Composition

Abstract

To provide a composition which, when added to a food or beverage raw material, maintains a favorable green color and yields a food or beverage with excellent taste.SOLUTION: The composition contains a green vegetable, one or more metal ions selected from copper ions and zinc ions, and water, and the concentration of the copper ions and / or zinc ions is more than 100 mass ppm.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a composition containing green vegetables, as well as a food or drink containing such a composition and a method for producing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, so-called green juice drinks using green vegetables such as young barley leaves and kale have been used to easily resolve vegetable deficiencies. However, the green color of these green vegetable drinks, such as green juice drinks, deteriorates over time, making it difficult to maintain the characteristic green color of green vegetables for a long period of time.

[0003] Research has been conducted to date on preventing discoloration of these green vegetable beverages, and for example, a beverage has been proposed that contains ground green vegetables, crystalline cellulose, and an aqueous medium, and has a green color retention rate of 0.8 or more, defined as green color retention rate = (-a / b after sterilization) ÷ (-a / b before sterilization) (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] In addition, a known method for preventing discoloration involves replacing the magnesium in the chlorophyll contained in green vegetables with copper or zinc to stabilize them, but in such methods using copper or zinc, the metallic taste increases as the metal ion concentration increases. Therefore, in addition to preventing the green color from discoloring, there is a need for an improvement in the taste that reduces the metallic taste. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-093203 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a composition and method for obtaining food and drink products that maintain the green color of green vegetables well and have excellent flavor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] After extensive research, the inventors discovered that by preparing a green vegetable-containing composition containing high concentrations of copper ions and / or zinc ions, and then adding the composition to food and beverage ingredients and diluting it to produce food and beverages containing low concentrations of copper ions or zinc ions, it is possible to obtain food and beverages that retain their green color well and have excellent taste, and thus completed the present invention.

[0008] That is, the present invention is as follows. [1] A composition comprising green vegetables, one or more metal ions selected from copper ions and zinc ions, and water, wherein the concentration of the copper ions and / or zinc ions is greater than 100 ppm by mass. [2] The composition according to [1], wherein the concentration of the copper ions and / or zinc ions is 170 to 500 ppm by mass.

[0009] [3] The composition according to [1] or [2] above, characterized in that the green vegetables are one or more green juice ingredients selected from young barley leaves, kale, angelica tree leaves, mugwort, mulberry leaves, choujuso grass, young sweet potato leaves, and kumazasa. [4] The composition according to any one of [1] to [3] above, wherein the green vegetables are one or more green juice ingredients selected from young barley leaves and kale. [5] The composition according to any one of [1] to [4] above, wherein the green vegetable is young barley leaves. [6] The composition according to any one of the above [1] to [5], wherein the content of green vegetables is 8% by mass or more. [7] The composition according to any one of the above [1] to [6], wherein the content of green vegetables is 25% by mass or less.

[0010] [8] A food or drink containing the composition according to any one of [1] to [7] above. [9] A packaged beverage containing the composition according to any one of [1] to [7] above.

[10] A method for producing a food or drink, comprising adding the composition according to any one of [1] to [7] above to a raw material for the food or drink.

[0011]

[11] A composition comprising green vegetables, copper ions, and water, wherein the concentration of the copper ions is greater than 100 ppm by mass.

[12] The composition according to

[11] above, wherein the concentration of the copper ions is 170 to 500 ppm by mass.

[0012]

[13] The composition according to

[11] or

[12] above, characterized in that the green vegetables are one or more green juice ingredients selected from young barley leaves, kale, angelica tree leaves, mugwort, mulberry leaves, choujuso grass, young sweet potato leaves, and kumazasa.

[14] The composition according to any one of

[11] to

[13] above, wherein the green vegetables are one or more green juice ingredients selected from young barley leaves and kale.

[15] The composition according to any one of

[11] to

[14] above, wherein the green vegetable is young barley leaves.

[16] The composition according to any one of the above

[11] to

[15] , wherein the content of green vegetables is 8% by mass or more.

[17] The composition according to any one of the above

[11] to

[16] , wherein the content of green vegetables is 25% by mass or less.

[0013]

[18] A food or drink containing the composition according to any one of

[11] to

[17] above.

[19] A packaged beverage containing the composition according to any one of

[11] to

[17] above.

