Wheat flour composition

Abstract

Provided is a wheat flour composition that is a dry-heat-treated product of a mixture containing wheat flour and DE 5-20 of dextrin. Additionally provided is a batter for deep-fried food products that contains the wheat flour composition. Further provided is a method for producing deep-fried food products using the batter for deep-fried food products.

Description

flour composition

[0001] The present invention relates to a flour composition and its use in coatings for fried foods.

[0002] Many coating materials for deep-fried foods contain wheat flour as a main ingredient. Wheat flour compositions with improved properties suitable for use as coating materials have been provided. Patent Document 1 describes that granulated wheat flour having a specific particle size obtained by granulating a raw flour containing wheat flour and water under non-heating conditions is easy to handle with minimal clumping or scattering of flour, and is suitable as a cooking ingredient such as a coating material for deep-fried foods. Patent Document 2 describes that a wheat flour composition having a specific viscosity obtained by heat-treating raw wheat flour has good dispersibility in water and good workability, and can provide deep-fried foods with a coating that has a crispy texture. Patent Document 3 describes that deep-fried foods with a good coating texture can be produced by using wheat flour having a specific degree of gelatinization and viscosity obtained by pulverizing moist heat-treated wheat flour. Patent Document 4 describes a granular powder obtained by subjecting wheat flour and dextrin to a wet heat treatment, and also describes that when this granular powder is used as a coating material for deep-fried foods, it adheres well to the food ingredients, does not scatter dust, is easy to handle, and produces deep-fried foods with a crispy coating and juicy ingredients.

[0003] JP 2014-200208 A International Publication No. WO2017 / 135353 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-067675 A International Publication No. WO2013 / 039049 A

[0004] The coating material attached to the ingredients hardens during frying to form the coating for deep-fried foods. However, this hardening of the coating makes the coating more likely to peel off from the ingredients after frying. Therefore, deep-fried coating materials are required to have improved adhesion to the ingredients, i.e., the property of not peeling off from the ingredients after hardening during frying to form the coating. For example, the granular powder described in Patent Document 4 mentioned above has improved adhesion to the ingredients during coating, but its adhesion to the ingredients after frying is insufficient.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a wheat flour material for a coating material for deep-fried foods that has good binding properties with ingredients and a good texture.

[0006] The present inventors have discovered that a coating material for deep-fried foods containing a wheat flour composition obtained by dry-heating a mixture of wheat flour and dextrin can form a coating for deep-fried foods that has good adhesion to ingredients and a good texture.

[0007] The present invention provides the following as representative embodiments. [1] A flour composition which is a dry-heat-treated product of a mixture containing wheat flour and a dextrin having a DE of 5 to 20. [2] The flour composition according to [1], wherein the dry-heating is heating the mixture at a temperature of 120 to 160°C for 5 to 240 minutes without adding water. [3] The flour composition according to [1] or [2], wherein the mass ratio of wheat flour to dextrin in the mixture is 30:70 to 95:5. [4] The flour composition according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the water content of the mixture is 14% by mass or less. [5] The flour composition according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the average particle size is 5 to 50 μm. [6] A method for producing a flour composition, comprising dry-heating a mixture containing wheat flour and a dextrin having a DE of 5 to 20. [7] The method according to [6], wherein the dry-heating comprises heating the mixture at a temperature of 120 to 160°C for 5 to 240 minutes without adding water. [8] The method according to [6] or [7], wherein the mass ratio of wheat flour to dextrin in the mixture is 30:70 to 95:5. [9] The method according to any one of [6] to [8], wherein the water content of the mixture is 14 mass% or less.

[10] The method according to any one of [6] to [9], comprising adjusting the average particle size of the wheat flour composition to 5 to 50 μm.

[11] A coating material for deep-fried foods comprising the wheat flour composition according to any one of [1] to [5].

[12] A method for producing deep-fried foods, comprising: applying the coating material for deep-fried foods according to

[11] to ingredients; and frying the ingredients with the coating material applied thereto.

[13] Use of the wheat flour composition according to any one of [1] to [5] as a coating material for deep-fried foods.

[14] Use of the wheat flour composition according to any one of [1] to [5] in the production of a coating material for deep-fried foods.

