Leavening agents for starch-containing foods, methods for improving the leavening properties of starch-containing foods, starch-containing foods and their manufacturing methods.

Abstract

This invention provides a loosening agent for starch-containing foods with good looseness. Additionally, it provides a method for improving the looseness of starch-containing foods and a method for manufacturing starch-containing foods with good looseness. Specifically, it provides a loosening agent for starch-containing foods, which is used as an emulsion or as an emulsion after adding water. The loosening agent comprises an oil composition containing oils and an emulsifier, and thickening polysaccharides. The emulsion has a viscosity of 50 mPa·s to 10000 mPa·s (25°C).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a loosening agent for starch-containing foods, a method for improving the looseness of starch-containing foods, and a method for manufacturing starch-containing foods. [Previous Technology]

[0002] While buckwheat noodles, udon noodles, Chinese noodles, and pasta are cooked before consumption, many are distributed so that they can be eaten directly without special heating. However, these types of noodles are prone to problems such as noodles sticking together during distribution or storage. To improve these problems, the following operation is performed: applying oil to prevent the noodles from sticking together and improve their looseness.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a dough loosening improver, which has lecithin and diglyceride fatty acid esters as essential components and contains emulsifiers such as polyglyceride fatty acid esters. In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses an oil composition for dough loosening improver containing lecithin and polyglyceride fatty acid esters.

[0004] These components possess a certain degree of surface looseness, but in cases where a large amount of moisture is present on the surface, their adhesion to the surface is poor, and sometimes they cannot fully exert their looseness. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-035024 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-221033 [Summary of the Invention]

[0006] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention] One object of the present invention is to provide a leavening agent for starch-containing foods with good leavening properties. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for improving the leavening properties of starch-containing foods, and a method for manufacturing starch-containing foods with good leavening properties. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0007] The inventors conducted intensive research and discovered that by using a loosening agent containing specific ingredients of starchy food as an emulsion with a specific viscosity, good loosening properties are achieved, thereby solving the aforementioned problem and completing the present invention.

[0008] That is, the present invention provides the following [1] to

[15] . [1] A starch-containing food loosening agent, used as an emulsion or as an emulsion after adding water, said starch-containing food loosening agent comprising an oil composition containing oil and emulsifier, and thickening polysaccharides, said emulsion having a viscosity of 50 mPa·s to 10000 mPa·s (25°C). [2] The starch-containing food loosening agent as described in [1], wherein the oil content in the oil composition is 20% to 99.5% by mass, the emulsifier content in the oil composition is 0.5% to 80% by mass, and the hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance (HLB) of the emulsifier is 2 to 10. [3] The starch-containing food loosening agent as described in [1] or [2], wherein the emulsifier is one or more selected from glycerol mono-fatty acid esters, polyglycerol fatty acid esters, polyglycerol condensed castor oil esters, organic acid monoglycerides, dehydrated sorbitol fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, polysorbate esters, propylene glycol fatty acid esters, and lecithin. [4] The starch-containing food loosening agent as described in any one of [1] to [3], wherein, regarding the content of the oil composition, diglycerol mono-fatty acid esters and / or triglycerides are 10% to 60% by mass, and one or more emulsifiers selected from polyglycerol fatty acid esters with an average degree of polymerization of 4 or more, organic acid monoglycerides, propylene glycol fatty acid esters, and lecithin are 0% to 40% by mass. [5] The starch-containing food loosening agent as described in any one of [1] to [4], wherein the thickening polysaccharide is one or more selected from xanthan gum and galactomannan. [6] The starch-containing food loosening agent as described in any one of [1] to [5], wherein the mass ratio of the oil component to the thickening polysaccharide in the starch-containing food loosening agent is oil component: thickening polysaccharide = 300:1 to 3:1, and / or the thickening polysaccharide in the emulsion is 0.01% to 2.5% by mass. [7] The starch-containing food loosening agent as described in any one of [1] to [6], wherein at least 30% by mass of the fatty acids constituting the oil component are linear saturated fatty acids with 8 to 10 carbon atoms, and at least 60% by mass of the fatty acids constituting the emulsifier in the oil component are unsaturated fatty acids. [8] The starch-containing food loosening agent as described in any one of [1] to [7] further comprises more than 0% by mass and less than 99.8% by mass of water. [9] The starch-containing food loosening agent as described in [8] is in the form of an emulsion having a viscosity of 50 mPa·s to 10000 mPa·s (25°C).

[10] A starch-containing food with improved bulkiness, comprising the starch-containing food and a bulking agent for starch-containing food as described in any one of [1] to [9] applied to the surface of the starch-containing food.

[11] A method for improving the bulkiness of a starch-containing food, comprising: emulsifying an oil composition containing oil and an emulsifier with a thickening polysaccharide to obtain an emulsion having a viscosity of 50 mPa·s to 10000 mPa·s (25°C); and applying the emulsion to the starch-containing food.

[12] The method for improving the bulkiness of a starch-containing food as described in

[11] , wherein the oil content in the oil composition is 20% to 99.5% by mass, the emulsifier content in the oil composition is 0.5% to 80% by mass, and the HLB of the emulsifier is 2 to 10.

[13] The method for improving the looseness of starch-containing foods as described in

[11] or

[12] , wherein, regarding the content of the oil composition, diglyceride mono-fatty acid ester and / or triglyceride mono-fatty acid ester is 10% to 60% by mass, and one or more emulsifiers selected from polyglycerol fatty acid esters with an average degree of polymerization of 4 or more, organic acid monoglycerides, propylene glycol fatty acid esters and lecithin are 0% to 40% by mass.