[20] A method for producing a food or drink, comprising adding the composition according to any one of

[11] to

[17] above to a raw material for the food or drink. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain foods and beverages that have excellent flavor and in which the green color of green vegetables is well maintained. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The composition of the present invention is characterized by containing green vegetables, one or more metal ions selected from copper ions and zinc ions, and water, and having a concentration of copper ions and / or zinc ions greater than 100 ppm by mass.

[0016] The food or beverage obtained by adding the composition of the present invention to a food or beverage raw material maintains the green color of green vegetables and has an excellent taste. Specifically, a green vegetable beverage such as a green juice beverage obtained by diluting the composition of the present invention with a liquid such as water has a less noticeable metallic taste.

[0017] [Green vegetables] The green vegetables of the present invention are vegetables that contain chlorophyll and generally exhibit a green color. Specific examples include young barley leaves, kale, Angelica keiskei, mugwort, mulberry leaves, chou-meisou, young sweet potato leaves, Kumazasa, tea, bitter melon, spinach, celery, broccoli, cabbage, Japanese mustard spinach, lettuce, parsley, mulberry leaves, watercress, and bell peppers. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Among these, green juice ingredients are preferred in terms of better enjoying the effects of the present invention. Examples include young barley leaves, kale, Angelica keiskei, mugwort, mulberry leaves, chou-meisou, young sweet potato leaves, Kumazasa, etc. Young barley leaves and kale are preferred, and young barley leaves are particularly preferred.

[0018] Green vegetables can be blended, for example, as pulverized material, juice, extract, etc. Examples of pulverized material include dried powder and granules. Juice and extract may be in liquid form, but can also be used as dried powder (juice powder, extract powder). Extracts can be obtained by extraction using an appropriate solvent, and examples of the solvent that can be used include water (warm water, hot water), ethanol, and aqueous ethanol. In the present invention, the magnesium in the chlorophyll contained in green vegetables is replaced with copper or zinc for stabilization, thereby achieving an anti-fading effect. Therefore, when the green vegetables are in a dosage form with a high chlorophyll content, the effect of maintaining the green color can be more effectively enjoyed. Therefore, in order to more effectively enjoy the effects of the present invention, it is particularly preferable to use dried powder of green vegetables (pulverized green vegetable powder) as the green vegetables.

[0019] Although there are no particular limitations on the content of green vegetables in the composition of the present invention, a relatively high content of green vegetables in the composition is preferred from the viewpoint of promoting nutrient intake by increasing the content of green vegetables in foods and beverages. The content of green vegetables in the composition of the present invention is preferably 5% by mass or more, more preferably 8% by mass or more, particularly preferably 10% by mass or more, and most preferably 12% by mass or more, from the viewpoint of nutrient intake. On the other hand, if the content of green vegetables in the composition is too high, the viscosity of the composition becomes too high, making it difficult to uniformly mix with other food and beverage ingredients when added to and diluted with food and beverage ingredients. From the viewpoint of ease of handling when used as a food and beverage ingredient, the content of green vegetables in the composition of the present invention is preferably 30% by mass or less, more preferably 25% by mass or less, particularly preferably 22% by mass or less, and most preferably 20% by mass or less. When multiple green vegetables are blended in the composition of the present invention, the content of green vegetables in the composition of the present invention refers to the total amount of the blended green vegetables.

[0020] [Copper ions, zinc ions] The copper ions and zinc ions of the present invention substitute for magnesium in the chlorophyll contained in green vegetables, stabilizing the chlorophyll. The concentration of copper ions and / or zinc ions in the composition of the present invention is greater than 100 ppm by mass, preferably 110 to 900 ppm by mass, more preferably 150 to 700 ppm by mass, even more preferably 170 to 500 ppm by mass, and particularly preferably 180 to 350 ppm by mass. The copper ion and / or zinc ion concentration refers to the combined concentration of both metal ions when both metal ions are present, and refers to the concentration of the metal ion contained when only one metal ion is present. The copper ion and zinc ion concentrations can be measured by known measurement methods such as ICP atomic emission spectroscopy. For example, they can be measured using an Agilent 5900 ICP-OES ICP atomic emission spectroscopy from Agilent Technologies, Inc.

