JP6994779B2 - Granular puff and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a granular puff having a small particle size and a method for producing the same, which is a raw material for producing, for example, confectionery.

Puffs are widely used as raw materials for manufacturing confectionery and the like. These puffs can be extruded from the extruder die and immediately expanded, a method of further crushing the swelling produced by the direct puff to obtain the desired particle size, or extruding from the extruder die to form granular pellets. , These pellets are manufactured by a method such as a roasting puff that is fired and inflated.

As an example of the direct puff, for example, in Patent Document 1 below, a puff raw material containing starch is extruded from an extruder die to be expanded, crushed to a particle size of about 0.1 to 3 mm by a crusher, and further dried with hot air. A method for producing a granular starch composition is disclosed.

Further, in Patent Document 2 below, "a method for increasing the expansion rate of extruded food, (a) preparing an uncooked cereal dough mixture; (b) adding resistant starch to this cereal dough; (c). ) Add sufficient water to the cereal dough to a water content of 14-22 wt%; (d) at sufficient temperature and pressure in an extruder with an outlet die of predetermined form and size. A method comprising processing this cereal dough to make an extruded expanded dough; (e) drying the extruded dough to a final water content of about 3% or less; "is described.

Further, as an example of the roasted puff, in Patent Document 3 below, an extruder containing 15 to 25 parts by mass of water with respect to 100 parts by mass of the raw material for puff and a raw material for puff containing a starchy raw material containing rice flour is used. It is a discharge hole of a die portion attached to the tip of the extruder while being heated and kneaded so that the starchy raw material is pregelatinized, and the inner diameter thereof is 1.0 to 1.5 mm, and the total number thereof. The average particle size is 1.5 to ² . A method for producing a puff, which comprises a pellet forming step of forming a 2 mm pellet and a swelling step of heating and inflating the pellet to obtain a puff having an average particle size of 1.8 to 2.8 mm is disclosed. Has been done.

Japanese Patent No. 5494900 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-46976 Japanese Patent No. 4173985

For example, when the chocolate layer to be coated on confectionery is molded by extrusion molding or the like, if the chocolate raw material contains a puff and the puff is to be molded without being crushed, the chocolate layer is formed into a size that allows it to pass through the holes of the extrusion die. I had to use a puff.

Conventionally, such a puff having a small particle size is once formed by a direct puff as described in Patent Document 1 or a roasted puff as described in Patent Document 3, and the puff is crushed. Was created.

However, a puff with a small particle size formed by crushing a puff has a fracture surface on its surface, so that it has poor fluidity, it is difficult to mix it uniformly with other raw materials, and it absorbs moisture during storage. There was a problem that it was easy to do.

On the other hand, it is also conceivable to reduce the discharge hole of the die attached to the tip of the extruder to reduce the particle size of the direct puff or the roasted puff. However, a puff having a remarkably small particle size is considered to have a poor crispness as a puff, and no attempt has been made to make a puff having such a particle size.

Further, when the present inventors actually tried to make a puff having such a small diameter, there was a problem that the nozzle was easily clogged due to the small inner diameter of the discharge hole, and stable production could not be performed.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a granular puff having a small particle size and excellent fluidity and hygroscopicity.

In order to achieve the above object, one of the present inventions is a granular puff containing flour, which is formed into granules and swells, and has a mesh size of 2.8 mm, 2.0 mm, 1.7 mm, and 1.4 mm. , 1.0 mm, 0.6 mm sieve, the median diameter when sieving using a sieve with a large opening is in the range of 0.6 to 1.7 mm in the opening size, and the mesh The ratio of those that pass the sieve with an opening of 2.0 mm and turn on the sieve with 0.6 mm is 95% by mass or more in total, there is no fracture surface on the surface, and the bulk specific gravity is 83 to 315 g / 500 cc. It provides a characteristic granular puff.

According to the granular puff of the present invention, since the average particle size is small, when it is mixed with other raw materials and molded by a method such as extrusion molding, it can be molded while maintaining the granularity without being crushed. In addition, although it is a small granular puff, it can give a crispy texture peculiar to a puff. Furthermore, compared to puffs manufactured by crushing swellings, the surface has no fracture surface and has a relatively smooth surface structure, so that the fluidity and dispersibility when mixing other raw materials are improved. It becomes good and the manufacturing workability is improved. Further, since it has low hygroscopicity, it is excellent in storage stability, and can maintain a crispy feeling even when added to liquid foods such as soups and doughs containing water such as confectionery doughs. Further, since the granular puff of the present invention has a small spread of the particle size distribution, the above effect can be obtained more satisfactorily.

In the granular puff of the present invention, the amount of water increase during storage at room temperature is preferably 0.02% by mass / day or less. As a result, the texture of the puff can be maintained for a long period of time even when stored at room temperature.

In the granular puff of the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned flour, it is preferable that starch is contained in an amount of 5 to 50% by mass in terms of solid content with respect to the entire puff raw material. According to this, by containing starch in the raw material, the fluidity at the time of extrusion molding is increased and it becomes easy to extrude from a die having a small diameter, so that it becomes easy to manufacture a granular puff having a small particle size.

Further, in the granular puff of the present invention, the water content is preferably 0.1 to 12% by mass. According to this, it becomes easy to give a crispy texture, and it is possible to improve the storage stability of the product.

Further, in one aspect of the granular puff of the present invention, 55% by mass or more of flour and / or starch is contained as a raw material, and the average value of the maximum pressure at break per grain is 1.6 to 5.6 N. It is preferably in the range.

Further, in another aspect of the granular puff of the present invention, the raw material contains 80% by mass or more of a vegetable protein-containing raw material, and the average value of the maximum pressure at break per grain is in the range of 5 to 11N. Is preferable.
According to this, even a granular puff having a small diameter can give a good crispy feeling.

