Plant-derived bitter / astringent taste reduction agent

Abstract

According to one embodiment, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a novel bitter / astringent taste reduction agent in which is used a component that has not heretofore been known to have an effect for reducing bitter / astringent taste. According to one embodiment, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a food / beverage that contains the novel bitter / astringent taste reduction agent. The present invention provides a plant-derived bitter / astringent taste reduction agent that contains a plant-derived lignan.

Description

Plant-derived bitterness reducing agent

[0001] The present invention relates to a plant-derived bitterness reducing agent, a plant-derived bitterness component-containing food or drink, and a method for producing the food or drink.

[0002] Foods and drinks exhibit various tastes (sweetness, saltiness, sourness, bitterness, umami, etc.) derived from their raw materials and manufacturing processes. Among these tastes, bitterness derived from polyphenols, caffeine, etc. is often avoided when it becomes excessive. Therefore, methods for reducing the bitterness of foods and drinks are being studied in various places. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a method for masking the bitterness of high-cocoa chocolate by adding at least one essential oil selected from the group consisting of mint essential oil, coconut essential oil, and eucalyptus essential oil at a ratio of 0.0001 to 0.02 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the chocolate composition. However, with these methods used, the essential oil will affect the flavor of the chocolate.

[0003] JP 2018-148805

[0004] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a novel bitterness reducing agent using a component that has not been known to have a bitterness reducing effect until now. In another embodiment, the present invention aims to provide a food or drink containing the novel bitterness reducing agent.

[0005] Under such circumstances, as a result of examining the bitterness reducing effect of various components, the present inventors have found that plant-derived lignans reduce plant-derived bitterness. Therefore, the present invention provides the following items: Item 1. A plant-derived bitterness reducing agent containing a plant-derived lignan.

[0006] Item 2. The agent according to Item 1, wherein the plant-derived bitterness is bitterness derived from at least one selected from the group consisting of polyphenols and caffeine.

[0007] Item 3. The agent according to Item 1 or 2, which is a bitterness reducing agent for a food or drink containing cacao polyphenols.

[0008] Item 4. A plant-derived bitterness component-containing food or drink containing a plant-derived lignan.

[0009] Item 5. The food or beverage described in Item 4, comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of polyphenols and caffeine as a plant-derived bitter taste component.

[0010] Item 6. Food and beverages as described in item 4 or 5, which contain cocoa polyphenols.

[0011] Item 7. The agent according to any one of items 1 to 3 or the food or beverage according to any one of items 4 to 6, wherein the plant-derived lignan contains secoisolariciresinol diglucoside.

[0012] Item 8. A method for producing a food or beverage containing a bitter or astringent taste component according to any one of items 4 to 6, comprising the step of adding a plant-derived lignan to a food or beverage containing a bitter or astringent taste component of plant origin or to a raw material thereof.

[0013] Item 9. A method for reducing bitterness in food or beverages containing plant-derived bitter taste components or their raw materials, by adding plant-derived lignans.

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a novel bitterness-reducing agent using a component that was not previously known to have a bitterness-reducing effect. In another embodiment, the present invention provides a food or beverage containing the novel bitterness-reducing agent.

[0015] Plant-derived bitterness-reducing agent The present invention provides a plant-derived bitterness-reducing agent containing plant-derived lignans. In the present invention, bitterness can be interpreted in the sense commonly used in the technical field of food and beverages to which the present invention belongs. Examples of plants that exhibit bitterness include cocoa, tea, bell pepper, bitter melon (goya), celery, coffee, etc., with cocoa being preferred. These plants may be used individually or in combination of two or more. Examples of plant-derived bitterness include those derived from polyphenols, caffeine, theobromine, quinine, etc. contained in plants. The plant-derived bitterness components of the present invention include not only those obtained directly from plants by using the plants themselves or extracting them from plants, but also those obtained by chemical synthesis. The present invention also includes embodiments for reducing bitterness derived from one of these plant-derived bitterness-reducing components, as well as embodiments for reducing bitterness derived from two or more of these components.

