Cooking time shortener for dried noodles

Abstract

To provide dried noodles which can be boiled in a short time, can achieve natural flavor and taste of wheat flour, and can achieve preferable visco elasticity and hardness of a center of the noodle.SOLUTION: The invention relates to a boiling time shortening agent for dried noodles which includes as a raw material, wheat flour including wheat flour being made of durum wheat, and in the boiling time shortening agent, a part of protein included in the same raw material is modified. The boiling time shortening agent is configured so that, (a) a percentage of particles whose diameter is 735 μm or greater is 2% or smaller, a percentage of particles whose diameter is 215 μm or greater is 25% or greater, and particles have a median particle diameter of 100-400 μm; and (b) a content of acetic acid soluble protein, is 5-25 mass%.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a boiling time shortening agent for dried noodles, a noodle composition containing the boiling time shortening agent for dried noodles, dried noodles, a method for producing dried noodles, and a method for shortening the boiling time of dried noodles.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, various techniques have been proposed for dried noodles that can be eaten even with a short boiling time.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses spaghetti in which a groove is formed in the longitudinal direction of the noodle line to add a function of boiling up with a good texture with a slightly remaining core even with quick boiling and having a substantially circular cross-sectional shape after boiling. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses quick-boiling noodles characterized in that an improver composed of tapioca starch, wheat starch, pregelatinized starch, and wheat protein is added to the raw material wheat flour of the noodles and the noodles are produced by a conventional method.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in recent years, there is still much room for study regarding dried noodles that can be eaten even with a short boiling time. For example, in Patent Document 1, uneven lines may remain after boiling, resulting in poor appearance and texture. Also, in Patent Document 2, the natural taste and flavor of wheat flour may be weakened during eating. Therefore, further improvement is required.

[0006] Therefore, the aim of this technology is to provide dried noodles that, even with a short boiling time, allow you to strongly feel the natural taste and flavor of wheat flour, and that are also good in terms of viscoelasticity and hardness of the center. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The inventors of this application conducted intensive research to solve the above problems and, as a result, discovered that by using a boiling time-reducing agent for dried noodles that contains wheat flour obtained from durum wheat as a raw material, and in which a portion of the protein contained in the raw material is denatured, and which has the following characteristics (a) and (b), it is possible to provide dried noodles that, even with a short boiling time, strongly allow the natural taste and flavor of wheat flour to be felt, and that are also good in terms of viscoelasticity and hardness of the center, and thus completed this technology.

[0008] In other words, this technology first provides a cooking time-reducing agent for dried noodles that contains wheat flour obtained from durum wheat as a raw material, and in which a portion of the protein contained in the raw material is denatured, and has the following characteristics (a) and (b). (a) Particles with a diameter of 735 μm or larger account for 2% or less, particles with a diameter of 215 μm or larger account for 25% or more, and the median particle size is 100 to 400 μm, (b) Acetate-soluble protein content is 5-25% by mass. Furthermore, a noodle composition containing the shortening agent is provided. In this case, the shortening agent may be present in an amount of 4 to 22% by mass per 100% by mass of the powder material used for the noodles. Furthermore, the present invention also provides dried noodles using the aforementioned shortening agent or the aforementioned noodle composition.

[0009] Furthermore, this technology also provides a method for producing dried noodles, which includes an addition step of adding a cooking time-reducing agent for dried noodles, having the characteristics of (a) and (b) above, which contains wheat flour obtained from durum wheat as a raw material and in which a portion of the protein contained in the raw material is denatured, in an amount of 4 to 22% by mass per 100% by mass of the powder material used for the noodles. Furthermore, the present invention also provides a method for manufacturing noodles, which includes a step of boiling the dried noodles produced using the above manufacturing method.

[0010] Furthermore, this technology also provides a method for shortening the boiling time of dried noodles, which includes an addition step of adding a boiling time shortening agent for dried noodles having the characteristics of (a) and (b) above, which contains wheat flour including wheat flour obtained from durum wheat as a raw material, and in an amount of 4 to 22% by mass per 100% by mass of the powder material used for the noodles. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] This technology makes it possible to provide dried noodles that, even with a short boiling time, strongly retain the natural taste and flavor of wheat flour, and are also excellent in terms of viscoelasticity and firmness in the center. The effects described herein are not necessarily limited to those described herein and may include any of the effects described herein. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] The following describes preferred embodiments for implementing this technology. Note that the embodiments described below are merely examples of typical embodiments of this technology, and this should not be interpreted as narrowing the scope of this technology.

[0013] <Cooking time shortener for dried noodles> The cooking time-reducing agent for dried noodles relating to this technology (hereinafter also simply referred to as "the cooking time-reducing agent relating to this technology") contains wheat flour, including wheat flour obtained from durum wheat, as a raw material, and a portion of the protein contained in the raw material is denatured, and has the following characteristics (a) and (b). (a) Particles with a diameter of 735 μm or larger account for 2% by mass or less, particles with a diameter of 215 μm or larger account for 25% by mass or more, and the central particle diameter is 100 to 400 μm, (b) Acetate-soluble protein content is 5-25% by mass.