The other of the present invention is a raw material supply step of adding 8.0 to 40 parts by mass of water to 100 parts by mass of a puff raw material containing grain flour and supplying the twin-screw extruder to the two-screw extruder. Through the heat kneading step of heating and kneading the raw material in the extruder and the discharge hole of the die mounted on the tip of the twin-screw extruder with an inner diameter of 0.3 to 0.9 mm, the die temperature is 70 to 140 ° C. and the die is When the extrusion pressure P on the inner surface side is 4.5 to 12.0 MPa, the heat-kneaded puff raw material is extruded and expanded, and the extruding / cutting step of cutting to a predetermined length is included. It has a tapered portion whose diameter gradually decreases in the discharge direction, and a reduced diameter portion having an inner diameter of 0.3 to 0.9 mm and extending with a straight diameter from the tip of the tapered portion, and the thickness of the reduced diameter portion. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a granular puff, which comprises a shape in which the ratio A / B of A and the inner diameter B of the reduced diameter portion is 1.24 to 3.

According to the method for manufacturing a granular puff of the present invention, a tapered portion whose diameter is gradually reduced in the discharge direction and a reduced diameter portion having an inner diameter of 0.3 to 0.9 mm and extending with a straight diameter from the tip of the tapered portion. By using a die having a discharge hole having a shape in which the ratio A / B of the thickness A of the reduced diameter portion to the inner diameter B of the reduced diameter portion is 1.2 to 1.5. Even with a small discharge hole of 0.3 to 0.9 mm, the puff raw material can be extruded without clogging the nozzle, and the granular puff with a small diameter specified in the present invention can be produced with high productivity. can. In addition, since the direct manufacturing method is used, it is not necessary to make the raw material into a sheet and bake it, crush it, or classify it, so that the productivity is high.

In the method for producing a granular puff of the present invention, the number of discharge holes per unit area in the region where the discharge holes are formed on the inner end surface of the die is preferably 4.6 to 19.1 pieces / cm ² . .. According to this, it is possible to increase the productivity while maintaining the strength of the die.

Further, the relationship between the ratio S / W of the total opening area S of the discharge holes to the area W of the region where the discharge holes are formed on the inner end surface of the die and the extrusion pressure P is shown by the following equation (1). It is preferably in the range.
0.135 ≦ P × S / W ≦ 0.408… (1)
According to this, the nozzle clogging is less likely to occur, and the productivity can be increased while maintaining the strength of the die.

Further, in the method for producing a granular puff of the present invention, the puff raw material preferably contains starch in an amount of 5 to 50% by mass in terms of solid content with respect to the entire puff raw material in addition to the flour. According to this, by containing starch in the raw material, the fluidity at the time of extrusion molding is increased and it becomes easy to extrude from a discharge hole having a small diameter, so that it becomes easy to manufacture a granular puff having a small particle size.

Further, in the method for producing a granular puff of the present invention, it is preferable that the particle size of the puff raw material is adjusted so that 95% or more of the puff material passes through an 80 mesh sieve having an opening size of 177 μm. According to this, by using the puff raw material having the above-mentioned particle size, it is possible to easily extrude from the above-mentioned small-diameter discharge hole.

Further, in the method for producing a granular puff of the present invention, it is preferable that the shape of the discharge hole as seen from the discharge direction is a circular shape, an elliptical shape, or an oval shape. According to this, by making the shape of the discharge hole as described above, it is possible to easily extrude from the discharge hole having a small diameter, and it is possible to obtain a granular puff having a spherical shape or a shape close to the spherical shape. It is possible to improve the properties and the ease of mixing with other raw materials.

Further, in the method for producing a granular puff of the present invention, it is preferable to include a drying step of further drying until the water content becomes 0.1 to 12.0% by mass after the extrusion / cutting step. According to this, it becomes easy to give a crispy texture, and it is possible to improve the storage stability of the product.

Yet another of the present invention is an extrusion die attached to the tip of a twin-screw extruder for granular puff molding, and the discharge hole of the die is a tapered portion whose diameter gradually decreases in the discharge direction. And has a reduced diameter portion having an inner diameter of 0.3 to 0.9 mm and extending with a straight diameter from the tip of the tapered portion, and the ratio of the thickness A of the reduced diameter portion to the inner diameter B of the reduced diameter portion. It is an object of the present invention to provide an extrusion-molding die for granular puff molding, which is characterized by having an A / B of 1.24 to 3.

In the extrusion molding die for granular puff molding of the present invention, the number of discharge holes per unit area in the region where the discharge holes are formed on the inner end surface of the die is 4.6 to 19.1 pieces / cm ² . It is preferable to have. According to this, it is possible to increase the productivity while maintaining the strength of the die.

Further, in the extrusion molding die for granular puff molding of the present invention, it is preferable that the shape of the discharge hole as seen from the discharge direction is a circular shape, an elliptical shape, or an oval shape. Since it is possible to easily extrude from a small-diameter discharge hole and a granular puff having a spherical shape or a shape close to it can be obtained, the fluidity during handling and the ease of mixing with other raw materials should be improved. Can be done.

According to the granular puff of the present invention, since the particle size is small, when it is mixed with other raw materials and molded by a method such as extrusion molding, it can be molded while maintaining the granularity without being crushed. Moreover, even a small granular puff can give a crispy texture. Furthermore, compared to puffs manufactured by crushing swellings, the surface has no fracture surface and has a relatively smooth surface structure, so that the fluidity and dispersibility when mixing other raw materials are improved. It becomes good and the manufacturing workability is improved. Further, since it has low hygroscopicity, it is excellent in storage stability, and can maintain a crispy feeling even when added to liquid foods such as soups and doughs containing water such as confectionery doughs.

According to the method for producing a granular puff of the present invention, a granular puff having the above-mentioned action and effect and having a small particle size can be produced with high productivity without causing clogging of the discharge hole of the die. In addition, since the direct manufacturing method is used, it is not necessary to convert the raw material into a sheet and bake it, crush it, or classify it, so that the productivity is high.

