JP7523966B2 - Powder for solidified food and combination confectionery using the same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a powder for solidified food that can impart soft scoopability and reshapeability to a solidified food prepared by mixing with water without heating from a powder whose main component is anhydrous glucose, and to a combination confectionery that uses the same.

Previously, the applicant has proposed powders for solidifying foods that utilize the solidifying properties of anhydrous glucose when hydrated to prepare various solidified foods.

For example, there is a powder for solidification that prepares a molded confectionery in the shape of the molding recess (e.g., Patent Document 1), and a powder for molded confectionery that allows the molded confectionery to be easily removed without breaking while maintaining the shape of the molding recess (e.g., Patent Document 2). Further examples include powder for instant batter-like coated foods that prepares a batter-like coating layer like fried foods (e.g., Patent Document 3), and a powder for solidification that prepares a top-like confectionery that is strong enough to be spun and played with like a top (e.g., Patent Document 4).

However, with all of these powders for solidified foods, the solidified foods obtained by preparation (formed confectionery, molded confectionery, fried food-like coated foods, top-like confectionery, etc.) were in their final shape, and were intended to be used for decoration, playing with, or eating while retaining their shape. Therefore, the solidified foods did not have soft scoopability or reshapeability, and could not be easily scooped or scraped out using a spoon or disher-like tool, and the solidified foods obtained could not be reshaped into a different shape.

Publication number 3-33275 JP 2015-123058 A JP 2018-019673 A JP 2006-067933 A

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a powder for solidified food that can impart soft scoopability and remoldability to a solidified food prepared by mixing with water without heating from a powder whose main component is anhydrous glucose, and a combination confectionery using the same.

The present invention achieves the above-mentioned objectives by providing a powder for preparing solidified foods by non-heated hydration and mixing, characterized in that the powder contains, based on the total weight of the powder, 50% by weight or more of anhydrous glucose, 6 to 30% by weight of powdered oil and fat, and 2 to 18% by weight of pregelatinized starch.

Preferably, the viscosity of the pregelatinized starch when suspended in water at 2.5% by weight is 13.7 mPa·s or less at 25°C.

More preferably, the confectionery is a combination confectionery comprising the above-mentioned powder for solidified food and the following (A) or (B):
(A) Preparation tray having a recess for adding water and mixing (B) Preparation tray having a recess for adding water and mixing and a recess for dishing

In other words, the inventors conceived that by giving anhydrous glucose the properties of solidification through the addition of water, as well as soft scoopability and reshapeability, they could provide a new powder product that stands out from conventional powder products in which the final form is a solidified food product after preparation.

As a result of extensive research into ingredients and compositions for imparting soft scoopability and reshapeability, the researchers surprisingly discovered that by using a powder containing specific amounts of powdered oil and fat and pregelatinized starch, while using anhydrous glucose as the main ingredient, the researchers were able to impart soft scoopability and reshapeability to the solidified food after preparation, thus arriving at the present invention.

The powder for solidified foods of the present invention can impart soft scoopability and remoldability to solidified foods prepared by non-heated mixing with water.

In this specification, "soft scoopability" is defined as the ease with which a solidified food can be scooped after preparation with added water. Specifically, this means that the solidified food has a moderate hardness when inserted into a spoon, can be easily scooped with a spoon, and can be placed on the spoon's edge and scooped up. Therefore, it can be easily scooped using a spoon or a scooper-like tool. Furthermore, it is possible to scoop it up by scraping it, and serve it while maintaining the scooped shape.

In this specification, "reshapeability" is defined as the moldability of a solidified food once it has solidified after preparation with water, as distinct from the moldability when preparing a solidified food from powder. Specifically, it means that the solidified food is in a form that can be molded without changing into a liquid or semi-solid form when molded, and that it can be easily molded. Additionally, "reshaping" means molding the solidified food.