[14] The method for improving the looseness of starch-containing foods as described in any one of

[11] to

[13] , wherein the thickening polysaccharide is one or more selected from xanthan gum and galactomannan, the mass ratio of the oil composition to the thickening polysaccharide is oil composition: thickening polysaccharide = 300:1 to 3:1, and / or the thickening polysaccharide in the emulsion is 0.01% to 2.5% by mass.

[15] A method for manufacturing a starch-containing food with improved looseness, comprising the step of obtaining the starch-containing food by means of the looseness-improving method of any one of

[11] to

[14] . [Effects of the invention].

[0009] According to the present invention, the looseness of starch-containing foods can be improved.

Implementation Method

[0010] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail. Furthermore, in embodiments of the present invention, A (numerical value) to B (numerical value) means A or more and B or less. Additionally, the preferred or more preferred embodiments illustrated below can be appropriately combined with each other regardless of the expression "preferred" or "more preferred". Furthermore, the description of numerical ranges is illustrative, and ranges that appropriately combine the upper and lower limits of each range with the numerical values ​​of the embodiments can also be used. Furthermore, terms such as "containing" or "comprising" can be replaced with "essentially" or "only containing".

[0011] [Starch-containing food loosening agent] The starch-containing food loosening agent of the present invention is used in the form of an emulsion or as an emulsion after emulsification. When used after emulsification, the starch-containing food loosening agent is mixed with water to form an emulsion. Furthermore, the emulsion is not particularly limited, and examples include oil-in-water (O / W) emulsions, water-in-oil (W / O) emulsions, or water-in-oil-in-water (W / O / W) emulsions, etc., with oil-in-water emulsions being preferred.

[0012] The starch-containing food loosening agent of the present invention comprises an oil composition containing oil and an emulsifier, and a thickening polysaccharide. By containing the thickening polysaccharide, the starch-containing food loosening agent of the present invention exhibits a higher viscosity emulsion compared to loosening agents without the thickening polysaccharide. This increased viscosity improves the looseness of starch-containing foods. However, if the viscosity is too high, the workability or coating properties of starch-containing foods deteriorate. Therefore, the starch-containing food loosening agent of the present invention is preferably an emulsion with a viscosity of 50 mPa·s to 10000 mPa·s (25°C), or preferably an emulsion obtained by adding water to the starch-containing food loosening agent has a viscosity of 50 mPa·s to 10000 mPa·s (25°C). Furthermore, the starch-containing food loosening agent before adding water can be substantially anhydrous (aqueous phase) or an emulsion containing water. Adding water emulsifies and / or dilutes the product. Therefore, a starch-containing food leavening agent that is essentially anhydrous is transformed into an emulsion by adding water. The starch-containing food leavening agent in its emulsified state is diluted by adding water, and the viscosity of the emulsion decreases. Furthermore, the starch-containing food leavening agent is preferably an emulsion with a viscosity of 100 mPa·s to 9000 mPa·s (25°C), or an emulsion obtained by adding water to a starch-containing food leavening agent with a viscosity of 100 mPa·s to 9000 mPa·s (25°C). More preferably, the starch-containing food leavening agent is an emulsion with a viscosity of 250 mPa·s to 1000 mPa·s (25°C), or an emulsion obtained by adding water to a starch-containing food leavening agent with a viscosity of 250 mPa·s to 1000 mPa·s (25°C). The starch-containing food loosening agent is preferably an emulsion with a viscosity of 400 mPa·s to 1000 mPa·s (25°C), or an emulsion obtained by adding water to the starch-containing food loosening agent has a viscosity of 400 mPa·s to 1000 mPa·s (25°C).

[0013] Furthermore, in this invention, viscosity can be measured according to the benchmark oil analysis test method (2.2.10.5-2013 Viscosity (Brookfield method)) established by the Japan Oil Chemistry Society. For example, the viscosity measured one minute after the start of spin-up can be used.

[0014] <Fats and Oils> The starch-containing food leavening agent of the present invention comprises a fat and oil composition, wherein the fat and oil composition contains fat and oil. As fat and oil, animal and vegetable fats, fats and oils synthesized from glycerol and fatty acids, fractionated fats and oils thereof, transesterified oils, hydrogenated oils, etc., can be used alone or in combination. Examples of animal and vegetable fats and oils include soybean oil, rapeseed oil, high-oleic rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, high-oleic sunflower oil, olive oil, safflower oil, high-oleic safflower oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, rice bran oil, sesame oil, perilla oil, flaxseed oil, peanut oil, grapeseed oil, tallow, milk fat, fish oil, coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, etc. Examples of fats and oils synthesized from glycerol and fatty acids include fats and oils containing straight-chain saturated fatty acids with 6 to 12 carbon atoms, preferably 8 to 10 carbon atoms, such as medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) with 8 to 10 carbon atoms. Examples of fractionated oils include palm olein, palm super olein, palm stearin, and palm mid fraction. Examples of transesterified oils include transesterified oils of palm oil or palm oil fractions with other liquid oils, or transesterified oils of MCT with vegetable oils. Hydrogenated oils include hydrogenated oils of animal and vegetable oils, hydrogenated oils of animal and vegetable oil fractions, and hydrogenated transesterified oils.

