Method for producing bean powder obtained from plants of genus mucuna including mucuna pruriens

Abstract

To provide a method for producing bean powder obtained from plants of the genus Mucuna including Mucuna pruriens, the method being capable of producing powder that maintains, as much as possible, the L-dopa content in beans obtained from plants of the genus Mucuna including Mucuna pruriens, and that inhibits discoloration due to heating and maintains the original white color of the beans.SOLUTION: A method for producing Mucuna bean powder, the method comprising a step for sterilizing beans (hereinafter referred to as "Mucuna beans") obtained from plants of the genus Mucuna including Mucuna pruriens (step S1), a step for washing the sterilized Mucuna beans (step S2), a step for dehydrating the washed Mucuna beans (step S3), a step for steam-heating the dehydrated Mucuna beans at 100-150°C for 5-30 minutes (step S4), a step for quickly cooling the Mucuna beans after steam-heating (step S5), and a step for crushing and drying the cooled Mucuna beans at 80-100°C (step S6).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing powder of beans (hereinafter simply referred to as "Mucuna beans") obtained from plants of the genus Mucuna, such as Mucuna pruriens, and more specifically to a method for producing powder of beans obtained from plants of the genus Mucuna, such as Mucuna pruriens, which can suppress the decrease of L-dopa contained in Mucuna beans. [Background technology]

[0002] Mucuna pruriens is a legume derived from a plant in the Fabaceae family, believed to be native to the Terai Plains near the border between India and Nepal. This includes species such as Mucuna pruriens (Yassho beans) and Florida velvet beans (FVB). Mucuna pruriens has recently attracted attention for its high L-dopa content. L-dopa is an amino acid that converts to dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that, while varying from person to person, brings motivation and a sense of happiness and is involved in regulating motor function. It is produced in the body via L-dopa from the amino acids tyrosine and phenylalanine. Mucuna pruriens contains 4-5% L-dopa by dry weight, making it the most abundant bean in the world. When ingested, L-dopa is absorbed in the small intestine, passes through the blood-brain barrier, and is transported to the brain where it is converted into dopamine, which is known to improve Parkinson's disease.

[0003] Regarding such Mucuna beans, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a "method for processing beans containing L-dopa," which is characterized by subjecting beans containing L-dopa to a primary soaking treatment in hot water of 90°C or higher for 15 minutes to 1 hour, followed by a secondary soaking treatment in water at room temperature for 5 to 24 hours. The purpose of this process is to suppress the outflow of the active ingredient L-dopa, increase the retention rate of L-dopa, increase the water absorption rate, and reduce the incidence of stone beans.

[0004] Patent Document 1 also discloses that beans that have been subjected to the primary and secondary soaking treatments can be further heat-treated, specifically by roasting, oil-mixing, steaming, or pressurized heating (see claims 3, 4, etc.). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7282047 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Since Patent Document 1 is premised on reducing the incidence of stone beans in Yase beans (see paragraph

[0006] of Patent Document 1), it is understood that soaking Yase beans in hot water is necessary. However, because L-dopa is water-soluble, there is a high possibility that L-dopa will be lost during the first and second soaking processes. Furthermore, Patent Document 1 also includes a heat treatment after the first and second soaking processes. Since the rate at which L-dopa is lost increases with increasing heating temperature, it is preferable to avoid heat treatment at as high a temperature as possible. Furthermore, roasting at high temperatures can cause discoloration, resulting in a brownish yellow color similar to that of soybean flour when powdered.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a method for producing Mucuna pruriens bean powder that can maintain the L-dopa content of Mucuna pruriens as much as possible, and a method for producing Mucuna pruriens bean powder that can suppress discoloration due to heating and maintain the original white color of the beans. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a method for producing Mucuna bean powder, which comprises the steps of washing beans (hereinafter referred to as "Mucuna beans") obtained from plants of the genus Mucuna, such as Mucuna pruriens, dehydrating the washed Mucuna beans, steam-heating the dehydrated Mucuna beans at 100 to 150°C for 5 to 30 minutes, and pulverizing the Mucuna beans after steam-heating.

