JPH01273554A - Popcorn packed in container for electric oven - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain popcorn packed in a container for electric oven, having stable long-term preservation and simply cooking operation, by coating dried corn with specific oils and fats and packing the coated corn into containers for electronic oven. CONSTITUTION:Dried corn is coated with fats and oils having >=25%, preferably >=30% solid fat index at 35 deg.C and 43-50 deg.C totally melting point, preferably with fats and oils having 47-55 deg.C totally melting point and packed into containers for electronic oven to give tasty popcorn having stable popping ratio and expansion ratio.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention relates to popcorn packaged in a container that can be easily prepared using a microwave oven and is stable over a long period of time.

(Prior Art) In recent years, the penetration rate of microwave ovens has exceeded 50%, and the term "microwave food", which refers to foods that can be heated in a microwave oven, has become commonly used. One such food is popcorn. Conventionally, popcorn for microwave ovens is often made by mixing dry corn with oil, fat, seasonings, and spices, heating it, filling it into a soft plastic pouch, and placing it in a paper container or paper bag. To use it, it was necessary to tear open the sachet containing the corn, place it in a paper container or bag, and then microwave it. There is a similar product that comes in an aluminum container, but the drawback is that you cannot put it in the microwave as is.

This type of popcorn uses oil and fat, and the overall melting point of oil and fat is 35 to 42°C, probably because it affects the flavor of popped corn, and its composition is SFI at 35°C.
(solid fat index) is less than 25%.

These popcorns have the disadvantage that if they are stored in a hot place in the summer or in a warm warehouse, the popcorn will have a poor puffing rate.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) Dried corn, oil, fat, seasonings, and spices are mixed directly into a paper container, paper bag, etc., and the mixture is filled in the bottom of the container, which is very convenient because it can be placed in a microwave oven as it is. However, the major problem is that if the product is stored at a temperature of 30 to 38 degrees Celsius in the summer or in a warm warehouse for more than a month, the low melting point oil and fat will melt and cracks will form around the corn, causing moisture in the corn. Because of this, if you make popcorn in the microwave, you'll end up with popcorn that doesn't rise well. Moreover, paper containers are usually permeable to oxygen and contain air, which makes it easy for oils and fats to oxidize.

In addition, in order to compensate for the above-mentioned drawbacks, it is necessary to seal the product in a flexible plastic bag or aluminum bag, place it in a container or bag that can be placed in a microwave oven, or attach it separately. In this way, when you want to make popcorn and eat it, you have to take the trouble to open the bag, put it back into the microwave container or bag, and then microwave it, which makes it less convenient.

In order to improve the above-mentioned drawbacks, the present inventors first made microwave popcorn in a container using ordinary vegetable oil or animal fat, stored it at room temperature, and investigated the cause of the decrease in the swelling rate of the corn over time. It was determined that the main cause of this was a drop in moisture content. In other words, dried corn for popcorn has a moisture content of around 14 to 15%, and when the moisture content decreases over time to less than 10%, the corn popped in the microwave becomes less swollen, has a harder texture, and loses its quality value as popcorn. It's gone. This is done by mixing dried corn, oil, fats, seasonings, spices, etc.
It is coated with oil and fat, but when the outside temperature rises in the summer, the low melting point part of the oil melts, and cracks gradually form in some of the solid fat parts, making it easier for the moisture content to decrease over time. It's for a reason.

Therefore, the present invention provides paper containers, paper bags, and
Alternatively, you can use a microwave oven to mix dry corn, fat, seasonings, etc. directly into a heat-resistant plastic container, etc., and the oil coating will not crack or oxidize even during long-term storage, and the quality of the corn will not change. The purpose is to provide popcorn in containers for

(Means for solving the problems) The first invention has an SFI (solid fat index) of 2 at 35°C.
5% or more of fats and oils with an overall melting point of 43°C to 50°C,
This popcorn is packaged in a microwaveable container and is characterized by coating dried corn.

The second invention provides popcorn obtained in the above invention,
Furthermore, it is characterized by applying an oil or fat having a melting point of 47°C to 55°C.

The present invention is designed to reduce moisture loss even in the summer when S
FI (solid fat index) is 25% or more, overall melting point is 43-5
Fats and oils kept at 0°C were used. For example, add this oil to 60 to 8
Heat to 5°C and mix with seasonings, antioxidants, and in some cases spices, flavorings, etc., fill the bottom of a container such as a paper container or paper bag made for microwave ovens, or a heat-resistant plastic container, and cool. Fix it. Further, after the contents are cooled and fixed, an oil or fat having an overall melting point of 47 to 55° C. is heated and melted and sprayed or thinly coated on the surface of the contents.

The invention will be further explained below.