The solidified food product of the present invention has soft scoopability and remoldability, and is therefore versatile and can be developed into a variety of products, such as ice cream-like foods, potato salad-like foods, and Japanese confectionery-like foods, which can be scooped from a solidified preparation mold or reshaped and served.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a preparation tray (A). FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a preparation tray (B). FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a process for remolding a solidified food product.

The present invention will now be described in detail.
The powder for solidified foods of the present invention is a powder for preparing solidified foods by non-heated hydration mixing, and the inclusion of anhydrous glucose, powdered oil and fat, and pregelatinized starch is important in terms of soft scoopability and reshapeability.

"Non-heated" refers to a temperature range from refrigeration (5-30°C) to room temperature, i.e., no heating is required (5-30°C), which is important in terms of safety and ease of handling when preparing solidified foods. In the present invention, this means that the powder for solidified foods and the aqueous medium described below are handled without heating.

The term "hydration and mixing" refers to mixing the powder for solidified food of the present invention with an aqueous medium. The order of hydration and mixing is not limited, and the powder may be added to either the powder for solidified food or the aqueous medium.

Aqueous media include water from a water supply, milk, fruit juice (e.g., lemon juice), beverages (e.g., cafe au lait), syrups such as glucose or sugar, and solutions in which solutes such as flavorings and colorings are dissolved or dispersed. Of these, water from a water supply is particularly preferred because it is easy to obtain.

Anhydrous glucose is the main component of the powder for solidified foods of the present invention, and it is important in obtaining a solidified food that it contains 50% or more by weight of the total weight of the powder. In other words, if it contains 50% or more by weight, the anhydrous glucose will exhibit the property of solidifying when it comes into contact with an aqueous medium. However, this solidifying property does not appear in hydrated glucose, which is a general-purpose glucose. Preferably, it is less than 92% by weight, which is favorable in terms of soft scoopability and reshapeability.

Powdered oil is used for the purpose of imparting soft scoopability. It is important that the powdered oil content is 6-30% by weight of the total weight of the powder for solidified food in terms of soft scoopability and remoldability. If it is 6% by weight or more, the solidified food does not become hard and the soft scoopability is improved. The mixability of the powder for solidified food is also improved. If it is 30% by weight or less, the solidified food has a solid shape when molded and the remoldability is improved. It is also suitable in terms of releasability. A content of 8-20% by weight is preferable in terms of both soft scoopability and remoldability. Note that releasability means the ability to release the solidified food from the preparation mold or the mold used for remolding, and the non-adhesion to tools such as spoons used during remolding.

Powdered oils and fats can be used, whether they are of vegetable or animal origin, as long as they are in powder form.

Pregelatinized starch is used for the purpose of imparting reshapeability. It is important in terms of soft scoopability and reshapeability that the pregelatinized starch content be 2-18% by weight of the total weight of the powder for solidified foods. If it is 2% by weight or more, the solidified food will have a solid shape when molded and will have improved reshapeability. It is also suitable in terms of releasability. If it is 18% by weight or less, soft scoopability will be improved. It will also improve the mixability of the powder for solidified foods. A content of 6-12% by weight is preferable in terms of both good soft scoopability and reshapeability.

Examples of pregelatinized starch include starch produced using flour derived from grains such as wheat, rice, and corn, and dried powder of tubers such as potato, sweet potato, and cassava. Examples include starches such as wheat starch, rice starch, corn starch, waxy corn starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, and tapioca starch, as well as pregelatinized versions of these processed starches, and these can be used alone or in combination.

The method for preparing pregelatinized starch is a commonly used method, for example, by gelatinizing a suspension of starch or processed starch with a heated roll (drum dryer) or the like, and then drying. Drying methods include dehydration film drying, extrusion swelling drying using an extruder, spray drying using a spray dryer, etc. Pregelatinized starch may also be further processed for use, and examples of processing methods include known methods such as etherification, phosphate cross-linking, acetylation, esterification, oxidation, etc., either alone or in combination.

