Frozen noodle block and frozen noodle using the frozen noodle block

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a frozen noodle lump that has excellent manufacturability and cooking properties, is less likely to form lumps, and can impart high viscosity to soup, and a frozen noodle using the frozen noodle lump.SOLUTION: The frozen noodle mass is obtained by filling cooked noodles with thick water containing non-gelatinized starch and a warm water-soluble thickener, and suppressing precipitation of the non-gelatinized starch and the warm water-soluble thickener by using a cold water-soluble thickener, and freezing the noodles. By adding water to the frozen noodle mass and cooking the frozen noodle mass, the thickening water is dissolved and viscosity is generated, so that the frozen noodles having high viscosity and thickness are obtained. The warm water-soluble thickener is preferably tamarind seed gum, and the cold water-soluble thickener is preferably xanthan gum.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to frozen noodles that have a thick, highly viscous soup when eaten. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, many frozen noodles have been released onto the market, including frozen noodles such as frozen udon, soba, and ramen noodles that use soup. These frozen noodles are generally prepared with a condensed soup added separately, and the noodles and ingredients are usually cooked in a microwave oven, and then the noodles and ingredients are added to the soup prepared by dissolving the condensed soup in hot water beforehand, or the noodles and ingredients are cooked in a pot and then the condensed soup is added. In recent years, products have also been released that combine a frozen soup made by freezing a straight soup with a frozen noodle block, or products in which concentrated soup is directly filled into a frozen noodle block (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Among frozen noodles that use soup, methods for thickening the soup of frozen noodles such as thickened ramen noodles with thickened sauce or curry udon noodles, which have a highly viscous thick soup, include adding thickening starch to powdered soup and separately adding a thickening liquid such as a starch solution.

[0004] However, when starch is added to powdered soup, a large amount of starch is required, which not only increases the size of the packaging material but also takes time to dissolve the powdered soup and makes the starch prone to clumping.

[0005] Furthermore, methods for applying a starch liquid include, for example, the methods using oil described in Patent Documents 1 to 3. However, although the starch is mixed with oil and therefore less likely to form lumps, it is difficult to use this method for products with little oil content. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2024-33807 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 5409700 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 6228755 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The present invention aims to provide a frozen noodle block that is easy to manufacture and cook, is less likely to form lumps, and is capable of imparting a high viscosity to soup, and to provide frozen noodles made using the frozen noodle block. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In developing frozen noodles with a thicker, more viscous soup than conventional noodles, the inventors considered methods such as increasing the amount of starch added in powder form, and increasing the amount of the mixture of oil and starch added as described in Patent Document 2, but these methods resulted in larger packaging materials and oil floating up in the soup. As a result of extensive research, the inventors developed a method for imparting a high viscosity to soup that is easy to manufacture and cook, and less likely to form lumps, and as a result, they arrived at the present invention.

[0009] That is, the frozen noodle block is characterized by comprising cooked noodles and thickening water containing ungelatinized starch, a hot water-soluble thickener, and a cold water-soluble thickener.

[0010] Furthermore, the hot water-soluble thickener according to the present invention is preferably tamarind seed gum.

[0011] The cold water-soluble thickener according to the present invention is preferably xanthan gum.

[0012] The viscosity of the thickened water according to the present invention at 15° C. as measured with a Brookfield viscometer is preferably 100 to 1000 m·Pa.

[0013] Furthermore, the frozen noodles according to the present invention preferably contain the frozen noodle block described in claim 1 or 2 and liquid or powder soup. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The present invention can provide a frozen noodle block that is easy to manufacture and cook, is less likely to form lumps, and is capable of imparting a high viscosity to soup, as well as frozen noodles made from this frozen noodle block. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The present invention will be described in detail below, but the present invention is not limited to the following description.

[0016] <Frozen noodle blocks> The frozen noodle block according to the present invention comprises cooked noodles and thickening water containing ungelatinized starch, a hot water-soluble thickener, and a cold water-soluble thickener.

[0017] (Cooked noodles) Cooked noodles according to the present invention are noodles that have been cooked by boiling or steaming fresh or dried noodles. The frozen noodle block according to the present invention is cooked by boiling again before consumption, so it does not necessarily have to be cooked to an edible level, and it is acceptable for the noodles to be incompletely cooked, with only the surface of the noodles gelatinized. After cooking, the cooked noodles according to the present invention may be further cooled by rinsing with water or air-cooling.

