WO2024143552A1 - Method for producing granular rice flour product, granular rice flour product, method for producing granular food product, granular food product, and food composition - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a method for producing a granular rice flour product that has a superior flavor and texture, and is suitable for consumption by people who adhere to a plant-based diet, such as vegetarians and vegans, or who are allergic to certain foods such as wheat.　The method for producing a granular rice flour product comprises: a granulation step for granulating a mixture of a starting material rice flour and water to obtain granules; a heating step for heating the obtained granules until the starting material rice flour contained in the granules is gelatinized; and a drying step for drying the heated granules. The granulated rice flour product thus produced is gluten-free, and exhibits a chewy texture similar to that of couscous.

Description

Method for producing granular rice flour processed product, granular rice flour processed product, method for producing granular food processed product, granular food processed product, and food composition

(Citation of Related Application)
This application claims the benefit of and priority to Japanese patent applications (Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2022-212359 and 2022-212360) filed on December 28, 2022. Priority to the aforementioned patent applications is expressly claimed, and the entire disclosures of those applications are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

The present invention relates to a granulated rice flour product having excellent taste and texture. The present invention also relates to a granular food product having excellent taste and texture. The present invention also relates to a granular rice flour product and/or a food composition containing the granular food product.

In recent years, processed foods (such as noodles, breads, and sweets) that use rice flour instead of wheat flour have been attracting attention as a measure against food allergies caused by wheat flour and to increase rice consumption.

However, processed foods made with rice flour are characterized by their chewy texture due to the action of amylopectin, a sticky component contained in rice.
In addition, unlike wheat flour, rice flour does not contain gluten (gluten-free), so even if water is added and kneaded, the rice flour cannot be expected to bond with each other, and the dough does not easily stick together. Therefore, when producing processed foods using rice flour, it is necessary to treat the rice flour itself or to add a large amount of water during kneading. Examples of processed foods that use rice flour include pasta produced using rice flour as a binder in the form of a paste (Patent Document 1) and rice flour bread produced without gluten or thickeners (Patent Document 2).

In addition, the number of consumers who prefer vegetarian and vegan diets is increasing worldwide, and various vegetarian and vegan foods have been developed (for example, Patent Document 3).

JP 2017-23043 A JP 2007-244220 A Patent Publication No. 2021-500043 (WO2019/88834)

As mentioned above, the methods of Patent Documents 1 and 2 had problems with production efficiency and the texture of the processed foods produced due to the treatment of the rice flour itself and the amount of moisture during mixing.

Under these circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a granular rice flour processed product with excellent taste and texture, and a method for producing the same. Another object of the present invention is to provide a granular food processed product with excellent taste and texture, and a method for producing the same. Another object of the present invention is to provide a food composition containing the granular rice flour processed product or the granular food processed product.

The inventors conducted extensive research to solve the above problems and discovered that the following invention meets the above objectives, leading to the present invention.

That is, the present invention relates to the following inventions.
<1> A granulation step of granulating a mixture containing raw rice flour and water to obtain a granulated product;
a heating step of heating the obtained granulated material until the raw material rice flour contained in the granulated material is gelatinized;
A method for producing a granular rice flour processed product, comprising: a drying step of drying the heated granulated product.
<2> The method for producing the granular rice flour processed product according to <1>, wherein the particle size is 0.3 mm or more and 4.5 mm or less (preferably 0.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less).
<3> The method for producing a granular rice flour processed product according to <1> or <2>, wherein the heating method in the heating step is heating by steaming.
<4> The method for producing a granulated rice flour processed product according to any one of <1> to <3>, wherein the raw rice flour contains rice flour having an average particle size (D ₅₀ ) of 450 μm or more and 650 μm or less.
<5> The method for producing a granulated rice flour processed product according to any one of <1> to <4>, wherein the raw rice flour is polished rice flour and/or brown rice flour.
<6> The method for producing a granulated rice flour processed product according to <5>, wherein the raw rice flour is brown rice flour.

<1A> A granular rice flour processed product obtained by the manufacturing method described in any one of <1> to <6>.
<2A> The granular rice flour processed product according to <1A>, having a particle size of 0.3 mm or more and 4.5 mm or less (preferably 0.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less).
<3A> A granular rice flour processed product obtained by gelatinizing granulated raw rice flour and then drying it.
<4A> The granular rice flour processed product according to <3A>, having a particle size of 0.3 mm or more and 4.5 mm or less (preferably 0.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less).
<5A> A granular rice flour processed product according to any one of <1A> to <4A>, which is for use as a vegetarian or vegan food product.
<6A> A granular rice flour processed product according to any one of <1A> to <4A>, which is for use as hospital food, food for sick people, nursing care food, or baby food.

<1B> A granulation step of granulating a mixture containing raw rice flour, additional ingredients, and water to obtain a granulated product;
a heating step of heating the raw material rice flour contained in the obtained granules until it is gelatinized;
A method for producing a granular rice flour processed product, comprising: a drying step of drying the heated granulated product.
<2B> The method for producing a granular food product according to <1B>, wherein the particle size is 0.3 mm or more and 4.5 mm or less (preferably 0.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less).
<3B> The method for producing a granular food product according to <1B> or <2B>, wherein the heating method in the heating step is heating by steaming.
<4B> The method for producing a granular processed food product according to any one of <1B> to <3B>, wherein the raw rice flour is polished rice flour and/or brown rice flour.
<5B> The method for producing a granular food product according to <4B>, wherein the raw rice flour is brown rice flour.
<6B> A method for producing a granular food product according to any one of <1B> to <5B>, wherein the additional ingredient is one or more plant foods selected from the group consisting of cereals, potatoes, nuts and seeds, legumes, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms and algae.

<1C> A granular food product obtained by the manufacturing method described in any one of <1B> to <6B>.
<2C> The granular food product according to <1C>, having a particle size of 0.3 mm or more and 4.5 mm or less (preferably 0.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less).
<3C> A granular food product obtained by granulating a mixture containing raw material rice flour, additional ingredients, and water, heating the granulated product until the raw material rice flour contained in the granulated product is gelatinized, and then drying the product.
<4C> The granular food product according to <3C>, having a particle size of 0.3 mm or more and 4.5 mm or less (preferably 0.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less).
<5C> A granular food product according to <3C> or <4C>, wherein the additional ingredient is one or more plant foods selected from cereals, potatoes, nuts and seeds, beans, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms and algae.
<6C> A granular food product according to any one of <1C> to <5C>, which is for vegetarian or vegan food products.
<7C> The food composition according to any one of <1C> to <5C>, which is for use as hospital food, food for sick people, nursing care food, or baby food.
<8C> A granular food product according to any one of <1C> to <5C>, which is a nutritionally functional food.

<1D> A food composition comprising both or either of the granular rice flour processed product described in any one of <1A> to <4A> and the granular food processed product described in any one of <1C> to <4C>, and a mixed ingredient.
<2D> The food composition according to <1D>, further comprising a plant-based food as the mixed ingredient.
<3D> A food composition according to <1D> or <2D>, which is for vegetarian or vegan food products.
<4D> The food composition according to <1D> or <2D>, which is for use as hospital food, food for sick people, nursing food, or baby food.

The present invention provides a granular rice flour processed product with excellent taste and texture. The present invention also provides a granular food product with excellent taste and texture. The present invention also provides a granular rice flour processed product of the present invention or a food composition containing the granular food product.

The granular rice flour processed products and granular food processed products of the present invention can be stored at room temperature and can be consumed simply by reconstituting them with liquid, so they can be used not only for everyday meals but also as portable meals and emergency foods.
The granular rice flour processed product and granular food processed product of the present invention can be preferably eaten by vegans and people with food allergies to wheat, etc. The granular rice flour processed product and granular food processed product of the present invention can also be preferably eaten as hospital food, food for sick people, nursing care food, or baby food.

1 is a flowchart showing the manufacturing process of the granular rice flour processed product of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart showing another manufacturing process for the granular rice flour processed product of the present invention. 1 is a flowchart showing the manufacturing process of the granular food product of the present invention. 1 is a photograph showing an example of a granular rice flour processed product according to the present invention. This is a summary of the sensory test questionnaire. 1 is a photograph showing an example of a granular food product according to the present invention.

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to examples. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and can be modified as desired without departing from the gist of the present invention. The dimensions, materials, and other specific values shown in the embodiments are merely examples to facilitate understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified.

In this specification, the word "~" is used as an expression that includes the numerical values or physical quantities before and after it. In addition, in this specification, the expression "A and/or B" includes "A only," "B only," and "both A and B."

One aspect of the present invention relates to a method for producing a granulated rice flour processed product, which comprises a granulation step of granulating a mixture containing raw rice flour and water to obtain a granulated product, a heating step of heating the obtained granulated product until the raw rice flour contained in the granulated product is gelatinized, and a drying step of drying the heated granulated product (hereinafter, this may be referred to as the "method for producing a granulated rice flour processed product of the present invention" or simply as the "method for producing a granulated rice flour processed product").

