Food composition containing bitter taste inhibiting agent

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of inhibiting an unpleasant taste such as bitterness, in a food composition including naringin, without impairing an original flavor inherent to the food.SOLUTION: The present invention provides an agent for inhibiting a bitter taste derived from naringin, the agent comprising epigallocatechin gallate as an active ingredient. The bitter taste inhibiting agent can be added to a food composition having a bitter component including naringin in order to inhibit the bitterness.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a bitterness inhibitor.

Background Art

[0002] During meals, sometimes one may feel tastes that have a negative impact on eating, such as bitterness and astringency. Among them, foods containing plant components that are said to have beneficial effects on human health often have such tastes. Such unpleasant tastes can sometimes prevent the intake of a large amount of food or the production and intake of foods containing plant components at high concentrations. For example, naringin is a flavanone (a glycoside of naringenin) mainly contained in citrus fruits such as grapefruit, has an anti-allergic effect, and has the effects of alleviating the symptoms of hay fever and improving immunity, but has a bitter taste. Also, cucurbitacin is a triterpene and its derivatives contained in cucurbitaceae plants, and momordicin among them is contained in bitter gourd, has a blood sugar-lowering effect, a blood pressure-lowering effect, and an analgesic effect, but also has a bitter taste.

[0003] As a masking technique for controlling unpleasant tastes and making foods more delicious and easier to eat, for example, Patent Document 1 describes that by containing a flavonoid-cyclodextrin inclusion compound in a food instead of a flavonoid, the bitterness of the flavonoid can be reduced. Patent Document 2 describes that by adding the leaves of Camellia sinensis consisting of matcha and sencha and honey-containing sugar to a plant dry matter, the flavor of the resulting powdered food is improved. Patent Document 3 describes that a dried solid of a colloidal solution containing a gallate-type catechin and a protein having an average molecular weight of 4000 or more can mask pungency and bitterness.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the technology of Patent Document 1 can suppress the unpleasant flavor derived from flavonoids, but does not improve the flavor of foods containing flavonoids. In addition, the technologies of Patent Documents 2 and 3 are highly likely to impair the original flavor of foods when added to foods containing naringin and cucurbitacin. An object of the present invention is to provide a technology capable of suppressing unpleasant flavors such as bitterness without impairing the original flavor of food in a food composition containing naringin and / or cucurbitacin.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention provides the following [1] to [8]. [1] A bitterness inhibitor derived from at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin, having epigallocatechin gallate as an active ingredient. [2] The bitterness inhibitor according to [1], wherein the cucurbitacin is momordicin. [3] The bitterness inhibitor according to [1] or [2], and a food composition containing a bitter component, wherein the bitter component contains at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin, A food composition in which bitterness derived from at least one of naringin and momordicin is suppressed. [4] The food composition according to [3], wherein the content of the bitterness inhibitor is 0.1 to 1.5 mM as the content of epigallocatechin gallate. [5] The food composition according to [3] or [4], wherein the ratio of the content of epigallocatechin gallate to the content of naringin is 0.1 to 8. [6] The food composition according to [3] or [4], wherein the ratio of the content of epigallocatechin gallate to the content of cucurbitacin is 0.0001 to 0.01. [7] A step of adding the bitterness inhibitor according to [1] or [2] to a food raw material or a food composition containing a bitter component, The bitter component contains at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin. A method for producing a food composition in which the bitterness derived from at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin is suppressed. [8] A step of adding the bitterness inhibitor according to [1] or [2] to a food raw material or a food composition containing a bitter component. The bitter component contains at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin. A method for suppressing the bitterness derived from at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin in a food. [Advantages of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, there is provided a bitterness inhibitor capable of suppressing the bitterness derived from these components without impairing the original flavor of the food in a food composition containing naringin and / or cucurbitacin. [Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0008] [Bitterness Inhibitor] -Epigallocatechin gallate- The bitterness inhibitor contains epigallocatechin gallate (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as EGCg) as an active ingredient. EGCg can be obtained, for example, by extraction and purification from plants (for example, plants of the genus Camellia), and its origin and production method are not particularly limited as long as EGCg that can be orally ingested such as in pharmaceuticals and foods is produced.

[0009] As a method for producing plant-derived EGCg, for example, there is a method of extracting tea leaves (for example, green teas, black teas, oolong teas) obtained by making tea from the leaves of plants of the genus Camellia (for example, C. sinensis) with an aqueous solvent such as water and purifying using a solvent, a column, etc. Stirring may be performed as necessary during extraction.

