Tangzhong noodles and method for producing the same

Abstract

To provide a new production method of noodles using hot water seed dough as a technique for suppressing and improving reduction in elasticity (tension, firmness) due to blending of the hot water seed dough, and the noodles having the improved elasticity obtained by the production method.SOLUTION: A production method of noodles includes a step of adding hot water seed dough to dough, the dough being obtained by adding water to wheat flour followed by mixing so as to form a crumbled shape, and mixing the resultant to prepare noodle dough.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to soup-seeded noodles and a method for producing the same.

Background Art

[0002] Noodles such as udon, Chinese noodles, pasta, and buckwheat noodles have been popular among many people of all ages and genders since ancient times and are widely consumed. In recent years, however, a texture that is smooth, soft, chewy, and rich in viscoelasticity has become preferred. To meet such market demands, various techniques for imparting a viscoelastic texture to noodles have been proposed.

[0003] For example, one such method is the "soup kneading method" in which, in the step of mixing wheat flour with water, hot water or warm water is used instead of water to prepare the noodle dough. According to the soup kneading method, by mixing wheat flour with hot water or warm water, a part of the starch in the noodle dough is gelatinized (α - modified), and as a result, it is considered that a texture rich in viscoelasticity is obtained. However, there is also a drawback that it is difficult to obtain a homogeneous product at all times because there is variation in gelatinization during the manufacturing process. As another method, there is the "soup-seed method" in which noodle dough is prepared by further adding wheat flour and mixing or kneading it into a pre-dough (soup-seed) prepared by previously kneading wheat flour and water at a temperature of 40 to 150°C (see, for example, Patent Document 1. For improved methods, see Patent Documents 2 and 3, etc.).

[0004] Among them, the latter soup-seed method is a preferable method because not only can noodles with excellent viscoelasticity and a soft and chewy texture be obtained, but also noodles with an excellent flavor of the original wheat flour can be obtained, and in addition, it does not have the drawbacks of the former soup kneading method.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

[0006] As described above, the noodles obtained by the tangzhong method have a soft and chewy texture and are excellent in the original flavor of wheat flour. However, on the other hand, by blending the tangzhong, the elasticity inherent in the noodles, in other words, the firmness on the surface and the toughness in the core tend to decrease. An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for suppressing and improving the decrease in elasticity (firmness, toughness) due to such tangzhong blending. As such a technique, the present invention aims to provide a new method for producing noodles using tangzhong. Another object of the present invention is to provide noodles having new properties obtained by the production method, particularly improved elasticity (firmness, toughness). [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0007] The present inventors have conducted intensive studies to solve the above problems. As a result, in the process of producing noodle dough, instead of the conventional tangzhong method of mixing powdery wheat flour into the tangzhong, a method of blending the tangzhong with wheat flour that has been previously wetted with water to make it into a minced state and then mixing or kneading is adopted. By doing so, in addition to the sticky elasticity obtained by the conventional tangzhong method, noodles having the elasticity required for noodles (firmness on the surface, toughness in the core) can be obtained. Based on these findings, the present invention has been further studied and completed, and includes the following embodiments.

[0008] (I) Method for manufacturing tangzhong noodles (I-1) A method for producing noodles, comprising a step of preparing noodle dough by adding and mixing tangzhong to dough that has been mixed with water and made into a minced state in wheat flour. (I-2) The manufacturing method according to (I-1), wherein the minced dough is prepared by adding 20 to 42 parts by mass of water to 100 parts by mass of wheat flour and stirring. (I-3) The manufacturing method according to (I-1) or (I-2), wherein the addition amount of the tangzhong is 5 to 30 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the wheat flour contained in the minced dough. (I-4) The method for manufacturing noodles according to any one of (I-1) to (I-3), wherein the water content of the tangzhong is 35 to 75% by mass. (I-5) The manufacturing method according to any one of (I-1) to (I-4), which has a step of cutting the noodle dough into noodle strips. (I-6) The manufacturing method according to (I-6), which has a step of further heat-treating the raw noodles obtained in the cutting step in the presence of moisture and, if necessary, freezing them.

[0009] (II) Tangzhong noodles (II-1) Noodles manufactured by the manufacturing method according to any one of (I-1) to (I-4), wherein when measuring the breaking strength of the noodles heat-treated in the presence of moisture, the peak curve lower area (test area) of the obtained breaking curve is the same as or larger than the peak curve lower area (control area) of the same breaking curve of the noodles manufactured by the same method except that no tangzhong is blended: Here, the peak curve lower area of the breaking curve means the lower area of the curve (breaking strength curve lower area) from when the load (N) is 0 until it reaches the peak when measuring the breaking strength of the noodles using a creep meter and drawing a graph with the strain rate (%) on the horizontal axis and the load (N) on the vertical axis. (II-2) The noodles according to (II-1), wherein the ratio of the test area to the control area (test area / control area) is 1.00 to 1.10.

[0010] (III) Method for imparting or enhancing viscoelasticity to noodles Method (III-1) A method for imparting or enhancing viscoelasticity to noodles, which is characterized by manufacturing noodle dough by having a step of adding and mixing tangzhong to the dough that has become minced by adding water to wheat flour and mixing. (III-2) The method according to (III-1), characterized in that the flaky dough is prepared by adding 20 to 42 parts by mass of water to 100 parts by mass of wheat flour and stirring. (III-3) The method according to (III-1) or (III-2), wherein the addition amount of the pregelatinized dough is 5 to 30 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the wheat flour contained in the flaky dough. (III-4) The method according to any one of (III-1) to (III-3), wherein the water content of the pregelatinized dough is 35 to 75% by mass. Note that this method can also be referred to as a method for suppressing or improving the decrease in elasticity in pregelatinized dough noodles.

Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to the production method of the present invention, in addition to the chewy texture obtained by the conventional pregelatinized dough production method and the flavor with the sweetness peculiar to wheat flour, noodles having the elasticity (crispness on the surface and firmness in the core) required for noodles can be obtained. Therefore, according to the present invention, in addition to the flavor with the sweetness peculiar to wheat flour, it is possible to provide noodles having a good texture with elasticity (crispness on the surface and firmness in the core) while being chewy, and a method for producing the same.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] (Explanation of Terms) The noodles targeted by the present invention are wheat flour processed foods manufactured mainly from wheat flour. In addition to wheat flour, they may contain, as necessary, flours of grains other than wheat such as buckwheat flour, rice flour, and barley flour, or those containing starch. Also, depending on the type of noodles to be manufactured, they may be manufactured by appropriately blending components such as salt, kansui, and thickening polysaccharides. Such noodles include udon, kishimen, Chinese noodles, pasta (including spaghetti and macaroni), soba, hiyamugi, and somen noodles, as well as wrapper products such as dumpling wrappers. Preferably, they are udon, kishimen, Chinese noodles, and pasta, and more preferably udon, kishimen, and Chinese noodles. Note that the forms of these noodles are not limited and can have forms such as fresh noodles, semi-fresh noodles, boiled noodles, steamed noodles, dried noodles, semi-dried noodles, refrigerated noodles, frozen noodles, LL (long life) noodles, and instant noodles.

[0014] The wheat flour used in the production of noodles is not limited, and at least one selected from the group consisting of cake flour, all-purpose flour, bread flour, whole grain flour, and durum semolina flour can be mentioned, and it can be selected according to the type of noodles to be produced according to conventional methods.

[0015] The soup stock refers to the pre-dough prepared by kneading wheat flour and water under temperature conditions in the range of 40 to 125°C. The temperature conditions are not particularly limited as long as they are within the above range, but preferably 50 to 100°C, and more preferably 60 to 80°C. Also, the ratio of wheat flour to water used in the preparation of the soup stock can be selected from the range of 55 to 300 parts by mass of water with respect to 100 parts by mass of wheat flour. Preferably, it is 100 to 250 parts by mass of water with respect to 100 parts by mass of wheat flour, and more preferably 120 to 150 parts by mass of water. When this is converted to the moisture content in the soup stock, it becomes about 35 to 75% by mass, preferably about 50 to 70% by mass, and more preferably about 55 to 60% by mass. The tangzhong can be obtained by kneading wheat flour and water under the above temperature conditions, and is not particularly limited as long as it meets this requirement. Specifically, for example, methods such as kneading wheat flour while heating it in the presence of moisture, kneading wheat flour and water while heating under pressure conditions, and kneading wheat flour with hot water or warm water can be exemplified. After kneading, the tangzhong may be cooled to room temperature or below and stored until used in the manufacturing method of the present invention described later. The storage can be refrigerated storage (for example, 0 to 5°C), partial freezing storage (-3 to 0°C), or freezing storage (for example, -25 to -18°C). However, when used in the production of the present invention, it is preferably adjusted so that the product temperature is 0 to 25°C, preferably 3 to 15°C.

[0016] (I) Method for manufacturing tangzhong noodles Generally, noodles are manufactured through the following steps: (1) a step of mixing wheat flour with water, optionally together with auxiliary raw materials, and stirring to form a crumbly mass (raw material mixing step); (2) a step of passing the numerous crumbly masses through a rolling machine (for example, a machine consisting of a pair of two rolls) to form two thick noodle strips (rough rolling step); (3) a step of overlapping the two thick noodle strips and passing them through rolls (composite) to produce a single thick noodle strip (composite step); (4) a step of passing the thick noodle strip through rolls to roll it to a predetermined uniform thickness to produce a thin noodle strip (rolling step); and (5) a step of cutting the prepared noodle strip into a predetermined shape (cutting step). In order to impart firmness to the noodles, a step of allowing the noodle strip to rest and age (aging step) may be carried out between the (3) composite step and the (4) rolling step. The conventional tangzhong manufacturing method is a method in which, in the (1) raw material mixing step, the pre-prepared tangzhong is added as one of the auxiliary raw materials to the main raw material wheat flour, mixed with water to prepare a crumbly mass, and then subjected to the (2) rough rolling step and subsequent steps to produce noodles.

[0017] In contrast, the manufacturing method of the present invention is characterized by having a step of blending and mixing a pre-ferment between the above-mentioned (1) raw material mixing step and the above-mentioned (2) rough rolling step. That is, the manufacturing method of the present invention has a step of adding and mixing a pre-ferment to the dough that has become a minced state by mixing wheat flour and water in the above-mentioned (1) raw material mixing step (pre-ferment addition and mixing step). The dough (coarse minced state) thus prepared is subjected to the above-mentioned (2) rough rolling step, and after subsequent steps, noodles are manufactured. Such a series of noodle manufacturing steps can be carried out using a roll-type noodle making machine although not limited thereto.

