Method for producing heat-treated wheat flour

Abstract

To provide a manufacturing technology for bakery foods that offers excellent workability during production, excellent resistance to aging after production, and a good internal structure when consumed. [Solution] The present invention provides a method for producing heat-treated wheat flour, comprising the steps of introducing raw materials including wheat flour and a liquid raw material into an extruder, kneading and heating to obtain a kneaded product, and extruding the kneaded product from the outlet of the extruder. The wheat flour contains 50 to 98% by mass of a first wheat flour and 2 to 50% by mass of a second wheat flour. The first wheat flour has a protein content of 11.5% by mass or more. The second wheat flour is derived from wheat in which one or more of the amylose synthesis genes Wx-A1, Wx-B1, and Wx-D1 are deleted, and has a protein content of less than 11.5% by mass. The raw materials contain 30 parts by mass or more of the liquid raw material per 100 parts by mass of the wheat flour.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing heat-treated wheat flour.

Background Art

[0002] Heat-treated cereal flours obtained by heat-treating cereal flours in the presence of moisture exhibit unique properties different from those before heat-treatment due to the gelatinization of starch inherent in the cereal flours by heat-treatment, and are used in a wide range of applications such as food uses and industrial uses. When heat-treated cereal flours are used in the production of processed foods, an improvement in quality such as processability and texture can be expected compared to when ordinary cereal flours are used. For example, bakery foods, which are a type of processed food using cereal flours, may have a deteriorated texture during storage due to the retrogradation of the inherent starch, losing the moist texture they had immediately after production, and having an unfavorable crispy texture during consumption. However, by using heat-treated wheat flour as a raw material, such inconveniences can be prevented.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a gelatinized modified starch obtained by subjecting a starch-wheat flour blend containing 50 to 97 parts by mass of starch and 3 to 50 parts by mass of wheat flour to a gelatinization treatment using an extruder as a heat-treated cereal flour suitable for food use. In the examples described in Patent Document 1, the gelatinized modified starch was produced using strong flour as the wheat flour, and furthermore, bread was produced using the gelatinized modified starch. The bread was said to be excellent in stability over time at room temperature and during refrigerated storage, and was soft and elastic.

[0004] Patent Document 2 describes a method for producing heat-treated cereal flours suitable for noodle production, comprising the steps of adding and mixing 30 to 65 parts by mass of water to 100 parts by mass of a powder raw material containing 40 to 70% by mass of wheat flour, 30 to 60% by mass of starch, and 1 to 10% by mass of gluten, and then heating it at a temperature of 80 to 120°C until the degree of gelatinization reaches 90% or more. As a specific example of this heat treatment, treatment with an extruder is given. In the example described in Patent Document 2, medium-strength flour with an amylose content of 30% or less is used as the wheat flour. According to the production method described in Patent Document 2, it is possible to obtain a noodle material that can improve the texture of noodles and impart good rehydration and staling resistance to noodles without using special additives. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-169442 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-64489 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] Heat-treated wheat flour is obtained by heating wheat flour. However, when wheat flour is heated, not only the starch but also the gluten is denatured, and denatured gluten is inherent in heat-treated wheat flour. When bakery foods are manufactured using heat-treated wheat flour containing this denatured gluten, it may adversely affect the gluten formation necessary in the manufacturing process, potentially leading to inconveniences such as delays in manufacturing operations such as dough preparation and insufficient formation of the internal structure of the bakery food. One possible method to prevent such inconveniences is to incorporate wheat flour with a relatively high protein content into the ingredients of the bakery food, but bakery foods manufactured using this method have room for improvement in terms of aging resistance. A manufacturing technology for bakery foods that offers excellent workability during manufacturing, allows for smooth manufacturing operations such as dough preparation, has a good internal structure, has fine bubbles, is soft and thin, and also has excellent aging resistance has not yet been provided.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing technology for bakery food products that offers excellent workability during manufacturing, excellent resistance to aging after manufacturing, and a good internal structure when consumed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention relates to a method for producing heat-treated wheat flour, comprising the steps of introducing raw materials including wheat flour and a liquid raw material into an extruder, kneading and heating to obtain a kneaded product, and extruding the kneaded product from the outlet of the extruder, wherein the wheat flour contains 50 to 98% by mass of a first wheat flour and 2 to 50% by mass of a second wheat flour, the first wheat flour has a protein content of 11.5% by mass or more, the second wheat flour is derived from wheat in which one or more of the amylose synthesis genes Wx-A1, Wx-B1, and Wx-D1 are deleted and has a protein content of less than 11.5% by mass, and the raw materials contain 30 parts by mass or more of the liquid raw material per 100 parts by mass of the wheat flour.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention is a method for producing a bakery food mix, comprising the step of mixing heat-treated wheat flour with other grain flours other than heat-treated wheat flour, wherein the heat-treated wheat flour contains heat-treated wheat flour produced by the method of the present invention described above.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention is a method for producing fermented bakery food, comprising the steps of preparing dough using powdered raw materials including cereal flours and liquid raw materials, fermenting the dough to obtain fermented dough, and heating the fermented dough, wherein the cereal flours include heat-treated wheat flour produced by the method of the present invention described above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The present invention provides a manufacturing technology for bakery foods that offers excellent workability during manufacturing, excellent resistance to aging after manufacturing, and a good internal structure when consumed (a method for manufacturing heat-treated wheat flour, a method for manufacturing bakery food mixes, and a method for manufacturing fermented bakery foods). [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] The present invention relates to a method for producing heat-treated wheat flour, which comprises a step (heating step) in which raw materials including wheat flour and liquid raw materials (hereinafter also referred to as "heat-treated raw materials") are put into an extruder, kneaded and heated to obtain a kneaded product, and the kneaded product is extruded from the outlet of the extruder. In the heating step, the kneaded product extruded from the outlet of the extruder is the heat-treated wheat flour to be produced.

