Oral composition, food and beverage, cosmetic, supplement and pharmaceutical

Abstract

To provide a novel oral composition including imidazole dipeptide, and food and beverages, pharmaceuticals or the like including the oral composition.SOLUTION: An oral composition of the present invention includes linear imidazole dipeptides. When the sum of a first molar number (mol / g) of the linear imidazole dipeptide per unit mass and a second molar number (mol / g) of cyclic imidazole dipeptide per unit mass is defined as 1, the second molar number is 0 or more and 1.0×10-3 or less.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to oral compositions, food and beverage products, cosmetics, supplements and formulations. [Background technology]

[0002] Health enriches the lives of citizens and contributes to the creation of a vibrant society. Providing food, beverages, and preparations that can contribute to the maintenance or promotion of health is now an important issue in countries around the world. In recent years, imidazole dipeptides have been attracting attention as components that enhance human physiological functions, such as antioxidant and anti-fatigue effects (Non-Patent Document 1).

[0003] Imidazole dipeptides are known to be contained in chicken, pork, whale meat, and some seafood. There are mainly three types of substances classified as imidazole dipeptides (carnosine, anserine, and balenine). Among the imidazole dipeptides, anserine is found in large amounts in chicken, bonito, and tuna, for example. Recently, it has been found that the sunfish (also called "mandai") contains more balenine than the minke whale, a marine mammal (Patent Documents 1 to 5, Non-Patent Documents 2 and 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7471062 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 7469007 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 6587774 [Patent Document 4] Patent No. 6578465 [Patent Document 5] JP 2023-154520 A [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] Nishitani, et al., "Review: New Anti-Fatigue Ingredients: Imidazole Dipeptides", Journal of the Japanese Society for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Vol. 6, No. 3, October 2009, p123-129 [Non-Patent Document 2] Omura, et al., "Balenin content in muscle of the red sunfish Lampris guttatus", Abstracts of the 2018 Spring Meeting of the Japanese Society of Fisheries Science, March 26, 2018, p.92 [Non-Patent Document 3] Omura, et al., "Discovery of high content of balenine, which has fatigue suppression function, in sunfish," Research Movements (Collection of Major Results of the Central Fisheries Research Institute), September 2018, p. 11 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As mentioned above, various studies have been conducted on the physiological or medical actions, efficacy and effects of imidazole dipeptides in animals (including humans; hereinafter, in this application, we will refer to them as "humans") that have ingested or retained imidazole dipeptides in their bodies. However, the inventors of this application are not aware of any prior applications, academic presentations or reports by others regarding the state of imidazole dipeptides in the wild or after various processing steps during the period from when they are subjected to primitive processing (e.g., fillets, sashimi, etc.) and become commercial products, to when they are ingested by humans, and regarding their cyclization. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention provides an oral composition containing a novel imidazole dipeptide that is different from conventionally known imidazole dipeptides, and greatly contributes to the utilization of imidazole dipeptides in foods, beverages, preparations, etc. that contain the oral composition.

[0008] Taking the above circumstances into consideration, the present inventor analyzed the chemical structure and functionality of so-called natural imidazole dipeptides contained in processed products such as fillets and sashimi, as well as the chemical structure and functionality of imidazole dipeptides in processed products that have been subjected to treatments other than the above-mentioned primitive processing (heat treatment, freezing treatment, and / or drying treatment, etc.).

[0009] As a result of the inventor's repeated examination of the analytical results and further research, it was found that imidazole dipeptides having a cyclic chemical structure (hereinafter referred to as "cyclic imidazole dipeptides") different from the three known imidazole dipeptides (carnosine, anserine, and balenine) were identified in the processed products that were processed differently from the above-mentioned primitive processing. On the other hand, it is very interesting to note that the above-mentioned cyclic imidazole dipeptides were not identified in the analytical results of the above-mentioned primitive processed products.

[0010] Here, the above-mentioned "cyclic imidazole dipeptide" is an imidazole dipeptide that is considered to have three chemical structural formulas (A to C) shown in FIG. 1, in which a carboxyl group and an amino group at the end of a conventionally known imidazole dipeptide are cyclized by a peptide bond. In this application, (A) in FIG. 1 is called "cyclic carnosine", (B) is called "cyclic anserine", and (C) is called "cyclic balenine". Therefore, it can be said that a "cyclic imidazole dipeptide" is an imidazole dipeptide in which two peptide bonds are incorporated into the ring, in other words, an imidazole dipeptide having two peptide bonds in the ring. The term "cyclic" can be replaced with, for example, "cyclized", "cyclo", "cyclo", or "cyclic", but the term "cyclic" is adopted as a technical term in this application.

