JP2023102513A - Noodle-producing composition including wheat flour and wheat bran - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a noodle-producing composition which contains bran while a grain smell therefrom is reduced and has a good flavor and texture.SOLUTION: An excellent noodle-producing composition can be obtained by blending the following a) and b) at a mass ratio of 98:2 to 70:30: a) wheat flour having a center particle diameter of 20 to 100 μm and having a percentage of particles of 103 μm or more of 15% or more; and b) heat-treated wheat bran having a center particle diameter of 20 to 100 μm.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

The present invention relates to a composition for making noodles containing wheat flour and wheat bran (grain husk).

Bran is known to be rich in dietary fiber and minerals. For example, wheat bran, which is the hull of wheat, has recently attracted attention as a food material rich in dietary fiber, minerals and vitamins. However, wheat bran has a hard texture and remains in the mouth when eaten, and may have an unpleasant odor peculiar to bran. Therefore, conventional secondary processed products using wheat bran have a problem of poor texture and residual odor peculiar to bran.

For example, Patent Literatures 1 and 2 propose techniques for improving the texture of processed bran products and suppressing their odors to make them suitable as food materials.
In addition, regarding the blending of bran into noodles, Patent Document 3 describes the production of delicious udon noodles by suppressing off-flavours by selecting the part of the bran. Patent Document 4 describes that noodles having excellent noodle-making properties and good elasticity are obtained by incorporating steamed wheat bran into noodles. Patent Document 5 describes that wheat bran roasted with water is included in noodles.

JP 2013-243984 A JP 2014-140366 A JP 2015-070836 A JP 2017-029146 A JP 2018-191552 A

Although bran is rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, it has a hard texture and remains in the mouth when eaten, and it may have a peculiar unpleasant odor. For example, when wheat bran or whole wheat flour is added to food, there are problems such as poor texture of the food and residual odor peculiar to bran. In particular, when whole wheat flour or conventional wheat bran is simply added to noodles, there are cases where the noodle-making properties are lowered, and the flavor and texture of the noodles are deteriorated.

In view of such circumstances, an object of the present invention is to develop a flour composition for producing noodles having good noodle-making properties and excellent flavor and texture.

As a result of intensive studies on the above problems, the present inventors have found that a wheat flour composition obtained by mixing heat-treated wheat bran having a specific median particle size with wheat flour having a specific median particle size can produce noodles having excellent noodle-making properties, flavor and texture, and completed the present invention.

The present invention includes, but is not limited to, the following aspects.
[1] A noodle-making composition containing (a) wheat flour having a median particle size of 20 to 100 μm and a proportion of 103 μm or more particles of 15% or more, and (b) heat-treated wheat bran having a median particle size of 20 to 100 μm at a mass ratio of 98:2 to 70:30.
[2] The noodle-making composition according to [1], wherein the wheat bran has an α-amylase titer of 150 mU/g or less and a neutral protease titer of 20 U/g or less.
[3] The noodle-making composition according to [1] or [2], wherein the wheat bran has an L value of 31 or more.
[4] The noodle-making composition according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the heat-treated bran is roasted bran with water.
[5] The noodle-making composition according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the wheat flour has an ash content of 0.6% by mass or more.
[6] The noodle-making composition according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the noodle-making composition has a dietary fiber content of 9 to 15% by mass and an ash content of 1 to 2.5% by mass.
[7] A method for producing noodles, comprising producing noodles using the noodle-making composition according to any one of [1] to [6].
[8] The method according to [7], wherein the noodles are noodle strings or noodle strips.
[9] The method according to [7], wherein the noodles are noodle skins.
[10] Noodles made from the noodle-making composition according to any one of [1] to [6].

According to the wheat flour composition of the present invention, noodles with excellent noodle-making properties and excellent flavor and texture can be produced. The noodles produced according to the present invention contain wheat bran but have little grain odor and off-flavours, and have a very good flavor.

Wheat bran is a food material rich in dietary fiber, minerals and vitamins, and the noodles according to the present invention are also useful from the viewpoint of ingesting rich nutrients.

The present invention relates to a wheat flour composition for producing noodles. The wheat flour composition according to the present invention (hereinafter also referred to as a "noodle-making composition") comprises (a) wheat flour having a median particle size of 20 to 100 µm and a proportion of particles of 103 µm or more being 15% or more, and (b) heat-treated wheat bran having a median particle size of 20 to 100 µm (hereinafter also referred to as "heated wheat bran"). In the present invention, by mixing wheat flour and wheat bran having approximately the same median particle size, a wheat flour composition having particularly excellent noodle-making properties can be obtained.

The noodle-making composition according to the present invention contains (a) wheat flour and (b) wheat bran at a mass ratio of 98:2 to 70:30, and the mass ratio of (a):(b) is preferably 95:5 to 75:25, more preferably 92:8 to 78:22, and even more preferably 90:10 to 80:20. When the mass ratio is within such a range, the noodle-making properties are improved, and the flavor of the noodles is improved. In general, wheat bran contains a large amount of dietary fiber, so its water absorption rate and water absorption speed are significantly different from wheat flour, which has less dietary fiber. When wheat bran is added to wheat flour to prepare wheat flour dough, water will be unevenly distributed and workability will be poor unless water is added after thoroughly mixing with other powder raw materials. In particular, noodle dough, unlike bread dough, has less water added, so the noodle-making properties and workability are significantly deteriorated, and the dough drips, the surface of the noodle belt/noodle skin is rough, the occurrence of short noodle strings, and the bean paste. In the present invention, by mixing wheat flour and heated wheat bran at the above mass ratio in advance before adding water, the heated wheat bran is diluted at least three times or more when preparing the noodle dough, and then mixed with other powder raw materials.

In the noodle-making composition according to the present invention, the mass ratio of (a):(b) can be determined based on the flour milling yield of (a). For example, the mass that could not be recovered during the production of the wheat flour of (a) can be mixed as the heated wheat bran of (b). For example, if the milling yield in producing the wheat flour of (a) is 85%, the heated wheat bran of (b) is blended by about 15%, and the mass ratio of (a):(b) is 85:15. In the present invention, the milling yield is the weight ratio of wheat flour obtained by milling to raw material wheat.

