Method for reducing fructan content in food made of rice and flour using microwave heating

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a method for reducing the fructan content in food made of rice and flour using microwave heating and belongs to the technical field of food processing. Fermented products made of rice and flour are prepared using microwave heating and fructan in the products can be effectively degraded. Compared with traditional steaming, the method can remarkably reduce the fructan content in the fermented food, effectively alleviate the bowel stress sensitivity to the fermented rice and flour food by patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), meet the daily dietary requirements of special crowds, has the advantages of simple process, green processing and environmental protection, and is suitable for large-scale industrial production.

Claims

1. A method for reducing fructan content in a food composition, comprising: (a) providing a flour, an active dry yeast, and water, (b) mixing the flour, the active dry yeast, and water to form a batter, (c) proofing the batter in a mold and, (d) microwaving the batter at a power of 4.25 to 5.5 Watts per gram of batter and a heating time of 2 to 5 minutes to obtain the food composition, wherein the food composition comprises rice and flour, wherein step (b), the ratio by weight of the flour, the active dry yeast, and the water is: 180 to 220 grams of flour to 2 to 3 grams of active dry yeast to 120 to 160 grams of water, and wherein the fructan content in the food composition does not exceed 0.3 g/100 g DM.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the proofing is performed at a temperature of 30 C. to 40 C.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the proofing is performed at a humidity of 70% to 90% Relative Humidity (RH).

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the proofing time is 40 to 60 minutes.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises adding baking powder to the batter.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the ratio of the portions by weight of the flour and the baking powder is 180 to 220 gram flour portions to 0.8 to 1.2 gram baking powder portions.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the food composition is a steamed sponge cake.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the microwave heating of the batter is at a power of 5.1 Watts per gram of batter.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising adding a commercial invertase to the batter at 20 to 40 units per gram of the flour.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

(1) FIG. 1 is a graph comparing the fructan content in the steamed sponge cakes obtained in Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1-3.

(2) FIG. 2 is a graph comparing the fructan content in the steamed sponge cakes prepared by different microwave processes.

(3) FIG. 3A shows the fructan content in the steamed sponge cakes obtained by different heating methods at the same heating rate. FIG. 3B shows the invertase activity of the steamed sponge cakes obtained by different heating methods at the same heating rate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) An assay and analysis method of the content of fructan involved in the present disclosure is as follows: (1) Sample processing: a steamed sponge cake is cooled to room temperature and freeze-dried in a freeze dryer, and the freeze-dried steamed sponge cake is pulverized using an IKA pulverizer for 3 consecutive times with 5 s each time to obtain a pulverized steamed sponge cake sample. (2) Fructan assay: the total fructan content in the sample is determined using a Megazyme Fructan HK enzyme assay kit (Megazyme, Bray, Ireland). The enzyme assay is based on established standard methods (AOAC method 999.03 and AACC method 32.32.01).

(5) An assay and analysis method of springiness, resilience, chewiness and hardness of the steamed sponge cake involved in the present disclosure is as follows:

(6) The obtained steamed sponge cake is subjected to a texture profile analysis. The specific operation is as follows: probe, P/36R; pre-test speed, 1.00 mm/s; test speed, 1.70 mm/s; post-test speed, 1.00 mm/s; strain, 40%; trigger force, 5 g; interval time, 5 s; and compression for twice. Each batch of the samples is repeated 3 times. 1 portion by weight involved in the following examples represents 1 g.

(7) Baking powder involved in the present disclosure is a compound raising agent, which is a white powder prepared by soda powder with acidic material and using corn starch as filler, and also known as foaming powder or dough raising powder.

(8) The humidity involved in the present disclosure specifically refers to a relative humidity whose unit is % RH.

