Semi-dried noodles

Abstract

We offer semi-fresh noodles that don't dissolve easily when boiled and have a firm texture. [Solution] Semi-fresh noodles having a moisture content of more than 15% by mass and 28% by mass or less, wherein the raw material flour for the semi-fresh noodles contains 20 to 100% by mass of high-amylose wheat flour in the total mass of grain flour and starch, and the high-amylose wheat flour is wheat flour in which the amylose content in the total starch, as analyzed by concanavalin A method, is 40% by mass or more.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to semi-dry noodles.

Background Art

[0002] Noodles can be classified into fresh noodles, dry noodles, and semi-dry noodles from the perspective of water content. Semi-dry noodles are not as dry as dry noodles, but have a lower water content and better preservation properties than fresh noodles. In addition, semi-dry noodles have the advantages of being superior in flavor, having a shorter cooking time, and being less likely to be damaged (broken, etc.) during production and distribution compared to dry noodles. On the other hand, compared to dry noodles, semi-dry noodles are more likely to become mushy when cooked and have inferior texture.

[0003] The starch contained in grains includes amylose and amylopectin. Amylose has poor digestibility by digestive enzymes, and therefore can function as an indigestible component that is not digested by human digestive enzymes, that is, dietary fiber, and is classified as resistant starch. In recent years, high-amylose wheat with an increased amylose content by having a mutation in an enzyme related to starch synthesis has been developed (Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2). Patent Documents 1 to 4 disclose high-amylose wheat having a point mutation in the gene of starch branching enzyme SBEIIa, with a reduced activity of SBEIIa and a high amylose content of the starch contained in the grain. Patent Documents 5 to 7 describe raw material flour for noodles containing high-amylose wheat flour and noodles using the same.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Patent Document 5

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] J Jpn Assoc Dietary Fiber Res, 2003, 7(1):20-25 [Non-Patent Document 2] Trends in Food Science and Technology, 2006, 17:448-456 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] This invention provides semi-dried noodles that do not dissolve easily when boiled and have a firm texture. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The inventors have discovered that semi-dried noodles made using high-amylose wheat flour overcome the drawback of conventional semi-dried noodles, which is that they dissolve easily when boiled, and have a firm, desirable texture that is closer to that of dried noodles compared to conventional semi-dried noodles.

[0008] The following is provided as a representative embodiment of the present invention. [1] Semi-fresh noodles having a moisture content of more than 15% by mass and 28% by mass or less, The raw material flour for the semi-fresh noodles contains 20-100% by mass of high-amylose wheat flour in the total mass of grain flour and starch. The high-amylose wheat flour is wheat flour in which the amylose content in the total starch, as analyzed by the concanavalin A method, is 40% by mass or more. Semi-fresh noodles. [2] The semi-fresh noodles according to [1], wherein the high-amylose wheat flour is wheat flour derived from modified wheat with low SBEIIa activity. [3] Semi-fresh noodles as described in [1] or [2], which are udon, soba, Chinese noodles, or pasta. [4] A method for manufacturing semi-fresh noodles, The process includes a drying step in which fresh noodles made from raw flour containing 20-100% by mass of high-amylose wheat flour in the total mass of grain flour and starch are dried until the moisture content is more than 15% by mass and 28% by mass or less. The high-amylose wheat flour is wheat flour in which the amylose content in the total starch, as analyzed by the concanavalin A method, is 40% by mass or more. method. [5] The method according to [4], wherein the drying step includes a drying step at 50°C or below. [6] The method according to [4] or [5], wherein the high-amylose wheat flour is wheat flour derived from modified wheat with low SBEIIa activity. [7] The method according to any one of items [4] to [6], wherein the semi-dried noodles are udon, soba, Chinese noodles, or pasta. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The semi-dried noodles provided in this invention are less prone to dissolving when boiled and have a desirable firm texture compared to conventional semi-dried noodles. Furthermore, the semi-dried noodles provided in this invention are less likely to stick together during the drying process, or if they do stick together, they separate easily (so-called "easy to separate"), resulting in excellent workability. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The semi-fresh noodles provided in this invention are manufactured from raw flour containing high-amylose wheat flour, and have a moisture content of more than 15% by mass and 28% by mass or less.

