Umami enhancer

Abstract

To provide an umami enhancer capable of enhancing umami in food or beverages, and also to provide a food, beverage, seasoning, or the like which comprises the umami enhancer and the umami of which is enhanced due to its umami-enhancing effect.SOLUTION: A umami enhancer for a food or beverage contains ergothioneine as an active ingredient. A food or beverage with enhanced umami can be obtained by incorporating 0.005 wt.% or more of ergothioneine relative to one umami component in the food or beverage.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a flavor enhancer for enhancing the umami taste of food and beverages, and food and beverages such as foods, beverages, or seasonings containing the flavor enhancer and having an enhanced umami taste.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, there has been a social demand to reduce the intake of salt (sodium chloride) to prevent diseases such as hypertension, kidney disease, and heart disease, and there is a trend towards lower salt content in all food and beverages. However, simply reducing the salt content from conventional products makes the taste dull and unappetizing, and when using substitute salts such as potassium chloride, the taste deteriorates due to off-flavors such as bitterness. There is a known salt reduction method of supplementing the reduction of saltiness by increasing the umami taste such as dashi to satisfy the taste, but this method is limited to food and beverages where umami is an important taste, and in that case, it is necessary to significantly increase the umami components.

[0003] Therefore, research and development of saltiness enhancing substances that can enhance the saltiness of food and beverages by enhancing the saltiness even when the salt amount is reduced, and umami enhancing substances that can enhance the umami taste of food and beverages even with less salt content, are being promoted. As such saltiness enhancing substances, Patent Document 1 describes a saltiness enhancer containing methional, 4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanoones, or 3-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanoones as active ingredients, and Patent Document 2 describes a saltiness enhancer containing niacin, salicin, or helicin. However, many of these saltiness enhancing substances are chemically synthesized substances, and some of them have not been confirmed for safety as food.

[0004] In addition, as umami-enhancing substances, Patent Document 3 describes umami enhancers containing N-(1-deoxy-D-fructose-1-yl)-pyroglutamic acid, N-(1-deoxy-D-fructose-1-yl)-valine, or N-(1-deoxy-D-fructose-1-yl)-methionine as active ingredients, and Patent Document 4 describes umami enhancers containing pyroglutamyl dipeptide as an active ingredient. Components contributing to umami are mainly amino acids and nucleic acids, and it is known that some nucleic acids have an umami-enhancing effect when combined with glutamic acid. In addition, Patent Document 5 describes a saltiness and / or umami enhancer containing trehalose as an active ingredient.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Patent Document 5

Patent Document 6

Non-Patent Documents

[0006]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a umami enhancer capable of enhancing the umami of food and beverages. Another problem is to provide food and beverages such as foods, beverages, or seasonings that contain the umami enhancer and have enhanced umami due to the umami enhancing effect.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] As a result of intensive research on substances capable of enhancing umami, the present inventors found that ergothioneine, which can only be produced by some microorganisms such as fungi like mushrooms and Aspergillus oryzae, actinomycetes, and cyanobacteria, can enhance the umami when contained in food and beverages containing umami components, and thus completed the present invention.

[0009] The present invention relates to the umami enhancer described in (1) below, or the food and beverages described in (2) to (5). (1) A umami enhancer containing ergothioneine as an active ingredient. (2) A food or beverage with enhanced umami, wherein ergothioneine, which is a umami enhancer, is contained in the food or beverage at 0.005% by weight or more based on the content of one umami component. (3) A food or beverage with enhanced umami, containing 10 ppm or more of ergothioneine. (4) The food or beverage according to (2) or (3) above, wherein the food or beverage with enhanced umami is soy sauce, miso, fish sauce, mirin, bonito stock, soup stock, umami seasoning, fermented umami seasoning, ketchup, sauce, or mycoprotein. (5) The food or beverage according to (2) or (3) above, produced using a high ergothioneine-producing Aspergillus oryzae strain.

