JP7846509B2 - Rice cooking oil composition, method for producing rice dishes, and method for producing processed foods - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a composition of oils and fats for cooking rice, a method for producing rice dishes, and a method for producing processed foods.

Rice cooking oil compositions are known that aim to provide good storage stability, uniform oil dispersion during cooking, and the ability to cook rice with good flavor (Patent Documents 1 and 2). For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a rice cooking oil composition comprising 0.05 to 1 part by weight of polyglycerin fatty acid ester and 0.05 to 2 parts by weight of sucrose fatty acid ester per 100 parts by weight of edible oil.

Furthermore, cooking oil compositions for rice are known that aim to keep cooked rice soft and maintain its excellent texture even when stored for more than one day, and to suppress the deterioration of the texture of cooked rice even when stored after cooking (Patent Documents 3 and 4). For example, Patent Document 3 discloses a cooking oil composition for rice containing, per 100 parts by mass of liquid oil, 0.2 to 2.5 parts by mass of emulsifier (A) (polyglycerin fatty acid ester, which is an ester of polyglycerin with a glycerin polymerization degree of 8 to 12 and an unsaturated fatty acid or saturated fatty acid with 12 to 24 carbon atoms), 0.5 to 2.5 parts by mass of emulsifier (B) (polyglycerin fatty acid ester, which is an ester of polyglycerin with a glycerin polymerization degree of 2 and an unsaturated fatty acid with 18 to 22 carbon atoms), and 0.2 to 1.0 part by mass of emulsifier (C) (glycerin mono fatty acid ester, in which the content of unsaturated fatty acids in the total constituent fatty acids is 75% by mass or more).

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-153209 Patent No. 3946086 Patent No. 5876439 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-129731

Apart from the objectives (problems) described in Patent Documents 1-4, in recent years, due to the diversification of consumer preferences for rice and other rice-based foods and their processed foods, there has been a growing demand for rice-based foods and their processed foods that allow consumers to feel the texture of each grain.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a cooking oil composition for rice that can produce rice with a distinct grain texture, a method for producing rice, and a method for producing processed food by processing rice produced by the method for producing rice.
In this invention, "feeling the texture of the grains" means having a pleasant firmness and elasticity when eating rice dishes.

To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following oil and fat composition for cooking rice, a method for producing rice dishes, and a method for producing processed foods.

Furthermore, in this invention, the notation X (numerical value) to Y (numerical value) means X or greater and Y or less, unless otherwise specified.

[1] A cooking oil composition for rice containing oil, emulsifier A and emulsifier B, wherein emulsifier A is a polyglycerol fatty acid ester having an HLB value of 6 to 8, a degree of polymerization of polyglycerol of 4 to 40, and more than 50% by mass of the constituent fatty acids being unsaturated fatty acids having 18 to 22 carbon atoms, and emulsifier B is a polyglycerol fatty acid ester or propylene glycol fatty acid ester having more than 50% by mass of the constituent fatty acids being saturated fatty acids having 16 to 22 carbon atoms, the content of emulsifier B is 0.1 to 3% by mass, and the total content of emulsifier A and emulsifier B is 0.3 to 5% by mass.
[2] The rice cooking oil composition according to [1], wherein the emulsifier B has an HLB value of 2 to 5.
[3] The cooking oil composition for rice according to [1] or [2], wherein the emulsifier B is more than 50% by mass of the constituent fatty acids is stearic acid and/or behenic acid.
[4] The cooking oil composition for rice according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the content of the emulsifier A is 0.5 to 3% by mass.
[5] A cooking oil composition for rice according to any one of [1] to [4] above, comprising a diglycerin fatty acid ester as emulsifier C, wherein the HLB value is 6 to 8 and more than 50% by mass of the constituent fatty acids are unsaturated fatty acids having 18 to 22 carbon atoms.
[6] A method for producing rice, comprising adding the rice cooking oil composition described in any one of [1] to [5] above and cooking the rice.
[7] A method for manufacturing processed food, comprising processing rice produced by the method for manufacturing rice described in [6] above.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cooking oil composition capable of producing rice with a noticeable grain texture, a method for producing rice, and a method for producing processed foods by processing the rice produced by the said rice production method.

[Rice cooking oil composition]
The cooking oil composition according to an embodiment of the present invention contains oil, emulsifier A, and emulsifier B. A detailed description follows below.