[0018] Hereinafter, each noodle manufacturing step will be described. (1) Raw material mixing step As described above, the step of (1) is a step of mixing and stirring wheat flour with water together with auxiliary raw materials as necessary to form a minced lump. The auxiliary raw materials are optional components and can be appropriately selected and blended according to the type of noodles to be manufactured. For example, in the case of noodles such as udon, kishimen, chilled buckwheat noodles, and plain noodles, salt; in the case of Chinese noodles, kansui (e.g., potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, polyphosphates, etc.); in the case of buckwheat noodles, buckwheat flour, etc. can be exemplified. These contents can be adjusted and set according to the type of each noodle according to a conventional method. Although not limited, for example, in the case of udon, etc., it is common to blend so that the ratio of salt is about 2 to 5 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of wheat flour. As long as it does not prevent the effects of the present invention, optional components such as powders of grains other than buckwheat flour, thickening polysaccharides, and flavoring components can be blended as auxiliary raw materials. However, the pre-ferment is not included in the auxiliary raw materials.

[0019] The mixing ratio of water to wheat flour may be any ratio as long as, when water is mixed with wheat flour or the like and mixed and stirred, a granular mass can be formed. The granular state means a state in which the wheat flour containing water sticks together to form lumps. The granular mass prepared in step (1) is not limited, but the maximum diameter is less than about 4.5 cm, preferably 3.5 cm or less. Even if it is small, when the granular dough is sieved through a sieve with a mesh size of 1 mm, it preferably has a size such that a certain amount remains on the sieve. As the ratio of water to be blended with 100 parts by mass of wheat flour, although not limited, a range of 20 to 42 parts by mass can be mentioned. Preferably it is 24 to 42 parts by mass, more preferably 29 to 40 parts by mass. Also, when the noodles are udon or the like, it is particularly preferably 34 to 40 parts by mass.

[0020] Mixing (blending) of wheat flour or the like and water can be carried out using a conventional mixer such as a pin mixer. The mixing conditions are not limited, but it is preferably carried out in a range such that the dough temperature becomes 22 to 28°C. As for the temperature of the water used for hydration within that limit, it is not limited. Mixing can be carried out under atmospheric pressure conditions or reduced pressure conditions. Mixing under reduced pressure conditions is not limited, but for example, it can be carried out using a vacuum mixer. By mixing under reduced pressure conditions, there is an advantage that the hydration of wheat flour is promoted and the aging time of the dough can be shortened or made unnecessary. The mixing time and number of times may be the time and number of times such that the granular mass described above can be formed by mixing wheat flour or the like and water, and can be appropriately set according to the amount of wheat flour or the like, the type of mixer used, the mixing conditions (temperature, presence or absence of reduced pressure), etc. Although not limited, for example, a method of carrying out mixing for about 5 to 30 minutes about 1 to 3 times can be exemplified.

[0021] Tangzhong addition and mixing step This step is to add the tangzhong to the minced dough prepared in the above step (1) and mix them. As the tangzhong, those described above can be used. Preferably, it is preferable to use tangzhong whose temperature during addition and blending is adjusted to 3 to 15°C. Although the blending ratio of the tangzhong to the minced dough is not limited, examples thereof include 5 to 30 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the wheat flour contained in the minced dough. By blending the tangzhong within such a range, the noodles can be imparted with the chewy stickiness peculiar to the tangzhong production method and the sweet flavor peculiar to wheat flour, and also the noodles can be imparted with firmness on the noodle surface and elasticity in the noodle core. By setting the blending amount of the tangzhong to 10 parts by mass or more, the sweet flavor peculiar to wheat flour can be further enhanced, and the elasticity in the noodle core can also be enhanced. From the texture of the noodles (firmness on the noodle surface, elasticity in the noodle core, chewy stickiness) and flavor, a more preferable blending amount of the tangzhong is 10 to 20 parts by mass.

[0022] The mixing of the minced dough and the tangzhong can be carried out using a conventional mixer, similarly to the above step (1) raw material mixing step. Also, the conditions (temperature, presence or absence of reduced pressure), mixing time, and number of times can be the same as those described in the above step (1). Also, when mixing the minced dough and the tangzhong, water may be blended as necessary. Whether to blend water or not can be determined based on the water content in the finally prepared dough (final dough). Examples of the water content in the final dough include 22 to 46 parts by mass, preferably 35 to 42 parts by mass, in terms of the amount of water with respect to 100 parts by mass of the wheat flour contained in the final dough. When the amount is less than this, it is preferable to additionally add water during the mixing of the minced dough and the tangzhong.

[0023] (2) - (5) Noodle making steps In the above-mentioned soup dough addition and mixing step, the dough prepared by mixing the minced dough and the soup dough is then subjected to the (2) rough rolling step, and sequentially through the (2) rough rolling step, (3) compounding step, (4) rolling step, and (5) cutting step, it can be prepared into predetermined noodles. As described above, between the (3) compounding step and the (4) rolling step, a step of aging the compounded dough by allowing it to rest for a predetermined time (for example, 30 minutes or more) (aging step) can also be carried out. These series of steps can be simply and continuously carried out using a roll-type noodle making machine. The operations carried out in each of these steps and the conditions adopted at that time can follow established methods and are not particularly limited. (4) The thickness of the noodle belt obtained in the rolling step can be appropriately set according to the type of noodles. The (5) cutting step, when manufacturing noodles, is a step of cutting the noodle belt obtained in the (4) rolling step into a linear shape to prepare noodle strands. When manufacturing wrappers for dumplings, etc., it is a step of preparing a wrapper of a predetermined shape by cutting the noodle belt obtained in the (4) rolling step into a predetermined shape or punching and cutting. The width of the noodle strands, the shape and size of the wrapper obtained in the (5) cutting step can also be appropriately set according to the type of noodles.

