Chickpea beverage based on enzymolysis regulation and preparation method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of plant-based beverages, in particular to a chickpea beverage based on enzymolysis regulation and a preparation method thereof. The preparation method of the chickpea beverage comprises the step of performing enzymolysis on chickpeas by adopting alpha-amylase, acidic lipase and flavourzyme. According to the method, the sugar spectrum of the chickpea beverage is accurately regulated and controlled through a specific enzyme combination and enzymolysis process, the sugar composition of the chickpea beverage is improved, the beverage contains low sugar, medium sugar and oligosaccharide at the same time, the proportion of the low sugar, the medium sugar and the oligosaccharide is moderate, the flavor and taste are improved while the sweetness is well controlled, and the chickpea beverage is made to better conform to the taste preference of consumers and has good market prospects. Meanwhile, the nutritional value and the stability of the product are improved, and the market requirements can be better met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of plant-based beverages, and particularly to a chickpea beverage based on enzymatic hydrolysis regulation and a preparation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is an ancient leguminous crop with high nutritional value. It originated in the Mediterranean and Middle East regions and is now widely cultivated globally. Chickpeas are rich in high-quality plant protein, dietary fiber, complex carbohydrates, as well as various vitamins and minerals. In addition, they contain various bioactive substances such as polyphenolic compounds and saponins, which have health effects such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and blood sugar regulation. Due to its comprehensive nutrition and low allergenicity, chickpeas have been widely used in the fields of plant-based and functional foods in recent years.

[0003] In recent years, with the increasing attention of consumers to healthy diets and sustainable foods, the plant-based beverage market has grown rapidly. Traditional animal-based beverages (such as milk) are restricted by issues such as environmental burden, lactose intolerance, and cholesterol, while plant-based beverages (such as soy milk, oat milk, and quinoa milk) are favored due to their low environmental burden and health attributes. As an emerging plant-based beverage, chickpea beverage can not only replace milk but also meet the needs of lactose-intolerant people, vegetarians, and consumers seeking a healthy diet.

[0004] However, there are still the following main problems with current chickpea beverages: 1. Uncontrollable sugar profile: The carbohydrates in chickpeas mainly exist in the form of starch and dietary fiber. Without specific enzymatic hydrolysis treatment, it is difficult to control the hydrolysis degree and sugar composition of carbohydrates, resulting in difficulties in precisely adjusting sweetness and functionality.

[0005] 2. Poor taste: Chickpea beverages without enzymatic hydrolysis often have a viscous or rough taste due to high starch and fiber content, affecting consumer acceptance.

[0006] 3. Low nutritional utilization rate: Macromolecular nutrients (such as starch and protein) in chickpeas are not properly degraded, and their digestion and absorption rates are relatively low, limiting the exertion of their nutritional value.

[0007] Existing preparation methods for chickpea beverages rarely optimize the enzymatic hydrolysis process, and there are few reports on analyzing the sugar profile in beverages by chromatographic techniques to reflect beverage quality. Existing chickpea beverages perform poorly in terms of taste and nutritional value.

[0008] To address the above problems, it is necessary to develop an enzymatic hydrolysis process for chickpea raw materials to precisely process chickpeas, with the aim of optimizing the sugar profile, improving taste, and enhancing nutritional value, making the product more competitive in the market.

[0009] Enzymatic hydrolysis technology is an efficient biological processing method that breaks down macromolecules (such as starch, protein, cellulose) into small molecules (such as sugars, peptides, oligosaccharides) through the action of specific enzymes, thereby improving the taste, nutritional value, and functionality of food. In the field of plant-based beverages, enzymatic hydrolysis technology has been applied in the development of products such as soy milk and oat milk. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The present invention provides a chickpea beverage and a preparation method thereof.

[0011] Specifically, the present invention provides the following technical solutions.

[0012] The present invention provides a method for preparing a chickpea beverage, the method comprising: enzymatically hydrolyzing chickpeas using α-amylase, acidic lipase, and flavor protease.

[0013] The present invention develops a specific enzymatic hydrolysis process suitable for beverage preparation for chickpea raw materials. By screening and comparing various enzymes and their different combinations, it is found that when enzymatically hydrolyzing with these three enzymes, α-amylase, acidic lipase, and flavor protease, the three enzymes can cooperate synergistically, not only significantly improving the hydrolysis efficiency of macromolecules (such as starch, protein, cellulose, etc.) in chickpeas, thereby increasing the content and nutritional absorption and utilization rate of small molecule peptides and the like, shortening the production cycle, but also, through the above enzymatic hydrolysis, a relatively ideal sugar profile distribution can be obtained, and the flavor, taste, and stability of the prepared beverage are significantly improved.

