Oral composition

Abstract

To provide a dry-form oral composition comprising tea powder, designed for preparation at time of use, and exhibiting enhanced dispersibility in water.SOLUTION: Provided is a dry-form oral composition comprising (A) tea powder and (B) an extract of a Salacia plant, exhibiting enhanced dispersibility in water.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an oral composition in a dry form containing tea powder and prepared just before use, which has improved dispersibility in water. [Background technology]

[0002] Tea beverages (hereinafter also referred to as "powdered tea beverages") made by dispersing tea powder in hot or cold water are convenient because they do not require extraction and do not produce waste because they do not produce tea leaves. In addition, unlike tea leaf extracts, they allow the intake of the various functional components of the tea leaves in their entirety. For this reason, powdered tea beverages are consumed from the perspective of promoting health and beauty benefits.

[0003] Since powdered tea beverages contain many components that are not soluble in hot or cold water, the better the dispersibility of the tea powder, the more desirable it is from the standpoint of efficiently consuming the components of the tea leaves and from the standpoint of ease of drinking.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses powdered tea obtained by granulating fine powder made by finely grinding tea raw materials as powdered tea intended to be easily dispersed and suspended (including partially dissolved) in water or hot water without forming lumps. Patent Document 2 discloses a powdered tea mixture with excellent dispersibility, which contains powdered tea with different average particle sizes in a specified weight ratio. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-296341 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-129717 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] There are many powdered tea beverages on the market, and they are manufactured so that they can be easily prepared by simply mixing with hot or cold water. However, the dispersibility of powdered tea beverages is still not sufficient, so that they easily precipitate after a while after preparation, and it is common to stir them again during drinking. For this reason, it is desirable for powdered tea beverages to have better dispersibility. Furthermore, in view of the recent increase in health consciousness, it would be desirable if the dispersibility of powdered tea beverages could be improved by other functional ingredients rather than by additives, which are non-functional ingredients, because the combined effects of the co-formulation of other functional ingredients could be obtained.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an oral composition in a dry form containing tea powder that can be prepared just before use, which has improved dispersibility in water (hereinafter, this term is used to include hot water). [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present inventors have found that by incorporating an extract of a plant of the genus Salacia into a dry oral composition for preparation when used, which contains tea powder, the dispersibility in water can be improved. The present invention has been completed based on this finding.

[0009] That is, the present invention provides the following aspects. Item 1. An oral composition in a dry form comprising (A) tea powder and (B) an extract of a Salacia plant. Item 2. The oral composition according to Item 1, wherein the component (A) is roasted green tea powder, green tea powder, and / or oolong tea powder. Item 3. The oral composition according to Item 1 or 2, wherein the content of the component (B) per 1 part by weight of the component (A) is 0.03 to 0.85 parts by weight. Item 4. The oral composition according to any one of Items 1 to 3, wherein the content of the component (A) is 50 to 97% by weight. Item 5. The oral composition according to any one of Items 1 to 4, wherein the content of the component (B) is 3 to 50 wt %. Item 6. The oral composition according to any one of Items 1 to 5, wherein the content of the component (A) when ingested is 0.1 to 10% by weight in terms of dry weight. Item 7. The oral composition according to any one of Items 1 to 6, wherein the content of the component (B) when ingested is 0.01 to 5% by weight in terms of dry weight. Item 8. The oral composition according to any one of Items 1 to 7, which is a powdered beverage or a granular beverage. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, the dispersibility in water of a dry oral composition containing tea powder and to be prepared when used can be improved. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] The oral composition of the present disclosure is characterized in that it contains (A) tea powder (hereinafter also referred to as "(A) component") and (B) an extract of a plant of the genus Salacia (hereinafter also referred to as "(B) component"), and is in a dry form. The oral composition of the present disclosure will be described in detail below. In this specification, a numerical range indicated by two numerical values ​​and "to" includes the two numerical values ​​as the lower limit and the upper limit. For example, the expression "2 to 15% by weight" means 2% by weight or more and 15% by weight or less.

