JP7566489B2 - Grain-like granules - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to grain-like granular materials.

In recent years, as lifestyles have diversified, so-called complete foods, such as drinks, gummies, and noodles, have been launched on the market, which are advertised as a convenient way to consume all the nutrients needed for a day. These products contain more than one-third of the daily required amount of essential nutrients, as stated in the nutrient labeling standards set by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and the Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese people, also established by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. In addition to these, there are also products such as semi-complete foods, which are almost complete foods but lack only a few nutrients, and supplements that only supplement specific nutrients, and many foods have been launched on the market that can easily supplement the necessary nutrients that are lacking in your daily diet.

The above foods are made by adding new ingredients to the original ingredients, and can be said to be ingredients whose composition can be freely set. Furthermore, the method of changing the composition of ingredients is relatively simple. For example, in the case of a drink, new ingredients can be added to the liquid that serves as the solvent and then mixed. Also, in the case of gummies, noodles, etc., new ingredients can be added to the raw materials and then shaped through the normal manufacturing process. In this way, many of them have the aspect that it is relatively easy to add necessary ingredients to the formula and remove unnecessary ingredients.

On the other hand, rice, the staple food of the Japanese, is not a food ingredient whose composition can be freely changed. However, due to the influence of health consciousness in recent years, there is a demand for rice with reduced calorie intake and the addition of new ingredients. In response to this demand, konjac rice, which is made by forming a mixture containing konjac flour into a rice-like shape, has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). By substituting konjac rice for part of the rice before cooking, it is expected that the effects of suppressing the rise in glucose levels in the blood, reducing calorie intake while feeling full, and preventing obesity, can be expected.

A method of cooking rice with resistant dextrin has also been proposed (see Patent Document 2). The addition of resistant dextrin is expected to have physiological effects such as suppressing blood sugar levels, regulating the intestines, and improving lipid metabolism.

Special Publication No. 2020-505903 Patent No. 6125681

However, in the case of Patent Document 1, unlike regular rice, konjac rice has a soft texture, which causes an unpleasant feeling when eaten. On the other hand, when using a resistant material as in Patent Document 2, it is necessary to strengthen the cross-linking to increase the resistance to digestion. However, strengthening the cross-linking requires pH adjustment, which results in a problem of an increase in the amount of Na.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems. That is, the object is to provide a grain-like granular material that reduces caloric intake as well as sodium intake and has a texture similar to that of cooked rice. Another object of the present invention is to provide a grain-like granular material that can be used by itself, rather than being used to partially replace cooked rice.

The inventors investigated whether the above problems could be solved by using resistant starch. They discovered that by combining resistant starches with different cross-linking methods, it is possible to reduce calorie intake and sodium intake, which led to the completion of the present invention.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a dried grain-like granular material made primarily from rice flour and resistant starch that can be consumed after cooking, characterized in that the resistant starch content is 25-70% by weight based on the total weight of the dried grain-like granular material, and the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of the dried grain-like granular material before cooking is 0.2 g or less. It is more preferable that the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of the dried grain-like granular material after cooking is 0.1 g or less.

In the resistant starch obtained by cross-linking treatment, sodium remains from the cross-linking reaction. Therefore, if resistant starch obtained by cross-linking treatment is used alone, the amount of sodium ingested increases. On the other hand, although there is little residual sodium in resistant starch obtained by moist heat treatment, it has a higher calorie content than resistant starch obtained by cross-linking treatment. Therefore, if resistant starch obtained by moist heat treatment is used alone, the calorie intake increases. The present invention uses a combination of these resistant starches, making it possible to produce a grain-like granulated product that has a low amount of sodium and is also low in calories.

In addition, by combining this invention with a specific drying method, it is possible to create a state in which the surface of the grain-like granular material is covered with a film, which makes the texture closer to that of cooked rice. Furthermore, while it has been common to use this product as a partial replacement for white rice in the past, this invention allows you to use this product in place of all white rice.

The following describes a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Note that the embodiment described below is an example of a typical embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to narrow the scope of the present invention.

The grain-like granular material of the present invention is a kneaded material that resembles the shape of grains. Grains here refer to cereal seeds, which are the seeds of grass crops such as rice, but may also include pseudo-cereals such as buckwheat, amaranth, and quinoa.

