WO2008153246A1

WO2008153246A1 - The fish instant noodle in which the long-term storage is possible and the manufacturing method

Info

Publication number: WO2008153246A1
Application number: PCT/KR2007/004729
Authority: WO
Inventors: Myung Chul Jung
Original assignee: Myung Chul Jung
Priority date: 2007-06-13
Filing date: 2007-09-28
Publication date: 2008-12-18

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a process for manufacturing fish paste -based instant noodles having a long shelf life. The process includes: collecting fillets from a fish species, and washing, dehydrating and mincing the fish fillets to yield a fish meat paste, and freeze-drying and pulverizing the fish meat paste to yield a fish meat powder; mixing the fish meat powder with wheat flour, purified salt, and a cereal flour, selected from rice flour, glutinous rice flour, other cereal flours other than wheat and a mixture thereof, to yield an ingredient mixture; kneading the ingredient mixture with a predetermined amount of water, and ripening the resulting dough for a predetermined period of time; molding the ripened dough into the form of instant noodles using a noodle -making machine; frying the noodles at a high temperature in an edible oil to vaporize water inside the noodles and to achieve a moisture content of less than 10%; removing the edible oil from the surface of the fried noodles and drying the fried noodles; and cutting the dried noodles into a desired length, and checking and packaging the noodles. The fish paste-based instant noodles contribute to the diversification of instant noodles, creating a new demand, and are high-quality because they are nutrient-enriched and have a long shelf life.

Description

THE FISH INSTANT NOODLE IN WHICH THE LONG- TERM STORAGE IS POSSIBLE AND THE MANUFACTURING METHOD

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a fish instant noodle in which the long-term stoage is possible and the manufacturing method. More particularly, the present invention relates to a fish paste-based instant noodle having a long shelf life, which is prepared by mixing fish meat powder with the powder of a cereal other than wheat, wheat flour, purified salt and other ingredients in predetermined ratios, and to a process for manufacturing the above instant noodle. Background Art

[2] Instant noodles are typically made through a process including kneading wheat flour or other flours with water and salt to form a dough, rolling the dough into a thin sheet and cutting the dough sheet into strips using a cutter. The cohesive and elastic nature of gluten, formed from some proteins of cereals during kneading, helps noodles maintain their original shape even after being cooked.

[3] Since conventional noodles are made using wheat flour as a major ingredient, they provide lots of carbohydrates but do not ensure sufficient protein intake. In order to achieve a sufficient intake of high quality proteins, instant noodles have been prepared by adding various protein-rich ingredients to instant noodle soup bases, or eggs have been added during cooking.

[4] Proteins from seafood have been known to be more beneficial for health than proteins from land animals. In particular, fish pastes are a fish product that is made from fish meats, i.e. fish fillets. Since fish meats are difficult to mold into a noodle-like form due to poor cohesiveness, they have been mainly consumed in the form of fish pastes.

[5] Recently, fish pastes have been prepared in the form of noodle strips to allow consumers to enjoy fish pastes in the shape of noodles by making a fish paste using a marine fish species, such as Alaska pollack, codfish or sea bream, as a major ingredient, and shaping the fish paste into a noodle-like form having a desired thickness and width.

[6] Korean Pat. Laid-Open Publication No. 89-001094 discloses a process for producing ready-to-eat fish paste-based noodles. The process comprises nixing and finely πlncing 70-80 parts by weight of fish meat, 10-15 parts by weight cf starch, 4-8 parts by weight of wheat flour and 2-8 parts by weight of other ingredients including table salt and a seasoning; molding the nlnced fish paste into a sheet; frying the sheet at 170- 180⁰C; cooling the fried sheet; and cutting the cooled sheet into noodles. The fish paste-based noodles thus produced are placed in a container, sterilized through exposure to UV light, sealed and packaged.

[7] Korean Pat. Application No. 10-2003-32537 describes fish paste in the form of kalguksu, which is a thick Korean noodle made from wheat flour. The kalguksu-type fish paste is prepared by making a fish paste using a fish species, such as Alaska pollack, codfish or sea bream, as a major ingredient, and molding the fish paste into kalguksu-like noodles having a desired thickness and width. The kalguksu-type fish paste has no unpleasant fishy smell and enables consumers to enjoy the fish paste taste in the form of kalguksu noodles.