[0014] By using the shortening agent related to this technology, it is possible to provide dried noodles that, even with a short boiling time, allow you to strongly feel the natural taste and flavor of wheat flour, and that are also good in terms of viscoelasticity and hardness of the center.

[0015] In this technology, "reduced boiling time" means that the boiling time can be shortened compared to the boiling time of typical dried noodles. Therefore, the amount of reduction in boiling time will vary depending on the type of dried noodles. For example, if the boiling time is 6 minutes without the shortening agent related to this technology, then using the shortening agent related to this technology may allow you to obtain noodles with good viscoelasticity and firmness in the center even when the boiling time is reduced to less than 6 minutes.

[0016] There are no particular restrictions on how the shortening agent according to this technology is used in dried noodles. For example, it can be added as one of the raw materials during dough preparation to produce dried noodles. Alternatively, a noodle composition (noodle mix) can be prepared using the shortening agent according to this technology and other noodle ingredients, and dried noodles can be produced using this noodle composition.

[0017] (1) Raw materials The shortening agent related to this technology contains flour containing wheat flour (including semolina and farina) obtained from durum wheat. In particular, it is preferable that the wheat is from North America, and North American durum wheat means durum wheat that originates in North America. In addition to wheat flour obtained from durum wheat, other flours such as cake flour, all-purpose flour, semi-bread flour, bread flour, and whole wheat flour may also be included as raw materials. Preferably, the raw materials contain only flour containing wheat flour (including semolina and farina) obtained from durum wheat and water, and more preferably the wheat flour obtained from durum wheat is semolina. This results in dried noodles that, when boiled, have a more natural taste and flavor of wheat flour. In other preferred embodiments, the wheat flour obtained from durum wheat may be 20% by mass or more of the 100% by mass of the raw materials, more preferably 50% by mass or more, and may be 70% by mass or more, or 80% by mass or more. The higher the proportion of durum wheat flour in the raw flour, the more the noodles, when boiled, will have a stronger natural taste and flavor of wheat flour, resulting in dried noodles.

[0018] Furthermore, the method for producing wheat flour from durum wheat may be carried out according to conventional methods. For example, after hydrating and tempering the selected wheat grains, a breaking process, reduction process, etc., may be performed. In addition, a peeling process, a grinding process using a general grinder (stone mill, hammer mill, pin mill, jet mill, etc.), and a classification process may be combined as needed.

[0019] (2) Particle size In this specification, the proportion of particles with a particle size of 735 μm or more, the proportion of particles with a particle size of 215 μm or more, and the median particle size can be determined from the volume-based particle size cumulative distribution and can be measured using a laser diffraction particle size distribution measuring device. Specifically, using a laser diffraction particle size distribution measuring device HELOS&RODOS (manufactured by Nippon Laser), a volume-based particle size distribution is obtained by Fraunhofer diffraction, and the volume-based proportion of particles having a particle size of 735 μm or more or particles having a particle size of 215 μm or more is calculated. Further, the particle size corresponding to 50% of the integrated analysis curve based on volume in the particle size distribution is calculated as the "median particle size".

[0020] The shortening agent according to this technology has 2% or less, preferably 1% or less, and may be 0.5% or less, 0.3% or less of particles with a particle size of 735 μm or more. If it exceeds 2%, the noodle-making property deteriorates. Also, the particles with a particle size of 215 μm or more are 25% or more, preferably 35% or more, more preferably 40% or more, and may be 45% or more, 50% or more, 55% or more. By adjusting the particles with a particle size of 215 μm or more within this range, noodles with a stronger natural taste and flavor of wheat flour when cooked can be obtained, resulting in dry noodles. On the other hand, if it is less than 25%, noodles with low evaluation of viscoelasticity and hardness at the center are obtained when the cooking time is short, resulting in dry noodles.

[0021] Also, the shortening agent according to this technology has a median particle size of 100 to 400 μm, preferably 150 to 380 μm, more preferably 180 to 370 μm, and still more preferably 200 to 360 μm. If the median particle size exceeds 400 μm, the noodle-making property deteriorates. Also, if it is less than 100 μm, noodles with low evaluation of viscoelasticity and hardness at the center are obtained when the cooking time is short, resulting in dry noodles.