In the noodle-making composition according to the present invention, the proportion of particles of 103 μm or more is preferably 13% or more, more preferably 15 to 60%, and may be 16 to 55%.
The dietary fiber content of the noodle-making composition according to the present invention is preferably 9 to 15% by mass, more preferably 9.2 to 14.5% by mass, and may be 9.8 to 14% by mass. The noodle-making composition according to the present invention preferably has an ash content of 1 to 2.5% by mass, more preferably 1.1 to 2.2% by mass, and may be 1.2 to 2.0% by mass.

In addition, the noodle-making composition according to the present invention preferably contains the same dietary fiber content and ash content as the raw material wheat of the wheat flour of (a). Equivalent in the present invention means that it is included in plus or minus 20% according to the allowable range of dietary fiber in nutritional ingredient labeling based on the Food Labeling Act. That is, the dietary fiber content and ash content of the noodle-making composition according to the present invention are preferably designed in the range of 80 to 120% by mass when the dietary fiber content and ash content of the raw material wheat of the wheat flour of (a) are 100% by mass. In addition, the dietary fiber content and ash content of the raw material wheat of the wheat flour of (a) may be analyzed by sampling a part of the raw material wheat and analyzing the dietary fiber content and ash content. In the present invention, the dietary fiber content can be measured based on the modified Prosky method (AOAC official method 991.43), and the ash content can be measured by the direct incineration method according to AACC Method 08-02.

(a) Wheat flour having a median particle size of 20 to 100 μm and a proportion of particles of 103 μm or more being 15% or more The noodle-making composition according to the present invention contains wheat flour having a median particle size (median diameter) of 20 to 100 μm. By blending such wheat flour into the noodle-making composition, it is possible to obtain noodles having good noodle-making properties and workability, and having good flavor, viscoelasticity, and juiciness. The median particle size of the wheat flour (a) according to the present invention is 20 to 100 μm, preferably 25 to 90 μm, more preferably 30 to 70 μm, still more preferably 30 to 60 μm. Noodles with good viscoelasticity can be obtained by using a noodle-making composition containing wheat flour having a median particle size within this range for the production of noodles.

In addition, in the wheat flour of the present invention (a), the proportion of particles having a particle size of 103 μm or more in the volume-based particle size cumulative distribution is 15% or more of the whole, preferably 17 to 60%, more preferably 19 to 55%, more preferably 21 to 50%, particularly preferably 23 to 45%. By using such wheat flour in a noodle-making composition, it is possible to obtain noodles with good noodle-making properties and workability, and with good flavor, viscoelasticity, and good juice content.

In the present invention, the median particle size and the proportion of particles having a particle size of 103 μm or more can be determined from the volume-based particle size cumulative distribution, and can be measured using a laser diffraction particle size distribution analyzer. Specifically, a volume-based particle size distribution is obtained by Fraunhofer diffraction using a laser diffraction particle size distribution analyzer, and the particle size corresponding to 50% of the volume-based cumulative analysis curve is calculated as the median particle size. Also, the volume-based ratio of particles having a particle size of 103 μm or more in the particle size distribution is calculated.

The wheat flour (a) according to the present invention may be produced according to a conventional method, for example, after watering and tempering the selected wheat grains, a multi-stage milling method using a roll crusher, a sifter, and a purifier. Can be produced. In addition, the grain size composition can be adjusted by carrying out a milling process, a grinding process using a general grinder (mortar grinder, impact grinder, air stream grinder, etc.), a classification process, and the like. A preferred embodiment is a manufacturing method including a step of pulverizing and adjusting the particle size with a mortar pulverizer or an impact pulverizer (for example, a pulverizer, etc.). For example, the selected wheat grains, as they are, or those that have undergone a milling process, are pulverized and adjusted in particle size with a mortar pulverizer or an impact pulverizer, and subjected to a final sieve to produce the wheat flour (a) of the present invention. Grinding with a mortar-type grinder or an impact-type grinder makes it easier to finely grind the germ part compared to general roll grinding, and since it is also contained in the wheat flour of (a) of the present invention, the sweetness and umami derived from the components in the germ can be imparted to the noodles. A more preferred embodiment is a production method including a step of milling barley to a milling rate of 98% or less so as not to impart harsh taste and smell derived from wheat bran to the noodles. Further, in producing the wheat flour of (a) of the present invention, the milling yield is preferably 78% or more, more preferably 80 to 90%, and even more preferably 80 to 85%.

In the wheat flour of (a) according to the present invention, the raw material wheat is not particularly limited, but soft wheat is preferably used as the raw material. There are no particular restrictions on the production area or variety of soft wheat, and wheat flour can be produced from one type of wheat, or two or more types of wheat can be combined to produce wheat flour. In general, wheat is classified into hard wheat and soft wheat based on the hardness (hardness and softness) of the seed. Hard wheat has a high protein content and is often hyaline, and soft wheat has a low protein content and many seeds look whitish. The hardness and softness of seeds is determined by mutations in the genes of two proteins, puroindoline-a and puroindoline-b. Examples of soft wheat include Western White, Soft White, White Crab, Australian Standard White (ASW), Kitahonami, Satonosora, Norin 61, Ayahikari, Chikugoizumi, and the like. The production area of soft wheat is not particularly limited, but it is more preferable that it is produced in Japan. In a further preferred embodiment, the soft wheat according to the present invention includes cultivars lacking one or two amylose synthesis genes Wx-1, and more preferably consists of only cultivars lacking one or two amylose synthesis genes Wx-1. By using wheat flour obtained from such raw material wheat in a noodle-making composition, noodles having good viscoelasticity can be obtained.

In a preferred embodiment, the wheat flour of (a) of the present invention has an ash content of 0.6% by mass or more, more preferably 0.6 to 2.0% by mass, 0.6 to 1.5% by mass, or 0.6 to 1.0% by mass. By using such wheat flour in a noodle-making composition, it is possible to obtain noodles with good flavor and juice content.

