JP7055013B2 - Instant noodles containing magnesium chloride and potassium lactate - Google Patents

Description

The present invention provides instant noodles in which the amount of sodium used is suppressed by using magnesium chloride and potassium lactate in combination.

Generally, in the production of noodles, salt (sodium chloride) is often added when producing noodle strings from raw material flour such as wheat flour. This is because sodium chloride is allowed to act on the gluten contained in the noodle string to enhance the elasticity and extensibility of the noodle string, and to improve the noodle-making property and texture.

However, in recent years, in order to prevent hypertension, many so-called low-salt products with reduced sodium chloride content have been put on the market. In the 2010 edition of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's "Japanese Dietary Intake Standards", the daily salt intake target was less than 9 g for adult men and less than 7.5 g for adult women, whereas in the 2015 edition, it was one day. The daily salt intake target value is less than 8 g for adult males and less than 7 g for adult females, respectively, and it is considered that the tendency toward salt reduction will continue to increase in the future.

As a technique for achieving sufficient elasticity and extensibility while suppressing the amount of sodium chloride used, a method of adding a thickener such as xanthan gum or roasted bean gum and arginine is disclosed (Patent Documents 1 and 2). .. Further, a method of adding a glycerin organic acid fatty acid ester is disclosed as a technique for suppressing hot water elongation, which allows good hot water return even when the amount of sodium chloride used is reduced (Patent Document 3). However, since these materials do not have a salty taste, they could not supplement the salty taste.

Further, instead of sodium chloride, noodle products containing bittern containing a large amount of magnesium chloride have been developed (Patent Documents 4 and 5). However, noodles using magnesium chloride tended to have a strong bitter taste.

Furthermore, a method of adding sodium lactate instead of sodium chloride to improve the texture of noodles is also known, but since sodium lactate itself becomes a source of sodium, the problem of reducing sodium ions is solved. Could not be a solution.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-84772 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-21434 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-067293 WO2005 / 077206 WO2012 / 176882

An object of the present invention is to provide instant noodles having a good texture and salty taste while suppressing the amount of sodium used.

By using magnesium chloride, which has a strong salty taste, and potassium lactate, which has the effect of suppressing the bitterness of magnesium chloride, in place of sodium chloride, the present inventors have excellent salty taste while suppressing the amount of sodium used. It has been found that it is possible to provide instant noodles in which bitterness and acidity are suppressed.

That is, the present invention is an instant noodle containing magnesium chloride and potassium lactate, and is characterized by containing 0.05 to 1.50% by weight of magnesium chloride and 0.10 to 2.50% by weight of potassium lactate in the total amount of the instant noodles. It is something to do.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide instant noodles having a good salty taste and texture while suppressing the amount of sodium used.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described. In the present invention, the type of instant noodles is not particularly limited, and any noodles known in the art may be used. Specific examples include udon, soba, Chinese noodles, pasta, pho and the like.

1. 1. Raw Materials The raw materials used in the present invention will be described in detail.

1-1. Magnesium chloride The magnesium chloride is not limited to high-purity magnesium chloride, and additives containing magnesium chloride as a main component such as bittern can be used. Magnesium chloride is a material with a strong bitterness, so if you try to compensate for the decrease in saltiness caused by reducing the amount of sodium chloride used with magnesium chloride alone, the bitterness will be strong and it will not be suitable for eating.

However, since the quality of bitterness is different from that of potassium lactate, which will be described later, it is possible to enhance the salty taste within a range in which the bitterness peculiar to magnesium chloride is suppressed by using it in combination with potassium lactate in a certain ratio. Further, in the present invention, since the raw material powder contains starch having a masking effect, the salty taste and bitterness are masked by the starch, and the difference from sodium chloride becomes more difficult to understand.

Normally, magnesium chloride is sold as hexahydrate, but in the present invention, the term "magnesium chloride" refers to magnesium chloride anhydride.

