JPH0460621B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

The present invention relates to a method for preventing cracking of dried noodle blocks. More specifically, the purpose is to prevent cracking or distortion during storage of dried noodle blocks obtained by subjecting raw noodles or steamed noodles to superheated steam treatment. Recently, with the aim of obtaining dried noodle blocks with a high degree of swelling and good restorability, raw noodles or steamed noodles that have been subjected to steaming treatment on raw noodles are subjected to high-temperature drying treatment such as high-temperature hot air treatment or high-temperature superheated steam treatment. A drying method is used that rapidly evaporates the moisture from the noodles. However, the dried noodle blocks obtained in this way can be quickly restored by water absorption by pouring hot water or boiling immediately after production, and have a somewhat satisfactory appearance, meeting the requirements for so-called "instant dried noodles". However, as time passes after storage, the center of the dried noodle mass becomes distorted, and the noodle strings near the center begin to crack, resulting in an unsightly appearance. However, even when reconstituted in hot water and eaten, it broke short and had a very poor taste. This tendency occurs especially when dried noodles are stored for a long time,
This was particularly noticeable when the dried noodles were in the form of so-called noodle blocks. In order to prevent the occurrence of such cracking and distortion in dried noodle blocks, which can be said to be a fatal defect as a preserved food, the present inventors first set out to investigate the cause of this occurrence. As a result, the following facts were revealed. In other words, products that undergo high-temperature drying that involve rapid water evaporation tend to have uneven drying, and especially when the material to be dried is noodle-like, such as noodle blocks, the surface area is almost completely dry immediately after drying. It is dry and therefore structurally its surface is already hardened. On the other hand, the interior is less dry than the surface, that is, the moisture content is still high, and it is still in a soft state.
If this is left as it is, slow evaporation of moisture will proceed from the inside accompanied by contraction of the same part, and on the other hand, as the surface part has already hardened and is not flexible as mentioned above, this will cause misalignment, and this will cause the noodles to slip. This results in distortion of the central part of the noodle mass or cracking of the noodle mass due to internal pulling force. Based on these facts, the present inventors conducted further research to suppress the internal shrinkage of dried noodle blocks. As a result, the dried noodle mass immediately after the drying process was
The dry noodle mass is kept at a high temperature of ~95°C and at a specific temperature such that water evaporation does not occur from the surface of the dried noodle mass, but water evaporation occurs from the inside, and as a result, each part of the dried noodle mass They discovered that it is possible to quickly homogenize the moisture distribution and suppress the internal shrinkage of dried noodle blocks, thereby successfully preventing cracking and distortion of dried noodle blocks during storage. The method of the present invention will be explained in more detail below.
First, the dried noodle mass to be subjected to the method of the present invention is
Raw noodles or steamed noodles obtained by steaming raw noodles are subjected to superheated steam treatment to reduce the moisture content to a level that can withstand long-term storage, that is, 13% or less. In terms of its shape, it is so-called block-like, and rod-like ones tend not to exhibit the effectiveness of the present invention. The method of the present invention is particularly effective for dried noodles that have been subjected to a drying process at high temperature for a relatively short period of time with the premise of swelling the noodle strings. In the method of the present invention, immediately after the above-mentioned superheated steam treatment is completed, i.e., without waiting as much time as possible, the dried noodle mass immediately after the treatment is heated at a high temperature of 80 to 95°C, and moreover, the equilibrium moisture value of the dried noodle mass is The dried noodle mass is maintained at a humidity of 1 to 20 minutes such that the moisture content is higher than the moisture content on the surface and lower than the moisture content inside the dried noodle mass, and as a result, the moisture distribution in each part of the dried noodle mass is quickly changed. equalize to In other words, the humidity conditions described above are such that moisture evaporation from the surface of the dried noodle mass does not occur, while moisture evaporation from the dried noodle mass often occurs. In the present invention, the term "equilibrium moisture value" refers to the moisture content of the noodle mass after processing in a superheated steam atmosphere (under a specific temperature and humidity). However, when the noodle blocks that have been dried at high temperatures are left as they are or packed in bags as is the case with conventional methods, shrinkage occurs inside the dried noodle blocks over time, resulting in the center of the dried noodle blocks. There was a tendency for parts to become distorted or cracks to occur. However, when the dried noodle lumps are kept under a specific humidity after drying as in the method of the present invention, the noodles are kept in a soft state as a whole without being hardened due to a drop in the product temperature because the noodles are kept under high temperature conditions. Moreover, since the water inside the noodle strings is activated (kinetically), the evaporation of water from inside the dried noodle mass is promoted. Therefore, uniformity of water distribution in each part of the dried noodle mass is quickly