JP7383013B2 - Method for producing flour composition - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a flour composition comprising heat-treated flour and an emulsifier.

For flour-containing foods such as fried foods such as tempura, okonomiyaki, and spongy sweets such as pancakes, it suppresses the loss of texture over time after cooking and when reheated in a microwave oven, etc. It is desired that the food maintains a light texture that is as crisp and melts in the mouth as it is immediately after cooking. In order to meet such demands, techniques for improving grain flour such as wheat flour have been proposed in the past, such as chlorine gas treatment (chlorination) and heat treatment of grain flour (Non-Patent Document 1, Patent Document 1). 1 and 2). However, the reality is that chlorination is difficult to employ from the viewpoint of the safety of chlorine gas.

On the other hand, heat treatment of flour has been conventionally performed for the purpose of deactivating enzymes in flour, sterilizing it, improving quality, and the like. Patent Document 3 describes a starch composite obtained by heat-treating starch in the presence of an emulsifier as a food material that has effects such as preventing aging, preventing adhesion, preventing gelation, and improving taste and texture of foods. is listed. Patent Document 3 recommends that the starch to be subjected to heat treatment has a moisture content of 8 to 25% ([0012] of Patent Document 3), and in the examples described in Patent Document 3, After mixing the emulsifier and starch, the moisture content of the mixture was adjusted to 17% and then heated. Patent Document 4 describes a flour composition obtained by heat-treating a mixture of flour and an emulsifier, and recommends moist heat treatment using water and/or steam as the heat treatment (Patent Document 4) [0014]).

Masaharu Seguchi, "Effects of chlorination and heat treatment of soft wheat flour on starchy foods during roasting", Starch Science Vol. 38, No. 3, 1991, pp. 271-279

Special Publication No. 59-4969 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-182048 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-283134 US2016278392A1

Although the flour improvement techniques described in Patent Documents 3 and 4 have a certain effect on improving the quality of flour, the quality requirements for breads and confectionery, such as texture, have been increasing in recent years, and in order to meet these demands, There is a need for new technology to obtain

An object of the present invention is to provide a flour composition that can produce a flour-containing food that has good crispness and melts in the mouth as well as those immediately after manufacturing, even after time has passed.

The present invention comprises a mixing step of mixing grain flour with a moisture content of 10% by mass or more and an emulsifier to obtain a mixture, and a drying step of drying the mixture until its moisture content becomes 7% by mass or less to obtain a dry mixture. and a dry heat step of dry heat treating the dry mixture so that the temperature of the dry mixture is maintained at 95 to 150° C. for 2 to 150 minutes.

The present invention also provides a method for producing confectionery, which includes the steps of preparing dough using raw flour containing the flour composition produced by the method of the present invention, and baking the dough.

The method for producing a grain flour composition of the present invention (hereinafter also simply referred to as the "manufacturing method") comprises a step of mixing grain flour and an emulsifier to obtain a mixture (mixing step), and drying the mixture to obtain a dry mixture. and a step of dry heat treating the dry mixture (dry heat step).

The flour used in the mixing process according to the present invention has a moisture content of 10% by mass or more. Wheat flour, which is one of the typical grain flours, normally has a moisture content of about 11 to 15% by mass if it is an undried product that has not been subjected to any drying treatment and has been stored at room temperature and normal pressure. Note that in this specification, "moisture content" is a value measured by an absolutely dry method.

As the grain flour, those commonly used in various foods can be used without any particular restriction, such as wheat flour, soft flour, medium flour, strong flour, durum flour, etc.; barley flour, rye flour, pigeon flour, buckwheat flour, millet flour. , millet flour, corn flour, etc., and one type of these can be used alone or two or more types can be used in combination. Among these flours, wheat flour, rye flour, barley flour, and buckwheat flour are preferred because they have a large contribution from proteins such as gluten, and wheat flour is more preferred.

As the emulsifier, those commonly used in various foods can be used without any particular restriction. For example, fatty acid esters such as monoglycerin fatty acid ester, propylene glycol fatty acid ester, sorbitan fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester; lecithin, lysolecithin, etc. Examples include lecithins, and one type of these can be used alone or two or more types can be used in combination.

Examples of emulsifiers preferably used in the present invention include lecithins. In the present invention, the raw materials for lecithins are not limited, and examples thereof include egg yolk, soybean, sunflower, and rapeseed. Particularly preferred is egg yolk lecithin made from egg yolk.