Further, according to the extrusion molding die for forming the granular puff of the present invention, the granular puff having the above-mentioned action and effect while maintaining the strength is extruded without clogging the discharge hole of the die. It becomes possible to do.

It is a schematic diagram which shows one Embodiment of the extruder used for manufacturing the granular puff of this invention. It is a front view of the die attached to the extruder. It is a side view of the die attached to the extruder. It is sectional drawing of the discharge hole of the die. It is sectional drawing of the discharge hole of the conventional die. It is sectional drawing which shows the other example of the discharge hole of the die of the extruder used for manufacturing the granular puff of this invention. It is a figure which shows the puff of the comparative examples 1 and 2, A is a 1-fold magnified view, B is a 50-fold magnified view, and C is a 100-fold magnified view. It is a figure which shows the puff of Examples 1, 4 and 5, A is the same size figure, B is a 50 times magnified view. It is a chart which showed the water content of the puff of Comparative Example 1 and Example 1.

The granular puff of the present invention can be produced by a direct puff manufacturing method. This "direct puff manufacturing method" refers to a manufacturing method in which the raw material is supplied to the extruder to be in a high temperature and high pressure state, discharged from the discharge hole of the die of the extruder, and expanded instantly.

As the extruder used for manufacturing the granular puff of the present invention, an extruder having an extruder inside a barrel having a raw material input port and a die having a discharge hole at the tip of the barrel can be used. In particular, a twin-screw extruder that can pressurize to a higher pressure while mixing raw materials is preferably used.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of an extruder used for producing the granular puff of the present invention.

First, the extruder used in the manufacturing method of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the extruder 10 has a cylindrical barrel 20, an extrusion screw 30 arranged in the barrel, and a tip of the barrel 20. It is mainly composed of a die 40 mounted on the die 40 and a cutter 50 mounted on the tip of the die 40. A plurality of discharge holes 41 are formed in the die 40.

A raw material supply port 21a, a water supply port 21b, and a steam introduction port 21c are formed on the upper portion of the peripheral wall of the barrel 20. Further, a heating heater 22 is arranged on the outer peripheral portion of the barrel 20 so that the temperature inside the barrel 20 is controlled by the heating heater 22.

The extrusion screw 30 is arranged in the barrel 20 and is rotatably arranged so as to push the raw material toward the die 40 at the tip. Further, the other end of the extrusion screw 30 is connected to a motor 31 for rotationally driving the extrusion screw 30. Although not shown, in this embodiment, two extrusion screws 30 are arranged in parallel to form a twin-screw extruder.

A cutter 50 that cuts the puff 60 extruded from the discharge hole 41 to a predetermined length is mounted on the outer end surface of the die 40 where the discharge hole 41 opens. The cutter 50 is not particularly limited, and a conventionally known cutter device can be used. Further, the material of the cutter blade is not particularly limited, and a known stainless steel material or the like can be used.

The die 40 has a shape as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, for example. The die 40 has a disk shape as a whole, and a tapered protrusion 43 is formed in the center of an inner surface 42 arranged inside the extruder. Further, a plurality of mounting holes 44 are formed along the outer circumference of the disk shape, and the mounting holes 44 are mounted on the extruder via bolts inserted through the mounting holes 44.

Around the protrusion 43 of the inner surface 42, recesses 45 formed by being divided into three at equal intervals in the circumferential direction are provided, and a large number of discharge holes 41 are formed at predetermined intervals on the bottom surface of the recess 45. It is formed. In this embodiment, the bottom surface of the recess 45 forms the "region in which the discharge hole on the inner end surface of the die is formed" in the present invention.

A support shaft 47 is projected from the center of the outer surface 46 arranged outside the extruder of the die 40. A rotary cutter (not shown) is attached to the support shaft 47, which is slidably contacted with the outer surface of the discharge hole 45 to cut the extruded product to a predetermined length and granulate it.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the discharge hole 41 adopted in the die of the present invention. The discharge hole 41 has a diameter-expanded portion 47 extending from the inner surface 42 side in the discharge direction, a tapered portion 48 gradually reducing in diameter from the tip of the diameter-expanded portion 47 toward the discharge direction, and the tip of the tapered portion 48. It has a shape having an inner diameter of 0.3 to 0.9 mm and a reduced diameter portion 49 extending with a straight diameter.

In this embodiment, the enlarged diameter portion 47 has a shape extending with a straight diameter having a circular cross section, the tapered portion 48 has a conical shape, and the reduced diameter portion 49 has a shape extending with a straight diameter having a circular cross section.

The inner diameter of the discharge hole 41 of the die 40 is preferably 0.5 to 0.9 mm, more preferably 0.7 to 0.9 mm, and most preferably 0.8 to 0.9 mm. .. If the inner diameter of the discharge hole 41 is less than 0.3 mm, the discharge hole 41 tends to be clogged during long-term operation, which is not preferable. If the inner diameter exceeds 0.9 mm, the puff formed through the discharge hole 41 The diameter becomes large, and it becomes difficult to obtain the desired puff with a small particle size.

Further, it is preferable that the discharge hole 41 has a circular shape, an elliptical shape, or an oval shape when viewed from the discharge direction. By making the shape of the discharge hole as described above, it is possible to easily extrude from the discharge hole having a small diameter, and it is possible to obtain a granular puff having a spherical shape or a shape close to it. The ease of mixing with the raw material can be improved.

In the present invention, the inner diameter of the discharge hole 41 when the shape seen from the discharge direction is other than a circle is defined as the maximum diameter (in other words, the minor diameter) in the direction orthogonal to the major axis.

The feature of the die 40 of the present invention is that the ratio A / B of the thickness A and the inner diameter B of the reduced diameter portion 9 is 1.2 to 1.5. The ratio A / B of the thickness A of the reduced diameter portion 9 to the inner diameter B is more preferably 1.2 to 1.4, and further preferably 1.2 to 1.3. Since the ratio A / B of the thickness A of the reduced diameter portion 9 to the inner diameter B is 1.2 to 1.5, even if the discharge hole has a small diameter of 0.3 to 0.9 mm, the inner diameter is 0.3 to 0.9 mm. It can be extruded without clogging of the puff raw material, and a granular puff having a small diameter can be produced with high productivity.

