Production method of high glucosylceramide-containing brewed product

Abstract

To provide a production method of a brewed product, capable of including more useful glucosylceramide which is hard to be included into a separate liquid side in a regular production method of a brewed product.SOLUTION: A production method of a high glucosylceramide-containing brewed product for obtaining a brewed product by adding alcohol to a fermented decomposition product of cereals to elute glucosylceramide, and performing solid liquid separation includes: a decomposition step of decomposing cereals with malt or enzyme; a high ethanol production step of adding ethanol so that an ethanol concentration after the decomposition step becomes 40-65 vol.%; a step of separating the product into a solid component and a liquid component after the high ethanol production step; and a concentration step of concentrating the liquid component separated in the separation step until the ethanol concentration becomes less than 20 vol.%.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing a glucosylceramide-containing fermented product.

Background Art

[0002] Fermented products are produced by decomposing the starch and protein of grains with enzymes produced by Aspergillus oryzae in grains or enzymes contained in germinated grains, followed by solid-liquid separation. For example, sake is produced by mixing steamed rice with rice koji and water to saccharify and decompose the starch contained in the rice, fermenting the sugar obtained by the decomposition with yeast to produce ethanol fermentation, and subjecting the fermented moromi to solid-liquid separation. Vinegar is produced by subjecting the liquid obtained by ethanol fermentation and solid-liquid separation in the same manner as sake to acetic acid fermentation by acetic acid bacteria. Mirin is produced by mixing steamed rice with rice koji and shochu or ethanol, and subjecting the moromi obtained by saccharifying and decomposing the starch contained in the rice to solid-liquid separation. Soy sauce is produced by mixing steamed soybeans and roasted wheat, allowing Aspergillus oryzae to produce enzymes, decomposing the proteins and starches contained in the soybeans and wheat, and subjecting the resulting moromi to solid-liquid separation. Also, bath agents can be produced from the above fermentation decomposition products (Japanese Patent No. 3286609).

[0003] By the way, it is known that raw material grains of fermented products contain many components useful for taste and health. Among these components, components such as fatty acids and vitamins are amphiphilic and can dissolve in water, but even these components tend to migrate to the solid component side rather than the liquid component side by solid-liquid separation, making it difficult to leave the liquid component side in the fermented product that becomes the product.

[0004] For example, it is known that raw materials such as rice and wheat contain a large amount of glucosylceramide. However, when the inventors confirmed mirin produced by a conventional method, glucosylceramide derived from raw rice was hardly contained in the separated liquid but was mostly contained in the separated cake, and it has been a problem to increase the glucosylceramide concentration in mirin (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] Patent Document 1 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-82427 Summary of the Invention Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a method for producing a fermented product that can contain more useful glucosylceramide, which was difficult to be contained on the separated liquid side by ordinary fermented product production methods. Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] That is, the invention according to claim 1 relates to a method for producing a high-glucosylceramide-containing fermented product, which comprises adding alcohol to a fermented decomposition product of grains to elute glucosylceramide, and performing solid-liquid separation to obtain a fermented product.

[0008] The invention according to claim 2 further comprises a decomposition step of decomposing grains with koji or an enzyme, a high-ethanolization step of adding ethanol so that the ethanol concentration becomes 40 to 65% by volume after the decomposition step, a step of separating into a solid component and a liquid component after the high-ethanolization step, and a concentration step of concentrating the liquid component separated by the separation step until the ethanol concentration becomes less than 20% by volume. The invention relates to a method for producing a high-glucosylceramide-containing fermented product, which is characterized by having these steps.

[0009] The invention according to claim 3 relates to the method for producing a high-glucosylceramide-containing fermented product according to claim 1, wherein the fermented product is any one of mirin, sake, soy sauce, vinegar, beer, or a bath agent. Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to the invention of claim 1, alcohol is added to the fermented decomposition product of grains to elute glucosylceramide, and solid-liquid separation is performed to obtain a brewing product. Therefore, by adding alcohol to the fermented decomposition product obtained by enzymatically decomposing grains, fat-soluble components that were originally present in the raw material components but usually did not dissolve out can be dissolved out into the separation liquid. As a result, it becomes possible to contain more fat-soluble useful components related to the taste and health in the raw material.

[0011] According to the invention of claim 2, it has a decomposition step of decomposing grains with koji or an enzyme, a high-ethanolization step of adding ethanol so that the ethanol concentration becomes 40 to 65 volume percent after the decomposition step, a step of separating into solid components and liquid components after the high-ethanolization step, and a concentration step of concentrating the liquid component separated by the separation step until the ethanol concentration is less than 20 volume percent. Therefore, it includes a more practical high-ethanolization step, and a high-glucosylceramide-containing brewing product can be surely obtained by the subsequent separation and concentration steps of the liquid component.

[0012] According to the invention of claim 3, the brewing product is any one of mirin, sake, soy sauce, vinegar, beer, or a bath agent, and these high-glucosylceramide-containing brewing products can be usefully obtained.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] As shown in the schematic process diagram of FIG. 1, the present invention adds alcohol to the fermentation product of grains to elute glucosylceramide, and performs solid-liquid separation to obtain a brewed product. By adding alcohol to the fermentation product obtained by enzymatically decomposing grains, fat-soluble components that are normally insoluble in the raw material components can be dissolved in the separation liquid, and thus a brewed product containing high glucosylceramide can be surely obtained.