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a granular rice flour processed product obtained by gelatinizing granules of raw rice flour through heating and then drying (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the "granular rice flour processed product of the present invention" or simply as the "granular rice flour processed product").
The granular rice flour processed product of the present invention can be suitably produced by the method for producing a granular rice flour processed product of the present invention.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method for producing a granular food product (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "method for producing a granular food product of the present invention" or simply as the "method for producing a granular food product") that includes a granulation step in which a mixture containing raw rice flour, additional ingredients, and water is granulated to obtain a granulated product, a heating step in which the raw rice flour contained in the obtained granulated product is heated until it is gelatinized, and a heating step in which the heated granulated product is dried.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a granular processed food product (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "granular processed food product of the present invention" or simply as the "granular processed food product") obtained by granulating a mixture containing raw material rice flour, additional ingredients, and water, heating the granulated product until the raw material rice flour contained in the granulated product is gelatinized, and then drying.
The granular processed food product of the present invention can be suitably produced by the method for producing a granular processed food product of the present invention.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a food composition (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "food composition of the present invention") that contains both or either of the granular rice flour processed product of the present invention and the granular food processed product of the present invention, and a mixed ingredient.

Although details will be described later, in the present invention, "granular rice flour processed products" and "granular food processed products" have a common technical feature in that they can be manufactured using similar manufacturing methods, except for whether or not additional ingredients are included as manufacturing raw materials for the granulated products. In other words, "granular rice flour processed products" can also be called "granular food processed products that do not include additional ingredients."

The particle size (size) of the "granular rice flour processed product" or "granular processed food product" is not limited as long as it does not impair the object of the present invention, but may be 0.3 mm or more and 4.5 mm or less. The particle size of the granular processed food product of the present invention is measured by a sieve method and expressed as the mesh size of the sieve.
In the case of such particle size (0.3 mm or more and 4.5 mm or less), the granular rice flour processed products and granular food processed products are smaller in size (length) than the rice (short grain variety (about 5 mm)) commonly sold in Japan.

The following describes the "method for producing the granular rice flour processed product of the present invention", "granular rice flour processed product of the present invention", "product for producing the granular food processed product of the present invention", "granular food processed product of the present invention" and "food composition of the present invention".

"1. Manufacturing method of granulated rice flour processed products and granulated rice flour processed products"
[1-1. Manufacturing method of granular rice flour processed products]
The method for producing granulated rice flour processed products of the present invention comprises a granulation step of granulating a mixture containing raw material rice flour and water to obtain a granulated product, a heating step of heating the obtained granulated product until the raw material rice flour contained in the granulated product is gelatinized, and a drying step of drying the heated granulated product.

The method for producing a granulated rice flour processed product of the present invention involves molding a mixture containing raw material rice flour and water, granulating the granules, heating the resulting granules, and then drying the heated granules.
There are no limitations on the granular rice flour product to be produced as long as it does not impair the object of the invention, but the particle size can be from 0.3 mm to 4.5 mm (preferably from 0.5 mm to 3 mm).

The method for producing granular rice flour products of the present invention makes it possible to obtain granular rice flour products with excellent taste and texture.

The method for producing the granular rice flour processed product of the present invention will be described in detail below.
Each step of the method for producing a granular rice flour processed product of the present invention will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG.

As shown in Figure 1, the method for producing the granular rice flour product of the present invention is carried out in the order of a granulation step, a heating step, and a drying step. In addition, other steps such as a coating step with oil or fat, a seasoning step, a sieving step, etc. can be added as necessary.

In the following explanation, the granulation process may be referred to as "process (1)", the heating process as "process (2)", and the drying process as "process (3)".

<Step (1)>
Step (1) is a step of granulating a mixture containing raw rice flour and water to obtain a granulated product.

(Raw rice flour)
The raw rice flour is the rice flour used in producing the granular rice flour processed product of the present invention, and is prepared by grinding and powdering the raw rice.

As the rice used as the raw material, non-glutinous rice is usually used, but colored rice, ancient rice, glutinous rice, etc. may also be used as long as it does not impair the effects of the present invention.
Types of non-glutinous rice include Japonica rice, Indica rice, Javanica rice, etc., and are appropriately selected depending on the object of the present invention.
There are no particular restrictions on the rice used as the raw material, such as whether it has been germinated or not, its place of origin, or its variety, and it can be produced in Japan or overseas.
The rice used as raw material can be any of the following: long grain (length: 6.61 mm or more, length/width ratio: 3.0 or more), medium grain (length: approximately 5.5 to 6.60 mm, length/width ratio: 2.1 to 2.9), or short grain (length: approximately 5 mm, length/width ratio: 2.0 or less).

The type of rice used to make the raw rice flour may be one type alone or two or more types in combination.

The rice used as the raw material is not particularly limited with respect to the degree of polishing, and examples of the polishing include white rice, polished rice, brown rice, etc.
In the present invention, white rice flour is typically used as the raw material rice flour, but there are no particular limitations as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired, and other rice flours may also be used.

The raw rice flour may be used alone or in combination of two or more types. When using in combination of two or more types, they may be mixed in any ratio.

The raw rice flour may be both or either of white rice flour and brown rice flour.
When the raw material rice flour is both white rice flour and brown rice flour (a mixture of white rice flour and brown rice flour), the blending ratio (weight ratio) of white rice flour to brown rice flour can be, for example, 1:0.01 to 1:100.

In order to increase nutritional value, it is preferable to use brown rice flour made by grinding brown rice as the raw rice flour. Brown rice is rice seeds from which only the husk has been removed, and the white rice layer (endosperm) is covered from the outside with a wax layer and a bran layer (pericarp, seed coat, and aleurone layer), in that order. In the present invention, the outer layer of brown rice includes the wax layer and the bran layer.

The raw brown rice is non-glutinous rice (Japonica rice, Indica rice, Javanica rice, etc.), but may also contain other types of brown rice. Examples of other types of brown rice include colored rice (black rice, red rice, green rice, etc.) and fragrant rice. There are no particular limitations on the place of origin or variety of brown rice.

The manufacturing method of the raw rice flour is arbitrary, but the raw rice flour can typically be obtained by grinding the raw rice. A known food grinding machine such as a hammer mill or jet mill is used for the grinding process. After grinding, other processes may be carried out as necessary.

The obtained raw rice flour is usually classified into the desired particle size using a sieve or the like.
The raw rice flour can be adjusted to the desired particle size by adjusting the type of grinder and grinding time.

The particle size of the raw material rice flour may be any size so long as it can be mixed with water and granulated, and raw material rice flour of various particle sizes may be used. As the raw material rice flour, rice flour of one type of particle size may be used alone, or two or more types of rice flours of different particle sizes may be used in combination.
Furthermore, when rice flours of different particle sizes are combined and mixed, the content of each rice flour (raw rice flours of different particle sizes) can be appropriately adjusted as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired.

The particle size of the raw rice flour may be appropriately selected taking into consideration the desired texture and granulation properties of the granular rice flour product. For example, when rice flour with an average particle size ( _D50 ) of 140 μm or more and less than 450 μm is used, the granular rice flour product will have a chewy texture.
Here, the average particle size (D ₅₀ ) represents the particle size at which the cumulative volume distribution is 50%, and is also called the median diameter.

In order to obtain a crunchy texture when the desired granular rice flour processed product is eaten, it is preferable to use rice flour with an average particle size ( _D50 ) of 450 μm to 650 μm. Granular rice flour processed products produced using rice flour with such a particle size have a crunchy texture (similar to that of couscous made from durum wheat), as will be described in the examples below.

Furthermore, from the viewpoint of suppressing the formation of lumps during granulation, it is preferable to use rice flour having an average particle size (D ₅₀ ) of 450 μm or more and 650 μm or less, in which case the yield rate of the obtained granular rice flour processed product can be improved.

If the raw material rice flour has an average particle size (D ₅₀ ) of more than 650 μm, lumps are likely to form when the raw material rice flour is mixed with water, and granulation may be difficult.
If the raw material rice flour has an average particle size (D ₅₀ ) of less than 450 μm, it is difficult to mix the raw material rice flour with water, and a large amount of water is required to mix sufficiently, which may make granulation difficult.

(Mixing ratio)
The amount of water used in step (1) can be appropriately adjusted within a range in which the effects of the present invention can be achieved and in which the granulated product can be produced depending on the type and particle size of the raw rice flour.

There are no particular limitations on the type of raw rice flour used, so long as it does not impair the effects of the present invention. Below, we will explain the blending ratio when using white rice flour or brown rice flour as the raw rice flour.

If only polished rice flour is used, the amount of water can be, for example, 20 to 50% by weight when the total amount of polished rice flour is 100% by weight.

If only brown rice flour is used, the amount of water can be, for example, 30 to 45% by weight when the total amount of brown rice flour is 100% by weight.

When using both white rice flour and brown rice flour, the amount of water can be, for example, 20 to 50% by weight when the total of the white rice flour and brown rice flour is taken as 100% by weight. In this case, the mixing ratio (weight ratio) of the white rice flour to the brown rice flour can be, for example, 1:0.01 to 1:100.