[0021] The method for incorporating copper ions and zinc ions into the composition of the present invention is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a method of incorporating an additive containing copper or zinc, a method of heating a liquid ingredient (water, water containing green vegetables, etc.) in a copper or zinc pot to elute the copper ions or zinc ions from the pot and incorporating them as described in JP-A-60-075249, and a method of using copper-ionized water or zinc-ionized water as described in JP-A-2011-147347. Examples of methods for incorporating an additive containing copper or zinc include a method of adding and incorporating a water-soluble salt of copper or zinc, such as gluconate, sulfate, or citrate, or a method of adding and incorporating a material containing copper ions or zinc ions at high concentrations, such as zinc yeast or copper yeast.

[0022] The composition of the present invention may be in the form of a liquid, a paste, a solid, etc., but a paste is preferred from the viewpoint of ease of handling and the ability to more effectively obtain the effects of the present invention. In the case of a paste composition, from the viewpoint of ease of handling when used as a food or beverage ingredient, the water content in the composition is preferably 75 to 92 mass%, more preferably 78 to 90 mass%, and even more preferably 80 to 88 mass%.

[0023] The composition of the present invention can be produced, for example, by mixing green vegetables, a substance containing copper ions or zinc ions, and water. It can also be produced by heating water containing green vegetables in a copper or zinc pot to elute the copper ions or zinc ions. It can also be produced by heating water in a copper or zinc pot to elute the copper ions or zinc ions, and then mixing the water with green vegetables. Additives commonly used in the food industry may also be added as appropriate.

[0024] The composition of the present invention is an orally available composition (oral composition) and can be used as a food or beverage ingredient to be blended with other food or beverage ingredients. The food or beverage ingredient to be blended with the composition of the present invention is an orally available material used in the production of food or beverage, and may be one that can be eaten as is (commonly referred to as food or beverage). The food or beverage ingredient also contains water.

[0025] [Food and beverages] The food and drink of the present invention contains the composition of the present invention. Examples of the foods and drinks of the present invention include beverages such as carbonated drinks, nutritional drinks, fruit drinks, lactic acid drinks, smoothies, and green juice drinks; frozen desserts such as ice cream, iced sherbet, and shaved ice; noodles such as soba, udon, harusame, Chinese noodles, and instant noodles; sweets such as candy, candy, gum, chocolate, candy tablets, snacks, biscuits, jelly, jam, cream, baked goods (cookies, cakes, etc.), and bread; processed seafood and livestock foods such as kamaboko, ham, and sausage; and processed milk. Examples include dairy products such as fermented milk and yogurt; oils and fats such as salad oil, tempura oil, margarine, mayonnaise, shortening, whipped cream and dressing, and processed foods thereof; seasonings such as sauces and soy sauce; and retort pouch foods such as curry, stew, oyakodon, porridge, rice porridge, Chinese rice bowl, katsudon, tempura bowl, beef bowl, hayashi rice, omelet rice, oden, mapo dolphin, gyoza, shumai, hamburger steak, meatballs, various sauces, and various soups.

[0026] The food or drink of the present invention is preferably a beverage, with a green juice beverage being particularly preferred. Examples of the beverage include packaged beverages filled in PET bottles, cans, jars, etc. Packaged beverages can be produced, for example, by mixing the composition of the present invention (e.g., young barley leaf paste) containing green vegetables such as young barley leaves with water and filling the mixture into a container. In this case, a green juice ingredient powder such as young barley leaf powder may be added separately. When a green juice ingredient powder is added to the food or drink separately from the composition of the present invention, the amount of green juice ingredient powder added is preferably about 10 to 500% by mass, more preferably about 50 to 200% by mass, of the green juice ingredients contained in the composition of the present invention.

[0027] In the food or drink of the present invention, the copper ions and zinc ions contained in the composition are diluted. The concentration of copper ions and / or zinc ions in the food or drink is preferably 0.1 to 100 mass ppm, more preferably 1 to 50 mass ppm, and even more preferably 3 to 40 mass ppm. When the food or drink of the present invention is a beverage, the concentration of copper ions and / or zinc ions in the beverage is preferably 1 to 50 mass ppm, more preferably 2 to 40 mass ppm, even more preferably 2.5 to 30 mass ppm, and particularly preferably 3 to 20 mass ppm, from the viewpoints of preventing green discoloration and suppressing a metallic taste.