[0011] In this specification, high-amylose wheat flour means wheat flour with an amylose content of preferably 40% by mass or more, more preferably 43% by mass or more, and even more preferably 47% by mass or more. The amylose content of wheat flour means the amylose content in the total starch contained in the wheat flour. In this specification, the amylose content of wheat flour is defined as the value analyzed by the concanavalin A (ConA) method, and can be measured, for example, by analyzing the wheat flour with Megazyme's amylose / amylopectin analysis kit (AMYLOSE / AMYLOPECTIN ASSAY KIT). Conventional methods for analyzing amylose content include (1) methods that utilize the high binding ability of amylose to iodine (iodine affinity measurement methods; for example, electrotitration, colorimetric quantitative analysis, AACC61-03 method, etc.), and (2) methods that utilize the specific binding of amylopectin and ConA (ConA method). However, methods using (1) tend to calculate higher amylose content. For example, the amylose content of high-amylose wheat flour with a loss-of-function mutation (null mutation) in the SGP-1 gene, as described in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2, is approximately 37% by mass using the iodine affinity assay method, but only about 31% by mass using the ConA method. It should be noted that the amylose content of conventional wheat flour is less than 32% by mass using the iodine affinity assay method and less than 28% by mass using the ConA method.

[0012] Examples of high-amylose wheat flour include wheat flour derived from modified wheat with low activity of the starch branching enzyme SBEIIa. Examples of such modified wheat flour include wheat flour derived from high-amylose wheat that has a mutation in the SBEIIa gene and has reduced SBEIIa activity, as described in Patent Documents 1 to 4. More specific examples include wheat flour derived from high-amylose wheat in which the amount or activity of SBEIIa protein in the grain is lower than 2% of the amount or activity in wild-type wheat grain, and wheat flour derived from high-amylose wheat that has one or more, for example, one or two null mutations in the SBEIIa gene.

[0013] High amylose wheat flour can be produced by milling the grains of high amylose wheat according to a conventional method. The high amylose wheat flour used in the present invention may be wheat flour substantially containing only the endosperm fraction of the grains of high amylose wheat, or may be wheat flour (for example, whole grain flour) containing, in addition to the endosperm fraction of the grains of high amylose wheat, further germ and bran fractions.

[0014] The raw material flour of the semi-dried noodles of the present invention contains the high amylose wheat flour in an amount preferably of 20 to 100% by mass, more preferably 60 to 100% by mass, in the total mass of the flour and starch contained in the raw material flour.

[0015] The raw material flour can contain other flour and / or starch other than the high amylose wheat flour. Examples of the other flour include flour other than the high amylose wheat flour, rice flour, barley flour, glutinous barley flour, buckwheat flour, soybean flour, corn flour, oatmeal, rye flour, bran flour, etc. Examples of the flour include non-high amylose wheat flour (typically wheat flour having an amylose content of less than 28% by mass), for example, strong flour, semi-strong flour, medium flour, weak flour, durum flour, whole grain flour, heat-treated flour (gelatinized wheat flour, partially gelatinized wheat flour, roasted wheat flour, etc.). The flours listed above can be used alone or in combination of two or more depending on the type of noodles to be produced. For example, when producing buckwheat noodles, a raw material flour containing buckwheat flour and, if necessary, non-high amylose wheat flour in addition to the high amylose wheat flour can be used. The content of the flour including the high amylose wheat flour in the raw material flour is preferably 80% by mass or more, more preferably 90% by mass or more, and may be 100% by mass, in the total mass of the flour and starch contained in the raw material flour.

[0016] Examples of the starch mentioned above are not particularly limited and include unprocessed starches such as tapioca starch, potato starch, wheat starch, corn starch, waxy corn starch, and rice starch, as well as processed starches obtained by processing them (e.g., crosslinking, phosphorylation, acetylation, etherification, oxidation, alpha-gelatinization, etc.). Preferably, the processed starch is one or more selected from the group consisting of etherified starch and acetylated starch. The etherified starch and acetylated starch may be crosslinked. Any one or any combination of two or more of the unprocessed starches and processed starches listed above can be used.