[0016] Among the plant-derived bitter and astringent components mentioned above, polyphenols and caffeine are preferred. Due to the growing health consciousness in society, polyphenols (cacao polyphenols contained in chocolate) are attracting attention because they are expected to have effects such as lowering blood pressure, preventing arteriosclerosis, providing beauty benefits, and activating the brain. On the other hand, the more sugar and dairy ingredients are used to suppress bitterness, the more restrictions are placed on the use of cacao ingredients, and an upper limit is placed on the percentage of polyphenols that can be contained in the product. Therefore, it is desirable to avoid using sugar and dairy ingredients as much as possible, or to reduce their use. In addition, since excessive sugar intake is thought to be associated with health risks such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, health-conscious people tend to limit their sugar intake. Regarding dairy ingredients, in addition to ethical and environmental reasons, there are people who have allergic reactions to proteins contained in milk and other dairy ingredients, so it is desirable to minimize the use of sugar and dairy ingredients as much as possible. From these points of view, it is preferable to use the present invention in food and beverages containing polyphenols (especially cacao polyphenols contained in chocolate).

[0017] There are no particular limitations on the amount of bitter and astringent taste components contained in the food and beverages covered by the present invention. For example, if the mass of the food and beverage is set to 100% by mass, the present invention can be applied to ranges such as 0.1% by mass or more, 0.5% by mass or more, 1% by mass or more, and 1.5% by mass or more for cocoa polyphenols. If the mass of the food and beverage is set to 100% by mass, the present invention can be applied to ranges such as 0.01% by mass or more, 0.02% by mass or more, 0.03% by mass or more, and 0.04% by mass or more for caffeine. There are no particular limitations on the amount of bitter and astringent taste components contained in the food and beverages covered by the present invention. For example, if the mass of the food and beverage is set to 100% by mass, the present invention can be applied to ranges such as 10% by mass or less, 5% by mass or less, 4% by mass or less, 3% by mass or less, 2% by mass or less, and 1.5% by mass or less for cocoa polyphenols. For caffeine, if the total mass of food and beverages is considered as 100% by mass, the applicable ranges can be, for example, 0.2% by mass or less, 0.15% by mass or less, 0.1% by mass or less, etc.

[0018] In this invention, lignan refers to a general term for plant-derived chemical substances that are dimers consisting of a C6-C3 unit, in which at least the C8 positions of each unit are always bonded. Therefore, in this invention, lignan has the following basic structure:

[0019]

[0020] Examples of lignans include secoisolariciresinol, pinoresinol, lariciresinol, matairesinol, and glycosides such as secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) (including glycosides such as secoisolariciresinol, pinoresinol, lariciresinol, matairesinol, etc.), with secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) being particularly preferred.

[0021]

[0022] The lignan, which is the active ingredient of the bitterness-reducing agent of the present invention, is preferably derived from plants such as flax, sesame, sunflower, cashew nut, kale, broccoli, cabbage, and garlic, with flax-derived lignans being preferred. As for flax, linseed flax is preferred.

[0023] In the present invention, the active ingredient, plant-derived lignan, may be used as a bitter taste reducer itself, or it may be used as a composition combining the plant-derived lignan with various carriers that can be added to food and beverages (for example, isotonic agents, chelating agents, stabilizers, pH adjusters, preservatives, antioxidants, solubilizers, viscosity enhancers, excipients, binders, dispersants, etc.). In this embodiment, the content of plant-derived lignan in the bitter taste reducer is not limited, but can be appropriately set in the range of, for example, 40% by weight or more, 50% by mass or more, 60% by mass or more, 70% by mass or more, 80% by mass or more, 90% by mass or more, 95% by mass or more, 99% by mass or more, etc.