[0022] (3) Acetic acid-soluble gluten content In this specification, the "acetic acid-soluble gluten content (mass%)" is a value measured and calculated by the following operation steps for the content of gluten dissolved in acetic acid in the shortening agent according to this technology. (i) Put 2 g of the sample into a 100 mL volumetric Erlenmeyer flask. (ii) Add 40 mL of 0.05 N acetic acid to (i) above and shake (25°C, 130 rpm, 60 minutes). (iii) Transfer the contents of the Erlenmeyer flask to a centrifuge tube and centrifuge (5000 rpm, 5 minutes) to separate the upper liquid phase from the lower residue. (iv) The upper layer separated above is filtered by suction using filter paper (Whatman, No. 42) and the filtrate is collected. (v) Add 40 mL of 0.05 N acetic acid to the Erlenmeyer flask described in (ii) above, stir gently to wash away any residue adhering to the flask walls, transfer the contents to a centrifuge tube, and centrifuge (5000 rpm, 5 minutes) to separate the upper liquid phase from the lower residue. (vi) The separated upper liquid phase is filtered by suction using filter paper (Whatman, No. 42), and the recovered filtrate is mixed with the filtrate recovered in (iv) above. (vii) Dilute the filtrate to 100 mL with deionized water. (viii) 25 mL of the filtrate (wheat flour acetic acid extract) recovered in the above procedure and 0.5 g of the sample are subjected to digestion. Digestion is carried out by adding 1 tablet of Kjeldahl analytical digestion accelerator (KJELTABS: manufactured by Foss) and 15 mL of concentrated sulfuric acid, and setting it in a Kjeldahl digester. Specifically, the acetic acid extract of wheat flour is digested by heating from 250°C, increasing by 50°C every 30 minutes until it reaches 420°C, and then heating for 90 minutes after reaching 420°C. The wheat flour is digested by heating at 420°C for 150 minutes. (ix) Add 30 mL of deionized water to each sample obtained by decomposition, and set it in a Kjeldahl distillation titrator (Super Kjel 1500 / 1550, manufactured by Actac Co., Ltd.) to perform distillation and titration. (x) Based on the formula below, the nitrogen content of the acetic acid extract of wheat flour and the wheat flour are determined, and then the acetic acid-soluble protein content (%) is calculated.

[0023]

number

[0024] The shortening agent according to this technology has an acetate-soluble protein content of 5 to 25% by mass. If it is less than 5% by mass, the noodle-making properties may decrease. If it exceeds 25% by mass, the effect of shortening the boiling time decreases. The preferred range for the acetate-soluble protein content is 10 to 24% by mass, more preferably 12 to 23% by mass, even more preferably 14 to 22% by mass, and particularly preferably 15 to 21% by mass.

[0025] (4) Manufacturing example The shortening agent according to this technology contains wheat flour, including wheat flour obtained from durum wheat, as a raw material, and a portion of the protein contained in the raw material is denatured to the aforementioned acetic acid-soluble protein content, and the manufacturing method is not particularly limited as long as it is within the aforementioned particle size range. For example, the method for denaturing a portion of the protein may be heating, and the heating method may be dry heat heating, moist heat heating, or both. Furthermore, as a method for satisfying the aforementioned particle size, the material may be ground using a roll mill, pin mill, air-jet pulverizer, etc. to obtain the desired particle size, or it may be sized using a sieve or classifier, etc., or a combination of these methods may be used. For example, 100 parts by mass of raw material flour, either wheat flour obtained from durum wheat alone or containing other wheat flours as needed, is mixed with 20 to 40 parts by mass, preferably 23 to 35 parts by mass of water, and kneaded to prepare a dough. This dough is then heated at an environment of 30 to 110°C, preferably 50 to 100°C, more preferably 60 to 90°C until the moisture content of the dough reaches 8 to 17% by mass, preferably 9 to 15% by mass, more preferably 10 to 14% by mass. The dried product is then ground and subjected to sieving to obtain the desired product.

[0026] The shortening agent relating to this technology may further have the following characteristic (c). (c) The amount of damaged starch is 20% by mass or less

[0027] (5) Amount of damaged starch In this specification, "amount of damaged starch (mass%)" refers to the value calculated by measuring the starch content in the shortening agent according to the present invention according to AACC Method 76-31. Specifically, using a Starch Damage Assay Kit (MegaZyme), 1 mL of α-amylase solution (derived from Aspergillus oryzae, 50 units / mL), which has been pre-incubated at 40°C for 10 minutes, is added to 100 mg of each sample, stirred, and then treated at 40°C for 10 minutes. Next, 5 mL of citric acid-phosphoric acid aqueous solution (pH 2.5) is added to stop the reaction, and the supernatant is obtained by centrifugation (1000 g, 5 minutes). To 0.1 mL of this supernatant, an amyloglucosidase solution (derived from Aspergillus niger, 2 units / 0.1 mL) is added and treated at 40°C for 20 minutes. The absorbance is then measured at 510 nm, and the amount of glucose produced is calculated from the obtained absorbance to determine the amount of damaged starch contained in the sample.

[0028] The amount of damaged starch in the shortening agent according to this technology is not particularly limited as long as it does not impair the effects of this technology, but is preferably 20% by mass or less, more preferably 4 to 20% by mass, even more preferably 5 to 15% by mass, and even more preferably 5.5 to 12% by mass, and may also be 5.7 to 10.5% by mass or 5.8 to 10% by mass. By setting the amount of damaged starch in the shortening agent according to this technology within the above range, the noodle-making properties are further improved.