[0015] FIG. 2 relates to a method for producing mirin, and includes a decomposition step of decomposing grains with koji or an enzyme to obtain a brewing mash, a high-ethanolization step of adding ethanol so that the ethanol concentration of the brewing mash becomes 40 to 65% by volume, a separation step of separating the brewing mash into a solid component and a liquid component to obtain a brewing liquid, and a concentration step of concentrating the separation liquid until the ethanol concentration is less than 20% by volume.

[0016] Generally, a brewed product is produced by adding water to grains, heating them, and subjecting the mash, which is a brewed product obtained by decomposing starch and protein in the grains by the action of an enzyme, to solid-liquid separation. However, the brewed product of the present invention is characterized in that the ethanol concentration is set to 40 to 65% by volume before solid-liquid separation of the brewing mash, and then solid-liquid separation is performed, and the liquid component is concentrated to evaporate the ethanol concentration to a desired concentration.

[0017] The grains as raw materials are rice for sake, mirin, and vinegar, soybeans and wheat for soy sauce, and barley for beer, and can be appropriately selected according to the target brewed product. The enzyme is an enzyme such as amylase and protease produced by Aspergillus oryzae for sake, mirin, vinegar, and soy sauce, and an enzyme contained in malt for beer, and a commercially available enzyme may be further added.

[0018] In brewed products accompanied by ethanol fermentation such as sake, vinegar, and beer, not only water and an enzyme but also yeast are added for ethanol fermentation. In the case of soy sauce, salt is added in addition to water and an enzyme (koji). After adding water and an enzyme to the grains, heating, keeping warm, or stirring is performed for several days as in the normal production method of the brewed product, and the starch and protein are decomposed by the enzyme to form a brewing mash. This step corresponds to the decomposition step of the present invention.

[0019] By the action of enzymes, starch and protein are decomposed. Normally, solid-liquid separation is carried out, but in the present invention, ethanol is added before that (the "high-ethanolization step" of the present invention). Grains such as rice, wheat, barley, and soybeans contain useful components including glucosylceramide which is a useful component. By making the brewing mash have a high ethanol concentration, various components contained in the moromi will dissolve into the liquid. Here, it is advisable to stir the brewing mash in order to facilitate the elution of useful components. Also, if the grains-derived particles in the brewing mash are finely pulverized, they will elute even more easily. It may be kept in a high-ethanol state for several days.

[0020] Once the useful components have eluted into the liquid, the brewing mash is subjected to solid-liquid separation. Performing solid-liquid separation under high ethanol is a feature of the present invention. This corresponds to the separation step of the present invention. Solid-liquid separation may be a method of separating by the size of particles using a filter cloth or a net, or a method by centrifugation utilizing the specific gravity difference between solid particles and liquid components, or a method of separating into a liquid phase and a solid phase by standing still and recovering the liquid phase.

[0021] After solid-liquid separation, the obtained liquid is concentrated to reduce the ethanol concentration. The concentration may be by atmospheric pressure concentration or by reduced pressure concentration, but since there is a risk that glucosylceramide and other useful components may be damaged by heating, reduced pressure concentration is more desirable. The concentrated liquid obtained by concentrating to the desired ethanol concentration is the brewed product of the present invention.

[0022] Glucosylceramide has an amphiphilic structure in which a hydrophobic sphingolipid and a hydrophilic glucose are bonded. However, as confirmed by the inventors, most of the glucosylceramide in the brewing mash had migrated to the solid component side in the conventional production method. According to the production method having the high-ethanolization step of adding ethanol in the present invention, glucosylceramide which was difficult to be contained in the liquid component in the conventional production method can be contained in the liquid brewed product.

Example

[0023] The case where the fermented product is mirin will be described. Fig. 2 is a schematic process diagram showing an embodiment of the method for producing mirin of the present invention. The mirin of the present invention includes a decomposition step of saccharifying and aging polished rice, rice koji, and a mirin raw material mainly composed of shochu or ethanol to obtain a mirin mash, a high-ethanolization step of adding ethanol to the mirin mash, a separation step of separating the liquid into solid and liquid, and a concentration step of concentrating the separated liquid separated by the separation step to obtain mirin.

[0024] As the raw material rice used for the mirin raw material, steamed glutinous rice, polished rice, etc. can be used. The shochu may be either type A or type B. Also, it is not necessarily limited to shochu, and ethyl alcohols may be used. For the rice koji, appropriate seed koji is inoculated onto steamed polished rice obtained by steaming polished rice, and the produced koji is used. The rice koji contains enzymes such as amylase and protease produced by koji mold, and the starch and protein of the raw material rice are decomposed by the enzymes. Commercially available enzymes may be added separately to supplement the rice koji.

