JPH03164147A - Food material and production thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the subject material excellent in appearance, texture, palatability and water holding properties and useful as a substitute food for cooked rice, etc., by kneading gelatinized refined powder of KONJAK (devil's-tongue) with a cellulose-starch complex and specific gelatinized starch, providing a gelatinous substance and forming the resultant gelatinous substance into a granular, linear or block shape, etc. CONSTITUTION:The objective material obtained by kneading 1 pt.wt. refined powder of KONJAK with 0.5-5 pts.wt., preferably 1.5-3.5 pts.wt. cellulose-starch complex and 3-13 pts.wt., preferably 5-9 pts.wt. (expressed in terms of dried starch) gelatinized starch (e.g. corn starch, nonglutinous rice or wheat) having >=50% gelatinization degree, then subjecting the resultant kneaded substance to treatment with an alkaline solution (e.g. calcium hydroxide) and heat treatment (at 80-90 deg.C), forming the prepared gelatinized substance into a granular shape, etc., removing the alkali, dehydrating and regulating water to 85-95%. Furthermore, an excellent substitute for cooked rice is obtained by applying 1-5wt.% cooked rice paste with about 20wt.% solid content to the aforementioned food material.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a food material based on konnyaku, a cellulose-starch composite, and a gelatinized starch, which are suitable as diet foods, and a method for producing the same.

(Prior Art) It is widely recognized that konnyaku is a low-calorie dietary fiber food that is useful as a diet food for preventing obesity and for preventing Bojin's disease.

However, because konnyaku has a unique texture, flavor, and smell, it is not a food material that is suitable for consumption as a staple food like rice or noodles, and it is not suitable for consumption as a side dish. However, it is also a food ingredient that is difficult to get used to.

For this reason, attempts have been made to improve the physical properties, texture, etc. of konjac by adding and mixing various foods, especially starches and fibers, to improve its palatability. has already been done.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-54571 proposes mixing rice flour, wheat flour, etc. as starch-based ingredients with konnyaku flour and gelling the mixture to improve the texture.

or. Regarding the addition of dietary fiber, for example, JP-A-59-19
No. 6062 discloses that by mixing microfibrillated cellulose, it is possible to improve taste permeability and prevent syneresis. Also, regarding the shape of konnyaku, it has been molded into rice grains, noodle strings, and macaroni shapes. However, it has been disclosed that it can be used as a diet food alone or mixed with various foods and served as a meal.

Furthermore, attempts are also known to develop the above-mentioned technology to obtain a low-calorie food that has a similar appearance and texture to cooked rice used as a staple food and can be cooked in the same way as cooked rice.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, although these foods that have been proposed so far have achieved some improvement in the unique texture and taste of konjac by adding and mixing starches, none of them have been successful. It is a low-calorie diet food that goes beyond konjac food and satisfies conditions such as having a similar appearance, texture, and taste to food ingredients that should be a staple food, such as boiled rice, and can be cooked in the same way as cooked rice. The materials have not yet been made available.

That is, konnyaku food mixed with various starch powders is composed of a uniform gel structure similar to the structure of so-called fish paste, and therefore has a structural difference from boiled rice etc. in its internal structure. Therefore, the texture is completely different, and when eaten, the unique taste and odor of konnyaku are strongly recognized, which is not desirable.

Furthermore, in the case of a konjac food that is mixed with wheat flour instead of starch, the color tone becomes yellowish, which is undesirable in appearance and has other disadvantages, such as impairing the commercial value.

In addition, in the case of konnyaku food materials made by adding and mixing crystalline cellulose, which is known as a type of fibrous additive, the effect of improving water retention and increasing yield is recognized, but this also has a poor texture. The viscoelasticity peculiar to konnyaku is felt strongly, and the effect of modifying physical properties is poor.

