JP7613869B2 - Texture improver, mix containing same, fried skin food or fried noodle skin using same, and fried skin food or fried noodle - Google Patents

Description

This technology relates to a texture improver, a mix containing the same, and fried skin foods or noodle skins for fried noodles, as well as fried skin foods or fried noodles, that use the same. More specifically, this technology relates to a texture improver that can improve texture to an appropriate hardness, crispness, or crunchiness, a mix containing the same, and fried skin foods or noodle skins for fried noodles, as well as fried skin foods or fried noodles, that use the same.

Traditionally, various attempts have been made to improve the quality of food and beverage products in terms of texture, color, flavor, taste, etc., and many methods have been developed to improve texture in particular. Texture is influenced by the complex interactions of the components of food, namely water, oil, starch, protein, fiber, etc.

For example, fried spring rolls are made by wrapping ingredients in spring roll skins made primarily from wheat flour and frying them in oil. A crispy texture is preferred for the skin, but after frying, the moisture from the ingredients inside the skin transfers to the skin over time, causing the skin to become soggy and chewy. For this reason, it is necessary to maintain the crispy texture of the skin even after time has passed after frying.

In response to this, for example, there are known methods, such as a method using one or more low-viscosity starches selected from the group consisting of dextrin, oxidized starch, acid-treated starch, crosslinked starch, and high-amylose corn starch as the raw material flour (see Patent Document 1), a method using a composition for deep-fried spring roll wrappers that contains wheat flour and a swelling-inhibited starch with a swelling degree of 5 or less, the swelling-inhibited starch content being 2 to 70% by mass relative to the total amount of wheat flour and swelling-inhibited starch (see Patent Document 2), and a method using spring roll wrappers that contain a raw material flour made of wheat flour and starch, a specific emulsifier (0.3 to 3% by weight relative to the raw material flour), and dextrin with a DE value of 20% or less (5% by weight to 20% by weight relative to the raw material flour) (see Patent Document 3).

JP 2004-121016 A JP 2003-199518 A JP 2010-178709 A

However, the reality is that these prior art techniques have not yet achieved sufficient texture improvement effects.

Therefore, the main objective of this technology is to provide a texture improver that can improve the hardness, crispness, and crunchiness of food, a mix containing the same, and fried skin foods or noodle skins for fried noodles, as well as fried skin foods or fried noodles, that use the mix and the mix.

The inventors of the present application conducted intensive experiments and investigations to solve the above problems, and as a result, discovered that the texture of fried food skins or fried noodles can be improved by using a starch hydrolysate characterized by a high content of very high molecular weight oligosaccharide components and low molecular weight dextrin components, and thus completed the present technology.

That is, in the present technology, first, the content of glucose polymerization degree (DP) 8 to 19 is 32% or more,
Provided is a texture improver for fried skin foods or noodle skins for fried noodles, which contains a starch hydrolyzate having a content of 30% or less of glucose with a degree of polymerization (DP) of 20 or more.

The present technology also provides a mix of fried skin foods or fried noodle skins that contains the texture improver.

Furthermore, the present technology also provides fried food skins or fried noodle skins that use the texture improver or the mix.

In addition, the present technology also provides fried skin foods or fried noodles using the texture improver, the mix, or the fried skin foods or fried noodle skins.

According to the present technology, it is possible to provide a texture improver that can improve the hardness, crispness, and crunchiness of food to a suitable level, a mix containing the same, and fried skin foods or noodle skins for fried noodles, as well as fried skin foods or fried noodles, which use the same.
The effects described herein are not necessarily limited to those described herein, and may be any of the effects described in this specification.

Preferred embodiments for carrying out the present technology will be described below.
Note that the embodiment described below is an example of a typical embodiment of the present technology, and the scope of the present technology is not narrowed by this.

The texture improver according to the present technology is characterized by having a starch hydrolysate with a glucose degree of polymerization (DP) of 8 to 19 of 32% or more and a glucose degree of polymerization (DP) of 20 or more of 30% or less.

The texture modifier according to the present technology contains a large amount of high molecular weight oligosaccharide components and low molecular weight dextrin components (degree of glucose polymerization; DP 8-19), and therefore interactions between linear sugar molecules occur that do not occur in low molecular weight oligosaccharides, resulting in high crystallinity. By utilizing this property, fried skin foods or fried noodles produced using the texture modifier according to the present technology can be improved to a suitable hardness, crispness, and crunchiness, and can maintain their texture. Furthermore, since it has excellent freezing resistance, the texture of fried skin foods or fried noodles produced using the texture modifier will not deteriorate even if they are frozen and then re-fried as necessary. Therefore, fried skin foods or fried noodles with a good texture can be provided, for example, in the prepared food section of a convenience store or supermarket. In addition, the good texture can be maintained for a long time even when used as a side dish in a lunch box.

<About starch hydrolysates>
The starch hydrolyzate used in the present technology is obtained by decomposing (saccharifying) a starch raw material, for example, starch (above-ground starch) such as corn starch, waxy corn starch, rice starch, wheat starch, etc., starch derived from underground stems or roots (underground starch) such as potato starch, tapioca starch, sweet potato starch, etc., or processed starch thereof, etc. The starch raw material used is not particularly limited, and any starch raw material can be used.

The compositional characteristics of the starch hydrolysate used in this technology are a content of glucose degrees of polymerization (hereinafter also referred to as "DP") 8-19 of 32% or more and a content of DP20 or more of 30% or less. The starch hydrolysate used in this technology contains a large amount of high molecular weight oligosaccharide components and low molecular weight dextrin components (DP8-19), and therefore exhibits low sweetness, low osmotic pressure, and moisture absorption resistance compared to general oligosaccharides. In addition, since the content of DP20 or more is low, the flavor specific to dextrin that may impair the flavor of food and beverages is reduced. Therefore, it can be suitably applied to applications that do not require sweetness. The starch hydrolysate used in this technology contains a large amount of high molecular weight oligosaccharide components and low molecular weight dextrin components (DP8-19), and therefore has the characteristic of high crystallization ability due to interactions between linear sugar molecules that do not occur in low molecular weight oligosaccharides.

