Manufacturing method for pre-cooked packaged noodles

Abstract

Improving the stickiness of noodles in pre-cooked packaged noodles. [Solution] A method for producing pre-cooked packaged noodles. The method includes gelatinizing raw noodles, packaging the gelatinized noodles, and heat-sterilizing the packaged noodles. The raw flour for the raw noodles contains 5 to 50% by mass of high-amylose wheat flour in the total mass of cereal flours and starches, and 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.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing cooked packaged noodles.

Background Art

[0002] Cooked packaged noodles with enhanced long-term storage stability, obtained by sealing and heat-sterilizing cooked noodles or steamed noodles, are being sold (Patent Documents 1 to 3). However, such cooked packaged noodles have problems such as the noodles easily sticking to each other and forming lumps inside the packaging bag, and the noodles being difficult to loosen or being easily torn during cooking.

[0003] The starch contained in grains includes amylose and amylopectin. Amylose has poor digestibility by digestive enzymes and thus can function as a poorly digestible component that is not digested by human digestive enzymes, i.e., dietary fiber, and is classified as resistant starch. In recent years, high-amylose wheat with an increased amylose content by having mutations in enzymes related to starch synthesis has been developed (Non-Patent Documents 1, 2). Patent Documents 4 to 7 disclose high-amylose wheat having a point mutation in the gene of starch branching enzyme SBEIIa, with reduced activity of SBEIIa and a high amylose content of the starch contained in the grain. Patent Documents 8 to 12 describe noodles produced from raw flour containing high-amylose wheat flour.

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 relates to improving the stickiness of noodles in pre-cooked packaged noodles obtained by packaging and heat-sterilizing gelatinized noodles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The inventors have discovered that the stickiness of pre-cooked packaged noodles can be improved by incorporating high-amylose wheat flour into the raw material flour.

[0008] The present invention provides the following as representative embodiments. [1] A method for producing pre-cooked packaged noodles, wherein the method is: gelatinizing fresh noodles, packaging the gelatinized noodles, heat - sterilizing the packaged noodles, comprising, the raw material powder of the fresh noodles contains 5 - 50% by mass of high - amylose wheat flour in the total mass of cereal flours and starches, the high - amylose wheat flour is a wheat flour having an amylose content of 40% by mass or more in the total starch analyzed by the concanavalin A method, Method. 〔2〕The method according to 〔1〕, wherein the gelatinization is carried out by boiling or steaming. 〔3〕The method according to 〔1〕 or 〔2〕, wherein the heat - sterilization is a heat treatment at 67°C or higher for 3 minutes or more. 〔4〕The method according to any one of 〔1〕 to 〔3〕, wherein the heat - sterilization is steam heat - sterilization. 〔5〕The method according to any one of 〔1〕 to 〔4〕, wherein the raw material powder contains wheat flour other than the high - amylose wheat flour. 〔6〕The method according to any one of 〔1〕 to 〔5〕, wherein the raw material powder contains starches. 〔7〕The method according to any one of 〔1〕 to 〔6〕, wherein the high - amylose wheat flour is a wheat flour derived from a modified wheat with low SBEIIa activity.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] The cooked and packaged noodles of the present invention are less likely to stick to each other compared to conventional products, and the problems of the noodles being difficult to loosen or being easily torn during cooking are improved. Also, the cooked and packaged noodles of the present invention are excellent in sauce adhesion.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] The present invention provides cooked and packaged noodles obtained by packaging gelatinized noodles and subjecting them to heat - sterilization treatment. The types of noodles provided by the present invention are not particularly limited, and examples include Chinese noodles, udon, cold buckwheat noodles, soba noodles, buckwheat noodles such as soba, and pasta. Among these, Chinese noodles and udon are preferred.

[0011] The cooked packaged noodles provided by the present invention (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "the noodles of the present invention") are produced from a raw material powder containing high amylose wheat flour.