[0029] <Composition for noodles> The shortening agent related to this technology can be distributed as a noodle composition together with noodle ingredients, as long as it does not impair the effects of this technology. In other words, it can be distributed as a noodle mix. The noodle ingredients used in the noodle composition according to this technology include wheat flour (strong flour, semi-strong flour, medium flour, weak flour, whole wheat flour), durum wheat flour, rice flour, buckwheat flour, barley flour, rye flour, oat flour, corn flour, millet flour, foxtail millet flour, soybean flour, and white sorghum flour (including those that have been heat-treated); grain starches such as wheat starch, barley starch, rye starch, and oat starch; starches such as corn starch, rice starch, legume starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, tapioca starch, water chestnut starch, chestnut starch, sago starch, yam starch, lotus root starch, arrowhead starch, bracken starch, lily bulb starch, amylomayse starch, and other starches, as well as modified starches that have been physically and / or chemically processed using these starches as raw materials. Other ingredients include: salt and other salts (e.g., sodium chloride, potassium chloride, etc.); yeast food (e.g., inorganic food, organic food, enzyme-based food, etc.); oils and fats (e.g., shortening, lard, margarine, butter, liquid oils (e.g., olive oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, etc.), powdered oils and fats, folded oils and fats, etc.); sugars (e.g., trehalose, glucose, fructose, lactose, sugar, maltose, isomaltose, etc.; sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, maltitol, palatinite, reduced starch syrup; dextrin; oligosaccharides, etc.); dairy products (e.g., milk, powdered milk (including skim milk powder), creams, cheeses, yogurt, etc.) Egg products; thickeners (e.g., polysaccharides such as xanthan gum, guar gum, alginate ester, pectin, tamarind seed gum, carrageenan, locust bean gum, gum arabic, galactomannan, gellan gum; carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, propylene glycol, etc.); leavening agents (e.g., baking soda, ammonium carbonate, baking powder, etc.); emulsifiers (e.g., lecithin, sucrose fatty acid ester, glycerin fatty acid ester, sorbitan fatty acid ester, etc.); enzymes; bread improvers; lye water; seasonings; preservatives; amino acids (e.g., glycine, glutamic acid, etc.); colorings or flavorings, etc. In this technology, the content of the shortening agent in the noodle composition is 4 to 22% by mass per 100% by mass of the powder material used for the noodles, preferably 7 to 21% by mass, more preferably 8 to 18% by mass, and even more preferably 9 to 17% by mass. By setting the content of the shortening agent in the noodle composition to 4 to 22% by mass per 100% by mass of the powder material used for the noodles, dried noodles can be obtained that have a strong natural taste and flavor of wheat flour even with a short boiling time, and are also good in terms of viscoelasticity and hardness of the center. In this invention, "powder material" refers to powdered material (including the shortening agent) used when preparing noodle dough, but materials that are dissolved or dispersed in liquid material such as water and then mixed with other materials (for example, salt in the examples) are not included in the powder material used for the noodles. The amount of the shortening agent in the noodle composition described above is the amount per 100% by mass of the powder material used in the noodles. That is, when preparing noodle dough, if powder material is added to the noodle composition, the amount of the shortening agent in the noodle composition will be higher than the above-mentioned value, as it will be the amount per 100% by mass of the combined powder material contained in the noodle composition and the powder material added during production.

[0030] <Dried Noodles> In this specification, dried noodles refer to dried noodles, including not only the noodles used in Chinese noodles, spaghetti, macaroni and other pasta dishes, but also the noodle wrappers used in wontons and lasagna. These include dried noodles, semi-dried noodles, semi-fresh noodles, and instant noodles, with dried noodles being preferred, semi-dried noodles, semi-fresh noodles, and more preferably dried noodles. In this specification, dried noodles refer to noodles that have been formed from noodle dough into a predetermined shape and then dried to a moisture content of 16% by mass or less, preferably 14.5% by mass or less, and more preferably 14.0% by mass or less. Furthermore, in this specification, dried noodles with a boiling time of 3 minutes or more are preferred, and dried noodles with a boiling time of 4 minutes or more are more preferred, as they are more likely to produce the effects of the present invention. Specific examples of noodles include Chinese noodles, udon, hiyamugi, somen, soba, pasta, macaroni, wonton wrappers, lasagna sheets, or similar products (for example, rice flour pasta made primarily from rice flour, or other products that imitate noodles or noodle wrappers made primarily from grain flours or starches different from conventional noodles). As mentioned above, this technology makes it possible to provide dried noodles that have a strong natural taste and flavor of wheat flour even with a short boiling time, and that are also good in terms of viscoelasticity and hardness in the center.