[0008] The wheat flour composition of the present invention is suitable for use as a coating material for deep-fried foods. A coating material for deep-fried foods containing the wheat flour composition of the present invention forms a coating for deep-fried foods that has good binding properties with ingredients and is difficult to peel off from the ingredients. Furthermore, by using a coating material for deep-fried foods containing the wheat flour composition of the present invention, deep-fried foods can be produced having a coating that is crispy and crumbly in texture.

[0009] The flour composition of the present invention is produced by dry heating a mixture containing wheat flour and dextrin having a dextrose equivalent (DE) of 5 to 20.

[0010] The starting wheat flour for the wheat flour composition of the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be wheat flour milled from edible wheat grains by a conventional method. Examples of the starting wheat flour include hard wheat flour, semi-hard wheat flour, medium-strength wheat flour, weak wheat flour, durum wheat flour, semolina flour, and whole wheat flour, and any one or a combination of two or more of these may be used. Of these, weak wheat flour is preferred as the starting wheat flour. Preferably, the starting wheat flour is unmodified wheat flour that has not been subjected to any modification treatment (e.g., heat treatment, enzyme treatment, ultraviolet treatment, granulation treatment, etc.) after milling.

[0011] The dextrin used in the wheat flour composition of the present invention can be prepared by known methods, such as chemically or enzymatically depolymerizing raw starch. Examples of such raw starch include starches from tapioca, potato, wheat, corn, waxy corn, etc., or mixtures thereof. Any one of these starches or a combination of two or more thereof can be used. The dextrin used in the present invention may have a dextrose equivalent (DE) of 5 to 20, preferably 7 to 18, and more preferably 8 to 15. If the DE of the dextrin is less than 5 or exceeds 20, the peeling of the coating of deep-fried foods produced using the resulting wheat flour composition is not sufficiently improved. Furthermore, if the DE value of the dextrin is less than 5, the texture of the coating of deep-fried foods tends to be sticky, while if the DE value of the dextrin is greater than 20, the coating of deep-fried foods tends to have a hard texture. By adjusting the molecular weight reduction treatment of the raw starch, a dextrin with a desired DE can be prepared. Alternatively, commercially available dextrin having the desired DE can be purchased.

[0012] The raw wheat flour and dextrin are mixed, and the resulting mixture is used to produce the wheat flour composition of the present invention. Both the wheat flour and dextrin are in powder form at room temperature and normal pressure. They are mixed to prepare a uniform mixture. The mixture may consist of the raw wheat flour and dextrin, or may contain other ingredients. The mass ratio of wheat flour to dextrin (wheat flour:dextrin) in the mixture is preferably 30:70 to 95:5, more preferably 50:50 to 95:5, even more preferably 70:30 to 95:5, even more preferably 75:25 to 93:7, and even more preferably 80:20 to 90:10.

[0013] The flour composition of the present invention can be produced by dry-heating the mixture containing wheat flour and dextrin. Dry heating refers to a heating method that does not use water as a heating medium, such as a heating method using air, solids, or radiant heat as a heating medium. More specific examples of dry heating include heating using heated air as a heating medium, heating using heated metal as a heating medium, and heating using radiant heat from heated stones as a heating medium. Dry heating also includes composite heating using multiple heating media, such as heating using an oven or an agitator-type heating and drying device (e.g., a paddle dryer manufactured by Nara Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd.). For example, heating using an oven is a composite heating method using the atmosphere inside the oven as a heating medium, heating using the bottom of the oven as a heating medium, and heating using radiant heat from the oven wall as a heating medium. Heating using an agitator-type heating and drying device is a composite heating method using a stirring blade (e.g., a paddle) and the wall of the agitator tank, or even heated air as a heating medium.

[0014] The heating temperature in the dry heating, as the temperature of the heating medium, is preferably 120 to 160°C, more preferably 125 to 155°C, and even more preferably 129 to 149°C. If the heating temperature is too low, the heating time required to obtain a wheat flour composition having the desired effects may be too long. On the other hand, if the heating temperature is too high, the wheat flour composition may discolor or carbonize due to caramelization or Maillard reaction. The heating time in the dry heating can be adjusted depending on the type of heating medium, heating temperature, and state of the product. For example, the heating time is preferably adjusted so that the obtained wheat flour composition does not discolor or carbonize due to caramelization or Maillard reaction. The heating time in the dry heating is preferably 5 to 240 minutes, more preferably 10 to 200 minutes, and even more preferably 15 to 150 minutes.