[0024] Subsequent noodle making steps The raw noodles prepared by the above steps can be directly supplied to the market as raw noodles after packaging. Also, according to the form of noodles shared in the market, the raw noodles prepared above can be further subjected to a drying step, deep-frying step, heating step in the presence of moisture (boiling step, steaming step), refrigeration step, and / or freezing step to be prepared into forms such as semi-dry noodles, dried noodles, boiled noodles, steamed noodles, refrigerated noodles, frozen noodles, LL noodles, and instant noodles. The preparation into such forms can be carried out according to established methods. For example, frozen noodles can be prepared by heating raw noodles in the presence of moisture and then quickly freezing them.

[0025] (II) Tangzhong noodles The noodles produced by the manufacturing method of the present invention described above are characterized in that the texture and flavor of the cooked noodles are sticky and chewy compared to the noodles prepared without adding the soup stock, and have a sweet flavor peculiar to wheat flour. Further, compared to the noodles produced by the conventional soup stock manufacturing method, they are noodles with strong elasticity in the firmness of the surface and the firmness of the core. That is, according to the manufacturing method of the present invention, it is possible to manufacture noodles that improve the drawback of the conventional soup stock manufacturing method, namely, the reduction in elasticity (the firmness of the surface and the firmness of the core).

[0026] Regarding noodles, the firmness of the surface and the firmness of the core can be evaluated using a creep meter, which is a device for measuring the breaking strength, as shown in Experimental Example 4 described later. As explained in Experimental Example 4, in the breaking curve (horizontal axis: strain rate %, vertical axis: load N) obtained when measuring the breaking strength using a creep meter, the maximum load (N) (height of the peak) indicating the breaking strength reflects the strength of the firmness of the noodle core, and the slope of the curve up to the peak reflects the strength of the firmness of the noodle surface. That is, when the firmness of the noodle core is strong, the breaking strength increases (the peak becomes higher), and when the firmness of the noodle surface is strong, the curve up to the peak becomes a steep slope. The larger these values are, the stronger the elasticity (the stronger the firmness and stiffness) of the noodles can be evaluated.

[0027] Based on this evaluation, the noodles of the present invention are noodles produced by the above manufacturing method, and moreover, when measuring the breaking strength of the noodles heat-treated in the presence of moisture, the area under the peak curve (test area) of the obtained breaking curve is the same as or larger than the area under the peak curve (control area) of the same breaking curve of the noodles produced by the same method except without adding the soup stock. Here, the area under the peak curve of the breaking curve means the area under the curve (area under the breaking strength curve) from when the load (N) is 0 until it reaches the peak when measuring the breaking strength of the noodles using a creep meter and plotting a graph with the strain rate (%) on the horizontal axis and the load (N) on the vertical axis.

[0028] Specifically, examples of the noodles include those in which the ratio of the test area to the control area (test area / control area) is 1.00 to 1.10. Preferably, it is greater than 1.00 and less than 1.10. More preferably, it is 1.01 to 1.09. For the method for measuring the breaking strength of noodles using a creep meter, the measurement conditions, and the method for preparing the noodles to be used as test samples (sample preparation method), reference can be made to the description in Experimental Example 4.

[0029] (III) Method for imparting viscoelasticity to noodles The present invention is a method for imparting viscoelasticity to noodles. Here, viscoelasticity is the texture felt when chewing noodles, and means a texture in which a chewy stickiness and elasticity are combined. The elasticity is brought about by the firmness on the noodle surface and the stiffness in the noodle core. The imparting or strengthening of viscoelasticity to noodles can be carried out by manufacturing noodle dough through a method having a step of adding and mixing a tangzhong to the dough that has been mixed with water to form a minced state. By making noodles using the noodle dough produced through such a process, noodles having both a chewy stickiness and elasticity can be prepared. In particular, by making noodles using the noodle dough produced by the above method, compared with the case of making noodles using the noodle dough produced without adding and mixing a tangzhong, a chewy sticky texture can be imparted to the noodles. Also, by making noodles using the noodle dough produced by the above method, compared with the case of making noodles using the noodle dough produced by the conventional tangzhong production method, a texture with elastic force (firmness on the surface, stiffness in the core) can be imparted to the noodles. The type and amount of wheat flour, the amounts of water and tangzhong, and each method and its conditions employed in the method are as described in the above (I), and the description thereof can be incorporated herein by reference.

[0030] As described above, in this specification, the terms "comprising" and "containing" include the meanings of "consisting of" and "substantially consisting of".

Examples

[0031] The following describes the constitution and effects of the present invention using experimental examples to facilitate understanding. However, the present invention is not limited by these experimental examples in any way. The following experiments were carried out under room temperature (25 ± 5 °C) and atmospheric pressure conditions unless otherwise specified. Unless otherwise specified, “%” described below means “mass %” and “parts” means “parts by mass”.