[0013] Wheat flour is a type of powdered raw material. In this specification, "powdered raw material" refers to a powdered raw material that is in powder or granular form at room temperature and pressure. In this specification, "liquid raw material" refers to a raw material that has liquid fluidity at room temperature and pressure. In this specification, "room temperature and atmospheric pressure" refers to the ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure in the environment in which the heat-treated wheat flour manufacturing method of the present invention is normally carried out, and is typically an environment with an ambient temperature of 25°C and an atmospheric pressure of 1 atmosphere.

[0014] The heat-treated wheat flour production method of the present invention is characterized by the use of two types of wheat flour with different protein content as the heat-treated raw material (hereinafter also referred to as "raw wheat flour") fed into the extruder. The two types of wheat flour are a first wheat flour with a relatively high protein content and a second wheat flour with a relatively low protein content. The manifestation of the predetermined effects of the present invention (the ability to produce bakery food products that are excellent in workability during production, excellent in resistance to aging after production, and have a good internal structure when consumed) largely depends on this characteristic.

[0015] The protein content of the first wheat flour is 11.5% by mass or more, preferably 11.5% by mass or more and 16.0% by mass or less, and more preferably 11.5% by mass or more and 15.5% by mass or less. The protein content of the second wheat flour is less than 11.5% by mass, preferably 6.0% by mass or more and less than 11.5% by mass, and more preferably 6.4% by mass or more and less than 11.5% by mass.

[0016] In this specification, "protein content of wheat flour" refers to the protein content of wheat flour when the moisture content is 14% by mass, unless otherwise specified. Details of "moisture content" will be described later. The protein content of wheat flour can be measured according to the combustion method (see Chapter 1 of the Analysis Manual for the 2015 Edition (Seventh Revised Edition) of the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan).

[0017] For the first type of wheat flour, any unprocessed wheat flour suitable for the manufacture of bakery foods can be used without particular restrictions, provided that it has a protein content of 11.5% by mass or more. While the second type of wheat flour is limited to specific genotypes as described later, the first type of wheat flour is not limited by genotype. Examples of the first type of wheat flour include strong flour and other wheat flours used for fermented bakery foods. Examples of wheat that can be used as the source of the first type of wheat flour include "DNS," "Yumechikara," "1CW," "HRW," "APH," and "AH." One type of wheat flour may be used alone as the first type of wheat flour, or two or more types may be used in combination.

[0018] In addition to the protein content of the second flour being less than 11.5% by mass, the second flour further needs to be derived from wheat in which one or more of the amylose synthase genes Wx-A1, Wx-B1, and Wx-D1 are deleted (hereinafter also referred to as "low amylose wheat"). One type of the second flour may be used alone, or two or more types may be used in combination.

[0019] The amylose synthase gene is a gene that controls amylose synthase and is located at a gene locus called the Wx locus. In wheat, there are three genes, Wx-A1, Wx-B1, and Wx-D1, as amylose synthase genes. It is known that the combination of the three genes varies depending on the mutant type, and thereby the amylose content changes. Specifically, wheat is roughly classified into a "wild type" having all three genes, a "single deletion type" in which any one of the three genes is deleted, a "double deletion type" in which any two of the three genes are deleted, and a "triple deletion type" in which all three genes are deleted. When arranged in descending order of amylose content in starch, they are wild type, single deletion type, double deletion type, and triple deletion type.