Furthermore, the starch hydrolysate used in this technology contains a large amount of high molecular weight oligosaccharide components and low molecular weight dextrin components (DP8-19), which allows for interactions between linear sugar molecules that do not occur with low molecular weight oligosaccharides, while at the same time providing a low content of DP20 or higher, i.e., a low content of linear sugar molecules of DP20 or higher, giving the product an appropriate crystallization ability. As a result, excessive crystallization during production and use is suppressed, making it suitable for use in applications that utilize crystallization.

Furthermore, the starch hydrolysate used in this technology can be used to efficiently produce water-soluble or water-soluble non-crystallized starch hydrolysate, or can be used by uniformly mixing the starch hydrolysate with the raw materials for fried food skins or fried noodles before crystallization and then crystallizing it.

The starch hydrolysate used in this technology is not particularly limited in terms of its content, so long as it has a DP8-19 content of 32% or more, but it is preferably 40% or more, and more preferably 45% or more. This is because the higher the DP8-19 content, the higher the crystallinity and the better the texture can be improved.

The starch hydrolysate used in this technology is not particularly limited in content, so long as the content of DP20 or more is 30% or less, but is preferably 28% or less, and more preferably 26% or less. The lower the content of DP20 or more, the easier it is to dissolve in water and disperse in dough, resulting in better workability.

The starch hydrolysate used in this technology preferably has an iodine color value of 0.15 or more, more preferably 0.20 or more, and even more preferably 0.30 or more. In this technology, the iodine color value of the starch hydrolysate is a value measured by the following iodine color value measurement method.

[Method for measuring iodine color value]
25 mg of a sample (starch hydrolyzate) was added as solid content to a test tube containing 5 mL of water and mixed, and 100 μL of an iodine coloring solution (0.2 mass/volume % iodine and 2 mass/volume % potassium iodide) was added. After stirring, the mixture was allowed to stand at 30° C. for 20 minutes, and then the absorbance at 660 nm was measured using a spectrophotometer with a glass cell having an optical path length of 10 mm. The difference from the absorbance measured when no sample was added was taken as the iodine coloring value.

The color reaction with iodine indicates the presence of linear glycans of DP16 or more. Starch hydrolysates with a high content of DP20 or more show a color reaction because they contain many linear glycans of DP16 or more. However, starch hydrolysates with a low content of DP20 or more usually do not show a color reaction, or if they do, the iodine color value is very low. However, the starch hydrolysates used in this technology show a color reaction with iodine, because the main components are DP8-19, which is near the lower limit of iodine color reaction, and there are many linear components, despite the low content of DP20 or more. In other words, in starch hydrolysates with a low content of DP20 or more, the iodine color value is an index of the level of linear component content.

In this technology, by using a starch hydrolysate with an iodine color value of 0.15 or more, interactions between linear sugar molecules that do not occur with low molecular weight oligosaccharides are more likely to occur, providing a texture improver with higher crystallization ability.

<Production method of starch hydrolysate>
The method for obtaining the starch hydrolyzate used in the present technology is not particularly limited as long as it does not impair the effects of the present technology. For example, the starch hydrolyzate can be obtained by treating the starch raw material with a common acid or enzyme, or by appropriately combining predetermined operations such as various types of chromatography, membrane separation, and ethanol precipitation.

One method for efficiently obtaining the starch hydrolysate used in this technology is to act at least on a debranching enzyme and a branching enzyme on starch or a starch hydrolysis intermediate. A debranching enzyme is an enzyme involved in the decomposition of the branched chains of starch, and a branching enzyme is an enzyme used in the synthesis of the branched chains of starch. More specifically, a "debranching enzyme" is a general term for enzymes that catalyze the reaction of hydrolyzing the α-1,6-glucosidic bonds that are the branching points of starch. A "branching enzyme" is a general term for enzymes that act on linear glucans linked by α-1,4-glucosidic bonds to create α-1,6-glucosidic bonds. The two are not usually used together. However, by combining these two enzymes that have completely opposite actions, the starch hydrolysate used in this technology can be reliably produced. In this case, the order of action of the two enzymes is to act simultaneously or after the action of the branching enzyme, with the debranching enzyme acting.

The debranching enzyme is not particularly limited. For example, pullulanase (Pullulanase, pullulan 6-glucan hydrolase) and amylo-1,6-glucosidase/4-α glucanotransferase can be mentioned, and a more preferred example is isoamylase (Isoamylase, glycogen 6-glucanohydrolase).

The branching enzyme is not particularly limited. For example, enzymes purified from animals or bacteria, or enzymes purified from plants such as potatoes, rice seeds, and corn seeds, or commercially available enzyme preparations can be used.

In the method for producing starch hydrolysates used in the present technology, a step of removing impurities can also be carried out after the enzyme reaction. The method for removing impurities is not particularly limited, and one or more known methods can be freely combined to be used. Examples of methods include filtration, activated carbon decolorization, and ion purification.

Furthermore, the starch hydrolysate used in this technology can be used as a liquid product containing the starch hydrolysate after the enzyme reaction, but it can also be dehydrated and dried by vacuum drying, spray drying, freeze drying, etc., and turned into a powder. It is also possible to fractionate some of the components by chromatography or membrane separation and use them.

<About the texture improver containing starch hydrolysate used in this technology>
The texture improver according to the present technology contains the above-mentioned starch hydrolysate. The starch hydrolysate used in the present technology can improve the texture of fried food skins or fried noodles by being used together with the raw materials of the foods.

The mechanism of the texture improver of this technology is unclear, but it is speculated that the aforementioned starch hydrolysate forms fine crystals that exist in the gaps between the fried noodle skin foods or fried noodles, thereby modifying the physical properties of the fried noodle skin foods or fried noodles.

