Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Fermentation processes – Of farinaceous cereal or cereal material
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-10
2002-06-11
Wong, Leslie (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Fermentation processes
Of farinaceous cereal or cereal material
C426S028000, C426S042000, C426S044000, C426S052000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06403127
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing noodles that includes adding transglutaminase and gliadin or glutenin to the dough mixture to enrich the taste, glutinosity and elasticity of the noodles produced. The noodles include, for example, Japanese wheat noodles, udon, soumen and hiyamugi made from wheat flour; Japanese buckwheat noodles, soba made from buckwheat flour; Chinese wheat noodles and coating of won-tons, shao-mais, jiaozies and the like made from wheat flour to which is added an alkali agent such as edible potassium carbonate; and spaghetti, macaroni and the like made from durum wheat flour. Noodles produced according to the method of the invention taste good and their glutinosity and elasticity last for a long period of time.
2. Description of the Related Art
Noodles include Chinese noodles, Japanese noodles of soba and udon, the coating of won-tons, shao-mais, jiaozies, and crispy spring rolls. These are sold in the market after having been processed to improve storability, for example, retorted, frozen, dried or semi-dried and acid-processed. Noodles should have a glutinous taste when eaten. However, the acid-processed or retorted noodles often lose the original taste and glutinosity of non-processed raw noodles. The processed noodles should have, after having been boiled, an elastic and especially glutinous taste for a long period of time.
Various improvements have been made in the field of processed noodles. For example, Japanese Patent Kokai 119151/1986 discloses a technique of adding vinegar along with seaweed extract, locust bean gum, guar gum, xanthane gum or the like to noodles. Japanese Patent Kokai 283547/1988 discloses a technique of coating boiled noodles with gelatin to protecting them from being non-glutinous and ensuring their good original shape. Japanese Patent Kokai 117353/1990 discloses a technique of adding a proteinaceous material, starch or the like along with active gluten, soybean protein, egg white, whole egg, casein, emulsifier, polysaccharide or the like to noodles. Japanese Patent Kokai 105662/1994 discloses a technique of adding a fraction from wheat consisting essentially of gliadin along with an ordinary noodle modifier such as egg white to noodles thereby improving the storability and processability of noodles. Japanese Patent Kokai 153832/1994 discloses a technique of adding a wheat fraction consisting essentially of glutenin to noodles to produce improved LL (long life) noodles. However, these techniques do not produce tasty noodles which can be stored for a long period of time, and further improvements in producing processed noodles are required.
Japanese Patent Kokai 105662/1994 and Japanese Patent Kokai 153832/1994 disclose a technique of using a gliadin fraction from wheat in producing noodles, in which the wheat fraction consisting essentially of gliadin is, along with egg white powder and other protein, added to noodles to improve the elasticity and glutinosity of the noodles. However, the noodles produced according to this technique were not satisfactorily elastic, stiff and glutinous, and inevitably become non-glutinous when boiled. Even though processed according to the disclosed technique, LL noodles that require heating and acid-processing after having been boiled lose their elasticity.
Apart from the techniques noted above, various methods of improving noodles with transglutaminase are known that do not satisfy the recent demand for elastic and glutinous noodles. In particular, if transglutaminase is added to processed noodles such as acid-processed noodles, retorted noodles and frozen noodles, these noodles easily lose their elasticity and glutinosity. Therefore, further improvements are required in adding transglutaminase to noodles.
Chinese noodles require toughness, elasticity and glutinosity, while Japanese udon noodles require elasticity and high glutinosity. More improvements in producing Chinese and Japanese noodles are required.
Transglutaminase is effective in stiffening noodles, since it acts on gluten in wheat flour to promote the crosslinking of gluten. As a result, transglutaminase can enhance the elasticity and glutinosity of noodles. However, the crosslinking network structure of gluten responsible for the strong elasticity and glutinosity of noodles that contain the crosslinked gluten is damaged when the noodles are processed with acid or retorted. As a result the noodles become rough and brittle and lose their intrinsic elasticity and glutinosity, and thus the noodles have an unpleasant taste.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing noodles in which the noodles have improved elasticity, glutinosity and taste, and maintain their improved characteristics for a long period of time. Even when acid-processed, retorted and/or frozen, the noodles produced by the method of the invention maintain the good taste characteristics, toughness, stiffness and glutinosity for a long period of time.
Means for Solving the Problems
We, the present inventors have assiduously studied in order to attain the object, and, as a result, have found that when a combination of transglutaminase and gliadin or glutenin is added to noodles, the glutinosity and elasticity of the resulting noodles is improved. In particular, dry Japanese noodles according to the invention are not softened too much by drying and are much more glutinous. Thus, the dry noodles are tasty when boiled and eaten, like raw noodles. In acid-processing, retorting and/or freezing, Chinese noodles according to the invention do not lose their intrinsic taste yet are tough, elastic and glutinous for a long period of time. On the basis of these findings, we have completed the present invention.
Accordingly, the first embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for making noodles that includes:
adding transglutaminase, and
at least one of either gliadin or glutenin to a dough mixture that includes cereal.
The second embodiment of the present invention relates to a dough mixture that includes transglutaminase, at least one of either glutenin or gliadin, and cereal.
The third embodiment of the present invention relates to a noodle produced by a process that includes adding transglutaminase and at least one of either gliadin or glutenin to a dough mixture that includes cereal.
The fourth embodiment of the present invention relates to a composition that includes transglutaminase and at least one of either glutenin or gliadin.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood from the following detailed description, which is not intended to be limiting unless otherwise specified.
The invention relates to the improvement in producing noodles from cereals and other side materials, which is characterized by adding transglutaminase along with gliadin or glutenin to the materials of noodles.
Transglutaminase is an enzyme for catalyzing the acyl transfer reaction of the &ggr;-carboxyamide group of the glutamine residue in the peptide chain of wheat gluten. Acting as an acyl receptor on the &egr;-amino group of the lysine residue in protein, transglutaminase gives intramolecular and intermolecular &egr;-(&ggr;-Glu)Lys bonds to protein molecules.
Transglutaminase may be either calcium-independent or calcium-dependent, any of which is usable in the invention. As examples of the former, mentioned are those derived from microorganisms (see, for example, Japanese Patent Kokai 27471/1989), the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. As examples of the latter, mentioned are those derived from guinea pig liver (see Japanese Patent Koukoku 50382/1989), fish-derived ones (see, for example, N. Seki et al's “Journal of the Fisheries Society of Japan”, Vol. 56, pp. 125-132, 1990; and “Preprint of '90 Spring-term Discussions and Lectures in the Fisheries Society of Japan”, page
Nishimura Yutaka
Yamazaki Katsutoshi
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