[8] The conventional ready-to-eat fish paste-based noodles and kalguksu-type fish paste are produced through a process shown in FIG. 1, which comprises fish meat nlncing (SlO), blending (S20), molding (S30), frying (S40), cutting (S50), packaging (S60), and forced cooling or freeing (S70).

[9] The conventional ready-to-eat fish paste-based noodles and kalguksu-type fish paste are made by forming a general fish paste into a cylindrical rod or a thin sheet, frying the rod or sheet, and cutting the fried rod or sheet into noodle-like strips. Since the fish paste-based noodles are prepared by nixing a fish paste mainly with wheat flour, they are less cohesive and are thus difficult to shape into noodle strips which are long and thin.

[10] There is another problem with the conventional fish paste-based noodles. Since fish pastes are cut into noodles after being fried, water on the surface of fish pastes vaporizes df during frying, but the moisture inside the fish paste does not escape. Thus, when the fried fish pastes are cut into noodles, they have a moisture content of more than 10% inside the noodles. The high moisture content makes long-term storage of the noodles difficult. If a fish paste is slightly elastic when pressed by the fingers, it has a moisture content of 35-40%.

[11] The high moisture content favors microbial propagation. Thus, the conventional fish paste-based noodles and kalguksu-type fish paste is difficult to store for a period longer than one week at room temperature. Ibr this reason, after being packed, they should be cooled or frozen (S70, FIG. 1) before storage. These problems limit the utilization of fish pastes in the form of wet noodles such as kalguksu, soba (a kind of thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour) and udon (a kind of thick Japanese noodle made from wheat flour). In particular, fish pastes are difficult to be processed into instant noodles, which require a longer shelf life. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[12] Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in nlnd the above prob lems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide fish paste-based instant noodles having a long shelf life, the instant noodles being produced by mixing fish meat powder consisting of freeze-dried fish fillets with cereal powder and other ingredients, kneading the mixture to form a dough, molding the dough into the form of instant noodles using a noodle-making machine, and frying the noodles for a short time to reduce the moisture content of the noodles and thus to provide the noodles in a dried form, which may be stored for a long time in long-term storage. Technical Solution

[13] In order to accomplish the above object, the fish paste-based instant noodles having a long shelf life according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is manufactured through a process comprising (a) collecting fillets from a fish species, washing, dehydrating and mincing the fish fillets to yield a fish meat paste, and freeze- drying and pulveriang the fish meat paste to yield a fish meat powder; (b) nixing the fish meat powder with wheat flour, purified salt and a cereal flour, selected from rice flour, glutinous rice flour, or other cereal flours other than wheat and a mixture thereof, to yield an ingredient mixture; (c) kneading the ingredient mixture with a predetermined amount of water, and ripening the resulting dough for a predetermined period of time; (d) molding the ripened dough into the form of instant noodles using a noodle-making machine; (e) frying the noodles at a high temperature in an edible oil to vaporize water inside the noodles and to achieve a moisture content of less than 10%; (f) removing the edible oil from the surface of the fried noodles and drying the fried noodles; and (g) cutting the dried noodles into a desired length, and checking and packaging the noodles.

[14] The fish meat powder is preferably prepared by collecting fillets from a fish species, washing the fish fillets five times with an approximately sevenfold volume of cold water, dehydrating the washed fish fillets, mincing the dehydrated fish fillets with 5 wt% of sucrose and 0.2 wt% of polyphosphate to yield a fish meat paste, freeze-drying the fish meat paste in a freeze dryer for 30 hours to obtain a moisture content of less than 5%, and pulveriang the fish meat paste to yield a fish meat powder.

[15] The ingredient mixture is preferably prepared by mixing the fish meat powder with

5-20 parts by weight of a cereal flour, 15-35 parts by weight of wheat flour, and 2-4 parts by weight of purified salt, based on 100 parts by weight of the fish meat powder.