[0017] The total content of the grain flour and starch containing the high-amylose wheat flour of the present invention in the raw material flour is preferably 80% by mass or more, more preferably 90% by mass or more, and may be 100% by mass, based on the total mass of the raw material flour.

[0018] The raw material flour may further contain, in addition to the high-amylose wheat flour, other grain flours, and starch of the present invention described above, other components conventionally used in the manufacture of noodles. Examples of such other components include, but are not limited to, protein materials such as wheat protein (gluten), soy protein, milk protein, egg yolk powder, egg white powder, whole egg powder, and skim milk powder; oils and fats; lye water; salt; sugars; sweeteners; calcined calcium; dietary fiber; spices; seasonings; vitamins, minerals, and nutritional fortifiers; pigments; flavorings; dextrin (including indigestible dextrin); leavening agents; emulsifiers; thickeners; water-retaining agents; preservatives; enzymes; pH adjusters; and oxidation-reduction agents. Depending on the type of noodles to be manufactured, any one of these other components or any combination of two or more may be used. The content of each of these other components in the raw material flour can be appropriately determined according to the properties of the desired noodles. The total content of the other components in the raw material powder is preferably 20% by mass or less, more preferably 10% by mass or less, of the total mass of the raw material powder, or the raw material powder may not contain the other components at all.

[0019] The production of semi-dried noodles from the aforementioned raw material flour can be carried out according to a general procedure for producing semi-dried noodles. Specifically, general methods for producing semi-dried noodles include a method in which fresh noodles are produced using a normal procedure and then dried to obtain semi-dried noodles, and a method in which the amount of water added is reduced during the dough preparation stage to prepare dough with a low moisture content, and then noodles are produced from this dough to obtain semi-dried noodles without going through a drying process. The semi-dried noodles of the present invention can be produced by either of the above methods.

[0020] In one embodiment, the semi-dried noodles of the present invention are produced by manufacturing fresh noodles from the raw material flour, and then drying the fresh noodles to obtain semi-dried noodles. Specifically, first, the raw material flour and kneading water are mixed and kneaded to prepare dough. The kneading water can be water, brine, lye water, etc. Next, the prepared dough is shaped by a conventional method to produce fresh noodles. For example, the dough can be extruded or rolled and cut to produce fresh noodles. Preferably, the dough is rolled and cut using a noodle-making roll or the like to form noodle strands. The manufactured fresh noodles only need to have a normal moisture content for fresh noodles, specifically, a moisture content of more than 28% by mass, preferably 30% to 60% by mass, and more preferably 30% to 45% by mass. Next, the obtained fresh noodles are subjected to a drying process to produce semi-dried noodles.

[0021] In this specification, the “drying process” for noodles means a process that intentionally reduces the moisture content of the noodles, such as an active drying process that involves exposing the noodles to a humidity-controlled environment. The “drying process” for noodles in this specification does not include any unintentional (i.e., passive or spontaneous) reduction of moisture from the dough or the manufactured raw noodles. Furthermore, with respect to the drying process, “drying the noodles until they have a (predetermined) moisture content” means that the moisture content of the semi-dried noodles finally obtained by the drying process is that predetermined value.

[0022] In the drying step described above, the fresh noodles are dried until their moisture content is greater than 15% by mass and 28% by mass or less, preferably 17% to 28% by mass, and more preferably 18% to 26% by mass. In this specification, the moisture content of the noodles refers to the value measured according to the atmospheric pressure heating drying method (direct method). The procedure for the atmospheric pressure heating drying method is described in the Analysis Manual for the Japanese Food Standard Composition Table 2020 Edition (8th Revision) (February 2022).

[0023] The drying process can be carried out according to conventional methods for drying noodles in the production of semi-dried noodles. For example, in this drying process, the noodles can be hung on a pole and dried at a predetermined temperature in a humid environment, according to a normal humidity control drying method. The temperature conditions for this drying process include low-temperature drying of 20°C or below, room-temperature drying of 20 to 35°C, medium-temperature drying of 35 to 50°C, and high-temperature drying of over 50°C, or these can be applied in appropriate combinations. From the viewpoint of making the moisture content of the noodles after drying more uniform, the drying process is preferably carried out at a temperature of 50°C or below, more preferably 0 to 50°C, and even more preferably 0 to 45°C. In this specification, the temperature of the drying process refers to the ambient temperature. The humidity in this drying process can be set as appropriate, but is preferably 70 to 90% RH. The time required for this drying process can be adjusted as appropriate according to the temperature conditions, the shape of the noodles, etc., so that the resulting semi-dried noodles have the aforementioned moisture content.

