Unheated potato snacks

Abstract

To provide a non-heated potato snack which has a crumbly feel and can be continuously produced, and more particularly, a non-heated potato snack which has such a texture as being softly loosed and crumbled with continuous productivity.SOLUTION: A non-heated potato snack includes 25 to 50 wt.% of a dried potato and 7.0 to 18.5 wt.% of an aqueous raw material in a total weight of the non-heated potato snack.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a non-heated potato snack which has a fluffy texture and can be continuously produced, and more specifically to a non-heated potato snack which has a soft, crumbly texture and can be continuously produced. [Background technology]

[0002] Dehydrated potatoes, such as potato flakes and potato granules, are effective ingredients for imparting a potato flavor, and are used in the manufacture of molded potato snacks because, compared to snacks made from sliced ​​raw potatoes, they have the following advantages: they can eliminate the variability that comes with raw potatoes, they can be easily sourced throughout the year, and they allow for continuous production of snacks of the same shape.

[0003] Examples of molded potato snack foods include molded potato snacks containing dehydrated potatoes and cellulose-based powder (see, for example, Patent Document 1) and molded potato foods produced using instant molded potato ingredients containing dehydrated shredded potatoes and / or dehydrated sliced ​​potatoes and potato flakes and / or potato granules (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

[0004] However, after the dough is formed, the molded potato snacks are fried to give them a crispy texture, while the latter are cooked at a temperature of 120 to 240°C to give them a crunchy, flaky texture, so they do not have a fluffy texture.

[0005] Meanwhile, a solid vegetable food containing 5 to 80% by weight of vegetable ingredients such as mashed potato flakes is known (see, for example, Patent Document 3). The solid vegetable food is produced by mixing vegetable ingredients with edible oil and fat ingredients that are solid at room temperature and solidifying them. Therefore, since the composition does not contain water or other aqueous ingredients, the ingredients do not easily stick together, which can hinder continuous production and pose a problem in continuous productivity.

[0006] On the other hand, imitation potatoes are known that are made by adding a gelling agent to a mixture of potato flakes and dietary fiber to form a gel (see, for example, Patent Document 4). However, because the imitation potatoes are a jelly that needs to be filled into a container such as a casing or a cup, they do not have the fluffy texture that crumbles and falls apart. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-72236 A [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-196 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-214824 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-227239 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an unheated potato confectionery which has a fluffy texture and can be produced continuously, more specifically, an unheated potato confectionery which has a soft, crumbly texture and can be produced continuously. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention achieves the above object by providing an unheated potato snack, which is characterized in that the unheated potato snack contains 25 to 50% by weight of dried potatoes and 7.0 to 18.5% by weight of an aqueous ingredient based on the total weight of the unheated potato snack.

[0010] Preferably, the aqueous raw material is starch syrup, glycerin and water, and more preferably further contains pullulan.

[0011] That is, the present inventors investigated potato snacks having a fluffy texture like steamed potatoes in order to provide a new potato snack with a potato flavor that is different from crispy snack potato snacks. As a result, they found that by using unheated dried potatoes such as potato flakes or potato granules, it is possible to impart not only potato flavor but also the fluffy texture of potatoes.

[0012] However, since this fluffy texture also imparts a crumbling texture to the potato snack, it has been found that during the production of the snack, the potato snack dough is difficult to hold together and tends to tear on the production line, which can reduce continuous productivity or even make continuous production impossible.

[0013] Therefore, as a result of extensive research into non-heated potato snacks that are suitable for production, it was discovered that by using a specific amount of dehydrated potato and a specific amount of aqueous raw material, it is possible to continuously produce non-heated potato snacks that have a soft, crumbly texture without losing the potato flavor, and thus the present invention was arrived at. Effect of the Invention

[0014] The non-heated potato snack of the present invention has a fluffy texture and can be produced continuously.

[0015] In this specification, the term "fluffy texture" refers to a texture that is soft and crumbles easily. In other words, it refers to a texture that is low in moisture and brittle and easily crumbles, like steamed potatoes. Specifically, because the texture has an airy texture, it has disintegrating properties such that the texture breaks apart finely and crumbles when lightly chewed. The non-heated potato snack of the present invention has a fluffy texture, i.e., disintegrating properties, that can be felt even at room temperature (5 to 35°C). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] The present invention will now be described in detail. It is important for the non-heated potato snack of the present invention to contain dehydrated potatoes and a water-based ingredient in terms of disintegratability and continuous productivity.