[0018] Furthermore, the type of cooked noodles used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a common noodle type, and examples include Japanese noodles such as udon, soba, somen, and hiyamugi noodles, Chinese noodles, pasta, macaroni, harusame noodles, and pho.

[0019] (Thickened water) The thickened water according to the present invention contains ungelatinized starch, a cold water-soluble thickener, and a warm water-soluble thickener.

[0020] The ungelatinized starch used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a starch that has not been subjected to a gelatinization treatment, and examples of the starch include various starches such as potato starch, tapioca starch, wheat starch, sweet potato starch, mung bean starch, pea starch, sago starch, rice starch, corn starch, and waxy corn starch. In addition to raw starches, processed starches that have been subjected to acetylation, etherification, cross-linking, or a combination thereof can also be used. These starches may be used alone or in combination. Particularly preferred starches have a gelatinization onset temperature of 50 to 65°C.

[0021] The cold-water-soluble thickener according to the present invention may be any thickener that dissolves in water at room temperature (25°C), such as xanthan gum, guar gum, cold-water-soluble tara gum, and pregelatinized starch. These thickeners may be used alone or in combination. Of these, xanthan gum is preferred because it can increase the viscosity of thickened water with a small amount of addition.

[0022] The hot-water-soluble thickener according to the present invention may be any thickener that dissolves in hot water of 50°C or higher, and examples thereof include hot-water-soluble tamarind seed gum and locust bean gum. These thickeners may be used alone or in combination. Of these, hot-water-soluble tamarind seed gum is preferred, as it generates viscosity even at high temperatures without gelling and has a texture similar to that of thick starch.

[0023] Regarding the content of the ungelatinized starch and hot water-soluble thickener in the thickened water according to the present invention, the higher the content of the ungelatinized starch and hot water-soluble thickener in the thickened water, the higher the viscosity of the thickened water must be to prevent precipitation, which not only reduces manufacturability but also reduces the solubility of the thickened water in water during cooking, so it is preferable to keep it at 25% by weight or less. Conversely, if the content of the ungelatinized starch and hot water-soluble thickener in the thickened water is low, a large amount of thickened water must be added to achieve a high viscosity thickening, which simply slows the freezing of the thickened water and cooked noodles, making them more likely to become sticky. Therefore, the total content of the ungelatinized starch and hot water-soluble thickener in the thickened water should be 25% by weight or less, more preferably 20% by weight or less, so that cooking at the time of consumption takes longer. Therefore, the content of the ungelatinized starch and hot water-soluble thickener according to the present invention in the thickening water is preferably 5% by weight or more, more preferably 10% by weight or more, in total, of the ungelatinized starch and hot water-soluble thickener combined.

[0024] The content of the hot water-soluble thickener according to the present invention may be determined according to the desired viscosity, but because a hot water-soluble thickener can impart high viscosity in smaller amounts than ungelatinized starch, the amount of ungelatinized starch added can be significantly reduced. This allows the viscosity of the thickened water itself to be lowered, and the solubility of the thickened water during cooking to be reduced. Furthermore, by adding a hot water-soluble thickener, viscosity can be achieved even with a small amount, so the amount of thickened water added can be reduced. This allows for a reduction in the freezing time of the frozen noodle block and also a reduction in cooking time. Although the viscosity development and texture vary depending on the type of hot water-soluble thickener, they are significantly more expensive than ungelatinized starch, and adding large amounts can result in an unnatural viscosity. Therefore, the content of the hot water-soluble thickener in the thickened water is preferably 5% by weight or less, more preferably 3% by weight or less.

[0025] Other ingredients in the thickened water of the present invention may include other soup seasoning ingredients such as salt, soy sauce, sugar, and dashi, but it is preferable to add them in an amount that does not increase the amount of thickened water filled too much and does not affect the viscosity of the thickened water.