[0015] Regarding the oils used in this invention, oils that lose fluidity at room temperature (25°C ± 5°C) require heating to dissolve when applied (coated) to starch-containing foods. Therefore, oils that are fluid at 30°C are preferred. Even if a portion of the raw oil is solid at 30°C, it can still be used as long as the oil as a whole remains fluid, by combining it with other raw oils. Oils that are fluid at 20°C are more preferred, and even more preferably, oils that are liquid at 20°C are preferred. In particular, oils that are liquid with low melting points but also have good oxidative stability are preferred, such as oils containing straight-chain saturated fatty acids with 6 to 12 carbons, preferably 8 to 10 carbons, rapeseed oil, palm oil, olive oil, and mixtures thereof. In particular, oils whose constituent fatty acids are 30% by mass or more of straight-chain saturated fatty acids with 8 to 10 carbons are preferred, as they provide good bulkiness for starch-containing foods. More preferably, the fat is composed of fats in which 50% to 100% by mass of straight-chain saturated fatty acids having 8 to 10 carbon atoms, and even more preferably, fats are composed of fats in which 80% to 100% by mass of straight-chain saturated fatty acids having 8 to 10 carbon atoms. Examples of straight-chain saturated fatty acids having 8 to 10 carbon atoms include caprylic acid and capric acid.

[0016] The starch-containing food loosening agent of the present invention preferably contains 20% to 99.5% by mass of oil in the oil composition (100% by mass). When the starch-containing food loosening agent of the present invention is used as an emulsifier or after adding water, and the oil composition contains 20% to 99.5% by mass of oil, sufficient emulsification can be achieved as long as it is the amount of the emulsifier described later. Furthermore, by containing oil within the aforementioned range, together with the emulsifier and thickening polysaccharides described later, a range suitable for the looseness of starch-containing foods is achieved. The amount of oil in the oil composition is preferably 20% to 99% by mass, more preferably 20% to 80% by mass, further preferably 30% to 70% by mass, further preferably 40% to 60% by mass, and most preferably 45% to 55% by mass.

[0017] <Emulsifier> The starch-containing food loosening agent of the present invention contains an emulsifier in the oil composition. As an emulsifier, one or more selected from glycerol mono-fatty acid esters, polyglycerol fatty acid esters, polyglycerol condensed castor oil esters, organic acid mono-glycerol esters, dehydrated sorbitol fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, polysorbate esters, propylene glycol fatty acid esters, and lecithin can be used.

[0018] To improve the looseness, the HLB of the emulsifier is preferably 2 to 10. In this invention, multiple emulsifiers are permissible, but the HLB refers to the total HLB of all contained emulsifiers. Furthermore, emulsifiers with an HLB of 2 to 10 also possess emulsifying properties, and emulsions can be prepared using these emulsifiers in this invention. In particular, for efficient emulsification, the HLB of the emulsifier is preferably 3 to 10, more preferably 6 to 10, and even more preferably 6 to 8.

[0019] HLB is an abbreviation for Hydrophilic-Hydrophobic Balance, an indicator of whether an emulsifier is hydrophilic or lipophilic, and therefore takes a value of 0 to 20. The smaller the HLB value, the stronger the lipophilicity. In this invention, the HLB value is calculated using a spectral method. The spectral method refers to the method of calculating the HLB value based on HLB = 20 × (1 - S / A), where S is the saponification value and A is the neutralization value of the fatty acids in the ester. In the calculation method, the HLB value is calculated as an arithmetic mean. For example, when an emulsifier with an HLB of 2 and an HLB of 4 are contained in a 1:1 (mass ratio) emulsifier ratio, the overall HLB of the emulsifier is 3.

[0020] In this invention, the starch-containing food leavening agent preferably contains 0.5% to 80% by mass of an emulsifier in the oil composition (100% by mass). If within the range described, it can be fully emulsified together with the oil. The emulsifier content is preferably 1% to 80% by mass or 10% to 80% by mass in the oil composition, more preferably 10% to 60% by mass, further preferably 20% to 55% by mass, further preferably 30% to 50% by mass, and most preferably 35% to 45% by mass in the oil composition.

[0021] To prevent solidification at low temperatures, the emulsifier contained in the oil composition preferably comprises at least 60% by mass of unsaturated fatty acids. More preferably, 70% to 100% by mass of the emulsifier's constituent fatty acids are unsaturated fatty acids, and even more preferably, 80% to 98% by mass of the emulsifier's constituent fatty acids are unsaturated fatty acids. Furthermore, the unsaturated fatty acids can be, for example, straight-chain unsaturated fatty acids with 16 to 22 carbon atoms, preferably 18 to 22 carbon atoms, and even more preferably 18 to 20 carbon atoms. As unsaturated fatty acids, it is preferable to select one or more unsaturated fatty acids selected from oleic acid, linolenic acid, alpha-linolenic acid, and erucic acid. In particular, it is preferable that 65% to 90% by mass of the constituent fatty acids are oleic acid. Fatty acids other than the unsaturated fatty acids in the emulsifier are saturated fatty acids. As a saturated fatty acid, it is preferably a straight-chain saturated fatty acid with 6 to 22 carbon atoms, more preferably a straight-chain saturated fatty acid with 16 to 22 carbon atoms, and even more preferably a straight-chain saturated fatty acid with 18 to 20 carbon atoms. It is even more preferably to use one or more of palmitic acid, stearic acid, and benzolic acid.