Effects of the Invention

[0010] According to the umami enhancer of the present invention, umami can be elicited by adding a very small amount of ergothioneine, so that umami can be enhanced naturally without impairing the flavor. When added to umami-containing foods and beverages to enhance umami, even if the salt content in the foods and beverages is reduced, the salty taste can be felt more. Therefore, if foods and beverages such as seasonings, foods, and beverages to which this is added and umami is enhanced are eaten, the taste can be maintained and the salt intake can be reduced without difficulty. Of course, by adding a very small amount of ergothioneine to foods and beverages containing umami components such as monosodium L-glutamate, sodium inosinate, or sodium guanylate, umami can be enhanced even without containing salt.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] The present invention relates to an umami enhancer for foods and beverages containing ergothioneine as an active ingredient, and to a food or beverage with enhanced umami containing ergothioneine as the umami enhancer. In the present invention, “%” means “% by weight” even if the unit is not specified, and 1 ppm is 0.0001% by weight.

[0012] Ergothioneine (hereinafter also referred to as “ERG”) was discovered as a sulfur-containing amino acid isolated from Claviceps purpurea and has been confirmed to exist in the living bodies of plants and animals. However, plants and animals cannot synthesize ergothioneine, and the ergothioneine in the living body is considered to be derived from ergothioneine synthesized by microorganisms such as basidiomycetes. It is contained in some edible mushrooms of basidiomycetes, such as shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, maitake mushrooms, and king oyster mushrooms, and is particularly known to be abundant in tremella mushrooms. It is also known that Aspergillus oryzae produces ERG.

[0013] In microorganisms, the biosynthetic pathway of ERG from histidine is known, and the sulfur atom is supplied from cysteine. ERG has high antioxidant properties, and its elastase inhibitory and tyrosinase inhibitory effects have been reported, and it has attracted particular attention in the fields of beauty and food such as whitening and wrinkle prevention. In addition, it has been found that ERG is involved in the body's antioxidant defense system, and its application in the medical field has also been attempted. ERG has high thermal stability and pH stability, can maintain its antioxidant effect even at high temperatures, and is expected to be used as an antioxidant in addition to being formulated into foods in anticipation of its physiological effects.

[0014] As methods for producing ERG, extraction from basidiomycetes such as Lentinus edodes, chemical synthesis, and fermentation using microorganisms are carried out. Extraction from basidiomycetes such as Lentinus edodes takes time to obtain raw materials and is not suitable for mass production. Chemical synthesis is suitable for mass production, but it is necessary to use expensive synthetic reagents. Therefore, research on production methods by fermentation such as fermentation using C1 compound-assimilating bacteria or yeast, fermentation using microorganisms overexpressing the ERG biosynthetic gene, and solid culture using Aspergillus koji into which the ERG biosynthetic gene has been introduced to overexpress ERG (Non-Patent Document 1) is being advanced.

[0015] As the umami enhancer of the present invention, commercially available ERG by chemical synthesis may be used, or extracts and purified products thereof from mushrooms containing ERG, Aspergillus koji producing ERG and its cultures, or sake lees produced using Aspergillus koji may also be used. In addition, for foods and beverages using Aspergillus koji as a raw material, the amount of ERG in the foods and beverages can be increased by using Aspergillus koji that highly produces ERG without adding ERG. As for the mushrooms used for ERG extraction, preferred examples include Pleurotus cornucopiae var. citrinopileatus, Pleurotus ostreatus, Lentinula edodes, Grifola frondosa, etc. which are mushrooms belonging to the genus Pleurotus of the family Pleurotaceae, and one or more of these can be used in combination.

[0016] Also, as the koji mold for producing ERG, any mold belonging to the genus Aspergillus can be used. As an example, Aspergillus oryzae, Aspergillus sojae, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus luchuensis, Aspergillus tamarii can be mentioned. As the koji mold strain, for example, strains available from depository institutions such as Aspergillus oryzae RIB326 strain, strains contained in commercially available seed koji, or strains obtained by separation from food and beverage manufacturing environments such as sake breweries and soy sauce brewing cellars can be used.

[0017] In addition to the above wild strains, as the koji mold for producing ERG, mutant strains with high ERG production can be isolated and used by using common mutagenesis methods. Examples of mutagenesis methods include treatment with ultraviolet (UV) or X-ray irradiation that physically damages DNA and introduces mutations, and treatment with alkylating reagents such as N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (NTG) and ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) that chemically damage DNA and introduce mutations.