In the present invention, it is necessary to contain 0.05 to 1.50% by weight of magnesium chloride with respect to the total amount of instant noodles. When magnesium chloride is less than 0.05% by weight, the saltiness is weak and it cannot be a substitute for sodium chloride. Further, when magnesium chloride exceeds 1.50% by weight, the bitterness of magnesium chloride becomes too strong. Although it depends on the amount of sodium chloride and potassium lactate used in combination, it is more preferable to contain 0.1 to 0.70% by weight of magnesium chloride with respect to the total amount of instant noodles.

1-2. Potassium lactate Potassium lactate has a strong acidity and bitterness by itself, but it has a salty taste enhancing effect and the quality of bitterness is different from that of magnesium chloride described above. It is possible to enhance the salty taste while suppressing the sourness and bitterness. Further, since the raw material powder contains starch having a masking effect, the salty taste, bitterness and acidity are masked by the starch, and the difference from sodium chloride becomes more difficult to understand.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned bitterness of magnesium chloride is mainly due to magnesium ions, but the bitterness of potassium lactate is presumed to be mainly due to potassium ions. Therefore, the quality of bitterness differs between magnesium chloride and potassium lactate. Specifically, the bitterness tends to be less likely to be felt when magnesium chloride and potassium lactate are used in combination, as compared with the case where the salty taste is enhanced only by magnesium chloride or potassium lactate.

Specifically, it is necessary to contain 0.10 to 2.50% by weight of potassium lactate with respect to the total amount of instant noodles. When the content of potassium lactate is less than 0.10% by weight, the effect of enhancing saltiness is weak. On the other hand, when the content of potassium lactate exceeds 2.50% by weight, the acidity of potassium lactate is too strong and the flavor of noodles is deteriorated. In addition, the water absorption becomes too high, and the noodles tend to stretch easily. The potassium lactate content is preferably 0.20 to 1.50% by weight, more preferably 0.25 to 1.00% by weight, based on the total amount of instant noodles.

1-3. Sodium chloride In the present invention, a certain amount of sodium chloride may be blended. It is said that excessive intake of sodium chloride increases the risk of hypertension and heart disease, but it is the most common substance that induces salty taste, and alleviates the discomfort of alternatives (magnesium chloride and potassium lactate). Can be done. Further, as described above, sodium chloride acts on gluten to enhance the elasticity and extensibility of noodle strings, and improve the noodle-making properties and texture. Therefore, also in the present invention, it is preferable to add a certain amount of sodium chloride.

Next, the relationship between the blending ratio of magnesium chloride, potassium lactate, and sodium chloride and the bitterness and acidity will be described. In the following description, the "salt component" is a general term for magnesium chloride, potassium lactate, and sodium chloride.

The amount of sodium chloride to be blended is preferably 0.50 to 0.85 in terms of the weight ratio of sodium chloride to the salty component (hereinafter, simply referred to as “weight ratio”). When the weight ratio exceeds 0.85 (when the amount of sodium chloride used is large), most of the salty components are occupied by sodium chloride, which is insufficient in terms of suppressing the amount of sodium used. In addition, when the weight ratio is less than 0.50 (when the amount of sodium chloride used is small), the unpleasant taste becomes too strong and it is not suitable for eating. The weight ratio is preferably 0.55 to 0.80 because it has less off-flavor and can suppress the amount of sodium chloride used.

1-4. Raw flour Raw flour includes flour such as wheat flour, rice flour, rye flour, barley flour, hatomugi flour, hie flour, froth flour, corn flour, small bean flour, soybean flour, buckwheat flour and quinoa flour, horse bell flour, tapioca starch and Flour such as corn starch, processed starch such as acetylated starch, etherified starch and crosslinked starch can be used.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the raw material powder contains protein. When the raw material powder contains protein, the Maillard reaction occurs, and it becomes easy to realize a favorable cooking feeling and appearance. When the raw material powder does not contain protein, it is difficult to realize a suitable cooking feeling and appearance because the caramel reaction must be used to impart the cooking feeling and appearance.