Also, when the gelatinized starch is suspended in water at 2.5% by weight, its viscosity at 25°C is preferably 13.7 mPa·s or less, more preferably 10.2 mPa·s or less, which is preferable in terms of soft scooping properties. Furthermore, it is preferable in terms of the releasability of the solidified food.

The viscosity can be measured using a viscometer (VISCOMETER TUB-10) manufactured by Toki Sangyo Co., Ltd. as follows. First, 975 g of water is placed in a container and mixed with a homogenizer (6,000 rpm).
The mixture is stirred at 350° C. (pm). 25 g of the gelatinized starch to be measured is added while stirring, and stirring is continued for about 10 minutes to prepare a 2.5 wt % aqueous suspension. About 100 mL of this aqueous suspension is transferred to a 100 mL tall beaker, which is then placed in a thermostatic bath at 25° C. and stirred to give a 2.5 wt % aqueous suspension at 25±1° C., which is then measured with the above viscometer. The measurement conditions are as follows, and the average value of three measurements is taken as the viscosity.
Adapter: spindle M1
Rotational speed: 60 rpm
Measurement temperature: 25±1℃

In addition, in the present invention, the powder for solidified food contains 50% by weight or more of anhydrous glucose, 6-30% by weight of powdered oil and fat, and 2-18% by weight of pregelatinized starch, with the total amount of the anhydrous glucose, the powdered oil and fat, and the pregelatinized starch not exceeding 100% by weight. Furthermore, when auxiliary materials as described below are contained, the powder contains 50% by weight or more of anhydrous glucose, 6-30% by weight of powdered oil and fat, and 2-18% by weight of pregelatinized starch, with the total amount of the anhydrous glucose, the powdered oil and fat, the pregelatinized starch, and the auxiliary materials not exceeding 100% by weight.

Furthermore, the powder for solidified food of the present invention may contain auxiliary raw materials as necessary. Examples of auxiliary raw materials include carbohydrates such as hydrated glucose, sugar, fructose, lactose, sugar alcohol, powdered candy, and dextrin, high-intensity sweeteners such as acesulfame potassium, sucralose, aspartame, and neotame, gelling agents such as β-starch and sodium alginate, acidulants, flavorings, flavorings, colorings, minerals (calcium, sodium, etc.), proteins (milk proteins, etc.), granular materials (candy chips, puffs, cookie crunchies, chocolate chips, color sprays, corn flakes, FD chips, etc.), powdered fruit juice, powdered vegetables, grain powders such as rice, foxtail millet, millet, and beans, and miscellaneous grain powders such as corn, buckwheat , and peanuts, and may be added alone or in combination as appropriate. Note that hydrated glucose does not exhibit solidification properties even when water is added, and is therefore treated as an auxiliary raw material since it does not affect the soft scoopability and reshapeability of the present invention.

It is preferable that the content of the secondary ingredients be less than 42% by weight of the total powder for solidified food so as not to impair the soft scoopability and remoldability of the solidified food after preparation.

Using the above-mentioned raw materials, the powder for solidified foods of the present invention is prepared, for example, as follows. That is, first, the main raw materials of anhydrous glucose, powdered oil and fat, and pregelatinized starch, as well as auxiliary raw materials as necessary, are prepared. The prepared raw materials are powder-mixed, powder-mixed and then granulated, or some of the raw materials are granulated and then all of the raw materials are powder-mixed, or the powder is appropriately prepared.

The powder for solidified food of the present invention may be filled in a container. There is no particular limit to the material of the container, and soft plastics such as polyethylene, paper, metal, etc. may be used as appropriate. Alternatively, a combination of these materials and a laminate may be used. There is no particular limit to the shape of the container, and a bag, cylinder, box, etc. may be selected as appropriate. Since anhydrous glucose is prone to hygroscopicity, it is preferable to use a highly moisture-proof material such as aluminum in a sealable form, which prevents hygroscopicity and drying and provides good durability over time.