[0028] Foods and beverages obtained by adding the composition of the present invention to food and beverage ingredients and diluting the composition have a less metallic taste and a superior taste, even when the copper ion and zinc ion concentrations in the food and beverage are the same, compared to foods and beverages obtained by directly adding copper- and / or zinc-containing ingredients without going through the process of producing the composition of the present invention. The reason for this is unclear, but it is possible that exposing green vegetables to high concentrations of copper and zinc ions increases the proportion of chlorophyll in which the central metal is replaced by copper or zinc from magnesium. As a result, the amount of free copper and zinc ions in the food and beverage is reduced, potentially reducing the perceived metallic taste of copper and zinc. Furthermore, foods and beverages obtained by adding the composition of the present invention to food and beverage ingredients and diluting the composition maintain their green color for a longer period of time, even when the copper ion and zinc ion concentrations in the food and beverage are the same, compared to foods and beverages obtained by directly adding copper- and / or zinc-containing ingredients. This is presumably for the same reason.

[0029] Adding the composition of the present invention to food and beverage ingredients and diluting the composition to obtain a food or beverage has the disadvantage of higher production costs compared to directly adding ingredients containing copper and / or zinc. Because reducing production costs is a common challenge for all food and beverage products, no one skilled in the art has attempted the time-consuming process of producing a composition containing high concentrations of copper or zinc ions and then diluting it to produce a food or beverage. This is because the increased number of production steps increases production costs. The present inventors had previously thought the same, but through repeated trial and error to produce a food or beverage that retains its green color and has excellent flavor, they accidentally discovered that adding the composition of the present invention to food and beverage ingredients and diluting it results in a food or beverage with a less noticeable metallic taste and excellent flavor. The present invention was completed in this way and was discovered by daring to try a method that is not normally used based on common technical knowledge in the food and beverage field. [Example]

[0030] The present invention will be described in more detail below based on examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the examples, concentrations such as %, ppm, etc. are by mass unless otherwise specified.

[0031] <Production of young barley leaf paste (composition of the present invention)> The barley leaves used were the above-ground parts (leaves and stems) of barley harvested at approximately 30 cm in height. They were pretreated by washing with water to remove any adhering dirt and then cutting into pieces approximately 5–10 cm in size. The pretreated barley leaves were blanched once in hot water at 90–100°C for 90–120 seconds and then cooled in cold water. The resulting barley leaves were then dried in a dryer for 20–180 minutes with hot air at 80–130°C until the moisture content was reduced to 5% by mass or less. The dried barley leaves were coarsely crushed to a size of approximately 1 mm. The resulting barley leaves were then finely crushed to produce barley leaf powder with a median diameter of 20 μm. The median diameter was measured using a laser diffraction / scattering particle size distribution analyzer (LMS-300; Seishin Enterprise Co., Ltd.).

[0032] The obtained barley leaf powder, copper gluconate, and water were mixed and stirred to the respective predetermined concentrations, and then sterilized (100°C, 10 minutes) to obtain 1000 g each of Examples A to D. For comparison, 1000 g of Barley Leaf Paste X containing 90 ppm copper ions was also produced in the same manner.

[0033] [Table 1]

[0034] <Production of packaged green juice drinks> (control) Barley leaf powder was mixed with water to a concentration of 1% by mass, and 200 mL of the mixture was then filled into a PET bottle (volume 200 mL, diameter 54 mm x height 132 mm, opening diameter 28 mm) and capped to produce a control bottled green juice beverage.

[0035] (Comparative Example 1) Barley leaf powder, copper gluconate, and water were mixed to achieve the concentrations shown in Table 2 and sterilized (100°C, 10 minutes). 200 mL of the mixture was then filled into a PET bottle (volume 200 mL, diameter 54 mm × height 132 mm, mouth diameter 28 mm), and the cap was closed to produce the bottled green juice beverage of Comparative Example 1. (Comparative Example 2, Examples 1 to 4) The barley leaf pastes X and A to D produced above were mixed with water to achieve the concentrations shown in Table 2. Then, 200 mL was filled into a PET bottle (volume 200 mL, diameter 54 mm × height 132 mm, mouth diameter 28 mm) and the cap was closed to produce the packaged green juice beverage of Comparative Example 2 and the packaged green juice beverages of Examples 1 to 4.