[0018] Furthermore, an ergosterol (ERG)-high-producing koji strain into which a gene related to ERG biosynthesis has been introduced by genetic recombination can be used. For example, an Aspergillus mutant strain into which the egtA gene has been introduced (see Patent Document 6 and Non-Patent Document 1), or an Aspergillus -specific AO090005000664 gene (encoded amino acid sequence: SEQ ID NO: 1) into which a specific gene mutation such as introduction of a G428S mutation or a C459F mutation, or deletion of 1 to 112 amino acids in the region of W404 to Q515, and its orthologous gene have been introduced to increase the expression of ERG (see PCT / JP2023 / 020131), etc. can be mentioned, but it is not limited thereto.

[0019] In this specification, an ERG-high-producing koji strain means that the produced ERG is 5 to 10 times or more, preferably 20 times or more higher than that of a strain that has not been mutated or transformed, in liquid culture at 20 to 30°C for 3 to 14 days (in a Pafumin SM medium (a solution prepared by adding 5 to 10% of Pafumin SM (manufactured by Kikkoman Corporation) to water and suspending it)). For example, an Aspergillus sojae strain in which the above egtA gene is forcibly expressed, or an Aspergillus oryzae mutant strain containing an amino acid mutation or amino acid deletion in the region of W404 to Q515 of the above mutant AO090005000664 gene and its orthologous gene corresponds thereto.

[0020] Also, when food and drink products are made from koji fermented products, such as soy sauce, sake, sweet sake, mirin, miso, etc., the ERG content in the food and drink products can be increased by using an ERG-high-producing koji strain for koji making without adding ERG during production. In particular, when an ERG-high-producing koji strain is used in the production of fermented foods, fermented beverages, and fermented seasonings, effects other than umami enhancement are exhibited compared to the case where ERG is added.

[0021] The enhancement of umami flavor means that the umami flavor caused by these is felt more strongly compared to the case without the umami flavor enhancer of the present invention. Specifically, it means that even if the umami components are reduced by, for example, 1 to 50% due to the addition of the umami flavor enhancer, an equivalent umami flavor can be felt. Also, it means that due to the addition of the umami flavor enhancer, an equivalent umami flavor can be felt even when, for example, it contains 1.1 to 2 times the amount of umami components. Or, it means that when a small amount of umami components is contained but not felt, the addition of the umami flavor enhancer makes it possible to feel the umami flavor for the first time.

[0022] The umami component in the present invention is monosodium L-glutamate, sodium inosinate, or sodium guanylate, and the content of one umami component in the present invention means the content of any one of these three components contained in food and drink products. In food and drink products containing umami components, when ergothioneine, which is an umami flavor enhancer, is contained in an amount of 0.005% by weight or more based on the content of one umami component, the umami flavor of the food and drink product is enhanced. Specifically, when monosodium L-glutamate, which is an umami component, is contained at 1 ppm or more in a 2% solution, or when sodium inosinate or sodium guanylate, etc., is contained at 1 ppm or more in a 5% solution, the umami flavor is enhanced. In food and drink products containing two or more umami components, ERG may be contained in an amount of 0.005% by weight or more based on the content of the smallest umami component.

[0023] Also, the umami flavor enhancer of the present invention exhibits an umami flavor enhancing effect on food and drink products in general by being contained in an amount of 10 ppm or more, for example, 10 ppm or more, 15 ppm or more, 20 ppm or more, or 30 ppm or more, or 40 ppm or more, 50 ppm or more. Since the umami-enhancing effect does not increase even when a large amount of the umami enhancer of the present invention is contained, considering economy, in food and drink products, ERG can be contained at 0.15% by weight or less, for example 0.12 or 0.09% by weight or less, 0.06 or 0.03% by weight or less. With respect to the umami component content of food and drink products, ERG can be contained at 15% by weight or less, for example 12 or 9% by weight or less, 6 or 3% by weight or less.