(b) Heated wheat bran having a median particle size of 20 to 100 μm The noodle-making composition according to the present invention contains heat-treated wheat bran (also simply referred to as “heated wheat bran”) having a median particle size (median diameter) of 20 to 100 μm. Heated wheat bran, which is obtained by heat-treating wheat bran, has reduced cereal odor and harshness peculiar to wheat bran, so that even if it is added to noodles, the flavor is not easily impaired. In addition, the noodles containing heated wheat bran not only have little cereal odor and harsh taste, but are also excellent in noodle-making properties and have a good texture.

The noodle-making composition according to the present invention comprises (a) wheat flour having a median particle size of 20 to 100 μm and (b) heated wheat bran having a median particle size of 20 to 100 μm in a mass ratio of 98:2 to 70:30. If the amount of heated wheat bran is too large, grainy odor and harsh taste may be perceived, resulting in inferior flavor and reduced noodle-making properties.

Heated wheat bran has a median particle size of 20-100 μm, preferably 25-80 μm, more preferably 25-60 μm. By using such heated wheat bran, it is possible to obtain noodles having good noodle-making properties and workability, and good viscoelasticity.

In the heated wheat bran, the proportion of particles of 103 μm or more is preferably 35% or less, more preferably 5 to 30%, 8 to 25%, or 10 to 20%.
The method for adjusting the particle size of the heated wheat bran is not particularly limited, and the particle size may be adjusted by pulverization or by pulverization and classification. As the pulverization method, known methods such as roll pulverization, impact pulverization, and airflow pulverization can be used. In order to obtain the heated wheat bran of the particle size mentioned above, it is preferable to use a grinder capable of fine grinding. For example, a pulverizer (manufactured by Dalton) and a jet mill (manufactured by Seishin Enterprises) can be mentioned. ACM Pulverizer (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron), which is an impact-type pulverizer incorporating a classifier, may also be used. In addition, as a classification method, the particles may be separated and collected by an air classifier with an arbitrarily set classification point, or the particle size may be adjusted using a sieve with a specific mesh size. The step of adjusting the grain size to the specified size may be performed before or after the heating step of the wheat bran. Moreover, the heating step and the particle size adjustment step do not necessarily have to be performed continuously, and time may be provided between the heating step and the particle size adjustment step, or another step may be interposed. Preferably, a particle size adjustment step is included after the heating step. By performing the heating step before the grain size of the heated wheat bran is made finer, lumps are less likely to occur, so that variations in heating can be more effectively suppressed. In addition, since the wheat bran after the heating process has a reduced moisture content, it can be easily pulverized in the particle size adjustment process, and can be pulverized to a finer particle size.

Furthermore, the heated wheat bran preferably has an ash content of 4.5 to 7.5% by mass, more preferably 5.0 to 7.0% by mass, and may be 5.5 to 6.8% by mass.
Heated wheat bran is obtained by subjecting wheat bran as a raw material to heat treatment, and is typically produced by heating to 80°C or higher, preferably 85°C or higher, more preferably 90 to 150°C, and further preferably 95 to 130°C. The heating time is preferably maintained at the above temperature for 3 minutes or longer, more preferably 5 minutes or longer, and even more preferably 10 minutes or longer. From the viewpoint of manufacturing cost, it is preferable to set the time to less than 50 minutes. Although the heating method is not particularly limited, it preferably includes a roasting step, and the roasting step is preferably a roasting step with water. In the present invention, the heated wheat bran that has been subjected to heat treatment including the step of roasting with water is referred to as roasted wheat bran with water. Details of the roasting process and the water roasting process will be described later. Wheat used as a raw material for wheat bran is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of the risk of post-harvest pesticides (pesticides sprayed on crops after harvesting), wheat produced in Japan is preferable.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the heated wheat bran has an α-amylase titer of 150 mU/g or less, more preferably 100 mU/g or less, and may be 80 mU/g or less and 60 mU/g or less. “α-amylase titer” is an index representing the degree of activity of α-amylase, and can be measured according to AACC Method 22-02.01. Moreover, you may measure using a commercially available measurement kit. As a commercially available measurement kit, for example, α-Amylase Assay Kit (manufactured by Megazyme) can be used. The α-amylase titer is defined as 1 U (unit) of activity required to release 1 μmol of p-nitrophenol per minute from a given oligosaccharide substrate (p-nitrophenylmaltoheptaoside: BPNPG7) in the presence of excess thermostable α-glucosidase.

The heated wheat bran preferably has a neutral protease titer of less than 20 U/g, more preferably less than 10 U/g (less than the lower limit of determination). "Neutral protease titer" is an index that indicates the degree of neutral protease activity. For example, it can be measured according to the measurement method described in the section "Acid, Neutral and Alkaline Protease Titers" in the "Simple Analysis Flowchart" (http://www.jfrl.or.jp/bunsekiflow/index.html) published on the web by the Japan Food Research Laboratories, or according to the "4th Revised National Tax Agency Specified Analysis Method Notes" (Japan Brewing Association). As for the neutral protease titer, 1 U (unit) is defined as the activity that causes an increase in non-protein phenol reagent coloring substances equivalent to 1 μg of L-tyrosine in 1 minute at the initial stage of the reaction at 38° C. and pH 6.0 using casein (dairy) as a substrate. For both α-amylase titer and neutral protease titer, the lower the value, the lower the activity. The fact that the activity of the enzyme contained in the heated wheat bran is low is thought to mean that the heat treatment applied enough heat to the inside to deactivate the enzyme.

The heated wheat bran of the present invention preferably has an L value (CIELAB color system) of 31 or more. The lower limit of the L value is more preferably 60 or higher, still more preferably 70 or higher. The upper limit of the L value is preferably 85 or less. Here, the "L value (CIELAB color system)" is a numerical value from 0 to 100 measured by a color difference meter using a known method, where L value 0 means black and L value 100 means white. As the color difference meter, for example, a spectrophotometer CM-5 (Konica Minolta, Inc.) can be used.