The thickness (thickness of the bottom of the recess 45) T of the region where the discharge hole 41 of the die 40 is formed is preferably 7 to 10 times that of B, and is preferably 7 to 8 times that of B. More preferred. If the thickness T is 7 to 10 times that of B, the strength to withstand the extrusion pressure can be imparted.

Further, the number of discharge holes 41 per unit area in the region where the discharge holes 41 are formed on the inner end surface of the die 40 (the bottom surface of the recess 45 in this embodiment) is 4.6 to 19.1 pieces / cm ² . It is preferably 4.9 to 12.2 pieces / cm ² .
Further, the ratio S / W of the total opening area S of the discharge holes 41 to the area W of the region (the bottom surface of the recess 45 in this embodiment) where the discharge holes 41 are formed on the inner end surface of the die 40, and the extrusion pressure P. It is preferable that the relationship is in the range represented by the following formula (1).
0.135 ≦ P × S / W ≦ 0.408… (1)

The relationship between the area W of the region where the discharge hole 41 is formed on the inner end surface of the die 40, the total opening area S of the nozzle hole 41, and the extrusion pressure P is within the range represented by the above formula (1). , The discharge hole 41 can be extruded with an appropriate extrusion pressure without clogging.

Note that FIG. 5 shows an example of a discharge hole used in a conventional die for forming a granular puff. The discharge hole 51 has a tapered portion 52 and a reduced diameter portion 51. The ratio A / B of the thickness A of the reduced diameter portion 9 to the inner diameter B was 1.3 to 1.6. However, since there was no conventional die for forming granular puffs with an inner diameter of the discharge hole of 1 mm or less, if the inner diameter of the discharge hole is reduced to 1 mm or less in the same shape, the thickness A of the reduced diameter portion 9 A. The ratio A / B to the inner diameter B is 1.6 or more, and there is a problem that clogging occurs and stable production cannot be performed.

FIG. 6 shows another example of the discharge hole used in the die of the present invention. The discharge hole 41a is different from the discharge hole 41 in FIG. 4 in that the tapered portion 48a has a curved surface having an arc shape in a cross section cut along the axis. As described above, in the present invention, the tapered portion includes a shape having a curved surface such as an arc shape in cross section and gradually reducing the diameter.

The die for forming a granular puff of the present invention is not only a die for direct puff, but also a die for roasting puff forming in which a puff raw material is extruded from an extruder die to form granular pellets, and the pellets are fired and expanded. Can also be used as.

Next, an embodiment of the method for producing a granular puff of the present invention using the above extruder 10 will be described.

(Raw material supply process)
First, the granular puff raw material containing flour is supplied to the raw material supply port 21a of the extruder 10.

In addition to flour and flour, the raw materials for the granular puff of the present invention include starch, beans, vegetables, salt, malt extract, swelling agent, sugar raw material, protein raw material, oil and fat raw material, agricultural and marine products, amino acids, emulsifiers, etc. Spices, flavors, seasonings, vitamins, minerals, cellulose and the like can be used.

As the above-mentioned flour, for example, wheat flour, wheat bran, barley, rye, oat, rice, corn, soba, hie, foxtail millet, pigeon barley, soybean flour and the like can be used, and these may be used alone or mixed. Can be used. The flour is preferably contained in an amount of 50 to 80% by mass, more preferably 60 to 70% by mass in terms of solid content with respect to the entire puff raw material.

Examples of the starch include raw starches such as potato starch, sweet potato starch, tapioca starch, cornstarch, waxy starch, rice starch, and wheat starch, and these raw starches are subjected to oxidation treatment, esterification treatment, etherification treatment, cross-linking treatment, and the like. One or more selected from processed starch or the like that has undergone pregelatinization treatment, wet heat treatment, or the like can be used. The starch is preferably contained in an amount of 5 to 50% by mass, more preferably 20 to 50% by mass, still more preferably 23 to 40% by mass in terms of solid content with respect to the entire puff raw material. By containing starch in the above range, the fluidity of the raw material at the time of extrusion molding is increased, and it becomes easy to extrude from a die having a small diameter, so that it becomes easy to manufacture a granular puff having a small diameter.

As the particle size of the raw material of the granular puff, it is preferable to use one prepared so that 95% or more of the material passes through an 80 mesh sieve having an opening size of 177 μm. By using the puff raw material having the above-mentioned particle size, it is possible to easily extrude from the above-mentioned small-diameter discharge hole 41.

Further, if necessary, water is supplied from the water supply port 21b of the extruder 10, and steam is introduced from the steam introduction port 21c. The amount of water to be supplied as water or steam is preferably 8 to 40 parts by mass, more preferably 10 to 18 parts by mass, still more preferably 10.5 to 15.5 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the puff raw material. If the amount of water added is less than 8 parts by mass, the puff tends to be scorched or the texture tends to be powdery, and if it exceeds 40 parts by mass, the swelling tends to be insufficient or the puff tends to stick to the cutter during cutting. There is.

In the present invention, for example, the amount of water supplied from the water supply port 21b and the amount of water vapor introduced from the steam introduction port 21c can be appropriately set in order to adjust the temperature of the raw material in the extruder 10.

The puff raw material and cold water may be mixed in advance and then supplied to the supply port 21a of the extruder 10. The puff raw material and cold water may be simultaneously supplied to the supply port 21a of the extruder 10 to supply the screw 30 of the extruder 10. You may try to mix in.

(Heating and kneading process)
Next, the puff raw material containing the above water is kneaded and pressurized with the extrusion screw 30 and kneaded by heating. The heating is also performed by the heating heater 20 of the barrel 20. The temperature inside the barrel 20 serving as the heat-kneading portion is preferably set to 40 to 190 ° C, more preferably 60 to 130 ° C. If the temperature is less than 40 ° C, the puff raw material tends to be difficult to gelatinize, and if it exceeds 190 ° C, the puff raw material tends to be saccharified and browned, and if it progresses, charring or carbonization tends to occur.