[0010] The bitterness inhibitor preferably contains substantially no catechins other than EGCg (gallocatechin, epigallocatechin, catechin, epicatechin, gallocatechin gallate, epicatechin gallate, and catechin gallate). In this specification, "substantially contains no" means that the content is 15% by weight or less, preferably 13% by weight or less, more preferably 10% by weight or less, based on the weight of the agent. The absence of catechins other than EGCg can be confirmed by 1 1H-NMR. The bitterness inhibitor preferably contains epicatechin gallate isolated from other catechins.

[0011] -Bitterness inhibition- In this specification, "inhibiting bitterness" refers to the effect of reducing or eliminating the bitterness of food. The inhibition of bitterness can be confirmed, for example, in a sensory evaluation test when the bitterness of a sample without a bitterness additive is reduced compared to a sample with a bitterness additive.

[0012] -Bitterness components- The bitterness inhibitor can inhibit the bitterness derived from at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin, and can inhibit the bitterness of foods containing at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin as bitterness components. Naringin is a bitterness component contained in citrus fruits (for example, foods made from grapefruit, yuzu, hassaku, and ponkan). Cucurbitacin is a bitter component contained in cucurbitaceae plants, and is a general term for derivatives such as cucurbitacin A to T and momordicin. Momordicin is a general term for momordicin-1, momordicin-28, momordinin, momordisilin, momordicinol, momordol, etc., and is a bitter component contained in bitter melon (balsam pear) and foods made from it.

[0013] -Optional components- The agent of the present invention only needs to contain EGCg which is at least an active ingredient, and may contain other components as necessary. Examples of other components include components acceptable as food ingredients. Such components include, for example, food additives such as stabilizers, oils, softeners, emulsifiers, preservatives, antioxidants, colorants, fragrances, ultraviolet absorbers, moisturizers, thickeners, brighteners, solvents, etc. Also, within the range that does not impair the bitter taste suppressing effect of EGCg, other bitter taste suppressing components may be used in combination.

[0014] -Dosage form- The form (dosage form) of the agent of the present invention includes, for example, liquids, solids (for example, powdery, granular, pellet-like), gels, sols, etc., but is not particularly limited as long as it is a form that is easy to add to the target food.

[0015] -Application target- The bitter taste inhibitor can be applied to food compositions (so-called processed foods, functional foods) and pharmaceuticals that inherently have a bitter taste derived from at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin (for example, momordicin). The food composition may be any food obtained from food raw materials (for example, vegetables, fruits) containing at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin. Examples of food raw materials containing naringin include citrus fruits such as grapefruit. Among cucurbitacins, examples of food raw materials containing, for example, momordicin include bitter gourd. The type of food composition is not particularly limited, but includes, for example, beverages (for example, juices, teas), confectioneries such as jelly, frozen foods, soups, seasonings, instant foods, semi-processed foods, purees, prepared foods, and other processed foods. Among them, from the viewpoint of easily obtaining the effect, liquid or semi-liquid processed foods such as beverages and purees are preferred. The food composition may be a so-called health food, for example, a food with functional claims, a food for specified health use, a food with nutritional function claims, etc.; a nutritional supplement, a health supplement, a nutritional adjustment food, or a medical food such as a nursing food. The pharmaceutical may be any agent having at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin as an active ingredient, and examples of its dosage form include dosage forms suitable for oral agents such as tablets, capsules, powders, syrups, etc., and are not particularly limited.

[0016] [Food composition with suppressed bitterness] The food composition contains the above-mentioned bitterness inhibitor and a bitter component. The bitter component may include at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin, and may also include other bitter components other than these.

[0017] -Content of bitterness inhibitor- The content of the bitterness inhibitor is preferably 0.1 mM or more, more preferably 0.2 mM or more, as the amount of epigallocatechin gallate per food composition. This can more effectively suppress the bitterness of the food. The upper limit is preferably 1.8 mM or less, more preferably 1.6 mM or less, still more preferably 1.5 mM or less, and even more preferably 0.83 mM or less. This can maintain the flavor of the food well.

[0018] -Ratio of the amount of bitter component to bitterness inhibitor- In the case of a food composition containing naringin, the ratio of the content of epigallocatechin to the content of naringin per food composition is preferably 0.1 to 8, more preferably 0.2 to 7, and preferably 0.2 to 6. This can more effectively suppress the bitterness while maintaining the flavor of the food well. In the case of a food composition containing cucurbitacin, the ratio of the content of cucurbitacin to the content of epigallocatechin per food composition containing cucurbitacin is preferably, for example, 0.0001 to 0.01, and more preferably 0.0005 to 0.005. This can more effectively suppress the bitterness while maintaining the flavor of the food well.