[16] The ingredient mixture is preferably nixed with water at a ratio of 8:2 to 7:3, and kneaded. The resulting dough is preferably ripened at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours.

[17] The frying of the noodles is preferably carried out with an edible oil at 150⁰C for about 20 seconds to reduce the moisture content of noodles to less than 10%.

[18] The fried noodles are preferably dried at from 15⁰C to 25⁰C for 18 to 20 hours.

[19] The fish paste-based instant noodles according to the present invention are characterized by having a long shelf life.

Advantageous Effects

[20] In accordance with the present invention, the fish paste-based instant noodles, which are prepared using fresh fish meat, rice flour, glutinous flour, and the like, contribute to the diversification of the variety of instant noodles, creating a new demand, and are enriched with nutrients, including proteins, vitamins and minerals, which are present in fish pastes in high concentrations, thereby improving the nutritional content of instant noodles.

[21] The fish paste-based instant noodles also have a low moisture content which prevents microbial propagation and renders viable long-term storage at room temperature in a dried form, thereby providing high-quality instant noodles.

[22] Further, the fish paste-based instant noodles avoid getting soggy and mushy during cooking and losing their firm and elastic texture. Brief Description of the Drawings

[23] FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a process for manufacturing conventional instant noodles; and

[24] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a process for manufacturing fish paste-based instant noodles having a long shelf life according to the present invention. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[25] The present invention is directed to provide fish paste-based instant noodles having a long shelf life. The fish paste-based instant noodles are manufactured through a process comprising (a) collecting fillets from a fish species, and washing, dehydrating and nincing the fish fillets to yield a fish meat paste, and freeze-drying and pulverizing the fish meat paste to yield a fish meat powder; (b) mixing the fish meat powder with wheat flour, purified salt and a cereal flour, selected from rice flour, glutinous rice flour, other cereal flours other than wheat and a mixture thereof, to yield an ingredient mixture; (c) kneading the ingredient mixture with a predetermined amount of water, and ripening the resulting dough for a predetermined period of time; (d) molding the ripened dough into the form of instant noodles using a noodle-making machine; (e) frying the noodles at a high temperature in an edible oil to vaporize water inside the noodles and to achieve a moisture content of less than 10%; (f) removing the edible oil from the surface of the fried noodles and drying the fried noodles; and (g) cutting the dried noodles into a desired length, and checking and packaging the noodles.

[26] The fish meat powder is preferably prepared by collecting fillets from a fish species, washing the fish fillets five times in approximately a sevenfold volume of cold water, dehydrating the washed fish fillets, mincing the dehydrated fish fillets with 5 wt% of sucrose and 0.2 wt% of polyphosphate to yield a fish meat paste, freeze-drying the fish meat paste in a freeze dryer for 30 hours to obtain a moisture content of less than 5%, and pulveriing the fish meat paste to yield a fish meat powder.

[27] The ingredient mixture is preferably prepared by nixing the fish meat powder with

5-20 parts by weight of a cereal flour other than wheat, 15-35 parts by weight of wheat flour, and 2-4 parts by weight of purified salt, based on 100 parts by weight of the fish meat powder.

[28] The ingredient mixture is preferably nixed with water at a ratio of 8:2 to 7:3, and is kneaded. The resulting dough is preferably ripened at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours.

[29] The frying of noodles is preferably carried out with an edible oil at 150PC for about

20 seconds to reduce the moisture content of noodles to less than 10%.

[30] The fried noodles are preferably dried at 15⁰C to 25°C for 18 to 20 hours.

[31] The fish paste-based instant noodles according to the present invention are characterized by having a long shelf life.

[32] The process for manufacturing the fish paste-based instant noodles will be described in further detail, below.

[33] The process of the present invention produces instant noodles, which contain fish meat powder, consisting of fish fillets, and have a long shelf life.

[34] Step 1: Hsh meat powder preparation (SlOO) [35] The present invention employs fish meat powder to enhance the protein content of instant noodles. A fish meat powder is nixed with a cereal flour other than wheat, wheat flour, purified salt, and other ingredients, including a seasoning, polyphosphate and sodium saccharin, at a predetermined ratio. The cereal flour, wheat flour and purified salt are essential ingredients, and other ingredients are optionally used.

