【発明の詳細な説明】[Detailed description of the invention]
この発明は即席めんの製造方法に関し、とくに
蒸煮してα化しためんの乾燥方法に関する。
即席めんは、油揚げ乾燥めん、熱風乾燥めん、
凍結乾燥めんが主なるものであるが、そのα化お
よび乾燥法にそれぞれの特徴をもつものである。
即ち、油揚げめんは、油ちよう処理によつてα
化および乾燥が同時に出来る利点があるものの、
付着した油が長期保存中に劣化して風味を損ねた
り、油によつてスープの風味をマスクするという
問題は避けられない。熱風乾燥めんは、上述の油
の問題は生じないが、乾燥時に麺線が収縮し、多
孔質めんとすることが困難となり、復元性が劣
り、加えて乾燥時の熱で麺線の焼けが生じるおそ
れがあつた。特にかん水の入つたラーメンにあつ
てはいわゆるかん水やけの現象が生じやすく、こ
れを回避するためには低温長時間乾燥を余儀なく
されている。また、凍結乾燥めんは設備が多大と
なる外、乾燥時間が８〜24時間もかかり、その製
造コストは大巾にアツプする問題を有する。
こうしたことから、めんの乾燥にマイクロ波を
照射することが以前より試みられ、これに熱風乾
燥を併用する方法、その他高温多湿雰囲気下でマ
イクロ波を照射する方法が知られている。しかし
ながら、このマイクロ波照射による乾燥法も、照
射のコントロールが意外に困難で、乾燥むらや焦
げを生じたり、また均一で良好な発泡体の麺線を
得ることが困難で食感も必ずしも優れているとは
いえなかつた。こうしたことから、マイクロ波照
射による乾燥法は、装置が高価なことその他ラン
ニングコストの高いこととあいまつていまだ試作
の段階で本格的に実用化の段階に至つていないの
が実情である。
本願の発明者は即席めんの製造における上記の
問題の解決にむけて種々の研究をしたものである
が、その結果、蒸煮してα化しためん線の乾燥に
あたつて減圧下でマイクロ波を照射することによ
つてめん線を均一に膨化発泡させた状態で乾燥す
ることができ、かつ乾燥時めん線の品温が過度に
昇温することを防止できることを発見した。従つ
て、これによつて乾燥むらや焦げの問題も併せて
解決出来ることを見出し、この発明を完成した。
即ち、この発明は、即席めんの製造において、
蒸煮してα化しためん線を60〜160mmHgの減圧下
でマイクロ波を照射して乾燥することを特徴とす
る。以下にこの発明を説明する。
この発明に用いる即席めんの原料は、通常のも
のでよく、主原料としては小麦粉を用い、他に必
要に応じてそば粉、各種でん粉を適量配合しても
よい。ここに用いる澱粉の種類としては、馬れい
しよ澱粉、甘しよ澱粉、コーンスターチ、小麦粉
澱粉などの外各種加工澱粉も使用できる。これら
の原料に水を加え常法に従つて混ねつするが、そ
の際、好ましくはミキサーに真空ポンプを接続
し、内部の空気を脱気してミキサー内の圧力を60
〜310mmHgとするとめん質を一層なめらかなもの
とすることができる。ミキサーで混ねつしためん
生地は、これをロールで圧延しめん帯とし、切出
しを行つてめん線とする。このめん線はその後常
法に従つて100℃で蒸煮し充分α化する。ここで
の水分含有量は特に限定されるものではないが、
通常30〜40％である。これをそのままマイクロ波
乾燥にかけることができるが、予めある程度熱風
乾燥してからマイクロ波をかけてもよい。この麺
線は適量な容器に入れ、次にこれを60〜160mmHg
の減圧雰囲気中において、連続的或いは断続的に
マイクロ波を照射する。
ここにおける容器内の圧力を60〜160mmHgとし
たのは、160mmHg以上であると水分の蒸発が不充
分となつて膨化発泡が不充分となる外、めんの品
温の上昇も抑止することができない。また、下限
の60mmHgは、これ以下とする必要がないからで
ある。ここにおけるマイクロ波の周波数は特に限
定されるものではないが、通常と同様で2450±
50MHzのものでよい。マイクロ波の照射時間は４
〜８分程度で、水分約13％程度の即席乾燥めんが
得られる。
以上の本発明によるマイクロ波照射による加熱
は、食品の誘電体損失による加熱であるから、被
加熱体であるめん線の表面および内部の誘電体損
失の大きい物質すなわち水分が加熱され、これが
一挙に蒸発してめん線を乾燥させる。しかも、そ
の際に雰囲気は60〜160mmHgの減圧下にあるの
で、水分の蒸発温度を下げ、めん線の過度の加熱
を回避出来てめん線の焦げを防止できるととも
に、めん線の中心部に残存する水分の拡散速度を
上げることができ、一層均一な膨化発泡乾燥めん
とすることができる。
即ち、めん線を減圧下の雰囲気内におくこと
は、沸点温度を低下させ、マイクロ波のエネルギ
ーが低くても内部の水分が急速に蒸発することに
なり、めんの発泡化を促進させる。また、めん表
面の水蒸気分圧も下つているために、麺内部から
の水分の拡散速度が上がり乾燥を容易とする。さ
らに、水分蒸発にともない気化熱を奪つてめんの
品温上昇を抑制する。
次表は水分38％のめん線115ｇ×２個を出力
1.3KWのマイクロ波で各圧力に保つて１分30秒
加熱したときのめん線の品温を測定したものであ
る。
The present invention relates to a method for producing instant noodles, and particularly to a method for drying noodles that have been pregelatinized by steaming. Instant noodles include deep-fried dry noodles, hot air-dried noodles,
Freeze-dried noodles are the main type, but each type has its own characteristics in its gelatinization and drying methods. In other words, fried tofu noodles have α
Although it has the advantage of being able to oxidize and dry at the same time,
There are unavoidable problems in that the adhering oil degrades during long-term storage and impairs the flavor, or that the oil masks the flavor of the soup. Hot air-dried noodles do not have the oil problem mentioned above, but the noodle strings shrink during drying, making it difficult to make porous noodles, resulting in poor restorability, and in addition, the heat during drying causes the noodle strings to burn. There was a risk that this would occur. In particular, ramen noodles containing brine are prone to the phenomenon of so-called brine burning, and to