Heated wheat bran is produced by heat-treating wheat bran, but excessive heating may cause the surface of the bran to burn. In this case, the noodles containing the heated wheat bran may be imparted with a burnt smell and have a poor flavor. Also, if the heat treatment conditions are such that the L value of the heated wheat bran is 85 or less, it can be judged that the heating of the wheat bran is sufficient.

(water roasted wheat bran)
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, roasted wheat bran with water is used as the heated wheat bran. The roasted wheat bran with water is obtained by adding water before and/or during heating in the step of heating wheat bran and performing heat treatment. Simply heat-treating the wheat bran may not sufficiently reduce the grainy odor and harshness, but the roasting treatment with water allows the heat to spread sufficiently to the inside of the bran, thereby effectively reducing the grainy odor and harshness of the wheat bran.

The method for producing roasted wheat bran with water includes adding 10 to 40 parts by mass of water to 100 parts by mass of wheat bran and heating to maintain the temperature of the wheat bran in the range of 90 to 150 ° C. for 3 minutes or longer. The timing of water addition is not particularly limited as long as it is before the temperature of the wheat bran is maintained in the range of 90 to 150° C. for a certain period of time. The hydro-roasting step can sufficiently reduce the α-amylase titer and neutral protease titer of wheat bran.

By adding 10 to 40 parts by mass of water to 100 parts by mass of wheat bran, steam is generated during heating, so that the wheat bran can be steamed and heat can be quickly and uniformly applied to the inside of the wheat bran. The amount of water to be added is preferably 10 to 40 parts by mass, more preferably 10 to 30 parts by mass, and still more preferably 10 to 25 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of wheat bran. If the amount of water to be added is less than 10 parts by mass, the wheat bran cannot be steamed, and heating must be continued for a long time in order to sufficiently heat the inside of the wheat bran, so the wheat bran will burn and become black, and the L value of the obtained hydro-roasted wheat bran may be less than 31. On the other hand, if the amount of water to be added exceeds 40 parts by mass, the wheat bran may adhere to the wall surface of the heating vessel or lumps may occur, resulting in uneven heat transfer. Moreover, the larger the amount of water, the longer the heating time, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of production cost. The method of adding water is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to add water to the wheat bran while sprinkling water. The shape of the water to be sprinkled is not particularly limited, and may be mist, shower, or the like. By adding water by sprinkling water, lumps are less likely to form and the bran can be steamed evenly.

After adding water, the wheat bran maintains its product temperature in the range of 90 to 150°C for 3 minutes or more by heating. By maintaining the high product temperature for a certain period of time, the added moisture is gradually evaporated and the wheat bran shifts from the "steamed" state to the "roasted" state. In other words, it is possible to perform both "steaming", in which heat is quickly and evenly applied to the inside of the wheat bran to reduce grain odor and harshness, and "roasting", in which a preferable roasted flavor is imparted. “Roasting” means heating to remove moisture from wheat bran and imparting a unique flavor to it. If the product temperature is maintained for less than 3 minutes, the heat may not be sufficiently transferred to the inside of the bran, the grain odor and harsh taste may not be reduced, and the α-amylase titer and neutral protease titer may not be sufficiently reduced. The time for maintaining the product temperature of wheat bran in the range of 90 to 150 ° C. is not particularly limited as long as it is 3 minutes or more, and it may be adjusted appropriately according to the amount of wheat bran so that the wheat bran can be roasted by evaporating the moisture. From the viewpoint of more effectively reducing grain odor and harsh taste, α-amylase titer and neutral protease titer, and imparting a preferable roasted flavor, the roasting time is preferably 5 minutes or longer, more preferably 10 minutes or longer. From the viewpoint of manufacturing cost, it is preferable to set the time to less than 50 minutes.

In this way, it is necessary to maintain the product temperature of the wheat bran added with water in the range of 90 to 150 ° C. for 3 minutes or more, so from the viewpoint of heating efficiency, it is preferable to add water after heating and reaching a product temperature of 90 ° C. or higher.

In the method for producing roasted wheat bran with water, it is preferable to provide a roasting step before and/or after the roasting with water, in which the product temperature of the wheat bran is preferably 90 to 150°C, more preferably 90 to 130°C. This allows the wheat bran to have a favorable roasted flavor. In addition, even if the roasting time in the water roasting step is short, the flavor of roasting can be imparted. Here, the "roasting process" refers to the process of heating wheat bran without adding moisture to evaporate the moisture and impart a unique flavor. Therefore, when the roasting process is provided before the roasting process with water, water is added in the roasting process with water after the roasting process is completed. In the roasting treatment, if the product temperature is less than 90°C, the desired roasted flavor may not be imparted. In addition, if the product temperature after roasting exceeds 150 ° C., the wheat bran will be scorched, and the L value of the obtained water-roasted wheat bran will be less than 31, resulting in bitterness and burnt odor, which may deteriorate the flavor.

In the roasting process and the water roasting process, either an open container or a closed container may be used as a heating container, but an open container is preferably used. By adding water and heating in an open container, both "steaming" by steam and "roasting" by heating while removing moisture can be effectively performed. As a result, the hydro-roasted bran having a preferable roasted flavor with reduced grain odor and harsh taste can be obtained while more efficiently inactivating the enzymes contained in the bran.

A roasting machine or a dryer can be used as a heating means in the roasting process and the water roasting process. Examples of the roasting machine include a rotary roasting machine (manufactured by Kumano Chubo Kogyo), an infrared vibration heating machine (manufactured by Yamamasu Seisakusho), and a hot air roaster (manufactured by Fuji Kogyo). Examples of the dryer include a paddle dryer (manufactured by Nara Machinery Works), a fluidized bed dryer (manufactured by Okawara Seisakusho), a torus disk (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron), and a biaxial indirect heating dryer (manufactured by Kurimoto, Ltd.).