The texture modifier according to the present technology may be composed of only the starch hydrolysate used in the present technology as an active ingredient, or may contain one or more other ingredients selected freely as long as the effect of the present technology is not impaired. Examples of other ingredients that can be used include excipients, pH adjusters, colorants, flavorings, disintegrants, lubricants, stabilizers, emulsifiers, etc. Furthermore, ingredients with known or future functions can be used in combination as appropriate depending on the purpose. Since the starch hydrolysates described above are classified as foods, the texture modifier according to the present technology can be treated as a food depending on the selection of ingredients other than the starch hydrolysate.

The method of applying the texture modifier according to the present technology to fried skin foods or fried noodles is not particularly limited. For example, the following methods can be used: blending the texture modifier according to the present technology directly into fried skin foods or fried noodles; dissolving or dispersing the texture modifier according to the present technology in any solvent and then adding it to fried skin foods or fried noodles; blending the texture modifier according to the present technology directly into fried skin foods or fried noodles, and then crystallizing part or all of the starch hydrolysate together with the raw materials of the fried skin foods or fried noodles.

<About fried food skins or fried noodle skin mixes>
The present technology also provides a mix for fried skin foods or fried noodle skins containing the texture improver according to the present technology. The mix according to the present technology may contain other ingredients, other materials, etc., as long as the effects of the present technology are not impaired.

Examples of other components that can be used include excipients, pH adjusters, colorants, flavoring agents, disintegrants, lubricants, stabilizers, emulsifiers, etc. Furthermore, components having known or future functions can also be used in combination depending on the purpose.
Other ingredients include, for example, flours such as rice flour, buckwheat flour, barley flour, rye flour, corn flour, barnyard millet flour, foxtail millet flour, soy flour, and white sorghum flour; carbohydrates such as dextrin, oligosaccharides, glucose, powdered starch syrup, and sugar; protein materials such as wheat-derived proteins such as gluten, egg-derived proteins, soy-derived proteins, and milk-derived proteins; oils and fats such as powdered oils and fats, salad oils, and shortening; dietary fibers such as powdered cellulose, crystalline cellulose, inulin, and resistant starch, thickeners such as guar gum, locust bean gum, carrageenan, and xanthan gum; leavening agents such as baking soda; salts such as salt; spices, seasonings, vitamins, minerals, colorants, fragrances, yam flour, and nagaimo flour.

By using the mix according to this technology, fried food skins or fried noodle skins can be obtained that have an appropriate hardness, crispness, and crunchiness.

In addition, by distributing the mix according to the present technology on the market and using the mix when industrially producing fried skin foods or noodle skins for fried noodles, the manufacturing process can be simplified. Alternatively, by using the mix according to the present technology distributed on the market at home, consumers can save the trouble of mixing the various ingredients, and it becomes possible to easily obtain fried skin foods or noodle skins for fried noodles, as well as fried skin foods or fried noodles, which have been improved to have an appropriate hardness, crispness, and crunchiness, even at home. Therefore, the mix according to the present technology is extremely useful whether it is used industrially or at home.

<Fried food skins or fried noodle skins>
The texture improver according to the present technology is used in fried noodle skin foods or noodle skins for fried noodles. Furthermore, by using a mix of fried noodle skin foods or noodle skins for fried noodles according to the present technology, foods for fried noodle skins or noodle skins for fried noodles can be produced.
The term "fried skin foods or noodle skins for fried noodles" refers to a concept that includes skins for fried skin foods before frying or before wrapping ingredients, and noodle strings or noodle bands for fried noodles before frying.

<About fried skin foods or fried noodles>
Fried skin foods or fried noodles can be produced by using the texture improver according to the present technology, the mix according to the present technology, or noodle skins for fried skin foods or fried noodles.

Fried skin foods refer to foods made by mixing raw flour whose main component is starch, such as wheat flour (such as weak flour, medium flour, semi-strong flour, strong flour, whole wheat flour, durum wheat flour, etc.), starch (above ground starch) such as corn starch, waxy corn starch, rice starch, waxy rice starch, wheat starch, waxy wheat starch, sago starch, starch derived from underground stems or roots (underground starch) such as potato starch, waxy potato starch, tapioca starch, waxy tapioca starch, sweet potato starch, waxy sweet potato starch, etc., or processed starch made from these raw materials, with water and other ingredients, forming it into a sheet-like fried skin food (noodle skin), wrapping ingredients, etc. as necessary, and frying it. Specifically, examples of fried skin foods or noodle skins for fried noodles made by baking a batter-like dough include fried spring rolls and fried crepes, and examples of fried skin foods or noodle skins for fried noodles made by rolling a kneaded dough include fried gyoza, fried shumai, fried wonton, fried ravioli, etc. Other ingredients include, for example, flours such as rice flour, buckwheat flour, barley flour, rye flour, corn flour, barnyard millet flour, millet flour, soy flour, and white sorghum flour; carbohydrates such as dextrin, oligosaccharides, glucose, powdered starch syrup, and sugar; protein materials such as wheat-derived proteins such as gluten, egg-derived proteins, soy-derived proteins, and milk-derived proteins; oils and fats such as powdered oils and fats, salad oils, and shortening; dietary fibers such as powdered cellulose, crystalline cellulose, inulin, and resistant starch; thickeners such as guar gum, locust bean gum, carrageenan, and xanthan gum; leavening agents such as baking soda; salts such as salt; spices, seasonings, vitamins, minerals, colorants, flavorings, yam flour, and long yam flour.

