Production method of high glucosylceramide-containing brewing product

Abstract

To provide a production method of a brewing product which enables useful glucosylceramide to be contained more in a separate liquid side than usual brewing product production methods for which it is difficult to do so.SOLUTION: There is provided a production method of a high glucosylceramide-containing brewing product in which a surfactant is added to a fermentation decomposition product of grain to elute glucosylceramide, followed by solid-liquid separation to obtain a brewing product. The production method includes: a decomposition step of decomposing the grain with koji or an enzyme; an elution step of adding the surfactant after the decomposition step; and a step of separating the resultant into a solid component and a liquid component after the elution step. The amount of the surfactant added is 0.2 vol.% or more.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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

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 resulting sugar into ethanol by yeast, 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 charging 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. In addition, a bath agent can be produced from a rice fermentation extract which is the above-mentioned fermentation decomposition product (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 they 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 Document

[0005]

Patent Document 1

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 in the ordinary method for producing fermented products.

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

[0008] Further, the invention according to claim 2 relates to a method for producing a fermented product containing high glucosylceramide, which is characterized by having a decomposition step of decomposing grains with koji or an enzyme, an elution step of adding a surfactant after the decomposition step, and a separation step of separating a solid component and a liquid component after the elution step.

[0009] Furthermore, the invention according to claim 3 relates to the method for producing a fermented product containing high glucosylceramide according to claim 1, wherein the addition amount of the surfactant is 0.2 volume percent or more.

[0010] The invention according to claim 4 relates to the method for producing a fermented product containing high glucosylceramide 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

[0011] According to the invention of claim 1, since a surfactant is added to the fermentation decomposition product of grains to elute glucosylceramide and solid-liquid separation is performed to obtain a brewed product, by adding a surfactant to the fermentation decomposition product obtained by enzymatically decomposing grains, fat-soluble components that were originally present in the raw material components and 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.

[0012] According to the invention of claim 2, since it has a decomposition step of decomposing grains with koji or an enzyme, an elution step of adding a surfactant after the decomposition step, and a step of separating into a solid component and a liquid component after the elution step, a more practical elution step is included and a high-glucosylceramide-containing brewed product can be surely obtained by the subsequent separation step of the liquid component.

[0013] According to the invention of claim 3, a high-glucosylceramide-containing brewed product can be surely obtained by setting the addition amount of the surfactant to 0.2 volume percent or more based on the entire mash of the brewed product.

[0014] According to the invention of claim 4, since the brewed product is any one of mirin, sake, soy sauce, vinegar, beer, or a bath agent, these high-glucosylceramide-containing brewed products can be usefully obtained.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] The manufacturing method of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the schematic process diagram shown in Fig. 1. The present invention has a decomposition step of fermenting and decomposing brewing raw materials such as grains with koji or enzymes to obtain a brewing mash, which is a decomposition product, a step of adding a surfactant to the brewing mash, and a separation step of separating the solid component and the liquid component to obtain a brewing liquid thereafter.

[0017] Generally, brewed products are made by adding water to grains, heating them, and subjecting the brewing mash obtained by decomposing starch and protein in the grains by the action of enzymes to solid-liquid separation. However, the brewed product of the present invention is characterized by adding a surfactant before solid-liquid separation of the brewing mash.

[0018] The grains used 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 enzymes are enzymes produced by koji mold (such as amylase and protease, the same applies hereinafter) for sake, mirin, vinegar, and soy sauce, and enzymes contained in malt for beer, and commercially available enzymes may be added.

[0019] In brewed products involving ethanol fermentation such as sake, vinegar, and beer, yeast is added in addition to water and enzymes for ethanol fermentation. In the case of soy sauce, salt is added in addition to water and enzymes (koji). After adding water and enzymes to the grains, heating, heat preservation, or stirring is performed as in the normal manufacturing method of brewed products for several days, and starch and protein are decomposed by enzymes to become a brewing mash. This step corresponds to the decomposition step of the present invention.

[0020] Starch and protein are decomposed by the action of enzymes, and normally solid-liquid separation is performed. However, in the present invention, a surfactant is added before that (the "elution step" of the present invention). Grains such as rice, wheat, barley, and soybeans contain useful components such as glucosylceramide, which is a useful component. By adding a surfactant to the brewing mash, various components contained in the mash dissolve into the liquid. Here, it is advisable to stir the brewing mash to facilitate the elution of useful components. Also, making the grains-derived particles in the brewing mash finer by pulverization makes elution even easier. It may be heated to about 30°C to 50°C until the next separation step.