(9) The active dry yeast involved in the present disclosure refers to a dry yeast product that still maintains a strong fermentation ability after pressing, drying, and dehydrating from specially cultivated fresh yeast. The pressed yeast is extruded into thin strips or small balls, and continuously dried through a fluidized bed with low-humidity circulating air, such that a final fermentation moisture reaches about 8% and the fermentation ability of the yeast is maintained.

(10) The active dry yeast involved in the present disclosure is a golden-packed dry yeast with high sugar tolerance and high activity and can be purchased from Angel Yeast Co., Ltd., Yichang, Hubei, China. The baking powder is RUMFORD aluminum-free baking powder and can be purchased from Clabber Girl Company, Indiana, USA.

(11) Low-speed stirring involved in the present disclosure is performed using a 1st gear of a Kenwood KM020 chef machine; and high-speed stirring is performed using a 6th gear of the Kenwood KM020 chef machine.

Example 1 Microwave Steamed Sponge Cake Prepared Using Commercial Active Dry Yeast Fermentation

(12) (1) Preparation of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(13) 200 g of wheat flour, 2.4 g of active dry yeast (golden-packed dry yeast with high sugar tolerance and high activity, Angel Yeast Co., Ltd., Yichang, Hubei, China) and 1 g of baking powder (RUMFORD aluminum-free baking powder, Clabber Girl Company, Indiana, USA) were weighed, the materials were stirred and uniformly mixed in a stirring tank at a low speed (1st gear of a Kenwood KM020 chef machine), 140 g of warm water was added, and the materials were stirred in the stirring tank at a low speed (1st gear of a Kenwood KM020 chef machine) until the materials were viscous and stirred at a high speed (6th gear of the Kenwood KM020 chef machine) for 12 min obtain the batter of a steamed sponge cake; and

(14) (2) Proofing and Heating of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(15) 100 g of the steamed sponge cake batter obtained in step (1) was weighed, the batter was placed in a mold to be oscillated to exhaust, and proofing was performed at a temperature of 37 C. and a humidity of 85% RH for 40 min, the fermented batter was placed in a microwave tunnel heating device to be heated at a microwave power of 4.25 w/g for 2 min and then naturally cooled for 5 min to obtain a steamed sponge cake with low fructan content.

Example 2 Microwave Steamed Sponge Cake Prepared Using Commercial Active Dry Yeast Fermentation

(16) Specific steps were as follows:

(17) (1) Preparation of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(18) 200 g of wheat flour, 2.4 g active dry yeast, and 1 g of baking powder were weighed, the materials were stirred and uniformly mixed in a stirring tank at a low speed, 140 g of warm water was added, the materials were stirred in the stirring tank at a low speed until the materials were viscous, and the materials were stirred at a high speed for 12 min to obtain the batter of a steamed sponge cake; and

(19) (2) Proofing and Heating of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(20) 100 g of the steamed sponge cake batter obtained in step (1) was weighed, the batter was placed in a mold to be oscillated to exhaust, and proofing was performed at a temperature of 37 C. and a humidity of 85% RH for 40 min, the fermented batter was placed in a microwave tunnel heating device to be heated at a microwave power of 3.4 w/g for different heating time (1 min, 2 min, 3 min, and 5 min) and then naturally cooled for 5 min to obtain the steamed sponge cake with low fructan content.

Example 3 Microwave Steamed Sponge Cake Prepared Using Commercial Active Dry Yeast Fermentation

(21) Specific steps were as follows:

(22) (1) Preparation of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(23) 200 g of wheat flour, 2.4 g active dry yeast, and 1 g of baking powder were weighed, the materials were stirred and uniformly mixed in a stirring tank at a low speed, 140 g of warm water was added, the materials were stirred in the stirring tank at a low speed until the materials were viscous, and the materials were stirred at a high speed for 12 min to obtain the batter of a steamed sponge cake; and

(24) (2) Proofing and Heating of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(25) 100 g of the steamed sponge cake batter obtained in step (1) was weighed, the batter was placed in a mold to be oscillated to exhaust, and proofing was performed at a temperature of 37 C. and a humidity of 85% RH for 40 min, the fermented batter was placed in a microwave tunnel heating device to be heated at a microwave power of 4.25 w/g for different heating time (1 min, 2 min, 3 min, and 5 min) and then naturally cooled for 5 min to obtain the steamed sponge cake with low fructan content.