Fried noodles refer to noodles that have already been fried in oil. Typical examples of fried noodles include sara udon noodles, but also include fried noodles used in instant noodles. In the present technology, the fried noodles are not particularly limited to the type of noodles as long as they have been fried in oil, and for example, Chinese noodles, udon noodles, soba noodles, somen noodles, hiyashi noodles, pastas, and other noodle strings can be fried in oil.
Fried noodles are produced, for example, by adding water to a powder composition for making noodles, kneading the mixture to form noodle skins for fried noodles, and frying the resulting noodle skins. The powder composition for making noodles contains raw material flour and other ingredients. The raw material flour is mainly composed of starch such as wheat flour, such as weak flour, medium strength flour, semi-strong flour, strong flour, whole wheat flour, and durum wheat flour, starch (above-ground starch) such as corn starch, waxy corn starch, rice starch, waxy rice starch, wheat starch, waxy wheat starch, and sago starch, starch derived from underground stems or roots (underground starch) such as potato starch, waxy potato starch, tapioca starch, waxy tapioca starch, sweet potato starch, and waxy sweet potato starch, and processed starch made from these raw materials, and the blending of the raw material flour is appropriately adjusted depending on the type of fried noodles to be produced. Other ingredients include, for example, flours such as rice flour, buckwheat flour, barley flour, rye flour, corn flour, barnyard millet flour, foxtail millet flour, soy flour, and white sorghum flour; carbohydrates such as dextrin, oligosaccharides, glucose, powdered starch syrup, and sugar; protein materials such as wheat-derived proteins such as gluten, egg-derived proteins, soy-derived proteins, and milk-derived proteins; oils and fats such as powdered oils and fats, salad oils, and shortening; dietary fibers such as powdered cellulose, crystalline cellulose, inulin, and resistant starch, thickeners such as guar gum, locust bean gum, carrageenan, and xanthan gum; leavening agents such as baking soda; salts such as salt; spices, seasonings, vitamins, minerals, colorants, fragrances, yam flour, and nagaimo flour.

In the present technology, when the fried skin food is a baked batter-like dough (particularly, fried spring rolls), the texture improver according to the present technology is preferably blended in an amount of 0.5 to 50 mass % relative to the raw material flour of the baked batter-like dough, more preferably 4.5 to 40 mass %, and even more preferably 9 to 35 mass %.
Furthermore, when the deep-fried skin food product is one obtained by rolling out kneaded dough (particularly, deep-fried dumplings), the texture improver according to the present technology is preferably blended in an amount of 0.3 to 20 mass % relative to the raw material flour of the rolled out kneaded dough, more preferably 0.5 to 15 mass %, and even more preferably 4.5 to 13 mass %.
Furthermore, in the case of fried noodles, the texture improver according to the present technology is preferably blended in an amount of 0.5 to 20 mass% relative to the raw material flour of the fried noodles, more preferably 4.5 to 18 mass%, and even more preferably 9 to 18 mass%.

The present technology will be described in further detail below based on examples.
Note that the embodiment described below is merely an example of a typical embodiment of the present technology, and the scope of the present technology is not narrowed by this embodiment.

<Experimental Example: Production of Texture Modifier>
[Test Method]
Texture modifiers consisting of starch hydrolysates were produced, and the sugar composition and iodine color value of each produced texture modifier were measured.

[Branching enzyme]
In this experimental example, as an example of a branching enzyme, a purified potato-derived enzyme (hereinafter referred to as "potato-derived branching enzyme") and Branchzyme (manufactured by Novozymes Inc., hereinafter referred to as "bacterial branching enzyme") were used in accordance with the method of Eur. J. Biochem. 59, p615-625 (1975).

The activity of the branching enzyme was measured as follows.
As the substrate solution, an amylose solution was used in which 0.1% by mass of amylose (Sigma-Aldrich, A0512) was dissolved in 0.1M acetate buffer (pH 5.2). 50 μL of enzyme solution was added to 50 μL of substrate solution, and the mixture was reacted at 30° C. for 30 minutes, after which 2 mL of iodine-potassium iodide solution (0.39 mM iodine-6 mM potassium iodide-3.8 mM hydrochloric acid mixture) was added to stop the reaction. A blank solution was prepared by adding water instead of the enzyme solution. The absorbance at 660 nm was measured 15 minutes after the reaction was stopped. One unit of enzyme activity of the branching enzyme was defined as the enzyme activity that reduces the absorbance at 660 nm by 1% per minute when tested under the above conditions.

[Content of DP8-19 and DP20 or more]
Analysis was performed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) under the conditions shown below, and the contents of DP8 to 19 and DP20 or more were measured based on the detected peak area ratios.
Column: MCI CK02AS (manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation)
Column temperature: 80°C
・Eluent: Water ・Flow rate: 1.0mL/min
・Detector: Differential refractometer

[Iodine color measurement]
25 mg of a sample (starch hydrolyzate) was added as a solid content to a test tube containing 5 mL of water and mixed in. 100 μL of an iodine coloring solution (0.2 mass/volume % iodine and 2 mass/volume % potassium iodide) was added thereto, stirred, and then allowed to stand at 30° C. for 20 minutes. The absorbance at 660 nm was measured using a spectrophotometer with a glass cell having an optical path length of 10 mm, and the difference from the absorbance measured when no sample was added was taken as the iodine coloring value.

[Method of producing each texture improver]
[Texture improver 1]
α-amylase (Licozyme Supra, manufactured by Novozymes Japan Co., Ltd.) was added at 0.2% by mass per solid content (g) to a 30% by mass corn starch slurry adjusted to pH 5.8 with 10% calcium hydroxide, and liquefied in a jet cooker (temperature 110 ° C.). This liquefied liquid was kept at 95 ° C., and the DE was measured continuously. When the DE reached 16, the pH was adjusted to 4 with 10% hydrochloric acid, and the reaction was stopped by boiling. After adjusting the pH of the sugar solution from which the reaction was stopped to 5.8, 1500 units of bacterial branching enzyme were added per solid content (g), and the reaction was allowed to proceed at 65 ° C. for 24 hours, and then the reaction was stopped by boiling. Then, debranching enzyme (GODO-FIA, manufactured by Godo Shusei Co., Ltd.) was added at 1.5% by mass per solid content (g), and the reaction was allowed to proceed at 50 ° C. for 24 hours. The starch hydrolyzate solution was decolorized with activated carbon, ionically purified, and concentrated to a solid content of 55% by mass. The concentrated liquid was powdered with a spray dryer to obtain a starch hydrolyzate (texture modifier 1).