avoid this, the noodles must be dried at low temperatures for long periods of time. In addition, freeze-dried noodles require a large amount of equipment, take 8 to 24 hours to dry, and have the problem of significantly increasing manufacturing costs. For this reason, attempts have been made to use microwave irradiation to dry noodles, and methods that combine this with hot air drying and other methods that involve irradiating microwaves in a high temperature and humid atmosphere are known. However, even with this drying method using microwave irradiation, it is surprisingly difficult to control the irradiation, resulting in uneven drying and charring, and it is difficult to obtain uniform and good foamed noodle strings, and the texture is not necessarily excellent. I couldn't say that there were any. For these reasons, the drying method using microwave irradiation is still in the prototype stage and has not yet reached the stage of full-scale practical use, due to the high cost of equipment and high running costs. The inventor of the present application has conducted various studies to solve the above-mentioned problems in the production of instant noodles, and as a result, the inventor of the present application has conducted various researches to solve the above-mentioned problems in the production of instant noodles, and as a result, he has developed a method of using microwaves under reduced pressure to dry pregelatinized noodles by steaming. It has been discovered that by irradiating the wire, the wire can be dried in a uniformly swollen and foamed state, and that the temperature of the wire can be prevented from rising excessively during drying. Therefore, they found that this could also solve the problems of uneven drying and scorching, and completed this invention. That is, in the production of instant noodles, this invention
It is characterized by drying the pregelatinized fibers by irradiation with microwaves under a reduced pressure of 60 to 160 mmHg. This invention will be explained below. The raw materials for instant noodles used in this invention may be ordinary ones, and wheat flour is used as the main raw material, and appropriate amounts of buckwheat flour and various starches may also be added as necessary. The types of starch used here include horse starch starch, sweet potato starch, corn starch, wheat flour starch, and various other processed starches. Water is added to these raw materials and mixed according to a conventional method. At this time, it is preferable to connect a vacuum pump to the mixer to evacuate the air inside the mixer and reduce the pressure inside the mixer to 60°C.
When the temperature is set to ~310 mmHg, the quality of the noodles can be made even smoother. The noodle dough is kneaded with a mixer, rolled with a roll to form noodle strips, and cut out to form noodle strips. The noodles are then steamed at 100°C in a conventional manner to fully gelatinize them. The water content here is not particularly limited, but
Usually 30-40%. This can be directly subjected to microwave drying, but it may also be dried with hot air to some extent beforehand and then subjected to microwave drying. Place the noodle strings in an appropriate container and then heat the noodles to a temperature of 60 to 160 mmHg.