[0022] The preferred emulsifiers used are diglycerides and / or triglycerides. These emulsifiers not only have high dispersion but also excellent oil emulsification properties. Therefore, these emulsifiers can be used alone or in combination with other emulsifiers. For example, diglycerides can be diglycerides produced by esterifying diglycerides with fatty acids. The diglycerides and / or triglycerides are preferably substances whose purity is increased by distilling the reactants, but substances containing diesters or triesters as impurities can also be used.

[0023] In this invention, the starch-containing food leavening agent preferably contains 10% to 60% by mass of diglycerides and / or triglycerides in the oil composition. If the amount of diglycerides and / or triglycerides is 10% by mass or more, sufficient emulsification can be achieved. Furthermore, by limiting this amount to below 60% by mass, there is room for the formulation of other emulsifiers, and synergistic effects with other emulsifiers can be expected. The content of diglycerides and / or triglycerides is more preferably 20% to 55% by mass in the oil composition, more preferably 30% to 50% by mass, and even more preferably 35% to 45% by mass. A particularly preferred diglyceride is diglyceride monooleate.

[0024] In this invention, the starch-containing food leavening agent is preferably one or more emulsifiers selected from polyglycerol fatty acid esters with an average degree of polymerization of 4 or more, organic acid monoglycerides, propylene glycol fatty acid esters, and lecithin. Although these emulsifiers can be used alone, by using them simultaneously with the diglyceride monoglyceride and / or triglyceride monoglyceride, the leavening effect is further improved. The content of one or more emulsifiers selected from polyglycerol fatty acid esters with an average degree of polymerization of 4 or more, organic acid monoglycerides, propylene glycol fatty acid esters, and lecithin in the oil composition is preferably 0% to 40% by mass or more than 0% by mass and less than 40% by mass, more preferably 5% to 30% by mass, more preferably 5% to 20% by mass, and more preferably 5% to 15% by mass.

[0025] Polyglycerol fatty acid esters with an average degree of polymerization of 4 or higher are synthesized by esterification of polyglycerol and fatty acids. Polyglycerol used as a raw material for polyglycerol fatty acid esters is generally obtained by dehydration condensation of glycerol at high temperature in the presence of an alkaline catalyst such as caustic soda, followed by distillation, deodorization, and decolorization as needed. The polyglycerol used as a raw material for these polyglycerol fatty acid esters is also called reactive polyglycerol, which is a mixture of polyglycerols with different degrees of polymerization and a wide degree of polymerization distribution. Generally, polyglycerol fatty acid esters with a degree of polymerization of 4 or higher are difficult to separate, therefore mixtures of polyglycerol fatty acid esters with various degrees of polymerization are permissible.

[0026] In this invention, the average degree of polymerization (percentage) represents the degree of polymerization of the polyglycerol constituting the polyglycerol fatty acid ester. Furthermore, the average degree of polymerization mentioned herein refers to a value calculated based on the hydroxyl value of the polyglycerol used as a raw material for the polyglycerol fatty acid ester. For example, the average degree of polymerization (n) can be derived from the following formulas (Formula 1) and (Formula 2). (Formula 1) Molecular weight = 74 × n + 18 (Formula 2) Hydroxyl value = 56110 × (n + 2) / Molecular weight

[0027] Moreover, the average degree of polymerization of general polyglycerol, determined by the determination of the hydroxyl valence using end-group analysis, is marketed as tetraglycerol (average degree of polymerization of 4), hexaglycerol (average degree of polymerization of 6), decaglycerol (average degree of polymerization of 10), etc. Therefore, the average degree of polymerization is a calculated value, and sometimes represents a value that differs from the actual degree of polymerization.

[0028] The average degree of polymerization of the polyglycerol portion of the polyglycerol fatty acid ester is preferably 4 to 12, more preferably 4 to 10, and particularly preferably 4 to 7. Pentaglycerol trioleate, decaglycerol pentaoleate, and polyglycerol condensed ricinoleate are especially preferred.

[0029] The organic acid constituting the organic acid monoglyceride is not particularly limited, and citric acid, succinic acid, acetic acid, tartaric acid, and butyric acid are preferred. Citric acid is particularly preferred because it has been observed to have a high loosening effect. Citric acid monooleate and succinic acid monooleate are especially preferred.

[0030] Propylene glycol fatty acid esters are obtained by esterifying propylene glycol with fatty acids, and HLB values ​​of 2-10 or 3-10 are preferred.

[0031] The lecithin can be egg yolk lecithin or plant-derived lecithin, preferably plant-derived lecithin. As a raw material for plant-derived lecithin, the following can be used: crude oil obtained by pressing and / or extracting oilseeds such as soybeans, rapeseed, corn, sunflower, safflower, sesame, and flaxseed; oil residue obtained by blowing water or steam into the crude oil to form a precipitate; crude lecithin obtained by drying the separated oil residue; lecithin obtained by removing neutral oil components from the crude lecithin using known methods such as solvent fractionation; and concentrated or high-purity lecithin obtained by concentrating / grading specific phospholipids from the mixed lecithin. Furthermore, in this invention, regarding the suppression of coloring, lecithin obtained by desaccharifying the raw material is preferred.