The grain-like granules of the present invention are composed mainly of rice flour and resistant starch. Here, the raw rice for the rice flour can be of any type, including japonica, indica, long grain, and short grain, without any particular limitations. Old rice can also be used effectively. The amount of rice flour contained in the grain-like granules of the present invention before cooking is preferably 30-75% by weight, more preferably 40-50% by weight, per 100 g of grain-like granules.

Next, the resistant starch in the present invention means starch that is resistant to amylase digestion, and examples thereof include high amylose starch, retrograded starch, moist heat treated starch, and chemically modified processed starches such as those that have been subjected to strong cross-linking treatment with a cross-linking agent or those that have been ether-substituted. Of these, in the present invention, it is preferable to use resistant starch obtained by moist heat treatment (hereinafter referred to as "moisture heat treated resistant starch") and resistant starch obtained by cross-linking agent treatment (hereinafter referred to as "cross-linked resistant starch").

Examples of cross-linked resistant starches that can be used include phosphate cross-linked starch, phosphate monoesterified phosphate cross-linked starch, and hydroxypropylated phosphate cross-linked starch. Resistant starch can be obtained directly by adjusting the reaction conditions in the phosphate cross-linking treatment, phosphate monoesterified phosphate cross-linking treatment, or hydroxypropylated phosphate cross-linking treatment. Specifically, phosphate cross-linked starch is a modified starch in which the raw material is cross-linked by esterification with sodium trimetaphosphate or phosphorus oxychloride. Phosphate monoesterified phosphate cross-linked starch is a modified starch in which the raw material is esterified with orthophosphoric acid, potassium orthophosphate, sodium orthophosphate, or sodium tripolyphosphate. Hydroxypropylated phosphate cross-linked starch is a modified starch in which the raw material is esterified with sodium trimetaphosphate or phosphorus oxychloride and cross-linked by etherification with propylene oxide.

The raw material for the resistant starch can be one or more selected from tapioca, wheat, horse mackerel, sweet potato, sago, high amylose corn, cornstarch, waxy corn, rice, and peas.

The amount of resistant starch contained in the grain-like granules of the present invention is preferably 25 to 70% by weight, more preferably 50 to 60% by weight, per 100 g of grain-like granules before cooking. The blending ratio of different resistant starches is preferably 1:99 to 99:1. Different resistant starches refer to resistant starches obtained by different processing methods.

For the grain-like granules of the present invention, secondary ingredients such as sugars, thickeners, gluten, egg whites, colorings, and other nutrients can be used as necessary. Necessary nutrients include vitamins, calcium, etc. Also, secondary ingredients may be dissolved in water before use.

In the present invention, it is also preferable to add water-soluble dietary fiber. By adding water-soluble dietary fiber to the resistant starch, the texture of the cereal-like granulated material after cooking can be made to be closer to that of cooked rice. It is preferable to use resistant dextrin as the water-soluble dietary fiber. The amount of water-soluble dietary fiber added is preferably 5 to 20% by weight, and more preferably 10 to 15% by weight, per 100 g of the cereal-like granulated material before cooking.

Furthermore, in the present invention, flavor oils, food additives such as sweeteners, colorants, preservatives, thickening stabilizers, antioxidants, bittering agents, acidulants, emulsifiers, strengthening agents, and flavorings may be added as necessary. In particular, it is preferable to add flavorings from the viewpoint of imparting aroma during cooking and masking the powdery taste of resistant starch and the bitter taste of nutrients. Flavorings can be used in either liquid or powder form, but it is preferable to add powdered flavorings during kneading and liquid flavorings during cooking or immediately before eating.

Next, a method for producing grain-like granular material will be described. In this embodiment, the raw material can be prepared using an extruder. Specifically, the main raw material powder and water are mixed and kneaded using an extruder, and the mixture produced is fed by a screw driven by a screw drive unit and extruded from a die. The mixture extruded from the die is cut into pellets, and grain-like granular material can be obtained. The extruder used in the present invention can be either a single-screw extruder or a multi-screw extruder with two or more screws, but a twin-screw type is preferable from the viewpoint of quality stability. Any extruder can be used as long as it has a raw material supply port, a mechanism for feeding raw materials in a screw inside a barrel, mixing, compressing, and heating, and a die attached to the tip of the barrel.