(Oils and fats)
In the cooking oil composition for rice according to the embodiments of the present invention, ordinary edible oils can be used as the oils and fats to be blended. For example, vegetable oils such as soybean oil, rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, corn oil, rice oil, sesame oil, olive oil, perilla oil, linseed oil, peanut oil, grape seed oil, coconut oil, palm kernel oil, palm oil, etc., animal oils such as milk fat, lard, etc., and synthetic oils such as medium-chain triglycerides can be used individually or in combination of two or more. In addition, fractionated vegetable oils such as palm olein, palm superolein, palm mid-fraction, palm stearin, etc., and transesterified oils made from oils and fats or oils and fatty acid lower alcohol esters can be used. Transesterified oils that have been fractionated after transesterification can also be used. Oils that are liquid at 5°C are preferred, and refined oils produced from vegetable raw materials are preferred.

In the cooking oil and fat composition according to the embodiment of the present invention, the oil and fat are preferably blended in an amount of 99.7 to 95% by mass, more preferably 99 to 96% by mass, even more preferably 98.5 to 96.5% by mass, and most preferably 98 to 97% by mass.

(Emulsifier A)
The emulsifier A used in the cooking oil composition for rice according to the embodiment of the present invention is a polyglycerol fatty acid ester having an HLB value of 6 to 8, a degree of polymerization of polyglycerol of 4 to 40, and more than 50% by mass of the constituent fatty acids being unsaturated fatty acids with 18 to 22 carbon atoms. The inclusion of emulsifier A improves the handling properties (prevention of sticking, etc.) of cooked rice and other rice dishes.

The HLB value of the above polyglycerin fatty acid ester is preferably 6.5 to 7.5. HLB stands for Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balance, and is an indicator of whether an emulsifier is hydrophilic or lipophilic, taking a value of 0 to 20. A smaller HLB value indicates stronger lipophilicity. In this invention, the HLB value is calculated using the ATLAS method. In the ATLAS method, the HLB value is calculated using the following formula.
HLB=20×(1-S/A)
S: Saponification value
A: Neutralization value of fatty acids in esters

The degree of polymerization of the polyglycerin fatty acid ester described above is preferably 4 to 12, and more preferably 4 to 8. Furthermore, the total content of unsaturated fatty acids with 18 to 22 carbon atoms in the polyglycerin fatty acid ester is more than 50% by mass, as described above, but is preferably 60% by mass or more, more preferably 70% by mass or more, and even more preferably 80% by mass or more. The unsaturated fatty acids are preferably one or more selected from oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, and erucic acid, and more preferably oleic acid and/or erucic acid. For example, oleic acid esters of pentaglycerin, oleic acid esters of decaglycerin, etc., can be used.

In the cooking oil composition according to the embodiment of the present invention, the content of emulsifier A is preferably 0.5 to 3% by mass, more preferably 0.7 to 2.5% by mass, even more preferably 1.0 to 2.3% by mass, and most preferably 1.5 to 2.3% by mass.

(Emulsifier B)
As the emulsifier B incorporated into the rice cooking oil composition according to the embodiment of the present invention, polyglycerin fatty acid ester or propylene glycol fatty acid ester is used, wherein more than 50% by mass of the constituent fatty acids are saturated fatty acids having 16 to 22 carbon atoms.

The HLB values of the above-mentioned polyglycerin fatty acid ester and propylene glycol fatty acid ester are preferably between 2 and 5.

The degree of polymerization of the polyglycerin fatty acid ester described above is preferably 4 to 12, and more preferably 5 to 10. Furthermore, the total content of saturated fatty acids with 16 to 22 carbon atoms in the constituent fatty acids of the polyglycerin fatty acid ester and propylene glycol fatty acid ester is more than 50% by mass as described above, but is preferably 60% by mass or more, more preferably 70% by mass or more, and even more preferably 80% by mass or more. The saturated fatty acids are preferably one or more selected from palmitic acid, stearic acid, and behenic acid, and more preferably stearic acid and/or behenic acid. For example, stearic acid ester of pentaglycerin, behenic acid ester of decaglycerin, stearic acid ester of propylene glycol, etc., can be used.