The amount of water to be mixed with the raw material rice flour is set appropriately depending on the amount and type of raw material rice flour to be mixed, and the temperature and humidity of the external environment.
If there is too much water compared to the raw rice flour, the mixture will become dough-like, and if there is too little, the raw rice flour will not hold together, making it difficult to granulate.

The water to be mixed with the raw rice flour may contain other ingredients as long as they do not impair the effects of the present invention. Typical examples of other ingredients include, but are not limited to, salt.

Water of various temperature ranges may be used for mixing with the raw rice flour as long as it does not impair the effects of the present invention. Examples of temperature ranges for the water to be mixed include 0°C to 100°C, 10°C to 80°C, 15°C to 60°C, and 20°C to 50°C.

In the granulation process, any mixing method may be used as long as the raw rice flour and water are sufficiently mixed, and the mixing order is not particularly limited. One may be added to the other and mixed, or both may be added and mixed at the same time.

The mixing conditions for the raw rice flour and water are arbitrary, as long as the raw rice flour and water can be mixed sufficiently, and are determined appropriately according to the types, amounts, and mixing ratios of the ingredients to be mixed (raw rice flour and water). For mixing, a known mixing tool or device can be used.

The granulated material can be granulated into granules by a known granulation method. For example, the granulation method can be a method in which the granulation is naturally performed during the mixing process, or a method in which the granulation is performed using a known granulator such as an agitator granulator.

In the present invention, the granulated material means a powdered raw material that has been bound and aggregated to form granules.
The granulated material obtained in step (1) is subjected to a heating treatment or drying treatment in a subsequent step (step (2), step (3), etc.) to change its state. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the granulated material after the treatment will be simply referred to as "granulated material".

The size of the granules is not particularly limited as long as it does not impair the object of the present invention, but the size of the granules can be, for example, 0.3 mm to 5 mm, 0.5 mm to 4 mm, or 1 mm to 3 mm.
Granules of a desired size can be obtained by sieving. For example, to obtain granules of a size of 1 mm to 3 mm, sieving may be performed to exclude granules smaller than 1 mm and larger than 3 mm.

Also, the size of the granulated material may be determined by visual inspection without sieving. When determining the size of the granulated material by visual inspection, the size of the granulated material shall be its diameter if the granulated material is spherical, and the length in the direction showing the maximum length if the granulated material is non-spherical. If there are granulated material outside a specific range, these can be removed.

The size of the granulated material corresponds to the size (particle diameter) of the desired granular rice flour product, but the size (particle diameter) of the granular rice flour product changes depending on the subsequent heating and drying processes (steps (2) and (3)). Therefore, if necessary, the granulated material may be sieved or otherwise sized to the desired size after the heating process (step (2)) or drying process (step (3)) and then collected.

<Step (2)>
Step (2) is a step of heating the granules obtained in step (1).

In the method for producing granular rice flour processed products, the heating method in the heating step is not particularly limited as long as it does not impair the effects of the present invention, but examples include heating by direct flame or steaming. Heating by direct flame may cause the moisture on the surface of the granulated material to evaporate too much, but heating by steaming allows the granulated material to be heated in the presence of water vapor. Therefore, heating by steaming is the preferred heating method.

In step (2), the heating conditions may be any conditions that can gelatinize the raw material rice flour contained in the granules.
Here, "gelatinization" refers to the process in which starch molecules lose their regularity and become pasty by heating starch with water. Gelatinized starch is more easily broken down by enzymes, improving digestibility in the body.

The heating conditions are set appropriately within a range in which the raw rice flour contained in the granulated material is gelatinized and the shape of the granulated material can be maintained, and are determined appropriately depending on the amount and type of granulated material, etc.

The heating conditions may be such that all of the raw rice flour contained in the granules is gelatinized. In step (2), by completely gelatinizing all of the raw rice flour contained in the granules, the desired granular rice flour processed product can be eaten as is, or after reconstitution with water or hot water (including soup, tea, etc.), without additional heating. In order to gelatinize all of the raw rice flour contained in the granules, steaming at 100°C is performed for, for example, 15 to 15 minutes.

Furthermore, when the desired granular rice flour processed product is cooked by heating, in step (2), it is not necessary for all of the raw rice flour contained in the granulated product to be gelatinized, and the heating conditions may be such that only a portion of the raw rice flour contained in the granulated product is gelatinized. In this case, the degree of gelatinization of the raw rice flour contained in the granulated product can be appropriately determined depending on the cooking method for the desired granular rice flour processed product.

When heating by steaming, the heating temperature is, for example, in the range of 80°C to 120°C. The heating time is appropriately determined depending on the heating temperature, the amount and type of granulated material, the degree of gelatinization of the raw rice flour, the heating temperature, etc.

The heat-treated granules may be directly subjected to the subsequent process (process (3)), or may be classified to the desired particle size using a sieve or the like before being subjected to the subsequent process.

<Step (3)>
Step (3) is a step of drying the heated granules.
In the step (3), the water content can be reduced by drying the granulated product after the heating step.

The conditions for step (3) are arbitrary and are not particularly limited as long as they can reduce the moisture content of the granulated material after step (2). Examples of drying methods include hot air drying, cold air drying, vacuum drying, freeze drying, and reduced pressure drying.

The drying temperature is set appropriately within a range in which the moisture content of the granulated material decreases, for example, in the range of 50 to 80°C.

The drying time should be such that the moisture content of the granulated material after step (2) is reduced, and is determined taking into consideration the amount of granulated material to be dried, the temperature, etc. The moisture content of the granulated material after drying is, for example, 15% by weight or less, 10% by weight or less, when the granulated material after drying is taken as 100% by weight. The moisture content can be adjusted as appropriate depending on the dehydration method and dehydration device, and the temperature and humidity during production and storage.

(Other processes)
Furthermore, the method for producing granulated rice flour products of the present invention may include other steps, as necessary, in addition to the above-mentioned steps (steps (1) to (3)) as long as the object of the present invention is not impaired. Examples of such other steps include a sieving step for making the granulated products uniform in size, and a step of seasoning the granulated products.

For example, as another step, a sieving step can be performed to make the size of the granulated material uniform. By performing the sieving step, the granulated material can be separated into granulated material remaining on the upper part of the sieve (so-called lumps) and granulated material passing through the lower part of the sieve.
When a sieving step is carried out, it can be carried out after step (1) or after step (3). The sieving step may be carried out after both steps or after one of the steps, but is preferably carried out after step (3).

In the sieving step, the size of the sieve openings is appropriately selected depending on the size of the granular rice flour processed product to be produced.
By the sieving process, the grain size of the rice flour product can be, for example, 0.3 mm or more and 4.5 mm or less, or 0.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less.

Furthermore, as another step, for example, a coating step can be included in addition to the above-mentioned steps (1) to (3) as shown in FIG. 2. If the method for producing the granular rice flour processed product of the present invention includes a coating step, it is preferable to carry out the coating step after the heating step (step (2)).

The coating step is a step of coating the heated granules with oil or fat.
Since the rice flour mixed in the granulated material after step (2) has been gelatinized, if the granulated material is dried in this state, the granulated material may adhere to each other and form large lumps. By carrying out the coating step, it is possible to prevent the granulated material from adhering to each other.

The fat or oil used may be any fat or oil generally used for cooking, and may be either liquid or solid at room temperature. If the fat or oil is liquid at room temperature, it may be used as is, and if it is solid at room temperature, it may be heated to make it liquid before use.
Examples of vegetable oils and fats include rice oil, olive oil, sesame oil, linseed oil, soybean oil, corn oil, etc., and examples of animal oils and fats include beef tallow, lard, lard, butter, margarine, fish oil, etc. In the present invention, rice oil, which is made from the same raw material as the raw material rice flour, is preferably used.

[1-2. Granulated rice flour processed products
The granulated rice flour processed product of the present invention is a granulated rice flour processed product obtained by gelatinizing and drying granulated raw material rice flour by heating.
The granular rice flour processed product of the present invention has excellent taste and texture (chewy texture, popping texture, etc.).
The granular rice flour processed product of the present invention is suitably produced by the above-mentioned method for producing a granular rice flour processed product.

The size (particle size) of the granular rice flour product can be appropriately adjusted by sieving.
The particle size of the granular rice flour processed product of the present invention is measured by a sieve analysis method and is expressed as the sieve opening size.

In order to obtain a particularly excellent taste and texture, the grain size of the granular rice flour processed product is 0.3 mm to 4.5 mm, and preferably 0.5 mm to 3 mm. Such a grain size allows for a crunchy texture (similar to that of couscous made from durum wheat), and the granular rice flour processed product of the present invention can be used as a couscous-like food.

The granular rice flour processed product of the present invention is suitable as a couscous-like food (a substitute for wheat couscous, so-called "rice flour couscous"). The couscous-like food, which is a suitable example of the granular rice flour processed product of the present invention, is described below.