[0017] The term "non-heated" in non-heated potato snacks means that there is no heating process of 100°C or above, such as boiling or evaporating water, during the manufacturing process, and even if heating is required, it is done at a temperature below 100°C.

[0018] <Dried potatoes> Dehydrated potatoes are important in terms of disintegration and continuous productivity. Examples of dehydrated potatoes include potato flakes, potato granules, and dehydrated mashed potatoes listed in the Food Composition Database of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and may be used alone or in combination. Among these, potato flakes are preferably used in terms of potato flavor.

[0019] It is important from the viewpoint of texture and continuous productivity that the content of dried potatoes is 25 to 50% by weight of the total weight of the non-heated potato snack. If it is 25% by weight or more, it will have an airy texture and will crumble. On the other hand, if the content is 50% by weight or less, the raw materials are easily consolidated, and continuous productivity is good.

[0020] <Water-based raw materials> The aqueous raw material is important in that it can consolidate raw materials such as dried potatoes and improve continuous productivity. Examples of the aqueous raw material include water-containing raw materials, room temperature liquid raw materials, and water, and these may be used alone or in combination.

[0021] As the moisture-containing raw material, for example, starch syrup, reduced starch syrup, isomerized sugar, etc. are preferably used, which affect the physical properties (flexibility, viscosity, water retention, etc.) of the non-heated potato confectionery dough and improve continuous productivity. As the room temperature liquid raw material, for example, glycerin, etc. is preferably used, which softens the non-heated potato confectionery dough and imparts water retention to improve continuous productivity.

[0022] Preferably, starch syrup, glycerin and water are used, as their high water retention and softening effects make it easier for raw materials such as dried potatoes to be consolidated, improving continuous productivity, and they are also suitable in terms of the low sweetness design suitable for potato snacks and cost-effectiveness.

[0023] It is important in terms of texture and continuous productivity that the total content of the aqueous ingredients is 7.0 to 18.5% by weight based on the total weight of the non-heated potato snack. If it is 7.0% by weight or more, the ingredients are easily combined and continuous productivity is good. On the other hand, if it is 18.5% by weight or less, the texture will be airy and disintegration will be good.

[0024] Furthermore, when the content of the dehydrated potatoes and aqueous ingredients is within the above-mentioned range, the moisture content is preferably designed to be 4.8 to 9.3% by weight based on the total weight of the non-heated potato snack, which is suitable in terms of shape retention and continuous productivity. If it is 4.8% by weight or more, the non-heated potato snack dough does not become hard and has low fluidity, and continuous productivity is good. On the other hand, if it is 9.3% by weight or less, the non-heated potato snack dough does not become soft and has strong stickiness, and continuous productivity is good.

[0025] Furthermore, the non-heated potato snack of the present invention may contain appropriately selected auxiliary ingredients within limits that do not impair the object of the present invention. Examples of such ingredients include thickeners, carbohydrate sweeteners excluding aqueous ingredients (monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, xylose, etc.), disaccharides or higher polysaccharides (sugar (white sugar, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, etc.), lactose, maltose, isomerized lactose, trehalose, oligosaccharides, etc.), sugar alcohols (xylitol, maltitol, reduced palatinose (palatinit), sorbitol, mannitol, erythritol, reduced lactose, etc.), high-intensity sweeteners (acesulfame potassium, sucralose, aspartame, neotame, etc.), oils and fats, emulsifiers, various flavor ingredients (meat extracts, seafood extracts, vegetable extracts, seasonings (soy sauce, amino acids, nucleic acids, organic acids, salt, inorganic salts, spices, etc.), dairy products, etc.), dietary fiber, colorants, flavorings, etc. These may be used alone or in combination.

[0026] As the thickener, for example, pullulan is preferably used, which exhibits good binding properties even under the influence of pH and salts, and is effective in binding powdered ingredients such as dried potatoes and sugar sweeteners together and imparting shape retention to the non-heated potato snack dough.

[0027] Next, the method for producing the non-heated potato snack of the present invention includes a method in which raw materials such as dried potatoes and aqueous raw materials are mixed to obtain a non-heated potato snack dough, and the dough is then molded into the shape of a non-heated potato snack. For example, the non-heated potato snack can be produced as follows.

[0028] First, the dried potatoes, the aqueous ingredients, and, if necessary, the auxiliary ingredients are mixed in a kneading machine such as a kneader or a ribbon mixer to obtain a non-heated potato snack dough. Note that the heating temperature during mixing is preferably less than 100°C, and more preferably in the range of 30 to 50°C, depending on the dried potatoes and ingredients. This is important in that it allows the flavor of the flavoring ingredients, etc., used to be maintained. When a thickener is used as a secondary ingredient, the thickener may be dissolved in water beforehand and then mixed into the dough.