[0011] In addition, the three known imidazole dipeptides (carnosine, anserine, and balenine) shown in the chemical structural formulas (A' to C') in FIG. 2 can be expressed as "non-cyclic imidazole dipeptide", "linear imidazole dipeptide", or "linear imidazole dipeptide" to distinguish them from cyclic imidazole dipeptides. However, in the present application, "linear imidazole dipeptide" is typically adopted as the technical term. Therefore, the meaning of "linear imidazole dipeptide" in the present application includes "non-cyclic imidazole dipeptide" and "linear imidazole dipeptide". In addition, (A') in FIG. 2 is "linear carnosine", (B') is "linear anserine", and (C') is "linear balenine".

[0012] The present inventors further conducted research into the functionality, physiological or medical actions, efficacy and effects of the three new imidazole dipeptides that were discovered from the above-mentioned analytical results.

[0013] As a result, although there are still some unclear points, it was found that cyclic imidazole dipeptides or oral compositions containing cyclic imidazole dipeptides (hereinafter referred to as "cyclic imidazole dipeptides, etc." in this paragraph) may have different functionality and different effects on humans than linear imidazole dipeptides or oral compositions containing linear imidazole dipeptides (hereinafter referred to as "linear imidazole dipeptides, etc." in this paragraph. Specifically, it was found that cyclic imidazole dipeptides, etc. may have at least one or more characteristics selected from the following group (1) to (8) that are different from linear imidazole dipeptides, etc., or superior to linear imidazole dipeptides, etc. (1) Suppression of blood pressure rise in humans (2) Suppression of increases in neutral fat levels in human blood (3) Suppression of cognitive decline in humans (4) Improving human sleep quality (5) Reducing human stress (6) Suppression of increases in uric acid levels in humans (7) Improving human antioxidant capacity (8) Improve anti-fatigue ability in humans

[0014] In addition, it is desirable that imidazole dipeptides that can contribute to the promotion of human health are absorbed more quickly by humans after being ingested. Therefore, the present inventors have conducted research focusing on the hydrophobicity (in other words, low hydrophilicity) of cyclic imidazole dipeptides having the three chemical structural formulas (A to C) shown in Figure 1, and have obtained the following findings (a) to (e). (a) Cyclic imidazole dipeptides have stronger hydrophobicity (in other words, higher hydrophobicity) than known linear imidazole dipeptides. (b) Among the cyclic imidazole dipeptides, the hydrophobicity of cyclic balenine is the strongest, followed by that of cyclic anserine. Therefore, the hydrophobicity of cyclic carnosine is the weakest among the cyclic imidazole dipeptides. (c) The stronger the hydrophobicity, the longer it tends to remain in the blood after being absorbed into the blood. Therefore, for example, when an oral composition contains at least one cyclic imidazole dipeptide selected from the group consisting of cyclic balenine and cyclic anserine, it can be absorbed by humans and remain in the blood for a longer period of time. (d) Both the known linear imidazole dipeptides and cyclic imidazole dipeptides can act as taste components when orally ingested. (e) Cyclic imidazole dipeptides have a more bitter taste when ingested orally than known linear imidazole dipeptides.

[0015] As described above, it is desirable for imidazole dipeptides, which can contribute to the promotion of human health, to be actively ingested by humans. However, in order to encourage continued intake of imidazole dipeptides as the standard of living of citizens improves, it is also necessary to pursue an intake method that is in line with people's taste preferences.

[0016] For example, a report on the role of peptides in shaping food flavors (Nishimura Toshihide, "Exploring the role of peptides in shaping food flavors", Chemistry and Biology Vol. 39, No. 3, 2001, pp. 177-183) discloses the finding that "when peptides are increased in food ingredients or when peptides are added to food, sourness and bitterness are suppressed and umami is enhanced, while at the same time, a rich flavor is imparted and a mellow flavor is formed," but the effect of imidazole dipeptides on flavor, in particular the difference between linear and cyclic imidazole dipeptides, is not clarified.

[0017] In addition, when focusing on the absorbability of imidazole dipeptides, the fact that imidazole dipeptides are quickly absorbed into humans (e.g., into the blood) is preferable in terms of enabling one or more characteristics or actions selected from the group (1) to (8) above to be quickly expressed in humans. According to the research and analysis of the present inventors, imidazole dipeptides are quickly absorbed into human blood vessels, but among them, cyclic imidazole dipeptides, due to their strong hydrophobicity, have a longer presence time in the blood, in other words, the remaining time until they are consumed or digested, compared to linear imidazole dipeptides. Therefore, the lower the content ratio of cyclic imidazole dipeptides, in other words, the higher the content ratio of linear imidazole dipeptides, the more likely it is that one or more characteristics selected from the group (1) to (8) above will be quickly expressed in humans.