Production of Noodles In the present invention, noodles are produced from the noodle-making composition according to the present invention. For example, the noodle-making composition is blended with grain flour such as wheat flour, water, salt and other ingredients, and the mixture is kneaded to prepare noodle dough, and then noodles are produced. The noodle dough can be prepared according to a normal method for preparing noodle dough, but when preparing the noodle dough for Chinese noodles, kansui or the like may be added.

In general, when wheat bran is blended into the noodle dough, the moisture in the dough is absorbed by the wheat bran, and the wheat bran weakens the connection of the dough, resulting in a dough with poor extensibility. In addition, whole wheat flour generally contains about 15% wheat bran, but even if a large amount of whole wheat flour is blended into the noodle dough, the noodle-making properties and workability may deteriorate, and the viscoelasticity of the noodles may decrease. However, according to the present invention, the noodle dough has good elongation and excellent malleability, and the dough does not become sticky or break easily even by rolling.

When the noodles are produced in the present invention, the noodles can be produced only from the above-described noodle-making composition, but the noodles may be produced by further adding grain flours, starches, and auxiliary raw materials. In the present specification, a composition to which additional flours, starches, auxiliary materials, etc. are added is referred to as a flour composition for noodles, which is also one aspect of the present invention. When producing noodles based on the present invention, it is preferable to blend 30 parts by mass or more of the composition for noodles per 100 parts by mass of the flour composition for noodles, more preferably 50 parts by mass or more, and even more preferably 80 parts by mass or more. When whole wheat flour is blended in this range, the noodle-making properties and workability deteriorate, and the viscoelasticity of the noodles decreases. However, by using the noodle-making composition according to the present invention as a substitute for whole wheat flour, the noodle-making properties and workability can be improved, and the noodles can have excellent viscoelasticity. In another preferred embodiment, 1 to 100 parts by mass of the noodle-making composition according to the present invention can be blended to prepare a flour composition for noodles, and then noodles can be produced. By setting the blending amount of the wheat flour composition for noodles of the present invention within this range, noodles with better flavor can be obtained.

The cereal flours and starches to be added may be appropriately selected according to the type of noodles of interest, but for example, one or more cereal flours selected from wheat flour (strong flour, semi-strong flour, medium flour, weak flour), durum wheat flour, rice flour, buckwheat flour, barley flour, rye flour, oat flour, corn flour, barley flour, foxtail flour, soybean flour, and white sorghum flour can be used. In addition, grain flour may be subjected to physical treatment such as heat treatment. As starches, for example, one or more selected from barley starch such as wheat starch, barley starch, rye starch, oat starch, corn starch, rice starch, legume starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, tapioca starch, water chestnut starch, chestnut starch, sago starch, Chinese yam starch, lotus root starch, mulberry starch, bracken starch, and lily root starch. mentioned. As these starches, waxy species or high amylose species may be used, and modified starches obtained by subjecting these starches to physical or chemical processing singly or in combination may also be used.

Examples of auxiliary raw materials used in the present invention include protein materials such as soy protein, wheat protein, egg yolk powder, egg white powder, whole egg powder, and skim milk powder; oils and fats such as animal and vegetable oils and powdered oils; In the present invention, these sub-ingredients can be used alone or in combination depending on the type of noodle to be used. The flour composition for noodles of the present invention is in the form of granules, and when preparing the dough for noodles, materials that are dissolved or dispersed in a liquid material such as water and then mixed with the flour composition (e.g., salt in the examples) are not included in the flour composition for noodles.

The amount of water added when producing noodles depends on the type of noodles, but is usually preferably 25 to 50 parts by mass, more preferably 28 to 45 parts by mass, based on 100 parts by mass of the grain flour composition for noodles. In the said mass ratio, the water|moisture content in the flour composition for noodles shall comprise "the flour composition for noodles" instead of "water."

The noodles according to the present invention can be produced by known noodle-making methods such as rolling-type noodle making, roll-type noodle making, and extrusion-type noodle making. In one embodiment of the present invention, the noodle dough is rolled into a desired thickness of noodle strip. The rolling is performed by passing the noodle dough through rolling rolls. Next, the noodle strip is cut out using a noodle-making machine or the like to form noodle strips, and the raw noodles can be obtained by cutting the noodle strips into a desired length. In addition, the noodle skin can be obtained from the noodle strip using a die-cutting machine or the like.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the noodle strings may be obtained by stretching or twisting the noodle dough, or the noodles may be produced by extruding the noodle dough through holes or the like. In general, noodles such as spaghetti and macaroni are often produced by extruding noodle dough. In the present invention, the noodles may be made using a machine, or may be made by hand-stretching or hand-kneading without using a machine. Since the effect of the present invention can be easily obtained, it is preferable to include a step of obtaining a noodle strip from the noodle dough using a roll type noodle making machine.

Further, for example, boiled noodles can be obtained by boiling the raw noodles, steamed noodles can be obtained by steaming the raw noodles, and dried noodles can be obtained by drying the noodles by a humidity-controlled drying method or the like. After steaming or boiling, instant dried noodles are obtained by molding and filling each serving in a frying basket or drying basket, followed by frying or high-temperature hot air drying.

Moreover, the noodles according to the present invention is a concept that includes both noodles before cooking and noodles that have been cooked. When preparing cooked noodles, uncooked noodles (raw noodles) such as noodle strips and noodle strings may be cooked by boiling them in hot water. The method of cooking the noodles is not particularly limited, but the noodles may be boiled, fried in oil, steamed, microwaved, or the like, and the noodles may be gelatinized until they become edible. The form of the noodles is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, raw noodles, semi-dried noodles, dried noodles, boiled noodles, steamed noodles, chilled noodles, frozen noodles, instant noodles, cooked noodles, long-life noodles (LL noodles), fried noodles, and the like. Chilled noodles or frozen noodles that are stored and/or distributed by refrigeration or freezing after being boiled or steamed are preferred, and chilled noodles are more preferred. In addition, a loosening agent or the like can be attached to the noodles according to the present invention depending on the mode of distribution, storage, eating, and the like.

