MXPA98004652A - Process to produce pastas and cookinginstantanea as it is packed - Google Patents

Abstract

Dry legs or noodles are heated either with moist or dry heat so that their portion of the surface layer is converted to starch, and, if the heating is done by moist heat, the moisture on the surface of the strands of the dough or the noodle is removed and subsequently, the strands of the pasta or noodle are placed in a sealable container, which is then injected with a specific amount of water and sealed, followed by reheating the strands of the pasta or noodle . Pasta such as spaghetti and macaroni, or noodles such as udon, hiyamugi soda, kishimen and Chinese noodles can be cooked simply by boiling them for a short time or by heating them in a microwave oven and thus can develop the same texture that can be achieved by completely boiling pasta or dry noodles or crud

Description

PROCESS FOR PRODUCING PASTAS AND INSTANTANEOUS COOKING NOODES AS IS PACKAGED BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a process for producing pastas such as spaghetti, macaroni and pods or Japanese noodles such as udon, soba, hiyamugi, kishimen or Chinese noodles they can be prepared by simply boiling them for a short time no longer than three minutes, preferably no more than a minute, and they can be used to offer a good flavor. Pastes are produced by adding water to wheat flour, kneading the mixture to prepare a mass of firm consistency and molding the dough by means of extrusion, through an extruder or similar apparatus under high pressure. Generally, hard semolina, which is a durum wheat (or high gluten content) is used as the main raw material, which is sometimes mixed with egg white, milk and other ingredients. Pastes produced in this way have hard and dense forms. The doughs are prepared by boiling and are baked to provide a moisture gradient such that the moisture content in the center of the dough is less than the moisture content of the surface; It is said that pasta tastes better when served "al dente" with a "firm" texture. To create the condition "al dente", the use of dry or hard pasta is preferred; However, these pastas take a long time to boil and are inadequate for cases in which convenience and speed in cooking is required. Various methods have been tried to serve "al dente" pasta with improved convenience and speed in cooking, and these include the making of V cuts along the strands of pasta such as spaghetti or quick freeze pasta that has been boiled "al dente". However, even pasta with V-cuts can not be cooked as quickly and conveniently as "instant noodles". Frozen pasta has no problems with quality, but due to limitations in distribution and storage in the market, they have not become as popular as "instant noodles". As regards noodles, including Japanese noodles such as udon, soba, hiyamugi and kiehimen, and Chinese noodles, several methods have also been proposed to satisfy the manufacture of fast-boiling products. According to the known proposals, the partially cooked noodles prepared by boiling raw noodles for a short time or the boiled products prepared by boiling raw or dried noodles are distributed either cold or frozen. However, these partially cooked noodles or boiled noodles previously • they had had the problem that during the distribution, not only their flavor deteriorates but also the strands become "too tender" with the passage of time, which deteriorates their texture. Different types of "instant noodles" are manufactured and sold in the market. They are produced either by frying raw noodles with oil or fat, or by steaming and then subjecting them to drying. However, any of these types of products has the disadvantage that, when cooked, the noodles do not have a texture as firm as those prepared by boiling dry or raw noodles. Under these circumstances, it has been desired to develop pastas or instant noodles that are easy to manufacture, that can be cooked and served "al dente" or with a firm consistency, simply boiling in hot water for a short cooking time, say, in a period of three minutes, or simply heating in a microwave oven. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention offers a process for the manufacture of Japanese or Chinese instant pastas or noodles, which includes heating dried Japanese or Chinese noodles or pasta with either wet or dry heat to convert the portion of their surface layer into the starch, dry the surfaces of the strands of the pasta or the noodle if the • heating is done with moist heat, and then packing the strands of the pasta or noodle in a sealable container such as a plastic bag, injecting a specific amount of water into the container (or bag), sealing it, and reheating the strands, of the pasta or the noodle inside the package as for example through the immersion in hot water. (The Japanese or Chinese noodles are referred to as "noodles"). Instant pastas or noodles produced by the process of the invention need to be boiled only for a time as short as three minutes or less in order to acquire the same "al dente" condition or the same consistency that could be achieved by prolonged boiling. of pasta or dry noodles. The present invention relates to a process for the production of pasta or instant noodles, which includes the steps of heating pasta or dry noodles (pasta and noodles hereinafter collectively referred to sometimes as "pasta" or the like " ), to convert the portion of the surface layer into the starch, dry the paste or the like to remove moisture from the surface if the heating step is carried out by exposure to moist heat, subsequently filling a sealable container such as a bag lined with plastic, with the strands of pasta or noodles that have been converted into the starch a in the • surface, inject a specific amount of water into the container, seal it and reheat the paste or similar packaged as for example by immersion in hot water. According to this process, pastas or instant noodles can be produced that can be cooked to the "al dente" condition or a firm consistency condition by simply boiling in hot water for a short time, usually no more than three minutes , preferably not more than one minute, more preferably in about thirty seconds or less. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The process of the invention for producing instant cooking pasta or the like uses ordinary dry pasta or the like as starting material. When dipped in water, dried pasta or noodles will usually absorb the water to swell little by little and acquire properties similar to those of raw pasta or noodles; On the other hand, the swollen product will dissolve on the surface to be filtered in the water and the surface becomes so fragile that it will disintegrate with a little physical force. In the present invention, the step of swelling by the absorption of water is preceded by a heat treatment which is carried out for a short but sufficient time to form a film of the starch a on the surface of the dry paste or the like. Due to this conversion of the starch, the surface of the dough or the like • Will not dissolve or disintegrate even when absorbing water in the subsequent swelling step by water absorption, and it is possible to produce paste or the like that retains a smooth surface even after absorbing water. Stated more specifically, dried pasta or noodles are heated for a short but sufficient time to convert an extremely thin surface layer into starch a, leaving the central portion dry. The term "conversion to starch a" as used herein, will mean not only pure conversion to starch, but also the case where the surface portions of the strands of the pasta or noodle change physically or chemically by heating and are modified to a state such that these portions of the surface will not dissolve or disintegrate even when in contact with water in the subsequent step. The method of heating is carried out with moist heat, for example by immersion in hot water or cooking in a water bath with steam or with dry heat, for example by exposure to hot rays or heated air. If heated air is used, dry paste or the like can be passed through the heated air or it can be blown. However, heating with dry heat is preferred since the paste or the like will become less sticky on its surface after heating and water absorption, • eliminating the need to establish an additional step to eliminate moisture.