[0018] Therefore, the present inventors conducted extensive research and analysis into the mixing ratio of cyclic imidazole dipeptides and known linear imidazole dipeptides, taking into consideration not only the unique functionality of the newly discovered cyclic imidazole dipeptides described above, but also the taste when taken orally, and as a result, they have come to obtain new findings.

[0019] The present invention was created based on the above-mentioned various findings.

[0020] One oral composition of the present invention comprises a linear imidazole dipeptide, and when a first number of moles (mol / g) of the linear imidazole dipeptide per unit mass and a second number of moles (mol / g) of a cyclic imidazole dipeptide per unit mass are taken as 1, the second number of moles is 0 or more and 1.0×10 -3 In the above-mentioned numerical range, in the narrow sense, the lower limit is 0.5×10 ―9 Over 1.0×10 ―9 Over 8.0 x 10 -5 or more than 9.0 x 10 -5 If the cyclic imidazole dipeptide is completely absent, the effect of the cyclic imidazole dipeptide is not exerted, so the lower limit is 8.0 × 10 -5 or more than 9.0 x 10 -5 In a preferred embodiment, the upper limit of the above-mentioned range is 0.5×10 or more, since the effects of not only linear imidazole dipeptides but also cyclic imidazole dipeptides can be exhibited. -3 or less, and more narrowly, the upper limit is 1.5 × 10 -4 or less, and more narrowly, the upper limit is 1.0×10 -4 The following is the result.

[0021] From another perspective of the above-mentioned invention, another oral composition of the present invention contains a linear imidazole dipeptide, and the number of moles of the cyclic imidazole dipeptide per unit mass is 0 to 1.5 nmol (also called "nano-mol"; the same applies below) / g (also called "gram"; the same applies below). Note that "nmol" is 10 -9 In the above-mentioned numerical range, in a narrow sense, the lower limit is more than 0.5 nmol or more than 1.0 nmol.

[0022] According to each of the above-mentioned oral compositions, the ratio or content per unit mass of cyclic imidazole dipeptides, which have a stronger bitter taste among imidazole dipeptides, is kept low, so that the oral intake by humans can be achieved according to taste preferences. In addition, since the amount of cyclic imidazole dipeptides contained in this oral composition is small and linear imidazole dipeptides are predominant, the imidazole dipeptides can be consumed quickly after being absorbed in the human body (e.g., in the blood).

[0023] In each of the above-mentioned inventions, the number of moles of the above-mentioned cyclic imidazole dipeptide per unit mass is 1 nmol / g or less (more narrowly, less than 1 nmol / g), which is a preferred embodiment from the viewpoint of being able to more reliably realize intake according to taste preferences when orally ingested by humans and / or being able to more reliably enjoy the early manifestation of the characteristics or effects of the imidazole dipeptide in the human body. Effect of the Invention

[0024] According to one oral composition of the present invention, the ratio or content per unit mass of cyclic imidazole dipeptide, which has a stronger bitter taste among imidazole dipeptides, is kept low, so that the oral intake by humans can be achieved according to taste preferences.In addition, the amount of cyclic imidazole dipeptide contained in this oral composition is low, and linear imidazole dipeptide is dominant, so that the characteristics or effects of imidazole dipeptide can be promoted to appear early in the human body. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 shows the chemical structural formulas of three types of cyclic imidazole dipeptides according to the first embodiment. (A: cyclic carnosine, B: cyclic anserine, C: cyclic balenine) [Diagram 2] These are the chemical structures of three known linear imidazole dipeptides. (A': linear carnosine, B': linear anserine, C': linear balenine) [Diagram 3]1 is a table showing the contents of cyclic imidazole dipeptides and linear imidazole dipeptides detected in extracts of specific unprocessed and processed products in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a flow chart showing a production process of an oral composition according to a first embodiment, and various food and beverage products containing the oral composition. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] As an embodiment of the present invention, an oral composition containing linear imidazole dipeptide but not containing cyclic imidazole dipeptide or containing almost no cyclic imidazole dipeptide and a method for producing the same will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] <First embodiment> Figure 1 shows the chemical structural formulas of three types of cyclic imidazole dipeptides of this embodiment. Note that A in Figure 1 is cyclic carnosine, B in Figure 1 is cyclic anserine, and C in Figure 1 is cyclic balenine.

[0028] <Analysis of imidazole dipeptides in unprocessed and processed foods> First, the inventor analyzed the chemical structures and functionality of imidazole dipeptides of processed products that have been subjected to only primitive processing such as fillets and sashimi (in this embodiment, for the sake of convenience, these will be referred to as "unprocessed products") and processed products that have been subjected to processing other than such primitive processing (heating, freezing, and / or drying, etc.) (in this embodiment, for the sake of convenience, these will be referred to as "processed products").