[Texture improver 2]
α-amylase (Klystase T10S, Amano Enzyme Co., Ltd.) was added at 0.2% by mass per solid content (g) to a 30% tapioca powder slurry adjusted to pH 5.8 with 10% calcium hydroxide, and liquefied in a jet cooker (temperature 110 ° C.). This liquefied liquid was kept at 95 ° C., and the DE was measured continuously. When the DE reached 15, the pH was adjusted to 4 with 10% hydrochloric acid, and the reaction was stopped by boiling. After adjusting the pH of the sugar solution in which the reaction was stopped to 5.8, 2000 units of potato-derived branching enzyme were added per solid content (g) and reacted at 35 ° C. for 30 hours. The pH was then adjusted to 4.2, and debranching enzyme (isoamylase, Sigma-Aldrich Japan Co., Ltd.) was added at 1.0% by mass per solid content (g) and reacted at 45 ° C. for 30 hours. The starch hydrolyzate solution was decolorized with activated carbon, ionically purified, and concentrated to a solid content of 60% by mass. The concentrated liquid was powdered with a spray dryer to obtain a starch hydrolyzate (texture modifier 2).

[Texture improver 3]
α-amylase (Klystase T10S, Amano Enzyme Co., Ltd.) was added at 0.2% by mass per solid content (g) to a 30% by mass corn starch slurry adjusted to pH 5.8 with 10% calcium hydroxide, and liquefied in a jet cooker (temperature 110 ° C.). The liquefied liquid was kept at 95 ° C., and the DE was measured continuously. When the DE reached 8, the pH was adjusted to 4 with 10% hydrochloric acid, and the reaction was stopped by boiling. After the pH of the sugar solution from which the reaction was stopped was adjusted to 5.8, 600 units of bacterial branching enzyme were added per solid content (g) and reacted at 65 ° C. for 15 hours. Then, debranching enzyme (GODO-FIA, Godo Shusei Co., Ltd.) was added at 0.5% by mass per solid content (g) and reacted at 50 ° C. for 40 hours. The starch hydrolyzate solution was decolorized with activated carbon, ion-purified, and concentrated to a solid content concentration of 45% by mass. The concentrated liquid was pulverized using a spray dryer to obtain a starch hydrolyzate (texture modifier 3).

[Texture improver 4]
A 30% by mass corn starch slurry adjusted to pH 2 with 10% hydrochloric acid was decomposed to DE 13 at a temperature of 130° C. After returning to normal pressure, the reaction was stopped by neutralizing with 10% sodium hydroxide to adjust the pH of the sugar solution to 5.8, and then 400 units of bacterial branching enzyme were added per solid content (g) and reacted at 65° C. for 48 hours. Thereafter, 1.0% by mass of debranching enzyme (GODO-FIA, manufactured by Godo Shusei Co., Ltd.) was added per solid content (g) and reacted at 50° C. for 60 hours. The starch hydrolyzate solution was decolorized with activated carbon, ion-purified, and powdered with a spray dryer to obtain a starch hydrolyzate (texture modifier 4).

[Texture improver 5]
α-amylase (Licozyme Supra, manufactured by Novozymes Japan Co., Ltd.) was added at 0.2% by mass per solid content (g) to a 30% by mass corn starch slurry adjusted to pH 5.8 with 10% calcium hydroxide, and liquefied in a jet cooker (temperature 110 ° C.). This liquefied liquid was kept at 95 ° C., and the DE was measured continuously. When the DE reached 8, the pH was adjusted to 4 with 10% hydrochloric acid, and the reaction was stopped by boiling. After adjusting the pH of the sugar solution from which the reaction was stopped to 5.8, 1000 units of bacterial branching enzyme were added per solid content (g) and reacted at 50 ° C. for 24 hours. Then, debranching enzyme (GODO-FIA, manufactured by Godo Shusei Co., Ltd.) was added at 1.5% by mass per solid content (g) and reacted at 50 ° C. for 24 hours. This starch hydrolyzate solution was decolorized with activated carbon, ion-purified, and concentrated to a solid content concentration of 40% by mass. The concentrated liquid was pulverized using a spray dryer to obtain a starch hydrolyzate (texture modifier 5).

[Texture improver 6]
α-amylase (Klystase T10S, manufactured by Amano Enzyme Co., Ltd.) was added at 0.2% by mass per solid content (g) to a 30% by mass corn starch slurry adjusted to pH 5.8 with 10% calcium hydroxide, and liquefied in a jet cooker (temperature 110 ° C.). This liquefied liquid was kept at 95 ° C., and the DE was measured continuously. When the DE reached 9, the pH was adjusted to 4 with 10% hydrochloric acid, and the reaction was stopped by boiling. After adjusting the pH of the sugar solution from which the reaction was stopped to 5.8, 800 units of bacterial branching enzyme were added per solid content (g) and reacted at 65 ° C. for 30 hours. Then, debranching enzyme (GODO-FIA, manufactured by Godo Shusei Co., Ltd.) was added at 1.0% by mass per solid content (g) and reacted at 50 ° C. for 30 hours. This starch hydrolyzate solution was decolorized with activated carbon, ion-purified, and concentrated to a solid content concentration of 50% by mass. The concentrated liquid was pulverized using a spray dryer to obtain a starch hydrolyzate (texture modifier 6).