[0036] The packaged green juice beverages produced as described above were stored for 7 days in an environment of 55°C, and then the following evaluations were carried out. Note that 55°C is the general temperature at which hot beverages are heated in vending machines.

[0037] <Evaluation> The produced packaged green juice beverages were evaluated for appearance (green color) and metallic taste by a panel of sensory experts engaged in the development of green juice.

[0038] The appearance (green color) of the packaged green juice drink was evaluated in comparison with the control according to the following criteria.

[0039] [Evaluation criteria] ◎: The green color is more vivid than the control. 〇: The green color is slightly more vivid than the control. △: The vividness of the green color is the same as the control. ×: The vividness of the green color is slightly inferior to that of the control. ××: The vividness of the green color is inferior to that of the control.

[0040] The metallic taste of the packaged green juice beverage was evaluated in comparison with Comparative Example 1 according to the following criteria.

[0041] [Evaluation criteria] ◯: The metallic taste is weaker than that of Comparative Example 1. △: Metallic taste felt similar to that of Comparative Example 1. ×: The metallic taste was stronger than that of Comparative Example 1.

[0042] Table 2 shows the evaluation results.

[0043] [Table 2]

[0044] As shown in Table 2, the packaged green juice beverages of Examples 1-4, obtained by diluting barley leaf paste containing a high concentration of copper ions, had a weaker metallic taste and were easier to drink than the packaged green juice beverage of Comparative Example 1, which was prepared using barley leaf powder without using barley leaf paste. In particular, the packaged green juice beverages of Examples 3 and 4 had a stronger copper ion concentration than the packaged green juice beverage of Comparative Example 1, but the metallic taste was weaker than that of the packaged green juice beverage of Comparative Example 1. Furthermore, the packaged green juice beverages of Examples 1-4 exhibited a bright green color similar to that of the packaged green juice beverage of Comparative Example 1, and the green color of the green juice beverage was maintained. From this, it was found that by using a composition containing a high amount of copper ions as a raw material for a green juice beverage, a green juice beverage can be obtained that exhibits the same green color-retaining effect as conventional green juice beverages containing copper ions, and that has a weaker metallic taste and is easier to drink.

[0045] (Examples 5 to 45) The green juice ingredients, copper or zinc, and water were mixed and stirred to achieve the desired concentrations, and then sterilized (100°C, 10 minutes) to produce 100g of green juice paste prepared to the concentrations shown in Tables 3 to 5. Copper gluconate or copper-containing yeast (copper content: 1% by mass) was used as the copper, and zinc gluconate or zinc-containing yeast (zinc content: 5% by mass) was used as the zinc. The green juice paste thus produced was then mixed with water, and 200mL of each was filled into a PET bottle (volume: 200mL, diameter: 54mm x height: 132mm, opening diameter: 28mm) and capped to produce the packaged green juice beverages of Examples 5 to 45. The resulting packaged green juice beverages all retained the green color of the green vegetables well, had a mild metallic taste, and were easy to drink.

[0046] [Table 3]

[0047] [Table 4]

[0048] [Table 5]

[0049] <Cookie manufacturing> Example 46 Cookies were produced from the following ingredients: The cookies retained the green color of the green vegetables well, had a weak metallic taste, and were delicious. Barley leaf paste (contains 20% barley leaf powder by mass) 7.41% by mass Cake flour 37.04% by mass Butter 15.43% by mass Sugar 18.52% by mass Baking powder 1.54% by mass Egg 20.06% by mass

[0050] <Chiffon cake production> Example 47 A chiffon cake consisting of the following ingredients was produced. This chiffon cake well retained the green color of the green vegetables, had a weak metallic taste and was delicious. 100g flour 120g sugar 6 eggs Barley leaf paste (contains 15% barley leaf by mass) 180g 80g sesame oil [Industrial Applicability]

[0051] The composition of the present invention can be used as a raw material for food and beverages, and is therefore industrially useful.

Claims

1. The method comprises: preparing a green vegetable; one or more metal ions selected from copper ions and zinc ions; and water; A composition characterized in that the concentration of copper ions and / or zinc ions is greater than 100 ppm by mass.

2. A food or drink comprising the composition according to claim 1.

3. A packaged beverage comprising the composition according to claim 1.

4. A method for producing a food or drink, which comprises adding the composition according to claim 1 to a raw material for the food or drink.

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