[0024] Also, the concentration of ERG is measured by LCMS under the following conditions. (HPLC conditions) HPLC analysis is performed under the following conditions. Apparatus: HPLC apparatus: HPLC: Nexera series (manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation) Column: COSMOSIL 2.5HILIC column 3.0×150 2.5μm 3.0mm I.D.×15.0 cm (manufactured by Nacalai) Flow rate: 0.5 mL / min Temperature: 40°C Mobile phase: A) 0.1% (v / v) aqueous formic acid solution, B) 0.1 (v / v) formic acid acetonitrile Isocratic: 0 - 10 minutes (B: 80%) Injection volume: 5 μL (Mass spectrometry) Apparatus: LCMS - 2020 (manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation) (Mass spectrometry (LC - MS) analysis conditions) Ionization conditions: ESI+ MS conditions: SIM ERG: m / z230.1 ([M + H] + ) Retention time: around 5 minutes

[0025] The food and drink products of the present invention are food, beverages, or seasonings. The food can be used in all foods, preferably foods containing umami components, and is not limited. For example, retort pouch foods such as curry, stew, and meat sauce, processed vegetable products such as salads and pickles, aquatic products such as salmon, tuna, sardines, shrimp, bonito, saury, squid, scallops, crabs, and oysters, processed aquatic and livestock foods such as kamaboko, hamburg, ham, and sausage, dairy products, rice cooked foods such as onigiri, pilaf, fried rice, congee, tea with rice, oyakodon, chuka don, and katsudon, cooked foods such as spring rolls, shumai, dumplings, curry, boiled foods, and fried foods, mycoprotein, pet food, medical foods, etc. are exemplified. Examples of mycoprotein include proteins derived from yeast, filamentous fungi, and fungi such as mushrooms.

[0026] Beverages are also not limited. For example, soft drinks, nutritional beverages, fruit beverages, lactic acid beverages, sports beverages, egg soup, wakame soup, Chinese-style soup, consommé soup, puree soup, etc., soups, teas, miso soup, beer, shochu, cocktails, etc., nutritional drinks of quasi-drugs, etc. are exemplified. Not only liquid ones, but also gel-like and semi-solid ones such as jelly beverages are included. Seasonings are also not limited. Examples include soy sauce, low-salt soy sauce, mirin, miso, fish sauce, cooking wine, soup stock, bonito stock, kelp stock, umami seasonings, fermented umami seasonings, sushi vinegar, sauce, sauce, oyster sauce, other various sauces, ketchup, dressing, mayonnaise, etc.

[0027] An umami seasoning is a chemical seasoning obtained by purifying a compound having umami. Specifically, amino acid-based seasonings, nucleic acid-based seasonings, etc. are exemplified. Examples of amino acid-based seasonings include glutamic acid and its salts (such as sodium glutamate). Examples of nucleic acid-based seasonings include sodium inosinate and sodium guanylate. A fermented umami seasoning refers to an enzymatic decomposition product of proteins such as wheat gluten and soybeans. Also, in the process of manufacturing the above food and beverage products, when adding the umami enhancer of the present invention to the food and beverage products, the addition time may be added in any process, and the addition method is not limited as long as the final food and beverage product contains the required amount.

Example

[0028] Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the examples, when simply described as “%”, it means “% by weight”. Also, room temperature samples were used for sensory evaluation.

[0029] [Test 1: Umami enhancement effect of sodium glutamate solution by ERG] 0.2% NaCl was mixed with pure water. L-Monosodium Glutamate (hereinafter also referred to as “MSG”) was added thereto to prepare six MSG samples with concentrations of 0%, 0.75%, 1%, 1.25%, 1.5%, 1.75%, and as the seventh sample, a sample obtained by adding purified ergothioneine (purity 99.5% or more, manufactured by Tetrahedron) to 1% MSG so that the final concentration was 60 ppm. 0.2% NaCl was added for sensory evaluation because the taste of MSG alone is dull. Sensory evaluation of umami was performed by a professional panel of five trained umami-sensitive subjects. For the five professional panels, regarding the umami of the seventh 60 ppm ERG-added 1% MSG solution, samples with equivalent umami were selected from the first to sixth MSG samples (the concentrations were not disclosed to the panel). After tasting each sample, the mouth was thoroughly rinsed with room temperature water before tasting the next sample. In the sensory evaluation, for the seventh sample, four out of five panels evaluated the umami as equivalent to that of the 1.25% MSG solution, and one panel evaluated it as equivalent to that of the 1.5% MSG solution. As a result, all five panels evaluated that the umami was enhanced by the addition of 60 ppm ERG.

