EP0049874B1 - Method for the hydrothermal activation of bread cereals - Google Patents

Abstract

1. A process for the hydrothermal activation of cereal for breadmaking, the entire grains of cereal being moistened so that the cereal germ and the outer edge layers of the grain have a water content of approximately 40 weight percent, then kept in a moist state for conditioning at a temperature of from 10 degrees C to below 20 degrees C for more than two hours, then dried back to a total water content of at most 20 weight percent, characterised in that the conditioning time is more than 9 hours.

Description

The invention relates to a method for hydrothermally activating cereal used for bread production, in which the whole cereal grains are moistened to a water content of the seedling and the outer grain surface layers of approx. 40% by weight, in the moist state then for conditioning for more than two hours in one Temperature between 10 ° C and below 20 ° C and finally dried back to a total water content of at most 20 wt .-%.

It is known that the full value and mass fraction of the cereal constituents can be made accessible to nutrition in an improved manner by hydrothermal activation before the cereal grains are processed. The procedure is such that the cereal grains are first carefully cleaned, moistened and then subjected to thermal conditioning in the moist state. This conditioning leads to an activation of the cereal metabolism, which should lead to natural vitaminization, in general to the biological quality increase of the cereal, a natural enrichment of important amino acids as well as an overall positive change in the vitamin and mineral distribution of the cereal for human nutrition (DE -OS 2 420 910; DE-OS 1692752). In general, in the known processes for activating the grain constituents, it is assumed that the hydrothermal conditioning must take place at temperatures which are significantly above room temperature, conditioning temperatures of 25 to 35 ° C. or 20 to 30 ° C. being regarded as particularly preferred.

It has been shown that the conventional activation processes (Schäfer, W., Altrogge, L., "Science and Practice of Grain Conditioning", Detmold: Moritz Schäfer 1960) can be achieved using the conditioning temperatures of above 25 ° C. which are considered to be optimal Degree of activation is still unsatisfactory.

For improved activation of the grain ingredients 19868 EP-A-proposes the published between the priority date and the filing date prior to perform the conditioning of the type mentioned above, more than two hours at a temperature between 10 ° C and 20 ⁰ C, where the EP -A-19 868 in particular teaches to use a conditioning time of two to nine hours.

The method according to EP-A-19868 has proven itself in principle, but it has been shown that there is a need for a further improvement in the baking properties and the taste acceptance of the bread to be produced.

The invention is therefore based on the object of developing the method according to EP-A-19 868 in such a way that the baking properties of the activated grain and the taste acceptance of the bread to be produced therewith are further improved.

According to the invention, this object is achieved in the generic method in that the conditioning time is more than nine hours. Particularly preferred embodiments of the invention result from the subclaims.

The invention is based on the surprising finding that it is possible to further improve the baking properties and the taste acceptance in that, in contrast to the teaching of EP-A-19 868, it is not conditioning times of two to nine hours but rather those of more than nine hours will. It has been found that the feared effect of an excessive enzyme activation with a very long conditioning time, as claimed according to the invention, does not occur under the conditions of cold storage, but on the other hand the activation achieved remains constant and, due to the time effect, further positive changes in the Formation of so-called precursors for flavorings and generally improves the baking properties significantly.

• Fig. 1 ein Amylogramm eines Vergleichsversuches;
• Fig. 2 ein Amylogramm eines Versuches mit einer Konditionierungszeit von 24 Stunden;
• Fig. 3 ein Amylogramm eines Versuches mit einer Konditionierungszeit von 48 Stunden; und
• Fig. 4 ein Amylogramm eines Versuches mit einer Konditionierungszeit von 72 Stunden.

The invention is explained below with reference to the drawing using exemplary embodiments. It shows:

• 1 shows an amylogram of a comparative experiment;
• 2 shows an amylogram of a test with a conditioning time of 24 hours;
• 3 shows an amylogram of a test with a conditioning time of 48 hours; and
• Fig. 4 is an amylogram of an experiment with a conditioning time of 72 hours.

example 1

5 kg of wheat kernels, cleaned, were wetted with water in 90 minutes at room temperature to a moisture content of the seedling and the grain edge layers of approx. 40% by weight. The wheat grains were then sealed gas-tight in plastic film and then conditioned in a water bath at 14 ° C for 24 hours. The cereal grains were then removed from the plastic film and dried for 90 minutes at an ambient temperature of 38 ° C. to a total residual water content of approximately 16% by weight.

The cereal grains treated in this way show a maximum of 560 in the amylogram, while a comparative experiment, in which the conditioning temperature was 40 ° C. under otherwise identical conditions, only gave an amylogram maximum of 460. (Fig. 2 and Fig. 1).

Example 2

The procedure was as in Example 1, but a conditioning time of 48 hours was selected at the same conditioning temperature. An amylogram maxi was shown mum of 540 (Fig. 3). The gelatinization temperature was 64 ° C., compared to 62.5 ° C. in the comparative test (FIG. 1) and 62.5 ° C. in example 1 (FIG. 2).

Example 3

The procedure was as in Example 2, but the conditioning time was 72 hours. The maximum amylogram was 580, the gelatinization temperature 62.5 ° C (Fig. 4).

The results of the above examples and of the comparative experiment show that the conditioning carried out according to the invention at a temperature of 14 ° C. brings about a drastic improvement in the relative degree of activation compared to the conventional conditioning temperatures of, for example, 40 ° C. Furthermore, it can be seen that the long conditioning times of 24, 48 and 72 hours do not lead to a significant increase in enzyme activation, which shows that optimal levels of activation can be achieved in this way with a corresponding improvement in the baking properties and taste acceptance.

The improvement in the taste acceptance of the bread produced from cereals activated according to the invention is presumably due to the fact that, due to the strong hydration of the grain edge layers (water content e 40%), the enzymes can have a particularly favorable effect on the ingredients during the long activation times provided according to the invention. The enzymatic breakdown of higher-polymer carbohydrates and proteins plays a special role here, since the breakdown products are the precursors of flavorings. Baking tests carried out have proven the positive influence of the activation carried out according to the invention on the bread quality both in wheat and in rye. The breads produced using cereal grains activated according to the invention were opposite. loosened the comparison bread better and tasted more rounded. Both are due to the action of the enzymes during activation as well as when preparing and baking dough. As the activation time increases, the taste of bread gets better, a sign that the optimized enzyme activity is maintained over a long period of time, so that the resulting enzymes can have an optimal effect on the flavor precursors.

Claims (4)

1. A process for the hydrothermal activation of cereal for breadmaking, the entire grains of cereal being moistened so that the cereal germ and the outer edge layers of the grain have a water content of approximately 40 weight percent, then kept in a moist state for conditioning at a temperature of from 10°C to below 20 °C for more than two hours, then dried back to a total water content of at most 20 weight percent, characterised in that the conditioning time is more than 9 hours.

2. A process according to claim 1, characterised in that conditioning time is at least 24 hours.

3. A process according to claim 2, characterised in that the conditioning time is at least 48 hours.

4. A process according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that the conditioning time is at most 72 hours.

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