[0024] Examples of isotonic agents include sugars such as glucose, trehalose, lactose, fructose, mannitol, xylitol, and sorbitol; polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin, polyethylene glycol, and propylene glycol; and inorganic salts such as sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and calcium chloride. These isotonic agents can be used individually or in combination of two or more. Examples of chelating agents include EDTA salts such as disodium EDTA, disodium calcium EDTA, trisodium EDTA, tetrasodium EDTA, and calcium EDTA; ethylenediaminetetraacetate, nitrilotriacetic acid or its salts; sodium hexametaphosphate; and citric acid. These chelating agents can be used individually or in combination of two or more. Examples of stabilizers include sodium bisulfite. Examples of pH adjusting agents include acids such as hydrochloric acid, carbonic acid, acetic acid, and citric acid, as well as alkali metal hydroxides such as sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide, alkali metal carbonates or bicarbonates such as sodium carbonate, alkali metal acetates such as sodium acetate, alkali metal citrates such as sodium citrate, and bases such as trometamol. These pH adjusting agents can be used individually or in combination of two or more. Examples of preservatives include parahydroxybenzoic acid esters such as sorbic acid, potassium sorbate, methyl parahydroxybenzoate, ethyl parahydroxybenzoate, propyl parahydroxybenzoate, and butyl parahydroxybenzoate, chlorhexidine gluconate, benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride, cetylpyridinium chloride, and other quaternary ammonium salts, alkyl polyaminoethylglycine, chlorobutanol, polyquad, polyhexamethylene biguanide, and chlorhexidine. These preservatives can be used individually or in combination of two or more. Examples of antioxidants include sodium bisulfite, anhydrous sodium sulfite, sodium pyrosulfite, and concentrated mixed tocopherols. These antioxidants can be used individually or in combination of two or more.Examples of solubilizers include sodium benzoate, glycerin, D-sorbitol, glucose, propylene glycol, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, macrogol, and D-mannitol. These solubilizers can be used individually or in combination of two or more. Examples of thickening agents include polyethylene glycol, methylcellulose, ethylcellulose, sodium carmellose, xanthan gum, sodium chondroitin sulfate, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, and polyvinyl alcohol. These thickening agents can be used individually or in combination of two or more. Examples of excipients include lactose, corn starch, L-cysteine, trehalose, maltitol, sorbitol, and dextrins (dextrin, maltodextrin, α-cyclodextrin, β-cyclodextrin, etc.). These excipients can be used individually or in combination of two or more. Examples of binders include crystalline cellulose, starch, sucrose, hydroxypropylcellulose, gelatin, acacia powder, polyvinylpyrrolidone, pullulan, dextrin, cyclodextrin, methylcellulose, ethylcellulose, hydroxymethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol, etc. These binders can be used individually or in combination of two or more. Examples of dispersants include polyglycerin fatty acid esters, glycerin fatty acid esters, glycerin fatty acid organic acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, propylene glycol fatty acid esters, organic acid monoglycerides, monoglyceride derivatives, polyoxyethylene derivatives, lecithin, etc. These dispersants can be used individually or in combination of two or more.

[0025] The target foods and beverages are not particularly limited as long as they use plant-based ingredients that exhibit a bitter or astringent taste, but examples include foods such as chocolate, matcha-flavored foods, and coffee-flavored foods (including coffee jelly, etc.); beverages such as cocoa, tea beverages (including matcha-flavored beverages), chocolate beverages, chocolate-flavored soft drinks, chocolate-flavored milk beverages, coffee-flavored beverages, and vegetable juices; and seasonings such as cocoa powder and cocoa mass. In the present invention, cocoa products (products containing cocoa or cocoa-derived ingredients (cocoa powder, cocoa mass, etc.)) are preferred.

[0026] As described above, in the present invention, as a bitter taste reducing agent, either the plant-derived lignan itself, which is the active ingredient, may be used, or a composition combining the plant-derived lignan with various carriers that can be added to food and beverages may be used. The amount of the bitter taste reducing agent of the present invention added, when converted to the plant-derived lignan, which is the active ingredient, is preferably 0.004% by mass or more, more preferably 0.008% by mass or more, more preferably 0.01% by mass or more, and more preferably 0.02% by mass or more, when the mass of the food and beverage to which the bitter taste reducing agent has been added is taken as 100% by mass. The upper limit of the amount of the bitter taste reducing agent of the present invention added to food and beverages is preferably 0.4% by mass or less, more preferably 0.2% by mass or less, and more preferably 0.05% by mass or less, when converted to the plant-derived lignan, when the mass of the food and beverage to which the bitter taste reducing agent has been added is taken as 100% by mass.