(Extrusion / cutting process)
Subsequently, the heat-kneaded puff raw material is extruded from the discharge hole 41 of the die 40 to be inflated. As the swelling condition, the temperature on the inner surface side of the die 40 is preferably set to 70 to 140 ° C, more preferably 80 to 120 ° C. If the temperature is lower than 70 ° C, the water evaporation becomes insufficient and the puff tends to be difficult to swell, and if the temperature exceeds 140 ° C, the puff tends to be scorched and the quality such as flavor tends to be affected, which is not preferable. The extrusion pressure in the discharge hole 41 is preferably set to 4.5 to 12.0 MPa, more preferably 4.5 to 8.0 MPa, and even more preferably 5.5 to 7.0 MPa. If the extrusion pressure is less than 4.5 MPa, the swelling tends to be insufficient, and if it exceeds 12.0 MPa, the obtained puff tends to swell too much and the shape cannot be maintained, which is preferable. do not have. Since the temperature and pressure are factors that affect each other, they can be adjusted as appropriate by combining them.

Then, the obtained puff can be cut to a desired length with a cutter 50 to obtain the granular puff 60 of the present invention.

(Drying process)
Further, if necessary, the granular puff is placed in an oven or the like so that the water content is preferably 0.1 to 12.0% by mass, more preferably 0.5 to 5.0% by mass, still more preferably 0.5 to 3. It may be dried until it reaches 0.0% by mass. If the water content is less than 0.1% by mass, the obtained puff tends to be fragile, and if it exceeds 12.0% by mass, the puff has a moist texture and the storage stability tends to deteriorate. ..

The method for measuring the particle size distribution of the granular puff thus obtained will be described by using a sieve having a mesh size of 2.8 mm, 2.0 mm, 1.7 mm, 1.4 mm, 1.0 mm, and 0.6 mm. Use from a large sieve, place it on the receiver, put a puff into it, hold it with both hands, shake it in one direction with an amplitude of about 70 mm in one direction at a rate of about 60 reciprocations for 1 minute, and under the sieve, Next, it can be obtained as a ratio by sieving with a sieve having a large opening in the same manner and measuring the mass of the puff in each fraction.

In the present invention, for the granular puff after the drying step, a sieve having an opening of 2.8 mm, 2.0 mm, 1.7 mm, 1.4 mm, 1.0 mm, and 0.6 mm is used, and the opening is large. The median diameter when sieved by using from a sieve is preferably in the range of 0.6 to 1.7 mm, and more preferably in the range of 1.0 to 1.7 mm in terms of the opening size. When wheat flour is used as the flour raw material, the median diameter is more preferably in the range of 1.4 to 1.7 mm in the opening size, and when barley flour is used as the flour raw material, the median diameter is more preferable. However, it is preferable that the opening size is in the range of 1.0 to 1.4 mm.

When the median diameter is larger than the above particle size range, it becomes difficult to mix uniformly when mixed with other raw materials, and inconveniences such as crushing when molding by a method such as extrusion molding are likely to occur. .. Further, when the median diameter is smaller than the above particle size range, inconveniences such as poor productivity and difficulty in manufacturing are likely to occur.

Further, in the present invention, with respect to the granular puffs after the drying step, the proportion of the granular puffs that pass through a sieve having a mesh size of 2.0 mm and turn on a sieve having a mesh size of 0.6 mm is 95% by mass or more as a whole. It is preferably 97% by mass or more, and more preferably 97% by mass or more. According to this, since the spread of the particle size distribution is small, the above effect can be obtained better.

Further, the granular puff of the present invention has no fracture surface on the surface, no unevenness in appearance, and has a smooth surface structure. This is because it is molded by a direct puff and has no fracture surface on the surface. As a result, the fluidity and dispersibility when the other raw materials are mixed are improved, and the manufacturing workability is improved.

Further, the granular puff of the present invention preferably has a bulk specific gravity of 83 to 315 g / 500 cc, more preferably 83 to 145 g / 500 cc, and even more preferably 83 to 120 g / 500 cc. If the bulk specific density is less than 83 g / 500 cc, the puff tends to absorb moisture easily, and if it exceeds 315 g / 500 cc, the texture as a puff tends to be too hard.

Here, the bulk specific gravity in the present specification refers to the mass per 500 cc of granular puff. An example of a specific measurement method is as follows.
(1) Put the granular puff up to the scale of 500 cc of the beaker, and vibrate it for 30 seconds using an amplitude machine so that the granular puff is not damaged.
(2) When the upper surface of the charged granular puff is below the scale of 500 cc, the granular puff is added up to the scale of 500 cc and vibrated again for 30 seconds. Then, after the vibration, this operation is repeated until the scale of 500 cc and the upper surface of the granular puff match.
(3) In this state, the weight of the granular puff is measured for each beaker, and the weight of the empty beaker is subtracted to obtain the weight of only the granular puff. / 500cc) is calculated.

Further, the granular puff of the present invention preferably has a water content of 0.1 to 12.0% by mass, preferably 0.5 to 5.0% by mass, and preferably 0.5 to 3.0. More preferably, it is by mass%. If the water content is less than 0.1% by mass, the puff tends to break easily, and if it exceeds 12.0% by mass, the texture becomes crispy and the storage stability of the product deteriorates. There is a tendency.

Here, the water content in the present specification can be measured by a known measuring method. For example, it can be measured by a method using an infrared moisture meter, or it can be measured by measuring the mass of the dough before and after heating and drying.

The granular puff of the present invention preferably has a water content increase of 0.02% by mass / day or less, and more preferably 0.015% / day or less when stored at room temperature. Here, normal temperature storage means that the product is stored indoors without adjusting the temperature or humidity.

