Hydrophobic amino acid-highly containing yeast composition

Abstract

To obtain a yeast composition suppressed in reduction of flavor even in a food that is low salt, and reduced in a used amount of a livestock and fishery extract-based seasoning, and further novel.SOLUTION: The present inventor discovered that a hydrophobic amino acid-highly containing yeast composition solves the problem to complete the present invention. According to the present invention, a seasoning agent of a flavor-improving composition capable of strengthen an initial taste and a complicated taste can be provided by having a hydrophobic amino acid contained much, and having a content ratio of a branched chain amino acid and a hydrophobic amino acid a specific range. Thereby, reduction of flavor can be suppressed even in a food that is low salt, and reduced in a used amount of a livestock and fishery extract-based seasoning.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a taste-improving composition comprising a yeast digest. [Background technology]

[0002] In addition to basic seasonings such as salt and sugar, a variety of seasonings are used to season food, including umami seasonings, livestock and marine extract seasonings, protein hydrolysates, and yeast extracts. In recent years, health-conscious people have been demanding low-salt, low-sugar, and low-fat foods. However, these foods can sometimes be perceived as lacking in flavor and taste, due to a lack of saltiness, etc.

[0003] In response to these issues, various seasonings have been proposed to complement the flavor of low-salt, low-sugar, and low-fat foods. For example, yeast extract is known to complement the flavor of low-salt foods, etc., because it is rich in umami components such as nucleic acids and amino acids and can impart a complex flavor (Patent Document 1). A wide variety of yeast extract products are commercially available, including yeast extracts with a bee flavor (Patent Document 1), yeast extracts that enhance the flavor of foods (Patent Document 2), and yeast extracts that contain large amounts of specific components (Patent Document 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2007-259744 [Patent Document 2] WO 2013 / 031571 [Patent Document 3] WO 2011 / 074359 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a novel yeast composition which prevents deterioration in flavor even in foods containing reduced salt and reduced amounts of livestock and marine extract seasonings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present inventors have found that a composition rich in yeast autolysate with a high content of free amino acids, in particular a yeast composition rich in hydrophobic amino acids, can solve the above problems, and have completed the present invention.

[0007] The present invention is as follows. (1) A composition comprising a yeast autolysate, the composition comprising 30% by weight or more of free amino acids based on the solid content of the composition. (2) A composition comprising a yeast autolysate, the composition containing free amino acids in an amount of 30% by weight or more based on the solid content, the free amino acids containing hydrophobic amino acids in an amount of 25 to 50% by weight, and the hydrophobic amino acids containing branched-chain amino acids in an amount of 60% by weight or more. (3) The composition according to (1) or (2), which is a flavor improving composition. (4) A method for improving the flavor of food using the composition according to (1) or (2). Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, a seasoning can be provided that is a flavor improving composition that contains a large amount of hydrophobic amino acids and that can enhance initial taste and complex taste by controlling the content ratio of branched chain amino acids to other hydrophobic amino acids within a specific range, thereby preventing deterioration of flavor even in reduced-salt foods and foods that use reduced amounts of livestock and fishery extract seasonings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] In the present invention, "hydrophobic amino acids" refers to the group consisting of leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, valine, methionine and tyrosine, and "branched chain amino acids" refers to the group consisting of valine, leucine and isoleucine. Furthermore, in the present invention, amino acids refer to "free amino acids" unless otherwise specified.

[0010] The present invention provides a seasoning composition that contains a yeast autolysate and that enhances initial flavor and complex flavor by adjusting the ratio of hydrophobic amino acids in the free amino acids in the composition to a specific range.

[0011] The composition of the present invention preferably contains 30% by weight or more, particularly 35% by weight or more, of free amino acids. In the present invention, the free amino acids further preferably contain hydrophobic amino acids in an amount of 25 to 50% by weight, particularly 30 to 40% by weight.

[0012] In the present invention, the branched chain amino acids (valine, leucine, isoleucine) and other hydrophobic amino acids (phenylalanine, methionine, and tyrosine) in the hydrophobic amino acids are in a specific range. In the composition of the present invention, the branched chain amino acids in the hydrophobic amino acids are 60% by weight or more. Preferably, the branched chain amino acids in the hydrophobic amino acids are 65% by weight or more, and more preferably, 70% by weight or more. The method for measuring the amino acid content in the present invention is as described in the Examples.

[0013] In the present invention, the composition is produced by a yeast autolysis method, which is a method for digesting yeast with enzymes present in yeast or enzymes produced by the yeast itself, and is a method for hydrolyzing yeast cells and components therein without adding enzymes from the outside.

[0014] The yeast used in the present invention is preferably a yeast generally used in food production, etc. Specific examples include yeasts belonging to the genus Saccharomyces, such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces pastrianus, Saccharomyces rouxii, Saccharomyces carlsbergensis, and yeasts belonging to the genus Candida, such as Candida utilis, Candida tropicalis, Candida lipolytica, Candida flaveri, and the like. Preferably, yeasts belonging to the genus Saccharomyces, such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces pastrianus, Saccharomyces rouxii, and Saccharomyces carlsbergensis, are used, and more preferably, Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Saccharomyces pastrianus are used. These yeasts may be used alone or in combination of two or more selected from the above yeasts. Among these, beer yeast is particularly preferred. When beer yeast is used, it is preferable to use yeast cells that have been subjected to a debittering treatment, such as washing with an alkaline aqueous solution, in order to remove the bitterness of beer. The debittering treatment can be performed by a method well known to those skilled in the art, and is not particularly limited. As a specific example, it can be carried out by the method described in JP-A-55-162983.When using yeast other than brewer's yeast, there are no particular limitations on the method for culturing the yeast, and yeast cells can be obtained by any culture method commonly used in food production.