[0020] The wild type is a normal wheat variety. The single deletion type is a wheat variety with a lower amylose content in starch than the wild type. Examples of wheat of the single deletion type (slightly low amylose variety) include "Hokushin", "Kitahonami", "Kinuaakari", "Sanuki no Yume 2009", and "Haru yo Koi". The double deletion type is a wheat variety with a lower amylose content in starch than the single deletion type. Examples of wheat of the double deletion type (low amylose variety) include "Tsurupikari", "Chikugoizumi", "Nevarigoshi", "Nishihonami", and "Ayahikari". The triple deletion type is a wheat variety (glutinous variety) with a lower amylose content in starch than the double deletion type. Examples of wheat of the triple deletion type (glutinous variety) include "Uraramochi", "Mochihime", and "Mochiharuka".

[0021] The genotypes of the low amylose wheat, which is the second source of wheat flour, are triple deletion type, double deletion type, and single deletion type, and do not include the wild type. In the case of wheat having two or more genotypes, if at least one of the single deletion type, double deletion type, and triple deletion type is included in the plurality of genotypes, even if the wild type is included, the wheat is low amylose wheat.

[0022] The raw material wheat flour contains 50 to 98% by mass of the first wheat flour and 2 to 50% by mass of the second wheat flour. If the content of each of the first wheat flour and the second wheat flour in the raw material wheat flour is outside the above range, there is a possibility that the predetermined effect of the present invention cannot be achieved. The raw material wheat flour may contain only the first wheat flour and the second wheat flour. In that case, the total content of both wheat flours is 100% by mass. On the condition that the expression of the predetermined effect of the present invention is not inhibited, the raw material wheat flour may further contain other wheat flour in addition to the first wheat flour and the second wheat flour. In that case, the total content of both wheat flours is less than 100% by mass, and the total of the total content of both wheat flours and the total content of the other wheat flour is 100% by mass.

[0023] From the viewpoint of more surely achieving the predetermined effect of the present invention, the content of the first wheat flour in the raw material wheat flour is preferably 45 to 98% by mass, more preferably 50 to 98% by mass, based on the total mass of the raw material wheat flour.

[0024] As described above, the content of the second wheat flour in the raw material wheat flour is 2 to 50% by mass based on the total mass of the raw material wheat flour. From the viewpoint of more surely achieving the predetermined effect of the present invention, depending on the type of the second wheat flour used, it is more preferable to do as follows. When using only the one derived from the single deletion type wheat as the second wheat flour, the content of the second wheat flour in the raw material wheat flour is preferably 5 to 45% by mass, more preferably 10 to 40% by mass, based on the total mass of the raw material wheat flour. When using only wheat-derived wheat with double deletion as the second wheat flour, the content of the second wheat flour in the raw wheat flour is preferably 2 to 40% by mass, more preferably 5 to 35% by mass, relative to the total mass of the raw wheat flour. When using only triple-deletion wheat-derived wheat as the second wheat flour, the content of the second wheat flour in the raw wheat flour is preferably 2 to 30% by mass, more preferably 3 to 25% by mass, relative to the total mass of the raw wheat flour.

[0025] From the viewpoint of ensuring that the predetermined effects of the present invention are achieved more reliably, the mass ratio of the first flour to the second flour in the raw flour is preferably 98:2 to 50:50, more preferably 98:2 to 60:40, and even more preferably 98:2 to 70:30, as first flour:second flour.

[0026] In the method for producing heat-treated wheat flour of the present invention, the liquid raw material used in combination with the raw wheat flour is usually water, but may be a liquid other than water, or a mixture of several types of liquids. Examples of liquids other than water include liquid seasonings such as dashi stock and soy sauce, aqueous liquids such as egg liquid (whole egg, egg white, egg yolk) and milk, and oily liquids such as edible oil. The liquid raw material may also be a mixture of dissolved or dispersed powders such as salt.

[0027] The heat-treated raw material must contain 30 parts by mass or more of liquid raw material per 100 parts by mass of raw wheat flour in the heat-treated raw material. If the liquid raw material content in the heat-treated raw material is less than 30 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of raw wheat flour in the heat-treated raw material, problems such as burning of the raw wheat flour may occur, and the predetermined effects of the present invention may not be achieved. From the viewpoint of more reliably achieving the predetermined effects of the present invention, the liquid raw material content in the heat-treated raw material is preferably 30 to 65 parts by mass, more preferably 30 to 55 parts by mass, per 100 parts by mass of raw wheat flour in the heat-treated raw material.

[0028] The heat-treated raw materials typically contain only raw wheat flour (first wheat flour, second wheat flour) and liquid raw materials, but may also contain other raw materials. Examples of such other raw materials include emulsifiers, thickeners, enzymes, and sugars. However, from the viewpoint of ensuring that the predetermined effects of the present invention are achieved more reliably, the amount of such other raw materials is preferably 3% by mass or less, and more preferably 1% by mass or less, relative to the total mass of the heat-treated raw materials.