[0019] The food composition may contain a bitterness inhibitor and a bitter component, and other compositions and dosage forms (forms of food) are not particularly limited. Examples of the food composition are as described above.

[0020] [Method for producing food composition] Examples of the method for producing a food composition include, for example, a method including a step of adding the aforementioned bitterness inhibitor to a food raw material or a food composition containing a bitter component. The addition amount of the bitterness inhibitor is the same as that described in terms of the content and the amount ratio of the bitter component and the bitterness inhibitor. The timing of addition may be a food raw material (including intermediate raw materials during production) or after completion as a food composition, and is not particularly limited. Also, the number of additions may be once or multiple times. The method of addition is not particularly limited, and it may be uniformly mixed into the food. Stirring may be performed during or after addition as necessary.

[0021] [Bitterness inhibition method] By adding the aforementioned bitterness inhibitor to a food raw material or a food composition, the bitterness of the food can be inhibited. The number of additions and the method of addition of the bitterness inhibitor are the same as those described above in the description of the production method.

Examples

[0022] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the descriptions of these examples in any way.

[0023] Example 1 [Bitterness inhibition effect in grapefruit juice] To 40 mL of commercially available grapefruit juice (product name: Tropicana 100% Grapefruit, Kirin Beverage, naringin content: 0.2 - 1.4 mM (literature value)), EGCg ("Teabig", DSM / Taiyo Kagaku Co., Ltd.) was added at the concentrations shown in Table 1. After addition, the bitterness reduction effect and the maintenance of the original flavor of the food were confirmed according to the following criteria. (Table 1). - Evaluation criteria for bitterness reduction effect - 〇: Bitterness was reduced compared to no addition of EGCg ×: Bitterness was not reduced - Evaluation criteria for maintaining the original flavor of the food - 〇: The flavor was not impaired compared to the flavor without addition of EGCg ×: The flavor was impaired

[0024]

Table 1

[0025] In the grapefruit juice added with EGCg, the bitterness was reduced regardless of the added concentration, and the original flavor of the food was maintained as it was (Table 1).

[0026] Example 2 [Bitterness suppression effect in bitter gourd juice extraction] 100 mL of water was added to 70 g of bitter gourd fruit from which the seeds had been removed (Momordicin content of bitter gourd fruit: about 0.9 - 1 mol / 100 g dry weight (about 50 mmol / 100 g fresh weight)), and it was crushed using a food processor and filtered using a non-woven fabric. EGCg was added to the squeezed juice obtained by diluting the obtained filtrate approximately 1.8 times with water to the concentrations shown in Table 2. When a sensory evaluation similar to that of Example 1 was conducted and compared with the squeezed juice without added EGCg (control), it was confirmed that the bitterness of the squeezed juice added with EGCg was reduced and the original flavor of the food could be maintained as it was (Table 2).

[0027]

Table 2

[0028] The results of these examples indicate that the bitterness reducing agent of the present invention can suppress unpleasant flavors such as bitterness without impairing the original flavor of the food.

Claims

1. It contains a bitterness suppressant with epigallocatechin gallate as the active ingredient and naringin, a bitter ingredient. The bitterness derived from naringin is suppressed, The molar ratio of the content of epigallocatechin gallate to the content of naringin is 0.1 to 8; It is a liquid or semi-liquid processed food made from grapefruit. Food compositions (excluding food compositions containing tea extracts).

2. The food composition according to claim 1, wherein the content of the bitterness suppressor is 0.1 to 1.5 mM as the content of epigallocatechin gallate.

3. The method includes a step of adding a bitterness suppressor having epigallocatechin gallate as an active ingredient to a food raw material or food composition containing naringin, which is a bitter component; The food ingredient or food composition is a liquid or semi-liquid processed food made from grapefruit; A method for producing a food composition (excluding a food composition containing a tea extract).

4. The method includes a step of adding a bitterness suppressor having epigallocatechin gallate as an active ingredient to a food raw material or food composition containing naringin, which is a bitter component; A method for suppressing the bitterness derived from naringin in a liquid or semi-liquid processed food made from grapefruit (excluding food compositions containing tea extract).

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