Recently, non-fried instant noodles have attracted a lot of consumer interest. However, over the years, non-fried instant noodles have given the impression that the taste and appearance are not ideal. So, what methods can solve these problems? For this reason, the reporter interviewed Chen Jinchuan, senior engineer of the Nanjing Yatai Institute of Microwave Energy Technology.
Director Chen Jinchuan told reporters that the use of advanced microwave technology and equipment to dry and sterilize the blanks can significantly improve the flavor of non-fried instant noodles, increase the degree of product puffing, and solve the problems of fats and fats in fried instant noodles, and improve production efficiency. In terms of food safety and quality, it plays an important role in promoting the development of non-fried instant noodle industry.
With the improvement of living standards, consumers have put forward higher requirements on food flavor, health and safety, appearance and other qualities. At the same time, consumers also have new demands for the diversity of food varieties. But looking at the instant noodle market, almost all fried noodles dominate the world. The increase in the consumption of “three low†foods (low-fat, low-sugar, and low-salt foods) has become a trend, which is why non-fried instant noodles are quietly emerging in the market. In the early years of the instant noodles market in China, non-fried noodles have also appeared, mainly hot-air dried noodles, but they are quickly withdrawn from the market due to their unacceptable quality. Early hot air drying instant noodle quality is poor, the root cause is the backwardness of production equipment and production technology. As we all know, when using hot air drying, the heat is gradually transmitted to the inside through the surface of the dough, that is, drying is performed by the watch and the inside. Here, the temperature gradient and moisture migration in the opposite direction, so the drying time is longer, generally takes 50-60 minutes, the defect is that the dough block shrinkage is serious, the structure becomes tight, there is no porous structure, resulting in poor product rehydration, table The degree of gelatinization in the soup is different, easy to make soup, easy to break, poor viscoelasticity, dark color appearance, affect people's taste and appetite, there is no "convenience" at all words, it was eliminated by the market.
As early as in the early 1990s, a 30,000-pack microwave instant noodles production line was put into trial production in Nanjie Village, Henan Province, and passed the ministerial appraisal. However, due to the fact that the non-fried instant noodle market was not mature at the time, and the noodle making process and seasoning technology were not matched at the time, this type of instant noodle could not be opened to the market, and microwave equipment and technology could not be well applied in instant noodle production. .
After more than ten years, microwave technology has become more mature than ever before. The demand for non-fried instant noodles has also been rising. Knowledgeable people should grasp this huge business opportunity and bring non-fried instant noodles to market.
According to Chen Jinchuan, director of the Nanjing Yatai Institute of Microwave Energy, the use of microwave technology in the production of instant noodles uses the energy of ultra-high frequency electromagnetic waves to directly interact with instant noodles, converting ultra-high frequency microwave energy into heat energy, making the material The water evaporates. A microwave is an electromagnetic wave with a high frequency of oscillation (frequency between 300 MHz and 300 GHz), and its direction and size also change periodically with time. The water molecules in the material are polar molecules, and its polarity direction changes with the change of the polarity of the external electric field, which causes the molecules to rotate rapidly. The friction between molecules will produce a similar effect, so that the temperature of the material will rise, reaching Evaporate to water, ripening, puffing, sterilization and other purposes.
Due to the above characteristics of the microwave, the moisture inside the noodle quickly warms, vaporizes, and expands in a very short time. The inside of the noodle will have many pore-like structures similar to deep-fried instant noodles due to moisture changes. This is the outstanding advantage of traditional hot-air drying. Now, although many improvements have been made to hot air drying equipment, they are still not as simple and effective as microwave equipment in the production of instant noodles.