]

[0031] Evaluation example 2: Sensory evaluation The hand-stretched dried noodles were placed in boiling water and boiled for 3 minutes, then washed with water for 30 seconds and cooled. Ten experienced panelists evaluated the noodles according to the evaluation criteria in Table 2. For "elasticity" and "smoothness," Reference Example 1 was rated 5 points, and Reference Example 2 was rated 3 points. For "bitterness," both Reference Examples 1 and 2, which did not use potassium lactate, were rated 5 points. Since hand-stretched dried noodles were not obtained in Reference Example 3, a sensory evaluation could not be performed.

[0032] [Table 2]

[0033] The evaluation scores of Reference Examples 1 to 3, which serve as the standards, are shown in Table 3.

[0034] [Table 3]

[0035] Test Example 1: Examination of potassium lactate content Hand-stretched air-dried noodles were produced in the same manner as in Reference Example 1, except that the amounts of salt and / or potassium lactate (Slack K, manufactured by Musashino Chemical Laboratory Co., Ltd.: a 50% by mass potassium lactate solution) shown in Table 4 were mixed into the mixing water, and evaluated in the same manner as in Evaluation Examples 1 and 2. Note that because the potassium lactate used was in the form of an aqueous solution, the amount of water used to prepare the mixing water was adjusted (specifically, in the case of 2 parts by mass of potassium lactate, when mixing 4 parts by mass of a 50% by mass aqueous potassium lactate solution with water to prepare the mixing water, the amount of water in Reference Example 1 was reduced by 2 parts by mass from 48 parts by mass to 46 parts by mass). The results are shown in Table 4 as the average scores of 10 panelists.

[0036] [Table 4] The amounts of salt and potassium lactate are shown in parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour. Since the concentration of Slack K is 50%, the amount of Slack K to be added is twice the amount of potassium lactate to be added in the table.

[0037] In Examples 1 to 6, which did not use salt, the evaluation scores for stickiness, sagging, and dryness resistance increased with increasing potassium lactate content, and Example 3, which had a potassium lactate content of 4.0 parts by mass, received the highest evaluation for extensibility. Meanwhile, the evaluation score for bitterness decreased with increasing potassium lactate content, but both were within the acceptable range. In Examples 7 to 9, which used a small amount of salt, the low salt content was compensated for with an appropriate amount of potassium lactate, and each evaluation item was within the acceptable range.

[0038] In Comparative Example 1, the amount of potassium lactate was low, so the stickiness, sagging of the dough, extensibility, and drying resistance were outside the acceptable range. In Comparative Example 2, the amount of potassium lactate was high, so extensibility was low, and the noodle strings tended to break frequently, resulting in low yield and workability. In addition, the sensory evaluation also showed a strong bitterness, which was outside the acceptable range.

[0039] Test example 2: Examination of the necessity of boiling The hand-stretched style dried noodles of Examples 1 to 9 and the hand-stretched style dried noodles of Reference Examples 1 and 2 were placed in broth and boiled for 3 minutes. Ten experienced panelists evaluated the saltiness and bitterness (according to Evaluation Example 2). In Examples 1 to 9, there was no or only a slight increase in saltiness or bitterness compared to the broth itself, which was within the acceptable range. In Reference Examples 1 and 2, the saltiness was too strong and they were unsuitable for eating. These results demonstrate that the hand-stretched style dried noodles of Examples 1 to 9 do not necessarily need to be boiled and drained.

Claims

1. The hand-stretched air-dried noodles contain wheat flour and potassium lactate, and the amount of potassium lactate is 1.6 to 6.2 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour.

2. 2. The hand-stretched air-dried noodles according to claim 1, wherein the salt content is 1.5 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour.

3. The hand-stretched, wind-dried noodles according to claim 2, which do not contain salt.

4. The mixed flour for hand-stretched style dried noodles contains wheat flour and potassium lactate, and the amount of potassium lactate is 1.6 to 6.2 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour.

5. The mix flour for hand-stretched style dried noodles according to claim 4, wherein the salt content is 1.5 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour.

6. The mix flour for hand-stretched style dried noodles according to claim 5, which does not contain salt.

7. A method for producing hand-stretched, air-dried noodles using wheat flour and potassium lactate, wherein the amount of potassium lactate is 1.6 to 6.2 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour.

8. 8. The method for producing hand-stretched style dried noodles according to claim 7, comprising the steps of: mixing potassium lactate and water to prepare a kneading water; and mixing the kneading water with wheat flour.

9. The method for producing hand-stretched air-dried noodles according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the amount of salt used is 1.5 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour.

10. The method for producing hand-stretched, style dried noodles according to claim 9, wherein no salt is used.

Images