[Texture improver 7]
α-amylase (Licozyme Supra, Novozymes Japan Co., Ltd.) was added at 0.2% by mass per solid content (g) to a 30% by mass corn starch slurry adjusted to pH 5.8 with 10% by mass calcium hydroxide, and liquefied in a jet cooker (temperature 110°C). The liquefied liquid was kept at 95°C and the DE was measured continuously. When the DE reached 17, the pH was adjusted to 4 with 10% hydrochloric acid, and the reaction was stopped by boiling. The solution of the starch hydrolyzate was decolorized with activated carbon, ion-purified, and concentrated to a solid content concentration of 40% by mass. The concentrated liquid was powdered with a spray dryer to obtain a starch hydrolyzate (texture modifier 7).

[Texture improver 8]
α-amylase (Licozyme Supra, manufactured by Novozymes Japan Co., Ltd.) was added at 0.2% by mass per solid content (g) to a 30% by mass corn starch slurry adjusted to pH 5.8 with 10% by mass calcium hydroxide, and liquefied in a jet cooker (temperature 110 ° C.). This liquefied liquid was kept at 95 ° C., and the DE was measured continuously. When the DE reached 10, the pH was adjusted to 4 with 10% hydrochloric acid, and the reaction was stopped by boiling. After the pH of the sugar solution after the reaction was stopped was adjusted to 5.8, a debranching enzyme (GODO-FIA, manufactured by Godo Shusei Co., Ltd.) was added at 0.3% by mass per solid content (g), and the reaction was allowed to proceed at 50 ° C. for 24 hours. Then, α-amylase (Clystase T10S, Amano Enzyme Inc.) was added at 0.2% by mass per solid content (g), and the temperature was raised to 80°C. The DE was measured continuously, and when the DE reached 18, the pH was adjusted to 4 with 10% hydrochloric acid and the reaction was stopped by boiling. The solution of the starch hydrolysate was decolorized with activated carbon, ion-purified, and concentrated to a solid content concentration of 40% by mass. The concentrated solution was powdered using a spray dryer to obtain a starch hydrolysate (texture modifier 8).

[Texture improver 9]
α-amylase (Licozyme Supra, manufactured by Novozymes Japan Co., Ltd.) was added at 0.3% by mass per solid content (g) to a 30% by mass corn starch slurry adjusted to pH 5.8 with 10% by mass calcium hydroxide, and liquefied in a jet cooker (temperature 110°C). The liquefied liquid was kept at 95°C and the DE was measured continuously. When the DE reached 30, the pH was adjusted to 4 with 10% hydrochloric acid, and the reaction was stopped by boiling. The solution of the starch hydrolyzate was decolorized with activated carbon, ion-purified, and concentrated to a solid content concentration of 40% by mass. The concentrated liquid was powdered with a spray dryer to obtain a starch hydrolyzate (texture modifier 9).

[Texture improver 10]
α-amylase (Clystase T10S, Amano Enzyme Co., Ltd.) was added at 0.2% by weight per solid content (g) to a 30% by weight corn starch slurry adjusted to pH 5.8 with 10% calcium hydroxide, and liquefied in a jet cooker (temperature 110°C). The pH of this liquefied liquid was adjusted to 5.5, and β-amylase (Nagase Chemtex Co., Ltd.) was added at 0.2% by weight per solid content (g). After reacting at 60°C for a certain period of time, the pH was adjusted to 4 with 10% hydrochloric acid, and the reaction was stopped by boiling. The solution of this starch hydrolyzate was decolorized with activated carbon, ion-purified, and concentrated to a solid content concentration of 75% by weight to obtain a starch hydrolyzate (texture modifier 10).

[Texture improver 11]
α-amylase (Clystase T10S, Amano Enzyme Co., Ltd.) was added at 0.2% by weight per solid content (g) to a 30% by weight corn starch slurry adjusted to pH 5.8 with 10% calcium hydroxide, and liquefied in a jet cooker (temperature 110°C). After adjusting the pH of this liquefied liquid to 5.5, β-amylase (Nagase Chemtex Co., Ltd.) was added at 0.2% by weight per solid content (g) and Clystase PLF (Amano Enzyme Co., Ltd.) was added at 0.1% by weight per solid content (g), and the mixture was reacted at 60°C for a certain period of time, after which the pH was adjusted to 4 with 10% hydrochloric acid and the reaction was stopped by boiling. The solution of this starch hydrolyzate was decolorized with activated carbon, ion-purified, and concentrated to a solid content concentration of 75% by weight to obtain a starch hydrolyzate (texture modifier 11).

[Measurement results]
The DP8-19 and DP20 or higher contents and iodine color values of the obtained texture modifiers 1-11 were measured by the methods described above, and the results are shown in Table 1 below.

<Example 1: Production of fried spring rolls>
[Method of preparing fried spring rolls]
According to the formulations in Tables 2 to 4 below, water, salt, and each texture modifier were mixed and completely dissolved, and then wheat flour was added to prepare a dispersion. The amount of water added was adjusted so that the viscosity of the dispersion in the test example was almost the same. The dispersion was baked to a thickness of 0.50 to 0.55 mm using a drum-type baking machine, and cut into 190 mm x 190 mm to produce spring roll wrappers. Ingredients that had been cooked in advance were placed on the spring roll wrappers to produce spring rolls for deep frying. The spring rolls produced were either as they were or fried for 5 minutes at 170 to 180°C, flash frozen at -40°C for 60 minutes, and then frozen and stored at -20°C for 14 days. The spring rolls frozen as they were were fried for 5 minutes at 170 to 180°C, and the texture was evaluated immediately after frying and after leaving them at 25°C for 3 hours. The spring rolls that had been fried and then frozen were reheated in a 500W microwave oven for 30 seconds and thawed naturally for 5 hours, and the texture was evaluated.