[0012] (A) Tea powder The oral composition of the present disclosure contains tea powder as component (A).

[0013] The component (A) used in the present disclosure is ground tea leaves, buds, and / or stems of the tea plant (scientific name: Camellia sinensis), and is not a dried extract of tea leaves, buds, and / or stems. Types of component (A) include unfermented tea, semi-fermented tea, and fermented tea. Unfermented tea includes green tea such as sencha, tencha, bancha, konacha, budcha, and kukicha (in this specification, green tea is not considered to be roasted), as well as hojicha, which is a roasted product of green tea. Semi-fermented tea includes oolong tea. Fermented tea includes black tea.

[0014] As component (A), one of the above-mentioned various teas may be used alone, or a combination of multiple types may be used. Among these teas, preferred are non-fermented teas (green tea, roasted green tea) and semi-fermented teas (more preferably oolong tea), more preferably non-fermented teas (green tea, roasted green tea), and even more preferably roasted green tea.

[0015] The particle size of component (A) is not particularly limited, but the size fraction that passes 30 mesh (ASTM E11 standard) is, for example, 90% by weight or more, preferably 95% by weight or more.

[0016] In the oral composition of the present disclosure, the content of the component (A) is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 50 to 97% by weight, and preferably 50 to 92% by weight. More specifically, the content of green tea, roasted green tea, or semi-fermented tea may be as follows. Green tea: more preferably 60 to 90% by weight, even more preferably 75 to 90% by weight, and even more preferably 83 to 86% by weight. Hojicha: more preferably 60 to 88% by weight, even more preferably 65 to 84% by weight, and even more preferably 70 to 80% by weight. Semi-fermented tea: more preferably 50 to 90% by weight, even more preferably 50 to 86% by weight.

[0017] The content of component (A) when the oral composition of the present disclosure is consumed is, in terms of the dry weight of component (A), 0.1 to 10% by weight, preferably 0.12 to 7% by weight. More specifically, the content of component (A) when green tea, roasted green tea, or semi-fermented tea is consumed is as follows: Green tea: more preferably 0.5 to 7% by weight or 1 to 7% by weight, even more preferably 3 to 7% by weight or 5 to 7% by weight. Hojicha: more preferably 0.14 to 4% by weight, even more preferably 0.16 to 1% by weight, even more preferably 0.2 to 0.7% by weight, or 0.2 to 0.5% by weight. Semi-fermented tea: more preferably 0.5 to 7% by weight or 1 to 7% by weight, even more preferably 2 to 7% by weight or 3.5 to 7% by weight.

[0018] (B) Specified Ingredients The oral composition of the present disclosure contains an extract of a plant of the genus Salacia as component (B). The extract of a plant of the genus Salacia is a known component that exerts physiological actions such as an effect of suppressing blood glucose rise, an anti-obesity effect, an effect of improving the intestinal environment, an effect of protecting the liver, an effect of suppressing diabetic complications, and an antioxidant effect. In the oral composition of the present disclosure, the extract of a plant of the genus Salacia improves the dispersibility of component (A) in water.

[0019] The extract of a Salacia plant is a component obtained by carrying out an extraction process using a Salacia plant as an extraction raw material.

[0020] The type of Salacia plant used as the extraction raw material is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include Salacia chinensis, Salacia reticulata, Salacia oblonga, Salacia prinoides, Salacia latifolia, Salacia burunoniana, Salacia grandiflora, Salacia macrosperma, etc. Among these Salacia plants, Salacia chinensis is preferred.

[0021] The part of the plant of the genus Salacia to be extracted that is used as the raw material for extraction is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include rhizomes, leaves, fruits, bark, etc. Among these, preferred are stems, roots, and bark, and more preferred are stems. Furthermore, the part of the plant of the genus Salacia to be extracted that is used for extraction may be subjected to treatment such as drying, cutting, or crushing, as necessary, in order to increase the efficiency of extraction.