The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to focus on the use of konnyaku as a material for low-calorie foods, and to develop a structure that is completely different from that of conventional konnyaku foods. It is an object of this invention to provide a diet food material having a similar texture and taste to staple food such as cooked rice and other food materials, and to discover a method for producing the same. In particular, when this food material is formed into rice grains, it is possible to provide a low-calorie food material that closely resembles boiled rice in terms of texture, taste, color tone, appearance, etc., and can be used as a substitute for rice grains. It is intended to be possible.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the food material targeted by the present invention has a paste-like substance of konjac flour, a cellulose-starch complex, and a gelatinized starch that are uniformly mixed together. It is a gel-like material formed by mixing, and is characterized by having a formed shape such as granules, lines, blocks, etc. It is something to do.

In addition, the production method of the present invention for obtaining this food material includes a hydroswollen product of refined konjac powder, a cellulose-starch complex, and a gelatinization process in which water is added to the starch and the starch is heated and gelatinized to a degree of gelatinization of 50% or more. It is characterized by kneading starch or dried pregelatinized starch, gelling it by alkali treatment and heat treatment, and shaping it into granules, lines, blocks, etc.

Furthermore, the resulting food material has a moisture content of 85 to 95%.
By dehydrating and adjusting the material, its appearance, texture, taste, etc. are similar to ordinary food materials, and especially when it is shaped like cooked rice, it can be made into a low-calorie food material that can be used as a substitute for cooked rice. be able to.

Below, the embodiments of this invention will be explained. First, konjac flour includes both konjac mannan and purified glucomannan, and in the case of konjac flour, regardless of its degree of purification or grade, gel formation is possible. All abilities are included.

In addition, gelatinized starch refers to raw starch such as corn starch, potato starch, wheat starch, tabioca starch, waxy corn starch, and these processed starches, as well as grains and flours such as boiled rice, silken rice, wheat, corn, and buckwheat. Either 2 to 6 times the amount of water added and heat gelatinized, or gelatinized starch obtained by gelatinizing and drying raw starch, in any case, as long as the degree of gelatinization is 50% or more, 1 g of these is sufficient. Or select and use two or more types.

In particular, when grains are selected, in order to uniformly mix the gelatinized grains with the konjac water-swollen product and the cellulose starch complex, water is added to the gelatinized grains, or the gelatinized grains are crushed as is using a crusher or silent cutter. Any paste may be used as long as it is in the form of a paste and can pass through a screen with an opening of about 1.2 mm.

Furthermore, even if pasty grains are not necessarily added and mixed, if the same degree of crushing is possible when kneaded with konjac water-swollen product, it is also possible to carry out the present invention by adding and mixing them in the form of gelatinized grains. Included in the aspect.

The reason for using gelatinized starch with a gelatinization degree of 50% or more is that its mechanism of action is unknown, but if the gelatinization degree is 50% or more, it will be kneaded with the konjac hydrolyzed swollen product and the cellulose starch complex, and will come into contact with alkali. This is based on the knowledge that when gelatinized with konnyaku gel, the texture is different from that of konnyaku gel with the addition of raw starch, and the elasticity peculiar to konnyaku gel is reduced, resulting in the texture desired by the present invention.

The table below shows the sensory evaluation of foodstuffs obtained by adding 1 part by weight of refined konjac flour, 3 parts by weight of cellulose starch complex, and 5 parts by weight of cornstarch with varying degrees of gelatinization, kneading, and gelling. Write down.

Gelatinization degree (%) 7 34 45 5 3 8 0 9 6 Sensory evaluation Konjac-like texture Konjac-like texture, slightly elastic texture unique to konjac Texture elasticity similar to cooked rice, with the elasticity gone The texture is similar to that of cooked rice, which has lost its texture.The texture is sticky and similar to cooked rice.Next, what is cellulose starch complex?
The starch and natural cellulose disclosed in No. 41 are mixed and dissolved together (composition ratio of starch is approximately 1.5 times that of cellulose) to disperse molecules, and then this is coagulated into fibers or ground. The resulting fiber-starch composite (for example, trade name: Sekicel, manufactured by Asahi Kasei Industries, Ltd.). The above composite has a porous structure and is insoluble in water, but exhibits excellent water retention and shape retention, and its calorific value is approximately 220 calories per 100g in the dry type (the usage amount of Sekicel is shown below). (expressed in dry weight).