[0021] When the active ingredient elutes into the liquid, the brewing mash is subjected to solid-liquid separation. Solid-liquid separation in the presence of a surfactant 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, 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 and recovering the liquid phase.

[0022] The liquid obtained by separation is the fermented product of the invention according to claim 1.

[0023] Glucosylceramide has amphiphilicity due to the structure in which hydrophobic sphingolipid and hydrophilic glucose are bonded. However, as confirmed by the inventors, most of the glucosylceramide in the brewing mash migrated to the solid component side by solid-liquid separation. By the production method of the present invention, glucosylceramide, which was difficult to incorporate into the liquid component by ordinary production methods, can be incorporated into the liquid fermented product.

Examples

[0024] An example in which the fermented product is a rice fermentation extract for a bath agent will be described in detail. Figure 2 is a schematic process diagram showing an example of the production method of the bath agent (rice fermentation extract) of this invention. The rice fermentation extract of this invention has a decomposition step of mainly using rice or white bran and enzymatically decomposing its starch, an alcohol fermentation step of fermenting the decomposed sugar with yeast to produce mash, an elution step of adding a surfactant to the mash, and a separation step of subjecting the eluate to solid-liquid separation.

[0025] The "rice" used in this invention refers to brown rice, rice, cooked rice, sake-making rice, rice bran, crushed rice, or pulverized products thereof, and the "white bran" refers to so-called medium bran (rice milling yield of about 92% - 81%), upper white bran (rice milling yield of about 80% - 70%), ginjo upper white bran (rice milling yield of about 69% - 51%), special ginjo upper white bran (rice milling yield of about 50% - 30%) obtained at a rice milling yield of about 92% - about 30%. These contain starch and are used in ordinary sake production and can sufficiently perform alcohol fermentation by yeast.

[0026] The enzyme may be an enzyme such as amylase or protease produced by Aspergillus oryzae in rice koji used in sake production, or a commercially available enzyme may be added, or a commercially available enzyme may be used in combination to supplement the enzyme activity of rice koji. The starch decomposed by the enzyme is converted into ethanol by yeast in the alcohol fermentation process to form mash. The alcohol fermentation process does not have to be after the decomposition process and may proceed simultaneously with the decomposition process (so-called "parallel double fermentation").

[0027] The mash contains several kinds of fat-soluble components derived from raw rice. The fat-soluble components that are hardly soluble in water are separated to the solid component side in the separation process described later. Although glucosylceramide is amphiphilic, it was confirmed by the inventors' analysis that it is separated to the solid component side together with the fat-soluble components upon solid-liquid separation. Therefore, when a surfactant is added before the separation process, the fat-soluble components are likely to mix with the liquid component and elute into the separation liquid side. This process corresponds to the "elution process" of the present invention.

[0028] The mash added with a surfactant 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 separation liquid side as a liquid component. This solid-liquid separation may be a method of separating by the particle size using a filter cloth or a net, or a method by centrifugation using the specific gravity difference between the solid particles and the liquid component, or a method of separating the liquid phase and the solid phase by standing and recovering the liquid phase. Further, if necessary, components such as salt may be added before the solid-liquid separation.

[0029] The separation liquid obtained by solid-liquid separation is a bath agent (rice fermentation extract) rich in glucosylceramide of the present invention.

[0030] (Glucosylceramide concentration confirmation experiment) An experiment was conducted to confirm how much the glucosylceramide concentration increases depending on the addition amount of the surfactant in the method for producing the bath agent according to the present invention described above. (a) Experimental method (a) 1.0 g (0.1%), 2.0 g (0.2%), 3.0 g (0.3%), and 5.0 g (0.5%) of surfactant were added to 1000 ml of sake, stirred at 25°C for 10 minutes, and then subjected to solid-liquid separation by pressure filtration through a filter cloth. (i) The obtained separation liquids were each analyzed to measure the glucosylceramide concentration. (iii) As a control experiment, the glucosylceramide concentration was also measured for sake without added surfactant. (b) Reagents and experimental equipment The surfactant in the above (a) used "PEN4630" (polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene decyltetradecyl ether) of Nikko Chemicals Co., Ltd. The measurement of the glucosylceramide concentration in the above (iii) was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC 1260 InfinityII system manufactured by AGILENT). Detection was carried out using a light scattering detector (ELSD manufactured by AGILENT), and the column used was a normal-phase column (Inert SIL-100A 5μm manufactured by GL Science). (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 / methanol 2 / 1 mixture (Bligh-Dyer method), and the chloroform layer was collected and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. (d) Experimental results Surfactant addition amount Glucosylceramide concentration 0% 7.22 mg / L 0.1% 15.3 mg / L 0.2% 21.8 mg / L 0.3% 20.0 mg / L 0.5% 18.8 mg / L