[0012] In this specification, high amylose wheat flour refers to wheat flour having an amylose content of preferably 40% by mass or more, more preferably 43% by mass or more, and still more preferably 47% by mass or more. Also, in this specification, the amylose content of wheat flour refers to the amylose content in the total starch contained in the wheat flour. The amylose content of wheat flour in this specification is defined as the value analyzed by the concanavalin A (ConA) method, and can be measured, for example, by analyzing the wheat flour with an amylose / amylopectin analysis kit (AMYLOSE / AMYLOPECTIN ASSAY KIT) of Megazyme. As conventional general methods for analyzing the amylose content, there are (1) a method utilizing the high binding ability of amylose to iodine (iodine affinity measurement method; for example, amperometric titration method, colorimetric quantification method, AACC61-03 method, etc.), and (2) a method utilizing the specific binding of amylopectin and ConA (ConA method). However, in the method using (1), the amylose amount tends to be calculated higher. For example, the amylose content of high amylose wheat flour having a functional deletion mutation (null mutation) of the SGP-1 gene described in Non-Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 2 is about 37% by mass by the iodine affinity measurement method, but about 31% by mass by the ConA method. The conventionally general amylose content of wheat flour is less than 32% by mass by the iodine affinity measurement method and less than 28% by mass by the ConA method.

[0013] Examples of high-amylose wheat flour that can be used in the present invention include wheat flour derived from modified wheat with low activity of the starch branching enzyme SBEIIa. Examples of such wheat flour derived from modified wheat 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 4 to 7. 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.

[0014] The high-amylose wheat flour used in the present invention can be produced by milling the aforementioned high-amylose wheat grains using a conventional procedure. For example, the high-amylose wheat flour used in the present invention may be flour that substantially contains only the endosperm fraction of the high-amylose wheat grain, or it may be flour (e.g., whole wheat flour) that further contains germ and bran fractions in addition to the endosperm fraction of the high-amylose wheat grain.

[0015] The content of the high-amylose wheat flour in the raw material flour for noodles of the present invention is preferably 5 to 50% by mass, more preferably 7 to 50% by mass, and even more preferably 10 to 45% by mass, of the total mass of cereal flours and starches contained in the raw material flour.

[0016] The raw material flour may further contain other grain flours besides the high-amylose wheat flour. Examples of these other grain flours include wheat flour other than the high-amylose wheat flour, rice flour, barley flour, glutinous barley flour, buckwheat flour, soybean flour, corn flour, oat flour, rye flour, and bran flour. The grain flours listed above can be used individually or in combination of two or more, depending on the type of noodles being manufactured. The total content of grain flours (including the high-amylose wheat flour and other grain flours) in the raw material flour is preferably 70% by mass or more, for example, 80% by mass or more, or 90% by mass or more, and may be 100% by mass, based on the total mass of grain flours and starches contained in the raw material flour.

[0017] Preferably, the raw material flour contains wheat flour other than the high-amylose wheat flour. Examples of wheat flour other than high-amylose wheat flour include non-high-amylose wheat flour (typically wheat flour with an amylose content of less than 28% by mass), such as strong flour, semi-strong flour, medium flour, weak flour, durum flour, and whole wheat flour. Depending on the type of noodles to be manufactured, any one of these wheat flours or any combination of two or more may be used. The total content of wheat flour (including the high-amylose wheat flour and other wheat flours) in the raw material flour is preferably 70% by mass or more, for example 80% by mass or more, or 90% by mass or more, of the total mass of flours and starches contained in the raw material flour, and may also be 100% by mass.

[0018] The raw material flour may contain starches as needed. Examples of such starches are not limited to unprocessed starches such as potato starch, tapioca starch, wheat starch, corn starch, waxy corn starch, and rice starch, and processed starches obtained by processing them (e.g., crosslinking, phosphorylation, acetylation, etherification, oxidation, α-gelatinization, etc.). In the present invention, these unprocessed starches and processed starches can be used individually or in combination of two or more. If the raw material flour contains such starches, the starch content is preferably 5% by mass or more, preferably 30% by mass or less, and more preferably 20% by mass or less, of the total mass of cereal flours and starches contained in the raw material flour.