[Fabric evaluation criteria]
Each of the prepared fabrics was evaluated by a panel of 10 experts. The evaluation was performed on the following scale (5 levels), and the average score of the 10 experts was recorded as the evaluation score.
5: Does not tear when the dough is removed from the drum-type baking machine, and does not tear easily even when the skin is pulled very hard when wrapping ingredients; 4: Almost does not tear when the dough is removed from the drum-type baking machine, and does not tear easily even when the skin is pulled hard when wrapping ingredients; 3: Almost does not tear when the dough is removed from the drum-type baking machine, and ingredients can be wrapped; 2: Tears easily when the dough is removed from the drum-type baking machine, and also tears easily when wrapping ingredients; 1: Tears when the dough is removed from the drum-type baking machine, and ingredients cannot be wrapped

[Evaluation criteria for spring roll skin]
The spring rolls thus prepared were tasted by a panel of 10 experts. The sensory evaluation during the tasting was carried out on the following scale (5 levels), and the average score of the 10 experts was recorded as the evaluation score.
5: The skin has a moderate hardness, good crispness, and a satisfying crispness. 4: The skin is hard, crisp, and has a pleasant crispness. 3: The skin is somewhat hard, crisp, and has a slight crispness. 2: The skin has a chewy texture and no crispness. 1: The skin has a gritty texture, which is not preferable.

[Evaluation of different texture improvers]
The evaluation results when each texture modifier was used are shown in Tables 2 and 3 below.

[Evaluation of the amount of texture improver used in this technology]
The evaluation results when the amount of texture improver used in this technology was changed are shown in Table 4 below.

[Considerations]
When re-fried after freezing, the skin of Test Examples 1 to 6 had a moderate hardness, good crispness, and a crispy texture both immediately after frying and 3 hours after frying, compared with Reference Example 1 and Test Examples 7 to 11. Also, when evaluated after freezing and freezing, the skin of Test Examples 1 to 6 had a moderate hardness, good crispness, and a crispy texture both after reheating in a microwave oven and 5 hours after natural thawing, compared with Reference Example 1 and Test Examples 7 to 11. On the other hand, Test Examples 9 to 11 using texture modifiers 9 to 11 had a more chewy texture because the content of DP1 to 7 contained in the texture modifiers 9 to 11 was high. Therefore, it was suggested that by using a texture improver containing a starch hydrolysate with a glucose degree of polymerization (DP) of 8 to 19 of 32% or more and a glucose degree of polymerization (DP) of 20 or more of 30% or less together with the raw materials of a fried skin food, it is possible to provide fried spring rolls whose skin has a suitable hardness, good crispness, and a satisfying crispness all of the following conditions: immediately after frying, 3 hours after frying, after being frozen after frying and reheated in a microwave oven, and after being frozen after frying and thawed naturally.

Furthermore, Test Examples 12 to 17 had a good texture and high dough evaluations immediately after frying, 3 hours after frying, after freezing after frying and reheating in a microwave oven, and after freezing after frying and thawing naturally. On the other hand, when texture modifier 6 was added at 70% by mass to the raw material flour of the fried spring rolls, the dough broke and it was not possible to wrap the ingredients. Therefore, it was suggested that when the fried skin food is fried spring rolls, it is preferable to mix the texture modifier according to the present technology at 0.5 to 50% by mass to the raw material flour of the fried spring rolls.

Example 2: Production of fried noodles
[Method of preparing fried noodles]
According to the formulations in Tables 5 and 6 below, an aqueous solution in which water, salt, kansui, sugars, and each texture modifier were mixed and completely dissolved was added to a mixer containing wheat flour, and after stirring, dough was obtained. The amount of water added was adjusted appropriately depending on the water content of the sugars. The above dough was used in a roll-type noodle making machine, and after combining and rolling, noodle strands with a cut circle of No. 30 and a thickness of 1.10 mm were obtained. The obtained noodle strands were fried in oil at 170-180°C for 4 minutes while still in a raw state, and noodle strands were steamed for 3 minutes and then fried in oil at 170-180°C for 4 minutes. The fried noodles obtained under each production condition were evaluated after storing at room temperature for 2 weeks.

[Noodle manufacturing standards]
Each of the prepared noodles was evaluated by a panel of 10 experts. The evaluation was carried out on the following 5-point scale, and the average score of the 10 expert experts was recorded as the evaluation score.
5: No peeling or tearing during noodle making, very good 4: Almost no peeling or tearing during noodle making, good 3: Some peeling or tearing during noodle making, but somewhat good 2: Much peeling or tearing during noodle making, poor 1: Unable to make noodles

[Evaluation criteria for fried noodles]
The fried noodles thus prepared were tasted by a panel of 10 experts. The sensory evaluation during the tasting was carried out on the following 5-point scale, and the average score of the 10 experts was recorded as the evaluation score.
5: Moderate hardness, good crispness, and a crispy texture can be enjoyed. 4: Hardness, crispness, and a pleasant crispness. 3: Slightly hard, crispness, and a slight crispness. 2: Powdery texture, no crispness. 1: A crumbly texture, not preferable.

[Evaluation of different texture improvers]
The evaluation results when each texture modifier was used are shown in Table 5 below.

[Evaluation of the amount of texture improver used in this technology]
The evaluation results when the amount of texture improver used in the present technology was changed are shown in Table 6 below.

[Considerations]
Test Examples 18 and 19 had a suitable hardness, good crispness, and a satisfying crispness when steamed and fried in oil, as compared with Reference Example 2 and Test Examples 20 to 24. On the other hand, Test Examples 22 to 24, which used texture modifiers 9 to 11, had a stronger texture due to the high content of DP1 to 7 contained in texture modifiers 9 to 11. Therefore, it was suggested that fried noodles that had a suitable hardness, good crispness, and a satisfying crispness when steamed and fried in oil, as well as fried in oil, can be provided by using a texture modifier containing a starch hydrolyzate with a glucose polymerization degree (DP) of 8 to 19 of 32% or more and a glucose polymerization degree (DP) of 20 or more of 30% or less together with the raw materials for fried noodles.