[0015] The moisture content of the mixture subjected to dry heating is preferably 14% by mass or less, more preferably 12% by mass or less, and even more preferably 10% by mass or less, as measured by the bone dry method. Furthermore, during dry heating, no water is added to the mixture, except for the amount inevitably absorbed from atmospheric moisture. If the moisture content of the mixture is too high, or if water is added to the mixture, the moisture evaporates during heating, causing a drop in the product temperature of the mixture, making it difficult to obtain a wheat flour composition having the desired effects.

[0016] The heat-treated product obtained by the dry heating may be cooled as appropriate. The heat-treated product obtained is the wheat flour composition of the present invention. The wheat flour composition of the present invention is in powder form at room temperature and normal pressure, just like the raw materials, and is therefore easy to handle. For example, the wheat flour composition of the present invention can be stored in a container or the like as needed, and can be taken out of the container and used as needed. Note that, since wheat flour granulation is unlikely to occur during the dry heating process as described above, the wheat flour composition of the present invention is not substantially granulated wheat flour.

[0017] The wheat flour composition of the present invention preferably has an average particle size in the range of 5 to 50 μm, as this provides excellent handleability and reduces variation in effects. The average particle size is more preferably 15 to 47 μm, and even more preferably 25 to 45 μm. The average particle size of the wheat flour composition can be adjusted using a classifier such as a sieve after the dry heating. In this specification, "average particle size" refers to the cumulative 50% particle size (D50) on a volume basis when measured in a dry state using a laser diffraction / scattering particle size distribution analyzer (e.g., the "Particle Size Distribution Analyzer MT3000II" manufactured by Microtrac-Bell Corporation).

[0018] The flour composition of the present invention is used as an ingredient for a coating material for deep-fried foods. A coating material for deep-fried foods containing the flour composition of the present invention can provide a coating for deep-fried foods that has good binding properties with ingredients and a good texture. Therefore, the present invention also provides a coating material for deep-fried foods containing the flour composition of the present invention. The coating material for deep-fried foods of the present invention (hereinafter also simply referred to as "coating material") may consist essentially of the flour composition of the present invention, or may be a composition containing the flour composition of the present invention and other ingredients. The coating material of the present invention is preferably in powder form. The content of the flour composition of the present invention in the coating material is preferably 10% by mass or more, more preferably 20% by mass or more, and even more preferably 50% by mass or more, of the total mass of the coating material.

[0019] Examples of other ingredients that can be used in the coating material of the present invention include, but are not limited to, flours other than the wheat flour composition of the present invention; starches; whole egg flour and egg white flour; oils and fats; sugars such as starch syrup and sugar alcohols; salts; seasonings; leavening agents; emulsifiers; thickeners; enzymes. Examples of wheat flours other than the wheat flour composition of the present invention include wheat flours other than the wheat flour composition of the present invention, barley flour, rye flour, rice flour, corn flour, sorghum flour, and soy flour. Examples of starches include unmodified starches such as potato starch, tapioca starch, corn starch, waxy corn starch, and wheat starch, as well as modified starches (gelatinized starch, etherified starch, esterified starch, acetylated starch, cross-linked starch, etc.). The coating material of the present invention can contain one or more of the above-listed other ingredients depending on the type of fried food to be produced using the coating material. The content of the other ingredients in the coating material of the present invention is the remainder of the wheat flour composition of the present invention contained in the coating material, i.e., preferably 90% by mass or less, more preferably 80% by mass or less, and even more preferably 50% by mass or less.

[0020] In the production of fried foods using the coating material of the present invention, the coating material of the present invention is attached to ingredients to produce a fried food material. In this case, the coating material of the present invention can be used as is in powder form or prepared into a batter. Examples of powder coating materials include blenders such as dusting flour and fried chicken flour. Examples of batters include batters for tempura, batters for deep-frying, and batters for breaded fried foods.

[0021] In one embodiment, the coating material of the present invention is used as a coating material between an ingredient and other coating materials. Examples of coating materials used in this manner include flour for dusting and batter for deep-fried breaded foods. When the coating material of the present invention is present between an ingredient and other coating materials, the adhesive properties of the coating material of the present invention make it difficult for the other coating materials to peel off from the ingredient, and the resulting deep-fried food has a good texture.