Further, in the present invention, it is preferable that the raw material powder contains gluten, which is a kind of protein. By containing gluten in the raw material powder, a suitable cooking feeling and appearance are realized, and the noodle-making property is improved. The gluten in the present invention is more specifically glutenin and gliadin or gluten. Glutenin, which is a type of glutelin, and gliadin, which is a type of prolamin, are reacted with each other in the presence of water to form gluten. Therefore, the combination of glutenin and gliadin is treated in the same way as gluten.

Wheat flour is preferable as the raw material flour used in the present invention. Since wheat flour contains glutenin and gliadin, gluten can be obtained simply by adding water and kneading it into noodle dough. Wheat flour is classified into soft flour, medium-strength flour, strong flour, durum flour and the like based on the difference in protein content, and any of them can be preferably used.

When using a gluten-free raw material flour such as rice flour, barley flour, tapioca starch, etc. other than wheat flour, it is preferable to add gluten separately. Even when using raw material flour that does not contain gluten, by adding gluten separately, it is possible to obtain the same noodle-making properties and cooking feeling as wheat flour.

The raw material powder is a main component of instant noodles, and preferably occupies 50% by weight or more with respect to all the raw materials used in the present invention. When the raw material powder is less than 50% by weight, the noodle-making property is low, and it is difficult to obtain a favorable cooking feeling and appearance.

In the present invention, it is preferable to contain 2 to 30% by weight of gluten in the total amount of noodle strings. When gluten is contained in an amount of 2 to 30% by weight, the elasticity and extensibility of the noodles are well-balanced, and the texture of the noodles is good. In addition, since the Maillard reaction occurs moderately, the cooking feeling and appearance are good.

1-5. Kansui In the present invention, Kansui may be added as needed. Kansuito refers to an alkali salt used in the production of Chinese noodles, and specifically, carbonates such as potassium carbonate and sodium carbonate, tetrapotassium pyrophosphate, pyrophosphate such as pyrophosphate, potassium polyphosphate, and polyphosphorus. Polyphosphates such as sodium acid, metaphosphates such as potassium metaphosphate and sodium metaphosphate, phosphates such as tripotassium phosphate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, trisodium phosphate and the like can be mentioned. Be done.

Kansui is an essential ingredient in Chinese noodles and has the following effects.
(1) Kansui acts on organic substances and produces an alkaline odor such as pyrrolidine and trimethylamine.
(2) By adding Kansui, the gluten contained in wheat is converged, and the elasticity and smoothness are improved.
(3) Kansui acts on flavonoid pigments contained in wheat and develops a pale yellow color peculiar to Chinese noodles.

1-6. Other raw materials (hereinafter referred to as "auxiliary raw materials")
In the present invention, other raw materials can be added as needed. For example, potassium chloride, which is widely used as a salty substitute for sodium chloride, xanthan gum used to adjust the texture of noodles, thickening polysaccharides such as pectin, and used to adjust the hue of noodles. You can use whole eggs (Chinese noodles), spinach (pectin noodles), spices added to adjust the flavor of the noodles, and fats and oils to increase the productivity of the noodles.

2. 2. Manufacturing method Next, a method for manufacturing instant noodles will be illustrated, but the method is not limited thereto.

(Step 1) Noodle dough (dough) manufacturing process (mixing)
Kneaded water containing brine, sodium chloride, etc. is supplied to the raw material powder and kneaded to produce dough. The mixing time is not particularly limited, but it is common to mix for 5 to 30 minutes. Further, the type of mixer used for kneading is not particularly limited, and a batch type mixer, a flow jet mixer, or the like can be appropriately used. Further, auxiliary raw materials such as reducing sugar, thickening polysaccharide and brine, which are essential components, may be added to the kneaded water.

(Step 2) Raw noodle wire manufacturing process As a raw noodle wire manufacturing method, (a) the dough obtained in step 1 is compounded and rolled to produce a noodle band having a predetermined thickness, and a cutting edge or the like is used. Method of cutting out using (cut out noodles), (a) method of extruding dough from a hole of a predetermined size (extruded noodles), (c) method of stretching while sprinkling with dough and molding into noodles (hand-rolled noodles) And so on. Examples of cut noodles include Chinese noodles and udon noodles, extruded noodles include spaghetti and the like, and hand-rolled noodles include somen noodles. Further, these methods may be combined, and for example, a method of manufacturing a noodle band by extrusion and cutting it out (combination of manufacturing method (a) and manufacturing method (b)) can be used.