In the present invention, the barrel temperature in the extruder is suitably 70 to 120°C, preferably 80 to 100°C. In the present invention, the pressure applied to the die is suitably 0 to 2.0 MPa, preferably 0.5 to 1.5 MPa. Also, by changing the shape of the die, grain-like granular materials of various shapes can be obtained. In the present invention, it is preferable to cut the material to an appropriate size with a rotating blade provided at the tip of the die. After extruding like noodles, the material may be cut to the desired size using a cutter or the like.

Then, the cut pieces are subjected to a drying process and dried until the specified moisture content is reached. Here, in the present invention, drying is preferably performed under high humidity conditions. Under high humidity conditions means conditions with a relative humidity of 60% or more. Furthermore, under high humidity conditions, it is preferable to perform drying multiple times at different temperature ranges. Note that, when multiple drying processes are performed, it is preferable to gradually lower the humidity with each process. Also, it is preferable that the drying time for each drying process is about 1 to 4 hours.

In the present invention, it is more preferable to first lightly dry the surface with high-humidity hot air under high-humidity conditions, and then further dry it over time under high-temperature and high-humidity conditions. This forms a film on the surface of the grain-like granular material, preventing it from dissolving during cooking. It also makes it possible to reproduce a texture similar to that of cooked rice when eaten.

It is preferable to perform multiple drying steps under high temperature and humidity conditions, and then perform AD drying as a final step. This allows the moisture content of the grain-like granular material to be reduced to the desired value.

The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the following examples.

Example 1
First, 360 g of rice flour and 740 g of resistant starch were mixed. At this time, the ratio of cross-linked resistant starch (Pine Starch RT; manufactured by Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) to moist heat-treated resistant starch (Hi-Maize 260; manufactured by Ingredion Co., Ltd.) was 7.5:92.5 on a weight basis. Next, using a twin-screw extruder, the mixture was kneaded while adding 2.5 L/h to 3.7 L/hml of water. At this time, the extruder was set under the following conditions: barrel temperature was 90°C, and screw speed (dough conveying speed) was 90 rpm to 130 rpm. The extruder die shape was a bale-shaped 2.0 x 6.5 mm. The kneaded material extruded from the die was cut into pieces of short grain rice size by a rotary blade provided at the tip of the die. Next, the cut kneaded material was dried for 10 minutes under conditions of 50°C and 90% RH. Next, it was dried at 80°C and 85% RH for 3 hours, then at 70°C and 75% RH for 3 hours, and finally at 35°C and 65% RH for 3 hours to obtain a dried cereal-like granule with a moisture content of 15% or less.

Example 2
The same as Example 1, except that the ratio of crosslinked resistant starch to heat-moisture treated resistant starch was 15:85.

Example 3
The same as Example 1, except that the ratio of the crosslinked resistant starch to the heat-moisture treated resistant starch was 22.5:77.5.

Example 4
The same as Example 1, except that the ratio of crosslinked resistant starch to heat-moisture treated resistant starch was 30:70.

(Comparative Example 1)
The same as Example 1, except that the ratio of crosslinked resistant starch to heat-moisture treated resistant starch was 100:0.

(Comparative Example 2)
The same as Comparative Example 1, except that the cross-linked resistant starch was changed from Pine Starch RT (manufactured by Matsutani Chemical Co., Ltd.) to Novelose 8490 (manufactured by Ingredion Inc.).

(Comparative Example 3)
The same as Example 1, except that the ratio of crosslinked resistant starch to heat-moisture treated resistant starch was 0:100.

Examples 1 to 4, Comparative Examples 1 to 3, and commercially available rice (Koshihikari) were cooked with a water content of 140%. The salt content (salt equivalent) of each sample after cooking, the reduction rate of carbohydrates and calories compared to Koshihikari, and the state (quality) of the grains after cooking were examined. The evaluation of the grains after cooking was performed according to the following criteria. The results are shown in Table 1.
(Quality Evaluation Criteria)
◎: Very suitable for eating ○: Can be eaten ×: Cannot be eaten

Looking at the salt equivalent, naturally, commercially available rice does not contain salt, followed by Comparative Example 3, which contained moist heat-treated resistant starch, with the lowest value. For Examples 1 to 4, which contain cross-linked resistant starch, the value is higher than Comparative Example 3, but the maximum is 0.09g, which is a sufficiently low value. In contrast, for Comparative Examples 1 and 2, which contain only cross-linked resistant starch, the salt equivalent is high due to the influence of the sodium contained in the pH adjuster used during the cross-linking treatment. Note that the salt equivalent of 0.09g per 100g after cooking (moisture content approximately 60%) is equivalent to 0.2g per 100g of dried cereal-like granules (moisture content approximately 12%) before cooking.