[0014] In the above enzymatic hydrolysis, the mass ratio of α-amylase, acidic lipase, and flavor protease is (0.1 - 0.3):(0.1 - 0.3):(0.1 - 0.3).

[0015] Preferably, the mass ratio of α-amylase, acidic lipase, and flavor protease is (0.1 - 0.2):(0.1 - 0.2):(0.1 - 0.2).

[0016] Preferably, in the enzymatic hydrolysis, by mass, the dosage of each of α-amylase, acidic lipase, and flavor protease accounts for 0.1% - 0.3% of the chickpeas.

[0017] More preferably, in the enzymatic hydrolysis, by mass, the dosage of each of α-amylase, acidic lipase, and flavor protease accounts for 0.1% - 0.2% of the chickpeas.

[0018] Preferably, the temperature of the enzymatic hydrolysis is 50 - 60°C. More preferably, it is 55 - 58°C.

[0019] Preferably, the time of the enzymatic hydrolysis is 2 - 4 h. More preferably, it is 2.5 - 3 h.

[0020] The above enzymatic hydrolysis process can achieve multiple optimizations of the sugar profile, flavor and taste, nutritional value, and stability of the chickpea beverage. The prepared chickpea beverage has a moderate content ratio of low sugar, medium sugar, and oligosaccharides, excellent performance in terms of flavor and taste and stability, and higher nutritional absorption and utilization rate.

[0021] In the above method, after the enzymatic hydrolysis is completed, it further includes steps of inactivating enzymes and removing insoluble substances.

[0022] Among them, for the enzyme inactivation treatment, it is first maintained at 88 - 92 °C for 3 - 7 minutes, and then rapidly cooled to 58 - 62 °C and maintained for 8 - 12 minutes. Using the above enzyme inactivation method is more conducive to reducing nutrient loss.

[0023] Among them, the insoluble substances are removed by centrifugation or filtration.

[0024] Preferably, the filtration uses microfiltration technology; the pore size of the microfiltration membrane is 0.1 - 0.2 μm.

[0025] Using the above microfiltration method is more conducive to ensuring the clarity of the beverage and retaining small - molecule active substances. The above microfiltration and two - step enzyme inactivation methods are beneficial to improving the stability of the beverage product while retaining nutrients, while using traditional enzyme inactivation processes and filtration or centrifugation techniques are prone to cause nutrient loss or precipitation problems.

[0026] Preferably, after the insoluble substances are removed, a clear liquid is obtained, and the clear liquid is homogenized and sterilized.

[0027] In the above method, the chickpea is chickpea powder, and before enzymatic hydrolysis, the chickpea powder is mixed with water and then sterilized.

[0028] In some embodiments of the present invention, the preparation method of the chickpea beverage includes the following steps: (1) Raw material pretreatment: Mix chickpea powder and water according to a mass ratio of 1:1.2 - 2.2, and perform high - temperature sterilization (preferably 121 °C, 14 - 16 min); (2) Composite enzymatic hydrolysis treatment: Use α - amylase, acidic lipase, and flavor protease to perform composite enzymatic hydrolysis treatment on the sterilized raw materials in step (1); by mass, the dosage of each of α - amylase, acidic lipase, and flavor protease accounts for 0.1% - 0.3% of the chickpea; the enzymatic hydrolysis temperature is 55 - 58 °C, and the enzymatic hydrolysis time is 2.5 - 3 h; (3) Enzyme inactivation and filtration: After the enzymatic hydrolysis is completed, heat the enzymatic hydrolysis system to 88 - 92 °C and maintain for 3 - 7 minutes, then rapidly cool to 58 - 62 °C and maintain for 8 - 12 minutes to terminate the enzyme activity; subsequently, use microfiltration technology to remove insoluble substances to obtain a clear chickpea beverage; (4) Homogenization and sterilization: The beverage obtained in step (3) is subjected to homogenization treatment, and ultra-high temperature sterilization (preferably 135 - 140 °C, 2 - 5 seconds) is used for sterilization treatment.

[0029] The present invention also provides a chickpea beverage prepared by the above-described preparation method.

[0030] Through the enzymatic hydrolysis process in the above preparation method, the present invention realizes precise regulation of the sugar profile in the prepared chickpea beverage, and the sugar composition can be dynamically monitored by HPLC technology during the preparation process; after detection, the beverage contains low sugar, medium sugar, and oligosaccharides at the same time, and the proportions of low sugar, medium sugar, and oligosaccharides are appropriate, making the beverage excellent in terms of sweetness, taste, functionality, and stability.