[0032] Furthermore, in this invention, regarding lecithin in emulsifiers, acetone-insoluble matter determined by the "Standard Oil Analysis Test Method 4.3.1-2013 Acetone Insoluble Matter" established by the Japan Oil Chemistry Society can also be used as lecithin. However, the aforementioned determination method is not suitable for determining acetone-insoluble matter of 5% by mass or less. Therefore, the phosphorus content can be determined and converted to obtain the lecithin content. For example, for starch-containing food loosening agents containing phosphorus, the phosphorus content can be quantified by luminescence spectrophotometry (ICP luminescence analyzer) using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) as the light source. Since the atomic weight of phosphorus is approximately 1:25 to the molecular weight of lecithin, the phosphorus content can also be calculated by setting it to 25 times.

[0033] <Thickening Polysaccharides> The starch-containing food loosening agent of the present invention contains thickening polysaccharides. Thickening polysaccharides refer to water-soluble polymers that increase viscosity or gel when dissolved in water. Examples include xanthan gum, galactomannan, tamarind gum, carrageenan, agar, pectin, gum arabic, pullulan, and soybean polysaccharides. One or more of these thickening polysaccharides may be used. Preferably, one or more are selected from xanthan gum and galactomannan. Additionally, guar gum or locust bean gum are preferred as galactomannan.

[0034] In this invention, the starch-containing food loosening agent is used as an emulsion or, after adding water, as an emulsion. By increasing the viscosity of the emulsion, it improves the looseness of the starch-containing food. Therefore, in this invention, it is suitable to formulate thickening polysaccharides. The preferred mass ratio of the oil component to the thickening polysaccharide in the starch-containing food loosening agent is oil component: thickening polysaccharide = 300:1 to 3:1. The preferred content of the thickening polysaccharide in the emulsion is 0.01% to 2.5% by mass. If the mass ratio of the oil component to the thickening polysaccharide and / or the content of the thickening polysaccharide are within these ranges, a certain increase in the viscosity of the emulsion can be expected, thereby improving the looseness of the starch-containing food. The preferred mass ratio of fat components to thickening polysaccharides in starch-containing food leavening agents is fat components:thickening polysaccharides = 200:1 to 3:1, more preferably fat components:thickening polysaccharides = 160:1 to 3:1. The content of thickening polysaccharides in the emulsion (100% by mass) is preferably 0.05% to 2.0% by mass, and even more preferably 0.1% to 1.0% by mass.

[0035] <Other Ingredients> The starch-containing food leavening agent of the present invention may also contain water. The water content in the starch-containing food leavening agent (100% by mass) is preferably 0% to 99.8% by mass, or more than 0% by mass but less than 99.8% by mass. When the starch-containing food leavening agent is an emulsion, the water content is preferably 50% to 99.8% by mass, more preferably 85% to 99.5% by mass.

[0036] In addition to the aforementioned ingredients, the starch-containing food loosening agent of the present invention may also use raw materials commonly formulated in starch-containing food loosening agents. Specifically, for example, ethanol, pH adjusters, flavoring agents, colorings, fragrances, antioxidants, sugars, sugar alcohols, stabilizers, emulsifiers, etc. may be used. The amount of these ingredients may be set to any amount as long as it does not impair the effect of the present invention. For example, it may contain less than 10% by mass in the starch-containing food loosening agent (100% by mass), preferably 0% to 3% by mass or more than 0% by mass and less than 3% by mass, more preferably 0% to 1% by mass or more than 0% by mass and less than 1% by mass.

[0037] [Emulsion of Starch-Containing Food Spreader] The starch-containing food spreader is used in practical spreader applications as an emulsion, either in its emulsion form or by adding water to form an emulsion. In this sense, unemulsified starch-containing food spreaders with viscosity outside the range of 50 mPa·s to 10000 mPa·s (25°C) can be considered intermediates of starch-containing food spreaders in emulsion form. Emulsions with a specific high viscosity are produced by utilizing thickening polysaccharides, thereby improving the spreadability of starch-containing foods. However, if the viscosity is too high, workability or the coating properties of starch-containing foods deteriorate. Therefore, the viscosity of the starch-containing food spreader emulsion of the present invention can be adjusted by adjusting the water content. As an emulsion-like leavening agent for starchy foods, a suitable viscosity is, for example, 50 mPa·s to 10000 mPa·s (25°C), more preferably 250 mPa·s to 1000 mPa·s (25°C), even more preferably 400 mPa·s to 1000 mPa·s (25°C), and particularly preferably 400 mPa·s to 1000 mPa·s (25°C). Furthermore, the definition or preferred form of the emulsion is as described above.

[0038] [Starch-containing foods] The starch-containing food loosening agent of the present invention is used in starch-containing foods. Examples of starch-containing foods include processed foods made by mixing raw materials, primarily wheat flour, buckwheat flour, rice flour, potato starch, kudzu starch, millet flour, konjac flour, and cassava flour, with water. Examples of starch-containing foods include: noodles such as buckwheat noodles, udon noodles, thin noodles, cold noodles, Chinese noodles, rice noodles, cold noodles, and long Italian pasta; processed products other than noodles such as dough balls, macaroni, short Italian pasta, dumpling wrappers, and spring roll wrappers; and rice dishes such as rice, fried rice, curry rice, and rice bowls. The starch-containing food loosening agent, in the form of an emulsion with a viscosity of 50 mPa·s to 10000 mPa·s (25°C), is applied to these starch-containing foods and can provide starch-containing foods with improved looseness after coating. The amount of starch-containing food loosening agent applied (coating) relative to 100 parts by weight of starch-containing food is preferably 0.1 to 7 parts by weight in the form of an emulsion, more preferably 0.2 to 5.0 parts by weight. When applying the starch-containing food loosening agent of the present invention to starch-containing food, the emulsion form of the starch-containing food loosening agent can be applied to the starch-containing food shortly after cooking in hot water at around 90°C to 100°C, or after cooling the cooked starch-containing food to room temperature (25°C ± 5°C).