[0022] The extraction treatment may be any common extraction method used in the production of plant extracts, such as solvent extraction treatment, supercritical extraction treatment, steam distillation treatment, etc. Among these, solvent extraction treatment is preferred.

[0023] Examples of the extraction solvent used in the solvent extraction treatment include water, monohydric lower alcohols such as methanol and ethanol, polyhydric alcohols such as propylene glycol and 1,3-butylene glycol, hydrophilic solvents such as acetone, and mixed solvents thereof. Among these extraction solvents, preferred are water, monohydric lower alcohols, and mixed solvents thereof, more preferred are water, ethanol, and mixed solvents thereof, and particularly preferred is water.

[0024] The solvent extraction process may be carried out by immersing the part of the Salacia plant to be extracted in the extraction solvent and stirring as necessary. For example, the part of the Salacia plant to be extracted may be immersed in approximately 1 to 50 L of extraction solvent per 100 g of the part of the Salacia plant to be extracted, for example, for approximately 0.5 to 24 hours.

[0025] The solvent extraction treatment may be carried out by heating, for example, at 60 to 110°C, preferably 80 to 98°C.

[0026] After the extraction process, the solid matter is removed by solid-liquid separation to obtain an extract (extract liquid) of a Salacia plant. The extract liquid obtained by the extraction process may be purified, if necessary, by filtering or by adsorption using columns filled with carriers such as polystyrene gel (polystyrene-divinylbenzene copolymer, etc.), ion exchange resin, activated carbon, etc. In addition, the obtained extract liquid is dried and used as extract powder.

[0027] In the oral composition of the present disclosure, the content of the (B) component can be appropriately set according to the desired degree of dispersibility improvement effect. For example, the content of the (B) component per 1 part by weight of the (A) component is, for example, 0.03 to 0.85 parts by weight. From the viewpoint of further enhancing the dispersibility improvement effect, the content of the (B) component per 1 part by weight of the (A) component is preferably 0.03 to 0.7 parts by weight or 0.03 to 0.68 parts by weight, more preferably 0.03 to 0.57 parts by weight, 0.03 to 0.55 parts by weight, 0.03 to 0.53 parts by weight, and even more preferably 0.04 to 0.5 parts by weight, 0.1 to 0.5 parts by weight, 0.15 to 0.5 parts by weight, 0.2 to 0.5 parts by weight, 0.3 to 0.5 parts by weight, 0.04 to 0.45 parts by weight, 0.04 to 0.4 parts by weight, or 0.04 to 0.35 parts by weight.

[0028] In the oral composition of the present disclosure, the specific content of the (B) component is determined according to the content of the (A) component and the content of the (B) component per part by weight of the (A) component, and may be, for example, 3 to 50% by weight, and preferably 8 to 50% by weight. More specifically, the content of the (B) component when green tea, roasted green tea, or semi-fermented tea is used as the (A) component may be as follows. The content of component (B) when green tea is used: more preferably 10 to 40% by weight, even more preferably 12 to 25% by weight, and even more preferably 12 to 16% by weight. The content of component (B) when roasted green tea is used: more preferably 12 to 40% by weight, even more preferably 16 to 35% by weight, and even more preferably 20 to 30% by weight. The content of component (B) when semi-fermented tea is used: more preferably 10 to 40% by weight, even more preferably 12 to 25% by weight, and even more preferably 12 to 16% by weight.