[0025] Weigh appropriate amounts of raw materials such as raw material rice, shochu, and rice koji, put them into an aging tank, mix them, and saccharify and age them under suitable temperature conditions to obtain a mirin mash (so-called "charging"). As described above, since the rice koji contains enzymes, the starch and protein of the raw material rice are decomposed, and several kinds of sugars such as glucose and oligosaccharides, and decomposition products such as amino acids and peptides dissolve into the liquid.

[0026] Since the ethanol concentration of mirin under the Liquor Tax Law is defined as less than 15% by volume, in many cases, it is manufactured to be less than 15% by volume accordingly. When 75 of 95% by volume ethanol is added to 100 of this mirin mash and stirred, the ethanol concentration becomes about 50% by volume as a whole, and glucosylceramide dissolves into the liquid from the undissolved part of the raw material rice. As described above, glucosylceramide has amphiphilicity with a hydrophobic part and a hydrophilic part in the molecule, but in the manufacturing method by the conventional method, it remains in the undissolved part of the raw material rice and does not dissolve into the liquid. When the ethanol concentration is made high as in the present invention, it dissolves into the liquid.

[0027] Next, the sake lees with increased ethanol content is subjected to solid-liquid separation to be separated into a solid component and a liquid component. The glucosylceramide eluted and dissolved in the liquid remains dissolved in the liquid component side of the separated liquid. This solid-liquid separation may be performed by a method of separating according to the particle size using a filter cloth or a net, a method by centrifugation utilizing the specific gravity difference between the solid particles and the liquid component, or a method of separating into a liquid phase and a solid phase by standing still and recovering the liquid phase.

[0028] After the solid-liquid separation, the separated liquid is concentrated. As stipulated by the Liquor Tax Law, sake is evaporated until the ethanol concentration becomes less than 15% by volume. If it is concentrated too much and the ethanol concentration becomes too low, ethanol may be added to adjust to the desired concentration. The concentrated liquid thus obtained is sake containing a large amount of glucosylceramide of the present invention.

[0029] (Glucosylceramide Concentration Confirmation Experiment) Explain how much the glucosylceramide concentration has increased in the sake production method according to the present invention described above. (a) Experimental Method (a) 750 ml of 95% by volume ethanol was added to 1000 ml of sake mash, stirred well, allowed to stand for two nights, and then solid-liquid separated by pressure filtration using a filter cloth. (i) The separated liquid was concentrated until the volume became 60% or less. (u) The obtained concentrated liquid was analyzed to measure the glucosylceramide concentration. (e) As a control experiment, the glucosylceramide concentration of sake mash was also measured. (b) Experimental Equipment For the concentration in (i) above, an evaporator (manufactured by EYLA) was used. For the measurement of the glucosylceramide concentration in (u) above, high performance liquid chromatography (AGILENT HPLC 1260InfinityII system) was used. Detection was performed using a light scattering detector (AGILENT ELSD), and a normal phase column (GL Science Inert SIL-100A 5μm) was used as the column. (c) Measurement Conditions As a pretreatment for high-performance liquid chromatography analysis, 2 ml of the sample was treated with 2 ml of a chloroform 2 / methanol 1 mixture (Bligh Dyer method), and the chloroform layer was collected and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. (d) Experimental results As a result of pressing and filtering, 1570 g of the pressed liquid was obtained, and the pressed cake (solid component) was 182 g. 1489 g of the pressed liquid was concentrated under reduced pressure to a weight of 834 g. The alcohol concentration of the mirin mash used was 13.9 volume percent, 49 volume percent after ethanol addition, and 12.1 volume percent after concentration. ◆ Glucosylceramide concentration Pressed liquid 11.4 mg / L Mirin of the present invention 16.5 mg / L Mirin of the conventional production method 5.72 mg / L

[0030] As described above, it was confirmed that the glucosylceramide concentration of mirin, which is a brewing product, can be increased by the production method of the present invention.

[0031] In the above experiment, the separation liquid was concentrated until the volume became 60% or less to obtain mirin with an ethanol concentration of 12.1 volume percent, but it may be concentrated further. The concentration of glucosylceramide can be increased by the concentrated amount. For example, if it is concentrated until the ethanol concentration reaches about 5.0 volume percent, the content of glucosylceramide can be made 39.9 mg / L (calculated value).

[0032] In this example, the production method of mirin was described in detail, but not only mirin, but also sake, soy sauce, vinegar, liqueur, and even a non-edible bath agent can be produced in the same way to increase the concentration of glucosylceramide.

Claims

1. A method for producing a brewing product containing high glucosylceramide, comprising adding alcohol to a fermented decomposition product of grains to elute glucosylceramide, and performing solid-liquid separation to obtain a brewing product.

2. A decomposition step of decomposing grains with koji or an enzyme, A high-ethanolization step of adding ethanol so that the ethanol concentration becomes 40 to 65 volume percent after the decomposition step, A step of separating into a solid component and a liquid component after the high-ethanolization step, A concentration step of concentrating the liquid component separated by the separation step until the ethanol concentration becomes less than 20 volume percent A method for producing a brewing product containing high glucosylceramide, characterized by comprising the above steps.

3. The method for producing a brewing product containing high glucosylceramide according to claim 1, wherein the brewing product is any one of mirin, sake, soy sauce, vinegar, beer, or a bath agent.

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