Using the above-mentioned powder for solidified food, a solidified food can be prepared, for example, as follows. First, the powder for solidified food and the aqueous medium are placed in a cup or the like, mixed using a spoon, fork, chopsticks, a stirrer, a toothpick, or the like, and then left for 1 to 10 minutes to obtain a solidified food. In this case, a weight ratio of the aqueous medium to the powder for solidified food of 1:0.26 to 1.0 is preferable in terms of the solubility of the powder for solidified food.

The solidified food obtained as described above has soft scoopability and reshapeability, so it can be scooped from the preparation mold of the solidified food, reshaped, and served. It can also be easily scooped or scraped with a spoon or disher-like tool, and served while maintaining the scooped shape. Examples of product development of the solidified food include ice cream-like foods, potato salad-like foods, and Japanese sweets-like foods.

In addition to the cups mentioned above, household containers such as rice bowls and bowls, edible containers such as monaka wafers, or preparation trays such as those shown in Figure 1 or Figure 2 may be used for adding water and mixing.

In addition, in the present invention, the above-mentioned powder for solidified food may be combined with a preparation tray as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 to produce a combined confectionery. The preparation tray (A) of FIG. 1 is preferable in that it allows the solidified food to be easily prepared, while the preparation tray (B) of FIG. 2 is preferable in that it allows the solidified food to be easily prepared and reshaped. The preparation tray (A) or (B) may further include other recesses such as a detachable measuring cup or a container for serving the reshaped solidified food.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a preparation tray (A), and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a preparation tray (B), where 1 is a preparation tray, 11 is a concave portion for adding water and mixing, and 12 is a concave portion for disher processing. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2(a) are perspective views of the preparation tray 1. FIG. 2(b) is a vertical cross-sectional view of 12 in FIG. 2(a) seen from the X direction, and 12 is hemispherical. FIG. 1 shows a preparation tray consisting of 11, and FIG. 2 shows a preparation tray consisting of 11 and 12. The number of each concave portion of 11 and 12 is not limited, and each may be single or multiple. 11 is used to mix powder for solidified food with an aqueous medium to prepare a solidified food. 12 is used to reshape the solidified food.

The material of the preparation tray 1 is not particularly limited, and examples include materials with soft physical properties such as polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, silicone, etc., or a combination of these materials laminated together.

The combination confectionery of the present invention can be manufactured, for example, as follows. First, the powder for solidified food disclosed above is filled into a container as described above, and the preparation tray is prepared. Then, these are further sealed into a package as necessary to form a combination confectionery product. At this time, tools such as measuring cups, droppers, stirring sticks, muddlers, spoons, forks, chopsticks, spatulas, skewers, toothpicks, etc., as well as recesses for serving the confectionery after reshaping, edible containers, sheets, etc. may also be enclosed.

Next, a method for reshaping a solidified food using the disher processing recess 12 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a process for reshaping a solidified food. As shown in FIG. 3(a), the preparation tray 1 uses the above-mentioned (B) type having two hydration mixing recesses 11 and one disher processing recess 12. FIG. 3(b) and FIG. 3(c) are longitudinal cross- sectional views of 12 in FIG. 3(a) as viewed from the X direction. As shown in FIG. 3(b) and FIG. 3(c), 12 in FIG. 3(a) is hemispherical.

First, as shown in FIG. 3(a), the powder for solidified food and the aqueous medium are mixed in the hydration and mixing recess 11 to prepare the solidified food 21 (preparation process not shown). Next, the solidified food 21 in 11 is scooped up with a spoon 22 and transferred to the disher processing recess 12. The ease with which the solidified food 21 can be scooped up with the spoon 22 at this time is referred to as soft scoopability.

