Rice Cake Texture Stability via Water Content Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rice cakes harden over time due to starch retrogradation, which affects their texture and storage longevity, and existing methods often rely on additives to prevent this, limiting their shelf life and consumer acceptance.
Innovation Solution
A method of producing rice cakes that controls water content, flour content, cooling time, and punching time to minimize hardness, using a process involving immersion, grinding, steaming, cooling, and adding flour to maintain a non-hardened texture without additives.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If conventional rice cake production methods are used, then the rice cake is produced quickly, but it hardens after a predetermined time period due to starch retrogradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the water content parameter to a specific range of 22-35% in the rice flour mixture. This parameter change prevents starch retrogradation by controlling the moisture level, thereby maintaining texture stability during storage without requiring additives.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary actions during the production process including specific grinding operations, steaming conditions, and cooling procedures that pre-condition the rice cake structure to resist retrogradation. These preliminary actions establish a stable molecular arrangement that prevents hardening during storage.
2Stability of the object's composition
If additives are used to suppress retrogradation, then the rice cake maintains soft texture longer, but food additives must be used which limits consumer acceptance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the rice cake to maintain its own texture stability through self-service mechanisms. By optimizing the water content and production parameters, the rice cake structure itself resists retrogradation without requiring external additives. The system uses its own composition to prevent hardening.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates the need for food additives by focusing on the intrinsic properties of rice flour and water. By removing additives from the system and relying solely on natural rice components with optimized parameters, the solution achieves texture stability without harmful factors.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If water content is increased to prevent hardening, then the rice cake remains soft longer, but excessive water may affect production efficiency and storage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes water content to a specific range of 22-35%, which is high enough to prevent retrogradation and maintain softness during storage, but controlled enough to avoid excessive moisture that would compromise production efficiency and storage stability. This precise parameter control balances both requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method results in rice cakes that retain a soft, springy texture for a longer period, enhancing consumer acceptance and enabling mass production and distribution with extended storage capabilities, while avoiding the use of food additives.
Implementation Method 1
Rice can be categorized as non-glutinous rice and glutinous rice according to transparency, and non-glutinous rice is transparent and glutinous rice is milky and non-transparent. Starch, which is a major component of rice, consists of amylose and amylopectin which are polysaccharides.
Implementation Method 2
Retrogradation of starch refers to local formation of a crystal structure by combination of starch molecules through a hydrogen bond when gelatinized starch is left at room temperature for a long period of time. Due to the formation of hydrogen bond in starch, water present in starch is released out and thus, a product is hardened.
Implementation Method 3
immersing grains in water and removing the water therefrom; (b) grinding the grains from which water is removed, adding water thereto
Data Source
AI summary
A method of producing a rice cake that becomes not hardened for a long time period, a rice cake produced by using the method, and a processed food produced by processing the rice cake are provided. The method includes: (a) immersing grains in water and removing the water therefrom; (b) grinding the grains from which water is removed, adding water thereto, and then grinding the grains to which water is added; (c) steaming the ground grains; and (d) cooling the steamed grains, adding flour thereto, and then punching the resultant product. The rice cake has a long storage time and is suitable for a long-term distribution. The rice cake preserves its soft texture for a long time period and is thus appropriate for consumers' acceptability.