[0030] [Test 2: ERG addition amount for enhancing the umami of MSG] (1) In the case of a 2% MSG sample (added with 0.2% NaCl) Similar to Test 1, samples were prepared by adding ergothioneine to a 2% MSG sample with 0.2% NaCl mixed in pure water so that the final concentrations were 0.5 ppm, 1 ppm, 3 ppm, 5 ppm, 10 ppm, and 20 ppm (ERG0 to ERG20 in Table 1 below; hereinafter, "ERGX" means a sample with X ppm of ERG added).

[0031]

Table 1

[0032] For 2% MSG samples with ERG added at each concentration (the concentrations were not disclosed to the panel), a drinking test was conducted by four professional panels using a 2% MSG sample without ergothioneine as a control, and the umami taste was sensory evaluated. After tasting each sample and before tasting the next sample, the mouth was thoroughly rinsed with water at room temperature. Pairs combining the control 2% MSG sample and 2% MSG samples with ergothioneine added at each concentration were presented to the professional panel, and the panel evaluated which sample in the presented pair had a umami taste through a two - alternative forced - choice test. The results are shown in Table 2.

[0033] <Evaluation method of two - alternative forced - choice test> Evaluation results of the umami taste of the test product compared with the control 〇: The umami taste is enhanced compared with the control. ◇: The umami taste is the same as the control. Note that the evaluation method of the two - alternative forced - choice test and the display of its evaluation results are the same for other tests.

[0034]

Table 2

[0035] (2) In the case of 1% MSG sample (with 0.2% NaCl added) Samples (ERG15 - 900) were prepared by adding ergothioneine to a 1% MSG sample in which 0.2% NaCl was mixed with pure water so that the final concentrations were 15 ppm, 20 ppm, 40 ppm, 60 ppm, 80 ppm, 100 ppm, 400 ppm, and 900 ppm. For the 1% MSG samples with ERG added at each concentration, a drinking test was conducted by the same four professional panels as in Test 2, and the umami taste was sensory evaluated. For the four professional panels, pairs of ERG - added 1% MSG samples with sequentially different concentrations (for example, a pair of ERG20 ppm and 40 ppm) were presented, and the panel evaluated which of the presented samples had a umami taste through a two - point discrimination test. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0036]

Table 3

[0037] Three panels evaluated that the MSG sample with 80 ppm of ERG added was equivalent to the one with 60 ppm of ERG added in terms of the degree of umami taste. Therefore, it was evaluated that even when 80 ppm of ERG was added, the degree of umami enhancement was the same as that when 60 ppm was added, and it was confirmed that the umami enhancement effect became constant at ERG 60 ppm. From the above, in the 1% MSG solution, when ergothioneine was added up to 60 ppm, it was evaluated that the umami taste was sequentially enhanced as the addition amount increased. When it exceeded 60 ppm, the umami enhancement effect was the same as that in the case of 60 ppm addition.

[0038] (3) In the case of 10% MSG sample (without NaCl) The same test as in (1) of Test 2 was conducted on 10% MSG (without NaCl). Samples (ERG0 - 20 in Table 4 below) were prepared by adding ergothioneine to the 10% MSG sample so that the final concentrations were 1 ppm, 3 ppm, 5 ppm, 10 ppm, and 20 ppm. Four professional panels were presented with pairs combining a control 10% MSG sample and 10% MSG samples with ergothioneine added at each concentration. The panels evaluated which of the presented samples tasted better in a two-point discrimination test. The results are shown in Table 5.

[0039]

Table 4

[0040]

Table 5

[0041] For the 10% MSG samples with 1 ppm or more of ERG added to 10% MSG (without NaCl), three panels evaluated that the umami was enhanced, and for the 10% MSG samples with 3 ppm or more of ERG added, all panels evaluated that the umami was enhanced.