[0022] In one embodiment, when the coating material of the present invention is used as a dusting powder, the powdered coating material is attached to ingredients by a normal procedure such as dusting. Then, other blenders or a batter liquid are attached to the coating material to produce a deep-fried food material. In another embodiment, when the coating material of the present invention is used as a batter liquid, 100 to 200 parts by mass, preferably 120 to 150 parts by mass, of a liquid component are added to 100 parts by mass of the powdered coating material and mixed to prepare a batter liquid. The liquid component can be water, egg liquid, or the like. The obtained batter liquid is attached to ingredients by, for example, coating them with the ingredients to produce a deep-fried food material.

[0023] The ingredients to which the coating material of the present invention is applied are not particularly limited and include, for example, various food ingredients such as meats such as chicken, pork, beef, lamb, and goat; seafood such as squid, shrimp, fish, and shellfish; vegetables; and imitation meats such as soy meat. If necessary, the ingredients may be seasoned before the coating material of the present invention is applied.

[0024] The deep-fried food material coated with the coating material of the present invention may be fried immediately, or may be refrigerated or frozen as necessary. Deep-fried food is produced by frying the deep-fried food material. The deep-fried food may be produced by a conventional method depending on the type of deep-fried food to be produced. Deep-fried food produced using the coating material of the present invention is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include breaded fries such as cutlets, tempura, fried chicken, and the like.

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

[0026] Test Example 1 1) Production of Wheat Flour Composition (Production Example 1-1) Raw wheat flour (soft flour: moisture content 12% by mass) and dextrin (DE = 12: moisture content 12% by mass) were mixed in the amounts shown in Table 1 and mixed well. 1000 g of the resulting mixture was placed in a paddle dryer (NARA Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd.) and heat-treated at 140 ° C. for 120 minutes without adding water. The mixture was then removed from the paddle dryer and cooled to a product temperature of 25 ° C. to produce a wheat flour composition. The average particle size (volume-based D50) of the resulting wheat flour composition was measured in a dry state using a particle size distribution measuring device MT3000II (Microtrac Bell Co., Ltd.).

[0027] (Production Example 1-2) A wheat flour composition was produced in the same manner as in Production Example 1-1, except that hard wheat flour was used as the raw wheat flour.

[0028] Comparative Examples 1-1 to 1-3: Wheat flour compositions were produced in the same manner as in Production Example 1-1, except that 10% by mass of water was added to 100% by mass of a mixture of raw wheat flour and dextrin, and the mixture was heated. The resulting wheat flour composition was separated using a sieve into three fractions with average particle sizes of 40 μm (Comparative Example 1-1), 80 μm (Comparative Example 1-2), and 180 μm (Comparative Example 1-3).

[0029] Comparative Example 1-4 Raw material wheat flour and dextrin were separately heat-treated in the same manner as in Production Example 1-1. The heat-treated raw material wheat flour and the heat-treated dextrin were mixed in the amounts shown in Table 1 to produce a wheat flour composition.

[0030] Reference Example 1 Only the raw material wheat flour was heat-treated in the same manner as in Production Example 1-1.

[0031] Reference Example 2 The raw material wheat flour of Production Example 1-1 and dextrin were mixed well in the amounts shown in Table 1. The resulting mixture was used as a wheat flour composition.

[0032] 2) Production of Pork Cutlets A batter was prepared by mixing 30 parts by weight of the wheat flour composition prepared in 1), 10 parts by weight of whole eggs, and 45 parts by weight of cold water. 40 g of the batter prepared above was applied to the entire surface of a pork loin (120 g slice, 1 cm thick), followed by breadcrumbs and frying in salad oil heated to 175°C for 4 minutes to produce pork cutlets. The produced pork cutlets were stored at room temperature (approximately 25°C) for 1 hour. After storage, the pork cutlets were cut into pieces with a knife and evaluated for coating peeling (adhesion). The texture of the coating of the pork cutlets after storage was also evaluated. Evaluation was performed by 10 expert panelists according to the following evaluation criteria, and the average score of the 10 panelists was calculated. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0033] <Evaluation criteria> (Batter peeling: adhesion) 5 points: When deep-fried food is cut with a knife, the batter does not peel off at all, very good. 4 points: When deep-fried food is cut with a knife, the batter floats slightly but does not peel off at all, good. 3 points: When deep-fried food is cut with a knife, the batter peels off in an area equivalent to less than 10% of the circumference of the cut surface, but the adhesion is acceptable. 2 points: When deep-fried food is cut with a knife, the batter peels off in an area equivalent to more than 10% but not more than 40% of the circumference of the cut surface, poor. 1 point: When deep-fried food is cut with a knife, the batter peels off in an area equivalent to more than 40% of the circumference of the cut surface, very poor. (Batter texture) 5 points: Crispy and very brittle, very good. 4 points: Crispy and good. 3 points: Slightly lacking in crispiness, but not dissatisfying. 2 points: Slightly sticky or slightly hard, brittle to the teeth, lacking in crispiness, poor; 1 point: Very sticky or very hard, not brittle to the teeth, extremely poor.