Couscous is usually made by steaming and drying granulated durum wheat semolina. Couscous has a distinctive, poppy texture, so when it is made using regular rice flour, it tends to be difficult to achieve that texture.
In particular, by using rice flour having an average particle size (D ₅₀ ) of 450 μm or more and 650 μm or less as the raw rice flour used in the production, it is possible to achieve the crunchy texture characteristic of couscous, even though rice flour is used.

When eating granulated rice flour processed products, it is preferable to rehydrate them (by allowing them to absorb water and soften them) in liquids of various temperatures (for example, 0°C to 100°C) before eating. The liquid to rehydrate the granulated rice flour processed products can be water, tea, milk, soy milk, flavored soup, etc.

The granular rice flour products can be rehydrated in various amounts of liquid depending on the purpose.
If the granular rice flour product is soaked in the same amount of liquid as the granular rice flour product or in a smaller amount, the characteristic popping texture of couscous can be enjoyed, and the reconstituted granular rice flour product can be enjoyed as a topping on salads, etc. Also, if the granular rice flour product is soaked in a larger amount of liquid than the granular rice flour product, it becomes soft and has a gooey texture, making it suitable for use in hospital food, food for sick people, nursing care food, baby food, etc.

Hospital food is food served when you are admitted to a hospital, sick food is food for sick people, and nursing food is food for people receiving care.
As described above, the granular rice flour processed product of the present invention can be eaten after being reconstituted in a liquid (e.g., water, hot water, soup, soft drinks, milk, etc.), and can be preferably used as hospital food, sick food or nursing food for people who are hospitalized or recuperating at home, or for people receiving care, or as weaning food for infants in the weaning period, etc.

When used for hospital food, food for sick people, nursing care food, or baby food, the granular rice flour processed product of the present invention may be crushed to further reduce the particle size and then mixed with liquid to be used as a liquid food.

　The above describes couscous-like foods, but the foods to which the granular rice flour processed product of the present invention can be applied are not limited to these.

The granular rice flour processed product of the present invention has excellent taste and texture (e.g., chewy texture, etc.), so in addition to the couscous-like foods mentioned above, it can be used as a coating material for fried foods and other processed foods.

The form of the granular processed food product of the present invention is not limited as long as it does not impair the object of the present invention, and it may be used as it is, or may be molded or used as a raw material for processed foods.
Specific examples of processed foods using the granular rice flour processed product of the present invention include bread, baked goods, and bar-shaped foods (such as cereal bars and granola bars).

The granular rice flour processed product of the present invention can be used not only in general foods, but also in foods with health claims (specified health claims, nutritional claims or functional foods), so-called health foods (including beverages), concentrated nutrients, liquid foods, hospital foods, foods for sick people, nursing care foods, dietary supplements (balanced nutritional foods, complete nutritional foods, etc.), foods for infants and small children, etc. (including cases where the granular rice flour processed product is an ingredient for these).

In addition, the granular rice flour processed product of the present invention can be stored at room temperature and can be eaten as is or after reconstituting it in liquid (by absorbing water to soften it), making it applicable not only to everyday meals but also to portable meals and emergency foods.

The granular rice flour processed product of the present invention is substantially derived from rice flour, and therefore can be used as a gluten-free food product. In addition, in one embodiment, the granular rice flour processed product of the present invention does not contain any animal products, and therefore can be used as a vegetarian or vegan food product.

"2. Manufacturing method of granular food products and granular food products"
[2-1. Manufacturing method of granular food products]
The method for producing granular food products of the present invention comprises a granulation step of granulating a mixture containing raw material rice flour, additional ingredients, and water to obtain a granulated product, a heating step of heating the raw material rice flour contained in the obtained granulated product until it is gelatinized, and a heating step of drying the heated granulated product.
There are no limitations on the granular food products to be produced as long as the object of the invention is not impaired, but the particle size can be from 0.3 mm to 4.5 mm (preferably from 0.5 mm to 3 mm).

The method for producing granular food products of the present invention is the same as the above-mentioned [1-1. Method for producing granular rice flour products], except that a "mixture containing raw rice flour, additional ingredients, and water" is used instead of a "mixture containing raw rice flour and water" when producing the granulated product.

The manufacturing method of the granular food product of the present invention makes it possible to obtain a granular food product with excellent taste and texture.

The manufacturing method for the granular food product of the present invention will be described in detail below.

Each step of the method for producing granular processed food products of the present invention will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG.
As shown in Fig. 3, the method for producing granular food products is carried out in the order of granulation, heating, and drying. If necessary, other steps such as a coating step with oil or fat, a seasoning step, and a sieving step can be added.

In the following explanation, the granulation process may be referred to as "process (1)", the heating process as "process (2)", and the drying process as "process (3)".

<Step (1)>
Step (1) is a step of granulating a mixture containing raw material rice flour, additional ingredients, and water to obtain a granulated product. Here, the granulated product means a state in which the raw material rice flour and the additional ingredients are bound and aggregated to form granules.

(Raw rice flour)
The raw rice flour is the rice flour used in producing the granular food product of the present invention, and is obtained by grinding and powdering the raw rice.
The raw material rice flour is the same as the raw material rice flour described above in [1. Manufacturing method of granular rice flour processed product of the present invention], so a detailed description will be omitted.

The raw rice flour may be used alone or in combination of two or more types. When using in combination of two or more types, they may be mixed in any ratio.

It is preferable that the raw rice flour is both or either one of white rice flour and brown rice flour.
When the raw material rice flour is both white rice flour and brown rice flour (a mixture of white rice flour and brown rice flour), the blending ratio (weight ratio) of white rice flour to brown rice flour can be, for example, 1:0.01 to 1:100.

In order to increase nutritional value, it is preferable to use brown rice flour made by grinding brown rice as the raw rice flour. Brown rice is as explained above in [1. Manufacturing method of the granular rice flour product of the present invention].

The obtained raw rice flour is usually classified into the desired particle size using a sieve or the like.
The raw rice flour can be adjusted to the desired particle size by adjusting the type of grinder and grinding time.

The particle size of the raw material rice flour may be any size so long as it can be mixed with the additional ingredients and water to form granules, and the raw material rice flour may have a variety of particle sizes. As the raw material rice flour, rice flour of one type of particle size may be used alone, or two or more types of rice flours of different particle sizes may be used in combination.
Furthermore, when rice flours of different particle sizes are combined and mixed, the content of each rice flour (raw rice flours of different particle sizes) can be appropriately adjusted as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired.

The particle size of the raw rice flour may be appropriately selected taking into consideration the desired texture and granulation properties of the granular food product. For example, rice flour with an average particle size ( _D50 ) of 140 μm to 650 μm can be used.

(Additional Ingredients)
The added ingredient is a component that constitutes the granulated product together with the raw rice flour.
The granular processed food product of the present invention contains additive ingredients as raw materials, thereby imparting nutrients and flavor that are lacking in rice flour alone.

The form of the additional ingredients can be appropriately selected depending on the type and amount of the ingredients to be added, as long as it is possible to form a granulated product together with the raw rice flour. Examples of the form of the additional ingredients include powder, granules, liquid, paste, cream, etc.
From the standpoint of granulation properties, when the additional ingredient is in powder or granular form, it may have a particle size similar to that of the raw material rice flour. However, as described above, as long as it can form a granule together with the raw material rice flour, additional ingredients with a smaller particle size than the raw material rice flour or additional ingredients with a larger particle size than the raw material rice flour can also be used in combination.

The type of the added ingredient is not particularly limited as long as it is an edible ingredient, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose.
The additive component may be used alone or in combination of two or more. When two or more additive components are combined, the mixing ratio of each component may be appropriately set within a range that does not impair the object of the present invention.

The additional ingredients are not particularly limited as long as they are raw materials normally used in the manufacture of processed foods, but may include vegetable foods, animal foods, seasonings, spices, optional additive ingredients, etc. Optional additive ingredients include emulsifiers, preservatives, antioxidants, thickeners, colorants, seasonings, fragrances, etc.

Additional ingredients may include plant foods and/or animal foods.

In addition, when the additional ingredients do not contain animal foods but contain plant foods (and non-animal additive ingredients as necessary), the granular food product of the present invention can be used as a vegetarian or vegan food product.
However, even if the food does not contain any animal products, the food does not have to be vegetarian or vegan and can naturally be used as a general food.

An example of a plant food as an additional ingredient is one or more plant foods selected from grains, potatoes, nuts, seeds, beans, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, and algae.

Examples of grains include millet, oats, barley, sorghum, quinoa, wheat, sugarcane, buckwheat, and corn.
Examples of tubers include konnyaku, potato, taro, sweet potato, wild yam, and cassava.
Examples of nuts and seeds include almonds, sesame, cashew nuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, ginkgo nuts, chestnuts, walnuts, coconuts, and perilla.
Examples of legumes include beans, soybeans, peas, red beans, fava beans, lentils, peanuts, and the like.