[0029] The non-heated potato snack dough is then shaped to obtain the non-heated potato snack of the present invention. The shaping method may be any known shaping method such as sheet shaping, rope shaping, molding, stamping, extrusion, or cut shaping.

[0030] Preferably, extrusion molding is used, in particular the extrusion molding method described in JP 2013-074874 A in which the material is cut immediately after extrusion. This method is suitable in that the material can be molded into the desired shape immediately after cutting, and therefore no wasteful leftover dough is generated as occurs when die-cutting after sheet molding, allowing for efficient production. In addition, this method is also suitable in that the shape of the extrusion outlet directly becomes the desired shape of the non-heated potato snack, and therefore the design of the non-heated potato snack can be freely designed by changing the shape of the outlet. Furthermore, by providing a number of outlets of different shapes, different shapes can also be mass-produced at the same time.

[0031] When the non-heated potato snacks produced as described above are to be commercialized, they may be packaged in an appropriate package. The material of the package is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, soft plastic (polyethylene, polypropylene, etc.), paper, metal (aluminum, aluminum vapor deposition, glass vapor deposition, etc.), etc., or may be a laminate of a combination of these materials. The shape of the package is also not particularly limited, and may be a bag, cylinder, box, etc., as appropriate. EXAMPLES

[0032] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0033] <Examples 1 to 8 and Comparative Examples 1 to 8> <Production of unheated potato snacks> Non-heated potato snacks were produced with the compositions shown in Tables 1 and 2. First, the raw materials shown in Tables 1 and 2 were mixed in a kneader to obtain a non-heated potato snack dough. The dough temperature during mixing was 35°C. Pullulan was dissolved in advance in the water of the aqueous raw materials and then mixed into the dough. Next, the non-heated potato snack dough was extruded to produce non-heated potato snacks (1.4 g / piece) in a roughly cubic shape with one side measuring 10 mm.

[0034] [Table 1]

[0035] [Table 2]

[0036] Three expert panelists evaluated the disintegration properties (sensory evaluation at room temperature (28°C)) and continuous productivity (the cohesion of the dough during mixing in the kneader, the feasibility of extrusion molding, etc.) of the Examples and Comparative Examples according to the following criteria. The results are shown in Tables 1 and 2, along with an overall evaluation (a score of 3 or more for both disintegration properties and continuous productivity is indicated as ◯, and the rest are indicated as ×).

[0037] <Collapseability> 1: Dense tissue that holds together very well and maintains its structure even with continued chewing. 2: The tissue is dense and holds together well, and it takes several chews for the tissue to loosen up. 3: The texture is slightly airy and breaks down when chewed multiple times. 4: The texture is airy and breaks down into small pieces when chewed multiple times. 5: The texture is airy and crumbles easily with just a light chew.

[0038] <Continuous productivity> 1: The dough does not come together when mixed in the kneader, making it impossible to extrude it. 2: The dough comes together when mixed in a kneader, but cannot be extruded stably. 3: Stable extrusion molding is possible. 4: Extremely stable extrusion molding is possible. 5. Extrusion molding can be performed extremely stably and at a high molding speed.

[0039] As a result of the evaluation, all of the Examples were evaluated as being good in both disintegrability and continuous productivity, and were non-heated potato snacks with a fluffy texture. In particular, Example 7 was evaluated as being very good in both categories, and although the non-heated potato snack had a texture that seemed to crumble and fall apart finely when lightly chewed, during production, the non-heated potato snack dough held together well when mixed, and molding proceeded smoothly. Therefore, it had very good continuous productivity.

[0040] On the other hand, the comparative examples were evaluated as being poor in either or both of disintegratability and continuous productivity. Furthermore, in comparative example 1, which contained a large amount of dehydrated potato, comparative example 2, which contained a small amount of aqueous raw material, comparative example 6, which used pregelatinized potato starch instead of dehydrated potato, and comparative examples 7 and 8, which contained no aqueous raw material, the dough did not come together even when mixed, and it was not possible to continuously produce non-heated potato snacks.

Claims

1. The non-heated potato snack contains, based on the total weight of the non-heated potato snack, 25 to 50% by weight of dried potatoes, 7.0 to 18.5% by weight of an aqueous raw material consisting of starch syrup, glycerin and water, and 1.6 to 2.8% by weight of pullulan.

2. An unheated potato confectionery as described in claim 1, having a moisture content of 4.8 to 9.3% by weight.

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