Next, as shown in Fig. 3(b), the surface of the solidified food 21 in 12 is lightly pressed with a spoon 22 to make it even and reshape. Then, as shown in Fig. 3(c), the spoon 22 is inserted along the wall surface of 12, and the solidified food 21 is taken out in its entirety in the direction of the arrow, and is served in a container 31 as a reshaped product 21' as shown in Fig. 3(d). The shape and formability of the solidified food 21 are reshapeable.

In this way, the solidified food 21 obtained by mixing with water can be reshaped into the shape of 12 (a hemispherical shape in the case of FIG. 3) to produce the reshaped product 21'. In addition, the vessel 31 in which the reshaped product is served, placed, or placed can be an edible container, a plate, a tray, or the like.

The shape of the disher processing recess 12 may be a hemispherical shape as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, or may be a roughly hemispherical shape with a constriction, or a shape such as a star, heart, or animal that is provided horizontally on the bottom surface. The removal of the remolded product can be achieved by a variety of methods other than the above-mentioned method using a spoon. For example, the disher processing recess 12 may be pushed out from the outside with a finger without using a spoon.

Next, the present invention will be described in detail based on examples.
<Examples 1 to 10 and Comparative Examples 1 to 6>
<Preparation of powder for solidified food>
The compositions shown in Tables 1 and 2 were prepared, and the powders were mixed together to prepare solidified food powders.

Using the powders for solidified foods of the Examples and Comparative Examples and the preparation tray 1 shown in Fig. 3(a), five expert panelists prepared solidified foods in the following procedure, and then reshaped the solidified foods into hemispherical shapes. The process of reshaping the solidified foods was carried out as shown in Fig. 3.
<Preparation of solidified food>
5 g of the above-mentioned powder for solidified food and 2 g of tap water at room temperature (25°C) were placed into the water-adding and mixing recess 11 of the preparation tray 1 in Figure 3 (a), mixed with a spoon, and left for 3 minutes to prepare a solidified food 21 in 11.
<Reshaping solidified foods>
As shown in Fig. 3(a), the solidified food 21 in 11 was scooped up with a spoon 22 and transferred into the disher processing recess 12. Next, as shown in Fig. 3(b), the surface of the solidified food 21 in 12 was lightly pressed with the spoon 22 to make it even. Next, as shown in Fig. 3(c), the spoon 22 was inserted along the wall surface of 12, and the solidified food 21 was taken out in its entirety in the direction of the arrow. Next, as shown in Fig. 3(d), the solidified food 21 taken out with the spoon 22 was served in a vessel 31 as a reshaped product 21'.

The above five expert panelists evaluated the mixing condition and dispersibility of the powder for solidified foods, the soft scoopability, remoldability, and releasability of the solidified foods in the above examples and comparative examples. The results are shown in Tables 1 and 2. The evaluation was performed according to the evaluation criteria written in the margin of each table. In the evaluation, products with an average score of more than 3.0 for both soft scoopability and remoldability were judged to have significantly demonstrated the effects of the present invention.

As a result of the evaluation, the examples had good soft scoopability and remoldability, and in particular examples 3 and 4 had very good averages of 4.5 or more for all four evaluation items, and were able to mold beautiful hemispherical remolded products. In contrast, the comparative examples 1, 2, and 6 had poor soft scoopability, and comparative examples 3, 4, and 5 had poor remoldability.

<Examples 11 to 16>
<Preparation of powder for solidified food, preparation of solidified food, reshaping of solidified food>
As in Example 1, a powder for solidified food having the composition shown in Table 3 was prepared, followed by preparation of a solidified food, which was then remolded into a hemispherical shape.

The above examples were evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 3. The evaluation was performed according to the evaluation criteria written in the margin of each table. In the evaluation, those with both soft scoopability and remoldability having an average score of more than 3.0 were judged to have significantly exhibited the effects of the present invention.

As a result of the evaluation, the examples had good soft scooping properties and remoldability. In particular, examples 11 to 14 were good, with average values of 3.8 or more for all five evaluation items.