[36] The fish meat powder, used as a major ingredient to produce the fish paste-based instant noodles according to the present invention, is prepared by freeze-drying a fish meat in a freeze-dryer to obtain a moisture content of less than 5% and pulveriang the freeze-dried fish meat. If fish meat consisting of fresh fish fillets is employed, a flabby dough may result due to the high moisture content of the fish fillets and it may be difficult to mold into strips of noodles.

[37] In order to solve the aforementioned problem, the present invention employs a fish meat powder consisting of freeze-dried fish fillets. Rsh fillets are collected, washed five times with an approximately sevenfold volume of cold water, dehydrated, and minced with 5 wt% of sucrose and 0.2 wt% of polyphosphate to provide a fish meat paste. The fish meat paste is freeze-dried in a freeze dryer for 30 hours to obtain a moisture content of less than 5%, is pulverized for 1 hour in a pulverizer, and passes through a sieve of less than 100 mesh to provide a fish meat powder. Preferably, the freeze-dried fish meat paste is pulverized to a size of 50 to 100 mesh.

[38] The fish meat may be any fillet from sea bream, codfish, saury, Alaska pollack, hairtail, and other marine fishes.

[39] Step 2: Ingredient mixture preparation (8200)

[40] An ingredient mixture is prepared by mixing the fish meat powder with 5-20 parts by weight cf a cereal flour other than wheat, 15-35 parts by weight cf wheat flour, and 2-4 parts by weight of purified salt, based on 100 parts by weight of the fish meat powder.

[41] When the fish meat powder is used in an amount less than the nixing ratio, the resulting noodles taste bad and are less elastic and cohesive, leading to a crumbly texture. When the amount of the fish meat powder exceeds the mixing ratio, the resulting noodles are harder and are thus less chewy.

[42] The texture of instant noodles is affected by the gelatinization of starch present in the cereal flour, selected from rice, glutinous rice, other cereals, and a mixture thereof. Examples of cereal flours suitable for use in the present invention include, but are not limited to, rice flour, glutinous rice flour, barley flour, buckwheat, and other cereal flours which can be used to prepare noodles. A mixture of two or more thereof is also possible. When the cereal flour is used in an amount less than the nixing ratio, starch finds it difficult to gelatinize. In contrast, an amount greater than the nixing ratio accelerates aging of the gelatinzed starch, and the noodles become easily solidified. The cereal flour is pulverized to a size of about 80 to 100 mesh.

[43] The wheat flour is employed to obtain good smoothness, visco-elasticity and an edible quality of noodles and to maintain a firm texture in the noodles during cooking. The amount of wheat flour varies inversely with the amount of fish meat powder. The fish meat powder is also highly viscous when nixed with water. Thus, when the amount of fish meat powder is increased, the amount of wheat flour should decrease. When nixed with water, wheat flour makes noodles gummy and stringy, as well as increasing the viscosity of noodles. Thus, an amount lower than the nixing ratio reduces the viscosity of the dough, resulting in noodle strings which are brittle and crumbly. When the wheat flour is used in an amount greater than the mixing ratio, the amount of the fish meat powder should be decreased.

[44] The type of wheat flour suitable for use in preparing the ingredient mixture for manufacturing instant noodles is all purpose flour or bread flour. Instant noodles are generally made from all purpose flour, but bread flour is preferred in the present invention due to the following reason: when instant noodles are made with all purpose flour and fish meat, a wheat flour dough containing fish meat has increased protein content but decreased gluten content, resulting in the loss of elasticity; this problem can be overcome by using bread flour or by increasing the gluten content with 15-35 parts by weight of wheat flour.

[45] The purified salt is used for helping in the areas of cohesive texture, desired color, moisture retention and taste of the fish paste. When the purified salt is used in an amount greater than the nixing ratio, noodles, obtained through kneading and extrusion under reduced pressure, do not have good smoothness and visco-elasticity or lose firmness after cooking. In contrast, when the purified salt is used in an amount lower than the mixing ratio, fish paste-based instant noodles taste fishy, or do not have the desirable saltiness, i.e. are not properly salted.