[0024] In another embodiment, the semi-dried noodles of the present invention are manufactured without a drying process by preparing a dough with a low moisture content and then forming the dough into noodles. The procedure for preparing and shaping the dough may be the same as the procedure for manufacturing fresh noodles described above, but the amount of kneading water added to the raw flour is reduced so that the final noodles have a moisture content of more than 15% by mass and 28% by mass or less, preferably 17% to 28% by mass, and more preferably 18% to 26% by mass.

[0025] The types of semi-fresh noodles manufactured are not particularly limited, but examples include udon, soba, Chinese noodles, and pasta. Examples of pasta include short pasta, long pasta, and flat pasta.

[0026] To prevent spoilage or improve shelf life, it is preferable to vacuum-pack the manufactured semi-fresh noodles with an oxygen absorber using gas barrier packaging materials. This vacuum packaging has the effect of preventing noodle spoilage by removing oxygen, preventing damage to the noodles due to impacts during transport, and preventing the noodles from hardening due to moisture loss into the air inside the packaging.

[0027] The semi-fresh noodles of the present invention can be cooked and eaten using the usual procedures. The semi-fresh noodles of the present invention are resistant to dissolving when boiled and have a desirable firm texture. [Examples]

[0028] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0029] material • High-amylose wheat flour (HAW): Wheat flour obtained from wheat grains containing the SBEIIa mutant gene and exhibiting low SBEIIa expression levels. Amylose content: 47.4% by mass (of total starch) Australian Standard White wheat flour (ASW): Amylose content 21.3% by mass (of total starch) • Kitahonami wheat flour (Kitahonami): Amylose content 20.6% by mass (of total starch) • Strong wheat flour: Amylose content 25.1% by mass (of total starch) • Semi-strong wheat flour: Amylose content 23.5% (of total starch) buckwheat flour The amylose content was measured using an amylose / amylopectin analysis kit (Megazyme).

[0030] Test Example 1: Semi-dried udon noodles 100 parts by mass of the raw material flour listed in Table 1 was mixed with 35-45 parts by mass of water and 3 parts by mass of salt, and the mixture was mixed to prepare the dough. The dough was rolled and compounded using a noodle-making roll to produce a noodle sheet, which was then cut with a cutting blade (#12 square) to produce fresh udon noodles (noodle thickness 2.4 mm). The obtained noodle sheets were hung on a rod and dried in an environment with a temperature of 17-23°C and a humidity of 75-85% RH until the moisture content was 22 ± 5% by mass to produce semi-fresh noodles.

[0031] The ease with which the noodles could be handled during the drying process described above was evaluated by 10 trained panelists according to the following evaluation criteria. The score with the most votes was adopted. The results are shown in Table 1. <Evaluation Criteria> (judgment) A: The filleting was very good. B: Good preparation C: Dishes handled fairly well (similar to the control example) D: Poor handling

[0032] The semi-dried noodles were boiled in boiling water to achieve a yield of 278%. The appearance (dissolution during boiling) and texture (surface firmness) of the boiled noodles were evaluated by 10 trained panelists according to the evaluation criteria below, and the average score of the 10 evaluations was calculated. The results are shown in Table 1. <Evaluation Criteria> (Dissolving when boiled / firmness of the surface) 5 points: Significantly superior to the control example (less disintegration during boiling / firmer surface) 4 points: Superior compared to the control example. 3 points: Slightly better than the control example. 2 points: Equivalent to the control example. 1 point: Inferior to the control example (melted / weak surface)

[0033] [Table 1]

[0034] Test Example 2: Semi-dried soba noodles 100 parts by mass of the raw material flour listed in Table 2 was mixed with 33 to 38 parts by mass of water and 1 part by mass of salt, and the mixture was mixed to prepare the dough. The dough was rolled and compounded using a noodle-making roll to produce a noodle sheet, which was then cut with a cutting blade (#22 square) to produce fresh soba noodles (noodle thickness 1.3 mm). The obtained noodle sheets were hung on a rod and dried in an environment with a temperature of 17 to 23°C and a humidity of 75 to 85% RH until the moisture content was 22 ± 5% by mass to produce semi-fresh noodles.