The noodles according to the present invention include pasta such as udon, Chinese noodles, spaghetti, and macaroni, noodle strings and strips used for somen, hiyamugi, soba, and cold noodles, as well as noodle skins used for gyoza, dumplings, wontons, and the like. Among them, noodles selected from Chinese noodles, yakisoba, pastas and dumplings are preferable. The noodles of the present invention have good elasticity and excellent texture.

From one aspect, the present invention is a method for producing noodles, comprising producing noodles from the composition for noodles or the grain flour composition for noodles. Furthermore, the present invention can also be understood as a method for improving the flavor of noodles, comprising blending the above-described composition for noodles or flour composition for noodles. In particular, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain noodles imparted with a favorable flavor as well as suppressing grainy odor and harsh taste peculiar to wheat bran.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail based on specific examples, but the following specific examples show representative examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following specific examples. In addition, unless otherwise specified, in this specification, concentrations, percentages, and the like are based on mass, and numerical ranges are described as including the endpoints.

Analytical Methods In the experiments described below, the following analytical methods were used.
■ Dietary fiber content The dietary fiber content was measured by a modified Prosky method (AOAC official method 991.43).
■ Ash content Ash content was measured by direct ashing method according to AACC Method 08-02.
(2) Particle size distribution Particle size distribution was measured using a laser diffraction particle size distribution analyzer. Specifically, the volume distribution (frequency distribution) was measured by Fraunhofer diffraction using a laser diffraction particle size distribution analyzer (HELOS & RODOS, Nippon Laser) to determine the median diameter and the ratio of 103 μm or more. The analysis conditions were a dispersion pressure of 2 bar and a measurement range of R4.
(2) α-Amylase titer The α-amylase titer was measured using a commercially available measurement kit (α-Amylase Assay Kit, manufactured by Megazyme). The α-amylase titer was defined as 1 U (unit) of activity required to release 1 μmol of p-nitrophenol from a given oligosaccharide substrate (p-nitrophenyl maltoheptaoside: BPNPG7) per minute in the presence of excess thermostable α-glucosidase.
■ Neutral protease titer Neutral protease titer was measured by the following procedure. That is, first, 5 g of wheat bran treated product was collected, 50 mL of 2% potassium chloride solution was added, and the mixture was extracted with stirring for 60 minutes. The extract was centrifuged and then filtered to obtain a test solution. Next, 1 mL of the above test solution was added to 5 mL of casein solution (pH 6.0), reacted at 38°C for 60 minutes, 5 mL of 0.44 mol/L trichloroacetic acid solution was added, and allowed to stand at 38°C for 40 minutes. After that, 5 mL of 0.55 mol/L sodium carbonate solution and 1 mL of phenol reagent were added to 2 mL of the filtered filtrate, color development was performed at 38° C. for 30 minutes, and absorbance was measured at 660 nm. A blank sample obtained from the wheat bran-treated product, which did not contain the test solution, was similarly subjected to absorbance measurement, and the amount of tyrosine produced was obtained from the prepared L-tyrosine calibration curve. As the neutral protease titer, 1 U (unit) was defined as the activity showing an increase in non-protein phenolic reagent color-developing substances corresponding to 1 μg of L-tyrosine in 1 minute at the initial stage of the reaction. The lower limit of the quantifiable neutral protease titer is 10 U (unit)/g, and "below the lower limit of quantification" in the table below means that the neutral protease titer was less than 10 U/g.
■ L value (CIELAB color system)
Using a spectrophotometer (CM-5, Konica Minolta), the L value of the CIELAB color system was measured.

Experiment 1: Preparation and Evaluation of Heated Wheat Bran Wheat bran was obtained from Japanese wheat (Kitahonami: Wx-B1 deletion) by a multistage milling method using a roll grinder, a sifter and a purifier. After the obtained wheat bran was put into a rotary roasting machine (manufactured by Kumano Chubo Kogyo Co., Ltd.) and heated until the product temperature reached the temperature shown in the table below, 15 parts by mass of water was sprinkled on 100 parts by mass of wheat bran, and the wheat bran was heat-treated under the conditions shown in the table below.

After that, as a pulverization step, the heat-treated wheat bran was pulverized and adjusted in particle size with an ACM Pulverizer (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron), which is an impact type fine pulverizer with a built-in classifier, and passed through a sieve with an opening of 500 μm.

The obtained heated wheat bran was measured for dietary fiber content, ash content, particle size distribution, α-amylase titer, neutral protease titer, and L value. Table 1 shows the results.

Experiment 2: Preparation and evaluation of wheat flour 2-1. Samples 2-1 to 2-3
Japanese wheat (Kitahonami: Wx-B1 deletion) was milled at a milling rate of 95% using a milling machine (Grain Testing Mill TM-05, manufactured by Satake), pulverized with a stone mill and adjusted for particle size, passed through a sieve with an opening of 500 μm, and fractions under the sieve were separated to obtain wheat flour with different particle sizes.

2-2. Sample 2-4
Japanese wheat (Kitahonami: Wx-B1 deletion) was milled at a milling rate of 95% using a milling machine (Grain Testing Mill TM-05, manufactured by Satake), pulverized with an ACM pulverizer (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron), adjusted for particle size, passed through a sieve with an opening of 500 μm, and the fraction under the sieve was fractionated to prepare wheat flour.

2-3. Sample 2-5
Wheat produced in Japan (Kitahonami: Wx-B1 deleted) was pulverized and adjusted in particle size with an ACM Pulverizer (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron), passed through a sieve with an opening of 500 μm, and fractions under the sieve were fractionated to prepare wheat flour with different particle sizes.

2-4. Sample 2-6
Japanese wheat (Kitahonami: Wx-B1 deletion) was milled at a milling rate of 95% using a milling machine (Grain Testing Mill TM-05, manufactured by Satake), and wheat flour was obtained by a multistage milling method using a roll grinder, a sifter, and a purifier.