Next, looking at the carbohydrate reduction rate, Comparative Example 1 was the highest, and then as the content of cross-linked resistant starch decreased, the carbohydrate reduction rate also decreased in Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Example 3. Also, looking at Examples 1 to 4, it can be seen that approximately 50% of carbohydrates were reduced.
On the other hand, looking at the calorie OFF rate, Comparative Example 1 was the highest as before, but even though they used the same cross-linked resistant starch, it can be seen that there is a difference in the OFF rate between Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Example 2. Looking at Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Example 3, it can be seen that, as before, the carbohydrate OFF rate decreases as the content of cross-linked resistant starch decreases.

In terms of quality, Example 1 and Comparative Example 2 were found to be of good quality. On the other hand, Comparative Example 1, which used a different cross-linked resistant starch, had the worst results. Also, when moist heat-treated resistant starch was added, the quality was slightly inferior, but the results were better than Comparative Example 1.

From the above, it was confirmed that by combining cross-linked resistant starch with moist heat-treated resistant starch, a grain-like granular material with a high salt equivalent and calorie reduction rate can be obtained.

Next, the rice samples from Examples 1 to 4 and commercially available rice (Koshihikari) were cooked at a water content of 160%, and the salt content (salt equivalent) of each sample after cooking, the sugar and calorie reduction rate compared to Koshihikari, and the state (quality) of the grains after cooking were examined in the same manner as above. The results are shown in Table 2.

Comparing Table 1 and Table 2, it can be seen that when the water content is increased, the salt equivalent is slightly reduced. In addition, since the ratio of carbohydrate-free and calorie-free rice also increases, it can be seen that carbohydrates and calories are also reduced. This is because the moisture content of the cooked rice increases as the water content is increased. Furthermore, the quality after the water content was increased was the same as that of Koshihikari rice when the water content was increased.

Next, the timing of imparting a fragrance to the grain-like granular material of the present invention by using a flavoring was examined.
Three flavors were prepared to reproduce the smell of cooked rice: water-soluble, oil-soluble, and powdered. The oil-soluble flavor was composed of 5% flavor base and 95% seasoning oil. The powdered flavor was composed of 5% flavor base, 20% seasoning oil, and 75% excipients and emulsifiers. The effects of adding each flavor separately during powder kneading in the production of the grain-like granular material in Example 1, before cooking, and after cooking were confirmed. The effects were judged according to the following criteria. The results are shown in Table 3.
(Criteria for judging the effectiveness of fragrances)
++: Effective +: Effective but unstable -: Ineffective

As is clear from Table 3, adding flavorings after cooking rice was effective for all flavorings. In addition, water-soluble flavorings were effective when added before cooking rice, and powdered flavorings were effective when added during kneading.

Next, we investigated the optimal amount to add at each timing. As a result, we found that the optimal amount was 2% by weight when added during kneading, 1.20% by weight when added before cooking, and 1.00% by weight when added after cooking.

As described above, the present invention is a grain-like granular material made primarily from rice flour and resistant starch, and by using a combination of resistant starches obtained by different processing methods, it is possible to reduce calorie intake and sodium intake.

Claims (2)

A dried grain-like granular material made mainly from rice flour, cross-linked resistant starch, and moist heat-treated resistant starch that can be eaten after cooking,
The content of the cross-linked resistant starch and the heat-moisture treated resistant starch is 25 to 70% by weight based on the total amount of the dried cereal-like granular material;
the ratio of crosslinked resistant starch to heat-moisture treated resistant starch is 7.5:92.5 to 30:70;
The calorie content of the dried cereal-like granules after cooking is reduced by 27.5 % to 40.1 % compared to commercially available rice,
The dried cereal-like granules have a salt equivalent of 0.2 g or less per 100 g of the dried cereal-like granules before cooking. The dried grain-like granules according to claim 1, in which the salt equivalent per 100 g of the dried grain-like granules after cooking is 0.1 g or less.