[0029] The heating process can be carried out using an extruder in accordance with conventional methods. An extruder is a type of food processing equipment that is configured to transport powdered or paste-like raw materials inside the extruder, subject the raw materials to processing such as kneading, pressurizing, and heating, and then extrude them to the outside of the extruder. Typically, an extruder comprises a hollow cylindrical barrel having a flow path for the material to be processed (a mixture of flour and liquid raw materials), a screw positioned in the flow path and driven by a power source such as a motor, and a feeder that supplies the material to be processed into the flow path. Heating means such as a cartridge heater are attached around the barrel, allowing the inside of the barrel to be heated by the heating means. In an extruder with such a configuration, the material to be processed is supplied into the barrel by the feeder, then transported by the screw towards the tip of the barrel (the downstream end in the direction of transport of the material in the barrel), where it is kneaded and heated during transport, and finally extruded into the environment from the outlet of the extruder. At this time, if there is a relatively large pressure difference between the inside and outside of the extruder with respect to the outlet, the water and air in the material to be processed (kneaded material) that was compressed inside will expand outside, causing the material to swell and become a puffed material. In the heat-treated wheat flour manufacturing method of the present invention, whether or not such swelling of the material to be processed occurs is irrelevant, provided that the predetermined effects of the present invention are achieved.

[0030] The aforementioned "extruder outlet" differs depending on whether the extruder is equipped with a die. The die is a component that constitutes the downstream side in the conveying direction of the material to be processed (mixture) in the extruder. It is used by being connected to the tip of the barrel and has an inlet opening into which the material that has passed through the barrel is supplied, an outlet opening from which the material is extruded, and a flow path connecting the two openings. When a die is connected to the tip of the barrel, the extruder outlet is the die's outlet opening. On the other hand, when a die is not connected to the tip of the barrel, the extruder outlet is the opening at the tip of the barrel (the open end on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the material in the barrel's flow path).

[0031] The die may be a cooling die capable of cooling the workpiece as it is being transported through the die's flow path. Typically, a cooling die has a relatively long flow path to adequately cool the workpiece. The method of cooling the workpiece by the cooling die is not particularly limited and may be a forced cooling method or a natural cooling method. The forced cooling method is a method of cooling the workpiece using one or more refrigerants selected from liquids and gases, and a drive source that causes the refrigerants to flow. An example of a cooling die employing the forced cooling method is one having a double-tube structure (concentric structure) with an outer tube and an inner tube provided inside the outer tube and functioning as a flow path for the workpiece, configured to allow the refrigerant to flow between the outer tube and the inner tube. The natural cooling method does not use the above-mentioned refrigerant and drive source, but simply cools the workpiece by supplying it to the flow path of the cooling die and allowing it to pass through.

[0032] Extruders include single-screw extruders, which have one screw positioned in the barrel; twin-screw extruders, which have two screws; and multi-screw extruders, which have three or more screws. While any type of extruder can be used in this invention, twin-screw extruders are preferred from the viewpoint of achieving the predetermined effects of this invention and improving the efficiency of manufacturing operations.

[0033] From the viewpoint of ensuring that the predetermined effects of the present invention are achieved more reliably, the outlet temperature of the extruder in the heating step is preferably 60 to 100°C, more preferably 60 to 90°C. By adjusting the outlet temperature of the extruder to the above range, further improvement in the quality of bakery products using heat-treated wheat flour, which is the manufacturing result, can be expected, and in particular, when the heat-treated wheat flour is used in fermented bakery products, the internal structure and texture will be improved. The aforementioned "extruder outlet temperature" refers to the temperature of the extruder outlet or its vicinity, or the temperature of the material being processed (mixture). As previously mentioned, the "extruder exit" differs depending on whether the extruder has a die or not. If it has a die, it is the "die exit opening," and if it does not have a die, it is the "opening at the tip of the barrel." The aforementioned "proximity of the extruder outlet" may be, for example, a portion within one-third of the total length of the extruder, upstream from the extruder outlet (the outlet opening of the die or the opening at the tip of the barrel) in the direction of conveying the material to be processed (the kneaded material). The aforementioned "temperature of the component" refers to the temperature of a component defining the outlet of the extruder or its vicinity, and may, for example, be the temperature of a wall portion defining the flow path of the die or barrel. The aforementioned "temperature of the material being processed" refers to the temperature of the material being processed (mixture) in the flow path at or near the outlet of the extruder.