2-5. Sample 2-7
Wheat flour was prepared in the same manner as Sample 2-6, except that North American wheat (DNS) was used instead of Japanese wheat.

The dietary fiber content, ash content and particle size distribution of the obtained wheat flour were measured. Table 2 shows the results.

Experiment 3: Preparation and evaluation of a composition for making noodles A wheat flour composition for producing noodles was produced by mixing the raw material flour according to the formulation shown in the table below. The dietary fiber content and ash content were calculated from the dietary fiber content and ash content of each raw material and the mixing ratio. In addition, the dietary fiber content and ash content of commercially available whole wheat flour (Whole Grain D, Showa Sangyo) and roasted whole wheat flour (Gokoku Hojo, Okumoto Seifun) were measured and listed in the table below.

Experiment 4: Production and Evaluation of Reheated Chinese Noodles Using a horizontal pin mixer, the noodle-making composition prepared in Experiment 3 was mixed with commercially available medium-strength flour (Hokkaido, Showa Sangyo) in the formulation (parts by mass) shown in the table below. To 100 parts by mass of the obtained flour composition for noodles, 1 part by mass of salt, 1 part by mass of brine, and 35 parts by mass of water were added and mixed, and then mixed for 15 minutes to prepare a dough. The prepared dough was rolled by a roll-type noodle-making machine and then cut out (cutting blade: Kaku No. 20) to produce raw noodles (Chinese noodles) having a thickness of 1.5 mm.

The produced raw noodles were boiled in boiling water so that the weight gain was 160%, cooled with cold water, and drained to produce cooked Chinese noodles. The cooked Chinese noodles were allowed to stand on the soup solidified with gelatin, stored in a refrigerator for 24 hours, heated at 500 W for 5 minutes using a microwave oven, and subjected to sensory evaluation.

For the sensory evaluation, a panel of 10 experts evaluated noodle-making properties, noodle flavor, viscoelasticity, and juice content. The evaluation method was implemented in 5 steps based on the following criteria, and the average score was calculated. For evaluation items other than noodle-making properties, Chinese noodles reheated in a microwave oven were evaluated.
■ 5 points for noodle making: Extremely low incidence of dough sag, rough surface of noodle strip, and short noodle strips (very good)
4 points: Low incidence of dough sagging, surface roughness of noodle strips, and short noodle strips (good)
3 points: Slightly low occurrence rate of dough sagging, rough surface of noodle strip, and short noodle strips (slightly good)
2 points: high incidence of dough sagging, surface roughness of noodle strips, and short noodle strips (slightly problematic)
1 point: Extremely high incidence of dough sagging, surface roughness of noodle strips, and short noodle strips (problematic)
■ Noodle flavor 5 points: The natural taste and flavor of wheat flour can be felt very strongly (very good)
4 points: The natural taste and flavor of wheat flour can be felt strongly (good)
3 points: You can feel the natural taste and flavor of wheat flour (slightly good)
2 points: The natural taste and flavor of wheat flour is slightly weak, or the roasted smell and harsh taste are slightly felt (slightly inferior)
1 point: The natural taste and flavor of flour is weak, or you can feel a roasted smell or harsh taste (inferior)
■ Noodle viscoelasticity 5 points: Both elasticity and stickiness are very high (very good)
4 points: Both elasticity and stickiness are high (good)
3 points: Slightly high in both elasticity and stickiness (slightly good)
2 points: Slightly low elasticity and/or stickiness (slightly inferior)
1 point: Low (poor) elasticity and/or stickiness
■ 5 points including noodle soup: The soup blends very well with the noodles (very good)
4 points: Soup blends well with noodles (good)
3 points: The soup mixes well with the noodles (slightly good)
2 points: The soup does not easily blend into the noodles (slightly inferior)
1 point: The soup does not fit into the noodles (inferior)
As is clear from the table below, excellent noodles could be produced by producing reheated Chinese noodles using the noodle-making composition (Samples 3-1 to 3, 3-6 to 11) according to the present invention (Samples 4-2 to 4, 4-7 to 12). Furthermore, by using the noodle-making composition according to the present invention, excellent noodles can be produced regardless of the blending amount, and excellent noodles can be produced without containing flour other than the noodle-making composition according to the present invention (samples 4-18 to 4-21). On the other hand, the reheated Chinese noodles (Sample 4-5) using the noodle-making composition (Sample 3-4) with a large proportion of heated wheat bran had excellent juice content, but were inferior in noodle-making properties, flavor and viscoelasticity. In addition, the reheated Chinese noodles (sample 4-6) using the noodle-making composition (sample 3-5) containing heated wheat bran with a median diameter of 135 μm had excellent flavor and juice content, but inferior noodle-making properties and viscoelasticity. Furthermore, reheated Chinese noodles (samples 4-13, 14) using noodle-making compositions (samples 3-12, 13) containing wheat flour with a low proportion of particles with a particle size of 103 μm or more, and heated wheat bran alone. The reheated Chinese noodles (sample 4-15) were inferior in flavor and juice content, and sample 4-14 was inferior in viscoelasticity.

In addition, when commercially available whole wheat flour was used, the connection of the dough was weak, the extensibility was poor, the noodle-making property was low, the surface of the noodle strip was extremely rough and short noodle strings were observed, and the viscoelasticity of the obtained noodles was also low (Sample 4-16). When using commercially available roasted whole wheat flour, improvements were observed compared to using commercially available whole wheat flour, but the problems of noodle-making properties and viscoelasticity were not solved (Sample 4-17).

Experiment 5: Production and Evaluation of Reheated Udon Using a horizontal pin mixer, the noodle-making composition prepared in Experiment 3 was mixed with commercially available medium-strength flour (Hokkaido, Showa Sangyo) at the formulation (parts by mass) shown in the table below. To 100 parts by mass of the resulting flour composition for noodles, 4 parts by mass of salt and 40 parts by mass of water were added and mixed, followed by mixing for 15 minutes to prepare a dough. The prepared dough was rolled by a roll-type noodle-making machine and then cut out (cutting blade: Kaku No. 10) to produce raw noodles (udon) with a thickness of 3.0 mm.