[0031] Furthermore, in this specification, the term "noodles" encompasses both uncooked noodles and cooked noodles. When preparing cooked noodles, uncooked noodles such as noodle sheets or noodles can be cooked by boiling them in water. There are no particular restrictions on the cooking method of noodles; they can be cooked by boiling, deep-frying, steaming, or using a microwave oven, as long as the noodles are gelatinized until they are edible. In other words, the dried noodles according to the present invention may be noodles that have been dried before cooking, or noodles that have been dried after cooking. Preferably, the noodles are noodles that have been dried before cooking.

[0032] The dried noodles according to this technology are obtained by manufacturing them using the shortening agent or noodle composition according to this technology as part or all of the manufacturing raw materials. In this technology, the noodle dough can be prepared in accordance with the usual method for preparing noodle dough. For example, the noodle dough can be prepared by mixing water, salt, etc., with the noodle composition described above and kneading it. Furthermore, when preparing dough for Chinese noodles, lye water may be added. The amount of water used when preparing noodle dough depends on the type of noodles, but it is generally preferable to use 25 to 50 parts by mass of water per 100 parts by mass of powdered material used for noodles, and more preferably 28 to 48 parts by mass of water. In this mass ratio, the moisture contained in the powdered material is considered to constitute the "powdered material" rather than "water".

[0033] The noodles according to this technology can be manufactured by known noodle-making methods such as rolling, roller-type, and extrusion-type noodle-making. In one embodiment of this technology, noodle dough is rolled to form a noodle sheet of a desired thickness. This rolling is performed by passing the noodle dough through rolling rollers. Next, the noodle sheet is cut into noodle strands using a noodle-making machine or the like, and fresh noodles can be obtained by cutting these strands to a desired length. Alternatively, noodle wrappers can be obtained from the noodle sheet using a die-cutting machine or the like. In one embodiment of this technology, noodle dough may be stretched and twisted to obtain noodle strands, or noodles may be manufactured by extruding the noodle dough through a hole or the like. Generally, noodles such as spaghetti and macaroni are often manufactured by extruding noodle dough. Furthermore, in this technology, noodles may be made using a machine, or they may be made by hand-stretching or hand-kneading without the use of a machine. The dried noodles according to this technology can be obtained by drying fresh noodles, for example, by a humidity-controlled drying method, to produce dried noodles, semi-dried noodles, or semi-fresh noodles, preferably dried noodles with a moisture content of 16% by mass or less. Alternatively, instant noodles can be obtained by steaming or boiling the noodles, then shaping and filling them into individual servings in a frying basket or drying basket, and then frying or drying them with high-temperature hot air.

[0034] <Method for manufacturing dried noodles, method for reducing the cooking time of dried noodles> The method for manufacturing dried noodles according to this technology (hereinafter also simply referred to as "the manufacturing method according to this technology"), or the method for shortening the boiling time of dried noodles according to this technology (hereinafter simply referred to as "the shortening method according to this technology"), includes an addition step of adding the shortening agent according to this technology as described above.

[0035] In the manufacturing method or shortening method relating to this technology, there are no particular limitations on the method or timing of adding the shortening agent relating to this technology described above. For example, based on conventionally adopted cooking methods or modification methods, the shortening agent relating to this technology described above may be added as one of the manufacturing ingredients in place of, or together with, a part of, the manufacturing ingredients used in the production of noodles, or a noodle composition containing the shortening agent relating to this technology may be prepared in advance, and then noodle dough may be prepared using the noodle composition.

[0036] In the addition process, the shortening agent according to this technology is added in an amount of 4 to 22% by mass per 100% by mass of the powder material used for the noodles. Preferably, it is added in an amount of 7 to 21% by mass per 100% by mass of the powder material used for the noodles, more preferably 8 to 18% by mass, and even more preferably 9 to 17% by mass. By adding the shortening agent according to this technology in an amount of 4 to 22% by mass per 100% by mass of the powder material used for the noodles, it is possible to provide dried noodles that have a strong natural taste and flavor of wheat flour even with a short boiling time, and that are also good in terms of viscoelasticity and hardness of the center. Furthermore, from one perspective, the present invention is a method for producing noodles, which includes a step of boiling dried noodles produced using the above-described method for producing dried noodles. [Examples]

[0037] The present technology will be described in more detail below based on the following examples. The examples described below are representative examples of the present technology and should not be interpreted as narrowing the scope of the present technology.

[0038] <Experimental Example 1: Preparation of a cooking time-reducing agent for dried noodles> In Experimental Example 1, as shown in Table 1 below, a cooking time-reducing agent for dried noodles was prepared from different raw material flours. 100 parts by mass of each raw material flour was mixed with 28 parts by mass of water to prepare the dough. The dough was then heated at 80°C until its moisture content reached 13% by mass. The heated dough was then ground using a pin mill under modified conditions to obtain shortening agents 1 to 7. Kingstar (Showa Sangyo Co., Ltd.) was used as the strong flour. North American durum wheat semolina (semolina, Showa Sangyo Co., Ltd.) was used as shortening agent 8. The particle size, acetate-soluble protein content, and damaged starch content of each shortening agent are listed in Table 1 below. The particle size, acetate-soluble protein content, and damaged starch content were measured using the method described above.