[0032] The raw materials used in the following experiments are as follows. Wheat flour 1: Kamiguruma (manufactured by Okamoto Flour Milling Co., Ltd.) (strong bread wheat flour, crude protein content 12.5%) Wheat flour 2: Menkyo Bijin (manufactured by Okamoto Flour Milling Co., Ltd.) (medium-strength noodle wheat flour, crude protein content 8.9%) Wheat flour 3: Gold Pickle (manufactured by Okamoto Flour Milling Co., Ltd.) (semi-strong Chinese noodle wheat flour, crude protein content 11.0%) Refined salt: Manufactured by Nippon Salt Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Modified starch: Matsutani Sakura (manufactured by Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) (acetate esterified tapioca starch) Kansui: Kansui OR (manufactured by Okamoto Flour Milling Co., Ltd.) (composition: sodium carbonate 60%, potassium carbonate 40%) Tangzhong: Refer to the reference production example

[0033] Reference manufacturing example: Manufacture of tangzhong 100 parts by mass of wheat flour 1 and 10 parts by mass of refined salt were put into a mixer (Leonida KH, manufactured by Kajiwara Co., Ltd.) containing 160 parts by mass of hot water (90 °C) and mixed for 6 minutes to produce a tangzhong with a dough temperature of 70 °C. This was packaged, cooled with 0 °C cold water until the dough temperature reached about 10 °C, refrigerated at 4 °C overnight, and then rapidly frozen to -30 °C and stored frozen. When in use, it was thawed by placing it in a 4 °C refrigerator for 36 hours, and the product temperature was adjusted to 4 °C before use.

[0034] Experimental example 1: Manufacture and evaluation of tangzhong noodles (udon) Using the tangzhong, udon was produced by various methods, and the texture (elasticity, firmness, chewy feeling) and flavor (sweetness peculiar to wheat flour) were evaluated.

[0035] (1) Noodle making method Using each component at the ratio described in Table 1, various types of udon noodles were produced by the method described below.

[0036]

Table 1

[0037] Control example 1: Udon without using tangzhong or modified starch (control) After putting wheat flour 2 into a noodle-making vacuum mixer (hereinafter referred to as the mixer), saline solution (20 °C) prepared by dissolving salt in initial water was added, and mixing was carried out twice for 5 minutes while degassing under a reduced pressure condition of about -66661 Pa to prepare a soboro-shaped dough. The resulting soboro-shaped dough was fed to a roll-type noodle-making machine, and was subjected to one rough rolling, one compound rolling, and one rolling to prepare a noodle strip with a thickness of 3.0 mm. This was fed to a cutting machine to cut out noodle strands so that the width became 3.3 mm, and raw noodles (3.3 mm × 3.0 mm) were prepared.

[0038] Comparative example 1: Udon using modified starch as a quality improver Wheat flour 2 and processed starch were put into the mixer, and after powder mixing for 90 seconds, saline solution (20 °C) prepared by dissolving salt in initial water was added, and mixing was carried out twice for 5 minutes while degassing under a reduced pressure condition of about -66661 Pa to prepare a soboro-shaped dough. The resulting soboro-shaped dough was fed to a roll-type noodle-making machine and a cutting machine in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1 to prepare raw noodles (3.3 mm × 3.0 mm).

[0039] Comparative example 2: Udon using tangzhong (before mixing formulation) Wheat flour 2 and a tangzhong were put into the mixer and mixed for 3 minutes, then saline solution (20 °C) prepared by dissolving salt in initial water was added, and mixing was carried out twice for 5 minutes while degassing under a reduced pressure condition of about -66661 Pa to prepare a soboro-shaped dough. The resulting soboro-shaped dough was fed to a roll-type noodle-making machine and a cutting machine in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1 to prepare raw noodles (3.3 mm × 3.0 mm).

[0040] Examples 1 and 2: Udon using tangzhong (after mixing formulation, adjusting water addition with late - stage water) Wheat flour 2 was added to the mixer, and salt water (20°C) prepared by dissolving salt in initial water was added. Mixing was performed twice for 5 minutes while degassing under reduced pressure conditions of approximately -66661 Pa to prepare a crumbly dough. Yudane and final water were added to this crumbly dough, and mixing was performed once for 5 minutes while degassing under the same reduced pressure conditions to prepare a crumbly dough. The finished crumbly dough was fed into a roll type noodle making machine and a cutter as in Comparative Example 1 to prepare raw noodles (3.3 mm x 3.0 mm).

[0041] Examples 3 - 6: Udon using tangzhong (after mixing formulation, without adjusting water addition with late - stage water) After putting wheat flour 2 into the mixer, salt water (20°C) prepared by dissolving salt in the initial water was added, and mixing was performed twice for 5 minutes while degassing under reduced pressure conditions of approximately -66661 Pa to prepare a crumbly dough. Yudane was added to this crumbly dough, and mixing was performed once for 5 minutes while degassing again under the same reduced pressure conditions to prepare a crumbly dough. The finished crumbly dough was fed into a roll type noodle making machine and a cutter in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1 to prepare raw noodles (3.3 mm x 3.0 mm).

[0042] Incidentally, the minced dough before the addition of the yudane is a collection of small lumps of dough. For example, the results of sifting the minced dough (at around 24°C) before the addition of the yudane in Examples 5 and 6 through a sieve with 5 mm openings are shown in Table 2. From this, it can be seen that the more water is initially added to the wheat flour, the larger the particles (lumps) of the minced dough become.