The emulsifier preferably has an HLB value of 15 or less. The lower the HLB value, the more hydrophobic the emulsifier is. By using an emulsifier having an HLB value within the above range, hydrophobicization of the flour used in combination is promoted, and the desired flour composition can be obtained more reliably. When a fatty acid ester (more specifically, a sucrose fatty acid ester) is used as an emulsifier, the HLB value of the fatty acid ester is preferably 12 or less, more preferably 9 or less, and still more preferably 5 or less. Furthermore, when lecithin (more specifically egg yolk lecithin) is used as an emulsifier, the HLB value of the lecithin is preferably 12 or less, more preferably 9 or less, and still more preferably 7 or less. The HLB value of the emulsifier may be zero.

In the mixing step according to the present invention, the blending ratio of grain flour and emulsifier is preferably 0.05 to 3.0 parts by mass, more preferably 0.5 to 1.0 parts by mass of emulsifier per 100 parts by mass of grain flour. It is. If the amount of the emulsifier is too small compared to the flour, there is a possibility that the use of the emulsifier will have little meaning and it will be difficult to obtain the effect of improving the texture of the flour-containing food, and the dispersibility of the flour composition in water may be reduced. Due to the decrease in grain flour, the workability of preparing a batter using the same may be reduced, and there is also a risk that the burden of manufacturing operations of flour-containing foods such as fried foods may increase. On the other hand, if the amount of emulsifier blended is too large compared to the amount of flour, the flavor of the flour-containing food may deteriorate. In addition, in the mixing process according to the present invention, typically only the flour and the emulsifier are mixed, and other raw materials are not mixed.

In the drying step according to the present invention, the mixture of flour and emulsifier obtained in the mixing step is dried, and the water content of the mixture is 7% by mass or less, preferably 6% by mass or less, more preferably 5% by mass or less. Dry to obtain a dry mixture. As described above, the reason why the water content of the dry mixture is adjusted to 7% by mass or less in the drying process is to suppress gelatinization (gelatinization) of the starch contained in the flour in the subsequent dry heating process. This is to promote the interaction between grain flour and emulsifier. If a mixture of grain flour and emulsifier were suddenly introduced into a dry heat process without going through such a drying process, the dry heat process would involve dry heat treating flour with a moisture content of 10% by mass or more. The heat treatment promotes gelatinization of the starch contained in the flour, which may result in a decrease in crispness and melting in the mouth.

Since the main purpose of the drying process according to the present invention is to reduce the moisture content of the material to be dried (a mixture of flour and emulsifier), it is basically carried out in an open system, and is typically carried out in an open system. It is carried out in an open system communicating with the air.

In the drying process according to the present invention, the material to be dried is dried such that the temperature of the material to be dried (a mixture of flour and emulsifier) is preferably 60 to 90°C, more preferably 70 to 85°C. is preferred. Further, the drying time of the material to be dried (time during which the temperature of the material to be dried is maintained at 60 to 90° C.) is preferably 10 minutes or more, more preferably 20 to 40 minutes. The drying process according to the present invention is typically carried out by heating the material to be dried in an open container. During the drying process, the material to be dried may be stirred.

In the dry heat step according to the present invention, the dry mixture of flour and emulsifier obtained in the drying step is subjected to a dry heat treatment. Dry heat treatment is a process in which a processed material (dry mixture) is heated without adding moisture, and is a process in which water in the processed material is actively evaporated. Dry heat treatment is clearly distinguished from wet heat treatment, that is, treatment in which water is added to the object to be treated and then heated.

In the drying step carried out prior to the dry heat step in the production method of the present invention, as described above, typically the material to be dried (a mixture of flour and emulsifier) is heat treated; , the mixture of flour and emulsifier is heat-treated twice: a drying step and a dry heat step. However, the purposes of these two processes according to the present invention are different from each other; the main purpose of the drying process is to prevent starch contained in the flour from gelatinizing during both processes, while the dry heat The main purpose of the process is to denature the proteins (particularly gluten) contained in the flour. Protein denaturation can also occur in the drying process by heating the material to be dried, but the changes in protein properties in the drying process are significantly different from those in the dry heat process.

In the dry heat process according to the present invention, the object to be dried is subjected to a dry heat treatment such that the temperature of the object to be dried (the dry mixture of flour and emulsifier) is maintained at 95 to 150° C. for 2 to 150 minutes. The temperature of the object to be dried during the drying step is preferably 100 to 150°C, more preferably 110 to 130°C. Further, the dry heat treatment time (the time during which the temperature of the material to be dried and heated is maintained at 95 to 150°C) is preferably 3 to 50 minutes, more preferably 10 to 40 minutes.

The dry heat process according to the present invention can be carried out in an open system similar to the drying process described above, but it is possible to maintain the temperature of the material to be dried during the dry heat treatment within the above-mentioned range and to maintain the temperature of the material in the flour. From the viewpoint of efficiently denaturing gluten, it is preferable to carry out the process in a closed system, and specifically, for example, it is preferable to carry out in a closed system container isolated from the surrounding air. The dry heat process according to the present invention is carried out, for example, by heating the object to be dried in a closed container. During the drying process, the material to be dried may be stirred.