[0026] The thickened water according to the present invention is prepared by stirring the above-mentioned ungelatinized starch, cold water-soluble thickener, hot water-soluble thickener, and other materials into water as necessary. The preparation method is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to stir and disperse the ungelatinized starch and hot water-soluble starch in water before adding the cold water-soluble thickener to prevent lumps from forming, and then add the cold water-soluble thickener, or to mix the ungelatinized starch, cold water-soluble thickener, and hot water-soluble thickener in powder form to homogenize, then add to water and stir to disperse.

[0027] Furthermore, if the temperature is too high, ungelatinized starch and hot-water-soluble thickeners will dissolve in the water and develop viscosity, so the water temperature should be at least below 50°C, and preferably below 40°C. There are no particular problems with water at room temperature, but because the thickening water will be frozen during the production of the frozen noodle block described below, it is preferable to control the temperature to below 20°C using chilled water or the like.

[0028] The viscosity of the thickened water according to the present invention can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of cold-water-soluble thickener added so that the ungelatinized starch and hot-water-soluble thickener do not precipitate in the thickened water. Specifically, when the water temperature is 15°C, a viscosity of 100 to 1000 mPa·s is preferred. If the viscosity is less than 100 mPa·s, the ungelatinized starch and hot-water-soluble thickener in the thickened water tend to precipitate in the thickened water, and unless the thickened water is filled with intensive stirring, the amount of the ungelatinized starch and hot-water-soluble thickener filled becomes uneven. Conversely, if the viscosity is higher than 1000 mPa·s, the ungelatinized starch and hot-water-soluble thickener will not precipitate in the thickened water, but the solubility of the thickened water in water during cooking will be reduced, and the thickened water will develop viscosity before dissolution, making it more likely to form lumps. Viscosity is measured using a B-type viscometer. The temperature of the thickened water should be adjusted to 15°C, and the rotor and rotation speed should be set to conditions that allow for measurement of 100 to 1000 mPa·s.

[0029] (Production of frozen noodle blocks) In the method for producing the frozen noodle block according to the present invention, the cooked noodles and thickened water can be filled into a freezing container and then frozen, or the cooked noodles can be placed into the freezing container first and frozen, after which the thickened water can be filled and the container frozen again to produce the frozen noodle block. Alternatively, the thickened water and cooked noodles can be placed into the freezing container separately and frozen, and then the two can be combined to produce the frozen noodle block.

[0030] The thickening water content in the frozen noodle block according to the present invention is preferably in the range of 5 to 30% by weight, based on the weight of water used during cooking. If it exceeds 30% by weight, not only will it take longer for the thickening water and cooked noodles to freeze, but cooking will also take longer. Conversely, if it is less than 5% by weight, it will be difficult to impart a high viscosity thickening. A range of 10 to 20% by weight is more preferable.

[0031] Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the method for freezing the cooked noodles and thickening water according to the present invention, and conventional techniques can be applied. For example, commercial freezing devices such as air-blast tunnel freezers, spiral freezers, wagon freezers, quick freezers, and brine-type flexible freezers can be used, as well as general commercial and household freezers. Rapid freezing using a tunnel freezer or spiral freezer at a temperature of −35° C. or below is particularly preferred.

[0032] When producing the frozen noodle block according to the present invention, ingredients can be added as needed. The ingredients may be pre-frozen, or may be added together with the cooked noodles and thickening water and then frozen.

[0033] <Frozen noodles> The frozen noodles of the present invention refer to the frozen noodle block of the present invention to which a powder or liquid soup for cooking has been added. There are no particular limitations on the type of frozen noodles of the present invention, but examples include thickened udon, thickened soba, thickened ramen, thickened spaghetti, Cantonese noodles, Sanratan, curry udon, and curry soba.

[0034] The frozen noodles of the present invention can be produced by adding cooking powder or liquid soup to the frozen noodle block of the present invention and packaging it separately.

[0035] A preferred method for cooking the frozen noodles of the present invention is to place the frozen noodle block of the present invention in a pot, add water, and cook while heating. During this process, the thickening water of the present invention thaws and disperses homogeneously in the added water, and when heated, a highly viscous soup can be produced without clumping even if viscosity develops. Powdered or liquid soup for cooking can be added together with water either before or after heating.

[0036] As described above, by freezing thickening water containing ungelatinized starch, a hot water-soluble thickener, and a cold water-soluble thickener together with cooked noodles, it is possible to provide a frozen noodle block and frozen noodles that are easy to manufacture and cook, are less likely to form lumps, and are capable of imparting a high viscosity to soup. [Example]

[0037] The present embodiment will be described in more detail below with reference to examples.