[0034]

[0035] Test Example 2 Wheat flour compositions were produced in the same manner as in Production Example 1-1, except that the DE value of the dextrin used was changed as shown in Table 2. Pork cutlets were produced using the produced wheat flour compositions in the same manner as in Test Example 1, and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 2.

[0036]

[0037] Test Example 3 Wheat flour compositions were produced in the same manner as in Production Example 1-1, except that the blending amounts of raw wheat flour and dextrin were changed as shown in Table 3. Pork cutlets were produced using the produced wheat flour compositions in the same manner as in Test Example 1, and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0038]

[0039] Test Example 4 A wheat flour composition was produced in the same manner as in Production Example 1-1, except that the heat treatment conditions were changed as shown in Table 4. Pork cutlets were produced and evaluated using the produced wheat flour composition in the same manner as in Test Example 1. The results are shown in Table 4.

[0040]

[0041] Test Example 5 Fried squid was produced using the wheat flour composition produced in Test Example 1 (Production Example 1-1 and Comparative Examples 1-1 to 1-3). The squid body was cut into rings approximately 1 cm wide and thoroughly wiped dry. The wheat flour composition was sprinkled onto the squid fillets in an amount of 10 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of squid. A batter was prepared by mixing 100 parts by weight of soft flour and 150 parts by weight of water. The batter was applied to the squid coated with the wheat flour composition and deep-fried in salad oil heated to 170°C for 2 minutes to produce fried squid. The fried squid was cooled to approximately 60°C and evaluated. Evaluation was performed by 10 expert panelists according to the following evaluation criteria, and the average score of the 10 panelists was calculated. The results are shown in Table 5.

[0042] (Batter peeling: adhesion) 5 points: No peeling of the batter at all, the batter is attached to the entire ingredient, very good. 4 points: There are some cracks in the batter, but the batter is attached to the entire ingredient, good. 3 points: There are some cracks in the batter or it is floating away from the ingredient, but it is within the acceptable range. 2 points: There are some parts where the batter has peeled off, exposing the ingredients, poor. 1 point: There are some parts where the batter has peeled off, exposing the ingredients, very poor. (Batter texture) 5 points: Not sticky, very crispy, very good. 4 points: There is a slight stickiness, but there is a crispness, good. 3 points: There is a stickiness, but it is within the acceptable range. 2 points: There is a stickiness, the crispness is not enough, poor. 1 point: There is a strong stickiness, and there is almost no crispness, very poor.

[0043]

Claims

1. A wheat flour composition which is a dry heat-treated mixture containing wheat flour and a dextrin having a DE of 5 to 20.

2. The flour composition according to claim 1, wherein the dry heating is performed by heating the mixture without adding water at a temperature of 120 to 160°C for 5 to 240 minutes.

3. The flour composition according to claim 1, wherein the mass ratio of flour to dextrin in the mixture is 30:70 to 95:

5.

4. The flour composition according to claim 1, wherein the moisture content of the mixture is 14% by mass or less.

5. The wheat flour composition according to claim 1, having an average particle size of 5 to 50 μm.

6. A method for producing a flour composition, comprising dry-heating a mixture containing wheat flour and a dextrin having a DE of 5 to 20.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said dry heating comprises heating said mixture without added water at a temperature of 120-160°C for 5-240 minutes.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the mass ratio of wheat flour to dextrin in the mixture is 30:70 to 95:

5.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the water content of the mixture is 14% by weight or less.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising adjusting the average particle size of the wheat flour composition to 5 to 50 μm.

11. A coating material for deep-fried foods containing the wheat flour composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

12. A method for producing fried foods, comprising: applying the batter described in claim 11 to ingredients; and frying the ingredients with the batter applied thereto.

13. Use of the wheat flour composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5 as a coating material for deep-fried foods.

14. Use of the flour composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5 in the production of a coating material for deep-fried foods.

Images