[0027] Furthermore, the amount of the bitter taste reducing agent of the present invention added to bitter taste components contained in food and beverages can be, for example, 0.05 parts by mass or more, preferably 0.1 parts by mass or more, more preferably 0.2 parts by mass or more, more preferably 0.4 parts by mass or more, and more preferably 1 part by mass or more, per 100 parts by mass of the bitter taste components. The upper limit of the amount of the bitter taste reducing agent of the present invention added to bitter taste components contained in food and beverages can be, for example, 10 parts by mass or less, more preferably 5 parts by mass or less, and more preferably 3 parts by mass or less, per 100 parts by mass of the bitter taste components, per 100 parts by mass of the bitter taste components, in terms of plant-derived lignans.

[0028] When chocolate products are used as food or beverages, the raw materials for chocolate products include cocoa nibs, cocoa beans, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, cocoa butter substitutes (tempered and untempered types), fractionated cocoa butter, oils and fats such as vegetable oils, monosaccharides, disaccharides, sugar alcohols, oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, dairy ingredients, powdered eggs, flour, cocoa powder, dried fruits, nuts, puffs, emulsifiers (such as lecithin), flavorings, glazing agents, colorings, high-intensity sweeteners, antioxidants, etc. When sugars such as sucrose are used, the amount used is not limited, but when the total food or beverage is considered as 100% by mass, it can be appropriately set within a range such as 60% by mass or less, 50% by mass or less, or 40% by mass or less. When sugars such as sucrose are used, the lower limit of the amount used is also not limited, but when the total food or beverage is considered as 100% by mass, it can be appropriately set within a range such as 5% by mass or more, 10% by mass or more, or 20% by mass or more. When cocoa mass is used as a raw material, the amount used is not limited, but when the total food and beverage is considered to be 100% by mass, it can be appropriately set within the range of, for example, 90% or less by mass, 80% or less by mass, 70% or less by mass, 60% or less by mass, 50% or less by mass, 40% or less by mass, etc. When cocoa mass is used as a raw material, the lower limit of the amount used is not limited, but when the total food and beverage is considered to be 100% by mass, it can be appropriately set within the range of, for example, 10% or more by mass, 20% or more by mass, 30% or more by mass, etc. When cocoa powder is used as a raw material, the amount used is not limited, but when the total food and beverage is considered to be 100% by mass, it can be appropriately set within the range of, for example, 40% or less by mass, 30% or less by mass, 20% or less by mass, 10% or less by mass, etc. When cocoa powder is used as a raw material, the lower limit of the amount used is not limited, but when the total food and beverage is considered to be 100% by mass, it can be appropriately set within the range of, for example, 1% or more by mass, 3% or more by mass, 5% or more by mass, etc. When cocoa butter is used as an ingredient, the amount used is not limited, but when the total amount of food and beverages is considered to be 100% by mass, it can be appropriately set within a range such as 40% by mass or less, 30% by mass or less, 20% by mass or less, or 10% by mass or less. When cocoa butter is used as an ingredient, the lower limit of the amount used is also not limited, but when the total amount of food and beverages is considered to be 100% by mass, it can be appropriately set within a range such as 1% by mass or more, 3% by mass or more, or 5% by mass or more.

[0029] Dairy ingredients include whole milk powder, skim milk powder, cream powder, whey powder, sweetened milk powder, condensed milk powder, fermented milk powder, cheese powder, and other powdered milk products, as well as milk, cream, butter, cheese, concentrated milk, and sweetened condensed milk, which may or may not be incorporated into the chocolate dough. When using dairy ingredients, the amount used is not limited, but can be appropriately set within a range such as 30% or less, 20% or less, or 15% or less, when considering the entire food and beverage product as 100% by mass. When using dairy ingredients, the lower limit of the amount used is also not limited, but can be appropriately set within a range such as 1% or more, 5% or more, or 10% or more, when considering the entire food and beverage product as 100% by mass.