Example 4 Microwave Steamed Sponge Cake Prepared Using Commercial Active Dry Yeast Fermentation

(26) Specific steps were as follows:

(27) (1) Preparation of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(28) 200 g of wheat flour, 2.4 g active dry yeast, and 1 g of baking powder were weighed, the materials were stirred and uniformly mixed in a stirring tank at a low speed, 140 g of warm water was added, the materials were stirred in the stirring tank at a low speed until the materials were viscous, and the materials were stirred at a high speed for 12 min to obtain the batter of a steamed sponge cake; and

(29) (2) Proofing and Curing of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(30) 100 g of the steamed sponge cake batter obtained in step (1) was weighed, the batter was placed in a mold to be oscillated to exhaust, and proofing was performed at a temperature of 37 C. and a humidity of 85% RH for 40 min, the fermented batter was placed in a microwave tunnel heating device to be heated at a microwave power of 5.1 w/g for different heating time (1 min, 2 min, 3 min, and 5 min) and then naturally cooled for 5 min to obtain the steamed sponge cake with low fructan content.

Example 5 Microwave Steamed Sponge Cake Prepared by Adding Commercial Invertase for Fermentation

(31) Specific steps were as follows:

(32) (1) Preparation of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(33) 200 g of wheat flour, 2.4 g active dry yeast, and 1 g of baking powder were weighed, 6,000 U of a commercial invertase (Invertase, EC 3.2.1.26, 14504 from S. cerevisiae) was added, the materials were stirred and uniformly mixed in a stirring tank at a low speed, 140 g of warm water was added, the materials were stirred in the stirring tank at a low speed until the materials were viscous, and the materials were stirred at a high speed for 12 min to obtain the batter of a steamed sponge cake; and

(34) (2) Proofing and Heating of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(35) 100 g of the steamed sponge cake batter obtained in step (1) was weighed, the batter was placed in a mold to be oscillated to exhaust, and proofing was performed at a temperature of 37 C. and a humidity of 85% RH for 40 min, the fermented batter was placed in a microwave tunnel heating device to be heated at a microwave power of 4.25 w/g for different heating time (1 min, 2 min, 3 min, and 5 min) and then naturally cooled for 5 min to obtain the steamed sponge cake with low fructan content.

Comparative Example 1 Steamed Sponge Cake Prepared not Using Commercial Active Dry Yeast Fermentation

(36) Specific steps were as follows:

(37) (1) Preparation of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(38) 200 g of wheat flour, and 1 g of baking powder were weighed, the materials were stirred and uniformly mixed in a stirring tank at a low speed, 140 g of warm water was added, the materials were stirred in the stirring tank at a low speed until the materials were viscous, and the materials were stirred at a high speed for 12 min to obtain the batter of a steamed sponge cake; and

(39) (2) Proofing and Steaming of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(40) 100 g of the steamed sponge cake batter obtained in step (1) was weighed, the batter was placed in a mold to be oscillated to exhaust, and proofing was performed at a temperature of 37 C. and a humidity of 85% RH for 40 min, the fermented batter was placed in a cooking cabinet to be heated for 15 min and then naturally cooled for 5 min to obtain the steamed sponge cake of a blank group.