In the cooking oil composition according to the embodiment of the present invention, the content of emulsifier B is 0.1 to 3% by mass, preferably 0.1 to 2.7% by mass, more preferably 0.2 to 2.5% by mass, even more preferably 0.2 to 2.0% by mass, and most preferably 0.2 to 0.7% by mass.

Furthermore, in the cooking oil composition according to the embodiment of the present invention, the total content of emulsifier A and emulsifier B is 0.3 to 5% by mass, but is preferably 1.0 to 4.0% by mass, more preferably 1.5 to 4.0% by mass, and even more preferably 2.0 to 2.5% by mass.

(Emulsifier C)
The cooking oil composition according to an embodiment of the present invention contains emulsifier C as an optional component.
As emulsifier C, diglycerol fatty acid esters are used, which have an HLB value of 6 to 8 and whose constituent fatty acids exceed 50% by mass are unsaturated fatty acids with 18 to 22 carbon atoms.

The HLB value of the above-mentioned diglycerin fatty acid ester is preferably 6.5 to 7.5.

The constituent fatty acids of the above-mentioned diglycerin fatty acid ester have a total content of unsaturated fatty acids with 18 to 22 carbon atoms exceeding 50% by mass, as described above, but it is preferably 60% by mass or more, more preferably 70% by mass or more, and even more preferably 80% by mass or more. The above-mentioned unsaturated fatty acids are preferably one or more selected from oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, and erucic acid, and more preferably oleic acid and/or erucic acid. For example, oleic acid esters of pentaglycerin, oleic acid esters of decaglycerin, etc., can be used.

In the cooking oil composition according to the embodiment of the present invention, the content of emulsifier C is preferably 0.05 to 2% by mass, more preferably 0.05 to 1% by mass, even more preferably 0.05 to 0.5% by mass, and most preferably 0.05 to 0.2% by mass.

(Other ingredients)
The cooking oil composition for rice according to the embodiment of the present invention may contain, in addition to the above-mentioned components, raw materials commonly used in cooking oil compositions for rice. Specifically, for example, pH adjusters, seasonings, colorants, flavorings, antioxidants, sugars, sugar alcohols, stabilizers, emulsifiers, etc., can be used. The amount of these components can be any amount as long as it does not impair the effects of this embodiment, but for example, they can be contained in the cooking oil composition for rice at a concentration of 10% by mass or less, preferably 0 to 3% by mass, and more preferably 0 to 1% by mass.

(Manufacturing method)
The method for producing the rice cooking oil composition according to the embodiments of the present invention is not particularly limited, and it can usually be produced by stirring and dissolving each emulsifier in oil. When dissolving, it is possible to raise the temperature to increase solubility, but it is preferable to dissolve at a temperature of 90°C or lower in order to prevent deterioration of the rice cooking oil composition. It is especially preferable to dissolve at 70°C to 80°C.

[Methods for producing rice dishes]
A method for producing rice according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized by adding the above-described cooking oil composition according to the embodiment of the present invention and then cooking the rice. Specifically, the above-described cooking oil composition is added to raw grains and water before cooking, and the rice is cooked in a rice cooker to produce the rice. The order in which the raw grains, water, and cooking oil composition are added is not particularly limited. Stirring after addition is permitted, but care should be taken to avoid damaging the raw grains when stirring, as this may cause damage. Preferably, the cooking oil composition is added at a concentration of 0.1 to 5% by mass per 100 parts by mass of raw grains before cooking. More preferably, it is 0.3 to 2% by mass, and even more preferably 0.5 to 1.5% by mass. The amount of water, heating temperature, heating time, etc., during cooking are carried out in the same way as for normal rice cooking. For example, before adding the cooking oil composition, 1.3 to 1.5 times the amount of water, preferably 1.4 times the amount of water, is added to the raw grains and soaked for 0.5 to 2 hours, preferably 1 to 1.5 hours.

The above-mentioned raw grains can include well-known grains such as rice, millet, barnyard millet, quinoa, and wheat. While not particularly limited, it is preferable that the raw grains consist of 50% or more by mass of sticky raw rice, and more preferably that all of them are raw rice. The type and origin of the raw rice are also not particularly limited. For example, not only Japonica rice, Indica rice, and Javanica rice, but also hybrid varieties thereof can be used. Furthermore, the degree of milling of the raw rice is also not particularly limited. In addition to white rice, brown rice, partially milled rice, germinated brown rice, and pre-washed rice can also be used in this embodiment.