[0043] [Table 2]

[0044] (2) Evaluation method The raw noodles prepared above (Control Example 1, Comparative Examples 1-2, Examples 1-6) were boiled in boiling water for 9 minutes to prepare boiled noodles. These were then exposed to running water at 18°C ​​for 30 seconds, then immersed in water at 0°C for 30 seconds to remove heat, flash frozen at -30°C, and stored at -20°C. The following day, the texture and flavor of the noodles, which had been thawed and cooked by boiling in room temperature udon soup, were compared and evaluated. The evaluation of the texture and flavor of the noodles was conducted by six panelists who are engaged in the routine sensory evaluation of noodles and meet the criteria of in-house sensory evaluators. The evaluation was carried out with the texture and flavor of the udon noodles in Comparative Example 1 (control) as the center of the standard, and evaluated according to the following criteria in comparison with it. First, after each panelist evaluated individually, their evaluation results were reconciled among the panelists, and the general opinion of the panelists was taken as the final result.

[0045] [Texture] (1) Elasticity of noodle surface ◎: It has stronger elasticity than the control. ○: It has the same elasticity as the control. △: It is slightly weaker than the control. ×: It is considerably weaker than the control.

[0046] (2) Firmness of noodle core ◎: It has stronger firmness than the control. ○: It has the same firmness as the control. △: It is weaker than the control but has firmness. ×: It has no firmness.

[0047] (3) Chewy stickiness ◎: It has stronger chewy stickiness than the control. ○: It has the same stickiness as the control. △: It does not feel sticky compared to the control. ×: It has no stickiness at all.

[0048] [Flavor] (4) Sweetness peculiar to wheat flour ◎: It has stronger sweetness than the control. ○: It has the same sweetness as the control. △: It has weaker sweetness than the control. ×: It has no sweetness.

[0049] (3) Evaluation results The results are shown in Table 3.

[0050]

Table 3

[0051] As shown in Table 3, when using processed starch, which is known as a quality improver in dough preparation, the firmness of the noodle surface and the toughness of the core became stronger, resulting in elastic noodles. However, the sticky texture was weak, the sweetness peculiar to wheat flour disappeared, and the noodles had a bad flavor (Comparative Example 1). On the other hand, when using tangzhong in dough preparation, regardless of the timing of tangzhong blending, noodles with a sticky texture peculiar to the tangzhong production method and a good flavor with a strong sweetness peculiar to wheat flour were obtained (Comparative Example 2, Examples 1 to 6). However, when tangzhong was blended during the water addition and mixing of wheat flour, a decrease in firmness and toughness, which are the disadvantages of the conventional tangzhong production method, was observed (Comparative Example 2). On the other hand, when tangzhong was blended after wheat flour was added with water and mixed into a crumbly state, it was confirmed that the decrease in toughness, which is a disadvantage of the tangzhong production method, could be suppressed while maintaining the characteristics of the tangzhong production method (a sticky texture and the sweetness peculiar to wheat flour) (Examples 1 to 6). In particular, it was confirmed that by adjusting the initial water addition amount to 34 parts by mass or more with respect to 100 parts by mass of wheat flour, noodles with strong toughness could be obtained (Examples 3 to 6). Also, by adjusting the initial water addition amount to 29 to 40 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of wheat flour, it was confirmed that the decrease in toughness, which is a disadvantage of the tangzhong production method, could be suppressed, and elastic noodles could be obtained from both the aspects of firmness and toughness (Examples 2 to 5).

[0052] The above results are the results of evaluating the noodles after boiling and then freezing and thawing them, but similar evaluations could also be obtained for the noodles immediately after boiling the fresh noodles.

[0053] Experimental example 2: Manufacture and evaluation of tangzhong noodles (udon) Based on the results of Experimental Example 1, with the formulation (initial water addition amount) and production method of Example 3 as a reference, various udon noodles were produced by changing the blending ratio of tangzhong, and the texture and flavor were evaluated in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1.

[0054] (1) Noodle making method Using each component at the ratio described in Table 4, various fresh noodles (Comparative Example 1, Examples 7 to 10) were produced by the same noodle-making method as in Comparative Example 1 and Example 3 described above.

[0055]

Table 4

[0056] (2) Evaluation method and evaluation results The fresh noodles (Comparative Example 1, Examples 7 to 10) adjusted above were boiled in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1, and after freezing, the thawed and cooked noodles were used to compare and evaluate the texture and flavor. The evaluation method and its criteria were also the same as in Experimental Example 1. The results are shown in Table 5.

[0057]

Table 5

[0058] As shown in Table 5, by blending the soup stock at a ratio of at least 5 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the flour prepared in a crumbly state after adding water, it was confirmed that the disadvantages of the soup stock method, namely the decrease in firmness, can be suppressed while maintaining the characteristics of the soup stock method (chewy texture and the sweetness peculiar to flour) (Examples 7 to 10). In particular, by blending 10 parts by mass or more of the soup stock with respect to 100 parts by mass of the flour, the sweet flavor peculiar to flour, which is a characteristic of the soup stock method, could be enhanced. Also, by blending 5 to 20 parts by mass, particularly 10 to 20 parts by mass, of the soup stock with respect to 100 parts by mass of the flour, it was confirmed that the decrease in firmness, which is a disadvantage of the soup stock method, can be suppressed or enhanced, and elastic noodles can be obtained from both the aspects of firmness and elasticity (Examples 7 to 9).