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is characterized by further comprising a step of sterilizing the Mucuna beans before the washing step.

[0010] In order to solve the above problem, the present invention is characterized by further comprising a step of cooling the Mucuna beans at 0 to 10°C for 30 to 90 minutes after the steam heating treatment step and before the crushing step.

[0011] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is characterized in that drying is carried out at 80 to 100°C simultaneously in the pulverization step.

[0012] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is characterized by further comprising a step of packaging the Mucuna bean powder pulverized in the pulverization step into bags. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, washed Mucuna pruriens beans are steam-heated at 100-150°C for 5-30 minutes and then pulverized, which has the effect of retaining the L-dopa content contained in the Mucuna pruriens beans in the powder without reducing it as much as possible.Furthermore, by simultaneously pulverizing and drying, it is possible to obtain powder in a short time. Furthermore, the present invention has the effect of preventing the powder from browning and maintaining the original color and flavor of the Mucuna beans. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a flow chart of one embodiment of the method for producing a pulse powder obtained from a plant of the genus Mucuna, such as Mucuna pruriens, according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The method for producing a pulse powder obtained from a plant of the genus Mucuna, such as Mucuna pruriens, according to the present invention will be described in detail below. Fig. 1 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of the method for producing a pulse powder obtained from a plant of the genus Mucuna, such as Mucuna pruriens, according to the present invention.

[0016] Mucuna pruriens, also known as 'Yassho' beans, are seeds that grow into fruit measuring approximately 1.5 to 2.0 cm in length, approximately 1.0 cm in width, and approximately 0.8 cm in thickness, with each pod containing 5 to 6 seeds. They flower around August and are harvested from mid-November. In the present invention, the term "Mucuna pruriens" refers not only to 'Yassho' beans but also to beans derived from plants of the genus Mucuna. Harvested Mucuna pruriens are stored refrigerated or at room temperature. Stored Mucuna pruriens are first sterilized (Step S1). Sterilization can be performed by any suitable method, but heat sterilization is preferably avoided as much as possible because the target L-dopa is sensitive to heat. Sterilization is preferably performed by immersing the beans in a 100 to 200 ppm sodium hypochlorite solution for 5 to 15 minutes. However, immersion for too long may result in the loss of L-dopa, so the shortest possible time is preferred.

[0017] Once sterilization is complete, the Mucuna beans are washed (Step S2). Washing is performed by pouring running water set at 0°C to 30°C over the Mucuna beans for 5 to 15 minutes. For example, the Mucuna beans can be placed in a suitable container and washed with running water, stirring appropriately. Tap water may also be used for washing. After washing, the Mucuna beans are thoroughly drained and dehydrated (Step S3). Dehydration can be performed as needed, but for example, they may be dehydrated using a rotary dehydrator at 800 to 1,100 rpm for 30 to 60 seconds.

[0018] Next, the dehydrated Mucuna beans are steam-heated (step S4). The steam-heating can be carried out, for example, using a steam convection oven. The steam-heating is carried out, for example, at 100 to 150°C for 5 to 30 minutes, preferably at 100 to 125°C for 10 to 30 minutes, or at 125 to 150°C for 5 to 20 minutes, preferably not longer than 30 minutes. This is because if Mucuna beans are steam-heated for a long time at too high a temperature, the L-dopa content may decrease. Furthermore, superheated steam at 100 to 150°C may be used in the steam-heating, and various techniques can be used for the steam-heating.

[0019] Next, the steam-heated Mucuna beans are quickly cooled at 0 to 10°C for 30 to 90 minutes (step S5). For example, they are placed in a refrigerator for about 60 minutes to cool the Mucuna beans to below room temperature. Once the temperature of the Mucuna beans has dropped, they are stored at 0 to 10°C.