However, the mixing weight ratio of konjac refined flour, cellulose-starch complex, and gelatinized starch is changed as appropriate depending on the texture of the desired product, but usually konjac refined flour 1 The cellulose-starch composite is added in an amount of 0.5 to 5 parts by weight, preferably 1.5 to 3.5 parts by weight.

The amount of gelatinized starch is 3 to 13 parts by weight, preferably 5 to 9 parts by weight, calculated as dry starch.

When the cellulose-starch complex is less than 0.5, the viscoelasticity characteristic of konnyaku is strong and the internal structure is uniform, so it is difficult to say that the amount added is effective for improving the texture.

Moreover, if the cellulose-starch complex exceeds 5 parts by weight, it tends to affect the gel-forming ability of konnyaku and reduce the gel strength. It also tends to be hard in texture, making it unsuitable as a food material.

Regarding the amount of added gelatinized starch, if it is 3 or less in terms of dry starch, the viscoelasticity and flavor unique to konjac will be strong, and the texture will be uniform, so it is difficult to say that it is an effective addition amount for improving texture. Furthermore, if the amount of gelatinized starch exceeds 13 parts by weight (calculated as dry starch), it will affect the gel-forming ability of konnyaku, tend to reduce the gel strength, and the texture will become glue-like, making it unsuitable as the intended food material. No, no. It is also not desirable in terms of calories.

As described above, these raw materials are mixed, solidified, and formed into a predetermined shape according to a conventional method.

That is, 15% of the amount of konjac flour is added to the konjac flour in advance.
After adding and mixing ~50 times as much water, the mixture is allowed to swell for about 2 hours.

After the swelling is completed, a predetermined cellulose-complex, gelatinized starch, or pasty grain is added to the obtained konjac swollen product. After thoroughly kneading this with a crusher or mixer, contact treatment with an alkaline solution such as calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)2 is performed. After that, it is heated at about 80 to 90 degrees Celsius, molded and solidified, and the alkali is removed by immersion in water, etc., and then the target diet food, which has a texture similar to cooked rice, has a structure in which textured starch is dispersed inside the gel. is obtained.

Furthermore, in the present invention, granular and linear shapes are used. It is characterized by being shaped into a block or the like, but in this case, an alkaline suspension of about 2% of the weight of refined konjac flour is added to the konjac mixture, mixed and brought into contact, and then filled into a molded container. Molding is generally performed by extrusion granulation, etc., but especially in the case of rice grain-like or noodle string-like shapes with a maximum width of about 10 mm or less, molding and coagulation can also be performed by the following method. .

That is, without adding an alkaline suspension to the konjac mixture,
The material may be extruded as it is through a plurality of nozzles or perforated plate plates, immersed in an alkaline aqueous solution to be semi-solidified, and then heat-treated to completely solidify.

In particular, when shaped into rice grains to have a texture and color similar to cooked rice and used as a substitute for cooked rice, the weight of the cellulose-starch complex and gelatinized starch to be added and mixed should be adjusted in terms of dry starch. It is preferable that the amount is 1.5 times or more and 5 times or more the amount of powder, and furthermore, as an essential condition, it is necessary to dehydrate the coagulated material to a moisture content of 85 to 95%.

Normally, the moisture content of foods obtained by the present invention is around 98%, but by dehydrating it to within this specific value, 'i! ! The purpose is to eliminate syneresis and eliminate the watery texture when chewing, and at the same time to suppress light reflection due to free water on the surface of rice grains, making the appearance more similar to cooked rice.