The heating can be performed at any temperature that is high enough to convert the starch into the portion of the surface layer of the dough or the like in the form a, and can vary from about 40 ° C to a point just below the temperature in which the surface of the paste or the like is burned (in the case of heating with dry heat). When cooking in a water bath with steam, heating beyond 100 ° C is possible using reheated steam. The heating temperature and time vary with the type of pasta or the like, its shape, size and thickness and generally ranges from 70 to 180 ° C and from several seconds to 30 minutes. In the case of heating with moist heat, the preferred conditions are at 70-100 ° C for several seconds to ten minutes, more preferably at 90-100 ° C, for 15-60 seconds. In the case of heating with dry heat, the preferred results are obtained by performing the heat treatment at 70-180 ° C for several seconds to five minutes, more preferably at 80-130 ° C, for 10-90 seconds. If the heating is performed for an insufficiently short time at high temperatures, the paste or the like will not be uniformly heated or some areas of the surface will be left uncovered with a starch film.

• If the heating time is too long, the paste or the like tends to thicken and deteriorate in quality.

The optimum heating conditions can be suitably selected from the aforementioned ranges according to the type and shape of the dough or the like, as well as the purpose of its use. The heating for conversion to starch a can be carried out to such an extent that the central portion of the dough or the like remains dry, but a thin film of the starch will form on the surface. The paste or the like which has thus been converted to the starch only in the portion of the surface layer, is immediately subjected to the subsequent steps of water absorption and heating, but, if desired, can be left to stand for a cooling preliminary.