(Step 3) Steaming and / or boiling process In the present invention, raw noodle strings are gelatinized by steaming and / or boiling as needed. Starch contained in wheat flour or the like is called raw starch and has a dense molecular structure and is difficult to digest. However, when water is added and heated, the molecular structure collapses and becomes pregelatinized starch, which is easy to digest. The treatment temperature is not particularly limited, and the treatment temperature is generally 95 to 100 ° C when steaming or boiling with normal pressure steam, and 100 to 350 ° C when superheated steam is used. ..

When using pre-gelatinized raw material flour (pregelatinized wheat flour or pregelatinized starch), it is not necessary to carry out the steaming and / or boiling steps.

(Step 4) Taste step In the present invention, a taste step is provided as needed. The seasoning method is not particularly limited, but a dipping method in which the noodle strings are immersed in the seasoning liquid, a shower method in which the seasoning liquid is sprayed on the noodle strings, or the like can be appropriately used. After taste, the water content may be adjusted by natural drying or the like. In addition, magnesium chloride and reducing sugar which are essential components of this invention may be added in a taste step.

(Step 5) Cutting / Molding process In the case of cut noodles, the noodle strings are usually continuously carried on a conveyor until the seasoning process, and are cut to make one serving in the cutting process. To. Then, the cut noodle strings are automatically molded in a retainer (metal mold). In the case of extruded noodles and hand-rolled noodles, it is common to shift to the drying process without going through the cutting / molding process.

(Step 6) Drying step By drying the noodle strings at 100 ° C. or higher, the Maillard reaction proceeds, and a favorable cooking feeling and appearance can be realized. Therefore, in the present invention, it is preferable to provide a step of drying at 100 ° C. or higher. The drying temperature is more preferably 100 to 200 ° C.

The drying process will be described in detail below. Since the noodle strings before the drying step contain 25 to 65% by weight of water, it is necessary to dry the noodles until the water content reaches 1 to 15% by weight in order to improve the storage stability of the instant noodles. Typical drying methods include an instantaneous oil heat drying method and a hot air drying method.

<Instant oil heat drying method>
The instantaneous heat drying method is a method in which the noodle strings are dehydrated and dried to about 2 to 5% by weight by passing the noodle strings through hot oil at 100 to 200 ° C. for 1 to 4 minutes. In the instant oil heat drying method, the cut noodles are not generally used for extruded noodles and hand-rolled noodles that do not require molding.

<Hot air drying method>
The hot air drying method is a method in which the noodle strings are exposed to hot air at 50 to 170 ° C. for 10 to 180 minutes to dry the noodle strings to about 8 to 15% by weight. Since the hot air drying method does not require the noodle strings to be molded, it can be used not only for cut noodles but also for extruded noodles and hand-rolled noodles.

(Comparative Example 1)
Mix 900 g of flour and 100 parts of tapioca acetylated starch in a powder mixture, add kneaded water consisting of 345 parts of water, 15 parts of sodium chloride, and 3 parts of brine (potassium carbonate: sodium carbonate = 3: 2), and use a batch mixer for 15 minutes. Noodle dough (dow) was produced by mixing.

Next, using a roll, the dough is compounded and rolled to produce a 0.9 mm noodle band, which is cut with a cutting blade roll (round blade No. 20: groove width 1.5 mm) to form noodle strings (cut noodles). bottom. Further, the noodle strings were steamed with saturated steam at 270 kg / h for 2 minutes to produce pregelatinized noodle strings 1.

Immerse the pregelatinized noodle string 1 in a seasoning liquid (1 liter) consisting of 90 parts of water and sodium chloride for 20 seconds, cut it to about 30 cm (100 g), fill it in a retainer, and add 150 noodle strings to each retainer. The noodles were dried in palm oil at ° C for 2 minutes and 30 seconds (instantaneous oil heat drying method) to produce instant noodles 1 (Comparative Example 1) having a water content of 2% by weight. The noodle string filled in the retainer weighed 100 g, and the weight of the instant noodle 1 after drying was 66 g.