[0035] The ease with which the noodles could be handled during the drying process described above was evaluated using the same procedure as in Test Example 1. Furthermore, the semi-dried noodles produced were boiled in boiling water to achieve a yield of 200%, and the dissolution rate and surface firmness of the resulting boiled noodles were evaluated using the same procedure as in Test Example 1. The results are shown in Table 2.

[0036] [Table 2]

[0037] Test Example 3: Semi-dried Chinese noodles 100 parts by mass of the raw material flour listed in Table 3 was mixed with 32 to 38 parts by mass of water, 0.5 parts by mass of lye water, and 0.5 parts by mass of salt, and the mixture was mixed to prepare the dough. The dough was rolled and compounded using a noodle-making roll to produce a noodle sheet, which was then cut with a cutting blade (#18 square) to produce fresh noodles (noodle thickness 1.3 mm). The obtained noodles were hung on a rod and dried in an environment with a temperature of 17 to 23°C and a humidity of 75 to 85% RH until the moisture content was 22 ± 5% by mass to produce semi-fresh noodles.

[0038] The ease with which the noodles could be handled during the drying process described above was evaluated using the same procedure as in Test Example 1. Furthermore, the semi-dried noodles produced were boiled in boiling water to achieve a yield of 185%, and the dissolution rate and surface firmness of the resulting boiled noodles were evaluated using the same procedure as in Test Example 1. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0039] [Table 3]

[0040] Test Example 4: Semi-dried pasta 100 parts by mass of the raw material flour listed in Table 4 was mixed with 30 to 38 parts by mass of water and 0.5 parts by mass of salt, and the mixture was mixed to prepare the dough. The dough was rolled and compounded using a noodle-making roll to produce a noodle sheet, which was then cut with a cutting blade (#6 square) to produce fresh pasta strands (noodle thickness 1.6 mm). The obtained strands were hung on a rod and dried in an environment with a temperature of 17 to 23°C and a humidity of 75 to 85% RH until the moisture content was 22 ± 5% by mass to produce semi-fresh noodles.

[0041] The ease with which the noodles could be handled during the drying process described above was evaluated using the same procedure as in Test Example 1. Furthermore, the semi-dried noodles produced were boiled in boiling water to achieve a yield of 270%, and the dissolution rate and surface firmness of the resulting boiled noodles were evaluated using the same procedure as in Test Example 1. The results are shown in Table 4.

[0042] [Table 4]

Claims

1. Semi-dried noodles having a moisture content of more than 15% by mass and 28% by mass or less, The raw material flour for the semi-fresh noodles contains 20 to 100% by mass of high-amylose wheat flour in the total mass of grain flour and starch. The high-amylose wheat flour is wheat flour in which the amylose content in the total starch, as analyzed by the concanavalin A method, is 40% by mass or more. Semi-fresh noodles.

2. The semi-fresh noodles according to claim 1, wherein the high-amylose wheat flour is wheat flour derived from modified wheat with low SBEIIa activity.

3. The semi-fresh noodles according to claim 1, which are udon, soba, Chinese noodles, or pasta.

4. A method for manufacturing semi-dried noodles, The process includes a drying step in which fresh noodles made from raw flour containing 20 to 100% by mass of high-amylose wheat flour in the total mass of grain flour and starch are dried until the moisture content is more than 15% by mass and 28% by mass or less. The high-amylose wheat flour is wheat flour in which the amylose content in the total starch, as analyzed by the concanavalin A method, is 40% by mass or more. method.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the drying step includes a drying step at 50°C or below.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the high-amylose wheat flour is wheat flour derived from modified wheat with low SBEIIa activity.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the semi-dried noodles are udon, soba, Chinese noodles, or pasta.

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