[0031] Preferably, in the chickpea beverage, the content of glucose is 20 - 30 g / L, the mass percentage content of maltose is 5 - 12 g / L, the content of isomaltose is 15 - 20 g / L, the content of maltotriose is 3 - 8 g / L, and the content of oligosaccharides is 15 - 22 g / L.

[0032] The beneficial effects of the present invention at least include: The present invention provides a preparation method of a chickpea beverage based on a composite enzymatic hydrolysis process. This method precisely regulates the sugar profile of the chickpea beverage through a specific enzyme combination and enzymatic hydrolysis process, improves the sugar composition of the chickpea beverage. The beverage contains low sugar, medium sugar, and highly functional sugars (such as rich in oligosaccharides) at the same time, and their proportions are appropriate. While better controlling the sweetness, it improves the taste (the taste is more delicate and the acceptance is improved), making it more in line with the taste preferences of consumers. At the same time, it enhances the nutritional value of the product (the content of small molecule sugars and peptides increases, and the digestion and absorption rate increases by more than 20%) and functionality (the beverage rich in oligosaccharides has prebiotic effects and can promote the growth of beneficial intestinal flora), and has high stability, which can better meet the market demand. Specific Embodiments

[0033] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the present invention will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0034] In the following examples, the enzyme activity of α-amylase used is 20000 U / g; the enzyme activity of acid lipase is 10000 U / g; the enzyme activity of flavor protease is 50000 U / g; the above-mentioned enzymes are all commercially available products.

[0035] Example 1 This embodiment provides a method for preparing a chickpea beverage, and the method comprises the following steps: (1) Raw material pretreatment: Mix chickpea powder with water (mass ratio 1:1.6), and perform high-temperature sterilization (121°C, 15 min); (2) Composite enzymatic hydrolysis treatment: Use α-amylase, acid lipase and flavor protease to perform composite enzymatic hydrolysis treatment on the sterilized raw materials in step (1); Calculated by mass percentage of chickpea powder, the dosage of each enzyme is as follows: α-amylase 0.1%, acid lipase 0.1%, flavor protease 0.2%; Enzymatic hydrolysis temperature is 55°C, and the time is 3 h; (3) Enzyme inactivation and filtration: After enzymatic hydrolysis is completed, heat the enzymatic hydrolysis system to 90°C and keep it for 5 minutes, then quickly cool it to 60°C and keep it for 8 minutes to inactivate the enzyme and terminate the reaction; Use a microfiltration device (pore size 0.2 μm) to remove insoluble substances to obtain a clarified chickpea beverage; (4) Homogenization, sterilization and packaging: Homogenize the beverage (25 Mpa, 60°C) and perform ultra-high temperature sterilization (UHT, 135 - 140°C, 2 - 5 seconds). Finally, perform aseptic filling to ensure the shelf life and safety of the product.

[0036] Example 2 This embodiment provides a method for preparing a chickpea beverage, and the method comprises the following steps: (1) Raw material pretreatment: Mix chickpea powder with water (mass ratio 1:1.6), and perform high-temperature sterilization (121°C, 15 min); (2) Composite enzymatic hydrolysis treatment: Use α-amylase, acid lipase and flavor protease to perform composite enzymatic hydrolysis treatment on the sterilized raw materials in step (1); Calculated by mass percentage of chickpea powder, the dosage of each enzyme is as follows: α-amylase 0.1%, acid lipase 0.2%, flavor protease 0.1%; Enzymatic hydrolysis temperature is 55°C, and the time is 3 h; (3) Enzyme inactivation and filtration: After enzymatic hydrolysis is completed, heat the enzymatic hydrolysis system to 92°C and keep it for 4 minutes, then quickly cool it to 58°C and keep it for 10 minutes to inactivate the enzyme and terminate the reaction; Use a microfiltration device (pore size 0.2 μm) to remove insoluble substances to obtain a clarified chickpea beverage; (4) Homogenization, sterilization and packaging: Homogenize the beverage (25 Mpa, 60°C) and perform ultra-high temperature sterilization (UHT, 135 - 140°C, 2 - 5 seconds). Finally, perform aseptic filling to ensure the shelf life and safety of the product.