[0034] From the viewpoint of ensuring that the predetermined effects of the present invention are achieved more reliably, the outlet pressure of the extruder in the heating step is preferably 200 kPa or more, more preferably 200 to 20000 kPa. In this specification, "extruder outlet pressure" refers to gauge pressure. The aforementioned "extruder outlet pressure" refers to the gauge pressure at or near the extruder outlet. The definition of "extruder outlet or near the extruder" is as previously described. The extruder outlet pressure can be measured using a pressure gauge installed at or near the extruder outlet.

[0035] The present invention's method for producing heat-treated wheat flour may include a post-processing step in which, after the heating step, one or more processes selected from cutting, grinding, and drying are applied to the kneaded material extruded from the outlet of the extruder, i.e., the heat-treated wheat flour intended for production. Cutting, crushing, and drying can each be carried out according to conventional methods. Cutting can be used, for example, to divide a mass of heat-treated wheat flour (e.g., a continuous rod in the direction of extrusion) that has agglomerated from the outlet of an extruder into multiple pieces, and known cutting means such as slicers and cutters can be used as cutting means. When two or more of cutting, crushing, and drying are carried out, the order in which they are carried out is not particularly limited. As an example of the aforementioned post-processing steps, the kneaded material (heat-treated wheat flour) extruded from the outlet of the extruder is subjected to a drying process by known methods such as air drying or hot air drying, and then subjected to a grinding process using known grinding means such as a pin mill or a roll mill.

[0036] The moisture content of the heat-treated wheat flour produced by the manufacturing method of the present invention (hereinafter also referred to as "heat-treated wheat flour of the present invention") is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of more reliably achieving the predetermined effects of the present invention, it is preferably 3 to 14% by mass. The moisture content of the heat-treated wheat flour can be adjusted by appropriately adjusting the conditions of the drying treatment.

[0037] In this specification, "moisture content" refers to the moisture content measured according to the oven-drying method. Specifically, it is calculated as the ratio of the mass of the heat-treated wheat flour to be measured to the mass before heating, after heating the flour to a constant weight at a temperature of 130°C.

[0038] The particle size of the heat-treated wheat flour of the present invention is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of more reliably achieving the predetermined effects of the present invention, it is preferable that the ratio of the mass of the fraction passing through a sieve with a mesh size of 200 μm to the total mass of the heat-treated wheat flour is preferably 80% by mass or more, more preferably 90% by mass or more, and may be 100% by mass. The particle size of the heat-treated wheat flour can be adjusted by appropriately adjusting the conditions of the grinding process or by classifying with a sieve.

[0039] The heat-treated wheat flour of the present invention is useful as a raw material for foods containing grain flours. In this specification, "foods containing grain flours" refers to processed foods using grain flours, more specifically, processed foods manufactured by heating a dough containing grain flours that is fluid at room temperature and pressure, for example, bakery foods, fried foods, noodles, and noodle wrappers. In this specification, "grain flours" refers to powdery substances derived from grains that are in the form of grains at room temperature and pressure, and includes grain flour and starch. The "starch" referred to here refers to "pure starch" isolated from plants such as wheat, and is distinguished from the starch inherently present in grain flour. The heat-treated wheat flour of the present invention is a type of grain flour.

[0040] The heat-treated wheat flour of the present invention is useful in the production of bakery foods, that is, it is useful for bakery foods. In this specification, "bakery food" refers to food obtained by heating dough containing cereal flours. Bakery foods include those that further include other ingredients (e.g., fillings) in addition to the heated dough. Bakery foods are typically prepared by heating dough, which is made by stirring powdered raw materials, including cereal flours, in the presence of moisture. The dough may be fermented or unfermented. The method of heating the dough is not particularly limited; typically, it is baked, but an appropriate method can be selected from known heating methods depending on the type of bakery food, etc. Examples include heating using a deep fryer or microwave oven. Specific examples of bakery foods include bread, pizza, cakes, Japanese and Western baked goods such as waffles, cream puffs, biscuits, and baked buns, fried sweets such as donuts, and takoyaki, okonomiyaki, and chijimi. Examples of bread include sliced ​​bread (e.g., rolls, white bread, dark bread, baguettes, hardtack, hot dog buns, croissants), savory breads, and sweet breads. Examples of cakes include sponge cake, butter cake, roll cake, hotcakes, busse, Baumkuchen, pound cake, cheesecake, snack cake, muffins, bars, cookies, pancakes, and crepes.

[0041] The heat-treated wheat flour of the present invention is particularly useful in the production of fermented bakery foods, that is, it is particularly useful for fermented bakery foods. Fermented bakery foods refer to bakery foods obtained by heating fermented dough. Fermented dough is obtained by fermenting dough prepared through a process of stirring powdered raw materials including cereal flours in the presence of water, according to conventional methods. Fermented bakery foods are usually required to have fine, thin, and soft air bubbles in the internal phase. By using the heat-treated wheat flour of the present invention as the raw material wheat flour, it becomes possible to produce fermented bakery foods that satisfy these required characteristics and also have excellent workability during production and resistance to aging.