Dried corn with a moisture content of 14-15% has a good pop rate.
The swelling rate is also good. The fats and oils are adjusted to have an overall melting point of 43 to 50°C and whose composition is adjusted so that the SFI (solid fat index) of the fats and oils at 35°C is 25% or more, preferably 30% or more. SFI (solid fat index) is 25
If it is less than %, it is difficult to prevent the moisture from evaporating from the corn, so it is not preferable. If the overall melting point is lower than 43°C, the corn will have poor storage stability, and if it exceeds 50°C, the texture will be poor, which is not preferred.

Further, in the second aspect of the present invention, fats and oils having an overall melting point of 47 to 55°C are used, but if the melting point exceeds 55°C, the texture will be poor. The oils and fats used can be either animal hydrogenated fats or vegetable hydrogenated fats, but hydrogenated oils and fats that have a large amount of low melting point parts will partially melt at room temperature, making it easier for cracks to form on the surface of the contents and on the surface of the dried corn, causing the corn to dry in a short period of time. The swelling rate of the popcorn decreases, resulting in small popcorns that lose their quality value.

Salt, monosodium glutamate, HA, P as seasonings
, HVP, natural extracts, seasoning oil, etc. are added and mixed according to the amount of corn. As for spices, cinnamon, white pepper, chili pepper, etc. can be added and mixed appropriately. Further, flavoring agents such as butter flavor and soy sauce flavor can be added and used as necessary.

As the first method for producing popcorn of the present invention, first, the oil and fat prepared as described above are heated to 60 to 85°C and dissolved,
Add and mix measured seasonings, spices, and flavorings as the case may be, and mix to coat the dried corn while stirring. This yields popcorn coated with fat and oil.

After that, an appropriate amount is filled into paper containers, paper bags, heat-resistant plastic containers, etc. made for microwave ovens, and the mixture is cooled and solidified. In the case of paper containers, they are manufactured by fitting them with heat-resistant plastic lids and shrink-banking them with soft plastic. In the case of paper bags, polyester films are laminated together to give the paper bag a heat-resistant function, the contents are filled into the bag, and the top is sealed with a seal or the like.

In addition, as the second manufacturing method of the present invention, an appropriate amount of popcorn coated with oil or fat as described above is filled into a container or the like. The surface of the filled upper layer has a melting point of 47 to 55
By adding oil or fat at a temperature of 47 to 55 degrees Celsius, or by filling a container with appropriate amounts of corn and oil and mixing, the surface of the filling will have a melting point of 47 to 55.
Apply a layer of oil at °C and seal the container.

(Effects of the Invention) The microwaveable popcorn packaged in a container according to the present invention has a delicious taste with little moisture loss and stable pumping rate and swelling rate even after long periods of distribution and storage after production in summer or in warm warehouses. You can make cones, and you can make completely new products that are easier than ever before.

(Example) Example 1 Heat and dissolve fats and oils at a blending ratio of 61.5 parts of dried yellow corn, 35 parts of fats and oils, 0.7 parts of sodium glutamate, 2.5 parts of common salt, and 0.3 parts of butter flavor at about 70°C. death,
Salt, sodium glutamate, and flavor were added and mixed, and the mixture was cooled to about 50°C. The mixture was mixed so as to be sprinkled on dry yellow corn, and 25 g/cup of the mixture was filled into a pot-shaped pot with a bottom diameter of 7 cm, height of 15 cm, and 9 cm of dirt, and allowed to cool and solidify.

The cup is covered with a plastic lid and polyethylene shrink-backed. The difference between the above-mentioned blended oils and fats and general oils and fats was compared in terms of swelling ratio and specific volume after they were stored at a constant temperature of 35°C, the shrink packaging was removed according to the change over time, and they were placed in a microwave oven.

SFI: Solid fat index As shown in the above table, the pop rate and swelling rate are the same immediately after production, but there are extreme differences over time, proving that the effect of the present invention is very large.

Example 2 The formulation of Example 1 was filled into a paper cup, allowed to cool and solidify, and then heated to melt a hardened fat with a melting point of 55° C., and sprayed onto the surface of the filled contents to form a layer. A film of high melting point oil was formed, a lid was placed, and a shrink puncture was performed.

A 35° C. constant temperature storage test was conducted in the same manner as in Example 1.

As shown in the above table, it was found that the swelling rate was approximately 5% higher than that of the product obtained in Example 1 after one month.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) Popcorn in a microwaveable container, characterized in that dried corn is coated with an oil or fat having an SFI (solid fat index) at 35°C of 25% or more and an overall melting point of 43°C to 50°C. (2) The popcorn according to claim 1 further has a melting point of 4
Popcorn in a microwaveable container characterized by being coated with oil at a temperature of 7°C to 55°C.