Further, the granular puff of the present invention has a granular puff mass of 106% or less when the granular puff mass before being left is 100% after being left for 2 hours in an atmosphere of a temperature of 20 ° C. and a relative humidity of 86%. It is preferably 105% or less, more preferably 105% or less. If the mass after being left to stand exceeds 106%, the hygroscopicity becomes high, and the storage stability of the product deteriorates, which is not preferable.

Further, as one of the preferred embodiments of the granular puff of the present invention, 55% by mass or more of flour and / or starch is contained as a raw material, and the average value of the maximum pressure at break per grain is preferably 1.6. Those in the range of ~ 5.6N, more preferably 2.7 to 5.6N can be mentioned.

Here, the maximum pressure at break per grain is the value measured by pressing one puff with a probe with a flat surface using a force gauge and measuring the maximum pressure (N) when the puff breaks. means. As the force gauge, for example, "ZTS-100N" (trade name, manufactured by Imada Co., Ltd.) can be used.

Further, as another preferred embodiment of the granular puff of the present invention, 80% by mass or more of a vegetable protein-containing raw material is contained as a raw material, and the average value of the maximum pressure at break per grain is preferably 5 to 11N. , More preferably in the range of 5.3 to 11N.

In the above, the raw material containing vegetable protein may be any plant-derived raw material containing 20% by mass or more of protein, for example, soybean flour, defatted soybean flour, concentrated soybean protein flour, separated soybean protein flour, pea flour, and pea beans. Examples include protein powder, wheat protein powder, and rice protein powder.

As shown in Examples described later, the granular puff of the present invention has a small particle size in which the median diameter is in the range of 0.6 to 1.7 mm in the opening size, but the particle size is large. It can be seen that the maximum pressure at break is relatively small, and even if the particle size is small, there is a crispy feeling.

As described above, the granular puff of the present invention can impart a crispy texture peculiar to puffs even if the median diameter is as small as 0.6 to 1.7 mm in the opening size, so that it can be used for snacks, chocolate confectionery, etc. Confectionery foods, protein bars, nutritional foods such as breakfast cereals, instant foods such as instant ingredients and soup ingredients, portable foods such as rice balls and nutrition bars that can be carried and eaten, as well as general cereals and toppings. It can be used for traditional favorite foods and seasoned foods. In particular, since it has low hygroscopicity, it is preferably used because it can maintain a crispy feeling even when added to liquid foods such as soups and doughs containing water such as confectionery doughs.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples, but these examples do not limit the present invention in any way.

<1. Manufacture of granular puffs>
The puff raw materials having the formulations shown in Table 1 were supplied to the supply port of a twin-screw extruder (manufactured by WENGER). In addition, cold water was supplied to the supply port at the ratio shown in Table 2.

According to the conditions in Table 2, the puff raw material was heated and kneaded while adding steam to the inside of the screw, and extruded from the discharge hole of the die mounted on the tip of the twin-screw extruder to be expanded to obtain a puff.

Then, the puff was dried at 205 ° C. for 45 seconds using an oven (manufactured by Arakawa Seisakusho).

<2. Evaluation of granular puff (1)>
Each measurement was carried out using the puffs of Examples 1 to 5 obtained above and the commercially available puffs (Comparative Examples 1 and 2). The following puffs were used as commercially available puffs.

Comparative Example 1: Using wheat flour as flour, the dough is heat-gelatinized by a steamer, then rolled into a sheet, dried, crushed, and the pellets prepared by classification are expanded in an oven. Produced Puff Comparative Example 2: Using corn as flour, the dough was heat-gelatinized by a steamer, then rolled into a sheet, dried, crushed, and the pellets produced by classification were placed in an oven. Puffs manufactured by swelling (1) Measurement of particle size As the sieve, those having a mesh size of 2.8 mm, 2.0 mm, 1.7 mm, 1.4 mm, 1.0 mm and 0.6 mm were used. It was used from a sieve with a large opening, placed on a receiver, a puff was put into it, held with both hands, and shaken in a horizontal plane with an amplitude of about 70 mm in one direction at a rate of about 60 reciprocations for 1 minute. Under the sieve, sieving is performed in the same manner using a sieve with the next largest opening, and the mass of the puff in each fraction is measured to obtain the fraction containing the median diameter. The range of is described as the average particle size. The results are shown in Table 3.

(2) Measurement of bulk specific gravity i) The puffs of Comparative Examples 1 to 3 and Examples 1 to 5 were put into a 500 cc graduated cylinder, and the bottom of the container was tapped on the table three times.
ii) When the upper surface of the charged granular puff was below the scale of 500 cc, the granular puff was added up to the scale of 500 cc, and the upper surface was rubbed to confirm that the scale and the upper surface of the granular puff matched.
iii) In this state, the weight of the granular puff is measured for each graduated cylinder, and the weight of the empty graduated cylinder is subtracted to obtain the weight of only the granular puff. g / 500cc) is calculated. The puff was taken out from the measuring cylinder and the bulk specific gravity (weight (g) of the puff per 500 cc, unit g / 500 cc) was measured. The results are shown in Table 3.

(3) Measurement of water content The water content was measured using an infrared moisture meter (model number: FD-600, manufactured by Kett Science Institute Headquarters (kett)). The results are shown in Table 3.

(4) Physical characteristics and texture As shown in FIG. 7, the puff of Comparative Example 1 had a smooth surface and large bubbles. Further, as shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C, fracture surfaces were observed. The texture was crispy and light.

As shown in FIG. 7, the puff of Comparative Example 2 had a smooth surface and large bubbles. Further, as shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C, fracture surfaces were observed. The texture was crunchy and a little heavy.

As shown in FIG. 8, the puff of Example 1 had small bubbles on its surface. As shown in FIG. 8B, no fracture surface was seen. The texture was crispy and light.

Although not shown, small bubbles were also observed on the surface of the puff of Example 2. No fracture surface was seen. The texture was crispy and light.

Although not shown, small bubbles were also observed on the surface of the puff of Example 3. No fracture surface was seen. The texture was crispy and light.