[0042] When manufacturing bakery foods and other flour-containing foods using the heat-treated wheat flour of the present invention, it is possible to use only the heat-treated wheat flour as the flour. However, from the viewpoint of improving the taste and texture of bakery foods, it is preferable to use other flours in addition to the heat-treated wheat flour. In other words, it is preferable to use a bakery food mix containing the heat-treated wheat flour of the present invention and other flours in addition to the heat-treated wheat flour when manufacturing bakery foods. This bakery food mix is ​​included in the present invention. The bakery food mix of the present invention (hereinafter also referred to as "the mix of the present invention") will be described below.

[0043] The mix of the present invention contains at least cereal flours, and these cereal flours include the heat-treated wheat flour of the present invention as described above, and other cereal flours other than the heat-treated wheat flour. Other types of cereal flours can be used without particular limitations as long as they are suitable for use in the manufacture of bakery foods. Examples include unheated cereal flours and starches, and these can be used individually or in combination of two or more. Examples of the aforementioned non-heat-treated grain flours include wheat flour such as soft flour, all-purpose flour, bread flour, durum flour, whole wheat flour, and wheat bran; rice flour, corn flour, potato flour, tapioca flour, and sweet potato flour. Examples of the starch include unprocessed starches such as tapioca starch, wheat starch, potato starch, corn starch, waxy corn starch, sweet potato starch, sago starch, and rice starch; and modified starches obtained by subjecting the unprocessed starch to one or more treatments such as gelatinization, etherification, esterification, acetylation, crosslinking, oxidation, and oil processing.

[0044] From the viewpoint of ensuring that the predetermined effects of the present invention are achieved more reliably, the content of the heat-treated wheat flour of the present invention in the flours of the present invention in the mix of the present invention is preferably 1 to 30% by mass, more preferably 1 to 20% by mass, based on the total mass of the flours. If the content of the heat-treated wheat flour of the present invention is too low, there is little point in including it, and if the content of the heat-treated wheat flour is too high, the workability during the manufacture of bakery food products may decrease. From a similar viewpoint, the content of other flours in the mix of the present invention, other than the heat-treated wheat flour of the present invention, is preferably 70 to 99% by mass, more preferably 80 to 99% by mass, based on the total mass of the flours. Furthermore, when the mix of the present invention is for fermented bakery food, the content of other flours in the flours of the mix, other than the heat-treated flour of the present invention, is preferably 50 to 99% by mass, more preferably 70 to 99% by mass, based on the total mass of the flours.

[0045] The mix of the present invention mainly consists of cereal flours, with cereal flours accounting for 50% or more of the total mass of the mix. The cereal flour content in the mix of the present invention is preferably 70% or more of the total mass of the mix, and it may also be 100% by mass, i.e., the entire mix may consist of cereal flours.

[0046] The mix of the present invention may contain other powdered raw materials besides cereal flours. These other powdered raw materials are not particularly limited to those usable in the production of bakery foods. Examples include protein materials such as wheat protein, wheat gluten, soy protein, egg yolk powder, egg white powder, whole egg powder, and skim milk powder; fats and oils such as shortening; yeast, leavening agents, emulsifiers, thickeners; salt, sugars, sweeteners, spices, colorants, and flavorings. These can be used individually or in combination of two or more. When the mix of the present invention contains these other powdered raw materials, their content is preferably 30% by mass or less of the total mass of the mix.

[0047] The mix of the present invention can be produced by mixing the aforementioned multiple types of powdered raw materials, that is, by mixing at least the heat-treated wheat flour of the present invention with other grain flours other than the heat-treated wheat flour, and further mixing in other powdered raw materials other than grain flours as necessary. The form of the mix of the present invention at room temperature and atmospheric pressure is typically a powder, granules, or the like.