<Examples 17 to 20>
<Preparation of powder for solidified food>
The compositions shown in Table 4 were prepared, and the powders were mixed to prepare powders for solidified foods. 5 g of the powders were then placed in a polyethylene bag and sealed. The compositions in Table 4 were used to determine the composition of the solidified foods prepared in Example 1.
Examples 7 and 18 were designed to be ice cream-like, Example 19 to be potato salad-like, and Example 20 to be koshian-like.

<Preparation of combined confectionery>
<Examples 17 and 20>
The above solidified food powder, the preparation tray shown in Fig. 1, and a plastic spoon were prepared. These were sealed in a polyethylene package to obtain a combined snack.
<Examples 18 and 19>
The above solidified food powder, the preparation tray shown in Fig. 2, and a plastic spoon were prepared. These were sealed in a polyethylene package to obtain a combined snack.

Using the combination confectioneries of Examples 17 to 20, five expert panelists prepared solidified foods, which were then reshaped.
<Preparation of solidified food>
<Examples 17 to 20>
In each Example, 5 g of the powder for solidified food shown in Table 4 and 2 g of tap water at room temperature (25°C) were added to the water-adding and mixing recess 11 of the preparation tray 1, mixed with a spoon, and left for 3 minutes to prepare a solidified food in 11.
<Reshaping solidified foods>
<Example 17>
The solidified food in 11 was scooped up by scraping the surface of the solidified food with a spoon, and transferred to a container 31 as shown in Fig. 3(d) several times, and served in the container 31 to become an ice cream-like reshaped product. As a result of the evaluation, the solidified food had good soft scoopability. In addition, it had a solid shape when scooped with a spoon, and could be served in the shape scraped with the spoon, and had excellent reshapeability. Furthermore, it also had good releasability from the spoon.
<Example 18>
As in Example 1, the mixture was reshaped using the disher processing recess 12, and a hemispherical ice cream-like reshaped product 21' was served in a container 31 as shown in Fig. 3(d). As a result of the evaluation, the mixture had good soft scoopability, could be formed into a beautiful hemispherical shape, and had good reshapeability.
<Example 19>
As in Example 1, the potato salad was reshaped using the disher processing recess 12, and the reshaped potato salad-like semispherical product 21' was served in a container 31 as shown in Fig. 3(d). As a result of the evaluation, the potato salad had good soft scoopability, could be formed into a beautiful semispherical shape, and had good reshapeability.
<Example 20>
The solidified food in 11 was scooped up with a spoon, scraping off the surface, rolled into a ball in the palm of the hand, and arranged on a small plate in the shape of a bean-jam dumpling (Japanese sweets). As a result of the evaluation, the solidified food had good soft scoopability. It could also be easily rolled into a ball in the palm of the hand, and had good reshapeability.

1 Preparation tray 11 Water mixing recess 12 Disher processing recess 21 Solidified food 21' Reformed product 22 Spoon 31 Container

Claims (3)

The powder for preparing a solidified food by non-heated hydration mixing is characterized in that the powder contains, based on the total weight of the powder, 64.4 % by weight or more of anhydrous glucose, 8 to 20 % by weight of powdered oil and fat, and 2 to 18% by weight of alpha-starch. The powder for solidified food according to claim 1, wherein the viscosity of the gelatinized starch at 25°C when suspended in water at a concentration of 2.5% by weight is 13.7 mPa·s or less. A combination confectionery comprising the following (X) and the following (A) or (B):
(X) A powder for preparing a solidified food by non-heated hydration and mixing, the powder containing 50% by weight or more of anhydrous glucose, 6 to 30% by weight of powdered oil and fat, and 2 to 18% by weight of pregelatinized starch based on the total weight of the powder.
(A) Preparation tray having a recess for adding water and mixing (B) Preparation tray having a recess for adding water and mixing and a recess for dishing

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