[0042] [Test 3: Umami enhancement effect of inosinic acid] (1) In the case of 5% inosinic acid samples Samples (ERG0.1 - 20) were prepared by adding ergothioneine to a 5% inosinic acid sample obtained by mixing 0.2% NaCl in pure water so that the final concentrations were 0.1 ppm, 0.5 ppm, 1 ppm, 3 ppm, 5 ppm, and 20 ppm. For the 5% inosinic acid samples with each concentration of ERG added (the concentration was not disclosed to the panels), a drinking test was conducted by four professional panels with a 5% inosinic acid sample without ergothioneine as a control, and the umami was sensory evaluated. After tasting each sample, the mouth was thoroughly rinsed with room-temperature water before tasting the next sample. Four professional panels were presented with pairs combining a control 5% inosinic acid sample and 5% inosinic acid samples with ergothioneine added at each concentration. The panels evaluated which of the presented samples tasted better in a two-point discrimination test. The results are shown in Table 6.

[0043]

Table 6

[0044] [Test 4: Amount of ERG added to enhance the umami taste of soy sauce] (1) In the case of dark soy sauce Samples (ERG5 - 200) were prepared by adding ergothioneine to the dark soy sauce stock solution at concentrations of 5 ppm, 10 ppm, 50 ppm, 100 ppm, and 200 ppm. For the dark soy sauce with each concentration of ERG added (the concentration was not disclosed to the panelists), a drinking test was conducted by 5 professional panelists using soy sauce without ergothioneine as a control. Pairs combining the control soy sauce and the soy sauce with ergothioneine added at each concentration were presented to the panelists, and the panelists evaluated which sample in the presented pairs had a umami taste through a two - point discrimination test. The results are shown in Table 7.

[0045]

Table 7

[0046] Samples (ERG5 - 200) were prepared by adding ergothioneine to dark soy sauce at concentrations of 5 ppm, 10 ppm, 50 ppm, 100 ppm, and 200 ppm, and they were each diluted 10 - fold with pure water. For the soy sauce with each concentration of ERG added, a drinking test was conducted by the same 5 professional panelists for sensory evaluation of the umami taste. Pairs of ERG - added soy sauces with sequentially different concentrations (for example, a pair of ERG10 ppm and 50 ppm) were presented to the 5 professional panelists, and the panelists evaluated which sample in the presented pairs had a umami taste through a two - point discrimination test. The results are shown in Table 8.

[0047] [Table 8] Four panelists evaluated that the soy sauce with 200 ppm of ERG added had the same umami taste as the one with 100 ppm of ERG added. Therefore, it was evaluated that even when 200 ppm of ERG was added, the degree of umami enhancement was the same as that when 100 ppm was added. From the above, in the case of dark soy sauce, when 5 ppm to 100 ppm of ERG was added, it was evaluated that the umami taste was sequentially enhanced as the addition amount increased. When it exceeded 100 ppm, the umami enhancement effect was the same as that when 100 ppm was added.

[0048] (2) In the case of specially selected round soybean soy sauce, light soy sauce, or low-salt soy sauce Samples (ERG5 - 200) were prepared by adding ergothioneine to commercially available specially selected round soybean soy sauce (Kikkoman Corporation) at concentrations of 5 ppm, 10 ppm, 50 ppm, 100 ppm, and 200 ppm. Similar to (1) above, a drinking test was conducted by 5 professional panelists. Pairs combining the control soy sauce and the soy sauce with ergothioneine added at each concentration were presented to the professional panelists, and the panelists evaluated which sample of the presented pairs had a umami taste through a two-point discrimination test. Also, the same two-point discrimination test was conducted on commercially available light soy sauce and low-salt soy sauce. The results showed that for all of specially selected round soybean soy sauce, light soy sauce, and low-salt soy sauce, all panelists evaluated that the umami taste of the soy sauce with 5 ppm or more of ERG added was enhanced.

[0049] [Test 5: Amount of ERG added to enhance the umami taste of seasonings] (1) Yeast extract Samples (ERG0.5 - 10) were prepared by adding ergothioneine to a 1% solution of yeast extract (Springer 0402 / 20 - MG - L) at concentrations of 0.5 ppm, 1 ppm, 3 ppm, 5 ppm, and 10 ppm. The umami and saltiness of the test samples were evaluated by a two - point discrimination test by three professional panels and compared with the control without added ERG. The results of the sensory evaluation are shown in Tables 9 and 10 below.