[0048] The production of bakery food products using the heat-treated wheat flour of the present invention, or a mix of the present invention containing the same, can be carried out in accordance with conventional methods. A method for manufacturing bakery food typically includes a step of preparing dough using powdered raw materials including cereal flours and liquid raw materials (dough preparation step), and a step of heating the dough (dough heating step). In the dough heating step, the dough is typically baked. The aforementioned powder raw material may be any powder raw material that includes the heat-treated wheat flour of the present invention as part of the cereal flours, and a preferred example of the powder raw material is the mix of the present invention described above. The aforementioned liquid raw material may be the same as the liquid raw material that can be used in the heating step in the method for producing heat-treated wheat flour of the present invention described above, and is typically water. In the dough preparation step, typically, a liquid raw material is added to a powder raw material containing the heat-treated wheat flour of the present invention (the mix of the present invention) to obtain a mixture, and the dough is prepared by stirring the mixture with a mixer. In the dough preparation step, the amount of liquid raw material added to the powder raw material can be adjusted as appropriate according to the type of bakery food to be manufactured, and is not particularly limited, but for example, in the case of fermented bakery food, the amount is preferably 50 to 120 parts by mass, more preferably 60 to 120 parts by mass, per 100 parts by mass of the powder raw material.

[0049] When producing fermented bakery food using the heat-treated wheat flour of the present invention or a mix of the present invention containing the same, the dough obtained in the dough preparation step is fermented to obtain fermented dough (fermentation step), and the fermented dough is heated by baking or other means (dough heating step). The fermentation of the dough can be carried out according to conventional methods. [Examples]

[0050] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0051] [Examples 1-19, Comparative Examples 1-6: Production of fermented bakery food products] Using heat-treated cereal flours produced according to the method described below (Method for producing heat-treated cereal flours), a loaf of bread, a type of fermented bakery food, was produced according to the method described below (Method for producing fermented bakery food).

[0052] (Method for manufacturing heat-treated cereal flours) Heat-treated flours (heat-treated wheat flour if wheat flour is used, and heat-treated starch if starch is used) were produced by feeding heat-treated raw materials, including flours (wheat flour or starch) and liquid raw materials, into a twin-screw extruder (manufactured by Nippon Steel Corporation, model: TEX-47FSS-25BW-V), kneading and heating to obtain a kneaded product, and then extruding the kneaded product from the outlet of the extruder (heating process). The flours used and the heat treatment conditions are shown in Tables 1 to 3 below. Water was used as the liquid raw material. After the heating process, the heat-treated flours obtained in the heating process were dried in a shelf dryer at an ambient temperature of 90°C for 8 hours, then ground using a roll mill and a pin mill, and the ground material was classified using a sieve with a mesh size of 200 μm to obtain the fractions that passed through.

[0053] • First type of wheat flour A: Protein content 12.7% by mass, wheat variety "Yumechikara" (single deletion type) • First type of wheat flour B: Protein content 11.7% by mass, wheat variety "DNS" (wild type and single deletion type) • Second type of wheat flour A: Protein content 7.0% by mass, wheat variety "Chikugoizumi" (double deletion type) • Second type of wheat flour B: Protein content 10.6% by mass, wheat variety "Kitahonami" (single deletion type) • Second type of wheat flour C: Protein content 11.0% by mass, glutinous wheat (triple deletion type) • Third type of wheat flour: Protein content 7.9% by mass, wheat variety "Satonosora" (wild type) • Starch: Commercially available potato starch (unprocessed starch)

[0054] (Method of manufacturing fermented bakery food products) A dough was prepared using the straight dough method (dough preparation step), the dough was fermented to obtain fermented dough (fermentation step), and the fermented dough was baked (baking step) to produce a loaf of bread, which is a type of fermented bakery food. Specifically, first, a bakery food mix containing dough flours was prepared. The dough flours consisted of heat-treated flours produced by the above method and strong flour (manufactured by Nisshin Flour Milling Co., Ltd., product name "Million"), and their composition is as shown in Tables 1 to 3 below. The mix was prepared by blending 1.2 parts by mass of instant dry yeast, 2 parts by mass of salt, 5 parts by mass of sugar, and 5 parts by mass of shortening with 100 parts by mass of dough flours. Next, water as a liquid ingredient was added to the mix in an amount of 76 to 86 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of dough flours in the mix, and the mixture was stirred using a mixer at low speed for 5 minutes and then at medium-high speed for 7 minutes (kneading temperature 27°C) to prepare the dough (dough preparation step). Next, the dough was left to stand for 90 minutes in an environment with an ambient temperature of 27°C and a relative humidity of 75% to perform primary fermentation. Then, the dough was divided into several portions, each weighing 450g, and these portions were left to stand for 20 minutes in an environment with an ambient temperature of room temperature. Next, the portions were molded into predetermined shapes using a molder to obtain molded dough, which was then placed into a loaf pan. The loaf pan was then left to stand for 50-60 minutes in an environment with an ambient temperature of 38°C and a relative humidity of 85% to perform final fermentation (proofing) of the portions (fermentation process). Finally, the portions that had undergone final fermentation were baked at 210°C for 28 minutes to obtain a loaf of bread (baking process).