If a film of starch converted aa is formed on the surface of the dough or the like by heating with moist heat, the moisture remains on the surface of the dough or the like which makes it sticky and therefore has drawbacks in the subsequent processes of processing and handling. In order to eliminate this problem, the paste or the like which is dried to remove moisture from the surface such as by natural drying by letting it stand, is sprayed with air at room temperature or is blown with hot air before the subsequent step of the absorption of water. As mentioned • previously, the paste or the like that has been heated with dry air does not remain sticky on its surface even after absorbing the water and, therefore, heating with dry heat is preferred which can be implemented by a simpler process than heating with moist air. The heat treated dough or the like is placed in a sealable container such as a plastic lined bag and after injecting 65-120 L, preferably 70-100 mL of water per 100 g of the dry pasta or noodles, the container It is sealed. The temperature of the water to be injected varies from the ambient temperature to 91%, and from the economic and other types of point of view, the ambient temperature or the temperatures obtained by light heating are preferred, for example, the temperatures are not greater than about 40 ° C. The packaging of the paste or the like in this stage reduces the risk of secondary bacterial contamination, thus improving the maintenance of its quality. The paste or the like packed in this way within the sealable container is subjected to secondary heating, which is usually carried out by immersing the sealed container in hot water. The heating is generally carried out at a temperature of 59-91 ° C, preferably at 60-80 ° C, more preferably at 65-75 ° C for 30 seconds at 90 minutes, preferably at 10 to 15 minutes. • minutes, more preferably from 11 to 13 minutes. This secondary heating step accelerates the absorption of water, thus allowing the manufacture of the desired instant pasta or noodles. Another advantage of this heating step is that, after instant cooking, the dough or the like is in no way "brittle", but offers a mild pleasant taste along with the desired firmness. After secondary heating, the paste or the like packed in this way is recovered from the heating medium, cooled and packed into a corrugated box for storage or shipping. The cooling of the paste or the like can be achieved by letting it stand or by submerging it in water, either cold or at an ambient temperature, or by spraying it with the aforementioned water. It is generally argued that the "firmness" of boiled pasta or the like is developed by the difference in moisture content between the surface and middle portions of each strand and the "too tender" state means that the moisture content has reached be the same in the superficial and central portions, so the pasta or similar is no longer "firm". If the paste or the like has absorbed only a small amount of water as a result of the absorption of water, it should be allowed to stand for a comparatively longer time before being ready to be eaten after emptying it in hot water but, on the other hand, the - gradient of the moisture content in the superficial and central portions is high enough to offer a firm texture and takes a long time to the pasta or similar cooked to become "too tender". If the paste or the like has absorbed a large amount of water, it needs to be left to rest for only a short time before it is ready to be eaten, but, at the same time, it will lose firmness in a short time. I The water to be absorbed by the paste or the like can be mixed with the desired condiments, spices or food dressings such as table salt, sugar, acids and alcohols in order to ensure that the quality in the stages is better maintained Subsequent or for the purpose of flavoring. The seasonings, spices or food dressings can be dissolved or suspended in the water to be absorbed, so that they can be absorbed into or absorbed by the paste or the like during the absorption of water. The instant pastas or noodles of the invention can be "al dente" or can be allowed to have a firm consistency by simply boiling them in hot water for a short time or by placing them in a heat-resistant container and heating them in a microwave oven after spraying them with water. Pasta or the like prepared in this way are sufficiently "al dente" or firm enough that they can • Serve on the plate, achieving the same texture and flavor obtained by boiling pasta or dry or raw noodles.

If desired, as in the case of ordinary pastas, they can be fried, mixed with ingredients such as meat, vegetables or seafood according to the preference of each person, or covered with sauce. Alternatively, they can be served as Japanese "dip to eat" noodles such as zaru-udon, mori-soba and the Chinese "dip to eat" noodles, achieving the same texture found in boiled noodles. The following example is provided below for the purpose of further illustrating the present invention, but in no way should be taken as limiting. Example One hundred grams of dry spaghetti (1.7 mm in diameter) made from durum wheat semolina was heated in a dry heating oven at 100 ° C for 30 seconds. The spaghetti was then packed in bags made with polyethylene lining and after injecting 85 mL of 3% salted water at room temperature, the polyethylene liner was thermally sealed. The spaghetti packed in this way was immersed in hot water at 70 ° C for 12 minutes and allowed to cool by allowing it to stand at room temperature (20 ° C) for 10-15 minutes. After cooling, the spaghetti was stored in a refrigerator. After storing it overnight, the spaghetti was pulled out of the bags and boiled in water for 80 seconds, thus producing cooked spaghetti. The spaghetti that had been boiled completely was "al dente" and had the desired firmness.

Claims (10)

1. CLAIMS 1. A process for the manufacture of instant pasta or noodles, which includes heating pasta or dry noodles with either wet or dry heat to convert the portion of their surface layer into the starch, drying the surfaces of the strands of the pasta or noodle if the heating is done with moist heat, and then pack the strands of the pasta or noodle in a warm container together with water, seal the container and then reheat the strands of the pasta or noodle.
2. 2. The process according to claim 1, wherein heating with wet or dry heat is carried out at 70-180 ° C for several seconds to ten minutes.
3. 3. The process according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heating is carried out with dry heat by exposure to thermal rays or heated air, and after heating, the strands of the pasta or noodle are immediately subjected to the step of the packaging without drying its surfaces.
4. 4. The process according to claim 3, wherein the heating with dry heat is performed at 80-130 ° C for ten seconds to 90 seconds.
5. 5. The process according to any of claims 1-4, wherein the steps mentioned in • packaging and subsequent heating include placing the strands of pasta or noodle in a bag made of plastic film and injecting the bag with 65-120 mL of water per 100 g of the strands of the pasta or noodle on a base of daily weight.
6. 6. The process according to claim 5, wherein said water is injected in an amount of 70-100 mL. The process according to any of claims 1-6, wherein said water to be injected has an ambient temperature. 8. The process according to any of claims 1-7, wherein the aforementioned reheating step is performed at 59-91 ° C for 30 seconds to 90 minutes. 9. The process according to claim 8, wherein the aforementioned reheating step is carried out at 60-80 ° C for 10-15 minutes. 10. The process according to claim 9, wherein the aforementioned reheating step is carried out at 65-75 ° C for 11-13 minutes.