[46] Other ingredients may be optionally employed, and include 1-2 parts by weight of a seasoning, 0.12 parts by weight of polyphosphate and 0.001 parts of weight of sodium saccharin.

[47] In addition to the above ingredients, the fish paste-based instant noodles of the present invention may farther include additional ingredients, which include curry, various vegetables such as carrots, leek, mug wort, beans and welsh onions, marine products such as sea tangles, shrimps, brown seaweed and laver, nuts such as sesames, almonds and peanuts, Chinese medicinal herbs such as mushrooms and Opuntia ficus- indica, in an amount of 5-10 parts by weight. The additional ingredients provide fish paste-based instant noodles having various colors or tastes.

[48] Step 3: Dough preparation (8300^s)

[49] The ingredient mixture prepared in step 3 is kneaded with water at a weight ratio about 8:2 to 7:3 (ingredient nlxture:water). The kneading is carried out using fresh water at 4OPC for 10 to 15 nlnutes, which is enough to make the dough soft and sticky. The resulting dough is ripened for at room temperature 2-4 hours, and preferably for 3-4 hours.

[50] Step 4: Molding into noodles (8400)

[51] The ripened dough is placed in a molding tray of a noodle-making machine, and extruded under reduced pressure into curly strands of noodles. Of several proteins contained in fish meat, gliadin and glutenin form gluten during kneading with water. The elastic and cohesive gluten allows the molding of dough into various thicknesses according to the consumers' demand. Also, the glutinous rice flour makes noodles stringy and gummy. Due to these properties of the ingredients, the dough is able to be molded into noodle strands thinner than 1-5 mm in diameter.

[52] Step 5: Frying (8500)

[53] The curly noodles prepared in step 4 are fried at a high temperature in an edible oil.

The noodle strands extruded from the noodle-making machine are fried in a frying bath containing an oil at 150- 180PC for about 10-25 seconds to reduce their moisture content to less than 10%.

[54] During the frying, water contained in noodles vaporizes, forming small pores which the oil enters. This drying method is called flash frying, which provides a low moisture content (noodles have good storage stability when the moisture content is less than 10%). Also, the pores formed in noodles improve storage stability and resilience of noodles, facilitating cooking of instant noodles at home. General drying greatly reduces the storage stability of proteins contained in fish meat powder, consisting of fish fillets. That is, when fish meat powder is dried according to a general drying method, fish proteins are denatured, not guaranteeing long-term storage. In contrast, the frying step ensures long-term storage of fish meat. When the frying is carried out for less than 10 seconds, the heat does not make its way to the interior of the noodles, resulting in a high moisture content, which causes noodles made from fish fillets to become brittle, less elastic and worse in taste. Frying for longer than 25 seconds results in excess water vaporization and surface burning of noodles. Thus, frying is preferably carried out for about 10-25 seconds depending on the thickness of the noodles.

[55] Step 6: Drying fS60TO

[56] After the oil is removed from the fried fish paste-based instant noodles, the noodles are dried. That is, any oil remaining on the surface of the fried noodles is removed. Then, the noodles are dried for 18-20 hours at a room temperature between 15⁰C and 25°C to provide a final noodle product.

[57] Step 7: Packaging fS700)

[58] *The dried noodles are cut into a desired length, checked, and packaged in a container with a separately packed soup base.

[59] The fish paste-based instant noodles, produced by molding a dough into an instant noodle-like form and vaporizing water inside noodles to a desired degree through frying, have a long shelf life. Mode for the Invention

[60] A better understanding of the present invention may be obtained through the following examples which are set forth to illustrate, but are not to be construed as the limit of the present invention.