[0038] <Test 1: Viscosity of thickened water> (Test Examples 1-1 to 1-6) The thickened water ingredients of Formulation Examples 1-1 to 1-6 listed in Table 1 below and 15°C water were placed in a tank and stirred thoroughly to prepare thickened water. The prepared thickened water was evaluated for viscosity measurement and sedimentation. The viscosity was measured using rotor No. 2 of a B-type viscometer (VISCOMETER TVC-7, manufactured by Toki Sangyo Co., Ltd.). For sedimentation, the thickened water was stirred to homogeneously suspend the starch, and then allowed to stand for 1 hour. For starch precipitation, samples with significant separation of the starch from the water were rated as ×; samples with the starch suspended in the thickened water but with clear sedimentation were rated as △; samples with most of the starch suspended in the thickened water with only slight sedimentation were rated as ○; and samples with no visible sedimentation were rated as ◎.

[0039] Next, cooked noodles were produced. Specifically, 850 g of all-purpose flour was powder-mixed with 150 g of acetylated tapioca starch, and a kneading solution prepared by dissolving 48 g of salt in 430 g of water was added. The mixture was kneaded in a vacuum mixer under normal pressure for 4 minutes, and then under reduced pressure for 8 minutes to produce dough. The dough was then combined to produce a noodle sheet, which was rolled to a thickness of 2.75 mm using a roll. The noodle sheet was then cut using a No. 9 thin-blade roll cutting blade to produce noodle strands, which were then cut into noodle strands of approximately 30 cm. The cut noodle strands were boiled in boiling water at 100°C for 11 minutes and 30 seconds. The boiled noodle strands were then washed with water and cooled for 1 minute and 30 seconds to produce cooked noodles.

[0040] Next, 200 g of the cooked noodles were packed into a square freezing tray (bottom surface 9.15 x 13.73 cm). The thickened water of Formulation Examples 1-1 to 1-6 thus prepared was mechanically poured from a tank so that 50 g was poured onto the cooked noodles packed into the freezing tray, and the freezing tray was placed in an air-blast freezer at -35°C and frozen for 30 minutes. After freezing, the frozen noodle blocks were removed from the freezing tray to produce the frozen noodle blocks of Test Examples 1-1 to 1-6. Furthermore, 35 g of bagged concentrated liquid soup for udon was added to the frozen noodle blocks of each test group to produce frozen noodles.

[0041] The frozen noodles from each test group were cooked. The cooking method involved placing a block of frozen noodles in a pot and adding 250g of water (at room temperature). The noodles were heated while loosening them with chopsticks. Once the noodles were loosened and the thickening water had dissolved, 35g of concentrated liquid soup for udon noodles in a bag was added and heated. Bring to a boil and then turn off the heat to prepare a consuming sample. The solubility of the thickening water during cooking was evaluated. Evaluation criteria were as follows: ◎ indicates that the thickening water was easily soluble in water; ○ indicates that the thickening water was slightly soluble in water but soluble; △ indicates that the thickening water was soluble; and × indicates that the thickening water was extremely soluble in water. The soup after cooking was also evaluated for clumps. ◎ indicates that the thickening water was uniformly developed without lumps; ○ indicates that there were almost no lumps and it was good; △ indicates that there were many noticeable lumps; and × indicates that there were significant lumps.

[0042] In addition, the filling properties were evaluated based on the difference in viscosity between when the thickened water was filled according to the formulation example for each test group and when the viscosity was mechanically filled. The same was marked with ◎, roughly the same with ○, slightly inferior with △, and significantly inferior with ×.

[0043] Table 1 below shows the blends of thickened water in Blending Examples 1-1 to 1-6, the results of viscosity measurements, and the results of evaluation of sedimentation.

[0044] [Table 1]

[0045] Table 2 below shows the evaluation results of Test Examples 1-1 to 1-6 regarding the solubility of thickened water, lumps in soup, and filling properties.

[0046] [Table 2]

[0047] As shown in Blending Examples 1-1 to 1-6, by adding viscosity to thickened water with a cold water-soluble thickener, precipitation of ungelatinized starch and hot water-soluble thickener was suppressed.