The produced raw noodles were boiled in boiling water so that the weight gain was 160%, cooled with cold water and drained to produce cooked udon noodles. The cooked udon noodles were placed on a soup solidified with gelatin, stored in a refrigerator for 24 hours, heated in a microwave oven at 500 W for 5 minutes, and subjected to sensory evaluation.

For the sensory evaluation, a panel of 10 experts evaluated noodle-making properties, noodle flavor, viscoelasticity, and juice content. The evaluation method is the same as in Experiment 3. For the evaluation items other than the noodle-making properties, udon reheated in a microwave oven was evaluated.

The evaluation results are shown in the table below. When reheated udon noodles were produced from the noodle-making composition according to the present invention (Samples 3-1 to 3-3), excellent noodles could be produced (Samples 5-2 to 5-4). On the other hand, when commercially available whole wheat flour was used, the dough was weakly connected, the extensibility was poor, the noodle-making property was low, the surface of the noodle strip was extremely rough and short noodle strings were generated, and the viscoelasticity of the resulting noodles was also low (Sample 5-5). When using commercially available roasted whole wheat flour, improvements were observed compared to using commercially available whole wheat flour, but the problems of noodle-making properties and viscoelasticity were not solved (Sample 5-6).

Experiment 6: Production and Evaluation of Reheated Noodle Skin Using a horizontal pin mixer, the noodle-making composition prepared in Experiment 3 was mixed with commercially available medium-strength flour (Hokkaido, Showa Sangyo) at the formulation (parts by mass) shown in the table below. To 100 parts by mass of the resulting flour composition for noodles, 1 part by mass of salt, 1 part by mass of processed oil (Frenzy M, Riken Vitamin), and 34 parts by mass of water were added and mixed and kneaded to prepare a minced dough. After that, the minced dough was wrapped around a rolling roll of a noodle-making machine to prepare a noodle strip. The resulting noodle strip was cut out with a die to prepare a dumpling skin (diameter: 90 mm, thickness: 1 mm).

200 parts by mass of minced pork and 30 parts by mass of lard are mixed for the gyoza filling, followed by 25 parts by mass of sesame oil, 25 parts by mass of soy sauce, 15 parts by mass of sake, 2 parts by mass of grated garlic, 2 parts by mass of grated ginger, and a little pepper. Using the dumpling skin, 15 g of bean paste was wrapped to prepare raw dumplings. Starch (cornstarch, Showa Sangyo Co., Ltd.) was sprinkled on the surface of the obtained raw gyoza to make it adhere, and steamed (5 minutes) to produce cooked gyoza. After the cooked dumplings were stored in a refrigerator for 24 hours, oil was applied to a frying pan heated to 200° C. and grilled for 7 minutes to obtain pan-fried dumplings.

For the sensory evaluation, workability, flavor of the noodle skin, and viscoelasticity were evaluated by a panel of 10 experts. The evaluation method was implemented in 5 steps based on the following criteria, and the average score was calculated. For evaluation items other than workability, gyoza skins reheated by baking were evaluated.
■ Workability 5 points: Extremely low incidence of dough sagging, rough surface of noodle skin, and breakage when wrapping bean paste (very good)
4 points: Low incidence of dough sagging, rough surface of noodle skin, and breakage when wrapping bean paste (good)
3 points: Slightly low occurrence rate of dough sagging, rough surface of noodle skin, and breakage when wrapping bean paste (slightly good)
2 points: High incidence of dough sagging, rough surface of noodle skin, and breakage when wrapping bean paste (slightly problematic)
1 point: Extremely high occurrence rate of dough sagging, rough surface of noodle skin, and breakage when wrapping bean paste (problematic)
Noodle skin flavor 5 points: The natural taste and flavor of wheat flour can be felt very strongly (very good)
4 points: The natural taste and flavor of wheat flour can be felt strongly (good)
3 points: You can feel the natural taste and flavor of wheat flour (slightly good)
2 points: The natural taste and flavor of wheat flour is slightly weak, or the roasted smell and harsh taste are slightly felt (slightly inferior)
1 point: The natural taste and flavor of flour is weak, or you can feel a roasted smell or harsh taste (inferior)
■ Viscoelasticity of noodle skin 5 points: Both elasticity and stickiness are very high (very good)
4 points: Both elasticity and stickiness are high (good)
3 points: Slightly high in both elasticity and stickiness (slightly good)
2 points: Slightly low elasticity and/or stickiness (slightly inferior)
1 point: Low (poor) elasticity and/or stickiness
The evaluation results are shown in the table below. When reheated noodle skins were produced from the noodle-making composition (Sample 3-2) according to the present invention, excellent noodle skins could be produced (Sample 6-2). On the other hand, when commercially available whole wheat flour was used, the dough was weakly connected, the extensibility was poor, the noodle-making property was low, the surface of the noodle strip was extremely rough, and the viscoelasticity of the resulting noodle skin was low (Sample 6-3).

Claims (10)

(a) wheat flour having a median particle size of 20 to 100 μm and a proportion of particles of 103 μm or more being 15% or more;
(b) heat-treated wheat bran having a median particle size of 20-100 μm;
in a mass ratio of 98:2 to 70:30. 2. The noodle-making composition according to claim 1, wherein the wheat bran has an α-amylase titer of 150 mU/g or less and a neutral protease titer of 20 U/g or less. 3. The composition for making noodle according to claim 1, wherein the wheat bran has an L value of 31 or more. The noodle-making composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heat-treated bran is roasted bran with water. The noodle-making composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the wheat flour has an ash content of 0.6% by mass or more. The noodle-making composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the noodle-making composition has a dietary fiber content of 9 to 15% by mass and an ash content of 1 to 2.5% by mass. A method for producing noodles, comprising producing noodles using the noodle-making composition according to any one of claims 1 to 6. 8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the noodles are noodle strings or noodle strips. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the noodles are noodle skins. Noodles made from the noodle-making composition according to any one of claims 1 to 6.