[0020] Next, the cooled Mucuna pruriens beans are pulverized (step S6). Pulverization can be performed using, for example, an airflow dryer / pulverizer. An airflow dryer / pulverizer is a device that blows hot air into a drying chamber during pulverization to heat and dry the beans simultaneously. The Mucuna pruriens beans are pulverized and powdered using this airflow dryer / pulverizer. For example, the pulverized Mucuna pruriens beans can be quickly dried by heating the pulverization chamber to 80 to 100°C with hot air. The pulverized Mucuna pruriens beans are preferably pulverized to, for example, a 40-mesh pass. By pulverizing to this size, the powder can be dried in an extremely short time of 2 to 3 seconds. Because drying can be performed in such a short time, the thermal load is small, and the pulverized powder does not turn brown, maintaining the original white color of the Mucuna pruriens beans. The pulverization size is not limited to a 40-mesh pass, and any other suitable size may be used.

[0021] The crushed Mucuna bean powder is sieved, packed into bags of a specified weight, inspected for foreign matter using an X-ray inspection device, and then stored to await shipment (step S7). [Example]

[0022] Next, examples will be described, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. First, 10 kg of Mucuna pruriens beans (moisture content 10.6%) were immersed in a 200 ppm sodium hypochlorite solution for 10 minutes and then thoroughly washed with running water for 10 minutes. The washed Mucuna pruriens beans were dehydrated in a rotary dehydrator at 950 rpm for 30 seconds. The dehydrated Mucuna pruriens beans were cooled at 5°C for approximately 60 minutes, divided into five equal parts, and subjected to steam heating treatment at the temperatures and times indicated below. After steam heating treatment, the beans were promptly cooled and stored at 0-10°C. Each Mucuna pruriens bean was then crushed to a 40-mesh pass size in an airflow drying mill set at 95°C to produce Mucuna pruriens bean powder. The reference example shows the average L-dopa (%) content of three types of roasted soybean flour (Himeji, Kumamoto, and Tochigi) roasted at temperatures above 150°C. Example 1: 120°C, 15 minutes Example 2: 120°C, 10 minutes Example 3: 110°C, 15 minutes Example 4: 100°C, 15 minutes Example 5: 100°C, 10 minutes Reference example: Roasted soybean flour (above 150℃) As a result, the L-dopa content was as shown in Table 1.

[0023] [Table 1]

[0024] The sensory evaluation results for each example are shown in Table 2. The sensory evaluation was conducted by six panelists, who evaluated "aroma" and "flavor" on a scale of 1 to 10, and the average scores are shown, along with the comments of the evaluators. TIFF2025167833000003.tif49161

[0025] As shown in Table 1, the L-dopa content of Examples 1 to 5 was found to be approximately the same as the original amount. It was also confirmed that Examples 1 and 2 contained approximately 30% more L-dopa than the Reference Example. Regarding the aroma and flavor of Examples 1 to 5, some were sweet and delicious, while others were bitter and not very sweet. However, the bitterness adds a rich aftertaste, and the less sweetness has the advantage of not affecting the flavor of foods made with Mucuna pruriens powder.

[0026] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to produce a powder that maintains the L-dopa content contained in Mucuna pruriens as much as possible. Although the preferred embodiments of the method for producing Mucuna pruriens powder according to the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the present invention as defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A step of washing beans obtained from plants of the genus Mucuna, such as Mucuna pruriens (hereinafter referred to as "Mucuna beans"); Dehydrating the washed Mucuna beans; A step of steam-heating the dehydrated Mucuna beans at 100 to 150 ° C for 5 to 30 minutes; A step of crushing the Mucuna beans after the steam heating treatment; A method for producing Mucuna bean powder, comprising:

2. 2. The method for producing Mucuna bean powder according to claim 1, The method for producing Mucuna bean powder further comprises a step of sterilizing the Mucuna beans before the washing step.

3. 2. The method for producing Mucuna bean powder according to claim 1, The method for producing Mucuna bean powder further comprises a step of cooling the Mucuna beans at 0 to 10°C for 30 to 90 minutes after the steam heating treatment step and before the pulverization step.

4. 2. The method for producing Mucuna bean powder according to claim 1, A method for producing Mucuna bean powder, characterized in that drying is carried out at 80 to 100 ° C. simultaneously during the grinding process.

5. 2. The method for producing Mucuna bean powder according to claim 1, The method for producing Mucuna pruriens powder further comprises a step of packaging the Mucuna pruriens powder pulverized in the pulverization step.

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