[0059] The above results are those of evaluating the noodles that were boiled and then frozen and thawed, but similar evaluations could also be obtained for the results of evaluating the fresh noodles immediately after boiling.

[0060] Experimental example 3: Manufacture and evaluation of tangzhong noodles (Chinese noodles) Using the soup stock, Chinese noodles were produced by various methods, and the texture (firmness, elasticity, chewiness) and flavor (sweetness peculiar to flour) were evaluated.

[0061] (1) Noodle making method Using each component at the ratio described in Table 6, various Chinese noodles were produced by the method described below.

[0062]

Table 6

[0063] Control example 2: Chinese noodles without using tangzhong (control) After putting 3 of wheat flour into a mixer, kneading water (20 °C) in which kansui was dissolved in the initial water was added, and mixing was performed twice for 5 minutes while degassing under a reduced pressure condition of about -66661 Pa to prepare a soboro-shaped dough. The resulting soboro-shaped dough was subjected to a roll-type noodle-making machine, and was rough-rolled once, compounded once, and rolled once to prepare a noodle strip with a thickness of 1.65 mm. This was fed to a cutting machine to cut out noodle strands so that the width became 1.67 mm, and raw noodles (1.67 mm × 1.65 mm) were prepared.

[0064] Comparative example 3: Chinese noodles using tangzhong (before mixing formulation) 3 of wheat flour and a tangzhong were put into a mixer and mixed for 3 minutes, then kneading water (20 °C) in which kansui was dissolved in the initial water was added, and mixing was performed twice for 5 minutes while degassing under a reduced pressure condition of about -66661 Pa to prepare a soboro-shaped dough. The resulting soboro-shaped dough was fed to a roll-type noodle-making machine and a cutting machine in the same manner as in Comparative Example 2 to prepare raw noodles (1.67 mm × 1.65 mm).

[0065] Example 11: Chinese noodles using tangzhong (after mixing formulation) After putting 3 of wheat flour into a mixer, kneading water (20 °C) in which kanshui was dissolved in the initial water was added, and mixing was performed once for 5 minutes while degassing under a reduced pressure condition of about -66661 Pa to prepare a soboro-shaped dough. To this soboro-shaped dough, a tangzhong was added, and again, mixing was performed once for 5 minutes while degassing under the same reduced pressure condition to prepare a soboro-shaped dough. The resulting soboro-shaped dough was fed to a roll-type noodle-making machine and a cutting machine in the same manner as in the comparative example to prepare raw noodles (1.67 mm × 1.65 mm).

[0066] (2) Evaluation method and evaluation results The fresh noodles adjusted above (Control Example 2, Comparative Example 3, Example 11) were boiled in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1, and after freezing, the thawed and cooked noodles were used to comparatively evaluate the texture and flavor. The evaluation method and its criteria were the same as those in Experimental Example 1. The results are shown in Table 7.

[0067]

Table 7

[0068] As shown in Table 7, similar to udon noodles, by adding a soup stock to 100 parts by mass of wheat flour prepared in a crumbly state after adding water, it was confirmed that the disadvantages of the soup stock method, namely the decrease in firmness and elasticity, can be suppressed while maintaining the characteristics of the soup stock method (chewy texture and the sweetness peculiar to wheat flour) (Control Example 2, Comparative Example 3, and Example 11).

[0069] The above results are those of evaluating the noodles after boiling the fresh noodles, freezing them, and then thawing them. However, similar evaluations could also be obtained for the results of evaluating the fresh noodles immediately after boiling.

[0070] Experimental example 4: Evaluation of noodle firmness and chewiness Noodles having the same formulation as Control Example 1 (without soup stock blending), Comparative Example 2 (blending before soup stock mixing), and Example 3 (blending after soup stock mixing) described in Table 1 of Experimental Example 1 were manufactured by the same method as described in Experimental Example 1. However, the size of the noodle strands was adjusted to a thickness of 2.0 mm and a width of 3.0 mm. The obtained fresh noodles were boiled in boiling water for 6 minutes, then exposed to running water at 18°C for 30 seconds, and cooled to 20°C to prepare cooked noodles. The breaking strength of these cooked noodles was measured using a creep meter under the following conditions.

[0071] [Breaking Strength Measurement Conditions] · Creep meter: RHEONER II (manufactured by Sanden Corporation) Measurement conditions: Plunger wedge No. 49 Measurement speed: 0.5 mm / sec.

[0072] The results of measuring the breaking strength with the warp rate (%) on the horizontal axis and the load (N) on the vertical axis are shown in Fig. 1. In the breaking curve shown in Fig. 1, the height of the peak (the load (N) at the peak, that is, the breaking strength) reflects the firmness of the core of the noodle, and the slope of the curve up to the peak reflects the stiffness of the noodle surface. The stronger the firmness and stiffness, the more elastic the noodle becomes.