[0050]

Table 9

[0051]

Table 10

[0052] [Test 6: Flavor - enhancing effect of ERG on various food and beverages] For test samples of food and beverages with added ERG and control food and beverages without added ERG, the change in the flavor (umami, sweetness, bitterness) of the test samples compared to the control was evaluated by a two - point discrimination test by professional panels. The results of the sensory evaluation are shown in Tables 11 - 17 below. Note that "ERGX" for the test sample means a test sample with X ppm of ERG added. Sensory evaluation 〇: The flavor is enhanced compared to the control. ◇: The flavor is the same as the control.

[0053] (1) This soup stock After adding 5 ppm of ERG to the undiluted solution of this soup stock (Kikkoman Corporation), it was diluted 4 - fold and subjected to a sensory test.

Table 11

[0054] (2) Cold buckwheat noodles soup A sensory evaluation was conducted on cold buckwheat noodles soup (straight soup: Kikkoman Corporation) after adding 5 ppm of ERG. [Table 12] The addition of 5 ppm of ERG enhanced the umami and sweetness of cold buckwheat noodles soup.

[0055] (3) Miso A sensory evaluation was conducted on miso (plus-koji-free Koji Beauty, Marukome Co., Ltd.) at 18 g / miso in 200 ml of hot water after adding 0.5 ppm of ERG. [Table 13] The addition of 0.5 ppm of ERG enhanced the umami and sweetness of miso.

[0056] (4) Sauce A sensory evaluation was conducted on sauce (Delicious Tonkatsu Sauce, Kikkoman Corporation) after adding 5 ppm of ERG. [Table 14] The addition of 5 ppm of ERG enhanced the umami and sweetness of sauce.

[0057] (5) Salt koji A sensory evaluation was conducted on salt koji (plus-koji raw salt koji, Marukome Co., Ltd.) after adding 5 ppm of ERG. [Table 15] The addition of 5 ppm of ERG enhanced the umami, saltiness, and sweetness of salt koji.

[0058] (6) Tomato ketchup A sensory evaluation was conducted on tomato ketchup (Del Monte) after adding 5 ppm of ERG. [Table 16] The addition of 5 ppm of ERG enhanced the umami and sweetness of tomato ketchup.

[0059] (7) Mycoprotein Mycoprotein was produced by the following production method. Fermentation was carried out in a 30 L jar (manufactured by Marubishi Bio-Eng Co., Ltd.). Water was added to 1.5 kg of okara powder to make up to 15 L, 2.25 g of Shin-Etsu Silicone (registered trademark) KM72F (manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.), an antifoaming agent, was added, and sterilization was carried out at 123 °C for 60 minutes. The enzyme solution filtered through a filter with a pore size of 0.22 μm was added so that the final concentration of arabinase was 0.6 U / ml and the final concentration of cellulase was 0.1 U / ml, and a stirring reaction was carried out at 60 °C for 2 hours. After the reaction, it was cooled to 30 °C. The preculture was carried out as follows. For each strain, 5 g of okara powder and 100 ml of water were added to a 500 ml Erlenmeyer flask with baffles, and autoclaved (121 °C, 30 minutes). Glycerol stocks of Aspergillus oryzae strains, which are seed koji, were added in 0.5 ml portions each, and inoculated so that the initial spore count of the preculture solution was 5×10 5 / ml. This preculture solution was cultured with shaking for 24 hours (30 °C, 160 rpm). Then, this preculture solution was inoculated into a 30 L jar and cultured at 30 °C for 3 days. The aeration rate and stirring rate were started at 0.5 vvm and 250 rpm, and increased to 1 vvm and 330 rpm after 18 hours. After culturing, the fermented product was heat sterilized (80 °C, 30 minutes). The fermented product heat sterilized as described above was dried for 1 minute using a drum dryer (manufactured by Katsuragi Kogyo Co., Ltd., product name "Drum Dryer D-00") with a void of 0.3 mm and a surface temperature of 150 °C. This is called fermented okara. Using the fermented okara obtained by the above procedure, 16.7 g of the dried product was used, and it was mixed with water so that the ratio of the dried product to water was 1:2 by weight. Further, 3% soy sauce and 1% yeast extract were mixed, and kneaded with a kneader (manufactured by Tiger Magic Bottle Co., Ltd., product name "Microcomputer Food Processor SKF-H101") for 10 seconds. At that time, samples with 330 ppm of ergothioneine added (Example) and samples without addition (Comparative Example) were prepared respectively. The kneaded sample was formed into a size with a thickness of 1.8 cm and an inner diameter of 7.5 cm. 5 ml of oil was put into a frying pan, and the above-formed sample was baked over low heat for 1 minute and 20 seconds on each side, for a total of 2 minutes and 40 seconds.