[61]

[62] EXAMPLE 1: Preparation of instant noodles containing 77% fish meat

[63] A fish meat, consisting of fish fillets freeze-dried for 30 hrs in an freeze-dryer to obtain a moisture content less than 5%, was placed in a pulverizer, pulverized for 1 hr, and passed through a 100-mesh sieve, thereby yielding a fish meat powder with a size less than 100 mesh. 77.299 g of the fish meat powder was nixed with 5 g of rice flour, 14 g of wheat flour, 2.6 g of purified salt, 1 g of a seasoning, 0.1 g of polyphosphate, and 0.001 g of sodium saccharin in a blender, thereby yielding an ingredient mixture for preparing instant noodles. 100 g of the ingredient mixture was kneaded with 25 g of water at 40⁰C for 10 nin to form a dough. The dough was ripened at room temperature for 3 hrs. The ripened dough was molded into curly strands of noodles about 2 mm in diameter using a noodle-making machine. The noodles were fried in edible oil at 150⁰C for about 20 sec to reduce their moisture content to less than 10%. The fried noodles were then dried at 2QPC for 20 hrs, thereby producing final fish paste-based instant noodles.

[64]

[65] EXAMPLE 2: Preparation of instant noodles containing 67% fish meat [66] A fish meat, consisting cf fish fillets freeze-dried for 30 hrs in an freeze-dryer to obtain a moisture content less than 5%, was placed in a pulverizer, pulverized for 1 hr, and passed through a 100-mesh sieve, thereby yielding a fish meat powder with a size less than 100 mesh. 67.299 g of the fish meat powder was nixed with 10 g of rice flour, 19 g of wheat flour, 2.6 g of purified salt, 1 g of a seasoning, 0.1 g of polyphosphate, and 0.001 g of sodium saccharin in a blender, thereby yielding an ingredient mixture for preparing instant noodles. The ingredient mixture was treated according to the same procedure as in Example 1, thereby producing fish paste -based instant noodles.

[67]

[68] EXAMPLE 3: Preparation of instant noodles containing 57% fish meat

[69] A fish meat, consisting of fish fillets freeze-dried for 30 hrs in an freeze-dryer to obtain a moisture content less than 5%, was placed in a pulverizer, pulverized for 1 hr, and passed through a 100-mesh sieve, thereby yielding a fish meat powder with a size less than 100 mesh. 57 g of the fish meat powder was nixed with 15 g of rice flour, 24 g of wheat flour, 2.6 g of purified salt, 1 g of a seasoning, 0.1 g of polyphosphate, and 0.001 g of sodium saccharin in a blender, thereby yielding an ingredient mixture for preparing instant noodles. The ingredient mixture was treated according to the same procedure as in Example 1, thereby producing fish paste-based instant noodles.

[70] The fish paste-based instant noodles prepared in Examples 1 to 3 according to the present invention will be compared with two conventional fish pastes cut into noodles, ready-to-eat fish paste-based noodles (Comparative Example 1) and a kalguksu-type fish paste (Comparative Example 2), in Test Examples 1 to 3, below.

[71] The fish paste-based instant noodles (Examples 1 to 3) according to the present invention and the two conventional noodle-type fish pastes, ready-to-eat fish paste- based noodles (Comparative Example 1) and a kalguksu-type fish paste (Comparative Example 2), were prepared according to the composition described in Table 1, below.

[72] Table 1 [Table 1] [Table ] Composition (wt%)

[73] TEST EXAMPLE 1: Sensory evaluation of the fish paste-based instant noodles of Examples 1 to 3 and conventional noodle-type fish pastes (Comparative Examples 1 and 2)

[74] [75] The fish paste-based instant noodles of Examples 1 to 3 and the two conventional noodle-type fish pastes (Comparative Examples 1 and 2) were evaluated by a sensory panel of twenty panelists who were selected from graduate school students and college students majoring in Ibod Science. The panelists were acquainted with the test purpose and general rules for scoring, and then evaluated the color, flavor, taste, texture and overall quality of the fish paste-based instant noodles and noodle-type fish pastes after boiling. Sensory scoring was made on a scale of 1 to 10 points, 1 being the least favorable and 10 being the best, and mean values were calculated. Statistical analysis was performed with the SAS statistical program A Duncan's multiple range test at 0.05 level cf significance was performed to determine any significant difference among samples. The sensory evaluation results for color, flavor, taste, texture and overall quality are given in Table 2, below.