[0039] [Table 1]

[0040] <Experimental Example 2: Application to Chinese Noodles and its Evaluation (1)> In Experimental Example 2, as an example of dried noodles, dried Chinese noodles were manufactured and evaluated.

[0041] (1) Manufacturing of dried Chinese noodles Using a horizontal pin mixer, semi-strong flour (Horan, Showa Sangyo Co., Ltd.) and shortening agents 1-8 were mixed in the proportions (parts by mass) shown in Table 2 below to prepare a noodle composition. To 100 parts by mass of this noodle composition, 1 part by mass of salt, 1 part by mass of kansui (alkaline solution), and 35 parts by mass of water were added and mixed, then mixed for 15 minutes to produce noodle dough. The prepared dough was rolled out using a roller noodle-making machine and then cut (cutting blade: square No. 20) to produce fresh noodles (Chinese noodles) with a noodle thickness of 1.5 mm. The produced fresh noodles were hung on rods and placed in a drying room (temperature 25-40°C, humidity 60-70%) and dried for 17 hours to produce dried noodles (Chinese noodles). Dried noodles were boiled in boiling water for the boiling times shown in Table 2 below, and then placed in warm soup ("Soy Sauce Ramen Soup," Soumi Foods Co., Ltd.) to produce Chinese noodles.

[0042] (2) Evaluation A panel of 10 experts evaluated the noodle's noodle-making properties, taste and flavor, viscoelasticity, and core hardness. For noodle-making properties, the evaluation was conducted in two stages based on the following criteria, and the final decision was made by consensus. For taste and flavor, viscoelasticity, and core hardness, the evaluation was conducted in five stages based on the following criteria, and the average score was calculated. Noodle-making properties were evaluated during the production of fresh noodles, while taste and flavor, viscoelasticity, and core hardness were evaluated immediately after boiling dried noodles.

[0043] [Noodle-making properties] 2: No problems with noodle making. 1: The surface of the noodle dough becomes rough (poor noodle-making quality).

[0044] [Taste / Flavor] 5: The natural taste and flavor of the wheat flour are strongly felt, which is very good. 4: The natural taste and flavor of the wheat flour are more noticeable than in noodles boiled for a typical boiling time (reference examples 1, 3, 5, and 7), which is good. 3: The natural taste and flavor of the wheat flour is comparable to noodles obtained by boiling for a typical amount of time (Reference Examples 1, 3, 5, 7), and is moderately good. 2: The natural taste and flavor of the wheat flour is slightly weaker (somewhat inferior) than noodles obtained by boiling for a typical amount of time (Reference Examples 1, 3, 5, 7). 1: The natural taste and flavor of the wheat flour is weaker (inferior) than that of noodles boiled for a typical cooking time (see examples 1, 3, 5, and 7).

[0045] [viscoelasticity] 5: The viscoelasticity is as strong as that of noodles obtained by boiling for a typical boiling time (Reference Examples 1, 3, 5, 7), which is very good. 4: High viscoelasticity, good 3: Viscoelasticity is slightly strong, but moderately good. 2: The viscoelasticity is as weak (slightly inferior) as noodles obtained by boiling for a shorter time than the typical boiling time (Reference Examples 2, 4, 6, 8). 1: The viscoelasticity is weaker (inferior) than that of noodles obtained by boiling for a shorter time than the typical boiling time (Reference Examples 2, 4, 6, 8).

[0046] [Hardness of the center] 5: The firmness in the center is comparable to noodles boiled for a typical boiling time (Reference Examples 1, 3, 5, 7), which is very good. 4: Good, with a moderate firmness in the center. 3: Moderately firm in the center, moderately good. 2: The firmness of the center is about the same as noodles obtained by boiling for a shorter time than the typical boiling time (Reference Examples 2, 4, 6, 8), or the center is slightly softer (slightly less firm). 1: The center is harder than noodles boiled for a shorter time than the typical boiling time (Reference Examples 2, 4, 6, 8), or the center is softer (inferior).

[0047] (3) Results The results are shown in Table 2 below.

[0048] [Table 2]

[0049] (4) Discussion From the results in Table 2 above, Chinese noodles (Examples 1-5) using shortening agents 1-5, which contain wheat flour obtained from durum wheat as a raw material, (a) have 2% or less of particles with a particle size of 735 μm or larger, 25% or more of particles with a particle size of 215 μm or larger, and a central particle size of 100-400 μm, and (b) have an acetate-soluble protein content of 5-25% by mass, had no problems in noodle making, and even with a short boiling time, the natural taste and flavor of the wheat flour were strongly felt, and the viscoelasticity and hardness of the center were also good. On the other hand, Chinese noodles (Comparative Example 1) using shortening agent 6, which has more than 2% of particles with a particle size of 735 μm or larger and a median particle size of more than 400 μm, had problems in noodle making, and although the natural taste and flavor of the wheat flour were strongly felt, the evaluation of viscoelasticity and hardness of the center was low. Chinese noodles (Comparative Example 2) using shortening agent 7, in which less than 25% of particles had a particle size of 215 μm or larger and the central particle size was less than 100 μm, had no problems with noodle-making properties and a strong natural taste and flavor of wheat flour, but the evaluation of viscoelasticity and hardness of the center was low. Chinese noodles (Comparative Example 3) using shortening agent 8, in which the acetate-soluble protein content exceeded 25% by mass, also had no problems with noodle-making properties and a strong natural taste and flavor of wheat flour, but the evaluation of viscoelasticity and hardness of the center was low.