[0037] Example 3 This embodiment provides a method for preparing a chickpea beverage, and the method comprises the following steps: (1) Raw material pretreatment: Mix chickpea powder with water (mass ratio 1:1.6) and perform high-temperature sterilization (121 °C, 15 min); (2) Composite enzymatic hydrolysis treatment: Use α-amylase, acid lipase and flavor protease to perform composite enzymatic hydrolysis treatment on the sterilized raw materials in step (1); based on the mass percentage of chickpea powder, the dosage of each enzyme is as follows: α-amylase 0.2%, acid lipase 0.1%, flavor protease 0.1%; enzymatic hydrolysis temperature 55 °C, time 3 h; (3) Enzyme inactivation and filtration: After enzymatic hydrolysis is completed, heat the enzymatic hydrolysis system to 88 °C and hold for 7 minutes, then quickly cool to 62 °C and hold for 9 minutes to inactivate the enzyme and terminate the reaction; use a microfiltration device (pore size 0.2 μm) to remove insoluble substances to obtain a clarified chickpea beverage; (4) Homogenization, sterilization and packaging: Homogenize the beverage (25 Mpa, 60 °C) and perform ultra-high temperature sterilization (UHT, 135 - 140 °C, 2 - 5 seconds). Finally, perform aseptic filling to ensure the shelf life and safety of the product.

[0038] Example 4 This example provides a method for preparing a chickpea beverage, and the method includes the following steps: (1) Raw material pretreatment: Mix chickpea powder with water (mass ratio 1:1.6) and perform high-temperature sterilization (121 °C, 15 min); (2) Composite enzymatic hydrolysis treatment: Use α-amylase, acid lipase and flavor protease to perform composite enzymatic hydrolysis treatment on the sterilized raw materials in step (1); based on the mass percentage of chickpea powder, the dosage of each enzyme is as follows: α-amylase 0.2%, acid lipase 0.1%, flavor protease 0.1%; enzymatic hydrolysis temperature 58 °C, time 2.5 h; (3) Enzyme inactivation and filtration: After enzymatic hydrolysis is completed, heat the enzymatic hydrolysis system to 90 °C and hold for 6 minutes, then quickly cool to 59 °C and hold for 11 minutes to inactivate the enzyme and terminate the reaction; use a microfiltration device (pore size 0.2 μm) to remove insoluble substances to obtain a clarified chickpea beverage; (4) Homogenization, sterilization and packaging: Homogenize the beverage (25 Mpa, 60 °C) and perform ultra-high temperature sterilization (UHT, 135 - 140 °C, 2 - 5 seconds). Finally, perform aseptic filling to ensure the shelf life and safety of the product.

[0039] Comparative Example 1 This comparative example uses a traditional non-enzymatic hydrolysis process to prepare a chickpea beverage, and the specific method is as follows: (1) Raw material pretreatment: Mix chickpea powder with water (mass ratio 1:1.6) and perform high-temperature sterilization (121 °C, 15 min); (2) Filtration: Use a microfiltration device (pore size 0.2 μm) to remove insoluble substances, obtaining a clarified chickpea beverage.

[0040] (3) Homogenization, sterilization, and packaging: Homogenize the beverage (25 Mpa, 60 °C) and perform ultra-high temperature sterilization (UHT, 135 - 140 °C, 2 - 5 seconds). Finally, perform aseptic filling to ensure the shelf life and safety of the product.

[0041] Comparative Example 2 This comparative example provides a method for preparing a chickpea beverage, which is different from the preparation method of Example 1 only in that: step (2) is a single enzymatic hydrolysis treatment, removing acidic lipase and flavor protease, and only using α-amylase (dosage 0.3%) for enzymatic hydrolysis, with the enzymatic hydrolysis temperature and time remaining unchanged.

[0042] Comparative Example 3 This comparative example provides a method for preparing a chickpea beverage, which is different from the preparation method of Example 1 only in that: step (2) is a combined enzymatic hydrolysis treatment with two enzymes, removing flavor protease, and only using α-amylase (dosage 0.2%) and acidic lipase (dosage 0.2%) for enzymatic hydrolysis, with the enzymatic hydrolysis temperature and time remaining unchanged.

[0043] Comparative Example 4 This comparative example provides a method for preparing a chickpea beverage, which is different from the preparation method of Example 1 only in that: step (2) is a combined enzymatic hydrolysis treatment with two enzymes, removing acidic lipase, and only using α-amylase (dosage 0.3%) and flavor protease (dosage 0.1%) for enzymatic hydrolysis, with the enzymatic hydrolysis temperature and time remaining unchanged.

[0044] Comparative Example 5 This comparative example provides a method for preparing a chickpea beverage, which is different from the preparation method of Example 1 only in that: the dosage and ratio of enzymes in step (2) are changed, where the dosage of α-amylase is 0.1%, the dosage of acidic lipase is 0.1%, and the dosage of flavor protease is 0.5%, with the enzymatic hydrolysis temperature and time remaining unchanged.