Comparative Example 2 Microwave Steamed Sponge Cake Prepared not Using Commercial Active Dry Yeast Fermentation

(41) Specific steps were as follows:

(42) (1) Preparation of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(43) 200 g of wheat flour, and 1 g of baking powder were weighed, the materials were stirred and uniformly mixed in a stirring tank at a low speed, 140 g of warm water was added, the materials were stirred in the stirring tank at a low speed until the materials were viscous, and the materials were stirred at a high speed for 12 min to obtain the batter of a steamed sponge cake; and

(44) (2) Proofing and Heating of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(45) 100 g of the steamed sponge cake batter obtained in step (1) was weighed, the batter was placed in a mold to be oscillated to exhaust, and proofing was performed at a temperature of 37 C. and a humidity of 85% RH for 40 min, the fermented batter was placed in a microwave tunnel heating device to be heated at a microwave power of 4.25 w/g for 2 min and then naturally cooled for 5 min to obtain the microwave steamed sponge cake of a blank group.

Comparative Example 3 Steamed Sponge Cake Prepared Using Commercial Active Dry Yeast Fermentation

(46) Specific steps were as follows:

(47) (1) Preparation of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(48) 200 g of wheat flour, 2.4 g active dry yeast, and 1 g of baking powder were weighed, the materials were stirred and uniformly mixed in a stirring tank at a low speed, 140 g of warm water was added, the materials were stirred in the stirring tank at a low speed until the materials were viscous, and the materials were stirred at a high speed for 12 min to obtain the batter of a steamed sponge cake; and

(49) (2) Proofing and Steaming of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(50) 100 g of the steamed sponge cake obtained in step (1) was weighed, the batter was placed in a mold to be oscillated to exhaust, and proofing was performed at a temperature of 37 C. and a humidity of 85% RH for 40 min, the fermented batter was placed in a cooking cabinet to be heated for 15 min and then naturally cooled for 5 min to obtain the steamed sponge cake of a S. cerevisiae group.

(51) Characteristics Comparison and Mechanism Exploration:

(52) The content of fructan in the steamed sponge cakes obtained in Comparative Examples 1-3 and Example 1 was compared as shown in FIG. 1. Compared with the steamed sponge cake of a blank group, the fructan content of the microwave steamed sponge cake of a blank group did not decrease significantly, indicating that the effect of the heating methods on the fructan reduction was not significant without the addition of S. cerevisiae. After the S. cerevisiae was added, the content of fructan of the steamed sponge cake decreased obviously. Besides, the fructan content of the microwave steamed sponge cake was relatively lower compared with that of the traditionally steamed sponge cake, indicating that microwave heating can assist S. cerevisiae to further degrade the fructans in the steamed sponge cake.

(53) The assisted degradation of the microwave was affected by its heating processing parameters. The fructan content of the microwave steamed sponge cakes prepared with different microwave powers (3.40 w/g-5.10 w/g) and heating times (1 min-5 min) was compared separately as shown in FIG. 2 and Table 1. With the increase of the microwave powers and heating times, the fructan content of the steamed sponge cakes showed a decreasing trend. When the microwave power was greater than 4.25 w/g and the heating time exceeded 2 min, the content of fructan in the steamed sponge cake decreased to a level below 0.3 g/100 g DM (critical value of fructan ingestion by patients with IBS). It was speculated that the microwave may affect the fructan content in the steamed sponge cakes through rapid heating effect.

(54) In order to further explore the influence mechanism of microwave-assisted S. cerevisiae on degrading fructan, a commercial invertase (EC 3.2.1.26, sourced from S. cerevisiae) was added on the basis of S. cerevisiae as the fermentation agent (Table 1). Under the hydrolysis of the invertase, the fructan content in the microwave steamed sponge cake continued to decrease, indicating that microwave heating may further degrade the fructan by affecting the activity of fructan-degrading enzyme in the fermentation agent.

(55) To verify conjectures of the microwave rapid heating and the microwave heating cooperated with invertase on hydrolyzing the fructan, an isothermal and constant rate model was constructed to analyze and compare the difference of invertase activity between microwave heating and water bath heating. As shown in FIG. 3B, under the same heating rate, the microwave heating can moderately increase the activity of the invertase compared with traditional water-bath heating, and the invertase can promote the hydrolysis of the fructan with a specific degree of polymerization under the action of the microwave.