Vegetables include tomatoes, radishes, asparagus, pumpkin, ginger, burdock, onions, carrots, broccoli, and spinach.
Examples of fruits include avocados, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, figs, citrus fruits, kiwi, bananas, and mangoes.
Examples of mushrooms include shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, maitake mushrooms, buna-shimeji mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, and mushrooms.
Examples of algae include kelp, wakame, hijiki, mozuku, spirulina, chlorella, and euglena.

In addition, when the additional ingredient is a plant food, as long as it can form a granule together with the raw rice flour, the additional ingredient (plant food) may be used raw, or may be subjected to various processes such as heating (baking, simmering, steaming, boiling, etc.), freezing, drying, etc., either alone or in combination. It may also be subjected to processes such as crushing and shredding to obtain the desired size and shape.

Examples of additional ingredients include one or more animal foods selected from meat, eggs, dairy products, and seafood.
Examples of animal foods include meat, eggs, dairy products, fish and shellfish, etc. These may be consumed raw or processed (dried or smoked, etc.).
Examples of meat include beef, pork, horse, lamb, boar, deer, chicken, quail, duck, goose, and wild goat.
Eggs include whole eggs, egg yolks, egg whites, and the like.
Dairy products include cheese, butter, yogurt, whole milk powder, skim milk powder, sweetened condensed milk, and unsweetened condensed milk.
Seafood includes fish, shellfish, crustaceans, and cephalopods.

In addition, when the additional ingredient is an animal food, depending on the purpose of the granular food product, the additional ingredient (animal food) may be used raw, or may be subjected to various processes such as heating (baking, simmering, steaming, boiling, etc.), freezing, drying, etc., either alone or in combination. In addition, it may be subjected to processes such as crushing and shredding to obtain the desired size and shape.

The additional ingredients may also include nutritional ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
Such ingredients include, for example, vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc, molybdenum, and manganese.

(Mixing ratio)
The blending ratio of the raw rice flour to the added ingredients is appropriately selected depending on the type of raw rice flour (white rice flour, brown rice flour) and particle size, the type and form of the added ingredients, the nutrients to be added, etc.

When the total of the raw rice flour and added ingredients is 100% by weight, the amount of raw rice flour can be, for example, 10% to 90% by weight, or 20% to 80% by weight.

The amount of water used in step (1) can be adjusted as appropriate within the range in which the effects of the present invention can be achieved, depending on the type and particle size of the raw rice flour, the type and form of the added ingredient, etc., and within the range in which the granulated product can be produced. In particular, when the added ingredient is a liquid or a material containing a liquid (fruits, vegetables, etc.), the amount of water used in step (1) can be determined taking into account the amount of moisture contained in the added ingredient.

When the total weight of the raw rice flour and added ingredients is 100% by weight, the water content is, for example, 5 to 50% by weight.

The amount of water used may be adjusted according to the temperature and humidity of the external environment.

Water of various temperature ranges may be used as long as it does not impair the effects of the present invention. The temperature range of the water to be mixed can be, for example, 0°C to 100°C.

The water used may contain other ingredients as long as they do not impair the effects of the present invention. Typical examples of other ingredients include, but are not limited to, salt.

In the granulation process, any mixing method may be used as long as the raw rice flour, added ingredients, and water are sufficiently mixed, and the mixing order is not particularly limited. One may be added to the other and mixed, or all may be added and mixed at the same time.

The conditions for mixing the raw rice flour, added ingredients, and water are arbitrary, as long as the raw rice flour, added ingredients, and water can be mixed sufficiently, and are appropriately determined according to the types, amounts, and mixing ratios of the materials to be mixed (raw rice flour and water). For mixing, a known mixing tool or device can be used.

The granulated material can be granulated into granules by a known granulation method. For example, the granulation method can be a method in which the granulation is naturally performed during the mixing process, or a method in which the granulation is performed using a known granulator such as an agitator granulator.

The size of the granules is not particularly limited as long as it does not impair the object of the present invention, but the size of the granules can be, for example, 0.3 mm to 5 mm, 0.5 mm to 4 mm, or 1 mm to 3 mm.
Granules of the desired size can be obtained by sieving. Alternatively, the size of the granules may be determined by visual inspection without sieving. Details are the same as those described above in [1-1. Manufacturing method for granular rice flour products], so the explanation will be omitted.

<Step (2)>
Step (2) is a step of heating the granules obtained in step (1).
Step (2) is the same as step (2) described in the above section [1. Method for producing granular rice flour processed product of the present invention], so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The heating method in step (2) is not particularly limited as long as it does not impair the effects of the present invention, and examples thereof include heating over an open flame or by steaming.
Heating by direct flame may cause excessive evaporation of moisture on the surface of the granules, but heating by steaming allows the granules to be heated in the presence of water vapor, and therefore heating by steaming is preferred as the heating method.

When heating by steaming, the heating temperature is, for example, in the range of 80°C to 120°C. The heating time is appropriately determined depending on the amount and type of granulated material, the degree of gelatinization of the raw rice flour, the type and form of the added ingredients, the heating temperature, etc.

The heating conditions can be appropriately determined according to the amount and type of granulated material, and the type and form of added ingredients, within the range in which the raw rice flour contained in the granulated material is gelatinized and the shape of the granulated material can be maintained.

The heating conditions may be such that all of the raw rice flour contained in the granules is gelatinized. In order to gelatinize all of the raw rice flour contained in the granules, the heating time is, for example, 15 to 15 minutes when steaming at 100°C.
Furthermore, when the added ingredients contained in the granules together with the raw material rice flour can be eaten under the above-mentioned heating conditions (heating conditions under which the raw material rice flour is all gelatinized), the desired granular food product can be eaten as is, or after reconstitution in water or hot water (including soup, tea, etc.), without additional heating.

Furthermore, when the target granular food product is heated and cooked, the heating conditions in step (2) may be such that a portion of the raw material rice flour contained in the granulated product is gelatinized.
In this case, the degree of gelatinization of the raw rice flour contained in the granules can be determined according to the cooking method (heating conditions) for the desired granular rice flour product.
In other words, when the desired granular food product is heated and cooked, the cooking method (heating conditions) can be appropriately determined so that all of the raw rice flour contained in the granular food product is gelatinized and the added ingredients become edible.

The heat-treated granules may be directly subjected to the subsequent process (process (3)), or may be classified to the desired particle size using a sieve or the like before being subjected to the subsequent process.

<Step (3)>
Step (3) is a step of drying the heated granules.
In the step (3), the water content can be reduced by drying the granulated product after the heating step.

Step (3) is the same as step (3) described in [1-1. Method for producing granular rice flour products] above, so a detailed description will be omitted.

The conditions for step (3) are arbitrary and are not particularly limited as long as they can reduce the moisture content of the granulated material after step (2). Examples of drying methods include hot air drying, cold air drying, vacuum drying, freeze drying, and reduced pressure drying.

The drying temperature is set appropriately within a range in which the moisture content of the granulated material decreases, for example, in the range of 50 to 80°C.

The drying time should be such that the moisture content of the granulated material after step (2) is reduced, and is determined taking into consideration the type and ratio of the raw rice flour and added ingredients in the granulated material to be dried, the temperature, etc. The moisture content of the granulated material after drying is, for example, 15% by weight or less, 10% by weight or less, when the granulated material after drying is taken as 100% by weight. The moisture content can be adjusted as appropriate depending on the dehydration method and dehydration device, and the temperature and humidity during production and storage.

(Other processes)
Furthermore, the method for producing a granulated food product of the present invention may include other steps, if necessary, in addition to the steps described above (steps (1) to (3)), so long as the object of the present invention is not impaired. Examples of such other steps include a sieving step for making the granulated material uniform in size, and a step of seasoning the granulated material.

For example, as another step, a sieving step can be performed to make the size of the granulated material uniform. By performing the sieving step, the granulated material can be separated into granulated material remaining on the upper part of the sieve (so-called lumps) and granulated material passing through the lower part of the sieve.
When a sieving step is carried out, it can be carried out after step (1) or after step (3). The sieving step may be carried out after both steps or after one of the steps, but is preferably carried out after step (3).

In the sieving step, the size of the sieve openings is appropriately selected depending on the size of the granular food products to be produced.
By the sieving process, the particle size of the granular food product can be reduced to, for example, 0.3 mm or more and 4.5 mm or less, or 0.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less.

[2-2. Granular food products]
The granular food product of the present invention is obtained by granulating a mixture containing raw rice flour, additional ingredients, and water, heating the granulated product until the raw rice flour contained in the granulated product is gelatinized, and then drying the product. It is a granular food product.
The granular food product of the present invention is preferably produced by the above-mentioned method for producing a granular food product.

The size (particle size) of the granular food product can be appropriately adjusted by sieving.
The particle size of the granular food product of the present invention is measured by a sieve analysis method and is expressed as the mesh size of the sieve.

To obtain particularly excellent taste and texture, the particle size of the granular food product is 0.3 mm or more and 4.5 mm or less, and preferably 0.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less.

The granular food product of the present invention is suitable as a couscous-like food (a substitute for wheat couscous).