[0029] In this embodiment, the above-mentioned raw or processed pieces were dispersed in water at room temperature (about 25°C) and dissolved so that the dissolved material from the pieces was sufficiently contained in the water to prepare a solution, to which was added ethanol (purity 99.5 wt%) in an amount three times that of the solution at room temperature (about 25°C).Then, the supernatant of the solution was collected to prepare an extract as a sample for analysis.

[0030] The inventor then analyzed the chemical structures of the imidazole dipeptides in the samples prepared from the above-mentioned unprocessed products and the above-mentioned processed products using a liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer (manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation, model: LC-20, LCMS-2020).

[0031] FIG. 3 is a table showing the contents of cyclic imidazole dipeptides and / or linear imidazole dipeptides detected in the samples of the above-mentioned unprocessed products and processed products in this embodiment. In addition, "μmol" in the table is 10 ―6 The "-" in the table indicates that neither linear imidazole dipeptide nor cyclic imidazole dipeptide was detected. Among the various samples shown in Figure 3, the unprocessed "raw chicken breast meat" and the processed "bonito flakes" and "chicken stock powder" were commercially available products.

[0032] As a result of analysis using the above-mentioned analytical device, it was confirmed that the chemical structural formulas of three types of cyclic imidazole dipeptides shown in Figure 1 could be identified from several samples, in addition to the known linear imidazole dipeptides shown in Figure 2. The inventor is not aware of any prior application, academic presentation or paper report by another person in which the detection of cyclic imidazole dipeptides has been announced. Therefore, it can be said that the above-mentioned analytical results open the way for research into the unique functionality and unique physiological or medical actions, efficacy and effects of new types of imidazole dipeptides.

[0033] Looking at the content of the newly discovered cyclic imidazole dipeptide, linear imidazole dipeptides were detected in the sample analyzed from the unprocessed product "raw chicken breast meat," but no cyclic imidazole dipeptides were detected at all, as shown in Figure 3. Also, trace amounts of cyclic imidazole dipeptides (cyclic anserine) were detected in the samples analyzed from "dried bonito flakes" and "chicken stock base."

[0034] Therefore, taking into account the analytical results of the sample analyzed from the unprocessed product "raw chicken breast meat" and the sample analyzed from "chicken stock base", since at least a thermal treatment, i.e., a heating or cooling treatment, is performed in the manufacturing process of "chicken stock base", the hypothesis is valid that cyclic imidazole dipeptides can be produced from linear imidazole dipeptides by the thermal treatment. This hypothesis was confirmed to be correct by the manufacturing method of the oral composition described below.

[0035] On the other hand, when a sample was analyzed that was freeze-dried powder (processed product) produced by freeze-drying the whale muscle through a heat treatment, a relatively large amount of cyclic imidazole dipeptides was detected along with linear imidazole dipeptides. More specifically, the types of cyclic imidazole dipeptides detected were cyclic balenine and cyclic carnosine.

[0036] A more specific method for producing the above-mentioned freeze-dried powder, which is an example of a step of performing a thermal operation, is as follows. First, the object to be freeze-dried is frozen by cooling to -40°C or less, more preferably -50°C or less. Then, while the object is in a frozen state, a decompression treatment is performed to reduce the pressure (for example, to 100 Pa or less, more preferably to 50 Pa or less). As a result, a freeze-dried powder of the object can be produced.

[0037] Upon further detailed investigation of the above-mentioned freeze-dried powder, it became very interesting to find that the detection ratios of linear carnosine and linear balenine in the linear imidazole dipeptide were completely different from the detection ratios of cyclic carnosine and cyclic balenine in the cyclic imidazole dipeptide.

[0038] Specifically, the proportion of linear carnosine when linear balenine is taken as 1 is about 5% to about 60%, while the proportion of cyclic carnosine when cyclic balenine is taken as 1 is a small value of less than 0.1%. Therefore, the inventors have found that, based on the results shown in FIG. 3, cyclic balenine tends to be more easily produced than cyclic carnosine when undergoing various processing steps in the production of dry powder, or that cyclic balenine tends to remain without being decomposed even during the production process of freeze-dried powder.

[0039] Although not shown in Figure 3, the deep-sea fish Sunfish (also called "mandai") contains extremely abundant imidazole dipeptides, especially balenine. Each part of the Sunfish, including the ordinary muscle, as well as their extracts and freeze-dried powders, contain cyclic imidazole dipeptides (especially cyclic balenine and cyclic carnosine), just like freeze-dried powder of whale meat.

[0040] <Method of producing oral composition> Next, a method for producing the oral composition of this embodiment will be described.