[0045] Comparative Example 6 This comparative example provides a method for preparing a chickpea beverage, which is different from the preparation method of Example 1 only in that: replacing the flavor protease in step (2) with neutral protease (having the same enzyme activity unit content as the flavor protease), and the dosage of each enzyme, enzymatic hydrolysis temperature, time, etc. remain unchanged.

[0046] Comparative Example 7 This comparative example provides a method for preparing a chickpea beverage, which is only different from the preparation method of Example 1 in that: the acidic lipase in step (2) is replaced with an alkaline lipase (having the same enzyme activity unit content as the acidic lipase), and the dosage of each enzyme, the enzymatic hydrolysis temperature and time remain unchanged.

[0047] Experimental Example 1 Detection and Analysis of the Sugar Profile of Chickpea Beverage The sugar composition and content in the chickpea beverages prepared by the methods of each example and comparative example were detected by HPLC detection technology, and the results are shown in Table 1.

[0048] Table 1

[0049] Experimental Example 2 Detection and Analysis of Other Nutritional Components of Chickpea Beverage The peptide, protein and fat contents in the chickpea beverages prepared by the methods of each example and comparative example were detected. The specific methods are as follows: The peptide (1-3 kDa) content was determined by the trichloroacetic acid (TCA) precipitation method with reference to GB / T 22492-2008, the protein content was determined by the Kjeldahl method with reference to GB5009.5-2016, and the fat content was determined by the Soxhlet extraction method with reference to GB5009.6-2916.

[0050] The results are shown in Table 2.

[0051] Table 2

[0052] Experimental Example 3 Sensory Evaluation of Chickpea Beverage The chickpea beverages prepared by the methods of each example and comparative example were subjected to sensory evaluation. The specific method is as follows: 10 trained professionals were selected to score from the aspects of smell, taste, flavor and appearance. Each item has a full score of 10 points, and the total score has a full score of 40 points. Among them, 0-3 points: unacceptable; 4-7 points: acceptable to a certain extent; 8-10 points: relatively high acceptance.

[0053] The results are shown in Table 3.

[0054] Table 3

[0055] Experimental Example 4 Stability Test of Chickpea Beverage The stability of the chickpea beverages prepared by the methods of the examples and comparative examples was tested. The specific method was as follows: 425 μL of the sample was aspirated and placed into a test tube (2 mm×8 mm). After all the samples were injected, they were successively placed into a LUMiser analyzer, and the samples were scanned and analyzed by a near-infrared beam with a wavelength of 865 nm.

[0056] The results are shown in Table 4.

[0057] Table 4

[0058] Finally, it should be noted that the above examples are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit them. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing examples, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing examples or perform equivalent replacements for some of the technical features. However, such modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a chickpea beverage, characterized in that, The method includes: enzymatically hydrolyzing chickpeas with α-amylase, acidic lipase and flavor protease; In the enzymatic hydrolysis, the mass ratio of α-amylase, acidic lipase and flavor protease is (0.1 - 0.3):(0.1 - 0.3):(0.1 - 0.3).

2. The preparation method of the chickpea beverage according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the enzymatic hydrolysis, by mass, the dosage of each of α-amylase, acidic lipase and flavor protease accounts for 0.1% - 0.3% of the chickpeas.

3. The preparation method of the chickpea beverage according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The temperature of the enzymatic hydrolysis is 50 - 60 °C.

4. The preparation method of the chickpea beverage according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The time of the enzymatic hydrolysis is 2 - 4 h.

5. The preparation method of the chickpea beverage according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, After the enzymatic hydrolysis, it further includes the steps of inactivating enzymes and removing insoluble substances.

6. The preparation method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The enzyme inactivation treatment is to first maintain at 88 - 92 °C for 3 - 7 minutes, and then quickly cool to 58 - 62 °C and maintain for 8 - 12 minutes; And / or, the insoluble substances are removed by centrifugation or filtration.

7. The preparation method of the chickpea beverage according to claim 6, wherein After removing the insoluble substances, a clear liquid is obtained, and the clear liquid is homogenized and sterilized.

8. The preparation method of the chickpea beverage according to any one of claims 1, 2, 6, and 7, characterized in that, The chickpeas are chickpea powder, and before enzymatic hydrolysis, the chickpea powder is mixed with water and then sterilized.

9. A chickpea beverage prepared by the preparation method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The chickpea beverage according to claim 9, characterized in that, In the chickpea beverage, the content of glucose is 20 - 30 g / L, the content of maltose is 5 - 12 g / L, the content of isomaltose is 15 - 20 g / L, the content of maltotriose is 3 - 8 g / L, and the content of oligosaccharides is 15 - 22 g / L.

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