When consuming granular processed foods, it is preferable to rehydrate (soften by absorbing water) them in liquids at various temperatures (for example, 0°C to 100°C) before eating.
The liquid used for reconstituting the granular food product may be water, tea, milk, soy milk, flavored soup, or the like.

The granular food product can be reconstituted in various amounts of liquid depending on the purpose.
The granular food product of the present invention can be consumed after being reconstituted in liquid (e.g., water, hot water, soup, soft drinks, milk, etc.).

When used for hospital food, food for sick people, nursing care food, or baby food, the granular food product of the present invention may be crushed to further reduce the particle size and then mixed with liquid to be used as a liquid food.

The granular processed food product of the present invention has excellent taste and texture, and contains nutrients derived from the added ingredients.
Therefore, the granular food product of the present invention can be used not only as a general food product, but also as a health food (specified health functional food, nutrient functional food, or functional food), so-called health food (including beverages), concentrated nutritional supplements, liquid food, hospital food, food for the sick, nursing food, dietary supplements (balanced nutritional food, complete nutritional food, etc.), food for infants and small children, etc. (including cases where the granular rice flour processed product is used as a raw material for these).

In particular, by selecting as the added ingredient an ingredient containing nutrients for maintaining human health, the granular processed food product of the present invention can be used as a nutritionally balanced food.
In order to make the granular food product of the present invention into a nutritionally balanced food, the types and amounts of added ingredients can be designed so that the protein, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, etc. are contained in appropriate ratios so that ingesting the granular food product of the present invention provides the energy needed for daily activities, and for repair, growth, and maintenance of health.

The form of the granular processed food product of the present invention is not limited as long as it does not impair the object of the present invention, and it may be used as it is, or may be molded or used as a raw material for processed foods.
Specific examples of processed foods using the granular rice flour processed product of the present invention include bread, baked goods, and bar-shaped foods (such as cereal bars and granola bars).

In addition, the granular food product of the present invention can be stored at room temperature and can be eaten as is or after reconstituting it in liquid (by absorbing water to soften it), making it suitable for use not only as daily food, but also as portable food and emergency food.

The granular food product of the present invention can be used as a gluten-free food product when wheat is not used as an added ingredient.
In addition, in one embodiment, the granular food product of the present invention does not contain any animal foods and can therefore be used as a vegetarian or vegan food product.

"3. Food composition containing granular rice flour processed product and/or granular food processed product"
The food composition of the present invention is a food composition containing both or either one of the above-mentioned granular rice flour processed product of the present invention and the granular food processed product of the present invention, and a mixed ingredient.

The food composition of the present invention is endowed with the texture and taste derived from the granular processed product of the present invention (granular rice flour processed product or granular food processed product), as well as functionality and nutrients derived from the mixed ingredients.

In describing the food composition of the present invention, the "granular rice flour processed product of the present invention" and the "granular food processed product of the present invention" are collectively referred to as the "granular processed product of the present invention." When distinguishing between the two, they are referred to as the "granular rice flour processed product of the present invention" and the "granular food processed product of the present invention."

The food composition of the present invention contains the granular processed product of the present invention (granular rice flour processed product and/or granular food processed product) and any mixed ingredient.

In addition, since the "granular rice flour processed product" in the food composition of the present invention is substantially the same as the granular rice flour processed product of the present invention described above, detailed explanation will be omitted.
Similarly, the "granular processed food product" in the food composition of the present invention is substantially the same as the granular processed food product of the present invention described above, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The granular processed product contained in the food composition of the present invention may be both or either one of the granular rice flour processed product of the present invention and the granular food processed product of the present invention.
When the granular processed product of the present invention is both the granular rice flour processed product of the present invention and the granular processed food product of the present invention, the mixing ratio of each can be appropriately set within a range that does not impair the object of the present invention. For example, the mixing ratio (weight ratio) of the granular rice flour processed product of the present invention to the granular processed food product of the present invention can be 1:0.01 to 1:100.

In the food composition of the present invention, the "mixed ingredient" refers to an additional ingredient that is mixed together with the granular processed product of the present invention, and is an ingredient whose presence affects the characteristics and quality of the food composition.
The food composition of the present invention contains ingredients to be mixed, thereby imparting functionality and nutrients derived from the ingredients to be mixed.

The form of the mixed ingredients can be appropriately selected according to the type and amount of the mixed ingredients, etc., as long as it does not impair the object of the present invention, and examples include powder, granules, liquid, paste, cream, etc.

The type of mixed ingredient is not particularly limited as long as it is an edible ingredient, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, the plant foods, animal foods, seasonings, spices, etc. exemplified as "added ingredients" in [2-1. Manufacturing method for granular processed food products] above can be used, and are optional as long as they do not impair the purpose of the present invention, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose of the food composition of the present invention.

Furthermore, examples of ingredients that can be mixed to impart functionality to the food composition of the present invention include gelatin, alginates, xanthan gum, pectin, cellulose gum, etc. These impart a specific texture and are low in calories and give a feeling of fullness, making them ideal for use as diet foods.

The components to be mixed may be used alone or in combination of two or more. When two or more components to be mixed are combined, the mixing ratio of each component may be appropriately set within a range that does not impair the purpose of the present invention.

The mixing ratio of the granular processed product of the present invention (granular rice flour processed product and/or granular food processed product) to the mixed ingredients is arbitrary as long as it does not impair the object of the present invention, and may be appropriately determined depending on the intended use of the food composition of the present invention.
In the food composition of the present invention, the blending ratio (weight ratio) of the granular processed product of the present invention (granular rice flour processed product and/or granular processed food product) to the mixed ingredients can be, for example, 1:0.01 to 1:100.

A suitable example of the food composition of the present invention contains a plant food as a mixed ingredient, and in particular contains one or more plant foods selected from cereals, potatoes, nuts, seeds, beans, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, and algae. Specific examples of each can be the same as those exemplified in the "added ingredient" in [2-1. Manufacturing method for granular processed food product] above, so explanations will be omitted.

(Mixing ratio)
The food composition of the present invention can be produced by mixing the granular processed product with the ingredients to be mixed by any method, and then subjecting the mixture to additional treatment (heat treatment, etc.) as necessary.
The ratio of the granular processed product (granular rice flour processed product or granular processed food product) to the mixed ingredients in the food composition of the present invention may be appropriately selected depending on the purpose of the food composition of the present invention.
The proportion of the granular processed product in the food composition of the present invention is not particularly limited, but when the total of the granular processed product and the mixed ingredients is 100% by weight, it can be, for example, 30% by weight to 95% by weight, or 40% by weight to 80% by weight.

The food composition of the present invention can be used not only as a general food, but also as a health functional food (a specific health functional food, a nutrient functional food, or a food with functional claims), so-called health food (including beverages), concentrated nutritional supplements, liquid food, hospital food, food for sick people, nursing food, health supplements (balanced nutritional food, complete nutritional food, etc.), food for infants and small children, etc.
In the food composition of the present invention, when both the granular processed product of the present invention and the mixed ingredients do not contain animal foods but contain plant foods (and non-animal additive ingredients as necessary), the food composition of the present invention can be used as a vegetarian or vegan food product. However, even if it does not contain animal foods, the food product does not have to be a vegetarian or vegan food product and can naturally be used as a general food product.

In addition, the food composition of the present invention can be used as a gluten-free food product if wheat or wheat-derived ingredients are not used in the granular processed product and mixed ingredients.

The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these.

<1. Granulated rice flour processed products＞
The following granular rice flour processed product was produced with the aim of making a couscous-like food.
<1-1. Manufacturing method of raw rice flour>
Raw rice flour (white rice flour, brown rice flour) was produced by the following method.
(Production of white rice flour)
The raw rice (white rice) was pulverized using a flour mill (Satake Corporation, SRG05C) and passed through the screens (A2, A4 to A7) attached to the flour mill, resulting in an average particle size (D ₅₀ ) of Different raw rice flours (white rice flours) were produced. The white rice flours produced are as follows:
White rice flour A: Screen A2 (average particle size ( _D50 ) 140 μm)
White rice flour B: Screen A4 (average particle size ( _D50 ) 270 μm)
White rice flour C: Screen A5 (average particle size ( _D50 ) 450 μm)
White rice flour D: Screen A6 (average particle size ( _D50 ) 500 μm)
White rice flour E: Screen A7 (average particle size ( _D50 ) 650 μm)

(Production of brown rice flour)
Brown rice flour A was produced in the same manner as described above (production of white rice flour), except that brown rice was used as the raw rice.
The brown rice flour was produced using a screen A6 attached to the flour mill.