[0060] Sensory evaluation was conducted on how the taste of the test product, which is an example, compared with the comparative example which is a control. 〇: The umami is enhanced compared with the control. ◇: The taste is the same as that of the control. ▽: The taste is reduced compared with the control.

[0061]

Table 17

[0062] [Test 7: Production of soy sauce] Steamed and denatured defatted soybeans and crushed roasted wheat were mixed in equal amounts, inoculated with seed koji, and koji was made for 42 hours by a conventional method to obtain soy sauce koji. As the seed koji, an Aspergillus sojae mutant strain (Example 1) in which four copies of the egtA gene were introduced and the inserted gene was overexpressed, and an Aspergillus oryzae strain (Example 2) in which a G428S mutation was introduced into the AO090005000664 gene were used respectively. 100 parts by mass of the obtained soy sauce koji was charged into 130 parts by mass of brine (salt concentration 26% (w / v)), and flavor management was carried out according to the conventional method for 150 days at 25 - 30 °C with appropriate stirring for fermentation and aging. The aged flavors obtained were pressed and filtered to obtain raw soy sauce. The obtained raw soy sauce was sterilized by heating at 80 °C for 1 hour and then clarified and filtered to obtain soy sauce. The concentration of ERG in the soy sauce obtained by the above clarification and filtration was 566 ppm in Example 1 and 250 ppm in Example 2. Compared with commercially available products, the soy sauce of the examples had enhanced umami, saltiness, and sweetness.

[0063] [Test 8: Production of Mirin] After washing, water immersion, draining, steaming, and cooling polished rice by a conventional method for raw material treatment, 0.1% of the rice weight of seed koji was inoculated and mixed, and koji was made by controlling the koji-making temperature at 32 - 38 °C in a constant temperature and humidity chamber to obtain koji. As the seed koji, an Aspergillus oryzae strain (Example) in which a G428S mutation was introduced into the AO090005000664 gene and its wild strain (Comparative Example) were used respectively. According to the conventional method for mirin production, 48 g of the above rice koji (about 40 g as raw polished glutinous rice) was placed in a charging container, and 290 g of mochi rice (hanging rice) that had been washed, water-immersed, drained, steamed, and cooled by a conventional method was mixed. Next, 155 ml of neutral alcohol (alcohol content 35% (v / v)) was saccharified at 30 °C for 1 month to obtain aged mirin moromi. Then, the aged mirin moromi was pressed by a conventional method to obtain a crude mirin filtrate. This was heat-sterilized by heating to a temperature of 90 °C and then clarified and filtered to obtain mirin. The concentration of ERG in the mirin obtained by the above clarification and filtration was 11 ppm in the example and 2 ppm in the comparative example. The mirin of the example had enhanced not only umami but also sweetness compared with the mirin of the comparative example.

Claims

1. A umami enhancer containing ergothioneine as an active ingredient.

2. A food or drink with enhanced umami, wherein the ergothioneine, which is a umami enhancer, is contained in an amount of 0.005% by weight or more based on the content of one umami component in the food or drink.

3. A food or drink with enhanced umami, containing 10 ppm or more of ergothioneine.

4. The food or drink according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the food or drink with enhanced umami is soy sauce, miso, fish sauce, mirin, bonito stock, soup stock, umami seasoning, fermented umami seasoning, ketchup, sauce, or mycoprotein.

5. The food or drink according to claim 2 or 3, produced using an ergothioneine-high-producing koji strain.

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