[0041] In this embodiment, in consideration of the analysis results shown in Fig. 3, the solution or extract is used that is produced through the same process as the sample extracted from the processed product shown in Fig. 3. Specifically, an oral composition is produced by carrying out a process of providing the extract not containing cyclic imidazole dipeptide to a processed product containing cyclic imidazole dipeptide.

[0042] FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the production process of one oral composition of the present embodiment and various food and beverage products containing the oral composition.

[0043] In the method for producing an oral composition of this embodiment, each of the process steps shown in Fig. 4 may be all or part of the process steps in the method for producing an oral composition. In addition, each of the processes shown in the dotted line frame in Fig. 4 does not necessarily have to be performed. Therefore, the method for producing an oral composition of this embodiment does not necessarily have to include all of the process steps shown in Fig. 4.

[0044] An example of the oral composition in this embodiment is an extract that contains linear imidazole dipeptides but does not contain cyclic imidazole dipeptides or contains almost no cyclic imidazole dipeptides. In this example, based on the results shown in Figure 3, a solution (hereinafter also referred to as "first aqueous solution") is prepared by dispersing pieces of "raw chicken breast" that do not contain cyclic imidazole dipeptides in water so that the dissolved material from the pieces is sufficiently contained in the water, and then ethanol is added to obtain a supernatant of the solution, which is an extract that is a primitive example of an oral composition that does not contain cyclic imidazole dipeptides.

[0045] In addition, for example, when dried bonito flakes or dried bonito flakes immediately after boiling in hot water before being smoked in the process of manufacturing dried bonito flakes (hereinafter collectively referred to as "dried bonito flakes" in this paragraph), after receiving (including purchasing and receiving) the "dried bonito flakes" from the supplier (step S a 1) An injection step of injecting the first aqueous solution or the extract described above into the dried bonito flakes using, for example, a plurality of injection needles as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 6360928, and / or an immersion step of immersing the dried bonito flakes in the first aqueous solution or the extract (step S a By carrying out 2), only linear imidazole dipeptides can be additionally contained in the dried bonito flakes, in other words, the linear imidazole dipeptides can be additionally provided.

[0046] As a result, for dried bonito flakes, initially, as shown in FIG. 3, when the sum of the first mole number (mol / g) of linear imidazole dipeptide per unit mass and the second mole number (mol / g) of cyclic imidazole dipeptide per unit mass is set to 1, the second mole number is 1.4×10 -3 However, the above-mentioned injection step or immersion step (step S a 2) The second mole number mentioned above is 1.0 × 10 -3 Less than or equal to 0.5 × 10 -3 In the following, in the narrower sense, 1.5×10 -4In the narrower sense, 1.0×10 -4 In the narrower sense, 0.5×10 -4 (see below).

[0047] Therefore, it is possible to produce a food (e.g., dried bonito flakes) that contains linear imidazole dipeptides but contains cyclic imidazole dipeptides in a negligible amount or almost no cyclic imidazole dipeptides. The food is then packaged and shipped from the food manufacturer to a retailer or the like (step S a 3).

[0048] In this embodiment, the dried bonito flakes produced through the injection step and / or soaking step (step Sa2) themselves, or the dried bonito flakes immediately after boiling in hot water before being smoked in the process of producing the dried bonito flakes, have an aspect of being a "food" or "ingredient" and can also play a role as an "oral composition". In other words, the "oral composition" in this embodiment does not simply mean linear imidazole dipeptide alone as a chemical substance, or a mixture of linear imidazole dipeptide and cyclic imidazole dipeptide.

[0049] Furthermore, for processed products with a relatively high content of cyclic imidazole dipeptides (e.g., freeze-dried powder of minke whale muscle), it is possible to produce processed products that contain linear imidazole dipeptides but contain almost no cyclic imidazole dipeptides (e.g., freeze-dried powder of minke whale muscle) in the same manner as the example of bonito flakes mentioned above. Specifically, instead of the above-mentioned injection step and / or immersion step (step Sa2), a mixing step is adopted in which the above-mentioned first aqueous solution or the above-mentioned extract made from a food (e.g., raw chicken breast meat) containing only a negligible amount of cyclic imidazole dipeptide or containing almost no cyclic imidazole dipeptide is mixed with a processed product (e.g., freeze-dried powder of minke whale muscle) containing a relatively high content of cyclic imidazole dipeptide (i.e., diluting the concentration of cyclic imidazole dipeptide) to produce an oral composition or a processed product (e.g., freeze-dried powder of minke whale muscle) containing linear imidazole dipeptide but containing almost no cyclic imidazole dipeptide. Specifically, when the sum of the first mole number (mol / g) of linear imidazole dipeptide per unit mass and the second mole number (mol / g) of cyclic imidazole dipeptide per unit mass is taken as 1, the second mole number is 8.0×10 -5 More than 1.5 x 10 -4 The following processed product can be produced. In this way, by producing the processed product containing a small amount of cyclic imidazole dipeptide, it is possible to exert the beneficial effects on humans that not only linear imidazole dipeptide but also cyclic imidazole dipeptide have, while taking into consideration the taste formation of the food. In addition, if the taste at the time of oral ingestion is emphasized (i.e., good taste is emphasized), another oral composition or the processed product that can be adopted in this embodiment contains linear imidazole dipeptide, and the number of moles of cyclic imidazole dipeptide per unit mass is 0 or more (more narrowly, more than 0.5 nmol or more than 1.0 nmol) and 1.5 nmol / g or less.