[0029] The content of component (B) when the oral composition of the present disclosure is consumed depends on the content of component (A) when consumed and the content of component (B) per part by weight of component (A), and may be, for example, 0.01 to 5% by weight in terms of the dry weight of component (B). More specifically, when green tea, roasted green tea, or semi-fermented tea is used as component (A), the content of component (B) when consumed may be as follows: When green tea is used, the content of component (B) when drinking is more preferably 0.1 to 3 wt %, even more preferably 0.3 to 2 wt %, and even more preferably 0.5 to 1.5 wt %. When roasted green tea is used, the content of component (B) when drinking is more preferably 0.02 to 2 wt%, 0.02 to 1 wt%, or 0.02 to 0.6 wt%, even more preferably 0.02 to 0.42 wt%, even more preferably 0.02 to 0.32 wt%, 0.05 to 0.32 wt%, or 0.08 to 0.32 wt%. When semi-fermented tea is used, the content of component (B) when drinking is more preferably 0.1 to 3 wt %, even more preferably 0.3 to 2 wt %, and even more preferably 0.5 to 1.5 wt %.

[0030] Other Ingredients The oral composition of the present disclosure may or may not contain other nutritional components and / or pharmacological components as necessary, in addition to the above-mentioned (A) and (B) components. The nutritional components and pharmacological components, which may or may not be contained, are not particularly limited as long as they can be used in foods and / or medicines, and examples thereof include vitamins, minerals, processed plant products (powder, compressed product, and / or extract of plants other than the above-mentioned (A) and (B) components), etc. When these components are contained, these components may be used alone or in combination of two or more types, and the content thereof is appropriately set according to the type of nutritional components and / or pharmacological components used and the purpose of the oral composition. In addition, a preferred embodiment of the oral composition of the present disclosure does not contain mulberry leaf powder, compressed product, and / or extract.

[0031] Furthermore, the oral composition of the present disclosure may or may not contain additives, etc., as necessary, in order to prepare it in a dry form. The additives, which may or may not be contained, are not particularly limited as long as they can be used in foods and / or medicines, and examples thereof include excipients, disintegrants, binders, lubricants, etc. When these components are contained, these components may be used alone or in combination of two or more types, and the content of these components is appropriately set according to the type of additive used, etc.

[0032] Formulation and product classification The formulation of the oral composition of the present disclosure is not particularly limited as long as it is a dry form and can be dispersed in water when used. Specific formulation forms include powder, granules, etc.

[0033] The product classification of the oral composition of the present disclosure is not particularly limited, and may be any of foods and beverages (including special purpose foods and health functional foods (nutritional functional foods, functional foods, foods with functional claims, foods for specified health uses, etc.), as well as general foods (nutritional supplements, health supplements, nutritionally fortified foods, nutritionally regulated foods, supplements, etc.)) and oral pharmaceuticals (including oral quasi-drugs).

[0034] More specific product categories of the oral composition of the present disclosure include powdered beverages, granular beverages, and the like (beverages that are dispersed in water and consumed).

[0035] Purpose The oral composition of the present disclosure can be used for applications that utilize the known action and effect of component (A) and / or component (B). Examples of applications of the oral composition of the present disclosure include antibacterial, antiviral, antiallergic, antistress, antiaging, suppression of blood pressure increase, suppression of blood glucose increase (suppression of increase in postprandial blood glucose level), anti-obesity, improvement of intestinal environment, liver protection, suppression of diabetic complications, and antioxidant applications.

[0036] The oral composition of the present disclosure is in the form of a liquid composition dispersed in water when consumed. The temperature of the water is not particularly limited as long as it is a temperature suitable for consumption, and may be cold water, room temperature water, warm water, or hot water. EXAMPLES

[0037] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0038] Test Example 1 A powdered, dry oral composition was prepared by mixing component (A), component (B), and / or component (b) to obtain the composition shown in Tables 2 to 4. The resulting dry oral composition was dispersed in water (room temperature water) to obtain the composition shown in Tables 2 to 4 to prepare 100 g of a ready-to-use (liquid) oral composition. Details of component (A), component (B), and component (b) are as follows.