<1-2. Manufacturing method of granular rice flour processed products>
The white rice flour (white rice flour A to E) produced in the above <1-1. Manufacturing method of raw rice flour> was used to produce granular rice flour processed products in the following manner.
The amounts of white rice flours (white rice flours A to E) with different average particle sizes (D ₅₀ ) and water used were as shown in Table 1.
(Granulation process)
Polished rice flour and water (tap water) were mixed until homogeneous, and granulated to produce granules with each grain being approximately 1 to 3 mm in size.
(Heating process)
The granulated material was steamed at 100° C. for 10 minutes using a steam convection oven (Tanico Corporation).
(Seasoning process)
0.3 parts by weight of salt was added to 100 parts by weight of the granules after the steaming step, and the mixture was mixed thoroughly.
(Coating process)
Next, 6 parts by weight of rice oil was added to 100 parts by weight of the granules, and mixed thoroughly to coat the granules.
(Drying process)
Thereafter, the obtained granules were dried in a dryer at 75° C. for 5 hours.
(Sieving process)
After confirming that the granulated material after the drying process was in a loose state, the resulting granulated material was sieved through a sieve with 2 mm mesh size to adjust the size of the granulated material, thereby obtaining a granular rice flour product.

Figure 4 shows the granular rice flour product (Production Example 4) obtained by the above <1-2. Production method of granular rice flour product>. As shown in Figure 4 (bottom), the size of each grain of the granular rice flour product was 1 to 2 mm.

(Evaluation 1: Yield Rate Evaluation Test)
The granules after the above (drying step) were sieved to evaluate the yield rate.
As described above (sieving process), each of the granular rice flour products obtained was passed through a sieve with 2 mm mesh. The weight (g) of the lumps remaining on the top of the sieve and the weight (g) of the bottom of the sieve were measured to evaluate the yield rate. The yield rate was calculated as the percentage (%) of the weight of the bottom of the sieve to the total weight (top of the sieve + bottom of the sieve). Table 2 shows the results of the sieving.

As shown in Table 2, the yield rates of the granular rice flour products of Production Examples 1-2 and 6 were 54% to 77%, while the yield rates of the granular rice flour products of Production Examples 3-5 were high, ranging from 92% to 100%.

(Evaluation 2: Sensory test)
A panel of five women in their 30s to 60s ate the granular rice flour processed products of Production Examples 1 to 6 produced by the above-mentioned method, and conducted a sensory test on the texture, smell, and taste.
Of the granular rice flour processed products of Production Examples 1 to 6, the products that passed through a sieve with 2 mm mesh size (the lower part of the sieve) were used as the couscous-like foods of Production Examples 1 to 6 and were used in the sensory tests.

In addition, for the sensory test, the couscous-like foods of Production Examples 1 to 6 were rehydrated in hot water and used. The sensory test (texture, smell, taste) of the couscous-like foods was evaluated according to the following evaluation criteria. Figure 5 shows a summary of the questionnaire from the evaluation test that formed the basis of Table 3. As a reference example, commercially available couscous (couscous made from durum wheat) was used.

(Evaluation criteria: texture)
3 points: The texture is the same as that of the reference couscous.
2 points: The texture is slightly inferior to that of the reference couscous, but not noticeable.
1 point: The texture of the couscous is significantly inferior to that of the reference example.

(Evaluation criteria: odor)
3 points: Almost no grain smell.
2 points: A slight grain smell is detectable, but not bothersome.
1 point: Grain smell.

(Evaluation criteria: taste)
3 points: A subtle sweetness derived from the rice flour.
2 points: A slight hint of sweetness from the rice flour is felt.
1 point: The subtle sweetness from the rice flour is barely detectable.

Table 3 shows the evaluation results, expressed as the panelists' average scores.

As shown in Table 3, the couscous-like foods of Production Examples 3 to 6 had higher evaluation scores (texture) than the couscous-like foods of Production Examples 1 and 2. In particular, the couscous-like foods of Production Examples 3 and 4 had higher evaluation scores and were found to have a texture similar to that of the couscous of the Reference Example.
In addition, the couscous-like foods made with rice flour (Production Examples 1 to 6) had a slight sweetness derived from the rice flour because they contained rice flour. Furthermore, the couscous-like foods made with rice flour (Production Examples 1 to 6) had almost no grain smell, so they are considered to be suitable for a variety of dishes.

＜1-3. Manufacturing method for granular rice flour processed products (raw rice flour: brown rice flour) >

The following describes the production and sensory testing of granular rice flour products that contain brown rice flour A produced as described above in <1-1. Production method of raw rice flour> as the raw rice flour. Granular rice flour products containing brown rice flour were produced using the following method.

(Mixing process)
29 parts by weight of water (tap water) was added to 100 parts by weight of brown rice flour A and mixed until homogenous.
(Granulation process)
After mixing, the mixture was granulated to produce granules with each particle being approximately 1 to 2 mm in size.
(Heating process)
The granulated material was steamed at 100° C. for 10 minutes using a steam convection oven (Tanico Corporation).
(Seasoning process)
0.3 parts by weight of salt was added to 100 parts by weight of the granules after the steaming step, and the mixture was mixed thoroughly.
(Coating process)
Next, 2.3 parts by weight of rice oil was added to 100 parts by weight of the granules, and mixed thoroughly to coat the granules.
(Drying process)
Thereafter, the obtained granules were dried in a dryer at 75° C. for 5 hours.
(Sieving process)
After confirming that the granulated material after the drying process was in a loose state, the resulting granulated material was sieved through a sieve with 2 mm mesh size to adjust the size of the granulated material, thereby obtaining the granular rice flour product of Production Example A.

The yield rate of the granulated material after the drying process was evaluated in the same manner as described above (Evaluation 1: Yield rate evaluation test). No lumps remained on the top of the sieve, and the yield rate was 100%.

Furthermore, in the sieving process, the size that passed through a sieve with 2 mm openings (the bottom of the sieve) was designated as the couscous-like food of Production Example A, and a sensory test was carried out in the same manner as described above (Evaluation 2: Sensory test).

When the couscous-like food of Production Example A was eaten, it was confirmed that it had a texture similar to that of couscous made from white rice flour (the couscous-like food of Production Example 4).
Furthermore, the couscous-like food of Production Example A also had a slight sweetness derived from rice flour and a brown rice aroma.

<1-4. Manufacturing method of granular rice flour processed products (without coating process)>
First, rice flour was produced using rice (polished rice, Japonica rice) as the raw material.
The polished rice was pulverized using a flour mill (Satake Corporation, SRG05C) and passed through a screen A6 (average particle size (D ₅₀ ) 500 μm) attached to the flour mill to produce raw rice flour (white rice flour).

　Next, the white rice flour produced by the above method was used to produce the granular rice flour product of Production Example 7 by the following method.

(Mixing process)
36.5 parts by weight of water (tap water) was added to 100 parts by weight of polished rice flour and mixed until homogenous.
(Granulation process)
After mixing, the mixture was granulated to produce granules with each particle being approximately 1 to 3 mm in size.
(Heating process)
The granulated material was steamed at 100° C. for 10 minutes using a steam convection oven (Tanico Corporation).
(Seasoning process)
0.3 parts by weight of salt was added to 100 parts by weight of the granules after the steaming step, and the mixture was mixed thoroughly.
(Drying process)
Thereafter, the obtained granules were dried in a dryer at 75° C. for 5 hours.
(Sieving process)
After confirming that the granulated material after the drying process was in a loose state, the resulting granulated material was sieved through a sieve with 2 mm mesh size to adjust the size of the granulated material, thereby obtaining the granular rice flour product of Production Example 7.

<1-5. Manufacturing method of granular rice flour processed products (raw rice flour: brown rice flour) (without coating process)>
First, brown rice flour was produced using rice (brown rice, Japonica rice) as the raw material.
The brown rice was ground using a flour mill (Satake Corporation, SRG05C) and passed through a screen A6 (average particle size (D ₅₀ ) 500 μm) attached to the flour mill to produce raw rice flour (brown rice flour).

Next, the brown rice flour produced by the above method was used to produce the granular rice flour product of Production Example B in the following manner.

(Mixing process)
29 parts by weight of water (tap water) was added to 100 parts by weight of brown rice flour and mixed until homogenous.
(Granulation process)
After mixing, the mixture was granulated to produce granules with each particle being approximately 1 to 3 mm in size.
(Heating process)
The granulated material was steamed at 100° C. for 10 minutes using a steam convection oven (Tanico Corporation).
(Seasoning process)
0.3 parts by weight of salt was added to 100 parts by weight of the granules after the steaming step, and the mixture was mixed thoroughly.
(Drying process)
Thereafter, the obtained granules were dried in a dryer at 75° C. for 5 hours.
(Sieving process)
After confirming that the granulated material after the drying process was in a loose state, the resulting granulated material was sieved through a sieve with 2 mm mesh size to adjust the size of the granulated material, thereby obtaining the granular rice flour product of Production Example B.

A specified amount of hot water (60-90 mL) was added to the granular rice flour product of Production Example B. After about 5 minutes, the granular rice flour product of Production Example B to which hot water had been added was eaten, and it had a texture similar to porridge.