Furthermore, in test examples 25 to 27, both when fried in oil after steaming and when fried in oil, the texture was good and the noodle-making properties were highly evaluated. On the other hand, when texture modifier 6 was added at 30% by mass to the raw flour of the fried noodles, the dough did not come together and it was impossible to make noodles. Therefore, it was suggested that in the case of fried noodles, it is preferable to mix the texture modifier according to the present technology at 0.5 to 20% by mass to the raw flour of the fried noodles.

<Example 3: Production of fried dumplings>
[Method of preparing fried dumplings]
According to the formulations in Tables 7 and 8 below, a solution in which water, salt, sugars, and each texture modifier were mixed and completely dissolved was added to a mixer containing wheat flour, and the mixture was stirred to obtain dough. The amount of water added was adjusted appropriately according to the moisture content of the sugars. The dough was rolled using a roll-type noodle machine to produce gyoza skins with a diameter of 90 mm and a thickness of 0.60 mm. Fillings were wrapped in the gyoza skins to produce stuffed raw gyoza. The raw gyoza produced were either as is or steamed for 10 minutes, flash frozen at -40°C for 60 minutes, and then frozen and stored at -20°C for 14 days. Each frozen gyoza was fried for 4 minutes at 170-180°C, and the texture was evaluated immediately after frying, after leaving it at 25°C for 4 hours, and after storing in a hot case for 4 hours.

[Leather-making standards]
Each of the prepared gyoza skins was evaluated by a panel of 10 experts. The evaluation was performed on the following scale (5 levels), and the average score of the 10 experts was recorded as the evaluation score.
5: No peeling or tearing during leather making, very good 4: Almost no peeling or tearing during leather making, good 3: Some peeling or tearing during leather making, but somewhat good 2: Much peeling or tearing during leather making, poor 1: Unable to leather making

[Evaluation criteria for fried dumplings]
The prepared fried gyoza was tasted by a panel of 10 experts. The sensory evaluation during the tasting was performed on the following 5-point scale, and the average score of the 10 experts was recorded as the evaluation score.
5: The skin has a moderate hardness, good crispness, and a satisfying crispness. 4: The skin is hard, crisp, and has a pleasant crispness. 3: The skin is somewhat hard, crisp, and has a slight crispness. 2: The skin has a chewy texture and no crispness. 1: The skin has a gritty texture, which is not preferable.

[Evaluation of different texture improvers]
The evaluation results when each texture modifier was used are shown in Table 7 below.

[Evaluation of the amount of texture improver used in this technology]
The evaluation results when the amount of texture improver used in the present technology was changed are shown in Table 8 below.

[Considerations]
Test Example 28 had a moderate hardness, good crispness, and a crispy texture immediately after frying, after 4 hours of frying, and after 4 hours of storage in a hot case after frying, compared with Reference Example 3 and Test Examples 29 to 31. Furthermore, it had a crisp texture and a crunchy texture, and was generally good. On the other hand, Test Example 31 using texture modifier 9 had a more chewy texture because of the high content of DP1 to 7 contained in texture modifier 9. Therefore, it was suggested that by using a texture modifier having a starch hydrolyzate with a glucose polymerization degree (DP) of 8 to 19 of 32% or more and a glucose polymerization degree (DP) of 20 or more of 30% or less together with the raw material of the fried skin food, it is possible to provide fried dumplings that have a moderate hardness, good crispness, and a crunchy texture immediately after frying, after 4 hours of frying, and after 4 hours of storage in a hot case after frying.

Test Examples 32 to 35 all had a good texture and were highly evaluated for skin-making properties immediately after frying, four hours after frying, and four hours after storage in a hot case after frying. On the other hand, when texture modifier 6 was added at 30% by mass to the raw material flour for fried dumplings, the dough did not come together and skin-making was not possible. Therefore, it was suggested that when the fried skin food is fried dumplings, it is preferable to mix the texture modifier according to the present technology at 0.3 to 20% by mass to the raw material flour for fried dumplings.

This technology makes it possible to provide fried skin foods or fried noodles that have been improved to have an appropriate hardness, crispness, and crunchiness. Therefore, fried skin foods or fried noodles with a good texture can be provided, for example, in the deli sections of convenience stores and supermarkets. In addition, the good texture can be maintained for a long time even when used as a side dish in a lunch box.

Claims (5)

The content of glucose polymerization degree (DP) 8 to 19 is 32% or more,
The starch hydrolyzate has a glucose degree of polymerization (DP) of 20 or more of 30% or less ,
In the case where the deep-fried food is a deep-fried food obtained by baking a batter-like dough, the deep-fried food is mixed with 0.5 to 50% by mass of the raw material flour of the baked batter dough,
In the case where the deep-fried skin food is produced by rolling out kneaded dough, the deep-fried skin food is mixed at 0.3 to 20% by mass with respect to the raw material flour of the rolled out kneaded dough,
In the case of fried noodles, a texture improver for fried skin foods or noodle skins for fried noodles is blended in an amount of 0.5 to 20 mass% relative to the raw material flour . The texture improver for fried skin foods or fried noodle skins according to claim 1, wherein the iodine color value of the starch hydrolysate is 0.15 or more. The content of glucose polymerization degree (DP) 8 to 19 is 32% or more,
A starch hydrolyzate having a glucose degree of polymerization (DP) of 20 or more of 30% or less.
In the case where the deep-fried food is a deep-fried food made by baking a batter-like dough, the amount of the deep-fried food is 0.5 to 50% by mass of the baked batter dough based on the raw material flour.
In the case where the deep-fried food skin is produced by rolling out kneaded dough, the amount of the deep-fried food skin is 0.3 to 20% by mass based on the raw material flour of the rolled out kneaded dough.
In the case of fried noodles, the mix contains 0.5 to 20 mass% of the raw material flour as a fried skin food product or a mix of noodle skins for fried noodles. A fried skin food or fried noodle skin, which uses the texture improver according to claim 1 or the mix according to claim 3 . A fried skin food or fried noodles using the texture improver according to claim 1, the mix according to claim 3 , or the fried skin food or fried noodle skin according to claim 4 .