[0039] [Method for Improving the Looseness of Starch-Containing Foods] The method for improving the looseness of starch-containing foods of the present invention uses the aforementioned loosening agent for starch-containing foods and applies (coats) it to starch-containing foods. Specifically, it is a method for improving the looseness of starch-containing foods comprising the steps of emulsifying an oil composition containing oil and an emulsifier with a thickening polysaccharide and any amount of water to obtain an emulsion having a viscosity of 50 mPa·s to 10000 mPa·s (25°C), and applying (coating) the emulsion to the starch-containing food. Furthermore, in the method for improving the looseness of starch-containing foods of the present invention, an emulsion can be applied (coated) to the starch-containing food, wherein the emulsion is an emulsion whose viscosity is reduced to 50 mPa·s to 10000 mPa·s (25°C) by adding water after emulsification to obtain an emulsion having a viscosity exceeding 50 mPa·s (25°C) through mixing.

[0040] The starch-containing food loosening agent used in the method for improving the looseness of starch-containing food of the present invention, and the details of the obtained starch-containing food are as described above. The method of applying (coating) the starch-containing food to the starch-containing food loosening agent is not particularly limited, and methods such as impregnation, spraying, and mixing are included. By improving the looseness in this way, the adhesion problem of starch-containing food during distribution or storage is improved, and a starch-containing food with improved looseness can be provided where steps such as soaking the starch-containing food in water for loosening are not required when consuming it, and the steps are not connected, allowing for easy separation.

[0041] [Method for Manufacturing Starch-Containing Food with Improved Looseness] The method for manufacturing starch-containing food with improved looseness of the present invention includes the step of obtaining the starch-containing food by the method for improving the looseness of the starch-containing food. Specifically, the method for manufacturing starch-containing food with improved looseness includes: emulsifying an oil composition containing oil and an emulsifier with a thickening polysaccharide to obtain an emulsion having a viscosity of 50 mPa·s to 10000 mPa·s (25°C); and applying the emulsion to the surface of the starch-containing food, preferably, to obtain the starch-containing food with improved looseness. Detailed definitions or preferred forms of the terms are as described above. [Examples]

[0042] Next, embodiments, comparative examples, and reference examples will be given to describe the present invention in more detail, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments in any way. Furthermore, hereinafter, "%" means mass percentage unless otherwise specified.

[0043] [Oil and Fat Compositions] Oil and fat compositions 1 to 11 are obtained by mixing oil and fat with emulsifier according to Tables 1 to 3. The raw materials used are as described below. MCT (Comprising caprylic and capric acids, medium-chain triglycerides: manufactured by Nisshin Oillio Group Co., Ltd.) Rapeseed oil (refined rapeseed oil, trade name "NISSIN CANOLA OIL": manufactured by Nisshin Oillio Group Co., Ltd.) Diglyceride monooleate (manufactured by Riken Vitamin Co., Ltd., trade name "POEM DO-100V": HLB 7.3) Citric acid monooleate (manufactured by Sun Chemical Co., Ltd., trade name "SUNSOFT No. 623M": HLB 7) Pentaglyceride trioleate (manufactured by Sun Chemical Co., Ltd., trade name "SUNSOFT A-173E": HLB 7) Crude lecithin (manufactured by Nisshin Oillio Group Co., Ltd., phospholipid content 65% by mass) Propylene glycol oleate (manufactured by Riken Vitamin Co., Ltd.) Vitamin Co., Ltd. (trade name "RIKEMAL PO-100V": HLB 3.6) Decaglyceryl pentaoleate (trade name "SUNSOFT Q-175S": HLB 7) Polyglycerol condensed ricinoleate (trade name "SUNSOFT No. 818H": HLB approx. 2) Glyceryl monooleate succinate (trade name "SUNSOFT 683CB": HLB 8.5)

[0044] [Table 1] Oil and fat composition 1 2 3 grease MCT [quality%] 50 50 50 rapeseed oil [quality%] emulsifier Diglyceride monooleate [quality%] 50 40 40 Glyceryl monooleate citrate [quality%] 10 Pentaglycerides [quality%] Crude lecithin [quality%] Propylene glycol oleate [quality%] 10

[0045] [Table 2] Oil and fat composition 4 5 6 7 grease MCT [quality%] 50 20 50 rapeseed oil [quality%] 30 50 emulsifier Diglyceride monooleate [quality%] 45 40 40 40 Glyceryl monooleate citrate [quality%] 10 10 Pentaglycerides [quality%] 5 Crude lecithin [quality%] 10 Propylene glycol oleate [quality%]

[0046] [Table 3] Oil and fat composition 8 9 10 11 grease rapeseed oil [quality%] 98 98 98 olive oil [quality%] emulsifier Diglyceride monooleate [quality%] 1 decaglycerol pentaoleate [quality%] 2 1 1 Polyglycerol condensed ricinoleate [quality%] 1 1 Succinate monooleate [quality%] 1

[0047] [Loosening Agent (Starch-containing Food Loosening Agent) 1 to Loosening Agent (Starch-containing Food Loosening Agent) 29] Loosening agents are prepared according to the formulations in Tables 4 to 11. Furthermore, loosening agents 2 and 3 are emulsions prepared by mixing oil components and water. Loosening agent 4 is prepared by adding a thickening polysaccharide (xanthan gum) to water and mixing. Loosening agents 5 to 29 are emulsions (oil-in-water emulsions) prepared by adding a thickening polysaccharide (xanthan gum or guar gum) to an oil component, then adding water and mixing. The thickening polysaccharides used are as follows: Xanthan gum (manufactured by Sun Chemical Co., Ltd., trade name "NEOSOFT XR") Guar gum (Unitec Foods Co., Ltd., trade name "VIDOGUM GHK 175")

[0048] [Viscosity] The viscosity of each loosening agent at 25°C was measured using a Brookfield viscometer (BM type viscometer, manufactured by Toki Industrial Co., Ltd. under the trade name "VISCOMETER TVB-15") one minute after the start of rotation.