[76] Table 2 [Table 2] [Table ] Sensory evaluation results

[77] As shown in Table 2, the fish paste -based instant noodles of Example 3, containing 15 wt% of glutinous rice flour as a cereal flour and 5 wt% of an additive (curry) exhibited the highest color score, whereas other examples and comparative examples had lower color scores. The fish paste-based instant noodles prepared with rice flour or glutinous rice flour without curry showed no marked difference between color scores measured using a colorimeter and those assessed by the sensory evaluation. Thus, in this case, the color did not act as a critical factor for appearance quality of cooked fish paste-based instant noodles. In contrast, taking into account that Example 3 had the highest score for color, this is understandable as several kinds cf instant noodles have recently been prepared with various ingredients are considered attractive because they break with the traditional fixed notion that instant noodles are white.

[78] The sensory evaluation for flavor resulted in no marked difference between samples with similar scores. Examples 1 to 3 of the present invention, prepared using rice flour or glutinous rice flour displayed scores higher than those of the conventional noodle- type fish pastes of Comparative Examples 1 and 2, which were prepared with wheat flour but without any cereal flour.

[79] Taken together, the fish paste-based instant noodles of the present invention were found to have better acceptance for color, flavor, taste and texture than the conventional noodle-type fish pastes of Comparative Examples 1 and 2. In particular, Example 2, prepared using 67.299 wt% cf fish meat powder, 10 wt% of cereal flour and 19 wt% of wheat flour, exhibited the best sensory evaluation results.

[80]

[81] TEST EXAMPLE 2: Evaluation for texture characteristics of the fish paste-based instant noodles of Examples 1 to 3 and conventional noodle-type fish pastes CComparative Examples 1 and 2)

[82]

[83] The fish paste-based instant noodles of Examples 1 to 3 and the two conventional noodle-type fish pastes (Comparative Examples 1 and 2) were evaluated for noodle texture characteristics, including firmness, hardness, elasticity, cohesiveness and brittleness, at room temperature (2O⁰C) and under heat treatment (heated to 80PC for 20 sec using a microwave oven) using a rheometer COMPAC-100. The results are given in Table 3, below.

[84] Table 3

[Table 3]

[Table ]

Texture characteristics

[85] The fish paste-based instant noodles cf the present invention and the conventional noodle-type fish pastes were assessed for tensile strength, elasticity and cohesiveness of noodles using a rheometer (Fudoh. NRM-2010J, Japan), as follows: after noodles were dried, measurements were carried out at 1.0 V in triplet per noodle strip; for cooked noodles, dried noodles were boiled for 3 nln, after which four cooked noodle strips were used for each measurement, which was carried out at 10 mV in triplet; the cutting force of noodles was analyzed. Data was analyzed through a t-test using the SAS statistical program

[86] As shown in Table 3, the fish paste-based instant noodles of the present invention were found to have physical properties similar or superior to those of the conventional noodle-type fish pastes. In particular, the fish paste-based instant noodles of Example 2 exhibited a hardness value lower than that cf other Examples and Comparative Examples at room temperature, but were found to have a hardness value suitable for use as food when heated. The fish paste-based instant noodles of the other Examples were less hard at room temperature and became gummy without being crumbly when heated.

[87] The fish paste-based instant noodles of Example 2 exhibited lower tensile strength, i.e., visco-elasticity, than that of the other Examples and Comparative Examples at room temperature, but were found to have good tensile strength when heated. Also, the fish paste-based instant noodles of the other Examples had visco-elasticity similar to that of the conventional noodle-type fish pastes at room temperature, but when heated, they displayed good visco-elasticity, thereby preventing noodles becoming soggy and mushy during cooking.

[88] TEST EXAMPLE 3: Evaluation for storage stability of the fish paste-based instant noodles of Examples 1 to 3 and conventional noodle-tvpe fish pastes (Comparative Examples 1 and 2)

[89] [90] The fish paste-based instant noodles of Examples 1 to 3 and the conventional noodle- type fish pastes of Comparative Examples 1 and 2 were evaluated for storage stability in a non-packaged state at 2(FC for a storage period of 7 days as described in Table 4, below.