By this treatment, it is possible to provide a diet food similar to boiled rice that can be stored for a long period of time, which does not easily cause syneresis even after retort sterilization, and eliminates the need to drain water when opening a retort pouch as much as possible. This dehydration process requires forced mechanical dehydration such as centrifugal dehydration or compression dehydration, and in the case of centrifugal dehydration, 2
The target moisture range can be reached in about 1 minute.

In addition, cornstarch and rice flour are added to the surface of the rice grains. By attaching grain flour such as shiratamako or cooked rice paste with a solid content of about 20% to about 1 to 5% based on the weight of the food material, the rice grains can be made sticky and become more preferable as a substitute for cooked rice.

(Function) The rice-like texture of the present invention or the effect of having a textured internal structure that is not found in conventional konnyaku-based food materials is as follows:
This cannot be achieved by adding raw starches or crystalline cellulose fibers such as Joshinko, Shiratamako, and corn starch, which are known in the prior application. This effect can be realized through the synergistic effect of the organization.

(Example) This invention will be described below with reference to specific embodiments.

Example 1 2 parts of water at about 60° C. was added to 100 g of special grade konjac powder, and the mixture was allowed to swell for about 2 hours to obtain a konjac paste. Further, 2D of water was added to 500 g of cornstarch and gelatinized by heating to obtain a starch paste with a gelatinization degree of 96%.

This paste and 3 kg of Sekicel WE (manufactured by Asahi Kasho Kogyo Co., Ltd., cellulose-starch composite wet product)
Add 0g (containing 0g) to the konjac paste and mix with a mixer for about 10
Mix well for a minute.

This was heated in a lime emulsion containing 1% calcium hydroxide.
It was extruded from a perforated plate having pores of 3 mm in diameter, cut into pieces of 5 mm in length, and then immersed. Next, this lime milk was boiled for about 15 minutes to completely solidify it, and about 6.5 kg of rice grain-shaped diet food material was obtained.

When I soaked it in running water to remove the alkali and ate it,
The texture was similar to cooked rice. Furthermore, when this was dehydrated to 90% moisture by processing in a centrifugal dehydrator at 1270G for 2 minutes, its appearance and texture closely resembled boiled rice, and there was no discomfort in daily consumption. The calorific value of this product is 33 calories per 100g before dehydration, and about 46 calories after dehydration. This was much lower in calories than regular rice, which has about 150 calories.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, the present invention has a paste-like substance of konjac, a cellulose-starch complex, and a gelatinized starch that form a gel-like shape and have a molded shape such as granular, linear, or block-like. According to the food material and its manufacturing method, it has an internal structure that is not found in conventional food materials using konnyaku, and especially when it is shaped into rice grains, its appearance, texture, and taste are extremely similar to boiled rice. It can be used as a food material that can be used as a food ingredient, and because it has excellent water retention properties, for example, even if it is mixed with rice, it does not cause shrinkage or the like, so it can be cooked with almost no discomfort, and it can be used as a substitute for cooked rice. It can also be used as a food material.

Moreover, it is a diet food because it is low in calories. It can be used continuously as a material at all times, and its practical value is high.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A gel-like substance made by uniformly mixing a pasty substance of fine konjac powder, a cellulose-starch complex, and a gelatinized starch with a degree of gelatinization of 50% or more, and in the form of granules, lines, or blocks. Food materials with molded shapes such as (2) Hydrolyzed swollen product of refined konjac powder, cellulose-starch complex, and starch are heated and gelatinized to 50% degree of gelatinization.
The gelatinized starch prepared above or the dried pregelatinized starch with a degree of gelatinization of 50% or more is kneaded, then gelled by alkali treatment and heat treatment, and shaped into granules, lines, blocks, etc. A method for producing food materials. (3) The food material according to claim 1, wherein the molded gel has a moisture content of 85 to 95%.