[0039] Component (A) Hojicha powder: Dried powder of Hojicha (95% by weight or more passing 30 mesh (ASTM E11 standard)) Green tea powder: Dried powder of bancha tea (95% by weight or more passing 30 mesh (ASTM E11 standard)) Oolong tea powder: A powder material (95% by weight or more passing 30 mesh (ASTM E11 standard)) containing 60% by weight or more of oolong tea powder, dextrin, and an emulsifier was used. (B) Component Salacia extract: Dried powder of hot water extract of the stem of Salacia chinensis Component (b) (comparison component for component (B)) Green Tea Extract: Dried powder of green tea leaf extract Olive Fruit Extract: Dried powder of ethanol extract of the fruit of Olea europaea L.

[0040] The weight of non-dispersed matter (total weight of precipitate and suspended matter) in the oral composition ready for use was measured immediately after preparation (0 min), and 15 min, 30 min, 45 min, and 60 min after preparation. The ratio (%) of the measured weight of non-dispersed matter was calculated as the "sedimentation rate" when the weight of the dry oral composition used in the preparation of the oral composition ready for use was taken as 100%. A dispersibility score was calculated based on the ratio (%) of the weight of non-dispersed matter according to the classification in Table 1 below. The higher the dispersibility score, the better the dispersibility can be evaluated. The results are shown in Tables 2 to 4.

[0041] [Table 1]

[0042] [Table 2]

[0043] [Table 3]

[0044] [Table 4]

[0045] In Tables 2 and 3, as shown in the comparison between Comparative Example 1 and Examples 1 to 7, and the comparison between Comparative Example 2 and Example 8, the dispersibility in water was improved by co-blending Salacia extract with roasted green tea powder. On the other hand, as shown in the comparison between Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Examples 3 and 4, when green tea extract or olive fruit extract was blended with roasted green tea powder, the dispersibility in water was hardly improved. As shown in Reference Examples 1, 2, and 3, although the dispersibility of green tea extract and olive fruit extract alone is superior to that of Salacia extract, when it is co-blended with roasted green tea powder, Salacia extract unexpectedly showed a remarkable effect of improving dispersibility.

[0046] The effect of improving dispersibility by the co-formulation of Salacia extract was also observed in the cases of green tea powder and oolong tea powder, as shown in Table 4, comparing Comparative Example 3 with Example 9, and comparing Comparative Example 4 with Example 10.

[0047] Test Example 2 The following samples were prepared: <Test sample> 50 g of the oral composition (pre-use form) of Comparative Example 2 was left to stand for 15 minutes 50 g of the oral composition of Example 8 (pre-use form) was left to stand for 15 minutes <Reference sample> Score 10 points Sample: Mineral water 50g: Score 1 sample: 50 g of the oral composition (pre-use form) of Comparative Example 2 left to stand for 45 minutes

[0048] Five monitors took both the test sample and the reference sample in their mouths at the same time and drank them. The degree of powderiness felt when drinking the test sample was scored on a 10-point scale, with mineral water receiving a score of 10 and the oral composition of Comparative Example 2 (left to stand for 45 minutes) receiving a score of 1. The results are shown in Table 5.

[0049] [Table 5]

[0050] As shown in Table 5, the effect of improving dispersibility confirmed in Test Example 1 was also confirmed by the effect of improving the lack of powderiness in the sensory test.

Claims

1. An oral composition in a dry form comprising (A) tea powder and (B) an extract of a Salacia plant.

2. The oral composition according to claim 1, wherein the component (A) is roasted green tea powder, green tea powder, and / or oolong tea powder.

3. The oral composition according to claim 1, wherein the content of the component (B) per 1 part by weight of the component (A) is 0.03 to 0.85 parts by weight.

4. The oral composition according to claim 1, wherein the content of the component (A) is 50 to 97% by weight.

5. The content of the component (B) is 3 to 50% by weight. The oral composition of claim 1.

6. 2. The oral composition according to claim 1, wherein the content of the component (A) when ingested is 0.1 to 10% by weight on a dry basis.

7. The oral composition according to claim 1, wherein the content of the component (B) when ingested is 0.01 to 5% by weight on a dry basis.

8. 10. The oral composition of claim 1 which is a powdered or granulated beverage.

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