(Example 1)
The pregelatinized noodle wire 1 was immersed in a seasoning solution (1000 ml) consisting of water, 70 parts of sodium chloride, 20 parts of magnesium chloride hexahydrate, and 5 parts of potassium lactate (purity 78%) for 20 seconds, and compared with Comparative Example 1. The instant noodles 11 (Example 1) having a water content of 2% by weight were produced by drying under the same conditions.

(Examples 2 to 22, Comparative Examples 2 to 6)
The seasoning liquids were changed as shown in Tables 1 to 3 to obtain instant noodles 2 to 6 (Comparative Examples 2 to 6) and instant noodles 12 to 32 (Examples 2 to 22). The concentrations of magnesium chloride, potassium lactate and sodium chloride of each instant noodle are as shown in Tables 1 to 3.

(Evaluation criteria)
300 ml of boiling water was poured into instant noodles (66 g / piece), covered and left to stand for 3 minutes to rehydrate the noodles. After loosening the rehydrated noodles with chopsticks, the noodles were thoroughly drained, and then 10 panelists conducted a sensitivity evaluation test for saltiness, bitterness, and acidity.

(Salt taste)
The evaluation was made as follows based on the positive control (Comparative Example 1) and the negative control (Comparative Example 2).
×: 9 or more panelists who evaluated the saltiness to be the same or weaker than Comparative Example 2 ○: 9 or more panelists who evaluated the saltiness to be the same or stronger than Comparative Example 1 △ : Evaluation other than the above (between ○ and ×)

(acidity)
The evaluation was made as follows based on the positive control (Comparative Example 1) and the negative control (Comparative Example 3).
×: 9 or more panelists who evaluated that the acidity was equivalent or strong (bad) as compared with Comparative Example 3 ○: Panelists who evaluated that the acidity was equivalent or not felt as compared with Comparative Example 1. 9 or more △: Evaluation other than the above (between ○ and ×)

(bitter taste)
The evaluation was made as follows based on the positive control (Comparative Example 1) and the negative control (Comparative Example 5).
×: 9 or more panelists who evaluated that the bitterness was equivalent or strong (bad) compared to Comparative Example 5 ○: Panelists who evaluated that the bitterness was equivalent or did not feel bitterness compared to Comparative Example 1. 9 or more △: Evaluation other than the above (between ○ and ×)

(Evaluation summary)
It was found that increasing the amount of potassium lactate added tends to enhance the acidity, but the acidity can be suppressed by using it in combination with magnesium chloride (Comparative Examples 1, 3, 4, Examples 1 to 6, 12 to). 17). Further, when the amount of potassium lactate added was small, the evaluation of saltiness and bitterness tended to be low, but the evaluation of saltiness and bitterness was improved by adding an appropriate amount (Examples 1 to 3, 12 to 14).

On the other hand, increasing the amount of magnesium chloride added tends to increase the bitterness, but it was found that the bitterness was suppressed by using it in combination with sodium lactate (Comparative Examples 1, 5, 6 and Examples 7 to 11). 18-22).

Claims (3)

Instant noodles containing magnesium chloride, potassium lactate, sodium chloride and raw powder.
Contains 0.05 to 1.50% by weight of magnesium chloride and 0.10 to 2.50% by weight of potassium lactate with respect to the total amount of instant noodles.
Moreover, the instant noodles are characterized in that the weight ratio of the sodium chloride / salty component is 0.55 to 0.80 .
However, the salty component refers to magnesium chloride, potassium lactate, and sodium chloride contained in instant noodles. The instant noodle according to claim 1, wherein the instant noodle contains 0.10 to 0.70% by weight of magnesium chloride with respect to the total amount of the instant noodle. The instant noodle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the instant noodle contains 0.20 to 1.50% by weight of potassium lactate with respect to the total amount of the instant noodle.