As a preferable example of the dry heat treatment in the dry heat process according to the present invention, a process is exemplified in which the object to be dried is indirectly heated while being stirred in a closed container equipped with a stirring device consisting of a rotating shaft having a heating means. can. In such dry heat treatment (indirect heat treatment), a closed cylindrical container equipped with a stirring device including a rotating shaft having a hollow part is used, the material to be dried and heated is introduced into the container, and the heated material is heated in the hollow part. The material to be dried is stirred by the rotating shaft to which steam is supplied (that is, the rotating shaft heated by the heated steam). As the closed cylindrical container, for example, a heat treatment stirring device described in JP-A No. 2004-9022 can be used.

The desired flour composition can be obtained by sequentially performing the mixing step, drying step, and dry heat step described above. The flour composition produced by the production method of the present invention (hereinafter also referred to as "specific flour composition") can be used in the production of various flour-containing foods, and specifically, for example, confectionery, bread, etc. It can be used in the production of bakery foods such as pizzas and pizzas. Bakery foods are fermented or non-fermented foods that are made from flour (flour and starch) as the main raw materials, and are made by adding auxiliary materials such as yeast, leavening agents (baking powder, etc.), water, salt, and sugar as necessary. It is a food obtained by subjecting fermented dough to heat treatments such as baking, steaming, and frying.

The particular flour composition is particularly useful in the production of confectionery. Examples of confectionery include sponge cakes, butter cakes, roll cakes, pancakes, bousses, Baumkuchen, pound cakes, cheesecakes, snack cakes, muffins, bars, cookies, pancakes, and other cakes; waffles, choux, and biscuits. , Japanese and Western baked sweets such as dorayaki, baked manju; and fried sweets such as donuts. The specific flour composition is particularly useful for producing cakes among confectioneries, and particularly useful for producing sponge cakes or pancakes. "Cakes" as used herein are typically bakery foods manufactured using raw material flour mainly composed of soft flour, that is, raw material flour containing 50% by mass or more of soft flour.

Bakery foods such as confectionery are typically manufactured through a process of preparing dough using raw flour and baking the dough. When preparing dough, a liquid is added to the raw material flour, and examples of this liquid include water, milk, eggs, etc., and these liquids can be used alone or in combination of two or more. can. If necessary, the prepared dough may be fermented according to a conventional method before baking. When producing a bakery food using the specific flour composition, the specific flour composition is blended with the raw material flour. The content of the specific grain flour composition in the raw material flour is preferably 0.1 to 100% by mass, more preferably 0.5 to 80% by mass, even more preferably 1 to 70% by mass, based on the total mass of the raw material flour. Mass%.

The specific grain flour composition is useful not only for bakery foods but also for fried foods, for example, and can be used as a coating material for various fried foods. Examples of fried foods include fried chicken, tempura, fritters, and fries. Fried foods are typically manufactured by applying a coating material to the surface of the ingredients and then frying them in oil. When producing fried foods using the specific flour composition, the specific flour composition is blended into the batter. The content of the specific grain flour composition in the dressing material is preferably 0.1 to 100% by mass, more preferably 0.5 to 80% by mass, and even more preferably 1 to 70% by mass, based on the total mass of the dressing material. Mass%.

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to Examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following Examples.

[Examples 1-2]
First, soft flour (manufactured by Nisshin Seifun Co., Ltd., product name "Flower", water content 14.2% by mass) was used as undried grain flour, and sucrose fatty acid ester was used as an emulsifier (manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Foods, product name "Ryoto Sugar Ester S-070"). '', HLB value 0), these were blended and stirred to mix uniformly to obtain a mixture (mixing step). Next, use this mixture as the material to be dried, store the material in an open container, and adjust the temperature of the material to be dried to match the "heating temperature" in the "Drying process" column of Table 1 below. was heated for a predetermined time to obtain a dried product (drying step). Next, this dried material is used as the material to be dried and heated, and the material to be dried and heated is stored in a closed cylindrical container. A flour composition was obtained by heating for a predetermined period of time to a certain temperature (dry heat step). This dry heat step was carried out using an apparatus having the same configuration as the heat treatment stirring apparatus described in JP-A No. 2004-9022.

[Comparative example 1]
The drying step was not carried out, and the undried flour was directly introduced into the dry heat step and subjected to dry heat treatment, and then the dry heat treated flour was mixed with an emulsifier. A flour composition was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 or 2 except for the above points.

[Comparative Examples 2 to 4]
A flour composition was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 or 2, except that the timing of the mixing step (timing of mixing the flour and emulsifier) and the heating conditions in the drying step were changed.