[0030] Examples of chocolates include pure chocolate, chocolate, semi-chocolate, pure milk chocolate, milk chocolate, and semi-milk chocolate. White chocolate that does not contain cocoa mass or cocoa powder is also included in the chocolates of this invention if it contains plant-derived bitter and astringent components. Examples of chocolate shapes include chocolate bars, chocolate bars, shell chocolate (made by pouring chocolate into a mold to create a shell, filling it with cream, jam, nuts, fruits, etc., and then covering it with more chocolate), enrobed chocolate, and hollow chocolate.

[0031] In embodiments of food and beverages and their manufacturing methods, the present invention provides food and beverages containing plant-derived bitter and astringent components, including plant-derived lignans. In these embodiments, the details of plant-derived lignans, plant-derived bitter and astringent components, food and beverages, etc., are the same as described above.

[0032] In this embodiment, the content of plant-derived lignans per 100% by mass of the food and beverage of the present invention is preferably, for example, 0.004% by mass or more, more preferably 0.008% by mass or more, and more preferably 0.02% by mass or more. The upper limit of the content of plant-derived lignans per 100% by mass of the food and beverage of the present invention is preferably, for example, 0.4% by mass or less, more preferably 0.2% by mass or less, and more preferably 0.05% by mass or less.

[0033] Furthermore, the content ratio of plant-derived lignans to plant-derived bitter and astringent components in the food and beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 0.1 parts by mass or more, preferably 0.2 parts by mass or more, more preferably 0.4 parts by mass or more, and even more preferably 1.0 part by mass or more, per 100 parts by mass of the bitter and astringent components. The upper limit of the content ratio of plant-derived lignans to plant-derived bitter and astringent components in the food and beverage of the present invention is, for example, preferably 10 parts by mass or less, more preferably 5 parts by mass or less, and even more preferably 3 parts by mass or less, per 100 parts by mass of the bitter and astringent components.

[0034] In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method for producing food and beverages containing plant-derived bitter and astringent components, comprising the step of adding plant-derived lignans to food and beverages containing plant-derived bitter and astringent components or their raw materials. In this embodiment, the details of plant-derived lignans, plant-derived bitter and astringent components, food and beverages, etc. are the same as described above. Method for reducing bitter and astringent taste Also in another embodiment, the present invention also provides a method for reducing bitter and astringent taste by adding plant-derived lignans to food and beverages containing plant-derived bitter and astringent components or their raw materials, a method for reducing bitter and astringent taste by adding plant-derived lignans to food and beverages containing plant-derived bitter and astringent components or their raw materials, etc. In this embodiment, the details of plant-derived lignans, plant-derived bitter and astringent components, target food and beverages, etc. are the same as described above. In the present invention, the phrase "adding plant-derived lignans to food and beverages containing plant-derived bitter and astringent components or their raw materials" includes not only adding plant-derived lignans to food and beverages containing plant-derived bitter and astringent components or their raw materials as a single substance, but also adding them as a composition containing said lignans. The composition containing lignans is not particularly limited as long as it contains lignans, but examples include crude lignan extracts from plants and compositions combining lignans with the aforementioned carriers.

[0035] The following describes specific embodiments of the present invention in more detail using examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0036] Example 1 <Chocolate Ingredient Blending> 36.0% by weight of cocoa mass and other ingredients (30% by weight of sugar, 8.0% by weight of vegetable oil, 9.5% by weight of cocoa powder, 8.5% by weight of whole milk powder, 8.0% by weight of cocoa butter, and 0.4% by weight of lecithin) were blended to a total of 100% by weight of cocoa mass and other ingredients. <Manufacturing Method> Chocolate was produced by the following method: (1) The chocolate ingredients other than lecithin were mixed and ground using a refiner roll or the like, and then conching was performed. (2) Further mixing was performed to obtain melted chocolate. (3) Lecithin (emulsifier) ​​was added to adjust the viscosity. (4) The melted chocolate was molded into a predetermined shape, cooled and solidified to obtain 5.5 g of the final product.