(56) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Content of fructan of steamed sponge cakes obtained using different heating methods Content of fructan (g/100 g DM) Not heated (0 min) 0.705 0.074 Comparative Example 0.590 0.141 3 (steaming) Example 2 1 min 0.561 0.137 (3.4 w/g) 2 min 0.523 0.120 3 min 0.456 0.034 5 min 0.450 0.034 Example 3 1 min 0.464 0.100 (4.25 w/g) 2 min 0.359 0.101 3 min 0.284 0.050 5 min 0.109 0.025 Example 4 1 min 0.213 0.102 (5.1 w/g) 2 min 0.195 0.078 3 min 0.166 0.055 5 min 0.105 0.005 Example 5 1 min 0.346 0.016 (4.25 w/g, 2 min 0.279 0.019 invertase) 3 min 0.155 0.003 5 min 0.121 0.017

(57) The microwave heating and the degradation of fructan also had an impact on texture properties of the steamed sponge cakes. The steamed sponge cakes obtained in Comparative Example 3 and Examples 2-5 were subjected to a texture profile analysis, and the results were shown in Table 2. When the heating time was performed for 1 min, the steamed sponge cakes obtained in Examples 2-5 were not fully cooked. When the heating time was performed for 5 min, the steamed sponge cakes obtained in Examples 3-5 were dried and dehydrated due to excessive heating, which were not suitable to be tested and were not edible. The results showed that the microwave power and the heating time within a certain range had no obvious effect on the springiness of the steamed sponge cakes; the resilience of the steamed sponge cakes was negatively correlated with the microwave power and the heating time; with the increase of the microwave power and the heating time, the steamed sponge cakes chewiness increased gradually; but due to the decrease of moisture content, hardness of the steamed sponge cakes increased significantly with the microwave power and the heating time increasing, and the texture characteristics of the microwave steamed sponge cakes were better than those of traditionally steamed sponge cakes under certain heating conditions. In addition, the quality of the steamed sponge cakes was also correlated with the content of fructan. Excessive microwave heating and the decrease of the fructan content would lead to deterioration of the product texture. Therefore, the method of the present disclosure preferably using the microwave heating process can prepare the low-fructan-content microwave steamed sponge cakes with better quality.

(58) TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Texture profile analysis results of steamed sponge cakes obtained using different heating methods Springiness Resilience Chewiness Hardness (g) Comparative Example 0.641 0.067 0.224 0.028 293 34 809 21 3 (steaming) Example 1 1 min Not fully cooked (3.4 w/g) 2 min 0.960 0.015 0.508 0.018 703 45 852 59 3 min 0.948 0.016 0.474 0.010 997 83 1254 100 5 min 0.941 0.012 0.409 0.033 2159 452 2791 627 Example 2 1 min Not fully cooked (4.25 w/g) 2 min 0.984 0.016 0.503 0.014 613 82 735 107 3 min 0.976 0.007 0.493 0.016 717 76 865 91 5 min Dry and hard after dehydration and no data detected Example 3 1 min Not fully cooked (5.1 w/g) 2 min 0.961 0.007 0.480 0.019 1078 119 1321 159 3 min 0.950 0.005 0.417 0.037 1475 293 1860 386 5 min Dry and hard after dehydration and no data detected Example 5 1 min Not fully cooked (4.25 w/g, 2 min 0.937 0.017 0.471 0.010 1224 89 1520 131 invertase) 3 min 0.944 0.020 0.456 0.025 1525 225 1921 346 5 min Dry and hard after dehydration and no data detected

Example 6 Microwave Steamed Sponge Cake Prepared Using Commercial Active Dry Yeast Fermentation

(59) Specific steps were as follows:

(60) (1) Preparation of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(61) 180 g of wheat flour, 2.2 g active dry yeast, and 0.8 g of baking powder were weighed, the materials were stirred and uniformly mixed in a stirring tank at a low speed, 130 g of warm water was added, the materials were stirred in the stirring tank at a low speed until the materials were viscous, and the materials were stirred at a high speed for 12 min to obtain the batter of a steamed sponge cake; and

(62) (2) Proofing and Heating of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(63) 100 g of the steamed sponge cake batter obtained in step (1) was weighed, the batter was placed in a mold to be oscillated to exhaust, and proofing was performed at a temperature of 37 C. and a humidity of 85% RH for 40 min, the fermented batter was placed in a microwave tunnel heating device to be heated at a microwave power of 4.25 w/g for 2 min and then naturally cooled for 5 min to obtain the steamed sponge cake with low fructan content.

Example 7 Microwave Steamed Sponge Cake Prepared Using Commercial Active Dry Yeast Fermentation

(64) Specific steps were as follows:

(65) (1) Preparation of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(66) 220 g of wheat flour, 2.7 g active dry yeast, and 1.2 g of baking powder were weighed, the materials were stirred and uniformly mixed in a stirring tank at a low speed, 150 g of warm water was added, the materials were stirred in the stirring tank at a low speed until the materials were viscous, and the materials were stirred at a high speed for 12 min to obtain the batter of a steamed sponge cake; and

(67) (2) Proofing and Heating of Teamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(68) 100 g of the steamed sponge cake batter obtained in step (1) was weighed, the batter was placed in a mold to be oscillated to exhaust, and proofing was performed at a temperature of 37 C. and a humidity of 85% RH for 40 min, the fermented batter was placed in a microwave tunnel heating device to be heated with microwave at a power of 4.25 w/g for 3 min and then naturally cooled for 5 min to obtain the steamed sponge cake with low fructan content.

Example 8 Microwave Steamed Sponge Cake Prepared Using Commercial Active Dry Yeast Fermentation

(69) Specific steps were as follows:

(70) (1) Preparation of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(71) 210 g of wheat flour, 2.8 g active dry yeast, and 1.1 g of baking powder were weighed, the materials were stirred and uniformly mixed in a stirring tank at a low speed, 160 g of warm water was added, the materials were stirred in the stirring tank at a low speed until the materials were viscous, and the materials were stirred at a high speed for 12 min to obtain the batter of a steamed sponge cake; and

(72) (2) Proofing and Heating of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(73) 100 g of the steamed sponge cake batter obtained in step (1) was weighed, the batter was placed in a mold to be oscillated to exhaust, and proofing was performed at a temperature of 37 C. and a humidity of 85% RH for 40 min, the fermented batter was placed in a microwave tunnel heating device to be heated at a microwave power of 5.1 w/g for 2 min and then naturally cooled for 5 min to obtain the steamed sponge cake with low fructan content.

Example 9 Microwave Steamed Sponge Cake Prepared Using Commercial Active Dry Yeast Fermentation

(74) Specific steps were as follows:

(75) (1) Preparation of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(76) 190 g of wheat flour, 2 g active dry yeast, and 0.9 g of baking powder were weighed, the materials were stirred and uniformly mixed in a stirring tank at a low speed, 120 g of warm water was added, the materials were stirred in the stirring tank at a low speed until the materials were viscous, and the materials were stirred at a high speed for 12 min to obtain the batter of a steamed sponge cake; and

(77) (2) Proofing and Heating of Steamed Sponge Cake Batter:

(78) 100 g of the steamed sponge cake batter obtained in step (1) was weighed, the batter was placed in a mold to be oscillated to exhaust, and proofing was performed at a temperature of 37 C. and a humidity of 85% RH for 40 min, the fermented batter was placed in a microwave tunnel heating device to be heated with microwave at a power of 5.1 w/g for 3 min and then naturally cooled for 5 min to obtain the steamed sponge cake with low fructan content.