[0019] The raw material flour may further contain other ingredients conventionally used in the manufacture of noodles, in addition to the aforementioned grain flours and starches. Examples of such other ingredients include protein materials such as wheat protein (gluten), soy protein, milk protein, egg yolk powder, egg white powder, whole egg powder, and skim milk powder, as well as oils and fats, lye water, calcined calcium, dietary fiber, salt, sugars, sweeteners, spices, seasonings, vitamins, minerals, nutritional fortifiers, pigments, flavorings, dextrin (including indigestible dextrin), leavening agents, thickeners, emulsifiers, water-retaining agents, preservatives, enzymes, pH adjusters, and oxidation-reduction agents. The proportion of these other ingredients in the raw material flour can be appropriately changed according to the desired properties of the noodles being manufactured. The total content of these other ingredients in the raw material flour is preferably 20% by mass or less, more preferably 10% by mass or less, of the total mass of the raw material flour. On the other hand, the total content of grain flours (including the high-amylose wheat flour and other grain flours) and starches 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, of the total mass of the raw material flour.

[0020] The noodles of the present invention can be manufactured using the raw material flour containing the high-amylose wheat flour, following a conventional procedure. Specifically, fresh noodles can be manufactured by kneading the raw material flour with kneading water to prepare noodle dough, and then shaping it. The kneading water can be water, brine, lye water, etc. The means for shaping the prepared noodle dough include, but are not particularly limited to, roll noodle making, extrusion noodle making, and combinations thereof, which involve processes such as rolling, compounding, and cutting.

[0021] The manufactured fresh noodles are gelatinized. Before or after gelatinization, the noodles may be divided into individual servings as appropriate. Gelatinization can be carried out by conventional methods for cooking noodles, such as boiling or steaming, and the noodles should be gelatinized to a degree suitable for consumption, just as with normal cooking. Preferably, the fresh noodles are subjected to the gelatinization process in their fresh state without being dried after manufacture. Here, drying refers to a process that actively reduces the moisture content of the noodles under a temperature or humidity controlled environment, and is different from the decrease in moisture content due to standing or storage. The gelatinized noodles may be treated with an acidic solution as needed. For example, the gelatinized noodles can be immersed in an acidic solution containing lactic acid, citric acid, acetic acid, etc., or the pH of the noodles can be adjusted to 6 or less by spraying or coating the gelatinized noodles with the acidic solution. This treatment can improve the bacteriostatic properties of the noodles. Additionally, loosening agents, oils, etc. may be attached to the gelatinized noodles as needed.

[0022] The pre-cooked packaged noodles of the present invention are manufactured by packaging and heat-sterilizing the gelatinized noodles. The packaging material for the noodles should be able to withstand the heat sterilization process described later and be able to seal the noodles. For example, plastic films or bags are preferred.

[0023] The heat sterilization is preferably carried out by heat-treating the sealed packaged noodles. The method for heat sterilization can follow any standard method, for example, by steam heat sterilization of the sealed packaged noodles. The conditions for the heat treatment for heat sterilization can be appropriately adjusted within a range of conditions under which the noodles can be sterilized, for example, an ambient temperature or product temperature of 67°C or higher and for 3 minutes or more is preferred. The heat sterilization may be carried out under normal pressure, or under a pressurized environment, for example, using retort equipment. More detailed examples of the heat sterilization method include, under normal pressure, a method of heat treatment at an ambient temperature of 67 to 100°C in an environment with introduced steam for 5 minutes or more, preferably 5 to 60 minutes, more preferably 10 to 60 minutes, and under a pressurized environment, a method of heat treatment at an ambient temperature of 100 to 130°C in an environment with introduced steam for 3 minutes or more, preferably 3 to 60 minutes, more preferably 10 to 40 minutes.