[0050] <Experimental Example 3: Application to Chinese Noodles and its Evaluation (2)> In Experimental Example 3, as an example of noodles, Chinese noodles were manufactured and evaluated, similar to Experimental Example 2.

[0051] (1) Manufacturing of Chinese noodles Chinese noodles were manufactured using the same method as described above, with the materials listed in Table 3 below.

[0052] (2) Evaluation The noodle-making properties, taste and flavor, viscoelasticity, and core hardness of the manufactured Chinese noodles were evaluated using the same method as in Experimental Example 2.

[0053] (3) Results The results are shown in Table 3 below.

[0054] [Table 3]

[0055] (4) Discussion From the results in Table 3 above, the Chinese noodles (Examples 1 and 6-8) to which the shortening agent (shortening agent 1) related to this technology was added in an amount of 4 to 22% by mass per 100% by mass of the powder material used for noodles had no problems in noodle making, and even with a short boiling time, the natural taste and flavor of wheat flour was strongly felt, and the viscoelasticity and hardness of the center were also good. On the other hand, the Chinese noodles (Comparative Example 4) to which the shortening agent (shortening agent 1) related to this technology was added in an amount of 25% by mass per 100% by mass of the powder material used for noodles had no problems in noodle making, and the natural taste and flavor of wheat flour was strongly felt, but the evaluation of viscoelasticity and hardness of the center was low.

[0056] <Experimental Example 4: Application to Udon Noodles and its Evaluation> In Experiment Example 4, udon noodles were produced and evaluated as an example of noodle products.

[0057] (1) Udon noodle production Using a horizontal pin mixer, medium-strength flour (Hokkaido 100, Showa Sangyo) and a shortening agent were mixed in the proportions (parts by mass) shown in Table 4 below to prepare a noodle composition. To 100 parts by mass of this noodle composition, 5 parts by mass of salt and 32 parts by mass of water were added and mixed, then mixed for 15 minutes to produce noodle dough. The prepared dough was rolled out using a roller noodle-making machine and then cut (cutting blade: square No. 10) to produce fresh noodles (udon) with a noodle thickness of 1.6 mm. The fresh noodles were hung on a rod and placed in a drying room (temperature 25-40°C, humidity 60-70%) and dried for 17 hours to produce dried noodles (udon). Dried noodles were boiled in boiling water for the time shown in Table 4 below, cooled in cold water, drained, and then udon noodles were prepared by adding mentsuyu (Kikkoman Corporation) diluted three times with water at the same temperature.

[0058] (2) Evaluation The noodle-making properties, taste and flavor, viscoelasticity, and core hardness of the manufactured udon noodles were evaluated using the same method as in Experimental Example 2.

[0059] (3) Results The results are shown in Table 4 below.

[0060] [Table 4]

[0061] (4) Discussion From the results in Table 4 above, the udon noodles (Example 9) to which the shortening agent related to this technology (shortening agent 1) was added in an amount of 4 to 22% by mass per 100% by mass of the powder material used for noodles had no problems in noodle making, and even with a short boiling time, the natural taste and flavor of the wheat flour were strongly felt, and the viscoelasticity and hardness of the center were also good.

[0062] <Experimental Example 5: Application to Soba Noodles and its Evaluation> In Experiment Example 5, soba noodles were manufactured and evaluated as an example of dried noodles.

[0063] (1) Production of soba Using a horizontal pin mixer, strong flour (Akaneon, Showa Sangyo), buckwheat flour (Kinju (Tsuki), Nikko Seifun Co., Ltd.), and a shortening agent were mixed in the proportions (parts by mass) shown in Table 5 below to prepare a noodle composition. To 100 parts by mass of this noodle composition, 2 parts by mass of salt and 32 parts by mass of water were added and mixed, then mixed for 15 minutes to produce noodle dough. The prepared dough was rolled out using a roller noodle-making machine and then cut (cutting blade: square No. 14) to produce fresh noodles (buckwheat) with a noodle thickness of 1.4 mm. The produced fresh noodles were hung on rods and placed in a drying room (temperature 25-40°C, humidity 60-70%) and dried for 17 hours to produce dried noodles (buckwheat). Dried noodles were boiled in boiling water for the time shown in Table 5 below, cooled in cold water, drained, and then soba noodles were prepared by adding noodle soup (Kikkoman Corporation) diluted three times with water at the same temperature.