As shown in FIG. 8, the puff of Example 4 had small bubbles on its surface. No fracture surface was seen. The texture was crunchy and a little heavy.

The puff of Example 5 was in the form of granules as shown in FIG. No fracture surface was seen. The texture was crunchy, slightly heavy and powdery.

The puffs of Examples 1 to 5 manufactured by the direct manufacturing method in this way had a small average particle size. Further, since the puffs of Comparative Examples 1 and 2 were manufactured by the steaming pulverization method, a fracture surface was observed on the surface, but the puffs of Examples 1 to 5 did not have a fracture surface on the surface. Further, since the puffs of Comparative Examples 1 and 2 are manufactured by the steaming pulverization manufacturing method, the productivity is low, but the puffs of Examples 1 to 5 are manufactured by the direct manufacturing method, so that the productivity is high. It was expensive.

<3. Evaluation of granular puff (2)>
(1) Moisture absorption comparison test (storage environment)
Similarly to the above, the water content of the puff of Comparative Example 1 immediately after being taken out from the PE bag whose mouth was band-tightened and the puff of Example 1 immediately after production were measured using an infrared moisture meter. Then, these puffs were stored at room temperature and the water content was measured over time.

The results are shown in Table 4 and FIG. From this result, it was found that the puff of Example 1 was less likely to absorb moisture than the puff of Comparative Example 1 and could maintain the texture for a long period of time.

In addition, sensory evaluation was performed by eating each granular puff before leaving and after leaving for a certain period of time. The evaluation is 〇 ... There is almost no difference or some change compared to the one on the 0th day of manufacture, but the commercial value as a puff is maintained, × ... There is a considerable change compared to the 0th day of manufacture. , The product value as a puff is not maintained, and the average of 4 panelists is displayed.

The results are shown in Table 5. From this result, the puff of Comparative Example 1 was able to maintain the quality as a product until after 107 days, but after 132 days, it had a feeling of moisture and the quality was not maintained. It was found that the quality of the puff of Example 1 was maintained even after 338 days had passed.

From the experimental results in Table 4, the amount of water increase in the granular puff of Example 1 when stored at room temperature was 0.0095% by mass / day. On the other hand, the amount of water increase in the granular puff of Comparative Example 1 when stored at room temperature was 0.0386% by mass / day.

(2) Water absorption test First, the water content of the puff of Comparative Example 1 immediately after being taken out from the contained bag and the puff of Example 1 immediately after production were measured using an infrared moisture meter. In each case, 10 g of water was added to 1 g of the puff. After a lapse of a certain period of time, the sieve was opened with a mesh opening of 0.5 mm, drained, and the water content was measured again.

In addition, the puff mass after addition and draining was measured when the puff mass before water addition was 100% by mass.

In addition, sensory evaluation was performed by eating each granular puff after being left for a certain period of time. The sensory evaluation was performed on the shape and texture according to the following evaluation criteria.

(shape)
⊚: The original shape of the puff is maintained.
〇: It is swollen, but the shape of the puff is maintained.
Δ: It is swollen, and the shape of about half of the puff is maintained.
X: It is swollen, and the shape of about half of the puff is maintained.
(Texture)
◎: The texture of the original puff is almost maintained.
〇: Soft but the graininess of the puff is maintained.
Δ: It is soft and has almost no graininess of the puff.
×: The puff has no graininess and melts.
The results are shown in Table 6.

From this result, it was found that the puff of Example 1 was less likely to absorb water than the puff of Comparative Example 1. Further, in the puff of Example 1, the graininess of the puff remained even after 1 minute had passed after the addition of water.

From the above results, it was found that the puff of Example 1 tends to be less likely to absorb moisture than the puff of Comparative Example 1 and can maintain the texture for a long period of time. The puff of Comparative Example 1 is manufactured by the steaming and pulverizing method, whereas the puff of Example 1 is manufactured by the direct manufacturing method, so that the productivity is high.

(3) Breaking strength test (Example 6)
A direct puff having a median diameter of 1.4 to 1.7 mm with an opening of 1.4 to 1.7 mm was produced by extruding from a discharge hole having an inner diameter of 0.7 mm with the formulation shown in Table 7 below.

(Example 7)
A direct puff having a median diameter of 1.4 to 1.7 mm with an opening of 1.4 to 1.7 mm was produced by extruding from a discharge hole having an inner diameter of 0.8 mm with the formulation shown in Table 8 below.

(Comparative Example 3)
With the formulation shown in Table 8, a direct puff having a median diameter of 2.8 to 3.35 mm was produced by extruding from a discharge hole having an inner diameter of 1.2 mm.

(Example 8)
A direct puff having a median diameter of 1.4 to 1.7 mm with an opening of 1.4 to 1.7 mm was produced by extruding from a discharge hole having an inner diameter of 0.8 mm with the formulation shown in Table 9 below.

(Comparative Example 4)
With the formulation shown in Table 9, a direct puff having a median diameter of 2.0 to 2.8 mm was produced by extruding from a discharge hole having an inner diameter of 1.2 mm.

(Measurement of breaking strength)
Ten puffs of Examples 6, 7, 8 and Comparative Examples 3, 4 were indiscriminately selected, and each puff was pressed with a probe having a flat surface using a force gauge, and the puff broke. The maximum pressure (N) was measured. The maximum pressure at break per grain was obtained by taking the average value of 10 grains. As a measuring device, an Imada force gauge "ZTS-100N" and a measuring stand "MX2" were used as a set. The measurement results are shown in Table 10 below.

As shown in Table 10, even when similar raw materials are used, the granular puffs of Examples 6, 7 and 8 having a small median diameter have a higher breaking pressure than the granular puffs of Comparative Examples 3 and 4 having a large median diameter. It can be seen that it is small and has an excellent crispness.