[0050] The above-mentioned production method can suppress the ratio or content per unit mass of cyclic imidazole dipeptides, which have a stronger bitter taste, to a low level, so that oral ingestion by humans can be achieved according to taste preferences. In addition, in the food (processed product) produced by the production method, the amount of cyclic imidazole dipeptides is small and linear imidazole dipeptides are dominant, so that the characteristics or effects of imidazole dipeptides can be promoted to appear early in the human body.

[0051] In addition, for example, even if a known beverage (drinking water, functional beverage, sports beverage, tea (including green tea, black tea, oolong tea, and Chinese tea), fruit juice beverage, soft drink, carbonated beverage, milk, dairy beverage, soy milk, coffee, alcoholic beverage, etc.) contains a cyclic imidazole dipeptide, the beverage may contain the extract or the first aqueous solution of the present embodiment by carrying out an addition step of adding the above-mentioned extract or the above-mentioned first aqueous solution, a mixing step of mixing, or a dispersion step of dispersing, etc., which is a suitable embodiment that can be adopted. By containing the extract (oral composition) or the first aqueous solution of the present embodiment in the above-mentioned beverage that has undergone the addition step, the mixing step, or the dispersion step, etc., the ratio or content per unit mass of the cyclic imidazole dipeptide is reduced with a high degree of certainty, and linear imidazole dipeptide becomes dominant. As a result, when orally ingested by a human, ingestion according to taste preferences can be realized, and / or the early manifestation of the characteristics or effects of the imidazole dipeptide in the human body can be promoted.

[0052] In the above-mentioned examples of dried bonito flakes or beverages, an extract containing linear imidazole dipeptides but not cyclic imidazole dipeptides, which is made from the above-mentioned "raw chicken breast meat" as a raw material, has been described as an example of an oral composition. However, for example, the mixtures shown in the following examples (p) and (q) are also other examples of oral compositions of this embodiment. (p) A mixture of the first aqueous solution made from the above-mentioned "raw chicken breast meat" and an extract containing almost no cyclic imidazole dipeptides made from a certain type of processed product (e.g., bonito flakes) (q) A mixture of an extract containing almost no cyclic imidazole dipeptides made from one type of processed product (e.g., bonito flakes) and an extract containing almost no cyclic imidazole dipeptides made from another type of processed product (e.g., chicken stock base).

[0053] In addition to the above-mentioned examples, examples of food and beverage products of this embodiment include various processed foods, health foods, sweets, and the like.

[0054] Meanwhile, the oral composition of the present embodiment has a water content of more than 0 wt% and not more than 10 wt%, i.e., an oral composition with a reduced water content is another preferred embodiment from the viewpoint of ease of transportation and / or ease of handling.

[0055] In the present embodiment, in one example of a method for producing an oral composition having a water content of more than 0 wt% and not more than 10 wt%, a concentration step and a powdering step by spray drying can be adopted. For example, the first aqueous solution or the extract described above can be concentrated by heating (e.g., heating at several tens of degrees Celsius) in a space under reduced pressure (e.g., 0.03 MPa), and then the first aqueous solution or the extract can be dried and powdered by a known spray drying method to produce a powder having the above water content.

[0056] The moisture content of the powder obtained by the above-mentioned spray drying method can be appropriately adjusted by a known means. From the viewpoint of the above-mentioned ease of transportation and / or ease of handling, the moisture content is more preferably 5 wt% or less of the powder of the present embodiment, and further preferably 3 wt% or less of the powder of the present embodiment.

[0057] <Modification (1) of the First Embodiment> This modification is similar to the first embodiment, except that the oral composition of the first embodiment is contained in the supplement or formulation. Therefore, the description overlapping with the first embodiment may be omitted.

[0058] In this modification, the oral composition described in the first embodiment, or a powder of the oral composition with a reduced water content, can be used as various supplements or various preparations.