Furthermore, the granular rice flour product of Production Example B produced was again pulverized using a flour mill (Satake Corporation, SRG05C) and passed through a screen A6 attached to this flour mill.
A specified amount of hot water (60-90 mL) was added to 15 g of the crushed granular rice flour product of Production Example B, and the mixture was stirred well until it thickened (creamy). The crushed granular rice flour product of Production Example B is expected to be used in baby food and nursing care food, as it is difficult for grains to remain.

2. Method for producing granular food products
The granular food product was produced as follows.

First, raw rice flour (brown rice flour) and additional ingredients (powders) were produced by the following method.
(Production of brown rice flour)
Brown rice flour was produced using raw rice (brown rice, Japonica rice).
The brown rice was ground using a flour mill (Satake Corporation, SRG05C) and passed through a screen A6 (average particle size (D ₅₀ ) 500 μm) attached to the flour mill to produce raw rice flour (brown rice flour).
(Production of additional components)
A processed product of additional ingredients was produced.
The following additional components were used:
・Soybeans (dried)
・Sesame (dried)
・Shiitake mushrooms (dried)
・Ginger (dried)
・Dried strips of daikon radish (dried)
・Pumpkin (raw)
・Tomato (raw)
The above-mentioned dry additional component was pulverized using a flour mill (Satake Corporation, SRG05C) and passed through a screen A6 (average particle size (D ₅₀ ) 500 μm) attached to the flour mill to produce a processed product (dry powder) of the additional component.
The raw additional component was cut into 2 mm square pieces to produce processed products (2 mm square) of the additional component.

Next, the brown rice flour and additional ingredients (processed products) produced by the above method were used to produce granular food products using the following method.

(Granulation process)
Brown rice flour, additional ingredients (processed products), and water were mixed according to the amounts shown in Table 4, mixed until uniform, and granulated to form granules with each particle being about 1 to 3 mm. The water used for mixing was used as salt water (containing 2 g of salt (NaCl) per 200 g of water) by mixing salt with the additional ingredient salt in advance.
(Heating process)
The granulated material was steamed at 100° C. for 30 minutes using a steam convection oven (Tanico Corporation).
(Drying process)
Thereafter, the obtained granules were dried in a dryer at 75° C. for 12 hours.
(Sieving process)
After confirming that the granulated material after the drying process was in a loose state, the resulting granulated material was sieved through a sieve with 2.8 mm mesh size to adjust the size of the granulated material, thereby obtaining a granular food product.

The resulting granular food product is shown in Figure 6. As shown in Figure 6 (bottom), the size of each grain of the granular rice flour product was 1 to 3 mm.

When the granular food product was eaten, it had a texture similar to that of couscous (reference example). In addition, the aroma and flavor of brown rice and other added ingredients could be detected.

Below are some examples of recipes using the granular food products we have produced.

(Cooking example 1: Soup)
The vegetable bouillon soup containing finely chopped ingredients (vegetables, meat, etc.) was poured onto the granular food product placed in a plate in advance.

(Cooking example 2: Stewed dishes)
First, the ingredients (meat, vegetables, beans, etc.) were simmered with seasonings.
The thoroughly stewed food was placed on top of the granular food product on a plate.

(Cooking example 3: Salad)
First, add a small amount of boiling water to the granular food product and steam it. After that, add rice oil and mix it to prepare a granular food product in a fluffy state.
Next, ingredients (such as vegetables cut to a specified size) and seasonings were mixed with the prepared granular food product.

Below are some examples of vegan food preparations using granular food products.

(Cooking example 1: Hamburger steak)
The ingredients were mixed according to the following ratio and molded into a shape. The molded product was baked to obtain a hamburger steak.
Granular food products 30g
180g tofu (drained)
Boiled hijiki 60g

(Cooking example 2: Risotto)
The ingredients were mixed in the ratio shown below and steamed to obtain risotto.
Granular food products 40g
150mL water
2 tablespoons boiled lentils
2 teaspoons of Shio Koji

Below are some examples of how to prepare gluten-free foods using processed granular foods.

(Cooking example 1: Steamed bread)
The ingredients were mixed according to the ratio shown below and steamed in a steamer to obtain steamed bread.
Granular food products 30g
15mL water
1 tablespoon raisins

(Cooking example 2: Dumplings)
The ingredients were mixed in the ratio shown below to obtain dumplings.
Granular food products 30g
30mL water

<3. Food composition containing granular rice flour processed product>
An example of the production of a food composition containing a granular rice flour processed product is given below.

First, powders of the ingredients to be mixed, namely soybeans, sesame, ginger, and pumpkin, were produced.
The powder of the mixed components was produced by pulverizing the mixed components using a flour mill (Satake Corporation, SRG05C) and passing the mixture through a screen A6 attached to the flour mill.

(Food composition A)
The ingredients shown below were mixed uniformly to obtain a food composition A. The granulated rice flour processed product of Production Example 7 was produced according to the above <1-4. Production method of granulated rice flour processed product (without coating step)>.
Granulated rice flour product of Production Example 7 100g
Soybeans (dried powder) 40g
Sesame (dried powder) 10g

(Food composition B)
The ingredients shown below were mixed uniformly to obtain a food composition B. The granulated rice flour processed product of Production Example B was produced according to the above <1-5. Production method of granulated rice flour processed product (raw rice flour: brown rice flour) (without coating step)>.
Granulated rice flour product of Production Example B 100g
Soybeans (dried powder) 40g
Ginger (dried powder) 5g
Shiitake mushroom (dried powder) 10g

The granular rice flour product of Production Example B was mixed with the ingredients to be mixed, namely rice vinegar, white miso paste, salt, lemon juice, and brown rice starch syrup, in specified amounts, until homogenous. When the produced food composition was eaten, it was possible to detect a cheese flavor.

Claims (27)

1. A granulation step of granulating a mixture containing raw rice flour and water to obtain a granulated product;
   a heating step of heating the obtained granulated material until the raw material rice flour contained in the granulated material is gelatinized;
   A method for producing a granular rice flour processed product, comprising: a drying step of drying the heated granulated product.
2. The method for producing the granular rice flour product according to claim 1, in which the grain size is 0.3 mm or more and 4.5 mm or less.
3. The method for producing granular rice flour processed products according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heating method in the heating step is heating by steaming.
4. 4. The method for producing a granular rice flour processed product according to claim 1, wherein the raw material rice flour contains rice flour having an average particle size ( _D50 ) of 450 μm or more and 650 μm or less.
5. The method for producing a granular rice flour product according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the raw rice flour is white rice flour and/or brown rice flour.
6. The method for producing a granular rice flour product according to claim 5, wherein the raw rice flour is brown rice flour.
7. 　A granular rice flour product obtained by the manufacturing method described in any one of claims 1 to 6.
8. The granular rice flour product according to claim 7, having a particle size of 0.3 mm or more and 4.5 mm or less.
9. A granular rice flour product made by heating and gelatinizing granulated raw rice flour and then drying it.
10. The granular rice flour product according to claim 8, having a particle size of 0.3 mm or more and 4.5 mm or less.
11. The granular rice flour processed product according to any one of claims 7 to 10, which is for use as a vegetarian or vegan food product.
12. A granulation step of granulating a mixture containing raw rice flour, additional ingredients, and water to obtain a granulated product;
    a heating step of heating the raw material rice flour contained in the obtained granules until it is gelatinized;
    A method for producing a granulated food product, comprising: a drying step of drying the heated granulated product.
13. The method for producing the granular food product according to claim 12, wherein the particle size is 0.3 mm or more and 4.5 mm or less.
14. The method for producing a granular food product according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the heating method in the heating step is heating by steaming.
15. The method for producing a granular food product according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the raw rice flour is white rice flour and/or brown rice flour.
16. The method for producing a granular food product according to claim 15, wherein the raw rice flour is brown rice flour.
17. The method for producing a granular food product according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein the additional ingredient is one or more plant foods selected from the group consisting of grains, potatoes, nuts, seeds, beans, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms and algae.
18. 　A granular food product obtained by the manufacturing method described in any one of claims 12 to 17.
19. The granular food product according to claim 18, having a particle size of 0.3 mm or more and 4.5 mm or less.
20. A granular food product made by granulating a mixture containing raw rice flour, additional ingredients, and water, heating the granulated product until the raw rice flour contained in the granulated product gelatinizes, and then drying it.
21. The granular food product according to claim 20, having a particle size of 0.3 mm or more and 4.5 mm or less.
22. The granular processed food product according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the additional ingredient is one or more plant foods selected from the group consisting of grains, potatoes, nuts, seeds, beans, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, and algae.
23. The granular food product according to any one of claims 18 to 22, which is for use as a vegetarian or vegan food product.
24. A food composition comprising both or either of the granular rice flour processed product according to any one of claims 7 to 10 and the granular food processed product according to any one of claims 18 to 22, and a mixed ingredient.
25. The food composition according to claim 24, which contains a plant food as the mixed ingredient.
26. The food composition according to claim 24 or 25, wherein the mixed ingredient contains one or more plant foods selected from grains, potatoes, nuts, seeds, beans, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, and algae.
27. The food composition according to any one of claims 24 to 26, which is for use in vegetarian or vegan food products.