[0037] For the example sample (additive), in step (3) above, Nippon Flaxseed Lignan (SDG content: 40% by weight or more; moisture content 8.0% by weight or less) was added at a concentration of 0.05% by weight per 100% by weight of the final chocolate product. The caffeine content of the resulting chocolate was approximately 3 mg per 5.5 g of chocolate. The polyphenol content of the resulting chocolate was approximately 100 mg per 5.5 g of chocolate. In addition, chocolate obtained in the same manner as above, except that Nippon Flaxseed Lignan was not added, was used as the comparative example sample (unadditiveed product).

[0038] Six in-house panelists who had the ability to conduct sensory tests in an evaluation system that took into account order effects prepared sample names using random numbers and evaluated each sample. Specifically, "astringency" was defined as "astringency felt by the tongue," and a paired comparison method (7-point scale) was used to compare and judge the "astringency" between two samples (the additive and the non-additive). The panelists had a common procedure among themselves regarding how much stronger the flavor had to be to raise the flavor score of the evaluation item by one point (training to evaluate reference samples (-1 point and 1 point) of astringency intensity, where the amount of cacao raw material was increased or decreased to adjust the astringency with the non-additive as the reference (0 point)). For the evaluation target products, if the astringency was weaker than the reference sample of -1 point, it was set as -2 points, and if it was weaker than -2 points, it was set as -3 points. Similarly, if the astringency was stronger than the reference sample of 1 point, it was set as 2 points, and if it was stronger than 2 points, it was set as 3 points.

[0039]

[0040] As a result of the sensory evaluation, with the non-additive as the reference (0 point), the average score for the astringency of the additive was "-1.17" points. Each score is shown below. From the above, it was found that by adding amanin lignan, the astringency derived from plants such as cacao polyphenols can be alleviated. Also, there was no significant difference in flavors other than astringency between the additive and the non-additive.

[0041]

[0042] Examples 2 to 4 Chocolate was produced in the same manner as in Example 1, except that Nippon-made amanin lignan was blended so as to be 0.01 wt%, 0.02 wt%, or 0.5 wt% with respect to 100% by mass of the final chocolate product (Examples 2, 3, and 4, respectively). Using the obtained chocolate, sensory evaluation was performed by six panelists in the same manner as in Example 1. The evaluation results of Examples 2 to 4 are shown in Table 3, and a summary of the results of Examples 1 to 4 is shown in Table 4.

[0043]

[0044]

[0045] From the above, it was found that adding flaxseed lignans can alleviate the bitter and astringent taste derived from plants. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in flavor other than bitterness between the products with and without the additives.

Claims

1. A plant-derived bitterness-reducing agent containing plant-derived lignans.

2. The agent according to claim 1, wherein the plant-derived bitter taste is derived from at least one selected from the group consisting of polyphenols and caffeine.

3. The agent according to claim 1, which is an agent for reducing the bitter taste of food and beverages containing cocoa polyphenols.

4. Food and beverages containing plant-derived lignans or other plant-derived bitter or astringent components.

5. The food or beverage according to claim 4, comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of polyphenols and caffeine as a plant-derived bitter taste component.

6. The food or beverage according to claim 4, comprising cocoa polyphenols.

7. The agent according to claim 1 or the food or beverage according to claim 4, wherein the plant-derived lignan comprises secoisolariciresinol diglucoside.

8. A method for producing a food or beverage containing a bitter or astringent taste component according to claim 4, comprising the step of adding a plant-derived lignan to a food or beverage containing a bitter or astringent taste component of plant origin or to a raw material thereof.

9. A method for reducing bitterness in food or beverages containing plant-derived bitter taste components or their raw materials, by adding plant-derived lignans.

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