<4. Test results based on the shape of the die discharge hole>
(Comparative Examples 5 and 6)
The conventional dies shown in FIG. 5 having the discharge hole diameters shown in Table 11 below were used, and whether or not they could be extruded was tested. The results are shown in Table 11. The raw material formulations of Comparative Examples 5 and 6 are shown in Table 12 below.

表１１に示すように、ノズル径１．０ｍｍでＡ／Ｂが１．６である比較例５は、吐出されなかった。ノズル１．３ｍｍでＡ／Ｂが１．３である比較例６は、詰まりが発生しなかった。

As shown in Table 11, Comparative Example 5 having a nozzle diameter of 1.0 mm and an A / B of 1.6 was not discharged. In Comparative Example 6 in which the nozzle was 1.3 mm and the A / B was 1.3, no clogging occurred.

(Examples 9, 10, 11, 12)
Using the dies of the present invention shown in FIG. 4 having the discharge hole diameters shown in Tables 13 and 14 below, it was tested whether or not the die could be extruded. The results are shown in Table 13. The raw material formulations of Example 9 are shown in Table 15 below, the raw material formulations of Examples 10 and 11 are the same as those of Table 7, and the raw material formulations of Example 12 are the same as those of Table 8.

In Examples 9 and 10, granular pellets were extruded from the ex and ruder, and the pellets were roasted into puffs, which are described as examples of the dice of the present invention. Examples 11 and 12 are examples of direct puffs that are extruded and expanded at the same time to make puffs.

As shown in Tables 13 and 14, in Examples 9, 10, 11 and 12 in which the A / B was adjusted to 1.3 to 1.4, even if the nozzle diameter was 0.7 to 0.8 mm, the clogging did not occur. It did not occur.

As described above, the shape of the discharge hole of the die has a tapered portion whose diameter is gradually reduced in the discharge direction as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, and an inner diameter of 0.3 to 0.9 mm from the tip of the tapered portion. By having a reduced diameter portion extending with a straight diameter and having a shape in which the ratio A / B of the thickness A of the reduced diameter portion to the inner diameter B of the reduced diameter portion is 1.2 to 1.5. It can be seen that even if the nozzle diameter is 0.9 mm or less, extrusion is possible, whereby a granular puff having a particle size specified in the present invention can be produced.

10 Extruder 20 Barrel 21a, 21b, 21c Supply port 22 Heating heater 30 Extrusion screw 31 Motor 40 Die 41, 41a Discharge hole 47 Diameter expansion part 48, 48a Taper part 49 Diameter part 50 Cutter 60 Puff A Diameter part thickness B Inner diameter of reduced diameter part

Claims (13)

In a granular puff containing flour, which is formed into granules and swells, a sieve having an opening of 2.8 mm, 2.0 mm, 1.7 mm, 1.4 mm, 1.0 mm, and 0.6 mm is used. The median diameter when sieved using a sieve with a large opening is in the range of 0.6 to 1.7 mm in the opening size, and passes through a sieve with a mesh opening of 2.0 mm and is 0.6 mm. A granular puff characterized in that the ratio of those that turn on the sieve is 95% by mass or more as a whole, there is no fracture surface on the surface, and the bulk specific gravity is 83 to 315 g / 500 cc. The granular puff according to claim 1, wherein the amount of water increase when stored at room temperature is 0.02% by mass / day or less. The granular puff according to claim 1 or 2, which contains starch in an amount of 5 to 50% by mass in terms of solid content with respect to the entire puff raw material in addition to the grain flour. The granular puff according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the water content is 0.1 to 12.0% by mass. Any one of claims 1 to 4, which contains 55% by mass or more of flour and / or starch as a raw material, and the average value of the maximum pressure at break per grain is in the range of 1.6 to 5.6 N. Granular puffs described in. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the raw material contains 80% by mass or more of a vegetable protein-containing raw material, and the average value of the maximum pressure at break per grain is in the range of 5 to 11N. Granular puff. A raw material supply step in which 8.0 to 40 parts by mass of water is added to 100 parts by mass of a puff raw material containing grain powder and supplied to a twin-screw extruder, and heat kneading in which the raw material is heated and kneaded in the twin-screw extruder. Through the process and the discharge hole of the die mounted on the tip of the twin-screw extruder with an inner diameter of 0.3 to 0.9 mm, the die temperature is 70 to 140 ° C., and the extrusion pressure P on the inner surface side of the die is 4.5. The die's discharge hole gradually shrinks in diameter in the discharge direction, including an extrusion / cutting step of extruding and expanding the heat-kneaded puff raw material at ~ 12.0 MPa and cutting to a predetermined length. It has a tapered portion and a reduced diameter portion extending from the tip of the tapered portion with an inner diameter of 0.3 to 0.9 mm and extending with a straight diameter, and the thickness A of the reduced diameter portion and the inner diameter B of the reduced diameter portion. A method for producing a granular puff, which comprises a shape having a ratio A / B of 1.2 to 1.5. The method for manufacturing a granular puff according to claim 7, wherein the number of discharge holes per unit area in the region where the discharge holes are formed on the inner end surface of the die is 4.6 to 19.1 pieces / cm ² . The relationship between the ratio S / W of the total opening area S of the discharge holes to the area W of the region where the discharge holes are formed on the inner end surface of the die and the extrusion pressure P is within the range represented by the following formula (1). The method for producing a granular puff according to claim 7 or 8.
0.135 ≦ P × S / W ≦ 0.408… (1) The production of the granular puff according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the puff raw material contains starch in an amount of 1 to 50% by mass in terms of solid content with respect to the entire puff raw material in addition to the flour. Method. The production of the granular puff according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the particle size of the puff raw material is adjusted so that 95% or more of the puff material passes through an 80 mesh sieve having an opening size of 177 μm. Method. The method for manufacturing a granular puff according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the shape of the discharge hole when viewed from the discharge direction is a circular shape, an elliptical shape, or an oval shape. The method for producing a granular puff according to any one of claims 7 to 12, further comprising a drying step of drying until the water content becomes 0.1 to 12.0% by mass after the extrusion / cutting step. ..

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