[0059] Specifically, one suitable embodiment that can be adopted is to produce a supplement using the above-mentioned oral composition or a powder of the oral composition as a raw material or a part thereof, using a known production method (e.g., a known granulation method, a known tableting method, a known dissolution and filtration method, etc.).

[0060] In addition, one suitable embodiment that can be adopted is to produce the following (a) and / or (b) using the above-mentioned oral composition or a powder of the oral composition as a raw material or a part thereof, using a known production method (e.g., a known granulation method, a known tabletting method, a known dissolution and filtration method, a known spreading method, etc.). (a) The oral composition described above, or a powder of the oral composition, which contains at least a portion of its components, such as tablets, capsules, powders (including granules), film preparations, pills, syrups (including dry syrups), liquids, drinks, lozenges, drops, starch syrups, etc. (hereinafter collectively referred to as "preparations"). (b) The preparation, which contains, as at least a part of its components, the oral composition described above, or a solution in which a powder of the oral composition is dissolved in a physiologically acceptable liquid medium, or a gel formed from the powder.

[0061] In addition, the above-mentioned supplement or the above-mentioned formulation may be formed by mixing a disintegrant or wetting agent, or honey, etc., as appropriate, in addition to a known excipient or binder, in order to improve moldability or ease of oral ingestion or administration.

[0062] <Modification (2) of the First Embodiment> This modification is similar to the first embodiment, except that the cosmetic contains the oral composition of the first embodiment. Therefore, the description overlapping with the first embodiment may be omitted.

[0063] In this modification, the oral composition described in the first embodiment, or a powder of the oral composition with a reduced water content, can be used as various types of cosmetics.

[0064] Specifically, one suitable embodiment that can be adopted is to produce various types of cosmetics using the above-mentioned oral composition or a powder of the oral composition as a raw material or a part thereof, using a known manufacturing method (e.g., a known granulation method, a known tableting method, a known dissolution and filtration method, etc.).

[0065] <Modification (3) of the First Embodiment> As described in the first embodiment, the inventor's research and analysis revealed that a cyclic imidazole dipeptide can be produced from a linear imidazole dipeptide by a thermal treatment (e.g., a heat treatment). Therefore, in the manufacturing process of the oral composition, food and beverage, cosmetic, supplement, and preparation (hereinafter referred to as "oral composition, etc." in this modified example), if the oral composition, etc. already contains a linear imidazole dipeptide before the thermal treatment, it is a preferred embodiment to perform only a thermal treatment on the oral composition, etc. that does not produce or makes it difficult to produce a cyclic imidazole dipeptide. According to the oral composition, etc. manufactured through such a manufacturing process, it is possible to realize an intake according to taste preferences when orally ingested by a human, and / or it is possible to promote the early manifestation of the characteristics or effects of the imidazole dipeptide in the human body.

[0066] Specifically, the present inventors conducted a detailed investigation into the process by which cyclic imidazole dipeptides are produced from linear imidazole dipeptides by thermal manipulation, and as a result, it was revealed that cyclic imidazole dipeptides can be produced from linear imidazole dipeptides by the following thermal manipulation (heating step (HT)). (HT) Heat treatment at 90°C to 200°C for 30 minutes or more (more narrowly, 1 hour or more, even more narrowly, 2 hours or more, and even more narrowly, 4 hours or more)

[0067] The upper and lower limits of each treatment time of the heat treatment (HT) are not particularly limited as long as they are within a range in which cyclic imidazole dipeptides can be produced from linear imidazole dipeptides.

[0068] In addition, as already mentioned, in light of the fact that cyclic imidazole dipeptides were detected by the freeze-drying process, it can be said that the production of cyclic imidazole dipeptides can be promoted by carrying out a drying process (DR) (which may include a vacuum / reduced-pressure drying process and a concentration process by drying) together with or instead of the freezing process (FR), although the mechanism is still unclear.

[0069] An example of a treatment condition for the above-mentioned freezing step that can promote the production of cyclic imidazole dipeptides is a freezing treatment for 30 minutes or more (more narrowly, 1 hour or more, even more narrowly, 2 hours or more, and even more narrowly, 4 hours or more) at -80° C. or more and -20° C. or less. An example of a treatment condition for the above-mentioned drying step that can promote the production of cyclic imidazole dipeptides is a treatment for a time sufficient for drying under conditions where the pressure in the drying chamber is 610 Pa or less (more narrowly, 300 Pa or less, and even more narrowly, 100 Pa or less).

[0070] Therefore, not performing the heating step (HT) and / or the freeze-drying step (FR, DR) based on the above-mentioned treatment conditions is a preferred embodiment from the viewpoint of highly reliably suppressing the production of cyclic imidazole dipeptides.