[91] Table 4 [Table 4] [Table ] Storage stability

[92] The microbial population at the primary decomposition of food is usually 1x105. As shown in Table 4, the reduction of the moisture content of the fish paste-based instant noodles according to the present invention to below 10% was found to effectively prevent microbial propagation, making the present noodles edible even after a storage period of one week duration at 2OPC. In contrast, the conventional noodle-type fish pastes, having a moisture content of 35-40%, were found to be edible until Day 2 at 20³C, and to be inedible after one week. That is, the conventional noodle-type fish pastes should be quick-cooled or frozen for long-term storage.

[93] Collectively, the fish paste-based instant noodles according to the present invention contain high-quality proteins thanks to being prepared with a protein-rich fish meat and a cereal flour, such as rice or glutinous rice flour, as opposed to wheat flour-based instant noodles. Thus, the instant noodles of the present invention have a high nutritional value since they are supplemented with fish proteins contained in fish pastes. Also, the nutty taste of fried rice is harmonized with the taste of fish pastes, thereby imparting a nutty and sweet taste to the present instant noodles. The stringy and gummy texture of rice starch avoids the adhesion of noodles to the surface of the teeth when they are chewed. The cohesive nature of glutinous rice provides good processing adaptability for noodle preparation, and prevents noodles becoming easily soggy and mushy during cooking. Further, the moisture content below 10% enables long-term storage of noodles in a dried form like instant noodles.

[94] While the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific examples thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Therefore, it is to be understood that the detailed description of the present invention and the accompanying drawings are set forth to illustrate, but are not to be constructed to limit the technical spirit of the present invention.

Claims

[1] A process for manufacturing fish paste-based instant noodles having a long shelf life comprising:

(a) collecting fillets from a fish species, washing, dehydrating and mincing the fish fillets to yield a fish meat paste, and freeze-drying and pulveriang the fish meat paste to yield a fish meat powder;

(b) mixing the fish meat powder with a cereal flour, selected from rice flour, glutinous rice flour, other cereal flours other than wheat and a mixture thereof, wheat flour, and purified salt to yield an ingredient mixture;

(c) kneading the ingredient mixture with a predetermined amount of water, and ripening the resulting dough for a predetermined period of time;

(d) molding the ripened dough into a form of instant noodles using a noodle- making machine;

(e) frying the noodles in an edible oil at a high temperature to vaporize water inside the noodles and to obtain a moisture content of less than 10%;

(f) removing the edible oil from the surface of the fried noodles and drying the fried noodles; and

(g) cutting the dried noodles into a desired length, and checking and packaging the noodles.

[2] The process according to claim 1 , wherein the fish meat powder is prepared by collecting fillets from a fish species, washing the fish fillets five times with an approximately sevenfold volume of cold water, dehydrating the washed fish fillets, nlncing the dehydrated fish fillets with 5 wt% of sucrose and 0.2 wt% of polyphosphate to yield a fish meat paste, freeze-drying the fish meat paste in a freeze dryer for 30 hours to obtain a moisture content of less than 5%, and pulveriang the fish meat paste to yield a fish meat powder.

[3] The process according to claim 2, wherein the ingredient mixture is prepared by mixing the fish meat powder with 5-20 parts by weight of a cereal flour, 15-35 parts by weight cf wheat flour, and 2-4 parts by weight cf purified salt, based on 100 parts by weight of the fish meat powder.

[4] The process according to claim 3, wherein the ingredient mixture is nixed with water at a ratio of 8:2 to 7:3 and is kneaded, and a resulting dough is ripened at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours.

[5] The process according to claim 4, wherein the frying of noodles is carried out with an edible oil at 150PC for about 20 seconds to reduce a moisture content of noodles to less than 10%. [6] The process according to claim 5, wherein the fried noodles are dried at 15⁰C to

25°C for 18 to 20 hours. [7] A fish paste-based instant noodle having a long shelf life, which is manufactured using the process of any one of claims 1 to 6.