[0015] The autolysis method in the present invention may be a method generally adopted by those skilled in the art. Specifically, the following can be exemplified. Next, an appropriate amount of water such as distilled water is added to the yeast cells to prepare a yeast cell suspension. The yeast cell concentration in the yeast suspension can be adjusted as desired, but is generally adjusted to 5 to 40 g / dl. After suspending the cells, the pH is adjusted using an acid or alkali. Any acid or alkali can be used without limitation as long as it can be used in food production. The composition of the present invention can be obtained by adjusting the pH under decomposition conditions by autolysis. Although the pH can be appropriately adjusted by those skilled in the art depending on the yeast cells used, the pH is usually adjusted to 4.0 to 7.0. In general, in yeast autolysis, when the pH is set to 6.5 or less, a large amount of hydrophobic amino acids are contained and the free amino acid content also increases. The blending ratio of branched chain amino acids and other amino acids in the hydrophobic amino acids can also be adjusted by adjusting the pH. Although these conditions can also be appropriately adjusted by those skilled in the art, the composition of the present invention can usually be obtained by performing autolysis at a pH of 5.0 or less. The temperature and the autolysis reaction time are also optional, but the reaction is generally carried out at a temperature of 40 to 60° C. for 5 to 24 hours. Stirring may be performed during the reaction.

[0016] After the autolysis reaction, solid-liquid separation is performed by filtration, centrifugation, etc., and the supernatant is concentrated by a conventional method, sterilized, and, if necessary, pH adjusted, etc., to obtain the composition of the present invention. In the present invention, a drying step may also be performed, and the mixture may be concentrated to form a paste.

[0017] In addition to the above-mentioned production method, the present invention may also be used to adjust the hydrophobic amino acid content by mixing multiple yeast-derived compositions. In this case, a commercially available yeast extract may also be used. In addition, food materials other than yeast-derived materials may also be mixed as long as the content of free amino acids, hydrophobic amino acids, and branched-chain amino acids and other amino acids falls within the ranges specified in the present invention.

[0018] The composition of the present invention exerts its effect by adding it to various foods and drinks. There is no particular limit to the foods to which it can be added. Specific examples include sauces and sauces such as sauces for grilled meat, pasta sauces such as tomato sauce, soups such as noodle soup, soba soup, and concentrated soup, ramen, consommé soup, stew, curry, and meat and processed meat products such as hamburger steak and ham sausage. EXAMPLES

[0019] The present invention will be described in more detail below by way of examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0020] <Method of measuring amino acid content> For free amino acids, the samples were dissolved in ultrapure water and extracted by ultrasonic waves for 10 minutes, then diluted with 2.5% trichloroacetic acid, left at 6°C overnight, and passed through a 0.45 μm Cellulose Acetate filter, after which amino acid analysis was performed using a Hitachi Chromaster high-performance liquid chromatograph.

[0021] (Production Example 1) A brewer's yeast slurry obtained by beer production was obtained, and centrifuged at 4500 rpm for 10 minutes to obtain a muddy live yeast, which was then suspended in water to a solid content of 10% by weight. The suspension was adjusted to pH 6.0 with hydrochloric acid, and autolyzed at 50°C for 17 hours, after which solid-liquid separation was performed by filtration. The mixture was concentrated and heated in a conventional manner to obtain a yeast composition in the form of a paste. The free amino acid content in the solid content of the obtained composition was 35% by weight. In addition, the hydrophobic amino acid content in the free amino acid was 35% by weight, and the branched chain amino acid content in the hydrophobic amino acid was 71% by weight.

[0022] (Comparative product example) As a comparative example, a commercially available yeast extract was used. The amino acid content in each yeast extract is shown in Table 1.

[0023] (Table 1) TIFF2025026145000001.tif18152

[0024] Example 1 As a model food, a barbecue sauce was prepared according to the composition shown in Table 2, and 0.2% by weight of each of the example product and the comparative product was added, and the sensory evaluation was performed. The sensory evaluation was performed by a panel of five experienced people, who gave evaluation comments. (Table 2) TIFF2025026145000002.tif7873*Mitsubishi Corporation Life Sciences Co., Ltd.

[0025] As a result of the evaluation, the product of the present invention was found to impart a complex flavor that was not umami. Furthermore, the aftertaste was also sharp and the taste was evaluated to be sharp. Yeast extract C imparted a strong umami initial flavor, while yeast extracts A, B, D, and E tended to have similar flavor qualities, imparting a rich umami initial flavor.

[0026] Example 2 Next, as a model food, a tomato sauce was prepared according to the composition shown in Table 3, and 0.2% by weight of each of the products of Production Example 1 and the comparative product was added. (Table 3) TIFF2025026145000003.tif4480*Mitsubishi Corporation Life Sciences Co., Ltd.

[0027] As a result of the evaluation, the product of the present invention was found to have an initial flavor that was not umami, a complex flavor, and an enhanced soy sauce flavor. Yeast extract C imparted a strong initial flavor, which was umami, while yeast extracts A, B, D, and E tended to have similar flavor qualities and imparted a rich initial flavor and depth.

Claims

1. A composition comprising a yeast autolysate, the composition containing 30% by weight or more of free amino acids based on the solid content.

2. A composition comprising a yeast autolysate, the composition containing free amino acids in an amount of 30% by weight or more based on the solid content, the free amino acids containing hydrophobic amino acids in an amount of 25 to 50% by weight, and the hydrophobic amino acids containing branched-chain amino acids in an amount of 60% by weight or more.

3. The composition according to claim 1 or 2, which is a flavor improving composition.

4. A method for improving the flavor of food by using the composition of claim 1 or 2.

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