[0064] (2) Evaluation The noodle-making properties, taste and flavor, viscoelasticity, and core hardness of the manufactured buckwheat noodles were evaluated using the same method as in Experimental Example 2.

[0065] (3) Results The results are shown in Table 5 below.

[0066] [Table 5]

[0067] (4) Discussion From the results in Table 4 above, the soba noodles (Example 10) to which the shortening agent related to this technology (shortening agent 1) was added in an amount of 4 to 22% by mass per 100% by mass of the powder material used for noodles had no problems in noodle making, and even with a short boiling time, the natural taste and flavor of the wheat flour were strongly felt, and the noodles were also good in terms of viscoelasticity and hardness of the center.

[0068] <Experimental Example 6: Application to Pasta and its Evaluation> In Experiment Example 6, pasta was manufactured and evaluated as an example of dried noodles.

[0069] (1) Pasta production Using a horizontal pin mixer, a noodle composition was prepared by mixing North American durum wheat semolina (semolina, Showa Sangyo Co., Ltd.) and a shortening agent in the proportions (parts by mass) shown in Table 6 below. 26 parts by mass of water were added to 100 parts by mass of this noodle composition and mixed, then mixed for 10 minutes to produce noodle dough. Fresh noodles (pasta) were produced from the dough using an extrusion noodle maker under vacuum conditions of 80 Mkp or higher, with a die of 1.7 mm in diameter. The fresh noodles were dried at 75°C for 8 hours while suspended from a rod to produce dried noodles (pasta).

[0070] (2) Evaluation The noodle-making properties, taste and flavor of the noodles, viscoelasticity, and core hardness of the manufactured pasta were evaluated using the same method as in Experimental Example 2.

[0071] (3) Results The results are shown in Table 6 below.

[0072] [Table 6]

[0073] (4) Discussion From the results in Table 6 above, pasta (Examples 11-14) to which the shortening agent (shortening agent 1) related to this technology was added in an amount of 4-22% by mass per 100% by mass of the powder material used for noodles had no problems in noodle making, and even with a short boiling time, the natural taste and flavor of the wheat flour was strongly felt, and it was also good in terms of viscoelasticity and hardness of the center. On the other hand, pasta (Comparative Example 5) to which the shortening agent (shortening agent 1) related to this technology was added in an amount of 2% by mass per 100% by mass of the grain flour had no problems in noodle making, and the taste and flavor were good, but the evaluation of viscoelasticity and hardness of the center was low. Furthermore, pasta to which the shortening agent (shortening agent 1) related to this technology was added in an amount of 25% by mass per 100% by mass of the powder material used for noodles had no problems in noodle making, and the taste and flavor were good, but the evaluation of viscoelasticity and hardness of the center was low.

Claims

1. A cooking time-reducing agent for dried noodles, having the following characteristics (a) and (b), wherein the raw material contains wheat flour including wheat flour obtained from durum wheat, and a portion of the protein contained in the raw material is denatured. (a) Particles with a diameter of 735 μm or larger make up 2% or less, particles with a diameter of 215 μm or larger make up 25% or more, and the median particle size is 100 to 400 μm, (b) Acetate-soluble protein content of 5 to 25% by mass.

2. A composition for noodles containing the shortening agent described in claim 1.

3. The composition according to claim 2, wherein the shortening agent is contained in an amount of 4 to 22% by mass per 100% by mass of the powder material used for noodles.

4. Dry noodles for shortening boiling time, wherein the shortening agent described in claim 1 is contained in an amount of 4 to 22% by mass per 100% by mass of the powder material used for noodles.

5. A method for producing dried noodles, comprising an addition step of adding a cooking time-reducing agent for dried noodles, which contains wheat flour obtained from durum wheat as a raw material, and in which a portion of the protein contained in the raw material is denatured, in an amount of 4 to 22% by mass per 100% by mass of the powder material used for noodles. (a) Particles with a diameter of 735 μm or larger make up 2% or less, particles with a diameter of 215 μm or larger make up 25% or more, and the median particle size is 100 to 400 μm, (b) Acetate-soluble protein content of 5 to 25% by mass.

6. A method for producing noodles, comprising the step of boiling dried noodles produced using the manufacturing method described in claim 5.

7. A method for shortening the boiling time of dried noodles, comprising an addition step of adding a boiling time shortening agent for dried noodles, which has the following characteristics (a) and (b), and contains wheat flour including wheat flour obtained from durum wheat as a raw material, and a portion of the protein contained in the raw material is denatured, in an amount of 4 to 22% by mass per 100% by mass of the powder material used for noodles. (a) Particles with a diameter of 735 μm or larger make up 2% or less, particles with a diameter of 215 μm or larger make up 25% or more, and the median particle size is 100 to 400 μm, (b) Acetate-soluble protein content of 5 to 25% by mass.

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