[Method of manufacturing processed foods]
The method for manufacturing processed foods according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized by processing rice produced by the rice production method according to the above embodiment of the present invention. Examples of processed foods include rice balls, inari sushi, fried rice, omurice, pilaf, chicken rice, mixed rice, and rice burgers. Each processed food can be manufactured by known processing methods, except for the use of the above-mentioned rice.

The present invention will now be described with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

<Manufacturing of oil and fat composition for rice cooking>
Using the raw materials listed in Table 1, a rice cooking oil composition was prepared according to the formulations shown in Table 2 (values in the table are in mass%).

<Methods for producing cooked rice (cooking methods)>
After soaking the polished rice in 1.4 times the amount of water for 1 hour, each of the prepared cooking oil compositions was added in an amount of 1.0 part by mass per 100 parts by mass of polished rice and thoroughly mixed. Then, cooked rice was produced by cooking it in an electric rice cooker (Panasonic Corporation, SR-FC107). After cooking, the cooked rice was transferred to a tray, lightly loosened, and vacuum cooled to 30°C in a vacuum cooler (model number: CMJ-20, manufactured by Miura Co., Ltd.).

<Sensory evaluation>
Each 70g portion of cooked rice, after vacuum cooling, was packed into a container measuring 80mm x 80mm x 23mm and shaped. The shaped rice lumps were wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at 20°C for one day. The texture of the stored rice lumps was evaluated by a panel of five experts using the flavor profiling method (a method in which four or more trained panel members taste and evaluate the rice, then exchange opinions and reach a consensus for an overall evaluation). The results are shown in Table 2. The evaluation was on a scale of 1 to 5 points, with 1 point representing the softest and least elastic rice grains, and 5 points representing the hardest and most elastic rice grains. A score of 4 or higher indicates that the rice grains had a pleasant hardness and elasticity, and that the grains were distinct.

<Maximum stress (hardness of rice grains): Measurement of the mechanical properties of rice grains using a texture analyzer>
For each grain of cooked rice (excluding Examples 3 and 5) after vacuum cooling, a texture analyzer (model: TA.XT plus, manufactured by Eiko Seiki Co., Ltd.) was used to compress one grain of cooked rice (long axis: approximately 8 mm, height approximately 2.5 mm) to a strain rate of 30% using a 5 kg load cell and a cylindrical plunger (diameter 15 mm) at a descent speed of 1 mm/second. The maximum stress (N) was calculated and defined as the hardness of the rice grain. The results are shown in Table 2. Note that the values listed in Table 2 are the average values when 10 grains were measured.

As can be seen from the evaluation and measurement results in Table 2, in Examples 1 to 7, where rice was cooked with a rice cooking oil composition containing emulsifiers A and B, it was possible to produce rice with a noticeable grain texture.

Claims (7)

A cooking oil composition for rice containing oils and fats, emulsifier A and emulsifier B,
The emulsifier A is a polyglycerol fatty acid ester having an HLB value of 6 to 8, a degree of polymerization of polyglycerol of 4 to 40, and more than 50% by mass of the constituent fatty acids being unsaturated fatty acids with 18 to 22 carbon atoms.
The emulsifier B is a polyglycerol fatty acid ester or propylene glycol fatty acid ester in which more than 50% by mass of the constituent fatty acids are saturated fatty acids having 16 to 22 carbon atoms.
A cooking oil composition for rice, wherein the content of emulsifier B is 0.1 to 3% by mass, and the total content of emulsifier A and emulsifier B is 0.3 to 5% by mass. The rice cooking oil composition according to claim 1, wherein the emulsifier B has an HLB value of 2 to 5. The cooking oil composition for rice according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the emulsifier B comprises more than 50% by mass of stearic acid and/or behenic acid. The cooking oil composition for rice according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the content of emulsifier A is 0.5 to 3% by mass. A cooking oil composition for rice according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising, as emulsifier C, a diglycerol fatty acid ester having an HLB value of 6 to 8 and in which more than 50% by mass of the constituent fatty acids are unsaturated fatty acids with 18 to 22 carbon atoms. A method for producing rice dishes, comprising adding the rice cooking oil composition described in any one of claims 1 to 5 and then cooking the rice. A method for producing processed food, comprising processing rice products produced by the method for producing rice products described in claim 6.