[0071] Furthermore, the present inventors have confirmed that when an extract that has not been subjected to thermal processing (for example, extracted from the flesh of a sunfish using water at about 20°C) is analyzed using the above-mentioned liquid chromatography mass spectrometer without subsequent heating, no cyclic imidazoles (cyclic carnosine, cyclic anserine, and cyclic balenine) were detected. According to the present inventors' analysis, the production of cyclic imidazole dipeptides is highly reliably suppressed by performing processing (including primitive processing and extraction) at room temperature (in this application, 0°C to 40°C, more preferably 10°C to 35°C) without performing heating and / or cooling.

[0072] Therefore, processing (including primitive processing and extraction) at 0°C or higher and 40°C or lower (more preferably 10°C or higher and 35°C or lower) of oral compositions containing linear imidazole dipeptides (including their starting materials or intermediates) can contribute to the production of oral compositions containing a small amount of cyclic imidazole dipeptides and predominantly linear imidazole dipeptides with a high degree of certainty.

[0073] The various foods, beverages, cosmetics, supplements, and preparations described in the first embodiment and its modified examples (1) to (3) can also be described as follows, without using the term oral composition. (i) containing a cyclic imidazole dipeptide and a linear imidazole dipeptide; and When the sum of the first mole number (mol / g) of the linear imidazole dipeptide per unit mass and the second mole number (mol / g) of the cyclic imidazole dipeptide per unit mass is 1, the second mole number is 0 or more (more narrowly, 0.5×10 ―9 Over 1.0×10 ―9 super)1.0×10 -3 or less, or the second mole number is 8.0×10 -5 More than 1.5 x 10 -4 Below are the food and beverages. (ii) containing a cyclic imidazole dipeptide and a linear imidazole dipeptide; and When the sum of the first mole number (mol / g) of the linear imidazole dipeptide per unit mass and the second mole number (mol / g) of the cyclic imidazole dipeptide per unit mass is 1, the second mole number is 0 or more (more narrowly, 0.5×10 ―9 Over 1.0×10 ―9 super)1.0×10 -3 or less, or the second mole number is 8.0×10 -5 More than 1.5 x 10 -4 Below are the cosmetics. (iii) containing a cyclic imidazole dipeptide and a linear imidazole dipeptide; and When the sum of the first mole number (mol / g) of the linear imidazole dipeptide per unit mass and the second mole number (mol / g) of the cyclic imidazole dipeptide per unit mass is 1, the second mole number is 0 or more (more narrowly, 0.5×10 ―9 Over 1.0×10 ―9 super)1.0×10 -3 or less, or the second mole number is 8.0×10 -5 More than 1.5 x 10 -4 Below are the supplements. (iv) containing a cyclic imidazole dipeptide and a linear imidazole dipeptide; and When the sum of the first mole number (mol / g) of the linear imidazole dipeptide per unit mass and the second mole number (mol / g) of the cyclic imidazole dipeptide per unit mass is 1, the second mole number is 0 or more (more narrowly, 0.5×10 ―9 Over 1.0×10 ―9 super)1.0×10 -3 or less, or the second mole number is 8.0×10 -5 More than 1.5 x 10 -4 The formulation is as follows:

[0074] The disclosure of the above-mentioned embodiments and their modifications is provided for the purpose of explaining the embodiments and their modifications, and is not provided for the purpose of limiting the present invention. In addition, modifications within the scope of the present invention, including other combinations of the embodiments, are also included in the scope of the claims. [Industrial Applicability]

[0075] One oral composition of the present invention is extremely useful not only in the food and fisheries industries, but also in various industries related to medicine, health, medical care, and beauty, because it enables humans to orally ingest the composition in accordance with their taste preferences, and because the effects of the imidazole dipeptide can be enjoyed for a longer period of time in the human body.

Claims

1. Contains linear imidazole dipeptides, and When the sum of the first mole number (mol / g) of the linear imidazole dipeptide per unit mass and the second mole number (mol / g) of the cyclic imidazole dipeptide per unit mass is taken as 1, the second mole number is 0 to 1.0 × 10 －３ Below is the Oral compositions.

2. When the sum of the first mole number (mol / g) of the linear imidazole dipeptide per unit mass and the second mole number (mol / g) of the cyclic imidazole dipeptide per unit mass is taken as 1, the second mole number is 8.0×10 －５ Above 1.5 x 10 －４ Below is the The oral composition of claim 1.

3. The number of moles of the cyclic imidazole dipeptide per unit mass is 0 to 1.5 nmol / g. The oral composition of claim 1.

4. The oral composition according to claim 1 or claim 2, Food and beverages.

5. The oral composition according to claim 1 or claim 2, cosmetics.

6. The oral composition according to claim 1 or claim 2, supplement.

7. The oral composition according to claim 1 or claim 2, formulation.

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