Microwaves are irradiated continuously or intermittently in a reduced pressure atmosphere. The reason why the pressure inside the container was set at 60 to 160 mmHg is that if the pressure is higher than 160 mmHg, moisture evaporation will be insufficient, resulting in insufficient expansion and foaming, and it will also not be possible to prevent the temperature of the noodles from rising. . Further, the lower limit of 60 mmHg does not need to be lower than this. The frequency of the microwave here is not particularly limited, but it is the same as usual, 2450±
A 50MHz one is fine. Microwave irradiation time is 4
Instant dry noodles with a moisture content of about 13% can be obtained in about 8 minutes. Since the heating by microwave irradiation according to the present invention described above is heating due to dielectric loss of the food, the substance with large dielectric loss, that is, moisture, on the surface and inside of the heated wire, which is the object to be heated, is heated, and this heats all at once. Evaporate and dry the noodles. Moreover, since the atmosphere is under a reduced pressure of 60 to 160 mmHg at that time, it is possible to lower the evaporation temperature of water, avoid excessive heating of the noodles, and prevent the strips from burning, while remaining in the center of the strips. It is possible to increase the rate of diffusion of moisture, resulting in more uniform puffed and foamed dried noodles. That is, placing the noodle wire in an atmosphere under reduced pressure lowers the boiling point temperature, and even if the energy of the microwave is low, the internal moisture evaporates rapidly, which promotes the foaming of the noodles. In addition, since the water vapor partial pressure on the surface of the noodles is also lower, the rate of diffusion of water from inside the noodles increases, making drying easier. Furthermore, as water evaporates, it absorbs the heat of vaporization and suppresses the rise in the temperature of the noodles. The following table outputs 2 pieces of 115g noodle wire with a moisture content of 38%.
The temperature of the rolled wire was measured when it was heated in a 1.3KW microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds at each pressure.
【表】
また、第２表は水分38％のめん線115ｇ×２個
を出力1.3KWのマイクロ波で圧力60mmHgに保つ
て乾燥したときのめん線の温度および乾燥の程度
を示したものである。[Table] In addition, Table 2 shows the temperature and degree of drying of the noodles when two pieces of 115g of noodles with a moisture content of 38% are dried using a microwave with an output of 1.3KW at a pressure of 60mmHg. .
【表】
第１表および第２表から判るように、減圧下雰
囲気中での品温の上昇は少なく、乾燥終了までの
大体85℃以下に保つことが可能なことがわかる。
このことは熱による変色およびこげを防ぎ、特に
かん水を多く加えられるなどの品質向上の利点が
ある。
第３表は、水分38重量％のめん線115ｇ×２個
を最終水分10〜13％になるまで乾燥するために各
種方法によつた場合の条件を調べた。[Table] As can be seen from Tables 1 and 2, there is little increase in product temperature in a reduced pressure atmosphere, and it is possible to maintain the temperature at about 85°C or less until the end of drying.
This prevents discoloration and burning due to heat, and has the advantage of improving quality, especially by allowing more brine to be added. Table 3 shows the conditions under which various methods were used to dry 2 x 115 g wires with a moisture content of 38% by weight to a final moisture content of 10 to 13%.
