An efficient and high-quality preparation method of lyophilized vegetable noodles is disclosed, which uses high gluten wheat flour and vegetable powder as major raw materials, adds modified starch, edible salt, an emulsifier, edible colloid, a water retaining agent, edible oil, a flavoring agent, a colorant, maltodextrin and wheat gluten, and conducts rising, dough pressing, cooking, high temperature steam gelatinization, rinsing, ultrasonic treatment and infrared lyophilization to obtain convenient and instant lyophilized vegetable noodles. The lyophilized noodles processed by adopting the method have moisture content of 5%-8%, shortened drying time by more than 10 h than ordinary lyophilization, merit factor of more than 90%, easy brewing, smooth and pliable taste, strong aroma, yellowish color, long shelf life and low production power consumption. The method is an efficient preparation method of high-quality lyophilized vegetable noodles having high product yield, long shelf life, low energy consumption and applicability for industrial production.

An efficient and high-quality preparation method of lyophilized vegetable noodles is disclosed, which uses high gluten wheat flour and vegetable powder as major raw materials, adds modified starch, edible salt, an emulsifier, edible colloid, a water retaining agent, edible oil, a flavoring agent, a colorant, maltodextrin and wheat gluten, and conducts rising, dough pressing, cooking, high temperature steam gelatinization, rinsing, ultrasonic treatment and infrared lyophilization to obtain convenient and instant lyophilized vegetable noodles. The lyophilized noodles processed by adopting the method have moisture content of 5%-8%, shortened drying time by more than 10 h than ordinary lyophilization, merit factor of more than 90%, easy brewing, smooth and pliable taste, strong aroma, yellowish color, long shelf life and low production power consumption. The method is an efficient preparation method of high-quality lyophilized vegetable noodles having high product yield, long shelf life, low energy consumption and applicability for industrial production.

A process for producing noodle strips in which a dough sheet is slit into noodle strips using a rotary slitting device comprising at least a pair of cutting blade rolls, scraping members and air flow supply means. The dough sheet is passed through the cutting blade rolls, to thereby slit the dough sheet into noodle strips; the noodle strips are peeled off from the cutting blade rolls using the scraping members, to thereby separate into upper and lower noodle strip bundles; and air flow is supplied to the slit noodle strips from the air flow supply means. There is provided a process capable of stably realizing generally straight noodle strips with no strong longitudinal waves even in a mass production line.

A process for producing noodle strips in which a dough sheet is slit into noodle strips using a rotary slitting device comprising at least a pair of cutting blade rolls, scraping members and air flow supply means. The dough sheet is passed through the cutting blade rolls, to thereby slit the dough sheet into noodle strips; the noodle strips are peeled off from the cutting blade rolls using the scraping members, to thereby separate into upper and lower noodle strip bundles; and air flow is supplied to the slit noodle strips from the air flow supply means. There is provided a process capable of stably realizing generally straight noodle strips with no strong longitudinal waves even in a mass production line.

[Problem to be Solved]

Although potassium lactate is expected as a substitute for salt, it was revealed to impair noodle making properties. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to produce instant noodles to which a salty taste owing to potassium lactate is imparted, and which has good texture.

[Solution]

The present inventors found that an adverse effect of potassium lactate caused during noodle making can be suppressed by adding potassium lactate after noodle making of noodle strings. Thus, the present invention was accomplished so that a salty taste owing to potassium lactate can be imparted and texture of noodles can be retained.

[Problem to be Solved]

Although potassium lactate is expected as a substitute for salt, it was revealed to impair noodle making properties. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to produce instant noodles to which a salty taste owing to potassium lactate is imparted, and which has good texture.

[Solution]

The present inventors found that an adverse effect of potassium lactate caused during noodle making can be suppressed by adding potassium lactate after noodle making of noodle strings. Thus, the present invention was accomplished so that a salty taste owing to potassium lactate can be imparted and texture of noodles can be retained.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing instant noodles, in which noodle making properties and texture are improved even though the amount of salt used in kneading water for noodles is reduced. By kneading a main raw material powder with kneading water in which salt and monosodium glutamate are dissolved in such a manner that salt and monosodium glutamate are in respective amounts of 0 to 10 g and 1 to 6 g, based on 1 kg of the main raw material powder to prepare a noodle dough, performing noodle making to prepare noodle strings, steaming the noodle strings if necessary, and drying the noodle strings, a method for producing instant noodles, in which noodle making properties and texture are improved even though the amount of salt used in the kneading water for noodles is reduced, can be provided.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing instant noodles, in which noodle making properties and texture are improved even though the amount of salt used in kneading water for noodles is reduced. By kneading a main raw material powder with kneading water in which salt and monosodium glutamate are dissolved in such a manner that salt and monosodium glutamate are in respective amounts of 0 to 10 g and 1 to 6 g, based on 1 kg of the main raw material powder to prepare a noodle dough, performing noodle making to prepare noodle strings, steaming the noodle strings if necessary, and drying the noodle strings, a method for producing instant noodles, in which noodle making properties and texture are improved even though the amount of salt used in the kneading water for noodles is reduced, can be provided.

A process for the production of a nest-shaped food product containing strips of a dried vegetable, preferably a garden vegetable, storable at room temperature for at least 7 days is disclosed. The process involves providing at least one fresh vegetable which has been previously washed, cutting the vegetable into strips, feeding the vegetable strips in metered amounts into a perforated mold, subjecting the strips to a stabilization heat treatment by means of saturated steam, drying the thermally stabilized strips by means of a flow of hot air so as to obtain a nest containing dried strips of vegetable with a moisture content of between 8% and 16% by weight of their total weight. The invention also concerns a nest-shaped food product which is obtained by means of the process and which may optionally contain strips of durum wheat semolina pasta.

A process for the production of a nest-shaped food product containing strips of a dried vegetable, preferably a garden vegetable, storable at room temperature for at least 7 days is disclosed. The process involves providing at least one fresh vegetable which has been previously washed, cutting the vegetable into strips, feeding the vegetable strips in metered amounts into a perforated mold, subjecting the strips to a stabilization heat treatment by means of saturated steam, drying the thermally stabilized strips by means of a flow of hot air so as to obtain a nest containing dried strips of vegetable with a moisture content of between 8% and 16% by weight of their total weight. The invention also concerns a nest-shaped food product which is obtained by means of the process and which may optionally contain strips of durum wheat semolina pasta.