achieved, and as a result, local shrinkage of the dried noodle mass does not occur, and of course, there is no distortion or cracking of the dried noodle mass due to misalignment. This provides the advantage of not causing any damage. In the present invention, when the temperature deviates from the above-mentioned range, that is, below 80°C, especially below 50°C, the surface of the dried noodle mass hardens and water evaporates slowly from inside the dried noodle mass. As a result, the inside of the dried noodle mass shrinks, causing distortion and cracking during storage. On the other hand, if the temperature exceeds 95°C, especially 100°C, water evaporates from the surface of the dried noodle mass, making it impossible to achieve a uniform moisture distribution, resulting in distortion and cracking during storage, and the dried noodle mass may burn. Sometimes. Furthermore, in the present invention, when the above-mentioned humidity conditions are deviated from, that is, when the dried noodle mass is maintained at a humidity that exhibits an equilibrium moisture value lower than the moisture content of the surface portion, the dry noodle mass may also be absorbed from the surface portion of the dried noodle mass. Because water evaporates,
The disadvantage is that the distribution of moisture in the dried noodle mass cannot be made uniform, resulting in distortion and cracking during storage. On the other hand, if the dried noodle mass is kept at a humidity that exhibits an equilibrium moisture value higher than the moisture content inside the dried noodle mass, the overall moisture content of the dried noodle mass will increase, meaning that the previous drying process will not be effective. As soon as the
Particularly in dry noodle blocks with a high degree of swelling, water absorption causes the noodles to shrink as a whole. In the present invention, it is preferable that the homogenization treatment is carried out until the moisture content on the surface and inside of the dried noodle mass are approximately equal, but it is desirable to carry out the homogenization treatment until the water content on the surface and inside of the dried noodle mass no longer evaporates from the inside of the dried noodle mass. If the homogenization process is carried out, the object of the present invention will be fully achieved. The dried noodle mass thus obtained is appropriately packaged into a product by bagging or the like. Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to Examples, and a control example will be given to compare the properties with dried noodle blocks obtained by a method other than the present invention. reveal. Example 1 After adding water to wheat flour and flour (1% weight ratio to wheat flour), kneading and rolling in a conventional manner (noodle thickness: 1.6 mm),
The raw noodles for one meal (105 g, water content 38%) were obtained by cutting and simultaneously cutting with a No. 19 cutting blade roll. Next, after loosening it appropriately, it was packed in a rectangular mold so that it was not densely packed, and then it was heated at a temperature of 170℃.
The noodles were treated with superheated steam at a flow rate of 8.5 m/sec for 50 seconds to obtain dry noodles with a moisture content of 11.0%. The surface moisture content of the dried noodles is 7.8%, and the internal moisture content is 14.8%.
It was hot. Next, this was immediately carried into a processing chamber set at a temperature of 80° C. and a humidity of 40% RH, and held for 10 minutes to obtain instant dried noodles (sample A) according to the present invention. The moisture distribution of the dried noodles was approximately uniform, and the moisture content was 8.4%. Control Example 1 Raw noodles were subjected to superheated steam treatment in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 to obtain dried noodles (sample B) with a water content of 11.0%. Control Example 2 Raw noodles were treated with superheated steam in exactly the same manner as in Example 1, and then immediately heated to a temperature of 40°C and a humidity of 40%.
The noodles were carried into a processing chamber set at RH and held for 30 minutes to obtain dried noodles (sample C). The moisture distribution of the dried noodles is almost uniform, and the moisture content is
It was 9.5%. Control Example 3 Raw noodles were treated with superheated steam in exactly the same manner as in Example 1, and then immediately heated to a temperature of 80°C and a humidity of 20%.
The noodles were carried into a processing chamber set at RH and held for 10 minutes to obtain dried noodles (sample D). The moisture content in each part of the dried noodles was 3.8% on the surface and 7.6% inside, and the moisture content as a whole was 5.3%. For the samples manufactured according to each of the above examples, the state of cracking during storage was compared. The results are shown in Table-1.

[Table] As shown in Table 1, the dried noodle blocks obtained by the method of the present invention have almost no cracking during storage, and no distortion of the noodle blocks is observed, so they can be used as preserved foods. It is clear that it has good properties. On the other hand, in the control sample that was not made using the method of the present invention, cracking became more noticeable over time.
Not only does the appearance look very bad, but the short and broken noodle strings impair the taste when eaten after pouring and restoring the noodles.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Obtain dry noodle blocks with a moisture content of 13% or less by subjecting raw noodles or steamed noodles to superheated steam treatment,
This is immediately held at a high temperature of 80 to 95°C and at a humidity such that the equilibrium moisture value is higher than the moisture content of the surface of the dried noodle block and lower than the moisture content inside the dried noodle block. A method for producing a dried noodle mass with less cracking during storage, characterized by quickly equalizing the distribution of moisture in each part of the dried noodle mass.