[0031] It was confirmed that the glucosylceramide concentration was increased by the production method according to the present invention. When the addition amount of the surfactant was up to 0.2%, the glucosylceramide concentration increased as the addition amount increased. Even when the addition amounts were 0.3% and 0.5%, the glucosylceramide concentration could be increased by the addition, but the glucosylceramide concentration only increased to about the same level as that at the addition amount of 0.2%. It is considered that the addition amount of 0.2% is the addition amount that can elute glucosylceramide to the maximum under these conditions.

Example

[0032] The case where the brewed product is mirin will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a schematic process diagram showing an example of the method for producing mirin of the present invention. The mirin of the present invention has 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, an elution step of adding a surfactant to the mirin mash, and a separation step of solid-liquid separating the liquid.

[0033] 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 into steamed polished rice obtained by steaming polished rice, and the product obtained by making koji is used. The rice koji contains enzymes such as amylase and protease produced by Aspergillus oryzae, and the starch and protein of the raw material rice are decomposed by the enzymes. Enzymes commercially available separately may be added to supplement the rice koji.

[0034] 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 types of sugars such as glucose and oligosaccharides, and decomposition products such as amino acids and peptides dissolve into the liquid.

[0035] The mirin mash contains several fat-soluble components derived from raw rice. The fat-soluble components that are poorly soluble in water are separated into the solid component side in the next separation step. Although the glucosylceramide described above is amphiphilic, it has been confirmed by the inventors' analysis that it is separated into the solid component side together with the fat-soluble components upon solid-liquid separation. Therefore, when a surfactant is added before the separation step, the fat-soluble components are more likely to mix with the liquid component and elute into the separation liquid side. This step corresponds to the "elution step" of the present invention.

[0036] Next, the mirin mash added with the surfactant 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 separation liquid side as a liquid component. This solid-liquid separation may be a method of separating by 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 and recovering the liquid phase.

[0037] The separation liquid obtained by the solid-liquid separation is the mirin rich in glucosylceramide of the present invention.

[0038] (Glucosylceramide concentration confirmation experiment) An experiment was conducted to confirm how much the glucosylceramide concentration increased in the method for producing mirin according to the present invention described above. (a) Experimental method (a) 3.0 g (0.3%) of a surfactant (glycerin fatty acid ester) was added to 1000 ml of the mirin mash, heated to 40 °C, stirred for 120 minutes, and then solid-liquid separated by pressure filtration using a filter cloth. (i) The obtained separation liquid was analyzed to measure the glucosylceramide concentration. (u) As a control experiment, the glucosylceramide concentration was also measured for the mirin mash without adding the surfactant. (b) Experimental equipment The glucosylceramide concentration was measured using high-performance liquid chromatography, a light scattering detector, and a normal-phase column in the same manner as in the above-mentioned "Example 1". (c) Measurement conditions As a pretreatment for high-performance liquid chromatography analysis, in the same manner as in "Example 1", 2 ml of a 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 ◆ Glucosylceramide concentration Mirin of the present invention: 27.0 mg / L Mirin of the conventional production method: 5.72 mg / L

[0039] It was confirmed that the concentration of glucosylceramide can be increased by the production method according to the present invention.

[0040] In the above examples, the production methods of the bath agent and mirin were described in detail, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the concentration of glucosylceramide can be increased in the same manner for sake, soy sauce, vinegar, and liqueur.

Claims

1. A method for producing a brewing product containing high glucosylceramide, characterized by adding a surfactant to a fermentation 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, An elution step of adding a surfactant after the decomposition step, A separation step of separating a solid component and a liquid component after the elution step And 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 addition amount of the surfactant is 0.2% by volume or more.

4. 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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