[0073] From Fig. 1, compared with the noodle of Comparative Example 1 without the addition of the pregelatinized flour (designated as 1 in Fig. 1), for the noodle of Comparative Example 2 produced by adding the pregelatinized flour before mixing (designated as 2 in Fig. 1), both the peak height reflecting the firmness and the curve slope reflecting the stiffness decrease. In contrast, for the noodle of Example 3 produced by adding the pregelatinized flour after mixing (designated as 3 in Fig. 1), these decreases are both suppressed, approaching the peak height and curve slope of the noodle of Comparative Example 1. In particular, the peak height shows a tendency to be slightly stronger than that of Comparative Example 1. This result was consistent with the tendency of the evaluation results of the firmness and stiffness in the sensory evaluation test of Experimental Example 1 shown in Table 3.

[0074] From this, it was confirmed that the strength of the firmness and stiffness (elasticity of the noodle) of the noodle can be evaluated from the area under the curve up to the peak of the breaking curve (the shaded area shown in Fig. 2). That is, in the breaking curve (horizontal axis: warp rate, vertical axis: load), the larger the area under the curve up to the peak, the stronger the elasticity of the noodle.

[0075] Experimental example 5: Evaluation of elasticity (firmness and chewiness) of tangzhong noodles Using the results of Experimental Example 4, the elasticity (stiffness and firmness) of the noodles using the pregelatinized flour was evaluated from the breaking curve. (1) Noodle-making method Noodles were made according to the formulation and manufacturing method described in Table 8 to prepare fresh noodles (udon).

[0076]

Table 8

[0077] (2) Measurement of breaking strength and the results Each fresh noodle prepared as described above was boiled in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1. After freezing, the thawed and cooked noodles were used to measure the breaking strength using the clip meter and its conditions described in Experimental Example 4. From the obtained breaking curve, the area under the curve until reaching the peak was calculated. The results are shown in Tables 9 and 10. The results are shown as the relative ratio when the area under the curve until reaching the peak of the control example is set to 100.

[0078]

Table 9

[0079]

Table 10

[0080] As can be seen from these results, the noodles obtained by the conventional soup stock preparation method in which the soup stock is blended before mixing wheat flour and water have a smaller area under the curve until reaching the peak and weaker elasticity compared to the noodles of the control example (control). On the other hand, the noodles obtained by the production method of the present invention in which the soup stock is blended after mixing wheat flour and water have a larger area under the curve until reaching the peak and have been confirmed to have elasticity equal to or higher than that of the noodles of the control example (control).

[0081] Experimental example 6: Evaluation of elasticity (firmness and chewiness) of tangzhong noodles Based on the results of Experimental Example 5, the influence of the blending amount of the soup stock was similarly evaluated from the breaking curve. (1) Noodle making method Noodles (udon) were prepared according to the formulation and production method described in Table 11.

[0082]

Table 11

[0083] (2) Measurement of breaking strength and its results Each fresh noodle prepared as described above was boiled in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1, and after freezing, the thawed and cooked noodles were used to measure the breaking strength using the clip meter and its conditions described in Experimental Example 4. From the obtained breaking curve, the area under the curve until the peak was reached was calculated. The results are shown in Table 12. The results are shown as the relative ratio when the area under the curve until the peak of the control example C is set to 100.

[0084]

Table 12

[0085] As can be seen from these results, by blending the soup stock in a ratio of 5 parts by mass or more with respect to 100 parts by mass of wheat flour after mixing wheat flour and water (Examples C1 and C2), compared with the noodles of the control example C (control), it was confirmed that noodles with a larger area under the curve until the peak is reached and stronger elasticity can be obtained.

Claims

1. A method for producing noodles, comprising the step of adding and mixing a tangzhong to a dough that has been mixed with water to form a minced state to prepare a noodle dough. Here, the tangzhong is a pre-dough prepared by kneading wheat flour and water under temperature conditions in the range of 40 to 125°C, and the ratio of the wheat flour to the water is selected from the range of 55 to 300 parts by mass of water per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour.

2. The production method according to claim 1, wherein the minced dough is prepared by adding 20 to 42 parts by mass of water to 100 parts by mass of wheat flour and stirring.

3. The production method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the addition amount of the tangzhong is 5 to 30 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour contained in the minced dough.

4. The method for producing noodles according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the water content of the tangzhong is 35 to 75% by mass.

5. The production method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising the step of forming the noodle dough into noodle strips and cutting them out.

6. The production method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of heat-treating the raw noodles obtained in the cutting step in the presence of moisture and, if necessary, freezing them.

7. Noodles produced by the production method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein when measuring the breaking strength of the noodles heat-treated in the presence of moisture, The area under the peak curve (test area) of the obtained breaking curve is the same as or larger than the area under the peak curve (control area) of the same breaking curve of noodles produced by the same method except without blending the tangzhong. Here, the area under the peak curve of the breaking curve means the area under the curve (area under the breaking strength curve) from when the load (N) is 0 to when it reaches the peak when measuring the breaking strength of the noodles using a creep meter and drawing a graph with the strain rate (%) on the horizontal axis and the load (N) on the vertical axis.

8. The noodle product according to claim 7, wherein the ratio of the test area to the control area (test area / control area) is 1.00 to 1.

10.

9. A method for imparting or enhancing viscoelasticity to noodles, the method comprising a step of adding and mixing a tangzhong to dough that has been mixed with water to form a minced state to produce noodle dough. Here, the tangzhong is a pre-dough prepared by kneading wheat flour and water under temperature conditions in the range of 40 to 125°C, and the ratio of the wheat flour to the water is selected from the range of 55 to 300 parts by mass of water per 100 parts by mass of wheat flour.

Images