[0024] The pre-cooked packaged noodles, after heat sterilization, can be stored at room temperature or refrigerated. For storage, the pre-cooked packaged noodles may be further packaged in a container or bag. The pre-cooked packaged noodles may also be stored with soup, condiments, etc., as needed. After storage, the pre-cooked packaged noodles can be opened and eaten after loosening the noodles with water, hot water, or soup as appropriate. The noodles may be reheated as needed. [Examples]

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

[0026] Manufacturing of pre-cooked packaged noodles (1) 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) • Semi-strong flour: Wheat flour derived from ordinary wheat. Amylose content: 22.9% by mass (of total starch) • Medium-strength flour: Wheat flour derived from ordinary wheat. Amylose content: 21.3% by mass (of total starch) • Starch: Etherified cross-linked tapioca starch (Asagao: Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) The amylose content was measured using an amylose / amylopectin analysis kit (Megazyme).

[0027] (2) Production of boiled udon noodles To 100 parts by mass of the raw flour listed in Table 1, a mixture containing 3 parts by mass of salt and 38 to 43 parts by mass of water was added and 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 (#10 square) to produce noodle strands (noodle thickness 2.5 mm). The obtained noodle strands were boiled in hot water to achieve a yield of approximately 260% relative to 100 parts by mass of grain flour, then rinsed and cooled to produce boiled udon noodles. The obtained boiled udon noodles were immersed in a 1-2% lactic acid aqueous solution to adjust the pH of the boiled noodles to 4.3 or less.

[0028] (3) Manufacturing of boiled Chinese noodles To 100 parts by mass of the raw material flour listed in Table 1, a mixture containing 0.8 parts by mass of lye water and 34-39 parts by mass of water was added and 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 (#20 square) to produce noodle strands (noodle thickness 1.5 mm). The obtained noodle strands were boiled in hot water to achieve a yield of approximately 240% relative to 100 parts by mass of grain flour, rinsed with water, and cooled to produce boiled Chinese noodles.

[0029] (3) Heat sterilization The prepared boiled udon and boiled Chinese noodles were packaged in heat-sterilization-resistant nylon poly bags, and then heat-sterilized in a steamer at 80°C under normal pressure for 40 minutes to produce pre-cooked packaged noodles. After preparation, the noodles were stored at room temperature for one week for the udon and at 4°C for 48 hours for the Chinese noodles.

[0030] The stored noodles were removed from their packaging and reheated in boiling water while being loosened. The stickiness (resistance to sticking) of the noodles after removal from the packaging and the resistance to tearing during reheating were evaluated. The reheated noodles were also eaten with the broth, and the amount of broth that adhered to the noodles was evaluated. The evaluation was conducted by 10 trained panelists according to the evaluation criteria below. For the evaluation of stickiness and resistance to tearing, the evaluation with the most votes (in the case of a tie, the worse evaluation was adopted) was used. For the evaluation of broth adherence, the average score of the 10 evaluations was calculated. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0031] <Evaluation Criteria> (Adhesive) The control sample was given a score of 5 points, and the score was increased (6-9 points) for samples that were less likely to adhere compared to the control sample, and decreased (4-1 points) for samples that adhered more easily compared to the control sample, resulting in a 9-point evaluation scale. (Resistant to tearing) The control example was given a score of 5 points, and the score was increased (6-9 points) for materials that were less likely to tear compared to the control example, and decreased (4-1 points) for materials that were more likely to tear compared to the control example, resulting in a 9-point evaluation scale. (Tsuyu Nori) 5 points: Better sauce retention than the control example. 4 points: The sauce adheres slightly better than the control example. 3 points: The sauce adheres slightly better than the control example. 2 points: Equivalent to the control example 1 point: The sauce adheres worse than the control example.

[0032] [Table 1]

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing pre-cooked packaged noodles, wherein the method is: To gelatinize fresh noodles, To package the gelatinized noodles, The packaged noodles are heat-sterilized. Includes, The raw flour for the fresh noodles contains 5 to 50% by mass of high-amylose wheat flour in the total mass of grain flours and starches. 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.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the gelatinization is carried out by boiling or steaming.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the heat sterilization is a heat treatment at 67°C or higher for 3 minutes or more.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the heat sterilization is steam heat sterilization.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the raw material flour contains wheat flour other than the high-amylose wheat flour.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the raw material powder contains starches.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the high-amylose wheat flour is wheat flour derived from modified wheat with low SBEIIa activity.

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