【表】
乾燥中のめんの品温が高いと、めん表面が熱に
よつて膠着し発泡を閉塞する傾向となつて良好な
発泡を阻害するが、品温85℃以下ではかかる現象
が生せず良好な発泡が行なわれる。
なお、本発明において雰囲気の圧力は、60〜
160mmHgの範囲で行なわれるが、乾燥の後半は蒸
発すべき水分の残存量が少なくなつているために
圧力を下げ、水分の蒸発を促進するとともに、こ
れによつて品温の上がるのを防止するのがよい。
以上本発明によると、めん線を60〜160mmHgの
雰囲気中で乾燥するものであるから、めん線の均
一な膨化発泡乾燥が数分でできるようになつた。
また、乾燥にあたつてめんの品温は85℃以下に抑
制することができるため、めん線の熱による変
色、やけ、焦げといつた問題の生ずることがない
ようになつた。
本発明完成によつて、従来困難とされていたマ
イクロ波のみでめん線の水分含量を短時間で13％
以下とすることが可能となり、マイクロ波乾燥の
実用化ができるようになつた。以下に実施例をあ
げてこの発明をさらに説明する。
実施例 １
小麦粉5000ｇに対しかん水50ｇ食塩50ｇを配合
し、小麦粉に対して38重量％の水を加えて混ねつ
した生地を常法によつて１mm厚に圧延し、22番の
切刃を用いて生めん線を得た。この生めん線を
100℃で１分間蒸煮して水分38％のめんを得た。
次にこれを容器の中に入れ、60mmHgの減圧下の
容器内に収納して1.3KWのマイクロ波を６分間
照射したところ、水分12％の乾燥めんを得た。こ
のめんを試食してみると、ゆで汁のにごりが見ら
れず、めんの弾力性もあつて粉臭もなかつた。食
感は生ラーメンと略同様であつた。
実施例 ２
小麦粉5000ｇに対しかん水50ｇ、食塩50ｇを配
合し、小麦粉に対し38重量％の水を加えて混ねつ
するに際し、ミキサーの内部を真空ポンプによつ
て脱気して60mmHgとし、この状態で15分間混ね
つした。この生地をミキサーより取出し、常法に
従つて１mm厚に圧延し、次に22番の切刃を用いて
生めん線とした。この生めん線を100℃で45秒間
蒸煮して水分35％のめんを得た。次にこれを容器
の中に入れ、80mmHgの減圧下の容器内に収納し
て1.3KWのマイクロ波を５分間照射したとこ
ろ、水分12％の乾燥めんを得た。このめんを試食
した結果、実施例１のものと同様であつたが、さ
らにめんの透明感および弾力性の点で優れたもの
であつた。[Table] If the temperature of the noodles during drying is high, the surface of the noodles tends to stick together due to the heat and block the foaming, inhibiting good foaming, but this phenomenon does not occur when the temperature of the noodles is below 85°C. Excellent foaming is achieved. In addition, in the present invention, the pressure of the atmosphere is 60~
The temperature is 160mmHg, but in the latter half of the drying process, there is less water left to evaporate, so the pressure is lowered to promote evaporation and prevent the product temperature from rising. It is better. According to the present invention, since the wire is dried in an atmosphere of 60 to 160 mmHg, the wire can be uniformly expanded and dried in a few minutes.
Furthermore, since the temperature of the noodles can be kept below 85°C during drying, problems such as discoloration, burntness, and scorching caused by the heat of the noodle wires no longer occur. With the completion of this invention, the moisture content of the noodle wire can be reduced to 13% in a short time using just microwaves, which was previously considered difficult.
It has become possible to do the following, and it has become possible to put microwave drying into practical use. The present invention will be further explained below with reference to Examples. Example 1 5000 g of wheat flour was mixed with 50 g of brine and 50 g of salt, and the dough was kneaded by adding 38% by weight of water to the flour. The dough was rolled to a thickness of 1 mm using a conventional method, and a No. 22 cutting blade was used. A raw noodle wire was obtained using the method. This raw noodle line
The noodles were steamed at 100°C for 1 minute to obtain noodles with a moisture content of 38%.
Next, this was placed in a container, stored in the container under reduced pressure of 60 mmHg, and irradiated with 1.3 KW microwave for 6 minutes, resulting in dry noodles with a moisture content of 12%. When I tried this noodle, I found that there was no cloudiness in the boiling water, and the noodles had good elasticity and no powdery odor. The texture was almost the same as raw ramen. Example 2 5000 g of wheat flour was mixed with 50 g of brine and 50 g of salt, and when mixing with 38% water by weight based on the flour, the inside of the mixer was degassed with a vacuum pump to a pressure of 60 mmHg. The mixture was mixed for 15 minutes. This dough was taken out of the mixer, rolled to a thickness of 1 mm according to a conventional method, and then made into raw wire using a No. 22 cutting blade. The raw noodle strings were steamed at 100°C for 45 seconds to obtain noodles with a moisture content of 35%. Next, this was placed in a container, stored in the container under reduced pressure of 80 mmHg, and irradiated with 1.3 KW microwave for 5 minutes to obtain dry noodles with a moisture content of 12%. When the noodles were tasted, they were similar to those of Example 1, but were also superior in terms of transparency and elasticity.