[0055] [Evaluation Test] Ten expert panel members carried out the aforementioned (method for manufacturing fermented bakery food) and evaluated the workability (manufacturing workability) according to the evaluation criteria below. In addition, the ten expert panel members visually observed the internal structure of the bread produced using the aforementioned (method for manufacturing fermented bakery food) and stored for 48 hours at room temperature of 25°C after production. They also tasted the bread and evaluated its internal structure and texture according to the evaluation criteria below. For manufacturing workability and internal structure, the evaluation score chosen by the most panel members out of 1 to 5 points (hereinafter referred to as the "most frequent evaluation score") was used as the evaluation score for the bread. If there were multiple most frequent evaluation scores, the lowest score among those multiple most frequent evaluation scores was used as the evaluation score for the bread. For texture, the arithmetic mean of the evaluation scores from the ten members was used as the evaluation score for the bread. The results are shown in Tables 1 to 3 below.

[0056] <Evaluation Criteria for Manufacturing Efficiency> 5 points: The fabric is hardly sticky, making it very easy to handle, and is extremely good. 4 points: The fabric is slightly sticky, but it is easy to handle and is otherwise good. 3 points: The fabric is slightly sticky, but it can be handled without any problems and is within an acceptable range. 2 points: The fabric is somewhat sticky, which can make it difficult to handle, and is therefore defective. 1 point: The fabric is extremely sticky, making it very difficult to handle, and is extremely unsatisfactory.

[0057] <Evaluation Criteria for the Minister of the Interior> 5 points: The bubbles are very fine, and the quality is excellent. 4 points: The bubbles are fairly fine, which is good. 3 points: The air bubbles are slightly coarse, but within acceptable limits. 2 points: The air bubbles are somewhat coarse, which is a defect. 1 point: The bubbles are coarse and the product is extremely poor quality.

[0058] <Criteria for evaluating texture> 5 points: Compared to the control example, it has a much stronger moisturizing effect and is extremely good. 4 points: Compared to the control example, it has a stronger moisturizing effect, which is good. 3 points: Slightly more moisturizing than the control example, slightly better. Points 2: The same level of moisture as the control example. 1 point: Compared to the control example, it is less moist and therefore unsatisfactory. The aforementioned control example is a loaf of bread produced in the same manner as described above (method for producing fermented bakery food), except that only strong flour was used as the flour for the dough; in other words, it is a loaf of bread that does not use heat-treated flours. The texture (moisture) of sliced ​​bread is closely related to its resistance to staling; the higher the texture rating, the better the staling resistance of the sliced ​​bread.

[0059] [Table 1]

[0060] As shown in Table 1, in each example, the cereal flours constituting the heat-treated raw materials contained 50-98% by mass of the first wheat flour and 2-50% by mass of the second wheat flour. Therefore, compared to the comparative example that did not meet these requirements, the bread's manufacturing workability, internal structure, and texture were all highly rated.

[0061] [Table 2]

[0062] [Table 3]

Claims

1. The process includes putting raw materials, including wheat flour and liquid raw materials, into an extruder, kneading and heating to obtain a kneaded product, and then extruding the kneaded product from the outlet of the extruder. The wheat flour contains 50 to 98% by mass of the first wheat flour and 2 to 50% by mass of the second wheat flour. The first wheat flour has a protein content of 11.5% by mass or more. The second wheat flour is derived from wheat in which one or more of the amylose synthesis genes Wx-A1, Wx-B1, and Wx-D1 are deleted, and has a protein content of less than 11.5% by mass. The method for producing heat-treated wheat flour comprises a liquid raw material containing 30 parts by mass or more of the liquid raw material per 100 parts by mass of the wheat flour.

2. The method for producing heat-treated wheat flour according to claim 1, wherein the outlet temperature of the extruder is 60 to 100°C.

3. The method for producing heat-treated wheat flour according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the outlet pressure of the extruder is 200 kPa or more.

4. The method for producing heat-treated wheat flour according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the extruder is a twin-screw extruder.

5. The method for producing heat-treated wheat flour according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heat-treated wheat flour is for use in fermented bakery foods.

6. The process involves mixing heat-treated wheat flour with other grain flours other than heat-treated wheat flour. A method for producing a bakery food mix, wherein the heat-treated wheat flour contains heat-treated wheat flour produced by the manufacturing method described in claim 1 or 2.

7. The process includes the steps of preparing dough using powdered raw materials including cereal flours and liquid raw materials, fermenting the dough to obtain fermented dough, and heating the fermented dough. A method for producing fermented bakery food, wherein the aforementioned flours contain heat-treated wheat flour produced by the manufacturing method described in claim 1 or 2.

8. The method for producing fermented bakery food according to claim 7, wherein the content of the heat-treated wheat flour in the cereal flours is 1 to 30% by mass.

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