[0049] [Flour Looseness] Commercially available udon noodles (manufactured by Tabel Mark Co., Ltd., trade name "TOPVALU BESTPRICE Sanuki udon") were boiled in hot water at 100°C for 1 minute. The boiled noodles were cut into lengths of 3 cm to 4 cm. A loosening agent was added to the cut noodles and mixed, with 3 g of loosening agent attached to 100 g of cut noodles (3 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of noodles). The noodles with the loosening agent were placed in a container with an opening of 10 cm × 10 cm and a depth of 2.6 cm and stored at 10°C for 24 hours. After storage, the container was placed at a height of 1 m above a stainless steel surface, and the noodles were dropped from the container onto the stainless steel surface. The maximum distance (maximum diameter) of the dispersed noodles on the stainless steel surface was measured. The value obtained by subtracting the maximum distance of the noodles in Reference Example 1 from the maximum distance of the noodles in each sample was taken as the looseness of the noodles. Looseness of the surface (cm) = (maximum distance of the surface of the sample) - (maximum distance of the surface of Example 1) The larger the value, the wider the dispersion of the surface and the better the looseness.

[0050] [Table 4] Reference Example 1 Comparative Example 1 Comparative Example 2 Comparative Example 3 loosening agent formulation Loosening agent 1 Loosening agent 2 Loosening agent 3 Loosening agent 4 Oil and fat composition 3 [quality%] 6.7 Oil and fat composition 4 [quality%] 6.7 Xanthan Gum [quality%] 0.3 water [quality%] 100 93.3 93.3 99.7 Viscosity [mPa·s] (Rotation speed No., rpm) 2.1 (M1, 60) 26.7 (M1, 30) 25.4 (M1, 30) 250 (M2, 30) Looseness of the surface (cm) 0.0 1.8 1.5 0.1

[0051] [Table 5] Example 1 Example 2 loosening agent formulation Loosening agent 5 Loosening agent 6 Oil and fat composition 1 [quality%] 6.7 Oil and fat composition 2 [quality%] 6.7 Xanthan Gum [quality%] 0.3 0.3 water [quality%] 93.0 93.0 Viscosity [mPa·s] (Rotation speed No., rpm) 1008 (M2, 12) 975 (M2, 12) Looseness of the surface (cm) 5.3 6.1

[0052] [Table 6] Example 3 Example 4 Example 5 Example 6 loosening agent formulation Loosening agent 7 Loosening agent 8 Loosening agent 9 Loosening agent 10 Oil and fat composition 3 [quality%] 6.70 6.7 6.7 6.7 Xanthan Gum [quality%] 0.05 0.1 0.2 0.5 water [quality%] 93.25 93.2 93.1 92.8 Viscosity [mPa·s] (Rotation speed No., rpm) 104 (M2, 12) 280 (M2, 12) 560 (M2, 12) 1561 (M2, 12) Looseness of the surface (cm) 5.3 7.9 10.0 5.5

[0053] [Table 7] Example 7 Example 8 loosening agent formulation Loosening agent 11 Loosening agent 12 Oil and fat composition 3 [quality%] 6.7 6.7 Xanthan Gum [quality%] 1.0 2.0 water [quality%] 93.25 93.2 Viscosity [mPa·s] (Rotation speed No., rpm) 3450 (M3, 12) 8500 (M4, 12) Looseness of the surface (cm) 5.2 4.1

[0054] [Table 8] Example 9 Example 10 Example 11 Example 12 loosening agent formulation Loosening agent 14 Loosening agent 15 Loosening agent 16 Loosening agent 17 Oil and fat composition 3 [quality%] 0.5 1.0 2.0 3.0 Xanthan Gum [quality%] 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 water [quality%] 99.3 98.8 97.8 96.8 Viscosity [mPa·s] (Rotation speed No., rpm) 87 (M2, 12) 88 (M2, 12) 517 (M2, 12) 664 (M2, 12) Looseness of the surface (cm) 3.3 3.9 6.1 3.5

[0055] [Table 9] Example 13 Example 14 Example 15 Example 16 loosening agent formulation Loosening agent 18 Loosening agent 19 Loosening agent 20 Loosening agent 21 Oil and fat composition 3 [quality%] 5.0 8.0 10.0 20.0 Xanthan Gum [quality%] 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 water [quality%] 94.8 91.8 89.8 78.8 Viscosity [mPa·s] (Rotation speed No., rpm) 636 (M2, 12) 807 (M2, 12) 902 (M2, 12) 670 (M2, 12) Looseness of the surface (cm) 6.8 7.2 10.2 6.5