[Comparative example 5]
A flour composition was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 or 2, except that the drying step was not performed and the mixture of undried flour and emulsifier was directly introduced into the dry heat step and subjected to dry heat treatment.

[Comparative example 6]
A flour composition was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 or 2, except that the drying conditions of the drying step were changed.

[Comparative example]
A flour composition was obtained by simply mixing undried flour and an emulsifier without performing a drying step or a dry heat step.

[Test example]
Using the flour compositions of Examples, Comparative Examples, and Control Examples, pancakes, which are a type of flour-containing food, were produced by the following method. After storing the manufactured pancakes at an ambient temperature of 25°C for 18 hours, 10 expert panelists ate them and evaluated their texture (crispness, melt-in-the-mouth quality) according to the following evaluation criteria. received. The results are shown in Table 1 below as the average scores of 10 people.

<How to make pancakes>
(1) Mix 70 parts by mass of soft flour (manufactured by Nisshin Seifun Co., Ltd., trade name "Flower"), 30 parts by mass of the flour composition to be tested, 25 parts by mass of sugar, and 5 parts by mass of a leavening agent (sodium bicarbonate), and hot A cake mix was prepared.
(2) In a bowl, add the entire amount of the pancake mix, 10 parts by mass of salad oil, 30 parts by mass of eggs, 80 parts by mass of milk, and 0 to 30 parts by mass of water (0 parts by mass for the control example, and adjust to the same viscosity) The mixture was mixed using a commercially available hand mixer at a rotation speed of 120 rpm for 60 seconds to prepare dough.
(3) After 10 minutes of floor time, divide the dough into 4 parts, pour them onto an iron plate preheated to 180-185°C, bake for 3 minutes, then turn over and bake for 2 minutes. Manufactured pancakes.

(Evaluation criteria for crispness)
5 points: There is crispness and very good crispness.
4 points: Good clarity.
3 points: No cracking.
2 points: Slightly dull (same as the control example).
1 point: Difficult to bite off.
(Evaluation criteria for melting in the mouth)
5 points: Very soft, melts well in the mouth, and has a light texture.
4 points: Soft and melts in the mouth.
3 points: Slightly soft and melts in the mouth.
2 points: Melts poorly in the mouth and tends to form lumps in the mouth (same as the control example).
1 point: Melts in the mouth very poorly and quickly forms into dumplings in the mouth.

As shown in Table 1, in each example, the mixture of flour and emulsifier was dried until the moisture content became 7% by mass or less, and then the dry mixture was dry-heated under predetermined conditions. The texture of the pancakes was excellent compared to the comparative examples and control examples that did not meet this requirement.

[Examples 3 to 12]
A flour composition was obtained in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the type of emulsifier was changed. Regarding the obtained flour composition, the texture of pancakes was evaluated in the same manner as in the above [Test Example]. The results are shown in Table 2 below.

[Examples 13 to 18]
A flour composition was obtained in the same manner as in Examples 2 and 8, except that the amount of emulsifier used was changed. Regarding the obtained flour composition, the texture of pancakes was evaluated in the same manner as in the above [Test Example]. The results are shown in Table 3 below.

[Examples 19-21]
A flour composition was obtained in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the heating temperature and heating time in the dry heat step were changed. Regarding the obtained flour composition, the texture of pancakes was evaluated in the same manner as in the above [Test Example]. The results are shown in Table 4 below.

According to the present invention, there is provided a flour composition capable of producing a flour-containing food that retains a texture as good as that immediately after manufacturing even after a period of time has passed, has good crispness and melts in the mouth, and has a light texture. Ru.

Claims (7)

A mixing step of mixing grain flour with a moisture content of 10% by mass or more and an emulsifier to obtain a mixture;
a drying step of obtaining a dry mixture by drying the mixture until its moisture content becomes 7% by mass or less;
a dry heat step of dry heat treating the dry mixture so that the temperature of the dry mixture is maintained at 95 to 150 ° C. for 2 to 150 minutes ,
In the drying step, the mixture is dried so that the temperature of the mixture is 60 to 90°C . The method for producing a flour composition according to claim 1 , wherein the emulsifier has an HLB value of 15 or less. The method for producing a flour composition according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the emulsifier is lecithin. The method for producing a flour composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein in the mixing step, 0.05 to 3 parts by mass of the emulsifier is mixed with 100 parts by mass of the flour. The method for producing a flour composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the flour composition is used for confectionery or fried foods. A method for producing confectionery, comprising the steps of preparing dough using raw flour containing a flour composition produced by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , and baking the dough. 7. The method for producing confectionery according to claim 6 , wherein the confectionery is a sponge cake or a pancake.