[0048] When the frozen noodles of Test Examples 1-1 to 1-6, which were made using Blend Examples 1-1 to 1-6, were cooked, Test Example 1-1, which did not use a cold water-soluble thickener, had good solubility and no lumps formed. However, as shown in the filling properties, when the noodles were mechanically filled, ungelatinized starch and the like settled in the tank and piping, and the viscosity of the soup was unstable when eaten.

[0049] In contrast, as shown in Test Examples 1-2 to 1-4, as the amount of cold water-soluble thickener added increased, the amount of precipitation of ungelatinized starch etc. decreased during filling, and the viscosity of the soup during consumption became stable.

[0050] However, as shown in Test Example 1-5, if the viscosity of the thickened water becomes too high, the solubility of the thickened water in water during cooking will decrease, and the temperature of the water will rise before the thickened water is completely dissolved in the water, causing the viscosity to develop, making the soup more likely to form lumps.

[0051] As shown in Test Example 1-6, there was no difference in sedimentation, solubility in thickened water, formation of lumps, or filling properties between water-soluble thickeners, whether xanthan gum or guar gum, but xanthan gum developed viscosity in a smaller amount than guar gum, and maintained its viscosity even after cooking compared to guar gum.

[0052] <Experiment 2: Blending thickened water> (Test Examples 2-1 to 2-3) Thickened water was prepared in the same manner as in Experiment 1 according to Blending Examples 2-1 to 2-3 in Table 3 below. Frozen noodles of Testing Examples 2-1 to 2-3 were prepared in the same manner as Testing Example 1-4, except that the prepared thickened water was filled into the cooked noodles in an amount of 55 g for Blending Example 2-1, 25 g for Blending Example 2-2, and 50 g for Blending Example 2-3.

[0053] The frozen noodles from each test group were cooked. The cooking method was the same as in Experiment 1, and a sensory evaluation was conducted. The sensory evaluation was conducted using an open panel of six experienced panelists to evaluate the thickness of the soup after cooking. The evaluation method was based on Test Example 2-1, with an equivalent thickness being marked with ◎, a slightly different but generally good thickness being marked with ○, a difference being marked with △, and a significant difference being marked with ×. The evaluation results of Experiment 2 are shown in Table 4 below. All samples showed no problems with the sedimentation of the thickening water, solubility, clumping of the soup, and filling ability, which were evaluated in Experiment 1.

[0054] [Table 3]

[0055] [Table 4]

[0056] As shown in Test Examples 2-1, 1-4, and 2-2, by increasing the amount of hot water-soluble tamarind seed gum, which is a hot water-soluble thickener, it was possible to reduce the amount of thickening water added without significantly changing the viscosity of the soup when eaten. Reducing the amount of thickening water added made it possible to shorten the freezing time and cooking time.

[0057] Furthermore, as shown in Test Examples 2-1 and 2-3, the amount of ungelatinized starch added to the thickened water could be reduced by increasing the amount of hot water-soluble tamarind seed gum, which is a hot water-soluble thickener. Because the hot water-soluble tamarind seed gum has a higher gelatinization temperature than starch, the viscosity development due to heating during cooking was slower, and the solubility of the thickened water was improved.

[0058] As described above, by filling cooked noodles with thickening water containing ungelatinized starch, a hot water-soluble thickener, and a cold water-soluble thickener, and then freezing the noodles, a frozen noodle block can be provided that is easy to manufacture and cook, is less likely to form lumps, and is capable of imparting a high viscosity to soup, as well as frozen noodles made from this frozen noodle block.

Claims

1. Cooked noodles and A frozen noodle block comprising ungelatinized starch, a thickening water containing a hot water-soluble thickener and a cold water-soluble thickener.

2. The frozen noodle block according to claim 1, wherein the hot water-soluble thickener is tamarind seed gum.

3. The frozen noodle block according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cold water-soluble thickener is xanthan gum.

4. The frozen noodle block according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the viscosity of the thickened water at 15°C, as measured with a B-type viscometer, is 100 to 1,000 mPa s.

5. Frozen noodles comprising the frozen noodle block according to claim 1 or 2 and liquid or powder soup.

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