[0056] [Table 10] Example 17 Example 18 Example 19 Example 20 loosening agent formulation Loosening agent 22 Loosening agent 23 Loosening agent 24 Loosening agent 25 Oil and fat composition 3 [quality%] 6.7 Oil and fat composition 5 [quality%] 6.7 Oil and fat composition 6 Oil and fat composition 7 [quality%] [quality%] 6.7 6.7 Guar gum [quality%] 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 water [quality%] 93.0 93.0 93.0 93.1 Viscosity [mPa·s] (Rotation speed No., rpm) 56.2 (M2, 12) 728 (M2, 12) 635 (M2, 12) 612 (M2, 12) Looseness of the surface (cm) 3.1 5.5 8.5 2.9

[0057] [Table 11] Example 21 Example 22 Example 23 Example 24 loosening agent formulation Loosening agent 26 Loosening agent 27 Loosening agent 28 Loosening agent 29 Oil and fat composition 8 [quality%] 7.0 Oil and fat composition 9 [quality%] 7.0 Oil and fat composition 10 Oil and fat composition 11 [quality%] [quality%] 7.0 7.0 Xanthan Gum [quality%] 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 water [quality%] 92.5 92.5 92.5 92.5 Viscosity [mPa·s] (Rotation speed No., rpm) 1575 (M2, 12) 1574 (M2, 12) 1513 (M2, 12) 1572 (M2, 12) Looseness of the surface (cm) 5.9 7.8 8.5 5.3

[0058] Compared with Reference Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3, Examples 1 to 24 all have good looseness.

Claims

1. A starch-containing food loosening agent, used as an emulsion or, after adding water, as an emulsion, wherein the starch-containing food loosening agent comprises an oil composition containing oil and an emulsifier, thickening polysaccharides, and 85% to 99.8% by mass of water, the emulsion having a viscosity of 50 mPa·s to 10000 mPa·s (25°C), the oil content in the oil composition being 20% ​​to 99.5% by mass, the emulsifier content in the oil composition being 0.5% to 80% by mass, and the hydrophilicity-hydrophobicity balance of the emulsifier being 2 to 10.

2. The starch-containing food leavening agent as described in claim 1, wherein, The emulsifier is selected from one or more of the following: glycerol mono-fatty acid esters, polyglycerol fatty acid esters, polyglycerol condensed castor oil esters, organic acid mono-glycerol esters, dehydrated sorbitol fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, polysorbate esters, propylene glycol fatty acid esters, and lecithin.

3. The starch-containing food leavening agent as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, Regarding the content of the oil composition, the content of at least one of diglyceride monofatty acid esters and triglyceride monofatty acid esters is 10% to 60% by mass, and the content of one or more emulsifiers selected from polyglycerol fatty acid esters with an average degree of polymerization of 4 or more, organic acid monoglycerides, propylene glycol fatty acid esters and lecithin is 0% to 40% by mass.

4. The starch-containing food leavening agent as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The thickening polysaccharides are selected from one or more of xanthan gum and galactomannan.

5. The starch-containing food leavening agent as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The mass ratio of the oil component to the thickening polysaccharide in the starch-containing food loosening agent is oil component: thickening polysaccharide = 300:1 to 3:1, and / or the thickening polysaccharide in the emulsion is 0.01% to 2.5% by mass.

6. The starch-containing food leavening agent as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The fatty acids constituting the oil composition comprise at least 30% by mass of straight-chain saturated fatty acids having 8 to 10 carbon atoms, and the fatty acids constituting the emulsifier in the oil composition comprise at least 60% by mass of unsaturated fatty acids.

7. The starch-containing food loosening agent as claimed in claim 1 or 2, which is in the form of an emulsion having a viscosity of 50 mPa·s to 10000 mPa·s (25°C).

8. A starch-containing food with improved looseness, comprising the starch-containing food and a loosening agent for starch-containing food as described in any one of claims 1 to 7 applied to the surface of said starch-containing food.

9. A method for improving the bulkiness of starch-containing foods, comprising: The steps are as follows: emulsifying an oily composition containing oil and emulsifier, thickening polysaccharides, and 85% to 99.8% by mass of water together to obtain an emulsion having a viscosity of 50 mPa·s to 10,000 mPa·s (25°C); and applying the emulsion to a starch-containing food, wherein the oily composition contains 20% to 99.5% by mass of oil, the emulsifier in the oily composition contains 0.5% to 80% by mass of emulsifier, and the hydrophilicity-hydrophobicity balance of the emulsifier is 2 to 10.

10. The method for improving the looseness of starch-containing foods as described in claim 9, wherein, Regarding the content of the oil composition, the content of at least one of diglyceride monofatty acid esters and triglyceride monofatty acid esters is 10% to 60% by mass, and the content of one or more emulsifiers selected from polyglycerol fatty acid esters with an average degree of polymerization of 4 or more, organic acid monoglycerides, propylene glycol fatty acid esters and lecithin is 0% to 40% by mass.

11. The method for improving the looseness of starch-containing foods as described in claim 9 or 10, wherein, The thickening polysaccharide is selected from one or more of xanthan gum and galactomannan, and the mass ratio of the oil component to the thickening polysaccharide is oil component: thickening polysaccharide = 300:1 to 3:1, and / or the thickening polysaccharide in the emulsion is 0.01% to 2.5% by mass.

12. A method for manufacturing a starch-containing food with improved bulkiness, comprising the step of obtaining the starch-containing food by means of a method for improving the bulkiness of a starch-containing food as described in any one of claims 9 to 11.